Aaric handed Daphne several vials of potions brewed from the Vitalis Bloom to help her recover from the physical toll of the battle.
While she drank the healing draughts, Ra utilized his connection with her to replenish her exhausted divine energy.
Daphne thanked Aaric with a bright smile and a deep kiss before sending a silent word of gratitude to Ra through their bond. As she expected, the ancient sun god did not offer a verbal reply, though she felt a subtle warmth acknowledging her.
Aaric and Daphne descended to the soft grass of the forest floor. Daphne immediately rushed toward Luna and Fleur to show off her new companion while Aaric moved to the side to speak with Kapre.
The god was currently in his towering, giant form. He leaned comfortably against a massive tree with a thick cigar in his hand and took a long puff.
"I thank you for fulfilling the whims of the girls, my Lord," Aaric said, giving the god a slight bow.
The god merely waved a massive hand with a wide grin on his face.
"In the end, it seems they ended up helping me far more than I did for them," Kapre replied. His laughter was a booming sound that shook the nearby trees.
Aaric smiled as he watched the girls. The three of them were taking turns petting the small serpent with looks of genuine enchantment on their faces.
"You are always welcome at the Lux Aeternum Court if you ever wish to visit," Aaric said with a respectful wave.
He walked over to the girls and was greeted with a chorus of giggles and warm hugs. With a practiced motion, he formed a portal into the air that would lead them back to their own dreams.
The girls waved one last time to Kapre before stepping through the threshold. Daphne was still feeling the lingering weight of her exhaustion.
She looked forward to enjoying a period of deep, natural sleep in the safety of Aaric's arms before the morning arrived in the waking world.
| The Morning |
Aaric woke the next morning with his arms wrapped around the bare bodies of Luna and Daphne. Chaya had once again made a habit of curling up directly over his face, her soft scales tickling his skin.
He gently ran his hands over the backs of the two girls while enjoying the quiet stillness of the room. He looked toward the shoulder of Daphne and saw the new pet resting there.
Bakunawa noticed Aaric's gaze. The small serpent unfurled a pair of wings and glided toward the window, where the wings retracted as it landed on the sill.
Daphne had specifically requested the Sands of Morpheus from Luna to ensure the creature could cross over into the physical realm.
Daphne stirred and woke with a radiant smile that widened when she saw the serpent peering out the window. The beast was observing the unfamiliar world with intense fascination.
Daphne giggled and buried her face in Aaric's neck before taking a deep breath.
Her breath made him ticklish and drew a soft chuckle from him. They spent the early morning hours together, talking softly while Aaric continued to trace slow patterns against their skin.
"I am going to show her to all of our friends," Daphne declared with a mischievous grin, indicating the serpent was a she.
"You should probably ask Dumbledore for formal permission to keep her as a familiar," Aaric suggested with a chuckle. "It will be much more convenient than sneaking her through the halls for the rest of the year."
He glanced at his desk and mentally manifested a letter addressed to the Headmaster. He whistled for Dune, his loyal owl, who arrived promptly to take the message to the Headmaster's office.
At breakfast, Daphne kept her promise. She introduced the tiny creature to their circle of friends.
Hermione leaned in close, her eyes wide with interest as she noted the fins all around the serpent and the small horn on the nose of the snake and its inquisitive behavior.
"This is a magical creature, is it not? I have never seen a reference to this species in any of the textbooks. Where did you find her?" Hermione asked. Her questions tumbled out in a rapid sequence.
"Her name is Bakunawa," Daphne explained. "My parents managed to acquire her from the Philippines. She is a rare serpent."
Ron was equally fascinated, particularly by the horn. He slowly extended a finger to pet the head of the creature. He suddenly yelped and pulled his hand back as a tiny spark of electricity jumped from the snake to his skin.
"Ow! Wicked," Ron yelped before exclaimed as his surprise turned into a grin. "She is like a thunderbird but a snake with a very cheeky personality."
He stuck his tongue out at the serpent, who hissed back playfully.
"Harry, can you talk to her?" Hermione asked Harry in a whisper.
She was not being insensitive as Harry was no longer sensitive about his ability as a Parselmouth, having found great use for the language through the healing spells he was learning.
Harry nodded and held out his palm. Bakunawa looked at Daphne as if seeking approval before slithering onto the hand of the boy.
He brought the snake closer to his face and glanced around to ensure no one outside their group was watching. Once he was satisfied, he began to speak in the low sibilance of the serpent tongue.
Aaric had researched the existence of Parseltongue extensively as he had the ability since birth.
He had formulated a theory that Parselmouth wizards possess a specific magical aura that allows snakes to recognize their surface intentions and express them.
More importantly, he had discovered that the longer a Parselmouth speaks to a serpent, the more the cognitive abilities and intelligence of the creature begin to sharpen. Aaric listened closely as Harry spoke to the tiny serpent.
"Hello, I am Harry. This is Daphne, and she will be the one taking care of you from now on. She is my friend, and I know she will be very kind to you," Harry whispered.
"Daphne... friend... is good," Bakunawa replied in a series of sharp, intelligent hisses.
Harry smiled and continued to tell the serpent about the school and more about Daphne's personality.
"She likes you, Daphne. Although she seems a bit shy for the moment," Harry said as he carefully handed the serpent back to her owner.
Bakunawa grew quiet after the brief exchange. It was not shyness that silenced her, but rather a sudden spark of heightened awareness.
The conversation with Harry had allowed her to internalize the recent battle and analyze the divine energy currently circulating through her body.
She was lost in thought, contemplating the numerous ways she could have better utilized her power during the struggle.
Although she was not dissatisfied by her loss as she had fully accepted Daphne as her new master.
Daphne sensed these complex thoughts through their bond. She noticed how Bakunawa was beginning to move her divine energy in intricate new patterns.
Being a divine entity herself, Daphne possessed a far more potent version of Parseltongue which she now planned to use to mentor the creature.
The reason being, Bakunawa was now in the waking realm and if she uses even a sliver of her power accidentally, she could destroy the world and neighboring ones from that.
And she did not wish to reverse time every time her pet would destroy the world.
An example being the time the serpent had just zapped Ron. If Daphne had not controlled the power and absorbed the divinity, that little zap could have caused more damage than a nuclear bomb.
She was thinking of teaching Bakunawa control over divinity in her spare time, and it was not as if the serpent would become a scholar, it would still be a serpent in the end.