The Dragon Bride | ✔️

Chapter Ten

Kora's POV

I walk along the corridor, my heart thumping hard against my chest. It's time for the world leaders to come and, well, assess me, basically. And what with the information I have learnt just prior to this, I'm not sure if I can go through with this.

What if they don't like me? What if they demand to execute me? Well, executions aren't particularly received positively nowadays, but I suppose anything's possible. I am about to turn the corner when I find someone in front of me, just about to walk into me, actually.

Luckily I stopped. It's a man. He has light skin, very pale. His monolid eyes are a dark, unreadable brown and his hair is perfectly combed, a strange bluish grey colour. He's not old, though. He's probably my age, actually, or slightly older.

"Oh, sorry-"

"You're the human dragon bride, aren't you?" he hisses. His brows furrow menacingly and I swear I can see a reddish tint glisten in his eyes.

"Perhaps I am. And who are you, exactly?" I snap back.

He smiles at this question, "Nazo Aresaki, the royal psychiatrist. I treat the most powerful people all over the world."

I roll my eyes. Here we go. Another privileged magiks creature seething at my audacity to exist.

However, this one in particular unnerves me. I try to back away slightly as Nazo's strange eyes seem to see right through me, into my soul, as if reading me like a book. I hate the feeling.

"Right. Well, believe it or not, I don't actually care," I snap, "And I don't need a therapist right now, so if you'll excuse me."

I begin to walk away, before hearing his serpent-like voice echo through the hallway once again.

"Everyone does. It just depends on how much they need one. And I can bet you need one."

I turn back around with a jerk, gritting my teeth. Who does he think he is? Is he even a psychiatrist at all?

"Excuse me? How would you know?" I hiss. He is silent for a moment, assessing me. But what he does next is something I did not expect, not for the life of me. He reaches out a hand and suddenly a red powerball of energy comes swerving towards me, stopping just inches away from my face. The heat of it sizzles in front of me.

"Hmm," he says, holding the Vampire bloodball in front of me, "Impressive."

"What's so impressive?" I raise an eyebrow as I say it.

"You didn't even flinch. Don't you know that one little touch of this bloodball will kill you instantly?" Nazo tilts his head to one side, clearly trying to figure me out, "You know what I think, Kora?"

"I hardly care what you think," I mutter, but Nazo ignores this.

"You're not afraid of dying. People might call this bravery – but I can tell from one look at you, that it's more of a cowardice, isn't it? You want to admit defeat with your own will before it can bind you,"

I stand still for a few moments. I want to squeeze my eyes shut. I take a deep breath, clutching Bob's dagger in my hand. I'll show him.

I grit my teeth.

I don't know how he knows this, but it can't be from one quick inspection. And, frankly, I hate being psychoanalysed.

I quickly swerve past the bloodball, behind Nazo, and then lock his neck between me and the dagger, the blade millimetres away from slicing his skin. I have little skill, but luckily for the element of surprise, it worked nonethless.