'ιт тσσк σиℓу α мσмєит σf мємσяу вєfσяє ѕнє ∂яσωиє∂ ιи тнє тι∂є σf вℓυє σи¢є мσяє.'
She's over him. Right?
...
Not everyone can be an S-rank.
E-ranked Dae jong-in is the failure of her family. The younger sister of the 'ultimate soldier', she serves...
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(WHITE)
☆★☆★
.
ѕнє ωαѕ иσ ℓσиgєя αfяαι∂.
No longer afraid of not being good enough, for there was no-one she had to try to look good for.
No longer afraid of being weak, for she was growing stronger.
Stronger; day after day, moment after moment, building up to that day when she had finally let go of her old family and moved on to her new.
She yawned, stretching her arms and shaking off the pile of hatchlings in the dark beneath the tent of Chin-hae's wing. She could swear that they had grown heavier since yesterday. Li-ra bonked her snout on the stone at the edge of the pile of ripped fabric she had made with her dress and continued to snore, tiny rings of steam coming from her nostrils as she snuggled back into the warmth. Dak-ho pulled his wing over his head and growled in his sleep.
Kei-rin mumbled to herself and rolled back onto Dae's lap. With a sigh, she pushed the little dragon off and tapped at the edge of Chin-hae's wing.
It lifted, and an emerald eye dropped to meet hers.
"Good morning, little ant. Are you hungry?"
Dae nodded, smiling as she took the meat from the dragonel's outstretched talon, setting it alight with her brother's power and swallowing it whole, wrinkling her nose.
"Eurgk. Orc meat tastes foul," She muttered. Chin-hae smiled.
"Well, the news might make it a little better. It rained yesterday, little ant, and the Black Lake has finally grown. You haven't seen it full yet, have you?"
Dae's eyes widened. Rain was something rare, and for the year she had lived with the dragons, she hadn't seen the gigantic basin of the Black Lake full with water.
The journey to the Black Lake was dangerous- not in that it wasn't easy to get there, but the Great Orcs got their water from it as well. Although easily stronger than them, they were greater in numbers and so posed a threat, Chin-hae had explained. No matter how strong the individual, they would eventually tire and become overwhelmed by greater numbers.
One of the many things the dragonel had taught her.
Dae grinned into that eye. "Sounds fun, Chin-hae."
A challenge.
Finally.
☆★☆★
The lake glowed. Not a golden light, as one would expect of something that shone, but a dark type of light, misting over the surface of the enormous pool.
It wasn't the water itself that held the power, Chin-hae told Dae and the hatchlings, It was the stone beneath, fathoms deep below the surface that glowed. It did nothing but purify the water so that it was clean no matter what was put in it.
They splashed around in the shallow for a moment before Dae lost her nerve and scrambled out, glancing back at the black below. The pool was bottomless, it seemed, and it creeped her out.
She watched her reflection from the edge with surprise. She had filled out. Her eyes shone and her lips were fuller, her body stocky and strong as it had once been. Not attractive, but attractive didn't matter in these caves.
Only strength.
She let her expression coil into a smirk.
Well, it was her time to test out her newfound knowledge.
Her eyes met Chin-hae's, a pleading note in them. The dragon sighed and gave a nod- this small cruelty would help slowly clear the dungeon of lower-leveled High Orcs.
She made her way around the lake to where a small group of orcs were collecting their water, fighting her sudden surge of guilt and surging forwards, tiny flames at her heels.
An E-rank against four A ranked monsters would usually be the end of the idiot instigating the fight, but- well, that one year had changed her.
In that one year, Chin-hae had taught her every day that if you knew how to focus your power, it didn't matter how much you had.
She flicked her fingers, tiny streams of concentrated flame flicking at each of the orcs' hearts. her technique needed work, but it was getting better. The fact that they had their backs to her made it easier.
The tiny holes in their foreheads were the only things that betrayed the fact that they were dead.
And as she stood over them, she couldn't help her smile.
"That's for the hatchlings chin-hae lost, bastards."
☆★☆★
So, how do you feel now that Dae has grown stronger? Do you think it happened too quickly and I didn't explain enough of it, or do you think I should have overpowered her?
My reasons; I want her to stay an E-rank. She's not going to be over S-ranked like jinwoo, all I want her to be able to do is learn to use her powers properly, to their best effect so that she can face pretty much any enemy.
Anyway, thanks for reading and I hoped you liked this chapter!
