Chapter 352 - Upon Your Shoulders

The wind blew through long tresses of golden hair as it whipped in the air. Emerald eyes shined as a hand shielded them from the sun. She searched the horizons in the distance until her eyes widened.

“There, Yi Long! It’s the legendary dragon, Fafnir!”

“Right-O, Chrys!”

The boy carrying her on his back sped up, surfing just a few feet above the sea. Wind magic circulated around them, serving as their main source of movement across the rolling waters. They needed no boat when it came to traversing the seas towards their target in the abandoned isles.

Approaching the beach, Yi Long dialed down his magic, letting the two of them glide softly into the sand. Even without his powers, Chrys rested comfortably on his shoulders in a piggyback ride.

Time had passed since the two of them first met each other, enough for the young boy’s shoulders to mature and widen to accommodate his dearest partner. The young elven girl filled out in that time as well, but her changes hardly weighed down the muscular frame Yi Long now possessed.

Rather… it imposed a different sort of problems at times…

The abrupt stop caused two soft parts to fluff against his head, making Yi Long clench his teeth in panic. After so many times, he thought he would be used to it, but the springiness became that much more noticeable throughout the years.

It didn’t help when a pair of arms snaked around his chin to press them firmer against his head. And soon, he was fighting off the pinkish blush creeping onto his cheeks. This wasn’t something that he had expected to deal with many years ago, when he first promised to carry the girl wherever he went.

“Hey, I think it noticed us.”

Yi Long’s attention snapped immediately forward, bringing his hand up for another incantation. By now, it was second nature. A gust of wind shot them to the left, in time for a raging flame to blow right by them.

Several shots rang out, peppering the black dragon in the distance with javelins of Ice magic. The girl on his shoulders dual wielded guns, each aimed for the joints of the dragon. The sharp ice stabbed into the dragon’s body as it tried to move forward, making it howl in pain and stumble.

Chrysanthemum grinned at her handiwork. As long as she knew where to hit, it didn’t matter if they were in motion; her shots would snipe the intended target with ease.

The dragon flapped its wings, starting to take to the skies, but a thundercloud began to form above it. With a flash of lightning, a bolt came screaming down, slicing one wing of the dragon all the way through. Already in mid-flight, Fafnir was tossed around, spiraling out of control and toward some rocky structures. It slammed its head hard against them, adding salt to its injuries.

Several more shots rang out, this time stabbing into the dragon’s neck. But the flames were particularly strong there, melting the ice quickly upon impact. It turned and cried out angrily at the two.

“We better wrap this up before it goes crazy. I think your ice already slowed him down enough.”

“Then, have at it!”

Yi Long brought his hand down, having charged a spell with his other hand while he was watching the dragon flail about. A sudden dip in pressure could be felt against their skin, the only signal of what was to come.

In the next moment, a gigantic force bore down on their surroundings. It flattened the foliage on the island, crushed bounders, and brought the dragon flat to the ground.

“Air Hammer!”

The downward crash of wind smashed into the dragon, as it howled and tried to blow out fire towards the pair. Yet, the wind was too strong. It snuffed out the flames as soon as they left the dragon’s mouth. And soon, the sound of crunching echoed. Blood instead of fire spewed out of Fafnir’s mouth. Its organs had been crushed and its spine cracked.

As the spell faded away, all that was left was a dragon weakly clawing at the ground, unable to get up. Chrys said a quick prayer before shoving the barrel of her gun into its mouth, where it had the least protection. And after a javelin of ice pierced its skull, the dragon fell silent.

A sigh of relief exited both Yi Long and Chrys’s mouths. They had just defeated a mighty beast that gave even the hardiest of veterans trouble. Staring at each other, they broke out into laughter.

“There you go again, ending the poor beast with a ‘brain freeze’!” Yi Long looked up at his gunslinging partner.

“I could say the same for you, turning a fearsome dragon into a ‘pancake’!” Chrys poked him on the forehead after holstering her weapons.

“The two of us are just too powerful, you know?”

“Mhm, that’s why we make the ultimate team!”

Certainly, the gunslinger that rarely missed and the air-gliding, multi-elemental magic caster were quite the duo. Their abilities complemented each other so well that they had earned renown among the bounty hunters. The teenagers could outrun and outgun the best of the best, ticking off strong opponents one after the other.

“Say, isn’t this a nice little island? The job’s done, so how about we enjoy the place for a bit?”

Yi Long scanned the area, nodding in agreement.

“But first, we should make sure there’s nothing else here. Don’t want to be caught off-guard, you know.”

“Always the studious one. Fair enough, I’ll dissect the spoils while you take a zip around.”

Chrys dropped down from his shoulders and pulled out a special knife. With a whirling noise, the blade rotated. Yi Long watched as Chrys sliced through the hide of the dragon easily with it. He called up the wind to glide away, aiming to take a lap around the island.

A quick survey revealed nothing strong inhabiting the area, as expected of the home for a legendary dragon. But Yi Long noticed a distinctive sparkle that caused his jaws to drop when he approached. Treasure – glittering gold peeking out from an alcove. They were spoils from various ships that had attracted Fafnir’s sight.

Giddy with excitement, Yi Long whizzed back toward the beach where he had left Chrys.

“Chrys, look what I fo- Whoa!”

A cry of surprise erupted from Yi Long’s mouth as he took a spill, his magic running wild for a moment and tossing him into the air. A flailing flip and crash into the sand caught the notice of an elven girl, who had stripped off her outerwear. She didn’t want to get them dirty while extracting valuable dragon materials, so her fair skin glistened from the mist of sea water.

Seeing Chrys’s maturing body in only her undergarments sent Yi Long into a frenzy. Thankfully, a mouthful of sand was enough to blot the appetizing scene that he felt guilty of viewing. He had more respect for her than that, but their relationship made him feel a bit too cozy at times. He smacked his cheeks out of her line of sight as she ran up to him.

“Are you okay? It’s not like you to be lacking grace.”

“I-I-I’m fine! Just fine! D-Do y-you mind? We are in public!”

“Buuuut! There’s no one else here, right? I don’t mind letting loose a little if it’s just you around!”

“I-I mind!”

Yi Long turned away bashfully, but before he could turtle into his normal meekness, a pair of arms wrapped around his body. He could feel Chrys pressing against him.

“It’s okay, Yi Long. I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to worry about disappointing me. You are my partner, now and always. I won’t give you up in this life or the next.”

Yi Long gently clasp his hands over hers. It calmed him for the moment. Every time Chrys got close to him, a fear rose from within, like something would happen. Like he would lose her over some silly reason. It made him insecure, but then, Chrys would always get close anyways, to sweep away those doubts.

He wondered why that was the case. For the years that they had been together, not once had he done anything to earn her disapproval. They went on adventures together, grew as combatants, and fell in love. Perhaps, some part of him believed that their relationship was still juvenile, a teenager’s fling. But the years rolled by with nothing but stronger feelings held between the two.

All of a sudden, Chrys twitched. Yi Long could feel her body shift and look up toward the sky. But the motion lasted for only a moment, not enough for him to ask what was wrong.

“Come on. You can help me with the last remaining bit. A legendary dragon’s carcass is too good to leave spoiling. Not when we can sell the parts for riches!”

“Speaking of riches, I found a nice little hideout where the beast was hiding a ton of goodies. Let’s go there after we finish!”

Turning around, Yi Long’s eyes shone with excitement, much like the emeralds that he stared into. He found himself lost in the vivid green of them, enough to ignore the alluring body that continued to tempt him. They trotted back over to the dragon, like children at play. Years of maturity couldn’t rid them of this innocence.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Flames cracked from the fire pit that they dug upon the beach. The scent of dragon meat lingered in the air. The two had their fill of it, roasting more for the return trip. It was not often that city dwellers could partake in a feast of dragons, much less one that conquered the seas. The guild would call up a celebration after they returned with all these spoils, and perhaps, the kingdom would reward them handsomely for ridding the waters of a trade disaster.

But for now, the light snoring of a teenage boy resting against a girl staring up at the evening stars graced the beachside. The girl stroked his hair as he slept beside her, the excitement from before tempered by a full belly. A few empty bottles were strewn around them – transports of ale that had yet to spoil. They topped off a victory that the two enjoyed together.

Chrys hummed a tune lightly, smiling at how adorable Yi Long looked as he slept. On evenings like this, she would find herself being his personal muse, her melodies blanketing him in a layer of comfort. And then, she would stop to think.

‘How long would it take to heal the wounds of the past?’

On these evenings, the youthful innocence that Chrys often carried fell from her face. Worries for the future tainted them, like she knew that such a precious moment could fall out of her grasp and shatter on the ground.

Because she recalled that it had happened once before.

The sight of Yi Long futilely reaching out for her, only for his arms to be ripped away. The crestfallen expression of a powerless child that tearfully watched as the girl he loved was gutted.

Only she had to carry such memories. No one else. Chrysanthemum recalled the memories of many, many lives. Unlike Yi Long, who was still a child at heart. She wouldn’t let reality interrupt this perfect world where they lived in now.

Chrys stood up from the cozy scene, laying Yi Long’s body back and giving him a pat.

“I won’t be gone for long. Promise I’ll be back before you wake up. And then, we will greet another day together. Our next adventure awaits.”

Her body swirled with a mysterious magic, and within moments, her form disappeared from the beach. Like a trail of glowing fairy dust swept by the wind, the light was carried off into the sky. Yi Long’s slumbering and the flames of their campfire remained as the only noises.

And when she woke up next, the familiar sight of a man in a chef outfit greeted her, a backdrop of greenery surrounding them.