Difficult to Explain I

The situation they had witnessed had left them dumbfounded. They had all witnessed one of the most powerful creatures in the world being cut down. Angrod had never heard or seen anything like this. To him, this was completely unheard of. He was not the only one who thought that way; Idril was just as shocked. For almost the entire battle, she had been watching, and her frustration was evident. All she could do was clench her fists and watch helplessly in the face of a power that defied all logic.

It had only been a few minutes since the white-haired, blue-eyed boy had disappeared, leaving a black cube in his place. No one from the royal family dared to touch it. After all, they had heard the young man's words. Soon, the silence was broken by the divine beast.

"That human boy got inside the cube," the beast stated confidently. It was sure of what it said; it was not a teleportation.

"Why would he do such a thing?" Angrod asked, doubts reflected on his face.

"It's most likely a method of defense," Fanaryss replied.

"Method of defense?" Angrod repeated, confused.

"Yes. That black cube lying on the grass is, without a doubt, extremely resilient. I assume it's a defensive mechanism that being adopts. Perhaps the fight with the dragon affected it more than I expected. Perhaps it spent more mana than it intended and that led it to hide itself, feeling vulnerable," Fanaryss explained, as she looked at the black cube on the ground.

"So, you say it's vulnerable right now?" asked Maedhros, who finally decided to intervene in the conversation.

"The mere fact that it hid itself inside that thing says a lot. It must certainly be very tired. If it comes out of that cube, it should be possible to overwhelm it," Fanaryss said confidently.

As the adults argued, a silver-haired girl looked at the black cube on the ground. She wanted to take it in her hands, just as her friend had told her, but she didn't dare to approach it. The body of that strange gentleman lay near the bucket, covered in blood and cuts. The girl, terrified of the blood, didn't have the courage to approach it. She opted for a safer option.

"Mom, come with me," the girl whispered, gently tugging at her mother's skirt.

"What did you say, darling?" the queen asked loudly, causing everyone present to turn their attention to them.

"Mom, I want you to come with me. I want to take that bucket," the girl said, but was quickly scolded by her aunt Idril.

"You can't touch that thing!" Idril said in a stern tone.

The girl's long ears lowered slightly upon hearing the scolding. It was the first time she had been scolded in that way, and her emotions were affected. Maedhros, Angrod, and Idril seemed to agree that it was not a good idea to touch the cube. However, Eryn and Fanaryss had other ideas.

"Your concerns are unfounded," the divine beast declared as it sat back down.

"It is true. He is my child's protector. He would not harm her. He has proven himself trustworthy," Eryn stated firmly.

Despite Angrod, Maedhros, and Idril's doubts, the latter decided to check if it was safe to touch the cube.

"I am not sure that this is a good decision. First, let me check that everything is okay," Idril said.

She slowly approached the cube and extended her hand to touch it. The moment her fingers made contact with the surface, Idril was paralyzed. A wound appeared on her right cheek, and she quickly withdrew her hand, taking several steps back. Her body trembled, and a sharp pain ran through her cheek. She tripped over the dragon's body and fell to the ground, soaking in the blood still oozing from the creature's wounds.

"What was that?" she asked in shock.

Everyone was shocked to see the most powerful mage in the kingdom fall like that. The royal family was not happy with what happened.

"Don't touch that thing again," the divine beast warned, staring at the black cube.

"Do you know what happened?" Idril asked as she stood up, still shaking.

"You were given a warning and a second chance to live," Fanaryss replied.

"What do you mean?" Idril insisted.

"If you touch that cube again without permission, it will be the end of you," Fanaryss said with an eerie smile.

"So, is it dangerous to touch it?" Idril asked, still confused.

Fanaryss was starting to lose patience.

"What I'm trying to tell you is that anyone but that little girl will be attacked by the cube. You should take that being's words seriously. He was quite clear in his statement. You are the ones who refuse to listen and you will be the ones who will pay the consequences," Fanaryss said firmly.

The divine beast had witnessed the intent emanating from the cube for an instant: an intent to kill. Although slight, it was enough for Fanaryss to realize that the being was even more dangerous when it felt vulnerable.

"They sure get clumsy when it comes to that girl," Fanaryss said, pointing at the cube with one of her large fingers.

The cube rose from the ground and began to float.

"Here, child," Fanaryss said, bringing the cube closer to the little girl with her power.

The royal family watched in fear as Lia took the cube into her hands. To their surprise, there was no violent reaction. On the contrary, the cube seemed to shrink in size to fit the girl's hands.

"Thank you," Lia said, trying to make eye contact with the divine beast, but quickly looked away.

"That was all there was to it. You guys made it all complicated. Shame on you," Fanaryss scolded.

Suddenly, the beast turned its head towards the dying dragon.

"If you don't want that dragon to die, you should help it quickly."

The royal family proceeded to administer first aid to the dragon, but first they had to ask the divine beast for permission to access its dimensional spaces and obtain potions. Although the potions improved the dragon's condition, they only served to keep it alive. To heal it completely, they would need a high-level healing mage.

"It's time to head back," Maedhros declared, with a bad feeling that things outside were worse than he imagined.