Chapter 320: The One Or The Many?

“Fuck off.” Noah said automatically.

“Oh?” Lady in Dark chuckled in response. “I expected you to be way more… enthusiastic, but I can understand this reaction too.”

“What do you want?” Noah drawled, looking around the room.

It was clearly day, and he wasn’t dreaming, so how was she in the room? How had she frozen the world in place? Was she that powerful?

No. It had to be something else.

“How are you here anyways?” He couldn’t help but ask.

Lady in Dark walked closer, chuckling in response. “What? You think the academy wards are too strong to keep me out? Are you really that naive?”

“You know what I’m asking about.” Noah retorted. “I’m not dreaming, so how are you here?”

“Ah.” Lady in Dark grinned. “But you are dreaming.”

Noah blinked in surprise.

“Dreams don’t just happen when you sleep, Noah Webb.” Lady in Dark stood on the other side of Noah’s bed, staring down at him. “After all, humans daydream.”

Noah’s eyes widened. The Lady in Dark could also invade daydreams? What the hell?

Seeing the expression on Noah’s face, Lady in Dark couldn’t help but laugh out loud, the sound traveling through the air like the soft jingling of bells.

“Don’t be so shocked, Noah.” She said. “If I have the ability to converse with you like this in this small fraction of a second, then don’t I have the ability to cure you?”

She saw it. The moment the light entered his eyes as he made the realization. She already had him. He just didn’t know it yet.

“What do you mean?” Noah asked, suspicion in his gaze.

“Think about it.” Lady in Dark turned to study the frozen Queen Ines. “Yes, Ines wants to use you for the crown’s benefit. To turn you into a pawn that was summoned and can be thrown away at any time. Is that all that you are, Noah?”

“And what makes you any different?” Noah asked her, his expression blank.

“Nothing.” Lady in Dark said honestly. “I am just like her. The only difference is that I don’t hide my motives behind a sympathetic smile. I’ll lay all my cards on the table, Noah. It’s up to you to decide if it’s a good hand or not.”

Silence filled the room. Noah stared at her. Even at this very moment, she was probably reading his mind, and manipulating it in real time. But what if she truly had a reason?

He was going to die anyway. There was no reason to not hear her out.

“Let’s hear it.”

Lady in Dark grinned, showing teeth.

“Dragons.” She said.

“What?”

“Dragons. The answer to your problem is dragons.”

Noah stared at her, eyes wide. What was she trying to imply?

“There’s no use playing dumb. I know where you got the Mana Leech from. From a dragon. And that’s exactly why it will also be your salvation.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it. You got the Mana Leech from a dragon. Why?” She stood, turning to the grated out window of the room.

“Although Mana Leeches are parasites that can infect any magical species, what species are they most attracted to?”

“Dragons?” Noah ventured a guess.

“Exactly. Dragons.” Lady in Dark snapped her finger in excitement. “And why did the Leech slip into you so easily? Simple. You’re almost a dragon yourself. After all, you are merged with the soul of a Dark Dragon.”

Noah’s jaw fell open. Was there really hope?

He turned to her, his expression growing serious. “Speak. What is the way out?”

“It’s quite simple. Forcing out a Mana Leech will simply make you die faster. But there is no rule that says the Leech can’t leave on its own before it kills you.” Lady in Dark said, her voice the epitome of innocence, which of course, was spoiled by the wide grin on her face.

“So, what are you trying to say?” Noah asked.

He could already put two and two together, but he had to hear her say it.

Lady in Dark stepped closer. “All you need is another dragon. A dragon more powerful than you. With more mana. A bait that the leech just can’t resist. And it’ll leave on its own.”

“And where do I find a dragon?” Noah asked.

“That’s the beautiful thing.” Lady in Dark said in a singsong voice. “You don’t have to. There are already dragons in easy reach.”

“Where?” Noah demanded immediately.

Lady in Dark stepped closer, lowering her voice as she answered. “Under the faculty building.”

“What the…?” Noah frowned. “There are dragons buried underneath the school?”

“Not exactly.” Lady in Dark answered. “There are dragons there, but not really there.”

Noah frowned, confused.

“Do you know how monoliths are formed?” Lady in Dark suddenly asked. “Magic, of course.” She answered without waiting for him to speak.

“Monoliths are doorways between this reality and the abyss.” She continued. “But where do they stay if they are not here and not in the abyss?”

“The answer is quite simple. The monoliths are already there. They’re just waiting for magic to bring them to the surface.”

“It’s exactly the same in this case. There is already a dragon monolith waiting in the space between realities, under the faculty building. All it’s waiting for is to be brought to the surface. And that’s where you come in.”

“If you can uproot this monolith, then you gain access to the very dragons you need to cure yourself.” She said.

Silence filled the room.

“If this was anyone else, I wouldn’t suggest this method.” Lady in Dark said softly. “But this is you, Noah. I’ve been in your head before. I know that you’re not a hero. Prove me right. Which do you choose?”

“Sacrifice yourself to solidify Ines’ position in court, or summon a monolith that would most likely endanger your fellow student and save yourself. Which do you choose?”

To Noah, the answer was obvious, but something was not adding up.

He turned to Lady in Dark and asked the main question.

“And what do you get out of this?”

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