Pwii!

Stalks of golden wheat released short-ranged lightning as luminescent-winged yellow beetles chewed the stalks. However, the beetles had lightning discharge off their shells as if spring rain was falling off them.

Bsa!

Two red-tattooed beetles sloshed inside the magma-like nectar of an upright bellflower. Waves of heat radiated off the flowers, but the baby beetles seemed content and otherwise unaffected.

Countless beetle and plant combinations were spread outside the small cabin. To name them all would have taken Novus weeks and a massive headache. Even now, Novus felt his eyes grow dizzy from the shapes, sizes and colours.

Like a boat in a rough, churning sea, Novus nearly fell sensory-overboard until he noticed one sole place. An eye of the storm for the hurricane of beetles all around.

It was a simple wooden longhouse with two horizontal windows, a door, and a smoking chimney.

That must be where she is.

PEW!!

Mana spun in the air as the giant prism beetle’s voice announced their presence like a general, and the chaotic beetles scrambled to organize themselves. The sea of beetles parted in a flash and made a clear path to the wooden longhouse.

“Impressive.”

The giant prism beetle grunted in a signature beetle way and started walking towards the wooden longhouse nonchalantly. Still, Novus could see an extra pep to the beetle’s steps.

Without the sensory noise, Novus could study the plants passing by.

A Ten-Thousand-Year Moonwater Lily! And a Seven-Tiered Blast Mushroom! The progress I could make with these treasures…

Sigh.

Novus’ hands unclenched as he struggled to accept his inability to gather, let alone steal, such treasures. Still, Novus couldn’t help but think of ways he might ‘accidentally’ gain some of them. Before he knew it, the group was already at the longhouse door.

Thud!

Foosh!

The giant prism beetle rammed its head into the door as a knock, and in response, glowing ripples spread across the wooden grains of the house. Then, a subtle wind swept up as a thin barrier revealed an opening the size of the wooden door.

Novus couldn’t help but marvel as he entered the house. The craftsmanship was comparable with some of the dwarven capital buildings or parts of the draconic palace.

The interior was… eccentric.

Despite the house looking smaller from the outside, the inside was larger, most likely through advanced spacial magic. But that was only a tiny part of the interior's eccentric nature.

A majestic aura befitting an empress was present in the mural-engraved, dark brown, wooden support beams. Enough shelves of books connected the cracks and crevices of the house that the owner could open a library. Not too far away, a small table made of the same dark brown wood held a vase of beautiful flowers atop a carefully crafted tablecloth.

Primordial Spirit Wood at least a thousand years old. And Horned Forest Spider silk? As a tablecloth? That’s enough silk to fashion a robe capable of withstanding an ogre's bone club! Let alone if it's enchanted!

Splash!

A few drops of water splashed onto Novus as he looked up and gaped at another peculiarity.

A roof aquarium.

Now that Novus looked closer, interweaving spaces of water-filled adventure were everywhere. Behind bookcases, in the ceiling, and more held calmly swimming water beetles and exotic fishes of all shapes and sizes.

In his thoughtful daze, Novus lost track of time and distance.

It looks like light enchantments run off the house itself. Does that make this entire house one big mana condenser?

Thud!

PEW!

The giant prism beetle 'knocked' on another door. Novus hurriedly caught up and entered an exquisite living room with a fireplace burning white-flamed logs. Nearby, a middle-aged lady was seated in a naturally flowing, blue velvet dress and reading in an ornamental reclining chair. Another similarly giant prism beetle sat beside the lady in the chair, but with stubby horns protruding from the crown of its head.

Pew! Pew! Pew!

The flock of miniature prism beetles flew from one parent to the other as the originally silent room turned noisy.

“Silence.”

The lady’s calm voice directly silenced the chaotic miniature beetles, and they instead circled the room with enthusiasm.

PEW!

PEW!

The two parent prism beetles butted heads in affection and remained beside the chair with their heads pressed against each other. Soon after, the miniature beetles rushed in and huddled together on the parent’s shells.

Clap!

The book slammed shut and gently floated to an empty slot on a nearby shelf. Meanwhile, the reclined lady looked at the loving prism beetle family. Then, her eyebrows furrowed, and she looked towards Novus' hair.

“Ah, there you are, Mino. Come here.”

Pew!

Atop Novus’ head, Mino let out an innocent cry as it rushed into the arms of the lady and ran across her body. Thankfully, the lady’s lithe body held little impeding curves to slow Mino’s racing.

If the unrefined Percival were here, he might have even added an unnecessary and rude comment such as ‘curves like a wooden plank.’

Some time passed, and Mino fled to resume its nap atop Novus’ crimson nest of hair.

Then, the lady’s piercing eyes locked with Novus' eyes.

“So, you’re the boy my Mino wouldn’t let go of.”

Novus replied in a matter-of-fact tone.

“If you’re talking about the little black prism beetle, then I suppose that’s correct.”

The lady’s piercing eyes squinted in a smile, but Novus felt chills instead of any tenderness. Thankfully, the eyes resumed their neutral state.

“Who are you?”

“I am… Novus. It’s a pleasure meeting the legendary dragon slayer.”

Hearing the title caused the lady to chuckle and caused Novus to feel no small amount of wariness.

“Ho ho, that’s a title I haven’t heard in some time. Unnecessary, though. Since Mino has taken a liking to you, you can call me..."

Novus nearly let the name slip unconsciously.

"...Edna."

Novus released a fake smile.

Dragonlings across the eastern mountains knew her by heart. She was one of the few beings to dare kill a dragon and one of fewer to live still. Novus remembered hiding in his dark room as a young dragonling; afraid Edna would pounce on him if he left.

Though Novus never met her in his previous lifetime, he was not so lucky in this life. Edna stood near the top of the world's food chain and tightened an uncomfortable knot in his chest.

“Speaking of dragons, what relation do you have to them? And how did you get the divine’s scent on you?”

Novus held his shaking hand and maintained his poker face.

How good is her nose?

“Trade secret, I’m afraid. That information has quite a bit of value, you see. Enough that the gods have been nosily disturbing me.”

Novus did his best to ignore the message boxes and maintain eye contact with Edna’s squinting eyes.

“I see. Value. So, an acceptable price is required.”

Novus nodded as he completely neglected the faceless god’s warnings about spreading his past life's information.

Ack!

At that moment, the air around Novus thickened into a squeezing press around his body, and he saw Edna grinning.

“Would your life be valuable enough to trade?”

A smile that wasn’t a smile crossed Novus’ face.

Ruthless. If it weren't for being immortal, I’d fear dying right now.

Novus squished a few words out.

“I’ll… speak!”

“Perfect.”

The woman clapped her hands in delight, and the pressure squeezing Novus eased.

Huff. Whew.

How do I get her less guarded...?

Suddenly, a name appeared in Novus' mind.

“Gaius.”

A strange gleam flickered in Edna’s piercing eyes, making them seem deeper for a moment.

“Who is that?”

Seeing results, Novus pushed further.

“Oh, poor Gaius. For his disciple to not remember him—”

A crack appeared in Edna’s amused expression for the second time. Within that crack, Novus saw joy, sadness, and frustration all flash at once before quickly repairing itself.

Ack!

Novus didn’t have time to regret speaking before a sudden oncoming pressure made it so he couldn’t breathe anymore. Even his HUD's health bar slowly decreased as the pressure constricted him.

“I can see why Mino took a liking to you. What a nice present.”

Edna twirled her finger, and a supernatural force scooped the unharmed Mino and other beetles out of the room against their struggles.

Slam!

The door shut violently, and Novus floated over to Edna.

“You’ll have to excuse me. The beetles, especially young beetles, shouldn’t be around when I’m like this.”

Edna’s previously piercing glare was sharp, but the glare now was like an unsheathed sword directed straight towards Novus' very being. Edna’s finger split into a peace sign as she spoke.

“Two options. Memory searching, or your own words.”

But then, Edna put down her other finger.

“But, there’s only one option for strange people that weasel their way into my house. Memory searching it is.”

If Novus could control his pressure-contorted face, he would smile in disbelief at Edna’s shamelessness. Wasn't he the one that was kidnapped?

Meanwhile, Edna’s finger curled inwards as Novus’ forehead approached her recliner chair. Without getting up, Edna lifted her arm.

Dammit, this didn’t go well.

The panic in Novus’ eyes grew as his forehead drew closer to Edna’s outstretched finger. Only a few more centimetres, and her finger would unlock all of Novus’ precious future memories.

Press.

“Huh?”

For the third time, Edna’s poker face broke.

“His soul fled?”

The shock turned into confusion as Novus’ body turned into small twinkling lights that escaped through the longhouse walls. Despite Edna’s powers and the longhouse’s defences, they couldn’t disturb the twinkling lights.

“What the—”

Tang!

The sword that previously adorned Novus’ waist resounded against the floor. The sound briefly distracted Edna, and her attention drifted.

“Talisman etching?”

Edna’s brows scrunched together as she sent her Divine Sense far beyond the longhouse. After a few moments, her face took on a seriousness that quelled her fluctuating emotions. Whatever she sensed, she didn’t enjoy.

Suddenly, the door swung open. Outside, the prism beetles sat against the door like peeping spies caught in the act.

“Strange, too strange.”

Edna softly snapped her fingers, and the horned prism beetle parent lunged toward her. What first seemed like aggression turned ethereal as the beetle transformed into a soft white wave that wrapped around Edna like a princess getting ready for the ball. Before she was through the door, a new outfit was on Edna’s lithe body.

A white inner vestment covered a blue undershirt for chest protection. A matching pair of white slacks flowed without the wind, and a white, opaque overcoat with long blue lines gave a mysterious feeling to the Victorian-styled outfit.

Clack. Clack.

Edna took a few steps in her white-leathered boots, and she adjusted the blue jade pin keeping her hair tightly tied down.

“Time to investigate.”

As the transformation finished, Edna’s eyes slowly turned from deep-sea blue to white. Then, with a single step, Edna disappeared.