A Lone House On A Field Of Aster Flowers (Arcturus Arc Part 16)

Arcturus found himself in a world completely different from his realm of desires. Strong aromas of wildflowers garnered Arcturus's attention as he fixated on his surroundings; currently, he was in a meadow of lavender, star-shaped flowers—the same one on Nova's hand. At every visible distance, flowers were present; there was no other person. He knelt down to observe them.

"Did Souhait become flowers?"

Nova held back a chuckle. "That's a weird thing to say. Souhait is not a flower. These are aster flowers."

"Well, I don't see anyone else here other than us." Arcturus touched one of the asters out of curiosity; it felt like a normal flower, but he liked how the petals looked and felt.

"We'll meet Souhait if we keep walking." Nova proceeded to do so.

Arcturus worried about trampling on such pretty flowers; he then noticed that all the flowers Nova stepped on were fine, so he followed him. The further they walked, the more flowers Arcturus saw. He had been excited at first because of Souhait, but he quickly became frustrated at the constant sight of flowers.

After what it seemed like forever, there was a house at a visible distance. Arcturus squinted to get a brief view of what it looked like. It was a small brick house. Nova stopped and then turned to Arcturus. He pointed at the house.

"This is where you'll meet Souhait. Follow me."

Excitement became nervousness. Arcturus gulped as his heart started pounding. The house far in the distance became closer until he was at eye level with the door. The house was a lot smaller than expected; he wondered how a dragon could fit inside. Nova did not knock; he just turned the doorknob and barged in like it was his own home.

Arcturus entered. The house was small on the outside, but it looked rather spacious for one person.  He saw that there wasn't much furniture; the ones most visible were a white bed with purple sheets, a lavender table with two chairs, and a small kitchen

What a minimalistic room. He thought as he quickly scanned the room to see that they were the only people inside. He wondered where Souhait could be.

"Have a seat." Nova said as he headed towards the kitchen. "I'll make tea."

Arcturus did as he was told, but Nova seemed to have made tea in a flash; in a matter of seconds, Nova sat down across from him with a teapot and cups in hand. He placed cups on both sides and then poured tea.

"This is lavender lemon tea. I'm really good at brewing tea, so I hope you enjoy it." Nova took a sip.

When Arcturus looked down to take a glance at his tea, his eyebrows furrowed as he squinted. He was sure Nova poured tea into his cup; seeing it completely empty confused him. He looked up to ask Nova about this, but he passed out on the table. Arcturus stood up shocked. He reached out and shook Nova. "Are you okay?"

Nova did not respond. Arcturus then noticed Nova's toppled cup. There wasn't anything spilled on the table—Nova's cup was as empty as his, leaving him puzzled. He was definitely sure he saw tea being poured onto the cups. If Nova's cup had been filled and became empty after consumption, there would have been tiny droplets staining the table.

"What's going on?"

He got his answer in the form of a glowing Nova. He was taken aback as he saw Nova's form changing. Along with Nova, the room started changing from the minimalistic one to a completely white void save for a table and chair of the same color; Arcturus could tell from the shadows.

Nova's form gradually grew; he no longer maintained a human shape. He became a serpentine creature. When the glowing diminished, Arcturus's eyes were glued to the color of the scales in front of him; they were lavender.

Arcturus's heart skipped a beat at the majestic sight above him. Large heterochromatic eyes looked down upon his brown ones; they were lavender and gold with dilated pupils. A long snout with two long purple mustaches was a noticeable view; the mustaches fluttered despite there being no traces of wind. Golden horns protruded from the creature's head; Arcturus could also see a tuft of purple hair on top, which then spiraled down towards the tip of its elongated tail—the creature's mane. Stout arms and legs with long golden claws were a terrifying sight to behold. Arcturus gaped as he took a few steps back. He was a tall man himself, but being in the presence of this creature made him feel minuscule.

A dragon! Could this be…?

"Are you Souhait?"