Chapter 5: The Only One
“So cold…”
Suddenly being embraced and lowered into the icy water, Erika let out an involuntary cry as her tiny body shivered from the chill.
“Afraid of the cold?”
Hearing this, Gladys held Erika even tighter. Her smooth, icy body pressed close to Erika’s back, sharing her remaining warmth.
“Sorry, I don’t possess fire attributes. This is the only way.”
Feeling the silky softness against her back, Erika knew exactly what was touching her. Although it did warm her considerably, she still couldn’t quite accept bathing with another woman right after transmigrating here.
A blush of shyness flooded her cheeks, making her face as red as a ripe apple.
“I… I didn’t mean it like that.”
As she spoke, Erika pushed gently with her small hands, breaking free from Gladys’s dewy jade-like arms.
Wading through the water with her tiny feet, she stirred up splashes as she quickly distanced herself by two meters.
To cool her burning cheeks, she dunked her entire body underwater, crouching so low that only half her head was visible above the surface. Her lips occasionally released bubbles, and her small tail swayed anxiously in the water.
“Why won’t you look at me?”
Seeing Erika’s behavior, Gladys seemed puzzled. “Am I unpleasant to look at?”
Unpleasant? No one would think an unclothed woman like her was unpleasant—especially when Gladys had both the appearance and figure of a goddess.
“No, I just… I can wash myself.”
“But you were just born.”
There was always a sense of care in those deep blue eyes. Gladys spoke gently, “Though great dragons are born with intelligence, there are still many things they don’t understand.”
“I can do it…”
Refusing her goodwill, Erika stayed in her low, crouched position, her tail swaying nervously in the water.
Even knowing Gladys meant well, she simply couldn’t get used to bathing with a stunning naked woman so soon after arriving in this world.
Noticing her tail splashing behind, Erika glanced back at her and blinked, changing the topic.
“By the way… where’s your tail?”
“I retracted it. It’s inconvenient during baths. You can do the same.”
Upon hearing this, Erika gave it a try.
Sure enough, with a small splash, her tail disappeared—along with the horns on her head and the wings on her back. Even her sharp beast-like pupils softened into human ones.
So she really could change her form at will!
Looking at her reflection in the water, Erika took a closer look, and her face showed a hint of surprise.
Heavens… is this really me?
A pair of brilliant red eyes, delicate brows arched above fluttering long lashes still dotted with water droplets. Her flawless white skin had a baby-like pink hue, and her lips were soft like flower petals, tender and moist.
Her gray-white hair was damp and slightly messy, but overall—she looked like a heavenly little angel.
Though she appeared small, she couldn’t help but think: If I say I’ve fallen for myself at first sight… would you believe it?
While Erika was lost in her self-admiration, Gladys’s jade hand gently stirred the water and came to her side.
“Ahh!”
Without any warning, Erika felt something touch her back, snapping her out of her daze with a startled shiver.
“D-Don’t… don’t do that.”
“What are you afraid of? I won’t hurt you. I just wanted to help scrub your back,” Gladys said as she gently rubbed Erika’s soft skin.
“I said—I can wash myself.”
She tried to move away again.
But as soon as she did, Gladys reached out and pulled her back into an embrace, pressing skin against skin with a comforting warmth.
“Don’t move. Be good, listen.”
This time she was hugged from the front. Erika could clearly feel the warmth and softness of the woman’s chest.
There was no escaping this time. The flush that had just faded from her cheeks returned again, slowly blooming.
With her face resting on Gladys’s shoulder, Erika noticed a wound glistening beneath the droplets on her crystalline skin.
It was the injury she had accidentally caused earlier.
Frowning slightly, Erika gently bit her lip.
“Gladys?”
“Hmm?”
“I hurt you earlier… aren’t you mad?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
Erika frowned more deeply. “Didn’t you say you picked me up? You shouldn’t feel anything for me…”
“I do feel something.”
She responded immediately. Gladys extended her hand out of the water, droplets trailing down her palm as she gently patted Erika’s head—lightly, tenderly.
“Erika, because on this continent, you are my only kind.”
“Only?”
“Mhm. All the others… are gone. It’s been two hundred years now.”
Hearing that, Erika looked up at her flawless face. “You’re two hundred years old?”
“Three hundred.”
“…”
“That’s nothing. Dragons have very long lifespans,” Gladys said with a small smile. Her hand gently embraced Erika again. This time, Erika didn’t resist.
“So, I will never hurt you. You don’t need to act so afraid of me. You are my only kin—and I, yours.”
Kin…
That word struck a chord deep inside Erika, making her little heart flutter.
To be honest, before transmigrating, her parents had already passed away. Only her grandmother remained, and she had been working far from home for years—barely returning once in a while.
Seeing others gathered with family during holidays always made her feel out of place.
She remembered one New Year’s Eve when she went out with friends to escape the loneliness.
Just as she was about to suggest grabbing dinner, a friend laughed and said:
“Don’t joke—who doesn’t go home to eat New Year’s dinner? Only people with no family do that.”
After saying that, the friend left.
Heh… little did they know, she was exactly that person with no family.
Since then, she never contacted that friend again.
So hearing Gladys call her family touched something in Erika’s heart.
“I’m sorry…”
The apology slipped quietly from her lips as Erika lowered her head.
“Why apologize?”
“I hurt you earlier…”
“It’s nothing. You don’t need to apologize for something so small.”
Gladys’s voice remained gentle as she held Erika. The two of them sat together in the water.
The flow of water over her skin made Erika feel ticklish, and she shifted slightly.
But every movement brought more skin contact, making her cheeks turn redder.
“Injuries like these mean little to us. They heal on their own quickly. Look—your bite wound from earlier is already gone.”
At those words, Erika turned to check.
Sure enough, there was no sign of injury on her smooth pink skin. The bite mark left by Jocelyn had completely disappeared—not even a scar remained.
That fast?
Even Erika was surprised.
But then something occurred to her, and she quickly asked, “What… What did that woman do to me earlier?”
“You mean Jocelyn?”
“Mm.”
Nodding quickly, Erika looked anxious. “It felt like… something inside me was being drained by her…”
“She took your Dragon Core.”
Gladys answered truthfully. As she spoke, her expression darkened.
“That’s something you were born with. It represents power. All dragons of the Calamity lineage have one within their bodies.
When you’re born, the core gradually fuses with your body.
But before that could happen… Jocelyn stole it.
Without the Dragon Core, aside from accelerated healing, your body is not much different from a normal human’s now.”