Chapter 3 3

Nyxara POV

Somehow... I felt like I could understand him.

He didn't want to hurt me... I was certain of it, even though I had no idea how. Then suddenly, a name echoed inside my mind. "Ignivar..."

The moment I whispered the name, he nodded, a deep, gentle rumble escaping his throat that made my eyes widen in disbelief. "Impossible."

I... can understand a dragon and even know his name?

I stared at him in utter disbelief as he slowly stepped closer before lowering his massive head even further. "And he doesn't want to eat me." I fell silent for a moment before muttering in shock, "He actually wants to... play with me?!"

End of Flashback

Whenever I felt suffocated or my thoughts became too heavy to bear, I always came here to sit beside him.

"You're my best friend, Ignivar," I murmured, glancing at him from the corner of my eye. A soft, contented rumble escaped him, making me smile.

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't understand... why you never listen to me." I shook my head helplessly before continuing, "I told you never to show yourself, so no one would hunt you down or try to hurt you... and what did you do? You marched right in front of those damn people!"

I turned to face him completely before exhaling in annoyance. "And besides... what the hell am I supposed to tell Olivia and the others?"

Running a hand through my hair in frustration, I muttered, "And what am I supposed to tell Headmaster Brooks? I've been hiding your existence from him this whole time..."

"Then tell us everything. We're your friends, after all." Olivia's voice suddenly rang out from behind me.

I jumped in surprise and spun around so quickly that my eyes widened in shock. "Olivia?! How did you get here?!"

"Tracking you wasn't exactly easy... especially while you were flying on the back of that... thing," she replied as she cautiously approached, pointing toward Ignivar.

Ignivar let out a low growl, causing her to stop instinctively.

I gently patted his neck until he calmed down, then stepped toward her. "Believe me... I was just waiting for the right time to tell you."

Olivia gave me a sarcastic smile. "You always say that, Nyxara." She shook her head before continuing, "But the truth is, we don't even know who you really are. Every time we discover something new about you, we realize we never knew you at all."

Then she looked at Ignivar and added, "How can you do all of this... when you don't even have a wolf?"

"I know..." I answered seriously. "But I can't explain anything right now. The time isn't right yet."

She shouted, anger and impatience overflowing in her voice. "Then when is the right time?! The entire kingdom is on the verge of being destroyed by the Shadow Wolves, and you're still saying you'll tell us when the time is right! If this isn't the right time, then when will it be?!"

I sighed sadly, then spoke in a quiet voice despite the bitterness weighing on my heart. "All I can tell you is that I'm someone many people believe should never have existed. So until the right day comes... I'll remain nobody."

The sun was just beginning to rise, so I left her there and made my way back to the academy...

I went straight to Headmaster Brooks' office, and fortunately, things hadn't spiraled out of control the way I had feared. He told me that everything that had happened earlier would be buried completely, and everyone who had witnessed the incident had been given a strict warning never to speak of it.

As for the royal family, they had refused to pursue the matter as well. As Brooks explained, allowing rumors to spread that an unknown girl had managed to intimidate and unsettle them would only become a stain on their reputation and the laughingstock of the entire kingdom.

I sat inside the lecture hall, waiting for history class to begin—the subject I hated most in this academy. I had never understood how anyone could spend hours listening to stories about events that had happened hundreds of years ago without falling asleep.

I hadn't been waiting long before Kaelan and Luke walked into the classroom and headed straight toward me before taking the seats beside mine.

The moment Kaelan settled into his chair, he smacked me on the back so hard that I nearly lurched forward, then whispered so no one else could hear, "Girl! You have Xerax's dragon, and you never told us?! For heaven's sake, were you planning to hide this from us forever?!"

I groaned in pain, rubbing my back with a scowl before shooting him an irritated glare. "Stop hitting my back, you idiot! It still hurts."

Kaelan burst into loud laughter, completely ignoring my complaint, while Luke shook his head with a faint smile before saying in a voice filled with admiration, "Honestly... that was the greatest thing I've seen since I set foot in this academy. I never imagined I'd live to see members of the Blackmoon family trembling in fear... They looked like trapped mice after spending their whole lives boasting about their strength and looking down on everyone else."

I sighed helplessly before raising both hands in surrender. "Alright... I found him by accident, I swear! And after that... we became friends."

Kaelan's and Luke's eyes widened at the exact same moment, as though I had just casually told them I'd met a god wandering down the street.

The two exchanged a quick glance before Luke blurted out in utter disbelief, "Do you even hear yourself?! That's Xerax we're talking about! Nobody just stumbles across a legendary dragon by accident... and then becomes friends with him that easily!"

He shook his head vigorously, the shock still written all over his face. "Actually... nobody even believed he truly existed. We all thought he was nothing more than a legend told in history books, or a myth the ancients made up to scare children."

Kaelan nodded enthusiastically as he pointed a finger at me. "That's exactly why we're so shocked! You have no idea how insane what you're saying is. If this news gets out, the kingdom won't be talking about what happened with the royal family anymore... They'll be talking about the girl who owns a legendary dragon."

A crooked smile appeared on Luke's lips before he said confidently, "I knew from the very beginning that you'd turn out to be someone extraordinary."

Then he gave me a slow once-over from head to toe before adding with a laugh, "Even though you don't look like it at all... you're barely over one hundred and fifty centimeters tall, yet you have a dragon the size of a castle! The irony is honestly hilarious."

Kaelan burst out laughing as he nodded in agreement.

I let out an indifferent sigh before shrugging. "Finished making fun of me? Because you're both exaggerating."

Kaelan flashed me a sly grin as he waved his hand. "No. You're the one who has no idea just how crazy all of this is."

Olivia walked into the classroom. Her eyes settled on me for a brief moment, and she gave me a look that carried both disappointment and silent reproach before turning her face away and heading toward one of the distant seats, where she quietly sat down.

Kaelan rubbed the back of his neck as he watched her, then sighed. "I think we need to fix a few relationships around here." He and Luke exchanged a quick glance before standing up and walking toward her without hesitation.

Only a few seconds passed before the classroom door opened once again, and Professor Hayes, the history instructor, entered with calm, confident strides. He walked straight to the front of the room, then swept his gaze across the students before saying in his steady voice, "Today, we have two new students joining our class."

Excitement immediately spread throughout the lecture hall the moment the professor finished speaking, and whispers filled the room as everyone began guessing the identities of the two newcomers.

The instant the door opened and the first student stepped inside, the girls throughout the classroom gasped all at once, as though every single one of them had forgotten how to breathe.

I lifted my gaze toward the doorway out of curiosity... but the moment my eyes landed on the newcomer, they widened to their limit, and every feature on my face froze in shock I couldn't hide...