Deviant: No Longer Human

"Dad... Are you sure it's a good idea to go near it?"

When everyone expected Wang Xiao to lead them to the volcano for sightseeing, he instead took them to a cliff, now frozen in ice and veiled in a ghostly mist.

The mist, however, parted as if fearing to approach Wang Xiao, revealing the majestic dragon resting at the edge.

Wenxi felt a chill of and spoke up. She didn't doubt Wang Xiao's ability to deal with the dragon, but she sensed it wasn't wise to provoke such a mighty creature with unknown strength.

"Is that a real dragon?" Yue blinked twice, her eyes widening with astonishment.

She hadn't expected to see such a mythical being.

Even in Xianthera, dragons were only whispered of in ancient legends.

Seraphina stood two steps behind Wang Xiao, her gaze sweeping the surroundings with cautious awe, her heart pounding with a mixture of fear and wonder.

"It's size and strength both have increased..." Wang Xiao muttered, his eyes narrowing with interest. He hadn't anticipated that the dragon near Aurora would become even larger and more powerful.

'It makes sense... This creature originally belonged to Aether...' Wang Xiao mused, the realization crystallizing in his mind.

This dragon, according to Aurora's descriptions, hailed from her time, and its power was intimately tied to Aether.

With the influx of Aether, it was inevitable that it would grow more formidable.

Crack...

The ice beneath their feet was dangerously thin, splintering into cracks as the group approached the dragon's lair.

"Grrrr...."

The dragon, alerted, turned its massive head, its colossal eyes blinking slowly.

Everyone felt their blood run cold as its gaze swept over them.

Its eyes moved from the frozen Seraphina, to Yue and Wenxi, and finally rested on Wang Xiao, who stood there unbothered, matching the dragon's gaze with a slight smile.

"!"

The dragon, visibly angered and slightly stunned, increased its aura, filling the air with a sense of dread.

Boooooom!

A shockwave erupted from its gaze, shattering the ice and sending shards flying in all directions.

"Ah!?"

Seraphina gasped as the ice shards flew like a tornado, hurtling toward her.

Crash!

Crash!

Crash!

Everything happened in milliseconds. Before the shards could cause any harm, a small shield erupted from the ground, enveloping everyone in a protective barrier.

The dragon's voice echoed in their minds, deep and resonant. 'Who dares to disturb my slumber?'

'It can use telepathy?' Wang Xiao was slightly surprised, feeling the dragon's mental presence through the Aether.

He stepped forward, "I come here for your master. If she is here, bring her out. Otherwise, I will make you bring her out."

The dragon's eyes narrowed, glowing with ancient power. 'You dare threaten me?'

Wang Xiao's eyes narrowed to slits, the veins in his temples pulsating as he contemplated crushing the dragon before him like an insignificant insect.

With a dismissive shake of his head, he declared, "You saved my life once, so I'll spare yours today. But if you withhold information, know that I can dug it from the depths of your mind myself."

"!"

The dragon, Aura, stared in shock.

Wang Xiao's capacity for telepathy was unexpected.

'He looks... familiar,' she thought, her confusion mounting as Wang Xiao's aura have gone multiple transformations.

Centuries of life had taught Aura to recognize beings by their auras, not their faces.

Yet Wang Xiao had undergone countless reincarnations of flesh and spirit, rendering his aura untraceable—a ghostly veil masking his true essence.

As Aura tried to place his familiar presence, a flicker of danger sparked in her ancient eyes.

Boom!

Wang Xiao's aura exploded outward in a cataclysmic surge.

"What—"

The force was so overwhelming that Seraphina stumbled back, clutching at Wang Xiao's clothes for stability, her eyes squeezed shut to block the swirling debris.

"Dad! We are also here!" Wenxi's voice cautionary, her small hand clutching his as she fought to stay grounded, while Yue clung to him with equal desperation.

The atmosphere grew dark, with a deadly silence.

Aura, primed for battle, now sported a grim expression.

It wasn't merely Wang Xiao's intimidating presence; the Aether that suffused the island had vanished—utterly and completely.

The island was now a secluded fortress, its Aether expelled, a great barrier encasing the land.

'Impossible... How can a human wield such colossal power?' Aura stunned, as she refused the reality of her adversary's might.

Wang Xiao's voice, firm and uncompromising, 'I want only answers, and I will obtain them—by any means necessary. Where is your master, Aurora?'

A subtle desperation laced his words, but he made no attempt to conceal it.

Aurora could be said to be directly responsible for the man he had become, and he was desperate to understand why.

The Wang Xiao of today was a far cry from his former self; he now easily wove through the intricate webs of manipulation to piece together the larger picture.

He held a mix of fondness and subtle gratitude towards Aurora, yet it was tainted with a sharp sting of hate every time he pondered the name 'Aegis.'

If she was expecting him to return as Aegis, she was in for a profound disappointment!

Aura's eyes narrowed, her initial confusion solidifying into stark bewilderment. 'Aurora? But she is not my master...?'

"Hm?" Wang Xiao's eyebrows furrowed deeply. "Then what is she to you?"

"..."

The dragon, Aura, paused, her thoughts swirling as she contemplated how this man knew Aurora, before replying with a hint of pride, "She is my partner."

"..."

Wang Xiao's expression darkened. Dispensing with the subtleties of telepathy, he challenged, "You wanna die?"

The storm, already fierce, suddenly intensified, growing ten times stronger.

Boom!

The very island began to crack under the immense force, and Yue, Wenxi, and Seraphina felt as if they might be swept into the air at any moment.

"Ugh!"

"Girls, it's time for you to leave.. " From behind them, Mary appeared, chuckling bitterly.

She quickly grabbed Yue and Wenxi, then turned into a swirl of red dust, vanishing with Seraphina into thin air.

As the island quivered under the storm, Aura, now sweating, quickly clarified, 'By partner, I mean we are equals, not in a master-slave relationship!'

Wang Xiao's eyes regained their calm.

Aura, seizing the moment of peace, ventured a question, puzzled by his familiar appearance. 'Why do you look so much like Aurora's man?'

Wang Xiao's eyes twitched slightly at the question.

He replied firmly, "She is my woman, not the other way around."

'So it's like this...' Aura felt a wave of confusion wash over her but soon shook her head, deciding it wasn't her place to delve into such personal matters.

Still, she couldn't help but be stunned by Wang Xiao's evident growth.

Recognizing the deep connection between him and Aurora, she later answered all his questions truthfully, now fully aware that Aurora was his wife.