Positive little sun, magical girl, I am awesome

Lucas turned around abruptly.

The empty black wooden bookshelves stood like rows of silent guards. A tall figure slowly walked out from among them. The shimmering light from the lake above reflected on his golden-red vertical pupils and his cold, hard face. Who else could it be but Zephyrion?

How could he be here?! — Lucas was startled and immediately had a bad feeling.

Principal Goredia's aura had completely changed. She stared intently at the newcomer, uttering unintelligible whispers in her throat. Her tense body and bristling scales showed that she was on high alert.

Zephyrion, however, seemed oblivious to the hostility that would frighten most people. He looked around, his face full of surprise and disgust: "No wonder I couldn't find it. I'd get moldy if I stayed in this godforsaken place for a day."

That half-breed child, Gledia, is nothing special. If Lilith gets old in the future, he doesn't want her to live such a miserable life. He will build her a golden palace where she can bask in the sun every day, and then give her—no, Lilith won't get old!

When she looked at the pool again, Goredia remained silent.

"Ha, still so arrogant, God's daughter—" Zephyrion's drawn-out tone was full of sarcasm.

……

"Greteia, Greteia!"

A thousand years ago, a young black dragon excitedly ran to find a little mermaid who had just arrived on land, and snatched the book she was reading:

"We're in this together!"

"……what?"

"Everyone says you're the child of the sea god! Is that true? Is that true?" The little black dragon's tail was practically flying off as it spoke to itself:

“Then we’re on the same side! I’m also a child of God, we’re the same! Hmm, that makes us two now. Next time those twins come, you should bite them with me and drive them away from Lilith!”

The innocent little mermaid hesitated, "Actually, we are different, Zephyrion."

The black dragon tilted its head in confusion: "Of course, I'm a dragon, and you're a mermaid."

Goredia explained earnestly, "No, I was indeed conceived by Father God when he was bored, to show Lilith that I also have the right to life, but you, you don't seem to be Lilith's child..."

The little black dragon's tail stopped wagging.

“You hatched from an egg. I’ve never seen Lady Lilith lay an egg.” Grandia bent down to pick up the book the black dragon had trampled underfoot, carefully brushing off the dust. “Besides, apart from both having black hair, you don’t actually look alike, Zephyrion. You shouldn’t be—”

"Boom!" The book in her hand was instantly ignited by a ball of fire, and the slow-witted mermaid finally showed a look of astonishment as she looked up.

"Do you think you're so great? How annoying!" The little black dragon cried and fluttered away.

—A hateful, rigid woman who, despite being about the same age as him, is much more adept at pretending to be an adult; she's the kind of "other people's child" that Lilith always talks about.

Pshaw! What's so great about it? In the end, we're still the same, old and weak.

"You look like you're going to die...tsk! You look so pitiful."

After carefully examining Goredia for a few moments, the black dragon felt no pleasure. Instead, a strange, inexplicable anger welled up inside him. The dampness and decay permeating the entire library were the kind of stench only found on the dying. Even Goredia was about to leave... How annoying!

All the pool water surged and churned like the changing tides, crashing against the pool walls with a "whoosh" sound.

The air became stagnant and thick. Lucas didn't know that this was the scene before the magical elements went berserk. He just felt inexplicably unable to breathe. He jumped into the edge of the pool, trying to ease the tense atmosphere between the two.

"Lord Zephyrion, it's been a long time!" Lucas greeted him with a forced smile.

"Are you looking for Lilith? She's not here. She's probably upstairs dancing with someone right now!"

Lucas knew that Zephyrion treated Lilith specially, and now he was trying to awaken a bit of humanity in the black dragon in order to persuade the trespassing dragon to leave.

Unexpectedly, one sentence precisely stirred up a hornet's nest.

Unable to get a response from Gladys, Zephyrion looked down with his sharp, crimson-gold eyes. When he saw the black dragon's gaze, the hairs on Lucas's back stood on end.

He took a step back, but it was too late! A hand like an iron clamp gripped his throat and lifted him up easily.

"Cough! Lord Zephyrion!" Lucas's heart pounded. The previous harmonious interaction had almost made him forget that the other party was a ferocious dragon. Or perhaps, this was the true nature of the black dragon when it wasn't in front of Lilith?!

Zephyrion hadn't forgotten Aryan's words. He glared at Lucas, gritting his teeth, "You dare mention her again? You're not allowed to—"

His voice suddenly vanished, and a colossal wave erupted in the pool behind Lucas. The mermaid, who had been silently confronting him, suddenly sprang into action the moment he saw Lucas being choked! He surged high into the churning water, opening his mouth wide towards the black dragon—

"Hurry up, Lilith!" Wolf and Rebecca grabbed Lilith on either side and dragged the half-dead girl toward the lively dance floor.

Lilith murmured weakly, "I'm going to find Professor Simon. You guys are going too far. I'm really not a dragon lover."

"Simon won't allow you to act recklessly!"

Worried that the girl might rebel, Rebecca chimed in from the other side: "You're just too young and inexperienced. People need to try different things to know what they really want, instead of sticking to one path. What's the fun in that kind of life?"

"I do not--"

"What's wrong with being human? There are so many talented young people in the school, why not start by trying things out here?" Wolf frantically searched the dance floor, then suddenly his eyes lit up. "I think Ian is a pretty good kid!"

Lilith felt like a squashed sponge being pushed and shoved. In the mesmerizing lights and shadows of the dance floor, she found that the person in front of her had changed again and had become a handsome, dark-haired boy.

"Lilith."

Ian was also pushed onto the dance floor by his friends. He took a deep breath to calm himself, and after his previous missed opportunities, he was much more decisive this time.

Want to dance together?

After saying that, shyness quickly crept up his ears and cheeks. In his panic, the boy didn't know where to look. He lowered his head, then realized it was impolite and quickly looked up to meet the other person's eyes.

"Alright... it's not good to be watched by these two all the time." Lilith glanced at the two teachers on the sidelines with their burning gazes, sighed, and accepted the invitation.

Ian finally couldn't help but smile. He reached out and touched Lilith's palm.

"Oh!"

The crystal chandeliers floating overhead suddenly shattered at the same moment! The galaxy drawn with magic also disappeared at the same time, and the castle was swallowed by sudden darkness.

Before anyone could react, a piercing scream, not heard through the ears but burrowing directly into the skull, exploded in everyone's minds. It was indescribable by any known creature's voice; ancient, mournful, and as if facing the oppressive force of the deep sea.

"what--"

A series of screams of pain erupted in the dance floor. People staggered from side to side under the double attack. Ian's outstretched hand missed Lilith in the darkness, and he instinctively tried to grab her.

But it came up empty.

"Lilith!?" Ian's voice was drowned out by the screams and chaotic footsteps all around him.