Beyond the Virge

Chapter 27: The Dragon's Lair

"Congratulations Clover." I hear a demonic voice say.

"It's you again. I'm not dead?"

"Apparently not. I wouldn't be talking to you if I were dead you see."

I sigh with relief. "I have to thank those girls someday."

"Now to get home as the demon king. You have to kill the rest of the heroes."

"Can't I destroy their weapons?"

"Once a hero synchronizes with a weapon, the weapon is part of their soul."

"I see."

"But you can make exceptions. Those you may see as allies can stay alive as long as you convert them."

"How do I do that?"

"Bite them. Like a vampire."

I raise my eyebrow. "For real?"

"That's technically how you became a demon. When I attacked you I bit you."

"Right..."

"Now's your time to change the tides. Kill all that oppose you and ally those that you trust."

As I woke up I would see Yuki laying in front of me, Umi having her hand over my head and the others around the room.

"Clover!?" Umi says turning my head towards her.

"Gah! Too fast!"

"Sorry!" she lets go of my face.

"Clover! You're awake!" Rii says, kissing me. "I missed you so much!"

"R-Rii!" Yuki says, grabbing her by the collar. "I-I mean," she clears her throat. "Hey, Clover! Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine..."

"We are going to talk about that later," Yuki says.

"Clover, are you alright?" Kiara says give me a cup of water.

I nod, drinking it. "How long have I've been out?"

"It's been about 4 months already."

"You missed Life Day," Rebekka says.

"Life Day?" I questioned.

"It's basically Christmas in this world," Yuki explains.

"I see. I apologize for missing out."

"Don't worry! We were on your side this entire time," Kiara says.

"Thanks, girls I really appreciated it. I forgot to ask, but where are we anyway?"

"We are in my humble abode," Rii says.

I would have known that Rii lives in a cave, but I never knew it looked this nice. I sat up and looked around. It was cozy with a wooden interior.

"I apologize if my home is a little messy."

"No need, it's a nice-looking place." I tried to fully get up, but I instantly fell back down. The others were ready to catch me.

"Careful, you just woke up from a coma so take it easy."

"Gotchu, sorry. Just give me a hand or something."

Kiara was the first one to respond as she grabbed my hand and lifted me up.

"Gah! Kiara, too forceful."

"I apologize, but I did technically do what you asked of me."

"True, but it's a little too rough."

"Here, follow me, I cooked up some soup," Rii says. I don't know why, but something felt off. It's like, something was missing.

As we reached the kitchen, she quickly poured soup from the cauldron that hung above a fire on the right corner of the room. To the left, was a huge dining table where I sat.

"Back then, I used to live here with my family," Rii says, placing down the soup in front of me. It looked like a beef stew Mom used to make back home.

"It was my mother, father, 5 brothers, and 6 sisters. We lived in peace and harmony with the other people."

As Rii continued her story, I took a spoonful of the soup and noticed something odd within the meat of the soup. The meat was different compared to any cow's steaks. As I poked it with a fork, a bluish color ran down the side of the meat.

"Rii," I say.

"Yes?" Rii answers.

"Stand up and turn around."

"Oh my, Clover, you're so bold, but,-"

"Turn around."

As Rii turns around, it's just what I thought. She was missing her tail. The bluish blood gave it away too far.

"Why are you trying to feed me your tail..."

"Cause I wanted you to have a taste of me."

The entire room was silent. Frozen. I couldn't even think of what to say. Yuki, Umi, Rebekka, and Kiara were speechless from the thought of what to say.

I sat there wondering if dragon meat was poisonous, knowing I had the resistance to poison anyway. I was more scared of the taste. I took the spoon and put it in my mouth, swallowing the soup, munching on the meat.

I was surprised. It was savory. My eyes shot open as the flavor kicked in. The spice gave the broth a salty, but sweet taste. The meat was chewy as it broke down so easily.

"So, what do you think?" Rii asks.

"You should cook more often," I say.

Rii instantly lit up as she jumps on top of me, hugging me. "Thank you so much! I tried my hardest cooking this one day for you!"

"Thank you Rii." I hug her back.

We decided to stay here for a while until I was completely healed from the wound of the king's fight.