The Legend of the ruthless Empress Freya

9 Encounter with Gaya (part II)

-- POV Gaya --

I had been locked up in this place for ages, I knew every corner, every rock, every wall by heart. I didn't know what day it was, or even what year it was. I had grown up knowing that the time we dragons were given was a privilege. But today that privilege had become the greatest source of my suffering.

Boredom took hold of me every day, until one day a she-wolf appeared before me.

She was different and enigmatic, she was as if unapproachable. This she-wolf gave off a powerful murderous aura and her eyes seemed soulless but able to read yours. I didn't know how she managed to reach me here, because the runes around the mountain were supposed to prevent any living being from entering this place...but there she was.

"Who...who are you? How did you get in here?"

I was having trouble speaking, but I didn't want to admit that it was because I hadn't had a conversation in a while.

*I hope she doesn't leave before listening to me*

As she watched me intently without saying a word, I felt a wave of discomfort run through my scales. But before I could speak again, she answered me.

"So you can talk?"

She was clearly mocking me. Was she testing me? Was she serious? I had no idea. In my former glory I was considered the mother of dragons, powerful and devastating. I wasn't about to let a young she-wolf laugh at me without saying something.

"Of course I can speak, you miserable creature! I am a dragon: grandmaster of the skies and ruler of....."

Before I could finish my sentence, a pain had seized my tail.

"Aaaaaaarrgg."

Looking down, I saw an ice spike embedded in my tail before disappearing.

*Hein? Ice? No way! I didn't hear an incantation!*

I was stunned, I didn't think it was possible. Just as I thought I was dreaming, her voice echoed in my head.

"If you dare to speak to me like that again, the next one will land in your throat. Now speak up and tell me who you are if you don't want to end up on a skewer!!! "

Her voice was dominating, powerful, seductive and frightening at the same time. In all my life, I had never been in front of a being like her. Who was she? She didn't seem to be of a higher level than me, but there was something about her that made her so superior. The craziest thing was that she had summoned ice without incantations.

Here, all creatures, intelligent races can use the elements present in nature. We have only one, each element chooses its own soul and to be able to master them, we have to pronounce some kind of prayers aloud.

Weakened by magic I could not speak a word, so I had to use telepathy to have a conversation...but could she not speak?

"You...how did you conjure up that ice from nowhere? This...this shouldn't be possible!!!"

I ventured to ask the question.

"Shut up! I'm the one asking the questions here. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

As her eyes glared at me with obvious killing intent, I decided to tell her what she wanted to know. After telling her my name, I began to tell her about my situation.

"I still don't understand why you are losing your life."

*...Eh?...*

It was weird, why doesn't she understand? In this world when you want to cast spells, the first thing you learn is to circulate mana in your body. As you understand how it works, it becomes easier to control your element. So how could she not know that when she was using the ice element? At that moment I felt an immense pressure emanating from her, as if she was suggesting that I think carefully about what I was going to say next.

I decided to cooperate because I didn't want to die, even if my time was short. I then had to explain to her how my damaged mana circuits were affecting my health, daring to ask her if I could ask her a question. She agreed.

"What exactly are you? I've lived for many years, I know every species that populates this forest but I've never seen a being like you. You can even use the ice element without incantations."

She continued to stare at me and I had no idea what was going through her mind, her face showed no emotion. I had noticed that only her eyes seemed to convey anger when she wanted to.

"I can't reveal anything to you but since you explained your situation I can simply tell you that I have come to this world to conquer it. I will be the empress who will march on the humans, burning their cities and killing their soldiers. I will stand on top even if I have to climb a mountain of corpses. "

Rather than anger or annoyance, her voice this time reflected unwavering confidence and determination. Despite the cruelty and hatred of her words, I couldn't be shocked. Of course dragons are not pacifist creatures, but I had never really participated much in wars. So to hear someone talk about human lives as if they were just meat might have made me shudder.

But the reality was different. I didn't know who she was, but she charmed me. I had lived thousands of years, met thousands of people and yet she was the first one to shake me like that.

*I absolutely must know her name*

"You haven't told me your name, may I know it?"

"..."

"My name is Freya"

Freya.

*I'll make sure I don't forget it.*

Whispering her name in my mind without knowing that she had heard me, I decided to ask her to take me with her. She refused.

I knew it wasn't going to be that easy, but at that moment I had nothing else on my mind. Why was I so stubborn, so childish? I must have been about 35 years old (in human terms) so acting like this wasn't like me.

Freya didn't seem to trust me, which made sense. Trying to convince her, I thought for a moment I saw a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Okay I accept, tell me how to do it and I'll set you free!"

My heart leaped as I heard those words, I knew my nightmare was almost over.

______________________________

-- POV Freya --

I was determined to try and get Gaya out of her rocky prison. If I could use her power to my advantage afterward, it was a give and take.

"So? Tell me how to get you out of there? "

"That's simple, kill everyone who put these chains on me and hold the seal in place."

"..."

"Can you be more specific?"

I didn't know what she was talking about, but I knew it wasn't going to be easy. However, if I had the chance to level up it was always with great pleasure.

"First of all, you are in Syn's forest, in this forest the beasts and monsters are level 1 to 10, beyond that we are talking about the creatures that dominate this place. They are the ones who sealed me by uniting their powers."

"Who are they? What level are they?"

Gaya looked at me questioningly as she continued.

"Originally there were four of them, but now there are only three: Magni the Northern Sphinx, Warg the Southern Scorpion and Daggus the Eastern Lion."

"And the fourth ?"

"....that was me. Gaya the Dragon of the West."

As I began to understand the situation, a question was in my mind.

*Why did she end up here?*

[It's all very interesting, but don't forget that you need to know their strength.]

Not forgetting that the most important thing was to be careful, once again following Kira's advice I asked Gaya what their level was.

"Warg the Scorpion should be level 14, Magni level 16 and Daggus level 19"

They were all at much higher levels than I was, but it was exactly what I needed to awaken my fighting spirit. I loved the prospect of letting loose on a battlefield, a place where I could be myself and kill indiscriminately, a place where blood flowed freely.

"Why did those three seal you up?"

"Greed? Jealousy? What do I know? I was the strongest of them and my quick leveling scared them. They waited until I was asleep to lock me in here, taking care not to leave any entrance...I don't even know how you managed to get in."

Ignoring Gaya's questions I suddenly moved on to the second topic.

"Once you are free, how will you prove to me that I can trust you?"

This was an equally interesting part, I wanted to keep this dragoness but I didn't want to live with the fear of being betrayed again by someone close to me, literally as well as metaphorically. Looking at me with a slight trace of embarrassment she declared:

"A kind of...pet contract"

*Nani???*

*Wait, what do you mean by "pet contract"? And then, is it even possible? Since I'm practically a pet myself. A pet that has a pet is a sight to behold!*

[Freya-sama, you are not a pet, you are in this world a unique entity].

*Yes, I know, but it's just that I find it crazy.*

Watching the dragoness out of the corner of my eye as I conversed with Kira, I could see her flailing in her corner as if she had suddenly become shy.

"What's wrong with you again? Is something wrong?"

"Oh um... no, everything is fine."

"Good. Now tell me what exactly a pet contract is."

"It's a contract that allows me to... um... bind myself to you. If you die I will die with you but if I die nothing will happen to you. You're probably wondering what benefit I get from this..well it's simple. I could feed on your mana which will allow me to regain my strength little by little. For the moment I am weak, but when I will have recovered my strength I could help you in your quest!"

*What do you think Kira?*

[I think it's a good idea.]

*I think so too! She won't be able to betray me and she will be obliged to protect me if she doesn't want to lose her life, it's quite a practical method, isn't it?*

Having made my decision I looked at Gaya before asking her if she was sure she wanted to do this.

"Yes I'm sure!"

"Then how do I proceed?"

"Let me speak the anchor spell : with this magic I bind myself to your life, our bonds become one and my heart becomes hers until death do us part."

*Weird that makes me think of...*

-- PING --

[ Do you want to accept Earth Dragon (lvl 28) by your side ? ]

[ YES/NO ]

___Status Freya___

Name : Freya

Age : 0 years old / Mentally : 25 years old

Sex : Female