We traveled through time together, but I'm the only dragon? The others are all beautiful girls?

The sincerity in his words transformed into a silent yet warm stream, quickly melting Ying's lonely and twisted shell, which had been frozen for so long, and flowing into her heart!

...Seriously, what the hell? If it were someone else, Ying would never have this feeling, and she would never have been able to express herself so freely in this celestial posture. But it is precisely because this is 'another me' that she can feel this reassuring warmth so clearly.

Ying pursed her pale lips slightly, clearly feeling a strange, unfamiliar throbbing deep within her heart. Why is it that 'I' always so adept at precisely and accurately breaching 'my' supposedly unbreakable defenses?

She felt a strange sense of grievance and helplessness, and her eyes became slightly hot.

“…Just like that,” Ying’s voice lowered, barely audible, carrying a tremor she herself didn’t even realize, a desperate grasp at a straw, and an almost servile plea, “Let me hold you a little longer, okay? Just a little while…”

She buried her face deeper into Akalion's icy yet surprisingly reassuring scales, greedily absorbing the unfamiliar yet familiar warmth she craved.

Time, as if in this forgotten void, has completely lost its inherent meaning and flowing form, making one feel drowsy, and surely one will have a beautiful dream.

Volume 1 Snowfield Dragon Lord: 5. Ying Le

I don't know how much time has passed; it might be a moment, or it might be eternity.

The newly born, dark gray dragon lay still, letting the petite girl in its arms snuggle close to its neck, feeling the faint yet incredibly real warmth emanating from her—a warmth unique to the living, symbolizing hope and existence, a stark contrast to the deathly stillness of this void.

As long as Luminous is there, and as long as 'I' am there, he will not feel any unease or loneliness.

The beautiful blonde girl nestled against the dragon's scales, which resembled the hardest and most magnificent armor, feeling the strange, reassuring warmth and the steady, powerful heartbeat and breathing. It was as if the dragon were the strongest and most reliable barrier in the world, capable of protecting her from all harm.

For Ying, with Akalion and "me" around, she would not feel lonely or uneasy.

"Are you... very lonely?" Akalion finally asked the question that had been lingering in his mind for so long. His deep voice echoed softly in the deathly silence. He felt very sad for her—for 'my' situation.

"Is that even a question? Use your newly hatched dragon head to put yourself in their shoes!" After a brief silence, Ying's voice regained a hint of its usual feigned strength and playfulness, as if to conceal the emotions about to burst forth from the depths of her heart.

She feigned nonchalance, even with a hint of disdain, as she released her arms from the dragon's neck, abruptly turning around to face the boundless, seemingly all-consuming dark void, deliberately avoiding looking at the gentle gaze of the giant dragon behind her.

Of course, the deeper reason was to avoid being seen by 'the other me' as she came to her senses and felt ashamed of her behavior, her cheeks now as red as a ripe apple, and the tear tracks that uncontrollably slid down her cheeks.

But this attempt to cover up the truth was almost entirely ineffective. With the dragons' superhumanly keen eyesight, Akalion could clearly capture all of Lumin's reactions, but for the sake of his own dignity, he chose to remain silent.

"...Of course I'm lonely, so lonely I'm going crazy." Her voice dropped again, this time unable to hide the deep-seated weariness and the emptiness that seemed to devour her soul. "I was sealed by that damned 'Guardian of Heaven' in an eternal 'cage' that is similar to this place, yet completely different."

"I wish I had stayed asleep, but I woke up in the 'cage' right before the 'plot' even started!"

“There, I could do nothing, I couldn’t even move a finger, like an abandoned doll. My limbs, eyes, tongue... all my senses were ruthlessly stripped away, and even the most basic thing, ‘feeling,’ became blurred, as if separated by a thick, impenetrable veil.”

"Back then, I often wondered if I was already dead."

As she spoke, the image of the girl who had previously carried a somewhat scornful air and a deliberately provocative air like a thorny rose was now like shattered pieces of a lens being blown away by a strong wind, peeling off from the frame and then falling to the ground and shattering into pieces.

He fully revealed his inner, incredibly fragile, and pitiful true self—like a small white flower blooming in the eternal abyss of darkness—to Akalion, this 'other me'.

"If it weren't for the occasional opportunity to come here and meet Artoria, and...you...if..." Ying's voice trembled with lingering fear from the depths of her soul, as if her very being would collapse at any moment. "I probably...would have gone completely insane long ago. Or, worse than insane..."

Her voice gradually faded into the endless void, leaving only a silent void.

"..."

Akalion fell silent. He tried to understand the despair that Luminous had described, but words of comfort were ultimately pale and powerless.

As a teenager before his time travel, he had watched a movie called "Buried." The protagonist was trapped in a narrow, dark underground coffin, his oxygen slowly being depleted, and his hope being visibly taken away. The extreme sense of oppression he felt was terrifying just by looking at it on the screen. He couldn't sleep that night, and after finally falling asleep, he was tormented by endless nightmares. It took him several days to recover.

Ying's situation is perhaps not as hopeless as that of the protagonist in the movie; at least there is still hope. But when will that hope finally take pity on her?

The thought of her struggling for so long in that desolate abyss filled Akalion with an indescribable heaviness, as if an invisible boulder were pressing on his chest.

He slowly raised his massive dragon claws, covered in hard, dark gray scales—weapons that could easily tear steel apart—but now, with an almost clumsy care and slow tenderness, he gently embraced Ying's slender, delicate body, placing 'the other me' in his arms like a baby.

His scales were far stronger than steel, yet they couldn't block the comfort he wanted to convey to 'the other me'.

"...!"

This sincere emotion made Ying's body stiffen suddenly, as if struck by lightning.

The next instant, she tightened her grip—no, she used all her strength, enough to strangle someone—and hugged Akalion tightly, pressing her face against the hard, warm scales, as if trying to merge herself into this massive body and draw upon its unique comfort.

An indescribable sense of security washed over her like a warm tide. This feeling was pure, profound, and irreplaceable, completely incomparable to the comfort she felt when she embraced Artoria earlier, a comfort imbued with chivalrous restraint and distance.

If Artoria's embrace was a sturdy haven in the storm, then Akalion's embrace was a strong hand that pulled her out of the abyss of despair, and it also made her make up her mind.

And so, in this void that seemed to have been forgotten by time, two figures, one large and one small, quietly embraced each other.

After an unknown amount of time, Ying's rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and the strength in her arm also weakened considerably.

Akalion then belatedly felt a subtle embarrassment, letting out a dry cough that sounded like an old version of a penguin message notification.

"Cough cough... cough cough... um..."

The sound abruptly shattered the sweet tranquility.

"It's about time... I let go, I—"

Akalion tried to find the right words to break the overly intimate atmosphere.

He felt a strange sense of embarrassment and discomfort. Fortunately, his scales, which were somewhere between cold metal and crystalline minerals, would not easily change color because of his emotional fluctuations. Otherwise, he had no doubt that the color of his scales at this moment would be comparable to the captivating blush on Ying's face just now.

"You...you felt it, didn't you?" His voice carried a hint of frustration; even a dragon would be somewhat flustered by such a primal physiological reaction. "I've tried my best to control the 'Lower House,' really!"

“I—don’t—mind!” Ying didn’t let go at all. Instead, she seemed to have made up her mind. She spoke clearly and her tone was unquestionable, which made Akalion’s heart skip a beat.

She pressed her soft body even more boldly against Akalion's hard dragon form, the deadly attraction devouring his remaining rationality like a black hole.

The warhead is already aligned with the trajectory, waiting only for Akalia to move so it can enter the warm, moist, and soft magazine.

"No...this absolutely won't do..."

Akalion's voice was filled with struggle.

One crucial point is that the difference in size between Ying and him at this moment is simply too great.

No one can predict what will happen after they leave this dark space, which is constructed of souls or something else, and what might cause irreparable damage to both sides—whether it be physical or... soul-level damage.

He took a deep breath, allowing his rational 'upper house' to regain the upper hand, "Or...or is it better to be more cautious, we..."

However, his seemingly dignified refusal appeared so weak and lacking in conviction.

Because Ying—the 'other me' in his arms—had no intention of being steady; her actions became even more forceful.

"Caw!" Akalion let out a strange cry, feeling as if his soul were on fire. He tried to push Luminous away, but because the 'Lower House' was firmly under her control, he had no choice but to let her do as she pleased. "You, you, you shouldn't touch it like that!"

“I know how you feel. After all, you are ‘me,’ and I am ‘me.’ Our desires are the same.” Ying’s voice carried a slight gasp. She tilted her head back slightly, her amber-gold eyes shimmering with a breathtaking allure. “Anyway, it’s not really ‘going in’… just rubbing against the outside, is that alright?”

Akalion's slight resistance vanished immediately.

Although we are both 'Blue Heirs,' theoretically the closest of kin, after reincarnation, having lived as a pure and innocent girl for so many years, I... I can no longer become the 'me' I was before I transmigrated. Ying felt a surge of shyness and panic in her heart as she thought. If she hadn't already made up her mind, she wouldn't have been able to do such a thing!

She was naturally filled with indescribable tension as she took the initiative to "enlighten" Akalion—a dragon who was essentially "another me."

But strangely, this shyness and nervousness were mixed with a secret expectation and... inexplicable excitement that even surprised herself.

Regarding this intimate union of soul and body with Akalion—and "me"—that transcends worldly ethics, she seemed to feel only an indescribable joy and satisfaction emanating from the depths of her soul.

It was as if my long-empty heart had finally found a piece of the puzzle to fill it.

At this moment, her body and mind seemed to have reached a kind of indescribable, ethereal 'sublimation' because of this forbidden touch and the resonance of her soul.

In that instant, Akalion's perception and the light achieved complete fusion, which was by no means a simple sensory stimulation.

Akalion's perception as a true dragon is far stronger than that of Luminous, at least ten times, or even nine times stronger.

The peak synchronization rate between the two reached an astonishing 400%!

The result is that self-awareness is rising endlessly, while moral standards are irredeemably declining.

Akalion's shift from a potentially benevolent alignment to a staunchly evil one would have resulted in him being corrupted by Slaanesh in the Warhammer universe.

The world before my eyes suddenly plunged into darkness, as if my entire being had been emptied out, leaving only an empty shell floating in nothingness.

Volume 1 Snowfield Dragon Lord: 6. The Firefly Arrives in the Snowfield

The concept of time crumbled, and his thoughts were like a still lake, unable to move. Until an unknown amount of time passed—perhaps a moment, perhaps ten thousand years... Akalion finally opened his eyes again.

The rock wall, hard and rough in texture, was right in front of him. Akalion recognized the gray-brown stone patterns as his temporary lair, an enclosed space located underground.

Consciousness quickly returned to normal after a brief period of chaos.

Akalion shook his head slightly, the bones in his neck making a subtle yet clear sound, as if reality were whispering back onto the shell of existence. His vertical pupils unconsciously drifted to a corner of his field of vision—a familiar, tiny yet incredibly reassuring figure.

fluorescent.

She lay there quietly, her skin glowing softly in the dim light, like scattered moonlight on a starless and moonless night, evoking a sense of pity.

Her breathing was shallow yet remarkably rhythmic. Her eyelashes trembled gently amidst Akalion's heavy breathing, like a feather drooping lightly in the wind, both dreamlike and fragile, like an elf slumbering on a snowfield—pure white and serene, yet carrying a sense of alienation that defies the logic of the world.

She... actually came to this side of the world?

why?

—No, it can't be because of...that thing, right?

This is way too much!

An indescribable emotion surged in Akalion's chest, like a dragon's breath about to burst forth but forcibly suppressed deep in his throat.

He gently pulled Ying into his arms, and after confirming that he could protect her from the biting cold of the world, Akalion broke through the barrier he had set up and quickly brought Ying to the surface.

Although he is now only half the size he was in the dark space, it is still a piece of cake for him to lift Ying's small body.

Unlike him, she couldn't survive for long in this enclosed, dark underground environment on her own.

Despite her past as a traveler who had traversed countless worlds, Akalion's perception clearly told him that at this moment, Luminous was merely a slightly stronger mortal.

Worse still, the seal of the Ruler of Heaven remains in this world, like an invisible giant hand, slowly but firmly suppressing her power and essence.

The ground was bitterly cold, and judging from Ying's clothing, it offered absolutely no protection against the cold.

Just as Akalion was trying to keep Ying warmer, the soft body in his arms suddenly moved slightly.

"..."

He instinctively tightened his embrace.

Ying's eyelashes trembled slightly as she slowly opened her eyes. Her amber-gold pupils looked around the snowfield in bewilderment, carrying a hint of haziness and confusion from just waking up.

"Where am I...?"

Her voice was as soft as falling snow, yet it carried an undisguised wariness and doubt. She subconsciously looked at the enormous dragon head, Akalion's face reflected vividly in her pupils, then she looked down at her own body and clothing.

It was still her familiar outfit—a white dress adorned with blue stripes and gold diamond embellishments, glamorous yet practical, with the gold diamond embellishments still emitting a faint white glow.

"Am I...dreaming?" she murmured, touching the white, split scarf around her neck, as if trying to confirm the boundary between reality and illusion through her self-talk.

However, before Akalion could speak, she suddenly took a desperate look and slapped her cheek hard.

"Then come on!"

"What do you mean, 'come here'?!" Akalion was stunned, his dragon face clearly showing his speechlessness. "You're not dreaming. You really... came to my world."

"You...your world...?"

Upon hearing this, Ying's expression suddenly hardened, as if a basin of snow water mixed with ice shards had been poured over her head. The bone-chilling cold dispelled the last trace of enchanting dreaminess, causing her to struggle violently in his warm and firm embrace. To Akalion, that force was nothing more than a kitten's scratch.

But to avoid accidentally scratching her delicate skin with his dragon claws covered in hard scales, Akalion quickly released his embrace and, with a nimbleness that belied his size, carefully placed her on the snow-covered ground.

As soon as Ying's toes touched the cold snow, she stumbled a few steps before managing to steady herself. Like a lost roe deer, she frantically groped around in the snow. Only after her fingertips turned red from the cold did her muddled consciousness clear up a bit.

Immediately afterwards, with an almost neurotic urgency, she quickly examined her body—from the two Intiwat flower headdresses and two feather-shaped ear clips on her head, to the spotless skirt, and the white boots adorned with gold that covered her slender calves—as if she were confirming one by one whether every detail that constituted the existence of 'Luminous' had descended upon this completely unfamiliar world without any discrepancies.

"This...this is actually...real? But...but...why did it turn out like this?!" Could all of this really not be a fleeting dream? Ying murmured to herself, her voice trembling slightly with disbelief, each syllable like cotton hitting thin ice, as if afraid to shatter this beautiful dream. "I just...so easily...broke free from the seal of the Keeper of Heaven's Law...and came to this world?"

"cough--!"

Akalion let out a low, somewhat unnatural cough from deep in her throat, as if some invisible obstruction was stuck there, trying to break the solidified atmosphere filled with strange emotions. In fact, the process was not as 'easy' as she had imagined, but it was really comfortable.

"Um...you, you and Artoria, have you never...been 'synchronized' to that extent?" He chose each word carefully, cautiously probing as if walking on thin ice. In his deep gray dragon eyes, a hint of shyness, which he tried hard to hide but still revealed, was incongruous with his massive dragon body.

After all, before meeting Ying Sese, he had always guarded his sacred virginity and believed that true love existed in this world.

"Do......?"

Ying recalled what she had done with the dragon Akalion, and she was suddenly stunned. Her clear amber eyes blinked blankly, as if all her thinking abilities had been drained in an instant, leaving only pure confusion.

Then, as her mind finally came back online, a deep, almost bleeding crimson blush, like a wildfire, shot up from the base of her fair neck at a visible speed, instantly staining her delicate earlobes and even making her cheeks as vibrant as the sunset glow—that shyness from the depths of her soul was so vivid, so real, exposed without any concealment to the cold air.

"N-No, I didn't!" She protested hysterically, waving her hands wildly, as if struck by an invisible whip, or like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "Artoria's mental state isn't much better than mine! I-I didn't go that far! That kind of thing...that kind of thing...I only did it with you...with you..."

At the end of her voice, her momentum suddenly weakened like a punctured balloon, carrying a hint of deep-seated grievance and indescribable shame that she herself was unaware of.