Demonic Dragon: Harem System

Nyx's newly formed body trembled in the center of the magic circle, still covered in dark smoke that slowly evaporated from her skin. The golden veins had already faded, and in their place, a living structure pulsed with each breath. With effort, she rose to her knees, panting.

The cold floor of the mansion felt even colder under her bare feet, but she refused to show weakness. Gritting her teeth, she snapped her fingers and, with a subtle movement, began to shape her own appearance. Her skin lightened to a pale gray, almost translucent, as if made of lunar porcelain. Short, gray hair appeared in thick, slightly tousled strands—as if it were living ash. Her eyes became pools of pure black, deep and unfathomable.

Clothes appeared on her body with a sharp snap—a long dark leather coat with metal buckles, tight pants, and high boots studded with small ornamental skulls. Her makeup appeared like shadow, outlining her eyes with sharp, gothic lines, and black lipstick sealed her lips in striking contrast. A necklace of thin, silver thorns appeared around her neck, like a collar of remembrance.

She took a deep breath, rising to her feet. She was still trembling, but her gaze was pure fire.

"Are you satisfied now?" she said bitterly, lifting her chin.

Strax remained motionless. His eyes, once cold, now glowed bright red, two beacons of judgment in the midst of the silent darkness. He took a step forward, and the ancient wood beneath his feet groaned. Without a word, he drew his sword.

The sound of metal cutting through the air was sharp and precise. The blade glinted in the flickering light of the fireplace and stopped just two fingers from Nyx's face—the tip of the sword pointed directly between her eyes.

She did not flinch. But she swallowed hard.

"Do you think I'm a sucker?" Strax growled, his voice laden with anger that came from long before that night. "Do you think I don't notice? Do you think you can do everything in the shadows and get away with it, as if no one notices?"

Nyx raised an eyebrow, confused. Her voice faltered.

"Strax... what the hell are you talking about?"

The tension spread like poison. All the women in the room were silent, their eyes fixed on them. Some, like Samira and Beatrice, looked as if they were about to intervene — but something in Strax's posture kept them motionless, caught between fear and fascination.

Scarlet didn't move. She just watched.

Strax took another step forward. The blade was almost touching Nyx's forehead now.

"Don't you really understand?" he spat. "How many times were you going to keep pretending you didn't see? How many times were you going to hide inside Xenovia? How many, damn it?"

Nyx took a step back, shaken.

"I didn't do that," she said, her voice low but firm. "I never hid—"

"LIES!" Strax shouted, and the floor shook beneath his feet. His blade clinked softly, vibrating with arcane energy.

Everyone cringed at the sound. The fireplace reignited with an involuntary explosion, as if responding to his temper.

Strax didn't back down. He was exploding inside, and finally, it all spilled out.

"You didn't help Xenovia! You BARELY showed up! You were always busy with your own shit while she fought, bled, suffered! How many times did she ask for help and you just... didn't show up! Huh?!" He swung his sword to the side, as if controlling the urge to actually attack. "Not even lending power? Not even ONCE? And the last battle, damn it! Xenovia almost died of exhaustion. And where were you? Sleeping?!"

Nyx took a step back, her eyes wide. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. She could only feel Strax's words cutting into her like blades.

"You think I don't understand how spirits work? I created this ritual!" Strax pointed to the magic circle on the floor, still steaming. "I UNDERSTAND. I saw it. You had a thousand chances. And you know what pisses me off? It's not even that you're selfish. It's that you LIE! You look at her with that 'soulmate' look and then disappear when she needs you most!"

Nyx fell to her knees. Not out of physical weakness — but because her heart was broken.

"I... I never wanted her to get hurt," she whispered. "I... I thought she could handle it on her own."

"THOUGHT?" Strax laughed bitterly. "Thought? She was dragging herself along! And you thought it was what, spiritual training? A little game to see who could hold out the longest before passing out?"

Silence reigned once more. Even the wind outside seemed to stop.

Nyx was trembling. Not from the cold. But for real.

Scarlet finally stepped away from the pillar, slowly crossing her arms. "He's right."

Nyx turned her face toward her, her eyes brimming with tears.

"You've always been powerful, Nyx," Scarlet continued. "But that has blinded you. You think letting Xenovia fight alone will make her grow. But you don't realize that you're tearing her apart."

"She trusts you," Samira said quietly, approaching her. "I can't say the same for all of us."

Beatrice approached silently as well and placed her hand on Nyx's shoulder without saying a word. "Seal," Beatrice murmured, sealing Nyx's body without her knowing.

Strax still had the sword in his hand, but now the tip was pointing at the ground. His eyes still burned—but now there was pain on his face, not just anger.

"Do you have any idea how I felt seeing her collapse in front of me, blood coming out of her eyes, nose, and mouth? Because she tried to fight a wave of dragons with Kryssia, because 'you had more important things to do'? Spiritual Assimilation? No. Lending power? Nothing. At least helping to deflect attacks? She didn't even try."

"I didn't know... she was in such bad shape," Nyx replied, her voice almost inaudible.

"Of course, you're always hiding," Strax said, his voice tired now.

Nyx stood up slowly, her knees trembling. Her black eyes were shining, filled with unshed tears.

"I was wrong," she said firmly, as if finally admitting it to herself. "I was wrong about everything. I... I did hide. I was absent. It wasn't because I wanted her to suffer. I was just... afraid."

Silence.

"Afraid of what?" Strax asked, calmer now.

Nyx hesitated, her eyes fixed on his.

"Afraid of getting too attached. Afraid of losing my identity. Afraid of being hurt again. Do you think it's easy for someone like me... to give myself completely to someone? After what happened to me when I was sealed? After living for years in the Spirit Realm without being able to do anything?"

She took a deep breath.

"I hid inside her, yes. But it was because, for the first time in centuries, I felt alive. And that terrified me."

Strax finally sheathed his sword. His face relaxed, still tense, but now dominated by a deep sadness. He looked at her for a long moment. Then he looked at Xenovia, sitting in the background, avoiding everyone's gaze.

"You can still fix this," he said at last.

Nyx turned to Xenovia. Her steps were slow, heavy. When she knelt before her, all the arrogant posture of the Black Phoenix had disappeared.

"I'm sorry," she said, placing her hand on the young woman's knee. "I failed you. And I know it's not enough to say that... But I'll change. I swear by everything I've burned."

Xenovia didn't respond immediately. She just placed her hand over hers, with a small nod.

"Then start now," she said.

Strax walked away silently, going to the window. Moonlight bathed the hall, and a cold breeze came in through the crack. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.

Scarlet walked up to him, leaning against the doorframe. Her amber eyes sparkled in the flickering light of the fireplace.

"You were harsh," she said, her voice low but firm. "Although I think it was the right thing to do... there were other ways."

Strax did not look at her immediately. His eyes were still fixed on Nyx and Xenovia, who were embracing in the center of the room, surrounded by a thick silence.

"Someone had to do it," he replied, his voice hoarse. "She needed to understand that no one here is manipulable. Much less untouchable."

Scarlet watched his face for a moment, searching for something beyond the words. She found anger, yes—but also exhaustion. And pain.

She just nodded.

A soft step echoed behind them. Beatrice appeared silently, her white robe marked with the golden lines of the Order. She stood to Strax's left, opposite Scarlet.

"Raise your hand," Beatrice said, in a tone so calm it almost sounded like a prayer.

Strax obeyed without hesitation. When their hands touched, a slight wave of energy rippled through the air—invisible to ordinary eyes, but palpable to anyone sensitive to magic. A blue-purple glow appeared at the moment of contact, like a contained electric spark.

With that touch, the transfer was complete.

The arcane seal, previously under Beatrice's control, passed to Strax. A subtle flow of power lodged beneath his skin, enveloping his bones with draconic symbols that burned within, alive and pulsing like a new heartbeat.

Scarlet sensed the change. Her eyes narrowed slightly.

"So the plan was successful," she murmured, a slight smile playing at the corners of her lips. It was a statement, not a surprise.

Beatrice merely tilted her head with her usual serenity. "Of course it was."

She crossed her arms, glancing briefly at Nyx, now with her back to them.

"You can't let a primordial like her run loose—especially now, with a nearly indestructible body, forged by the hands of a Master Dwarf. The seal is necessary. Not as punishment... but as a precaution."

Scarlet glanced at Strax, studying his face as Beatrice continued.

"A draconic sealing rune, embedded in the core of her soul, allows us to track her. It's the best option we have. Do you agree?"

Strax did not respond immediately. He felt the weight of responsibility seeping into him with that new connection. An ancient flame now burned beneath his skin.

He finally nodded.

"It was my idea, after all."

Beatrice nodded with a small smile of approval.

Scarlet tilted her head slightly. "What about divine detection?"

Strax crossed his arms, his jaw tense.

"Fortunately, magic and draconic runes are not traceable by divine energy," he said. "At least, that's what Frieren assured us. And if there's anyone on this plane who understands how the gods think, it's her."

Beatrice added, "Frieren altered the structure of the rune to respond only to non-cosmic patterns. No divine signature will be able to intercept it."

"Good," said Scarlet. "You can never be too careful. Especially now... knowing that Nyx has ties to the gods who are trying to bend this world."

The air grew thicker. None of them needed to say aloud what they were all thinking.

Nyx was a key piece. But also a possible threat.

Strax looked once more at the center of the hall. Xenovia was still holding the primordial's hand, as if seeking a connection there, not only with Nyx—but with the faith she had in her.

He took a deep breath.

"Let's monitor her. If Nyx has truly chosen to redeem herself, she won't even notice the seal. But if she tries anything..."

"She won't get far," added Scarlet.

Beatrice just watched in silence. She knew that, at that moment, an invisible balance hung between redemption and condemnation. And one false step was enough for Nyx to be seen again not as an ally... but as a living sentence.