Cracking sounds escaped from Dex's body—as if he were about to transform into something from the inside out, which for Echidna in her past life was common during the transition from human to draconic form.
Seeing this, she panicked. 'He's forcing the activation of a still-locked ability—if he continues, he'll die!'
"Dex, stop! Did you tell Erica to stop just so you could destroy the building and kill yourself in the process?!" she shouted, but it fell on deaf ears.
Fortunately, Erica acted. She used her extreme speed and instantly appeared behind him, embracing him.
"It's alright, darling—you don't need to continue," she said affectionately as she tightened the embrace from behind.
POV ???:
The silence that followed was deafening.
She had trembling hands pressed against the ebony table as if it were the only safe point. In the last six months as a student council member, never—never—had she felt something like that.
The pressure he released was different from the blonde woman's, which resembled an invisible mountain materializing upon her shoulders, forcing her to kneel. But that... that was different. Even weaker, it seemed even more terrifying—like watching a horrifying monster emerge until she appeared.
'That woman... is really Vice-President Erica?'
There she was, wrapping the monster in an embrace. Long golden hair, black tattoos, magnificent white wings, long draconic tail, and eyes... those draconic purple and crimson eyes that before seemed to fill with rage were now calm.
'Shit! I'm certain he's just a knight who just awakened his first soul and I'm a third-circle mage! So why can't I stop trembling?!!'
"Either way, the bastard's already passed out," he said while still affected by the influence of his Archon race.
POV Dex:
About ten minutes had passed since Dex's explosion. Marcus, who had fainted due to the combo of both auras, rested in the corner of the room.
Of the eight chairs around the central table, six were occupied by council members.
Among them, a dwarf was shocked to hear Erica's words. "You married Marcus's brother?"
Everyone in the room except the three married individuals seemed shocked after hearing the summarized version of the story the three created.
Echidna, who sat on Dex's lap, answered him. "Yes, she married 'Marcus's brother,' and I don't want to criticize or anything, but time is passing and we'll be called soon."
Hearing that, the dwarf shouted angrily while pointing at the pair. "Erica, will you allow such disrespect? They—?"
But coldly she responded. "To me, disrespect is the fact that those who should be my subordinates allowed that vermin to sit in this chair." She slowly rose and walked toward the chair beside Dex.
"Besides, I see no problem with a wife sitting on her husband's lap," she said while claiming one side of Dex for herself. "And yes, I now belong to my Dex here." She then rested her head against his chest.
"Erica... I'm not trying to question your authority. I'm worried about you." He looked at Dex with obvious distrust. "I've known you since we joined the student council together in the middle of our first year—you were always serious, and now all this: the tattoos, bloodline awakening, and finally this." He pointed at them as a whole.
"I didn't remember we'd entered at the same time." She then looked at him with a deadly gaze. "The only thing I remember was how you looked at my body like a dog in heat."
"But still, I had chosen, just like last year, not to file any complaints—after all, it's normal for the rabble to admire their superiors." She slowly rose while using her tail to caress Dex's chest, who despite the influence of his bloodline remained calm, after all agreeing with Erica's words.
"But to say you're worried about me?" she said while sitting on the table in front of him, with an expression that would make anyone think they'd be executed right there. "That disgusts me."
But that expression dissolved instantly and became a happy one. "But today is truly a happy day for me, you know?"
"Besides the start of classes with my beloveds, I got to see a side of my husband I'd never seen before. So I forgive you and I forgive you all for letting Marcus play his tricks." She then used her wings to fly lightly until she was right above Dex's chair and let herself fall.
The dwarf went pale, his beard trembling. He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. He looked around the table seeking support from other members, but all averted their gaze.
He had been dismissed. Not expelled, not punished—simply... irrelevant.
Seeing this, Dex thought, 'When we're alone you're shy, but in front of them you seem not to care about anything.'
And so she returned to his lap. "I'm back," she said, looking happy.
"Didn't you say something about a President's image?" Echidna said while teasing her.
Erica then responded to the provocation while sighing. "What can I do? I think you've addicted me. So I have to take advantage of every moment I can to satisfy myself."
"Now Selestia, dear, could you please distribute the documents in front of my chair?" she said lazily.
"Of course, President," she said with a smile on her face.
And with a simple look, Dex felt something scream inside him. And the same happened with Echidna. They felt something was wrong with this woman.
Selestia could be considered a beautiful woman—blonde hair, blue eyes, and voluptuous figure—but compared to women like Erica or Echidna, she seemed lacking.
However, it seemed that the genes of an Archon of Original Sin were simply attracted just by seeing her.
And so Dex, who had his first contact with his race today, saw the illusion over her disappear.
Her height was around 1.75m, with a body that could only be described as a "deadly weapon of seduction." Ample but perfectly proportioned breasts, narrow waist accentuating wide and sensual hips, long and shapely legs that seemed sculpted to make men fall to their knees. Her skin was a tone of dark ebony. Black hair like onyx possessed scaly reflections that changed color under the different lights coming from the multicolored window, varying between emerald-green and amethyst-purple. And finally those eyes—vertical like a serpent's, with liquid amber irises that hypnotize anyone who looks directly at them, surrounded by long and thick lashes. But what immediately attracted Dex to her were her green pupils.
Pupils identical to those he had in his moment of rage. The pupils of an Archon.
And then after distributing to each of the members, she stood before them. And their eyes met.
He felt it—felt with all his strength that his Archon bloodline was screaming that she was worthy.
And she felt the same—beneath the illusion that hid her from others, she revealed a long tongue while licking her lips with hunger. "Who would've thought I'd find one of us my age?"
And still under the spell, she commented with a mischievous smile. "I know, it's hard to control these impulses, especially when we haven't found a partner yet, but we can't do this in front of everyone now—however, when I place an illusion, we can do it wherever we want, even in front of your little girlfriends. So see you later, my possible first partner."
She then moved away without making anyone suspicious while blowing a kiss from a distance.
'What the fuck was that?!' was the only thing going through his head besides her dominating figure.
Until he felt it.
The chains on his arm had emerged and tightened forcefully around his arm to bring him back to consciousness.
And Erica, absorbed from the entire situation, explained. "What you have in your hands is a list of your positions."
"Most positions remain unchanged, except in Marcus's case. So rest easy," she said while distractedly running her finger across Dex's chest.
President: Erica - 3rd Year
Vice-President: Dex - 1st Year
Secretary: Selestia - 2nd Year
Treasurer: Marcus - 2nd Year
Events Director: Finn - 3rd Year
Communications Director: Isolde - 2nd Year
Discipline Representative: Gareth - 3rd Year
Freshman Representative: Echidna - 1st Year
Seeing that he was Vice-President, Dex asked her why.
She simply responded with a smile. "Because it's romantic, don't you think?"