Dragon Across the Multiverse (Si-WC) (Patreon)

Chapter 25: The Dawn of a New Garden

Unknown person’s POV

Pain.

She was in so much pain.

After being betrayed by her family upon developing Possession, she was exiled and sold to the church. Thrown into an iron cage and dragged off to who knew where, all she could do now was pray to whatever deity might hear her, that her death would at least be quick.

She had no hope of surviving and fully expected to die once they were done with her. All she could wish for was that none of her friends would ever suffer as she had, especially her good friend she hadn’t seen in months.

Escape? Impossible. She could barely move, much less fight her way past the guards in her current condition.

With the pain keeping her awake, she immediately noticed and became alert when the night grew unnaturally silent, not even hearing the insects chirping. Her heart suddenly sank as a bad feeling crept up her heart.

A few muffled thuds echoed from behind her cage, but with the dirty sheet covering it, she couldn’t see a thing.

Curling up smaller in the center of the cage, she tried to make herself look as non-threatening as possible, praying whoever was out there would ignore her.

Then again… would dying be such a bad thing? Would she even live to become a teenager at this point?

As her thoughts spiraled darker and darker, the noises from the guards outside abruptly stopped. She froze, holding her breath, eyes squeezing shut in fear.

‘Guess I subconsciously want to live after all,’ she thought bitterly, tears sliding down her cheeks.

The scrape of a blade leaving its sheath rang out, then, in an instant, the bars around her cage fell apart, cut cleanly to pieces. Each shard landed harmlessly away from her.

Before she could panic, a lithe figure in black pulled her close. The hug was firm, protective, and strangely familiar.

“Shh. It’s alright. You’re going to be just fine.”

The voice was feminine, muffled by a hood, yet familiar enough to make her blink in shock.

Her mouth opened, her friend’s name forming unbidden. “A—”

But a finger pressed gently to her lips. The hood pulled back, revealing flowing blonde hair and blue eyes.

“I no longer go by that name,” her rescuer whispered. “My name is Liriel now, though you may also refer to me as Alpha.” The now named Liriel then helped her stand on her own feet again ignoring the grotesque mutations on her arm.

Overwhelmed, she could only stare until two more figures landed beside them.

“The cult has been dealt with,” one said, a boy, his face hidden behind a white mask and hood, with a similar outfit as the others.

“They weren’t as strong as I expected,” the other muttered, a girl with three swaying tails and twitching ears, clearly a therianthrope.

“They were just lackeys. Probably didn’t even know who they truly served,” the masked boy replied, then turned his gaze on her.

She stepped back instinctively, until he pulled off his hood, then his mask.

Her breath caught. Perfection. That was the first thought that entered her mind as she beheld a face too perfect to be natural, a presence that made her cheeks flush hot.

“What really matters,” he said gently, “is that we managed to rescue her.”

The boy smiled, warmth radiating through his words. “Don’t worry. One day, this will be nothing but a distant memory.”

He snapped his fingers, and magic engulfed her.

“W-Whoa~” she gasped, watching in awe as the grotesque marks of Possession vanished from her skin. Bruises faded, scratches closed, even the ache in her body disappeared. More than anything, though, she could feel it, the overwhelming power flowing from him.

When the glow faded, she stood tall under her own strength again, staring up at her rescuer as he extended a hand to her.

“Would you like to come with us?” His voice was calm, yet kind.

Without hesitation, she placed her trembling hand into his. His warmth wrapped around her fingers, her hand feeling so small compared to his, and for the first time since this nightmare began, a feeling of safety completely engulfed her.

‘So the stories about love at first sight are true,’ she thought with a shy smile curling her lips.

“Yes~”

=====

Gamma’s POV

Her body ached, every breath sharp against her ribs. Betrayed, sold, and branded as “possessed,” she had been tossed into an iron cage like an animal. She no longer prayed for freedom, only for the end to come quickly.

Then silence fell over the night. The guards’ laughter cut short. A sound of steel rang once… then nothing.

Her cage split open in perfect slices, falling apart around her without so much as scratching her skin. A masked figure stood before her, tall and cloaked in black, hand outstretched.

“Come. You’re safe now.”

She blinked, uncertain if this was another trick, until warm magic enveloped her, erasing every mark of her “possession,” knitting bruises and wounds shut. Tears stung her eyes as she looked at her restored body, at the boy whose presence radiated strength far beyond her comprehension.

His hand was still there, waiting, patient. “Will you walk with us?” he asked gently.

Her lips trembled into a smile she hadn’t thought herself capable of anymore. “…Yes.” She whispered before throwing her arms around him and crying her heart out in his chest, feeling even happier when he didn’t pull away and instead wrapped his own around her.

She was reborn that day. And in that moment, she decided that she would offer her new life to her savior.

=====

Back With Akari

After rescuing Beta and Gamma, now Natsume Kafka and Luna, as I had renamed them, we headed for our final rescue of the evening.

Delta.

After granting both Natsume and Luna their own Shrouds, the two instinctively knew how to fly. They only needed a little time to get used to it, though Luna’s clumsiness had her veering off course every so often, correcting herself to everyone’s amusement.

‘I should see if I can cure her clumsiness. In fact, I already have an idea for an ability that would be extremely helpful for her,’ I thought before focusing again.

Like with Natsume before her, we explained our goal to Luna, to defeat the Cult and rescue the Possessed. We weren’t surprised when she all but jumped at the chance to join us. As we flew, Liriel and Yukime filled in the small details I’d skipped, something Ciel had silently chided me for.

“We’ve reached our next target,” I called out over the wind, my voice carrying effortlessly to the others.

“So, just like before?” Yukime asked once she’d finished explaining to Gamma where we were staying. She didn’t even blink at being able to hear me clearly despite the rushing wind; she was already getting used to my many abilities.

“No,” I denied with a shake of my head, which immediately got their attention. “The girl feels cornered right now. I have no doubt she’ll attack whoever approaches her. I’ll handle this one alone.”

“I-Is she a Therianthrope perhaps, Master?” Luna asked tentatively, her voice curious but nervous.

“That’s correct, Gamma. Good deduction,” I praised, sending her a quick smile that made her blush at the compliment. “And while I don’t mind if you call me that on missions, in private please call me by my name.”

“O-Of course, Master.” Luna nodded quickly, serious now.

“Good. Wait here. I’ll call you down when it’s safe.” I informed them all before descending through the clouds to a wooded area.

I timed my descent perfectly to land in front of a Therianthrope girl with long black hair, sharp purple eyes and a bushy tail. She was dressed in rags, dried blood still visible across her body. Her stomach growled faintly, and she looked like she was at the end of her ropes.

She froze as she caught sight of me, eyes narrowing. A low growl escaped her lips, her body trembling with fear, her instincts screaming at her of a predator far more dangerous than her.

“My name is Akari Tempest. If you seek power, come with me,” I declared firmly, hand extended.

The girl, Sara, growled again, her whole body trembling like a cornered animal.

“Your name is Sara, correct? From this day forth, you shall also be known by the name Delta.” My voice stayed even, dramatic but calm, my eyes locked on hers.

A moment later, her defiance broke. She dropped to her back in a posture of submission, like a dog yielding to their owner.

‘She’s adorable,’ I thought, resisting the urge to scratch her belly.

And just like that, Sara/Delta became part of us, and I gained the best doggo a man could ever want.

=====

Following Day

After curing and granting a Shroud to Sara, I teleported us back to Alexandria. Liriel and Yukime took charge of showing the newcomers their quarters and laying down the ground rules: no fighting each other, do their best to get along, and never show mercy to enemies if they crossed our path.

To no one’s surprise, the girls chose to stay in the same house as Liriel and Yukime, which also happened to be my own, where Marie lived as well since she served as my maid.

The next morning, however, a small problem greeted me when I walked into the kitchen.

Sara was crouched low, growling at the others, her body tense and looking ready to pounce, clearly trying to assert dominance.

Because my steps were silent due to my training and I masked my scent unless I willed otherwise like yesterday, they hadn’t noticed me until I politely cleared my throat.

“Is there a problem, Sara? Everyone?” I asked softly, meeting each of their eyes in turn.

Relief flickered over their faces. But before anyone could respond, a black blur launched itself at me.

“Boooss~!” Sara squealed, hugging my chest and clinging to me like a baby koala. She rubbed her head against me, marking me with her scent as her tail wagged furiously. “Sara is hungry! Do you want to go hunting with me?” she asked with an eager grin.

Unable to resist, I placed my hand on her head, rubbing her ears finding them to be incredibly soft to my fingers. Her cheeks flushed red as she giggled happily, purring in delight.

“Huhuhuhuhu~” Sara chuckled, eyes closed in bliss.

“That’s a good girl~,” I muttered unconsciously, smiling down at her.

That was when Marie entered the kitchen, balancing a large tray on her hands and setting it down on the long table.

“Sorry for the wait. Breakfast is ready,” she said before pausing, blinking at the sight of Liriel, Yukime, Natsume, and Luna glaring at Sara with open jealousy. Then her eyes found mine and softened. “Akari-sama! Good morning~”

“Good morning, Marie. Everyone,” I replied warmly, which made the others quickly drop their jealous looks to greet me back.

“Anyway, Sara,” I said, glancing down at the wolf-girl still clinging to me. “We can go hunting another time. For now, let’s enjoy what Marie prepared.”

“Okaaay~ Is there meat?” she asked hopefully, finally letting go and standing on her own, though her ears drooped a little when I pulled my hand away.

“Marie?” I asked, turning toward her. She nodded, and Sara immediately cheered before bounding over to the table.

While she buried her face in a plate of bacon eating without any manners at all, I quietly pulled the others aside.

“As you saw, Sara is deeply in tune with her instincts. If you want her to listen, you’ll need to assert dominance. While Liriel and Yukime should be fine thanks to their training, Natsume and Luna will have a harder time.”

“I see. Thank you for confirming my suspicions. I’ll be a little tougher on her from now on,” Liriel said seriously with a nod.

“…So that’s why most of the populace thinks of us Therianthrope as more brawn than brain,” Yukime muttered with a faint frown before composing herself and nodding too.

“I read that there’s always a hothead in every group. Seems it’s true,” Natsume mused to herself with her hand holding her chin looking deep in thought but not concerned at all.

“I’m sure Sara will come around eventually~” Luna added brightly, hands clasped in front of her chest, trying to keep the mood positive.

We were now at the training grounds, sitting back and watching as Liriel faced off against Sara, handily kicking the crap out of her and establishing her dominance.

‘Well, at least I don’t have to worry about Sara attacking every new recruit if Liriel can rein her in just like she did in canon.’ I thought, relieved.

The spar finally ended when Liriel slammed a depowered Rasengan into Sara’s gut, sending her flying across the grounds into the wall with a crash. Spider cracks spread out where she hit before she slid to the ground unconscious.

“Wow~ What kind of technique was that? That definitely didn’t look like any of the magic I’ve heard about before,” Natsume asked, eyes shining with excitement.

“An artifact, perhaps?” Luna guessed just as curiously, scribbling notes in the notebook I’d given her. She and Natsume had been delighted with the modern pens and pencils I’d provided too, their reactions making it totally worth it. When they’d asked where I’d gotten them from, I’d only promised to explain later once all the main members had assembled.

“It’s a power I bestowed upon her from another world, one you also have access to, once you’ve trained enough to unlock it,” I explained briefly while watching Liriel crouch beside the unconscious Sara and begin healing her with green-glowing hands of chakra.

“Another world?” Natsume whispered in awe, looking up from her notes with stars in her eyes. “As expected of Akari-sama~”

Luna, though just as awed, took longer to digest my words. Then she glanced at me, her dark blue eyes sharp. “Forgive me for presuming, my Lord, but does that mean you can travel between worlds?”

“I see you have a sharp mind, Luna,” I praised, patting her on the head. Her blush and shy beam told me the compliment landed. “But, like the notebooks, that explanation will have to wait a little longer. It’s a long story, and I’d rather not repeat myself multiple times.”

Natsume looked a little sad at not receiving praise, but I ignored it for now. There would be plenty of opportunities for her to shine later.

“Thank you for your kind praise, Akari-sama~,” Luna murmured with a small smile.

Moments later, Liriel approached with a now much tamer-looking Sara at her side.

“Apologies for making you wait, Akari, everyone,” Liriel said with a nod, composed and cool, a far cry from the spitfire she was when it was just me and Yukime. The fox girl clearly picked up on it too, judging by the raised eyebrow she sent the blonde.

“Good spar, you two,” I said, nodding at both of them. Sara perked up from her sulk at my words, tail flicking as she returned to her cheerful self. “Now, I want you to start training Natsume, Luna, and Sara with Yukime’s help. I’ll be watching and correcting any mistakes you miss, but this will show me how much you’ve absorbed my lessons.”

“Leave it to me, Akari,” Liriel replied, puffing her chest out unconsciously.

“You mean us, right?” Yukime said, stepping up beside her and giving her a challenging look.

“Of course,” Liriel said, smiling even as her right eyebrow twitched.

Not wanting to get caught between them, I backed off toward the shaded break area where several comfortable chairs sat waiting.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it. Just don’t overdo it, we have a mission tonight. There are still those in need of rescue,” I called over my shoulder with a wave before pulling out a smoothie from my inventory and sitting down.

“Master better not turn lazy in the future,” Ciel deadpanned inside my mind.

‘Tsk, don’t ruin this for me, Ciel. I haven’t relaxed in forever, you know?’ I shot back, waving her concerns away mentally.

“Wasn’t this supposed to be a vacation already?”

‘Details, details.’ I grinned, taking another sip.

As I leaned back and watched Liriel and Yukime put the three through their paces, I couldn’t help but smile to myself. A new family was beginning to take root here in Alexandria, fragile but determined, and like a garden at dawn, this was only the beginning of its bloom.

‘I wonder if I should revive Elizabeth and have her serve as one of my original members?’