Ophelia and The Dragons

Chapter 33

"To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold."

-Aristotle-
***

Ophelia's P.O.V

When Helios informed me that the boy had woken up, I jumped out from my bed and headed over to the other room. I saw the boy, it was my first time to see him with his eyes open and he had the most beautiful icy blue eyes He looked a bit confused. When he saw me, his expression lightened up a little. Perhaps this boy felt safer with a woman than a man, which was understandable.

"I see you have woken up, how do you feel?" I asked him.

"I feel better. Were you the one who saved me?" He asked innocently. Even though the boy was young, he seemed more mature than his appearance. He was a dragon, after all. You could never judge him based on his appearance alone.

"Yes. My name is Ophelia and this is my familiar, Helios. He is a sun dragon." I introduced Helios to the boy, hoping it would make him feel more at ease and he was stunned by my words instead.

"What? How is that even possible?" He wondered.

"I know you are an Ice dragon, Helios told me about it. Don't worry, I will not hurt you." I reassured him and he fell silent for a few seconds. It must be shocking to have his identity revealed by strangers. He was young, but he was found all alone, all bruised and injured. I wondered what had happened to him before?

"What is your name?" I asked.

"Neo, my name is Neo." He answered. His voice was rather soft and gentle for a boy.

"I see, Neo. Do you remember how you got stranded here?" He didn't look comfortable answering it so I decided to not push the matter any further.

"It's fine. You have saved me, it's only right if I explain everything to you." He took a deep breath before explaining what happened.

"I came from a place far away from here, up in the North. I lived with a few members of my tribe. However, one day a dark witch attacked us with her black magic, destroying our place and killed the head of our tribe. She ripped his body apart and took his heart. The heart of the ice dragon contains a powerful defense magic against extreme temperatures. I had no idea what she wanted it for, but once she took it, she left." He clenched his fist before continuing.

"We no longer had a place to live so our tribe had to migrated elsewhere to avoid the witch." The dark witch he mentioned, it couldn't be Yvanna, could it? She would not do such a thing, would she? After all, among everyone, she should be the one who understood it the most, the feeling of losing your loved ones. But what if it was her?

Along the way, there was a terrible storm and I was separated from the rest of my tribe. I arrived at a village where a kind grandmother took me in and raised me like her own grandson. I was grateful and for the first time, I felt a sense of relief since I was separated from my tribe."

"But humans live a very short life. Just a few months later, the grandmother died from sickness. I had to leave the village. Then suddenly, during my trip, I was attacked by some humans with supernatural abilities. I had no idea who they were but I barely escaped. The bruises you saw was from these unusual humans."

I had never heard of humans with such capabilities before. Were they similar to knights of elite special forces of the empire? I really had no idea.

"It's fine. Looks like I am still lucky enough because I was able to meet you. Also, as a thank you for saving me, I will dedicate myself to you until you no longer want or need me." He offered casually.

"What do you mean by that, Neo?" I asked him, still confused by his ambiguous proposal.

"I am already separated too far away from the rest of my tribe. It will take a long time to find them again. Also, I have nowhere else to go. Instead of just wandering around on my own. I will just follow you in this lifetime until you no longer need me. I am willing to be your familiar, Master." He responded with a smile. Hearing such words coming from a young boy made me feel somewhat teary.

"No, you don't have to be my familiar. Don't call me master as well. Even Helios no longer calls me that. I will just take care of you like a family member. How does that sound?" I revised the proposal.

"Don't you want me to be your familiar because I look too young, master?" He asked again. Yes, that was part of the reason why. I only made Helios my familiar once he looked like a young adult. But this boy was way too small. I nodded and he suddenly burst out laughing.

"I see, so that's your biggest concern. It's okay, master. Despite looking like this, I am actually over fifty years old. I had to use this child's form to save energy after I was defeated. However, I can also change my appearance to a young adult if you want to." A cloud of icy smoke wrapped around him and it slowly dissipated to reveal a grown man. He had all the physical traits of Neo, but he no longer looked like a child. It was the opposite, he was tall and handsome. His figure was rather slender but he still had a bit of muscle.

"What do you think, master? Does this form make you feel more comfortable?" He asked. It certainly made me feel less guilty, morally. But his current figure was to dangerous for me as a woman. He was too beautiful, like a flower boy. His gentle demeanor only added to this perspective of mine. He was the complete opposite of Helios but they were complementary to each other. Helios, the strong and mighty sun dragon and Neo, the cold and gentle ice dragon.

"No, you should just keep your child's form." Helios protested before wrapping his arms around me protectively.

"Hm, but why is that? Don't I look better like this, master?" He denied it and it only agitated Helios even more.

"Ophelia is mine, I won't let you steal her away from me with that mischievous face and body of yours." Ah, did Helios really think I was that shallow to be easily tempted by a good looking man with a good body and seductive manner? Okay, I admit, he was attractive, but I had morals, you know.

"You can keep any form you like, but for the time being, taking the form of a child is better. I still need to get used to your presence, it would be more awkward to be with a grown man I barely knew until today." I told him.

"If that is your wish, master." He transformed back into the young boy's form and smiled at me. Yes, he definitely looked better as a child. It made me feel more comfortable to be around him as well.

"Then, we will be heading back to our home tomorrow. Let's enjoy the rest of our time here. Neo, you will be coming with us as well from now on." He nodded in understanding.

"I am looking forward to our time together."