Multicolored bolts exploded across the hall like maddened serpents, tearing through the air and leaving behind a trail of pure devastation. Each crack sounded like miniature thunderclaps, a symphony of utter destruction echoing off the ancient walls.
For Echidna, however, this was not terrifying. It was beautiful. To her eyes, chaos took the shape of art, as if each bolt were a luminous stroke painting the darkness. And when several struck her at once, the inevitable did not happen; she did not shatter, she felt no pain. On the contrary, a strangely pleasurable sensation coursed through her body, drawing forth a smile she herself could not explain.
Dex, on the other hand, felt something entirely different. To him, it was not beauty but strangeness. The chain and blade attached to his arm were not mere tools; they were a living extension, pulsing as if they had a will of their own. The weight of this bond was both fascinating and unsettling.
He took a few steps back from Echidna, relieved to see her smile with that almost dangerous expression, and began testing the weapon.
"A chain... and a blade. Both from afar and up close," he murmured thoughtfully about the possibilities.
Holding the chain, he swung it in wide circles. The blade, dragged by the speed, traced arcs of electric light in the air. With every turn, a sharp sound of something tearing the wind filled the room, as if space itself were being cut.
But then Dex decided to push the limit. He let his aura flow into the weapon. What came next was beyond his control.
The colored lightning vanished in an instant, as if wiped from the world. They became invisible. Yet their presence was undeniable; the air smelled strongly of something burning, and through the smoke emerged outlines of hidden lightning, silently devouring the space.
In a surge, Dex took advantage of the implosion created by the spins and released the chain. The blade shot forward fiercely, crossing the hall until it struck the ancient wall.
The impact was brutal. The stone, which had stood for centuries, was pierced as if it were paper. But the true destruction came immediately after. The invisible lightning reignited as ethereal flames, covering the wall with fiery cracks. Solid rock cracked, flaked, and turned to ashes. Nothing escaped—not air, not stone—everything was fuel for that insatiable aura.
Dex, however, was not unscathed. The moment the attack ended, the blade snapped back violently to his arm, disappearing into the living tattoo. His body staggered, and a wave of dizziness hit him.
'What... what is happening to me?' he thought, breathing heavily and cold sweat running down his skin.
He then fell to his knees on the cold floor of the hall, losing consciousness. "Echi..." he murmured faintly.
Echidna, seeing the monstrous feat of her husband, finally regained her senses. 'How can that attack be so strong?'
But her attention was quickly diverted to something else.
"Dex!" she shouted as she saw him fall to the floor and ran to his side.
With her high speed, she quickly reached him and held him in her arms. "What happened to you?" she asked.
"I think... using aura... in an attack with... this weapon consumes a lot of energy," he said slowly.
"But at least I didn't faint," he added with a weak smile.
Yet Echidna did not smile; in fact, she seemed even angrier. "You didn't apologize for the jokes and say you should have woken me up, so why are you repeating the same mistakes?"
Slowly and without even noticing her own anger, Echidna began releasing aura into the environment.
And for Dex, only one thing crossed his mind: 'I'm screwed.'
--
Along the beautiful beach, with the lovely pink sunset visible to all, there was still something that drew more attention than the sun itself. A beautiful couple with white hair walked side by side holding hands, and with every step they took, murmurs rose from those watching.
"Who are those two and why are they so beautiful?"
"Are they siblings...?"
"What kind of beast men are these?"
"How can she be so attractive?"
"What kind of tattoos are those, especially the man's?"
The murmurs were in the hundreds, if not thousands, until they reached the place where they had left the poor beast woman for hours.
And there she was, beautiful and clearly annoyed. Currently sitting on a beach chair rented by Erica, allowing her skin, now slightly reddened by the sun, to rest under the umbrella.
Echidna, seeing her from afar, released Dex's hand and ran towards her. "Hey, Lyra, we're back!" she shouted with a smile.
Lyra, hearing her voice, turned her head to the right, in Echidna's direction. Then, coldly, she stood up, expressionless, and began gathering her belongings, which she had already packed a long time ago.
Seeing her friend silent and expressionless, Echidna asked, "Is everything okay?"
She replied flatly, "I thought you could only be stupid for not realizing what happened with Erica, but I was clearly mistaken."
Dex, now closer to them, asked, "What do you mean by that?"
"Even after everything, you didn't go after her or apologize or anything. Instead, you disappeared for hours on a 'walk,' and look at you with your impeccably white skin. Not a trace of three hours in the sun. Let me guess, you went somewhere more secluded to have sex, didn't you?"
Echidna and Dex, somewhat shocked, asked, "What the hell are you talking about?"
Lyra, ready to leave, said her last words, hoping to leave an impact. "You think I didn't see you cozying up, whispering in each other's ears right before you left? When we're at school, don't talk to me, despicable lizards!"
Without waiting another second, she left without saying another word.
So, from the original group of four, it was reduced to just the two lovers falsely accused.
Echidna then turned to Dex. "Can you explain how our journey to get a gift was considered a little outing to have sex?"
He, while approaching the towels to pack their things from the beach, said, "If you consider her point of view, the assumption is very valid since she did not lie about what she observed us doing. Besides, she must have been angry about being abandoned for hours; after all, it must be about five thirty in the afternoon now."
"But what she assumed is not the truth," she said while helping him pack.
"When classes start, we'll find a way to explain the situation to her. After all, one day she'll be one of our queens."
"That cold and calculating side won't win over our wives," she teased.
Dex then smiled lightly and said to her, "That's exactly why you're here, my heart conqueror."
"Good you know that, my cold and calculating husband," she replied with a smile.
They quickly finished packing and were ready to leave—except for one or two reasons.
"I know you like showing off, but if we're leaving the beach, put on your dress," said Dex, now dressed in his shirt, to the still half-naked Echidna, who still proudly showed her persignes.
"Of course, old man," she said while wrapping her beautiful black dress around her body.
Thus, the beautiful dragon duo moved forward until they reached the beach entrance. They walked slowly due to Dex's fatigue.
They finally reached the shopping mall entrance through which they had entered to buy their items.
And there they finally noticed something. "How are we getting home?"