Chapter 19: Grandma?!
Selina continues sorting through the books, maybe one of them will be useful to her. She felt like a pair of eyes were staring right at her, but she was probably just being paranoid, right? She turned around and… nothing. Complete and utter silence.
Tired of sitting down and looking through who knows how many books, Selina gets up and takes a walk, maybe she'll notice a few details she had missed prior. Nope, everything remained the same, over and over and over again. But the feeling of getting stared at never stopped. Selina was contemplating whether or not to just burn this whole place down and while pondering, she tripped, ouch.
Selina got up and while dusting herself off, she noticed a painting. The lady in the painting kind of looked like her and was stunning. Like, maybe even more so than Amelia's S-rank charm. Long flowy pink hair, emerald-green eyes, and a picture-perfect smile. The painting felt so realistic, almost as if it was staring right at her. She reached out her hand to touch the painting, only for her hand to go right through it! Translucent fucking wall this whole time. Selina was absolutely writhing in anger after spending who knows how long going through blank fucking books for an answer.
Anywho, Selina dipped her head into the painting and was jaw-dropped by the sight. There was an extremely beautiful woman sitting down on a chair, sipping tea. It was the lady in the painting! Selina forces her whole body through the wall and awkwardly breaks the silence.
"Um, hello?"
"You finally made it. I was getting tired of seeing you waste your time on those books. They were merely there for aesthetic, we're in a library after all." The lady replies in a mature and captivating voice.
"Aesthetic?! I spent so, so much time doing absolutely nothing of worth." Selina was very much so pissed.
"Calm down, if you were strong enough, then you would've immediately sensed my presence in the portrait. If I knew that it would've taken you that long to find me, I would've tripped you sooner~"
"Strong enough?"
"Yeah, for my descendent, you're surprisingly weak. Tsk, I guess Troye didn't keep his word. What's holding you back?" The woman casually drops.
"Descendent?! Troye? Slow down, this is too much for me, explain please."
"Very well, I should've known that half-breeds would be less intellectual. Take a seat and don't interrupt me till I finish speaking." The woman sighs and takes another sip of tea.
"So, to start off with, I would technically be your grandmother. My name is Elessia Eryndrys, also known as the lord of the Dragon Tribe. Your mother was the apple of everyone's eye. The dragon tribe was going extinct because of low birth rates and poaching, so her birth was a blessing. I spoiled her constantly and that bitch betrayed me for the very people who caused our extinction!" The woman sneers, the hatred visible in her eyes.
"You are an abomination, created by two groups who should've never mixed! But you're also one of the few last standing with draconic blood, unfortunately."
Selina was silent, staring at her emotionlessly, she was freaking out inside of course, but it was probably for the best to keep this to herself.
"I let my precious daughter spread her wings and to explore the world. I knew that I couldn't keep her locked up, she had an adventurous spirit. Somewhere along the line, she was bewitched by your father! And had the audacity to bring her home."
"Words can't express the sheer anger I felt, so I'll show you instead." Elessia snaps her finger and the world around Selina turns dark.
….
"Mom! Please listen to me. All humans aren't bad! Frederick is different, he makes me feel complete!" The dashing lady exclaims, her hand grasping her own chest.
"Silence Kaelithra! I've taken take care of you for so long only for you to stab me in the back! He's tricking you, all humans are terrible, greedy individuals." The older lady shouts. back.
"Mom, you don't understand!" Kaelithra's voice cracked, but she held her ground. "Frederick isn't like that. He saved my life when hunters ambushed me, and he didn't ask for anything in return! He's kind, gentle, and…" Her voice softened, eyes shimmering with conviction. "…he loves me."
Elessia's emerald-green eyes burned with fury, her presence commanding as she rose from her chair. "Love? Do you truly believe a human's 'love' means anything? You're blinded, child! They take what they want and destroy the rest. How dare you jeopardize the survival of our tribe for some fleeting emotion!"
Kaelithra stepped back, clutching her chest as if trying to shield her heart from the venomous words. "You don't know him like I do! You don't see the man beneath the exterior. You've been so consumed by your hatred for humans that you refuse to believe they're capable of good."
"Because they aren't!" Elessia bellowed, her voice reverberating through the dark void around them. "They hunted us to near extinction! They slaughtered our kin for sport, tore away our lands, and reduced the once-great Dragon Tribe to mere whispers of legend. And now you dare to bring one of them here? To our home?"
Kaelithra's gaze hardened, her fiery spirit rising to meet her mother's wrath. "I thought you raised me to fight for what I believed in. Well, I believe in Frederick, and I won't abandon him just because you're too bitter to see the truth!"
Elessia's expression froze, her rage giving way to an eerie calm that was somehow even more terrifying. "You speak of truth, Kaelithra? Then let me show you the truth." With a sweep of her hand, the shadows around them shifted and formed into vivid, harrowing images.
Selina gasped as the scene played out before her. Dragons of all sizes lay lifeless, their bodies piled high in grotesque displays. Human hunters marched through the carnage, weapons soaked in blood. The air was thick with smoke, the cries of dying dragons echoing through the void.
"This is what your beloved humans are capable of," Elessia said, her voice sharp and icy. "They'll smile to your face and then plunge a blade into your back. And when they've taken everything from you, they'll leave you to rot."
Kaelithra's resolve wavered, but she stood firm. "I won't let that happen. I'll protect him, and he'll protect me. Together, we'll prove you wrong."
Elessia's laughter was bitter, a sound that sent chills down Selina's spine. "You are a fool, my daughter. And fools pay the ultimate price for their naivety."
The vision faded, leaving the two women glaring at each other, their bond strained to the breaking point. Selina felt the weight of the confrontation pressing down on her, as if she were caught in the crossfire of an ancient war she barely understood.
Before Selina could process the overwhelming emotions swirling around her, Elessia turned her gaze toward her. "Now do you see, child? Your mother's rebellion was not born of wisdom but of foolishness. And you… you are the product of that mistake."