The concept of a "blood oath" did exist in the Dragon Clan world.
It involved exchanging blood to seal a contract. Once formed, any betrayal would trigger a mental backlash. For someone like Xia Mi, a Dragon King, this backlash could force her out of her dragon form and leave her powerless for a time.
Uchiha Hikari wasn't sure if such a covenant would affect her, an "outsider" from another world.
But…
It didn't really matter.
She was intrigued by Xia Mi's ability to find the "eye of all things," but it wasn't something she had to have.
A living Xia Mi was far more useful than a dead dragon's crossbone.
After all, there were plenty of tasks she couldn't entrust to Eriyi or the Snake Qida family. Having a Dragon King like Xia Mi as an ally would make things much smoother in the Dragon Clan world.
"Alright," Hikari agreed.
With that settled, Hikari released the Tsukuyomi, bringing Xia Mi back to the Capsule Corp cabin. "So, how do we do this?"
"Easy," Xia Mi said, slinking closer in her reptilian form. She grabbed Hikari's right index finger, gently lifting it to her lips. "It might sting a little, but it'll be over quick."
With that, Xia Mi bared her small fangs and chomped down with a soft nom.
"Slurp—"
Despite her fierce appearance, Xia Mi's bite was gentle. After breaking the skin and sucking a few drops, she pulled back, licking a smudge of blood from her lips. "Light-nee's blood… it's definitely different from pure dragon blood. Way tastier than Constantine's or Fenrir's, though."
"?"
Next, Xia Mi sliced her own palm and held it out to Hikari.
"Uh…" Hikari hesitated. "Have you had a checkup lately? No viruses or bacteria in there, right? I'm in a pure human body now—drinking this won't mess me up, will it?"
"…" Xia Mi's mouth twitched, her expression a mix of exasperation and disbelief. "Only low-tier hybrids deal with 'diseases.' Noble First-Generation dragons don't have that problem. Besides, it's just a ritual. A quick lick is enough—you don't need to chug it."
"…Fine," Hikari said, giving Xia Mi's palm a cautious lick.
As the blood exchange completed, an indescribable force seemed to ripple through the air, enveloping them both before fading into faint, glowing wisps. The glow around Hikari was much fainter than Xia Mi's, but it was there.
"Hm?" Hikari's mind stirred. Could this covenant actually affect her, a visitor from another world? That was… intriguing. Worth looking into later.
On the other side, Xia Mi watched the scene nervously, then let out a relieved sigh, her face easing into visible relief.
Truth be told…
She'd been under immense pressure for years.
For one, she was the weakest of the four Dragon Kings, practically a step away from being a next-generation species. Having been killed multiple times over the past millennium, her power had plummeted, nearly costing her her authority. She was struggling to keep up, whether against her fellow dragons or the increasingly powerful human hybrid society.
On top of that, she was Fenrir's caretaker, forced to keep him locked away here to avoid detection.
Enemies lurked outside.
Inside, she had a dim-witted "play with me, sister" dragon brother to deal with…
Xia Mi was exhausted.
Countless times, she'd considered killing and devouring Fenrir to ascend as Hela, the God of Death. But she could never bring herself to do it.
Now, though…
This was the White King!
Even the power Hikari had deliberately shown in their earlier fight already outclassed her as the Earth and Mountain King. If Hikari could regain her full dragon form from this human body… wouldn't she be a hundred times stronger?
With an ally like that, maybe she wouldn't need to devour Fenrir after all.
At that thought, Xia Mi glanced at her dim-witted brother nearby.
Just then, Fenrir shuffled over, cautiously eyeing Hikari, then Xia Mi. He started nuzzling their arms with his head. "Sister, sister, play with me… Light, Light, play with me…"
"No manners! Use honorifics with Light-nee!" Xia Mi scolded, giving Fenrir a light bonk on the head.
"…" Fenrir hugged his head with his wings, looking utterly pitiful.
Hikari, of course, didn't care about formalities with a "child" like Fenrir.
After the siblings finished their exchange, she spoke softly. "So, Xiao Mi, have you ever thought about moving Xiao Fen somewhere else?"
"…I have," Xia Mi admitted. "But Fenrir's too big a target. The moment he leaves this Nibelungen, he'll draw attention. Staying here's safer."
"…True," Hikari conceded.
Safe? Hardly.
But at this point in the timeline, this Nibelungen was still a decent hideout. According to the "script," Xia Mi and Fenrir's deaths weren't due for another year or so. The mastermind behind the Dragon Kings' mass revival and slaughter probably wasn't in a rush to deal with them yet.
"How about hooking up an internet connection here?" Hikari suggested.
"Huh?" Xia Mi blinked.
…
Teaching Fenrir to use the internet gave Xia Mi pause.
In theory, it wasn't an issue.
With Fenrir's intelligence, he wasn't about to start online flame wars or post anything that'd bring the cyber police knocking. Managing to play a computer game would be a major achievement for him.
Plus…
"I've got a blood descendant in Japan," Hikari added. "She had a childhood similar to Fenrir's and only recently learned to use a computer. Maybe she could teach him. If you need to reach me, you can pass messages through her."
She was talking about Eriyi.
"Alright," Xia Mi nodded. "I've got summer break next month. I'll stick around and teach him properly, make sure he doesn't stumble across anything… inappropriate."
In 2009, China's internet censorship was still pretty lax. Plenty of content—like certain "two or three person" short films—could be found without a VPN.
Suddenly, a thought struck Hikari. "Xiao Mi, can I ask you something? Between you and Fenrir… which one of you is actually Attila, the Hun King who died by a woman's hand?"