Ch 19: A Dragon's Arcana

A powerful draconic aura surged from the 15 oddly shaped chess pieces before him. However, the next moment, all 15 shattered, leaving only a glowing core behind. Each core began to cycle through the colors as Sharon grinned. The cores began to rapidly combine, and a moment later, burst apart into twenty-two different glowing balls of energy.

'It worked. Now, with this, it won't be difficult to raise more dragons.' Sharon thought as he noticed the awestruck faces of the nekomata girls, while Sirzechs along with the two silver-haired maids were confused.

"Sharon ... what did you do? What happened?" Sirzechs asked as he took one step closer before nearly falling to his knees from the pressure the glowing cores released.

Silvia got into a fighting stance, as Sharon shook his head.

"Don't worry. Since Sirzechs isn't a dragon, they grew wary of him. He's quite powerful after all." Sharon said as he took out 22 intricately crafted cards with unique pictures on them. He slowly walked over to the glowing orbs before each glowing orb entered the cards. The cards glowed brightly and then turned transparent, which he then put into his pocket.

As the glowing balls of draconic energy were gone, Sirzechs regained control over his body as he had a curious expression.

"I wanted something like the evil pieces for my faction. So, I spent a couple of years researching it and found a solution. However, I needed some way to condense the energy of my bloodline into one spot before allocating it to the 22 pieces. That's where the 'King' piece came in." Sharon explained as Sirzechs was stumped. 

What Ajuka Beelzebub did over the span of many decades, this boy had done within a few years. Ajuka, the devil known as a genius beyond measure in the entire underworld, who was only comparable to Azazel of the Fallen Angels, was now outshined by a young boy.

Worry arose in Sirzechs' mind as he realized that he had just allowed the idea of the evil pieces to be spread. However, Sharon realizing Sirzechs' thoughts said, "As I said before ... I wasn't able to replicate the 'King' piece, which was why I planned on using the 'King' piece from the Devils a couple of years ago." 

A faint sigh came from Sirzechs as Venelana who was shocked at the display, finally stepped forward.

"That was quite the entertaining show. Those balls of energy even managed to stop me from moving. May I ask how you attained such powerful energy?" Venelana inquired as Sharon shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I cannot say. I consider myself a friend of Sirzechs, and as such, I cannot risk your safety," Sharon said noticing their confused expression, and continued, "Some things ... are better left not known."

"Alright, if you ever wish to tell me, I will be there to listen," Sirzechs said as he glanced at Silvia from the corner of his eyes.

Venelana also nodded as she looked over at Kuroka and Shirone. "Shall we proceed with the process then? I'm quite curious as to what will happen when they join the young man's peerage. They won't be harmed, right?" 

"They shouldn't be, Lady Venelana. However, it will feel uncomfortable as they will be gaining the ability of a dragonkin, which allows them to become true dragons once they grow strong enough." Sharon explained as the two nekomata girls were excited.

With a quick wave of Venelana's hand, two crimson-red evil pieces appeared from the chests of Kuroka and Shirone. The two of them groaned as they felt their powers leaving their bodies. However, the next moment, Sharon approached them with his cards and looked into both of their eyes. The cards were black in color, with purple lines used to outline the pictures.

"Are you ready? Remember, it's a new type of energy, so your body will initially reject it. However, I have already left traces of my blood within your bodies, so it shouldn't be too painful." Sharon said as the two remembered how every time they were injured in a fight or during training with him, he would drip some of his blood into their wounds. 

"So that wasn't just for healing ... you had this planned since all the way back then?" Kuroka asked with a hint of curiosity while Shirone was grinning.

"I'm ready, master!" Shirone said with a laugh, causing Sharon to nervously glance at her while Kuroka, rather than flipping out as she did years ago, had a teasing look on her face.

"Ahem. Let's get started." Sharon said, trying to avoid the topic, placing a single card on his chest. "I am the Emperor of this peerage." The card glowed brightly before going into his chest and settled down. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, as the energy that entered his body was his own.

He then walked over toward Kuroka and Shirone. He picked out one specific card and placed it on Shirone's chest. 

"Shirone, will you accept me as your master, and become my 'Strength'?" Sharon asked as the Strength Major Arcana Card glowed brightly before phasing into Shirone's body the moment she agreed.

Sharon watched with bated breath, hoping nothing would go wrong. A few moments passed before Sharon sensed a dense draconic energy rising within Shirone. Two black draconic wings sprouted from the middle of Shirone's back, while her arms had scales on them. Her white cat ears and two cat tails were still there, so it was clear that she was able to maintain control over the power. 

A warm, beaming smile lit up Sharon's face as he was a bit relieved. He patiently waited for Shirone to wake up, and inquired about her well-being.

"Oh! I have wings now? Wow, that's super cool! I can fly just like you, Akeno, and Suzaku!" Shirone exclaimed, her grin stretching from ear to ear. She began to hop around with boundless enthusiasm, her energy seemingly multiplied by her newfound wings.

"Shirone, how do you feel? Are you hurting anywhere? And what about your power?" Sharon asked with a touch of worry in his voice, his hands gently tracing over her to ensure she was unharmed.

"Hehehe, that tickles. I'm perfectly fine. In fact, I think I'm even stronger than before now," Shirone replied with a giggle, her voice filled with a cute innocence that melted away Sharon's concerns.

Sharon nodded and moved over to Kuroka, who had a teasing smile all over her face. 

"You look absolutely adorable when you're all worried, mas~ter," she purred with a mischievous tone, her voice dripping with playful affection, as Sharon simply chuckled. "Is it wrong to care for my dear kittens, Kuroka?" Sharon replies with a flirty tone of his own.

Unprepared for Sharon's response, a faint blush appeared on Kuroka's cheeks. Sharon chuckled a bit more as he was finally within arm's reach of her.

"Kuroka, will you accept me as your master, and become my 'Death'?" Sharon asked as Kuroka hesitated from what he said, but seeing his unwavering expression, she nodded.

The card phased into Kuroka's body as she went through a similar change to Shirone. However, more of Kuroka's body was rapidly being taken over by the scales, alerting Sharon and the others watching. 

"Kuroka! Control yourself, listen to my voice!" Sharon yelled as he grabbed Kuroka and pulled her into his embrace.

Seeing that the draconic scales were still spreading, Sharon pressed his forehead against hers as he was able to force himself into her mind.

'It's a good thing I accepted the 'Emperor' card before doing this. I can't even imagine the problems I would've caused if I didn't.' Sharon thought as he was covered in darkness.

"Kuroka! What's wrong? Why are you fighting the energy?" Sharon yelled as he could barely see inside Kuroka's mind. It was a pitch-black space with nothing inside it. 

"Death... I... I can't accept that role," Kuroka whispered, leaving Sharon bewildered. "You don't wish to be a part of my peerage?" He inquired, a pang of sorrow taking hold of him.

"No, it's not that," she cried out, her voice tinged with desperation. "I can't be your ... death. You granted my sister and me another chance, and I can't bear to harm you." Her words hung heavy in the air as Sharon's expression softened.

Approaching her, he extended his arms, drawing her into a comforting embrace. "Kuroka," he began, his voice gentle but resolute, "being my 'Death' means that the only way I can meet my end is through your hands. But I trust you completely to make the right choices. We've been together for over five years, and I've come to rely on you. So, Kuroka... will you do me the honor of becoming my 'Death'?" Sharon implored, his golden eyes shimmering faintly as they locked onto her amber gaze.

Kuroka was hesitant, but she couldn't bear to say no. Not after everything he said. She nodded, as the darkness surrounding them rapidly vanished. As he looked around, Sharon could see memories. Memories of times he had spent with Kuroka, memories of Kuroka and Shirone. It was clear, that the only two people that mattered to her were Sharon and Shirone. 

"Thank you, Kuroka. I love you." Sharon muttered before disappearing from her mind and waking up in his body, still hugging Kuroka. He noticed that Kuroka's draconic scales receded enough to see that she accepted it. She also had a deep blush on her cheeks.

"You're not hurt anywhere, are you?" Sharon asked as Kuroka shook her head, with her two cat ears shaking as well. 

Sharon chuckled a bit before glancing at Sirzechs. 

"Sirzechs, thank you for everything you've done. I've got two more people to invite into my peerage, and hopefully, they will accept. Thank you Lady Venelana." Sharon said with a slight bow. 

"Take care, young man. Take care of those girls as well, I don't want to see them hurt." Venelana said with a warm grin as Sharon nodded.

"Of course, Lady Venelana." He said as Sirzechs glanced at Grayfia, who had a deep blush.

"Ah, Sharon ... have you ever wanted a maid?" Sirzechs asks.

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Alright, so the lemon will be coming very soon. Not the next chapter though. Unfortunately, I forgot about one more thing which will be the next chapter. Taking in Grayfia, Akeno, and Suzaku as part of his peerage.

I chose the Tarot Cards for dragons, which might be a bit weird, but I hope it works out. I like the concept and look forward to working on it.

Let me know of any suggestions or comments you have.

If you enjoyed what you read, make sure to add it to your library, and if you want to, give the story some stones!

Do leave comments, as I'll read each one and take it to heart on how I can improve my writing.