Neat Trick

"Ms Drakon, I am not employed. I am a free agent, so I do whatever I want when I want." Aisling said with her slight smile.

The dragon lady narrowed her eyes at Aisling before releasing an oppressive pressure on Aisling.

As someone with the bloodline of the dragonkin, Lussa Drakon was a strong person with a lot of magical energy. She could not shift into a dragon as the original dragonkin from the Otherworld, but she was one of the most powerful in her clan except for the much older generations.

Otherwise, she would not have risen the ranks in the Order so fast. She was already as high as she could get in the order unless the core structure of the Order changed. She reported directly to the Counsellor who worked with the Ruler.

Above that, there was only Rex.

So, when she released her energy on Aisling, the sheer power of it was overwhelming. It was enough to threaten even most members of the Order.

As for Aisling, she was not only a human with a weak body. She was a person from the mainland where the magical energy in the air was thin. Moreover, the clover seal on her forehead affected the stability of her powers.

Therefore, she felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on her. It seemed like she could not resist the oppression even for a second. The only reason she did not collapse was because of her high mental energy.

However, Aisling could still feel the power pressing down on her mind.

A trickle of blood fell from her nose, but she did not change her facial expression.

She kept smiling as if she was not being tortured, and this attitude infuriated Lussa even more.

The only thing on Aisling's mind was how to stop Lussa from releasing her oppressive energy so that she could breathe again.

However, even as she suffered, she refused to give in to this woman who used her power in such a manner without a clear cause.

Unfortunately, she was at loss about her best defence or offence.

Dragons were not usually vulnerable to the elements, and she did not have enough power to communicate freely with the nature spirits of Panthalassa for help.

But the latter option was her best option.

Nature spirits were as strong as the land they lived in. If she could use them, they could probably counter Lussa. Even an attack with their illusionary sounds could break her oppressive energy, allowing her to break free.

Unfortunately, there was only one way that Aisling could command the nature spirits in Panthalassa.

With a clenched hand, she pressed her fingernails into the flesh of her palm, forcing a trickle of blood out. As a drop fell to the ground, she whispered under her breath.

The nature spirits near the area became agitated.

The wind around Aisling's house was stirred up, and the leaves on the ground rose in the air. No one else was in the vicinity saw the phenomenon, and they would not think that there was something strange going on if they did.

However, Lussa Drakon's face changed. In her ears, she heard a progressively louder cacophony of voices whispering and shouting.

"Retribution is coming. Retribution is coming."

The voices seemed to attack her psyche, and she lost control of her energy that she was using to oppress Aisling.

As soon as Aisling was free, she sighed in relief.

Her summoning of nature spirits could not harm Lussa, but it could disorient her.

What concerned her is her use of her blood for magic.

Her teacher had forbidden her from using her blood for spells unless it was a matter of life and death. And now, she had used it twice.

The first, for her painting, and the second, to suppress Lussa.

'Your blood will bring you closer to the brink.' That's what her teacher had said.

The warning could not have been vaguer. Even the Temple of Oracles which Abaddon had told her about could probably have given a clearer warning.

In any case, it did not matter.

She had only used a few drops of blood.

"That's quite a neat trick you have, Ms Flynn." Lussa Drakon managed to shake off the confusion of the voices as the power of the blood weakened.

"It's nothing." Aisling waved a hand casually.

"Let's see how long you will last here. Don't think that you can come here and take what you want. I will not be your only obstacle." The voice was filled with malice.

Aisling tilted her head in confusion.