The Cornflower Witch

In her sleep, the sound of drums came from afar, rousing the young Sylutia awake.

She rubbed her eyes and sat up from her small bed. Hearing the lively commotion outside, she slipped on her slippers and quickly walked out of her room, soon encountering the maids on duty in the hallway.

“Good morning, Lady Ya.” Four maids in black-and-white uniforms lifted their skirts in a bow, then followed the young Sylutia’s footsteps.

Turning down the long corridor of the home, Sylutia arrived at the main hall, made a circuit, and then ran to the side hall. This was a room shaped like a birdcage, with cylindrical walls adorned by beautiful windows and various ivy plants inside. A woman in a long white dress with purple wisteria patterns was watering the flowers, her back to the girl.

“Mom.” The young Ya ran over, wrapped her arms around the woman’s waist, and leaned against her.

“What’s wrong, Little Ya?” Sherin set down the watering can, turned around, lifted the girl up, and placed her on a nearby chair.

“There’s drumming outside.” Her voice was still babyish at the time.

“Mm, I heard it.” Sherin replied with a warm smile. She crouched down, her beautiful eyes looking at her daughter seated before her, gently stroking the strands of hair on her forehead.

“I’ve heard this kind of drum before.” The young Sylutia continued to add.

“So, do you still remember what it means?” Sherin asked with interest.

“I do.”

“Then tell me.”

“It’s the drum from over there.”

“Over there?”

“The drum from Father’s homeland.”

“Oh, looks like Ya has a very good memory.” Sherin chuckled.

“That’s right, today the eastern envoy arrived—twelve ‘Grand Dragon Ships.’ The lead ambassador, you met her when you were little. She’s the big sister you once said had a dress like water.”

“Ah, who was that? I don’t really remember.” Sylutia couldn’t recall ever saying such a thing.

“It’s fine, you’ll see her tonight.” Sherin touched Sylutia’s cheek.

…

That night, Sylutia was led by Sherin’s hand into the resplendent palace. The palace had been specially decorated that day with many vermilion and pine-blue silk ribbons. These silks, hanging from the doors and windows of the palace, would have been rare treasures anywhere else, but today they were merely ornaments within the dynasty’s court.

To welcome the envoy from the eastern continent, the maids had even covered the candle lamps with red and yellow shades, said to symbolize happiness and honor in the East.

Along the way, many nobles respectfully bowed to Sherin. Elsewhere in the court, the most nobles would do when meeting each other was nod slightly. The Sun Dynasty was at its peak, with an open atmosphere and no very strict hierarchy. The reason so many nobles showed such unreserved respect was that the Meizhalansi family was one of the few with special honors in the dynasty.

“Princess Sherin, you’ve finally arrived.” In the court, a lavishly dressed prince hurried over, seeking help from the silver-haired, purple-eyed beauty.

“What’s wrong, our brave Prince Joyas?” Sherin replied with a smile, lightly covering her face with the lace-trimmed cuff of her white sleeve.

“Don’t tease me, Princess Sherin. It’s like this…”

It turned out that today, Prince Joyas, as the royal family’s representative to receive the envoy, had run into many problems. If not handled well, it could spark diplomatic disputes and even cause conflict between the two dynasties ruling over separate continents.

To avoid such a splendid outcome, the prince had no choice but to beg Sherin, who had once visited the eastern continent, for help in solving the various issues that had arisen.

“No problem, leave it to me.” Sherin’s moving light-purple eyes blinked, then she raised her hand. Behind her, one maidservant after another stepped forward. Their demeanor was proper, dignified, and composed. If not for the obvious maidservant uniforms they wore, one might easily mistake them for young ladies from some great family.

“The maidservants of House Meizhalansi will not disappoint you.”

These maids quickly took over the palace venue, rearranging many areas while explaining and guiding the visiting eastern guests, rapidly easing the initially tense and difficult situation.

At that time, Sylutia followed behind Sherin and saw another familiar golden-haired girl in the distance waving at her.

“Ilythia is here today too. Do you want to go play with her, Ya?” Sherin asked, but before Sylutia could answer, the princess across the way, dressed in an elaborate and luxurious formal gown, had already run over.

Arriving before Sherin, she first politely lifted her skirt in a curtsy, then, with sparkling eyes, she slipped behind Sherin and grabbed Sylutia, who was trying to hide.

“Don’t run, Ti Ya.”

Helplessly, young Sylutia was a bit resigned as Ilythia took her hand and led her aside to play. The place they were heading to had already gathered many children of similar age, including several princes and princesses, with the rest mostly being children of the dynasty’s great nobles.

This went on until the middle of the banquet, when a maidservant came to notify Sylutia and led her away. But by then, Ilythia had followed along.

So, guided by the maidservant, the two walked through the long palace corridors and arrived at a quieter courtyard. Here stood an elegant Eastern-style pavilion. Sherin was sitting inside, conversing with another figure, while several guards stood watch beside the pavilion. As she passed, Sylutia curiously glanced at a guard in turquoise-scaled armor. The scabbard at his waist emanated a restrained Dragon Eye aura, and on it was carved a flowing, wandering green dragon.

Facing these two children under ten, the guard smiled, took a step back, and cleared the way into the pavilion.

Soon, the two arrived at the clean stone table. Although she was noisy and boisterous with Sylutia, Ilythia displayed the proper demeanor befitting a princess upon seeing Sherin.

When they arrived, the figure conversing with Sherin turned around, and Sylutia finally got a clear look at her.

She was a woman in her twenties, in the prime of her youth. She had flawless, snow-white skin and water-blue eyes. On her forehead protruded two exquisite, jade-like dragon horns, shaped like deer antlers. Seeing the two girls, her gaze quickly turned to Sylutia, who, like Sherin, had soft silver hair.

“So this is Ti Ya. The last time I saw her was seven years ago, when she had just learned to speak.” The woman’s expression softened. Even while sitting in the night-time pavilion, she seemed to emit a faint, firefly-like jade glow.

Beside her, Sherin nodded, then gently beckoned Sylutia to come closer. She wrapped one arm lightly around Sylutia’s shoulder.

“Ya, this is the leader of this envoy, Princess Azure. When you were little and unwell, she personally treated you.”

“Greetings, Princess Azure.” Young Sylutia spoke timidly, her appearance endearing.

“Still so delicate and adorable.” The princess across the way smiled and nodded, her gaze thoughtful.

“I should have brought you some gifts this time, but the journey was rushed. It wasn’t until I boarded the dragon ship that I realized I hadn’t prepared properly.” After saying this, she unfastened the double-dragon jade pendant hanging at her waist, then walked slowly to stand before Sylutia.

“You’re truly adorable. You have such beautiful eyes.” She blinked, and Sylutia could almost see her own reflection in the woman’s clear eyes.

Then, Princess Azure gently took Sylutia’s hand and placed the jade pendant into the girl’s palm.

“This is my gift to you. It can nourish your body, heal many illnesses, and render you immune to many strange poisons. But most importantly, it represents a promise and a covenant.”

When she said this, Sherin seemed to realize something. She looked at the jade pendant, her expression one of surprise.

“This is the ‘Emerald Dragon’…” Unfortunately, the words were only half spoken before Princess Azure raised a finger to her lips to silence her.

“It is Ya. As long as this jade pendant remains on you, a certain covenant is in effect.”

“As for what that covenant specifically is, you’ll understand when you grow up.” With that, she pulled Sylutia into an embrace, gently stroking the girl’s back.

“It also has many other uses. If you hold this pendant and encounter other dragons, you will gain their friendship and respect.” Princess Azure added.

What happened after that, Sylutia had largely forgotten. But for a long time afterward, Ilythia was absolutely enamored with that jade pendant and came close to stealing it.

Unfortunately, not only did several of the older princes and princesses step in to stop her and return the pendant to Sylutia, but even the Emperor, who rarely bothered with worldly affairs, specifically warned Ilythia not to touch that pendant, finally putting an end to her covetous thoughts.

A few years later, Sylutia began learning about Transcendent knowledge. Under her mother’s guidance, she used the Meditation Method for the first time to train her mental awareness. It was then that she discovered part of the pendant’s secrets.

According to her mother, this jade pendant had been passed down through the imperial family of the Azure Dynasty, containing many secret techniques and knowledge of the ‘Dragon Eye’ Path. Unfortunately, Sylutia’s spirit was still too weak at the time to explore the vast sea of secrets and knowledge within.

…

The distant memories in her mind were awakened at this moment. Sylutia stood before the plesiosaur-like dragon, her consciousness snapping back from the recollection as if a lifetime had passed.

‘The Dragon Covenant’… What exactly was that covenant? She felt like she knew, yet also like she had forgotten. It must have been a covenant concerning the two great dynasties. After all, even Ilythia, who was doted on and spoiled as a child, had been disciplined over it—the weight of that covenant must have been extremely heavy.

Shaking her head, Sylutia stopped dwelling on matters so far in the past.

Unfortunately, she had no idea where that jade pendant was now. If it were still with her, she might have found the answer within it.

Though she still couldn’t recall the exact contents of that covenant, Sylutia did remember some secret knowledge from the eastern continent. Things she couldn’t understand as a child suddenly made sense now.

If she wanted to save this dying plesiosaur-like dragon before her, she would need to ensure it didn’t turn around and attack her after being healed. The best way to do that was to establish a covenant with it.

But making a covenant with a dragon was an extremely demanding task. First, the dragon’s aura would surge through the covenant’s link, assaulting the one making the pact. To make a covenant with a Sixth Tier True Dragon usually required a Seventh Tier Transcendent to withstand the impact of the draconic might.

Second, there was the matter of how to establish the covenant. Ordinary ritual secrets couldn’t bind a dragon; the dragon could easily break free and tear it apart unilaterally. The Dragon Priestesses of the eastern continent were able to make covenants with dragons because their pacts were witnessed by the Hour, the ‘Emerald Dragon.’ Bound by that Hour Dragon, the great dragons would not easily violate the agreement.

Sylutia knew she had the blessing of the Fairies on her, but whether she still enjoyed the blessing and protection from that jade pendant, she wasn’t sure. That day, when she received the pendant, her mother had mentioned something. Sylutia could guess that the pendant was a treasure blessed by an Hour, bearing the ‘Emerald Dragon’s Favor.’

Forget it, she could only try. Sylutia looked at the plesiosaur-like dragon before her, its eyes slowly closing. She descended from the sky and landed before it.

She plunged her blade into the plesiosaur-like dragon’s back once more, but this time not to kill it. Instead, she absorbed all the curses within it, gathering them back onto the holy sword.

At the sword’s hilt, a dazzling and beautiful five-petal flower bloomed. Within the pure white petals ran faint green lines, and at the center of the stamen was a weak golden glow, strikingly visible even in the night.

Pulling the sword out, all the curses on the plesiosaur-like dragon vanished. But the weakened dragon remained unconscious. If not rescued in time, death would still be only a matter of time.

Sylutia thought for a moment, then took out some ‘Blood Currants’ she had saved up for a long time. These blood-red berries could replenish the lack of lost blood.

Pouring the fruits into the plesiosaur-like dragon’s mouth, barely keeping its life sustained, Sylutia began to perform the dragon secret method from the Azure Dynasty.

First, she closed her eyes and concentrated, silently reciting the recorded true words. These were words left by an Hour. Once spoken, they would invoke the Hour’s power and blessing. But such true words could only be used by those who had been acknowledged; otherwise, it was an offense to the Hour, and backlash would strike immediately.

Sylutia didn’t know now if she was still acknowledged by that ‘Emerald Dragon.’ She could only test the waters by reciting the true words silently in her heart. After receiving a faint response and sensing no abnormality, she opened her eyes and began to recite them aloud.

To ensure the covenant was established more smoothly, while performing the secret method, Sylutia shifted her Aspect back to her former ‘Fourth Tier Verdant Nectar.’ The vibrant manor unfolded beside her, surrounding both her and the dragon, creating a stable and peaceful environment. This would also enhance the ritual’s effectiveness during the covenant.

“The east wind grows bright, its color a celestial blue…

Water bears the rain, thunder shakes the verdant void…”

With each phrase she recited, a faint glimmer of light appeared on her brow. The plesiosaur-like dragon before her was also awakened once more by this strange secret method.

An invisible breeze passed through the girl’s dress and hair, and her long black hair slowly floated up behind her. A pale green mark lit up on her forehead, and then the phantom of this mark imprinted itself deep within the plesiosaur-like dragon’s consciousness.

[Dragon Covenant · Spring Verdure Blue (Dragon Eye · Verdant Nectar · Secret Word): A covenant established by the Hour ‘Emerald Dragon,’ allowing dragons and other beings to reach an agreement for mutual growth. The covenant is gentle in nature. The two parties may not harm each other and can borrow part of each other’s power. It can promote the growth of young dragons and also allow fragile humans to gain the protection of a dragon’s power. It is a relatively basic dragon covenant. The covenant maker must not be more than two tiers lower than the dragon, and both parties must acknowledge each other without strong aversion.]

In the darkness, the plesiosaur-like dragon, which had nearly sunk into death, heard a faint call once more. Though the girl’s voice was not loud, it rang out clearly in its mind. The voice questioned it, and in the rhythm of that voice, it perceived a certain higher will.

The gaze of an Hour rested briefly upon this place.

At the distant end of the sky and sea, within the Azure Lapis Lazuli Dragon Palace amidst the vast Cloudsea, the immense shadow of a dragon, too vast to be fully seen, swam slowly. The sleeping dragon’s eye slowly opened, and in that instant, it pierced through a distance of hundreds of thousands of kilometers, seeing this one person and one dragon on the earth.

Under its silent permission, the basic dragon covenant took shape step by step, and then was completed. A pale green mark appeared on the girl’s forehead, like a feather of a dragon finch.

Afterward, it closed its eye once more, no longer concerning itself with the affairs of the mortal continent.

For an Hour, the life of an ordinary person was nothing more than a grain of sand or a speck of dust. What truly warranted a glance were the exceedingly rare existences.

That child was still alive. The covenant from before remained in effect.

The Hour Dragon sank back into slumber. Now was not yet the time for it to awaken.

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