Luo Wei didn't know where Hessel's room was, so she brought her back to her own dorm.

The Transformation Spell had a time limit; Luo Wei had tested long ago that one casting held for a little over half an hour. But on Hessel, its duration was drastically shortened.

Helping her through the door, Luo Wei could already feel the rapid spread of raised, scaly protrusions beneath Hessel's clothes.

"Senior? Senior Calansis?"

She called twice. Hessel, half-conscious, gave no response.

Luo Wei set her on the bed, turned, locked door and windows, drew the curtains tight, and softly summoned Nico.

The fist-sized Infernal Arachne hopped from her shoulder to the floor, cocking its head.

"Nico, guard the crack under the door. If anyone comes near, alert me at once."

Nico rocked its front claws side to side in acknowledgment, then sprang toward the bedroom door and stationed itself with forelimbs lifted.

Satisfied, Luo Wei looked back to the bed.

In just a few breaths the girl there had changed so much she could no longer be described as human. Dense black scales carpeted her face. Two serrated rows of spikes sprouted at the forehead and kept growing back until they merged at the rear skull, continued down the nape and linked to a ridged spine all the way to the tailbone.

Cloth ripped; her garments split under the expanding mass of scaled body. Even her leather boots tore clean in half and fell apart.

Her hands and feet became black talons. One casual rake shredded the wool comforter Luo Wei had spent ages stripping of its lanolin odor and gouged deep scratches into the little bed's frame.

Luo Wei: …

She'd carved a Teleportation Array straight to Demon Island into that bed board!

Once Hessel woke up, she was absolutely charging her for repairs.

She didn't know how long the Holy Water's effects would take to fade. The fact Hessel had held on this long meant her tolerance was high. Anyone else who downed a whole bottle would likely have reverted before reaching the array.

Luo Wei dragged a chair bedside, unfastened her magic robe, and sat.

If Hessel wasn't awake in ten minutes, she would change and go eat at the Academy cafeteria alone.

Seconds slid by; the transformation still hadn't stopped.

Her body kept swelling; pitch-black scales covered her entirely; a thick tail erupted behind.

Luo Wei grew more puzzled. What was Hessel's race—why a tail?

A lizard?

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Or a crocodile?

The little bed, barely a meter and a half wide, couldn't bear the weight. The wavering frame groaned.

Luo Wei's brows slowly knit. If the growth continued the bed would collapse.

"Creak—"

Another tortured wail from the wood.

No—she had to reinforce it.

Luo Wei whisked the chair aside, crouched, and swiftly etched several reinforcement Magic Runes along the rim. When she lifted her head, she found herself staring into a pair of cold, lightless, pitch‑black eyes.

A massive diamond-shaped serpent head pressed against her own. Black scales over the brow rose in orderly ridges. Fan-shaped, knife-edged bone spurs flared around ears and neck. Two spindle-shaped paired openings above the savage jaws marked its nostrils.

Hot breath washed over Luo Wei's face. Those suffocating black eyes fixed on her without a flicker.

With a sharp whoosh, a pair of huge bat-like wings suddenly unfurled from its back.

Luo Wei had never seen a creature like this. Slowly she tilted her head up, forcing herself to study it calmly.

Its bulk filled a quarter of the room. The arched neck pushed against the ceiling. Four powerful claws clamped down on her small bed. The wings, only half spread, still covered most of a wall.

Seeing the whole of it at last, Luo Wei's throat bobbed.

"A dragon?" she ventured.

The monster stared a moment, then opened its horrific jaws and spoke in a cool female voice. "A Black Dragon."

Luo Wei nodded evenly. "So—you're conscious now?"

The Black Dragon lowered itself, folding its wings as it crouched atop the little bed.

Luo Wei drew the chair back and sat. After a brief quiet she asked, "How long until you revert?"

The Black Dragon shoved its head under a wing and closed its eyes. "Don't know."

"Then I'm going to the cafeteria first." Luo Wei stood, taking her magic robe from the chair. "Want me to request leave for you?"

The Black Dragon opened her eyes. "You're leaving now?"

"What else?" Luo Wei glanced back. "If I don't go, the professors will send people to fetch us."

The Black Dragon stretched her long neck, then had to dip it because of the ceiling. "Aren't you curious about my identity?"

"You said it already. You're a Black Dragon."

Luo Wei walked to the wardrobe, opened it, and took out a clean pair of boots.

Her casual tone—as if discussing dinner—pricked Hessel's competitive pride.

"Most people fear dragons. Dragons stand for evil and ill omen. Aren't you afraid?"

Luo Wei replied, utterly unimpressed, "What's there to be afraid of? I've lost count how many times I've heard that line. Honestly, I've met beings a hundred times more evil than you. A Black Dragon is nothing."

Hessel didn't believe it. "A hundred times more evil? Who?"

"The God of the Undead. Met him?" Luo Wei said while changing shoes.

"I haven't," Hessel muttered, assuming she was joking; she deliberately lowered her voice to menace. "I admit that deity is more evil than dragons—he's a Dark God. But Dark Gods won't descend here. I am standing in front of you."

Luo Wei ignored the bluster, finished with her boots, and said, "There are clothes in the wardrobe. If you want to go out, take something. We're not the same size—you'll have to sort what fits."

Being so thoroughly disregarded irritated Hessel; she lashed her tail against the wall—thud, thud.

"Easy. If you break the wall, neither of us is getting out."

"Why did you save me?" Hessel finally voiced the real question.

"Because we're partners." Luo Wei turned, meeting her gaze seriously. "Aren't we, future Master Mystical Smith?"

Hessel was incredulous. "Just because of that?"

"Just because of that."

"I'm the descendant of Nidhogg—the Despair Black Dragon! You saved me for that? Do you know what it means to save me? I could destroy this world!"

"If your kind could really destroy the world, dragon slayers wouldn't have hunted you to extinction," Luo Wei said, then amended, "Books say dragons are extinct, but you prove they're wrong."

Hessel lowered her eyes, shuttering the hatred within. "The Church wants every beastfolk dead. Of course they'd write it that way."

That made Luo Wei think back. "The books I read about Dark Gods and beastfolk do all seem to be compiled by the Church. You can't find that content elsewhere."

In those Church-written volumes, beastfolk were painted as savage and brutal, and humanity's resistance as a tragic, costly struggle.

Hessel gave a bitter, self-mocking breath. "The Church isn't wrong—they did wipe out the dragon race. When I die, there will be no more Black Dragon in this world."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ patreon.com/BZDXG - Unlock a HUGE stash of advance chapters now! Dive deeper into the story ahead of everyone else!

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