Benares explained the situation with disarming simplicity.
The reason she had been lying there asleep was straightforward—
She was waiting for Eula to arrive.
But the moment those words reached Eula's ears, her mind automatically filled in an entirely different subtext.
Like a starving girl complaining irritably after waiting too long.
I've been hungry forever… and food finally showed up.
"Damn it, Aerin—so he really dragged me here just to feed me to a dragon?"
"And this dragon… is she slow in the head or something? There's literally a bottle of Stigmata Serum right behind her."
"Doesn't that thing give people transcendent power?"
"Wouldn't drinking that be more filling than eating me?"
"I'm not even that big—I wouldn't even get stuck between her teeth."
Eula's head buzzed loudly.
She had been relieved when the light screen didn't show her gruesome death—
Only to realize this was where it had been waiting for her all along.
The white dragon would eat her.
If it was a single gulp, maybe she could accept it.
But what if the dragon preferred to chew slowly?
Bite off half first.
Then finish the rest.
Too cruel.
Too ugly.
Too undignified.
"Damn it… this is humiliating."
Eula clenched her fists tightly.
Aerin had toyed with her like this—
she wished she could make him experience what it felt like to be bitten.
["You were waiting for me?"]
Eula asked blankly, her voice hollow.
The dragon inclined her massive head slightly.
["I know your name. Eula Lawrence."]
["My name is Benares—mount of my master, Aerin."]
["…!"]
Eula sucked in a sharp breath.
She had already guessed this place was tied to Aerin—
But she hadn't expected the dragon herself to be his mount.
As a Knight of Favonius, Eula understood the meaning of that word.
A good mount was invaluable to a knight.
But a dragon as a mount?
That had never crossed her mind.
What confused her even more—
The voice.
Clear.
Proper.
Unmistakably feminine.
A female dragon?
Benares' brief self-introduction plunged Teyvat into a momentary silence.
The Fifth Descender's mount…
was a dragon of this magnitude?
In Teyvat's common understanding, dragons were elemental sovereign beings, holding a subtle yet profound relationship with the gods of the Seven.
In terms of status alone, elemental dragons stood on par with Archons—
existences of exceptional standing.
Yet in Aerin's worldview—
Such a terrifying mutated dragon was merely his mount?
Worse still, Benares admitted it willingly.
Dragons were proud by nature.
For one to accept such a role…
The Fifth Descender's true nature defied imagination.
Fontaine — Office of the Court of Justice.
Neuvillette frowned deeply.
As the Hydro Dragon Sovereign, no one understood a dragon's pride better than he did.
His gaze was fixed on the light screen, heavy and unblinking.
Suddenly, realization struck him.
"That dragon… is young."
"Still a girl."
"She must have been deceived by the Fifth Descender through some means."
[In less than a single day—]
[Eula experienced things she had never faced in her entire life.]
Amber had never told her about the Stigmata Serum.
She didn't understand the significance of the bottle behind Benares.
All she knew—
Was that her time was running out.
Aerin hadn't killed her.
Instead, he brought her here.
That alone meant Benares was involved.
At worst—
She would be crushed to death with a single swipe,
or become the dragon's food.
Since death was inevitable either way—
Eula found the courage to speak.
["You were waiting for me. Why?"]
["To eat me?"]
["Or slap me to death?"]
["Or did Aerin want you to toy with me like a cat with a mouse?"]
Benares tilted her enormous head slightly.
Confusion colored her deep, resonant voice.
["I am a dragon born of pure energy."]
["I do not require food."]
["So I will not eat you."]
["This is my master's Imaginary Space."]
["As an ordinary human, you cannot adapt to its environment."]
["Even without my intervention, you will eventually collapse and shatter under energy erosion."]
Eula finally understood.
No wonder Amber said Aerin could summon mutated Hilichurls out of thin air.
No wonder, after Mondstadt burned, those creatures vanished into something like spatial vortices.
They had all returned here.
["So the shattering we saw when knights died… was caused by this space's energy?"]
Eula was shaken.
This was critical intelligence.
But in her current state—
She would never be able to deliver it back to Mondstadt.
After a moment's thought, Benares answered calmly:
["Close, but not exactly."]
["You may consider the energy composing Hilichurls and the energy of this space to be the same."]
She then raised one massive arm, pointing a sharp claw toward the stone platform.
["Before you collapse and perish, I will explain our purpose."]
["So you may still choose."]
["That vial is the Stigmata Serum."]
["Those who drink it become Valkyries and gain transcendent power."]
["My master originally chose your friend, Amber."]
["Unfortunately, she was too inexperienced to understand its meaning."]
["Hah!"]
Eula crossed her arms sharply, cutting her off.
["So you want me to accept power and become your master's lackey?"]
["Aerin led those monsters outside and killed Knights of Favonius."]
["He wants to attack Mondstadt."]
["My friend nearly died by his gun."]
["And you expect me to betray them?"]
Her voice was cold and resolute.
["You underestimate me."]
["I'm not that kind of person."]
Benares regarded her with interest.
Then her massive body lowered again.
She rested her head on her arm and slowly closed her eyes.
["Eula Lawrence."]
["My master anticipated this response."]
["He asked me to pass on a message."]
["Before you shatter—use that muddled brain of yours and think carefully."]
["With Mondstadt's current strength, can it defeat the monsters outside?"]
["To waste your life meaninglessly is foolish."]
Benares let out a soft, almost amused chuckle.
Yawning, she muttered to herself as sleep overtook her.
["In my master's eyes, Valkyries are not something those inferior monsters can compare to."]
["If you perform well, requesting small rewards wouldn't be unreasonable."]
["For example… asking him not to harm someone."]
["That has nothing to do with me."]
["I'm going to sleep now."]
["Human knight—enjoy the little time you have left before you collapse."]
Eula froze.
Then—
Sudden clarity struck her like lightning.
She dropped her crossed arms and looked at Benares in panic.
["Benares—what did you just say?"]
["Wait, please don't sleep yet—answer me!"]
["Benares? Benares!"]
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