Rhaella parted the thick smoke cloaking the island with a single, powerful flap of her wings as she descended, shifting her form as she landed on the black sands.
She found herself on a lush, expansive landmass covered in a dense tropical forest. It was beautiful, but dangerous.
The volcano in the center of the island had clearly erupted recently, as evidenced by the barren fields of jagged black rock surrounding its base.
The soil was multicolored, rich with minerals, and although Rhaella found the temperature comfortable, she knew the heat was far too oppressive for humans to survive here for long.
She waved her hand, clearing the vegetation to form a small, open circle in front of her. She brought a finger to her lips, biting down until she tasted blood, and flicked a single drop of blood onto the ground.
It struck the earth and expanded instantly, forming a perfect magic circle.
She channeled her magic into the circle. It began to glow with the intensity of a fire, raising the heat in the clearing even further.
Rhaella felt her mana draining at an imnse rate. Just as she began to worry, the drain stopped abruptly.
A burst of magical pressure escaped the circle, hitting her with enough force to push her back a step.
The earth within the circle split open. Lava and black fire sprouted from the fissure, and a truly powerful being erged from the depths.
He had crimson hair with tips that seed to be permanently alight with fla. Black horns adorned his head, and his robes were made of red silk so fine it seed to flow like liquid.
"A demon? Well hello. I am a Daemon. The na is Ignis," the man introduced himself with a grin and a theatrical bow.
"A pleasure," Rhaella said with a stiff nod.
Internally, her heart was hamring against her ribs. She had intended to summon a high-level fire spirit to help manage the island.
She had not expected to summon a being of this caliber. With just the glimpse of magic she felt radiating from Ignis, she knew she had to be extrely cautious. If he decided she was a threat, she would not even have ti to flee.
Ignis, for his part, was relishing the fear he felt radiating from the woman. He had accepted the summoning request on a whim when he sensed the magical signature of a demon from this world.
He knew demons were usually ford of negative emotions, and this signature had felt destructive. He had co to investigate if this demon was up to no good.
However, as he observed her, his confusion grew.
She was not fully a demon. Her magic certainly had the roots of one, but it lacked the chaotic, corrosive effect that usually accompanied demon kind.
It was as if she had molded the magic to her own whims, amplifying it while simultaneously stabilizing it. As far as he knew, there were not many people capable of helping soone achieve such a balance.
"Are you a friend of Luxarion?" Ignis asked with a tilt of his head.
Rhaella’s eyes widened slightly before she shook her head in denial. She suspected this being might have animosity toward the gold dragon, and she would not risk Luxarion coming to harm because she gave up his information.
Ignis frowned when she shook her head, but a mont later, a chuckle escaped his lips. He figured out her motive for lying almost imdiately.
His smile turned truly gentle as he took a step toward her. As his foot touched the ground, the glowing magic circle beneath him shattered into particles of light.
Rhaella took a sharp step back. That circle had been her containnt and banishnt ward, her only safety net if the summon proved hostile. He had broken it by simply walking.
"Tell , why have you summoned ?" Ignis asked.
"W-well, I wish for help in making this island more inhabitable," she answered hesitantly.
Ignis nodded. He looked around the island, taking in the heat and the terrain, before looking back to her.
"You could have done that yourself, given enough ti. You have a powerful magical resonance with fire," he stated, then shrugged. "I guess you need it done fast."
He waved his hand casually.
Rhaella watched in amazent as dozens of creatures materialized around them. Wolves, large serpents, and fire wraiths appeared from thin air. She instinctively took a defensive stance, but paused when she looked closely at the wolves.
They looked incredibly similar to Hati, with the sa black fur streaked with red.
"You do not have to fear . I am of Nightshade. Forgive if I frightened you," Ignis said. He sounded truly apologetic and gave her a slight bow.
By now, Rhaella had suspected as much. She relaxed her posture and watched as the wolves and serpents began to roam the island, absorbing the excess heat into their bodies.
The fire wraiths moved to the treeline, reforming the landscape before her very eyes.
"Forgive for the way I have treated you," Rhaella said with a sigh, straightening her spine to regain her composure. "Let reintroduce myself. I am Rhaella Targaryen. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."
She finished the introduction with an elegant curtsy.
"The pleasure is all mine," Ignis replied. He looked toward the smoking volcano in the center of the island. "Are you making this place your lair?"
"I just needed a place for so people I have gained the responsibility of," Rhaella said with a shrug. She began to channel her own magic alongside the fire wraiths to help flatten and detoxify the land for the settlent.
"Hm. I do recomnd that volcano as a suitable lair for you. If you add so magical creatures to the island and place so magic channeling runes in the volcano, it may only take a decade or two for you to evolve into a Dragon Lord," Ignis suggested.
"Well..." she muttered, considering the idea.
Her initial plan was simply to summon elentals to fix the island and give them a ho in the volcano on the condition they protected the people.
But the more she thought about it, the more appealing a lair sounded. Due to her draconic nature, she craved a territory of her own.
It would also be a good place for her children; she did not wish to intrude on the hospitality of Skoll more than she already had.
More than anything, she wished to build a ho for her children with her own hands. With the teleportation circles, Nightshade was only a step away, so they would lose nothing.
"I can help you with the runes. And I can set up a runic shield around the island." Ignis offered. He had learned all sorts of arts in the thousand years he had spent in this world.
He was going this far to help her partly because she was clearly soone Luxarion cared for, which ant she was likely a good person. That ant his Lord, Aaric, would approve of him helping her.
But the more important reason was the silver coin he had glimpsed hanging around her neck.
That coin gave her a direct connection to his Lord.
"Thank you, Ignis. I hope it will not be an inconvenience for you," Rhaella thanked him. She wore a hesitant expression, feeling as though she might be taking advantage of his kindness.
"Not at all. Doing this much is quite easy for ," Ignis said with a dismissive wave of his hand.
He vanished, teleporting directly to the volcano.
As Ignis worked his magic on the mountain, Rhaella observed the land around her. It was now temperate and flat enough for settlent. She transford into her dragon form and teleported back to the ships.
"You can make landfall now," she instructed the people.
She guided the thousand souls on the ships to the land that had been transford for them. The large patch of cleared land was more than enough for them to start unpacking and erecting tents.
She watched as the wolves, serpents, and fire wraiths began helping the people with their heavy lifting. The refugees accepted the help without fear, believing the beasts were divine helpers sent by their goddess.
Once she saw the people were settled, Rhaella teleported to the volcano. She could feel the high magical density radiating from the inside of the volcano as the rocks shimred with fresh runes.
"Well," Ignis said.
He clapped his hands together as if dusting them off, then placed them on his hips.
"I think this turned out well. If I do say so myself," he said with a chuckle as he surveyed his work.
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