Chapter 35: Soothing Hydra!

Orianna gave Jax one last searching look, as if committing his words to memory, then inclined her head.

"I’ll send her," she said simply.

With that, she turned and quickly walked away, her presence receding as the layered formations subtly shifted, sealing the cove back into its private stillness. The air settled, the only sounds left being the distant roar of the ocean and the soft hiss of steam rising from the pool.

Jax remained where he was. He took a seat on the edge of the glowing water, dipping his toes inside just to feel the warmth and relax some more.

While he was doing this, he stretched his senses outward, feeling the island breathe and the mana currents that surged around, but after all of that, he sensed Hydra, still talking with Orianna nervously after learning Jax had summoned her.

She was very hesitant, afraid to step to close to Orianna in their discussion. Jax sat and waited, all the way until Hydra finally appeared before him several minutes later.

She emerged from between two smooth stone pillars near the beach house, moving slowly, as if every step required conscious effort.

~HISS!~

Green light shimmered faintly around her form, barely contained, the air warping subtly with toxic mana. Wherever her bare feet touched the sand, faint wisps of smoke rose as grains darkened and dissolved with a toxic hiss.

Seeing Hydra fully before him, all Jax could think about was that she was breathtaking.

Her emerald hair flowed down her back in thick, glossy waves, catching the light like polished jade. Her eyes were luminous, a deep, living green that seemed to glow with layered depth, like ancient forests seen from above.

She had a tall and voluptuous figure, with full and feminine curves that felt unfair to slimmer women, and her body radiated a natural, dangerous but sexy allure she clearly wished she didn’t possess.

Her clothes were simple and loose, chosen not for style but to minimize contact, and even then, faint green mist leaked from her skin, curling anxiously around her arms and waist.

She stopped several steps away from Jax, hands clasped tightly in front of her, shoulders drawn inward.

"M-My King..." she said softly, voice trembling despite her attempt at composure. "Lady Orianna said... you wished to see me."

Jax turned fully toward her, having a gentle expression on his face as he didn’t want to make her nervous.

"I did," he replied calmly, "You don’t have to stand that far away."

Hydra flinched instinctively, taking half a step back instead.

"I, I can’t," she said quickly, panic flickering across her face, "I don’t want to doubt you too much, but I’m still quite nervous of what might happen My King. I get closer and stay too long next to you, the toxins will, I don’t want to hurt you. I don’t want to hurt

anyone

. The last time must’ve just been normal cuz it was so short,"

The poison around her thickened slightly, reacting to her rising emotions and sand all around her, even if she wasn’t standing near it, dissolved due to her toxic aura. It seemed just her emotional fluctuations were enough for her powers to begin running wild, just like Orianna said.

Jax watched her quietly for a moment, then spoke, "Hydra.... Hydra," he said, saying her name the second time with ease, "look at me."

She hesitated, then slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Are you sure," she whispered, "that you can help me? Lady Orianna... she tried for so long. Everyone did. I don’t want to hope again just to...."

Jax raised one hand, cutting her off gently, "I’m sure, didn’t I touch you the last time, just trust me," he said simply.

There was no bravado in his voice. Just absolute certainty that he would do what he claimed.

Hydra swallowed hard, tears already gathering at the corners of her eyes.

"I’ve lived my entire life alone," she said shakily. "I can’t touch anyone. I can’t be close. Even other Dragons... they endure me, but they don’t stay. I’m always afraid that one mistake, one moment of weakness, and I’ll kill someone I care about."

Her voice broke as she spoke.

"So please... if you’re not sure... don’t lie to me."

Jax didn’t answer with words, knowing convincing her that way wouldn’t bode well at all.

So instead, he simply snapped his fingers and reality bent.

"Huh?" Hydra gasped as an unseen force gently but irresistibly pulled her forward, her feet lifting slightly from the sand as she was drawn across the distance between them. Panic surged, poison flaring violently, and then she was there.

Right in front of him.

Close enough that she could feel the heat of his body, the steady presence of his mana, the undeniable reality of

another person standing within arm’s reach

.

Her toxic aura surged outward instinctively, green mist thickening, corrosive energy screaming for release but as it got close to Jax, just as before, it vanished.

Every strand of poison that touched Jax’s aura disintegrated instantly, erased so completely it didn’t even leave residue. The mana around him didn’t resist it.

It

overruled

all of that poison effortlessly. They stayed that way for a couple minutes, so Jax could fully convince her that he was immune to the effects.

Hydra froze as all of this was going on.

Her breath hitched sharply as she stared at the space between them, eyes wide with disbelief. She looked down at her hands, at the faint mist still leaking from her skin, then back up at Jax, who stood utterly unaffected.

"N-No..." she whispered.

She took a trembling step closer after all that time, and nothing happened. Another step, and just like before, Jax remained the same.

Finally, after all of that, her knees buckled.

Hydra let out a broken sob as tears finally spilled down her cheeks, her hands flying to her mouth as years, centuries of isolation crashed down on her all at once.

"I—I’m not hurting you," she choked. "You’re still standing... you’re not burning... you’re not in pain..."

Her voice shattered completely as she collapsed forward, hands gripping Jax’s chest as if afraid he might disappear if she let go.

"I finally..." she cried softly, forehead pressing against him. "I finally met someone."

Jax didn’t push her away.

He rested one hand lightly on her back, steady and warm, his aura wrapping around her like an unbreakable shield.

"You’re not broken, Hydra," he said quietly. "You were just waiting for someone who could stand beside you."

"Luckily for you, I appeared!"