Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The ancient stones of Lumen seemed to breathe mana. Walking through the corridors lit by blue torches gave Cristine the feeling of walking inside a living spell. The walls pulsed softly with light, and the air smelled of dried flowers, incense, and ancient iron.

Strax walked close behind, his steps silent despite his muscular frame. In his human form, he still retained his draconic features: golden eyes, hair as black as ash, and skin with a slight scaly sheen where the light touched it. He was no ordinary man. He never would be.

Cristine clenched her fists with every step. The path was short, but her impatience made it seem endless. At the end of the corridor, a door made of petrified wood awaited them, ajar, as if it knew they were coming.

Upon entering, they found a circular hall with a vaulted ceiling covered in runic mosaics. In the center, a fountain spouted translucent water that hovered in the air before falling back into the liquid mirror. There, kneeling before the fountain, was a monk.

His robes were simple: a white cloak with silver trim and a necklace of mana bones around his neck. He was old, but not frail. His presence was as steady as that of an ancient tree. Hearing their footsteps, he rose, turning with a serenity that seemed to defy the urgency of the moment.

"You must be that girl's sister, Cristine, right? Mercedes said you would come with..." he said in a deep, gentle voice. "Strax of Vorah..."

Cristine stepped forward, her gaze sharp. "Where is my sister?"

The monk nodded slowly and gestured for them to follow him.

"Come. There is much you need to know."

They passed through another door, this one narrow and protected by runic seals. As it opened, a wave of heavy mana swept through the hallway. It was like entering a sacred temple—or a crypt.

They crossed three silent halls until they reached a small, circular room with walls covered in black velvet and rows of floating candles. In the center was a stone bed.

Yennifer lay there.

Her body was wrapped in a silver silk cloak, with gold threads tracing runes of containment across her chest. Her face was pale but serene. Her lips were parted, as if murmuring something in a dream. Her skin shimmered with an ethereal glow, and around her, the air rippled, distorted by an invisible force.

Cristine felt her legs give way. She knelt beside the bed, saying nothing. She just reached out her hand, afraid to touch.

"She's alive," said the monk. "But in a... precarious state."

Strax crossed his arms. "What happened to her?"

The monk approached, his deep voice heavy with sorrow.

"During the demon attack on Eldoria, Yennifer was exposed to a huge concentration of corrupted mana. Something that is normally difficult to find in lesser demons, but it seems that these were archdemons."

Cristine looked at him, her eyes burning.

"Are you saying she was... contaminated?"

"More than that," said the monk. "She is in a state of fusion. The corrupted mana did not just touch her body. It absorbed her. And now, the two essences are trying to dominate each other."

Strax frowned. "And who is winning?"

The monk paused.

"For now, Yennifer. But not for long."

Cristine leaned closer, holding her sister's hand. It was still warm. There was still the warmth of something... human.

"You said she absorbed it. Why would she do that?"

"It wasn't conscious, she tried to defend herself from an attack as far as I know and as she told me before she passed out completely," replied the monk. "She chose to sacrifice herself to stop the attack to save a group of children."

Cristine closed her eyes, fighting back tears. The pain she felt before was now accompanied by an even crueler weight: guilt.

"Is there a way to save her?" asked Strax. "I don't want to turn her into a demon... that could complicate things in the future..."

"Perhaps," replied the monk. "But I don't have the answers to that. We tried purification, but unfortunately it seems to be taking root in her body. It will probably be worse if we insist too much on separating the energies..."

Cristine slowly stood up. "What does that mean?"

"It means that it might be better to try to adjust the energy in her body than to force it out. The chances of her dying are even greater if you try to expel the energy."

Silence.

The candle flames seemed to flicker with the gravity of those words. Cristine looked at her sister. The half of her that was still breathing. Still shining.

The silence in the room was heavy, dense, as if each floating candle carried in its flame the weight of a decision about to be made.

Cristine was still kneeling beside the bed. Yennifer's face looked so calm that it was almost easy to pretend she was just sleeping. But the subtle oscillation in the air—the corrupted mana pulsing around her—was a constant reminder that this was anything but peaceful.

Cristine took a deep breath, trying to contain the emotion that rose in her throat like hot iron. Then she spoke, without taking her eyes off her sister:

"Monk... can you give us a moment alone?"

Her voice was not a request. It was an order dressed in pain.

The old man nodded respectfully. He bowed slightly and walked out, his footsteps almost silent on the cold stones. The door closed with a sharp click, leaving only the two of them — Cristine and Strax — with Yennifer's sleeping presence between them.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Strax, standing behind Cristine, watched intently. His golden eyes did not stray from Yennifer, but the tense line of his shoulders indicated that his mind was already miles ahead of that scene.

"I'm going to turn her into a demon."

The phrase came out of his mouth like a blade. Without hesitation. Without gentleness.

Cristine turned violently, her eyes wide with shock.

"What?"

Strax didn't move. His expression was cold, firm, and his voice contained only conviction—no doubt.

"If her body is fused with this energy, and if purging it could kill her... then the only way to survive it is... to accept it. To adapt. But not as a human. The human body has limits. The body of a demon... does not."