A Rival Or An Ally?

"Come!" Ace said to Nyx, his tone soft and smooth as he laid out that command.

Nyx succumbed to his call, gently lowering her colossal head towards Ace while she retracted her fire breath; afterall, he was going to make their first ever physical contact.

As Nyx lowered her head gracefully towards Ace enough to match his touch, her demeaning breath was still as hoarse and hot as lava as she approached, forcing the soul space ring on Ace's finger to jingle.

With a sudden burst, Six appeared without summon, bursting out of her soul space within mere seconds while launching an attack on Nyx. Her nails had evolved out of nothing, growing longer and sharper as she took a bold stance against Nyx's head, forcing a drill into her dragon scale without issue.

"Roar!" 

The searing pain that came with Six's attack plunged deeper into Nyx as if her soul could have just been targeted by the yet to transform Kitsune.

"Nobody dares hurt him while I am around!" Six screamed with a heavy sense of duty, her once young innocent eyes filled with what seemed like rage as she forced a frenzy attack on Nyx.

Nyx retracted, pulling her weight from the call as she twirled around, trying to toss Six off her skin, but Six had no plans of letting her go just yet.

Nyx fired a thick stream of flame into the air, enough to graze Six away, but the cunning kitsune was a step ahead of the dragon as she countered the attack by summoning a stream of blue flame to block out the dragon's attack.

A dragon, a creature of pride they are named and 'defeat' is not something inbuilt in their nature. Nyx leveled up her game, falling deeper into her subconscious mind to tap at her mana core. As her veins spiraled towards the emblem within her, a sudden pulse of energy began to reverberate across her being, forcing the ground to tremble with each step she took.

"Uh!" Six panicked as she watched the draconic phenomenon erupting out of nowhere.

Before she could make a protective force around herself, the brewing energy within Nyx bursted out, her wings slamming into the wind as they all awakened a beastly aura, sending Six hurtling away from her skin like a pre-burnt fly.

Six crashed into the stones shooting out of the ground, her fists folding into a hard bump as she watched the dragon from below, stepping towards her to crush her entire existence under its colossal foot.

"You're only winning this fight because you're in your dragon form!" Six shouted, enough for the beast to hear. "I want to see what you can do as yourself, without all that power backing you up."

A silent magic whispered across the surface, the shimmering energy surrounding Nyx's draconic form slowly pulsing out as they both shared a death stare.

"Scared I might win?" Six growled, a sharp smirk forming on her lips.

As Six growled defiantly, Nyx felt the tension in the air shift. With a graceful flick of her tail, she acknowledged Six's challenge, her colossal form striking a balance under the shimmering moonlight.

The ground trembled slightly as she lowered her massive head, her yellow eyes locking onto Six, a glint of understanding passing between them. Afterall, it seemed the tiny pebble in the form of a Kitsune was bent on protecting her master which can only mean one thing— they were future allies.

With a deep, resonant roar that echoed through the ruins, Nyx began to transform. A radiant light enveloped her, swirling like a tempest of colors—blues, greens, and golds danced around her, illuminating the surrounding debris with an otherworldly glow. 

The scales that adorned her dragon form glimmered brilliantly, slowly fading into the darkness as if being absorbed by the very air around her.

As the light intensified, Nyx's colossal body began to shrink, her majestic wings retracting gracefully against her back. The powerful limbs softened, reshaping into delicate arms and legs. 

Her long, serpentine tail dissolved into wisps of magic. The light pulsed, and with each heartbeat, Nyx morphed further, her features becoming more human, yet still retaining an air of the divine.

Finally, the light receded, revealing Nyx in her human form. She stood tall and poised, her hair cascading like a waterfall of shimmering emeralds, catching the last rays of the moonlight.

 Her eyes, once fierce and dragon-like, now sparkled with a tender stare, a sharp contrast to her real form. She wore a flowing gown that seemed woven from the very essence of water, shifting and swirling as if it were alive.

With a serene smile, Nyx looked down at Six, her presence now equal to that of the Kitsune. 

Six was lost for words as she watched the graceful figure of Nyx stand before her like a holy being, purely that the flow of water from the heavenly fountain. The darkness in her gaze faded away as she watched the divinity step further towards her.

"What is your name, youngling?" Nyx spoke softly, her voice transcending into the fabric of reality like a goddess while her eyes dawned on Six with what seemed like— pity.

This look felt offensive to Six, forcing her to bite her lips and shoot at Nyx, ready to continue the impending fight, but Ace had interfered, clearing the coast with a single call.

"Six!"

She felt her feet glue to the ground and for the first time, she took note of Ace's real existence, her eyes glistening as she saw him for the first time since he had left the academy.

In heart, she danced a thousand times as she watched Ace over and over again like he was a character who had just stepped out of a comic book.

With smooth precision, Six changed her direction, launching towards Ace and forcing herself on him with a hug with bright smiles and giggles crawling out of her face and mouth.

"How did you change from biggie to daddy so fast?" She marveled, her soft build pressing hard against Ace, almost forcing him to reel.

Ace scoffed a little, giving Six soft pat on her hair as she pressed harder against him, causing her to blush deeply at her master's touch which satisfied her foxy nature. Her tails unfurled, blooming and dancing as she savored her master's fragrance, her fox ears shooting out of her hair like spring.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them began to tremble, forcing them apart as they tried to make sense of what was happening. Their view was soon clouded by a thick fog that erupted out of nowhere, taking away their clear vision, but with a lot of squint and turns, they finally made sense of what was coming.

Out of the fog, a being slowly emerged. Its menacing red eyes cut through the fog like a sharp knife as it casted its perilous gaze over the trio as they watched the creature despite the searing fog that was beginning to part away.

All in one word, the creature was ugly.

Looking deformed and…

Very ugly.

"Is that… a grelim?" Six asked, squinting his eyes a bit as she stuck close to Ace.

"They." Ace corrected and it was then the other creatures that could be numbered as a hundred began to emerge through the thick fog that had spread into vast canvas.