Disappearing Dragon Transformation Spell!

Eva clasped her hands over her face, her frustration simmering just beneath the surface. It had been a few days since the black dragon had swept down from the skies and abducted Princess Lucia, and yet she had failed to even learn its name. Each passing hour felt like a weight upon her shoulders, a reminder of her inability to fulfill her duties. How could she possibly rescue the princess without any leads?

Princess Lucia had once promised Eva that, upon reaching her coming of age next year, she would bestow upon her the honor of becoming her Dark Guardian Knight. However, Eva, who was to be that very guardian, had not only failed to shield her charge but had unwittingly played a part in her capture. Had the malevolent dragon that seized the princess left any mark upon the annals of human history? Could this dragon be the same fiend that once assaulted the Saint of the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom, and the one chronicled in the autobiography of the venerable Bruder Donahue?

The pieces of the puzzle were scant, offering little to aid her deductions.

"Princess Athena, do you believe the black dragon from Bruder Donahue's memoirs, the one who assaulted the Saint, could this creature be the same that has taken your sister?" Eva queried, her voice tinged with a mix of hope and desperation.

Princess Athena pondered the connections, her eyes narrowing in thought. "The chronicles suggest that the dragon from Bruder Donahue's tales was but a juvenile at the time, and the one that attacked the Saint had recently matured. Given the timeline of their appearances, it is plausible that both are indeed the same dragon, particularly after the schism that divided the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom from the Temple of the God of Light."

She continued, her tone growing more certain, "And the dragon that abducted Lucia must also be historic in its own right, appearing twice in our tales. You've seen its immense size yourself, it's undoubtedly an adult now."

"If the dragon from the memoir wasn't vanquished by a dragon slayer or a hero, it's possible it has survived to this day, reaching full maturity. What is peculiar, though, is that across all these timelines, the black dragons are consistently unnamed, shrouded in mystery," Athena concluded, linking the timelines and histories with a scholar's precision.

In the saga detailed in Bruder Donahue's autobiography, the dragon emerged as a juvenile. Years later, it seemed to resurface, having matured as it terrorized the Saint at the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom. Now, appearing yet again, it has escalated its audacity by abducting the princess of the Farol Empire, this time as a full-grown adult.

"By tracing the developmental stages of these encounters with the black dragon, we can certainly draw a conclusion. You do grasp what I'm suggesting, don't you?" Athena posed, her tone heavy with implication.

"What conclusion?" Eva pressed, her eyebrows knitting in confusion.

"If you don't elucidate, how am I to discern the conclusion you've reached?" she responded, a note of frustration creeping into her voice.

Athena sighed, a rueful smile touching her lips. "Must you really ask? The conclusion is grim, we cannot save my misguided sister. This black dragon, elusive in its brief historical appearances, didn't even bother to leave a name behind. Attempting to locate it is as futile as searching for a needle in a haystack.

"So, let us instead offer blessings. Bless my wayward sister. May she find happiness and bear many offspring with the Black Dragon. May she live free of mistreatment, domestic violence, or abandonment by this dragon. Just... bless her," Athena concluded, her voice tinged with a mix of sarcasm and genuine concern as she offered her reluctant blessings.

Her smile was bittersweet. It wasn't that she lacked the desire to rescue her sister, but the stark reality was that she didn't even know where to begin the search. The Black Dragon remained anonymous, elusive.

Even the venerable first pope of the Temple of the God of War had failed to capture this beast. Similarly, the paladins of the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom had never managed to track it down. Considering their power and influence, which far exceeded that of the Farolan Empire, the odds were starkly against them.

"If these mighty forces couldn't locate the Black Dragon, what chance do I, a mere princess, stand?" Athena pondered aloud. "Even if I were to ascend to the throne and command all of the empire's resources, the likelihood of finding this creature would remain slim."

"What options are left then?" she mused. "We could request neighboring nations and major temples to help patrol the surrounding regions. Or perhaps we could drain the empire's coffers, enlisting the Adventurer's Guild, the Bounty Hunter Guild, the Mercenary Guild, and the Mage Tower to scour the continent for the dragon."

Athena's voice dropped, weighed down by the gravity of the situation. "But the cost of such endeavors could equal the tax revenue of several provinces for years. The price is immense, with no guarantee of success."

"Your Highness Athena, as the hour grows late, I must ask: are you truly prepared to abandon the quest for the elusive black dragon?"

Athena sighed, her gaze distant and contemplative. "To forsake the search would ease my heart, yet the king, my father, would not consent. I am thus resolved to scour the depths of folklore and the obscure corners of our unofficial histories. Perhaps there, in the whispered tales of old, lies a clue to the beast's whereabouts."

Her determination hardened as she addressed her confidant. "To this end, I entrust you with full command of this endeavor. Should you require gold, it shall be yours; should you need hands, they too I will provide. Let us strive to unearth the dragon before my wayward sister can plight her troth to such a creature."

Despite the gravity of her words, a trace of familial concern lingered. "She remains my sister, bound by blood if not by judgment. We must endeavor to rescue her from this fate, however bleak the prospect."

"And should our efforts falter," Athena continued, a pragmatic edge to her voice, "then the king and queen may simply look to welcome another heir."

"Thank you, Your Highness," came the grateful reply.

Eva, the trusted advisor, knew the magnitude of the concession Athena had made. The task was daunting, for the black dragon that had ensnared Princess Lucia was a specter with scarcely more substance in the annals of history than the fabled villains of yore.

"You're welcome," Athena murmured, a wistful note in her voice. "Without the constant upheavals wrought by that unwitting provocateur, life at court does grow tediously predictable."

The silence that followed spoke volumes, confirming Eva's suspicions about the princesses' strained relations.

"Your Highness Athena, may I pose a question?" Eva ventured.

"Speak freely."

"Had the black dragon not captured Princess Lucia, and had my unfortunate curse not transformed her, what fate would you have decreed for her upon her return?"

"Indeed, should I ascend the throne, I shall take it upon myself to nurture her," Athena's voice softened with contemplation. "On days less burdened by the weight of empire, I will bring her the finest morsels to sate her appetite. And should she harbor ambitions to wear the crown herself, I might even relinquish it to her during the festival days, allowing her a fleeting taste of sovereignty."

Athena paused, her gaze distant. "But do not let my offer weigh upon your conscience. While my proposal may sound generous, we must not forget that in being ensnared by me, she would forfeit a measure of her liberty, akin to her capture by the black dragon. Though in his clutches she might lose her freedom, at least she would experience his twisted form of affection. Perhaps, in a stark and twisted way, it might be more merciful for her to remain with the black dragon."

The princess shook her head slightly, a wry smile playing at her lips. "Eva, I sometimes think the transformation you caused, Lucia becoming a dragon, was not a curse, but a hidden blessing."

"Your Highness, a curse remains a curse; it cannot be construed as a blessing," Eva replied firmly. "When Princess Lucia was transformed, it was not just her body that became draconic, but her very soul began to mirror that of a dragon's essence."

"The soul transformed as well?" Athena inquired, her brow furrowing.

"Yes, and therein lies the curse's deepening grip. The longer Princess Lucia lives as a dragon, the more her nature aligns with theirs, until eventually, she will lose all semblance of her former self and become a true dragon, irreversibly."

Eva's voice carried a heavy burden as she continued, "This transformation, Your Highness, is indeed a curse, far from the blessing you imagine."

Eva harbored a chilling revelation, her voice dropping to a whisper. "Since yesterday, I've felt the dragon-transformation spell slipping from my grasp. As the spell progresses, I find myself forgetting its incantations."

"This loss of control is relentless and irrevocable," Eva concluded gravely. "It seems as though the very gods of curses are reclaiming the Dragon Transformation Spell I unwittingly acquired from that ancient temple. It will decay and vanish, as if erasing itself from existence, such is the fate of legendary curses not meant for this world."