Supreme Hunter of Beautiful Souls

Chapter 542: Elion visits a lovestruck dragon.

Elion walked calmly with her hands clasped behind her back, as if strolling through a particularly elegant garden and not traversing one of the most dangerous regions of existence. Her steps were light, rhythmic, almost carefree, and the black fabric of her dress moved gracefully with each advance. The garment clung to her body with bold sophistication, revealing confidence more than skin, while subtle lines of shimmer traced the hem of the skirt like tiny stars attached to the fabric. The contrast between the dark dress and her long red hair made her an impossible presence to ignore, even in a place where natural laws had ceased to function ages ago.

She was between worlds.

The dimensional rift opened around her like an immense corridor without a roof, without a fixed floor, and without a defined horizon. Space and distance there were negotiable concepts. In some directions there was profound darkness; in others, distant skies of different realities flickered for brief seconds before disappearing. Fragments of wind blew, carrying aromas of nonexistent seas, remote deserts, sacred forests, and cities that perhaps had not yet been built. At the center of it all, supporting improbable paths, rose the colossal roots of the World Tree.

The roots snaked throughout the chasm like living continents.

Thick as mountains in some sections and thin as bridges in others, they crossed the void in multiple directions, occasionally pulsing with an ancient light that ran beneath the bark like golden blood. Some were covered in luminescent moss. Others had crystals sprouting from their curves. Certain parts displayed marks of ancestral bites, cracks from forgotten battles, or symbols engraved by peoples long since vanished. It was impossible to look at that scene and not feel that one was standing before the backbone of all creation.

Elion, naturally, seemed only slightly amused.

"She always overdoes the landscaping," she murmured to herself, watching a root looping through a storm inside an air bubble. "Beautiful, but unnecessary."

She continued walking with the serenity of someone who knew the way, even though the path changed its mind every few minutes. At certain moments, the roots slowly repositioned themselves, rearranging passages, opening shortcuts, or closing old trails. When this happened, Elion simply changed the direction of her steps without showing surprise. Clearly, it wasn’t the first time she had ventured into a cosmic domain guided by sheer persistence.

She was looking for a specific place.

More precisely, she was looking for a specific person.

Nidhogg.

Most legends described the dragon as a monstrous creature that gnawed at the roots of the World Tree, a symbol of decay, hunger, and inevitable ruin. Some versions portrayed it as a blind beast shrouded in shadows. Others, as a winged serpent larger than empires. Very few mentioned the possibility that the creature had peculiar domestic tastes and an irritating tendency to decorate burrows.

Elion knew the real version.

Or, at least, the socially acceptable version.

She bent a particularly wide root curve and then smiled as she found what she was looking for. Ahead, one of the main roots had been cleanly cut, creating a flat, circular surface that resembled a natural arena. The cut was so precise it looked like the work of an artisan obsessed with symmetry. In the center of that organic plateau was a huge hole carved into the living root itself. From its inner depths emanated a warm, soft light, golden with bluish tones, as if a comfortable home existed inside the bone of the universe.

Elion stopped, hands on her hips.

"She made a house?" she asked the void, genuinely enchanted. "How cute."

Without waiting for an answer, she rose naturally from the ground. Her body floated a few inches before gliding through the air onto the flat platform. The hem of her dress danced around her legs as she landed softly on the severed root, as if the place had been built to receive her.

The floor was surprisingly pleasant beneath her feet.

Smooth, firm, and slightly warmed by the Tree’s life energy, it carried small luminous veins that ran in tranquil patterns. Near the main hole were makeshift vases made of hardened bark, filled with strange flowers with metallic petals. There was also a rocking chair too large for humans, an awkwardly carved table, and what appeared to be a rug made from the skin of some very unfortunate interdimensional creature.

"She really settled in," Elion said, amused.

The main entrance was a few meters ahead, carved directly into the inner side of the root. There was a small circular balcony, dark wood railings, and, incredibly, a tiny door. Small not in absolute size, but small in proportion to the rest of the structure. Round, charming, painted dark blue with silver details, and equipped with a fang-shaped knocker.

Elion put her hand to her chest.

"This is too adorable. I’m going to faint."

She walked to the balcony without any hurry, observing details along the way. There were bells made of scales hanging from the ceiling, a stand with several enormous mugs, and a vase containing something that might be mint or perhaps a poisonous plant trained to behave.

She stopped before the door.

She raised her hand to knock.

She didn’t have time.

The tiny door was flung open with enough force to shake the entire balcony, and a figure emerged from within like a loving avalanche. Two powerful arms enveloped Elion in an instant embrace, pulling her forward before she could react. The impact slammed her face against a voluminous, soft bust, stifling any coherent protest.

"Elizinha! You came!!"

The woman’s voice vibrated with pure joy.

Elion partially disappeared amidst dark hair, intense perfume, and suffocating heat. Her feet lifted a few centimeters off the ground as she was crushed with absolute enthusiasm.

The woman embracing her was tall, broad-shouldered, and dangerously strong, with long, dark blue hair cascading down her back like night water. Small black and bluish scales marked parts of the skin near her neck, collarbones, and arms, shimmering discreetly under the house lights. She wore a dark dress fitted to her robust, curvaceous body, made of heavy fabric reminiscent of velvet mixed with enchanted leather. Her large, expressive golden eyes overflowed with happiness.

"N-Nidhogg... I’m going to die—" Elion managed to utter, pressed against the embrace.

"You’re so light!" Nidhogg replied, squeezing even tighter. "Aren’t you eating properly? I’ll make a pie."

"Elion needs... air..."

"Oh!"

The dragoness released her immediately.

Elion staggered two steps back, put her hand to her chest, and inhaled deeply while regaining her composure. Her hair was disheveled, her dress slightly wrinkled, and her face flushed from lack of oxygen.

"You keep trying to murder me with affection," she declared.

Nidhogg brought both hands to her face, clearly guilty for about half a second.

"Sorry. I got excited."

"You always get excited."

"Because you disappear for ages and then show up looking gorgeous at my door."

Elion blinked once.

"Still effective at dangerous compliments, I see."

Nidhogg smiled, showing all her teeth, in a charming yet vaguely menacing way. Then she held Elion’s hands in hers, as if needing to physically confirm her presence.

"Come in. Come in quickly. I made tea. I also made biscuits. And jam. And bread. And smoked meat. And a dessert that might still be alive."

"Did you have visitors or did you panic?"

"Both."

Elion chuckled softly and allowed herself to be pulled inside.

The interior of the house was even more surprising than the facade. The space inside the root expanded far beyond what would be possible from the outside, thanks to carefully applied dimensional tricks. The main hall was spacious, cozy, and illuminated by lanterns hanging from polished interior branches. Large, sturdy furniture filled the space: deep sofas, bookshelves overflowing with books, thick carpets, and gigantic cushions. There were paintings on the walls depicting cosmic landscapes, flying dragons, and, curiously, several paintings of fruit.

A huge stove heated the place.

Pots steamed. The smell of freshly baked bread mingled with sweet herbs and rare spices. In one corner, piles of treasure were arranged in improbable categories: ancient coins, broken crowns, fine china, musical instruments, shiny stones, and a bronze duck.

Elion slowly turned in the center of the room.

"You tamed the burrow."

"I matured," Nidhogg replied proudly.

"You put up lace curtains."

"I matured a great deal."

Nidhogg disappeared through a side arch and returned almost immediately carrying a colossal tray overflowing with cups, a teapot, plates, and enough food to feed a small, disciplined army. She placed everything on the central table and pulled out a chair for Elion with the enthusiasm of an exemplary hostess.

"Sit down. Tell me everything. Who did you bite? Who annoyed you? Who should I eat?"

"What a warm welcome."

"I can just threaten, too."

Elion sat elegantly, crossing her legs as she watched her friend prepare the tea. Nidhogg moved around the kitchen with surprising delicacy for someone capable of chewing on metaphysical structures. Every gesture was careful, almost too domestic to match her legendary reputation.

"I need a favor," Elion finally said.

Nidhogg froze dramatically, a spoon in mid-air.

"I knew it."

"You’ll still hear from me."

"I would have listened anyway. I just wanted to look like I was being pursued."

Elion smiled.

"Kael wants to go to the Original World Tree."

Nidhogg’s golden eyes widened.

"That little boy who used to play in the forest I helped create?"

"He’s not a boy anymore."

"To me, everyone smaller than mountains is a little boy."

"Fair point."

Nidhogg slowly set down the spoon. "It must be that problem you mentioned a few years ago, right? Yggdrasil is blocking him?"

"With passive-aggressive bureaucracy."

"Classic of her, she hates me but I don’t do cruel things like she does."

"He wants to see her receptacle."

Nidhogg put her hand to her chest.

"Oh, interdimensional romantic drama."

"Yes."

"Delicious."

She paced thoughtfully, her scaly tail—now visible emerging from behind her dress with absurd elegance—swaying from side to side.

"I can take him," she finally said. "But Yggdrasil will complain."

"She already complains."

"True."

Nidhogg approached the round window and looked at the roots outside.

"I like Kael," she commented. "He doesn’t scream when he sees me."

"He’s never seen you."

"It’s true, I always appeared as a tiny lizard when I visited you in that old, musty house."

Elion picked up a cup and tasted the tea.

"Don’t be cruel... I’m not good at building magic."

"I know."

"Has humility matured too?"

"Don’t exaggerate."

The two laughed together, like old friends who had crossed too many ages to feign formality. Outside, the roots pulsed silently. Inside the small, improbable house in the heart of the dimensional rift, the universe seemed temporarily simple.

Nidhogg then leaned over the table with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"Before I help you, though, I want to know a few things..."