The dragon's harem

Yog’s body flashed with darkness as the endless white room started shaking, and Arad immediately picked up Merlin and jumped back with her, terrified as if he had just seen a ticking bomb. There was no mistake; all of his senses were screaming that he was in mortal danger, and the scariest part was that Yog herself wasn’t the threat.

Arad knew that Yog wouldn’t harm him or his wives since he is AO, but for some reason now... This presence was far too big, heavy, and even scarier than Cain himself. Merlin was already trembling in his arms, and even he could barely stand as the density of mana around them had grown so much that it felt like they were stuck inside stone.

An endless sea of dark tar and burning red eyes exploded out of Yog’s body and flew into the white sky, turning it black with eyes for stars, and what was left was just a halfling. She was a bit taller than Betty since she was a half-elf, but what drew Arad’s attention was the sheer amount of mana she had.

It was a whole tornado, one too big to be fathomed even by him, and it made him feel like a fledgling bird barely struggling to hold onto the ground with his talons. It was only then that he even got a closer look at her, and what he saw was horrifying.

Scarred from head to toes, wearing an old, ragged robe that was patched a thousand times, and even had both of her eyes gouged out. All of her nails were already gone, and both of her ears were ripped off; the scars extended up to her scalp, giving her several bald patches, and the shape of her jaw made it clear that she had lost all of her teeth.

This half-elf half-halfling was Lilia Bodhimicah, Yog’s host, and the one who actually holds the throne of magic.

”She lost all of her senses young; they gouged her eyes, pierced her eardrums, cut her tongue, burned her nostrils, and tortured her until she lost all senses. They broke her neck, so she is paralyzed from the neck down, and due to constant beating, she cannot even breathe normally.” Yog’s voice came from the dark sky like a thunderclap. ”She uses magic to replace all of those senses she lost, lightning magic to replace her nervous system, and even wing magic to force air into her own lungs.”

”Unlike you, Merlin, who used your magic to fix your body and live. Lilia chose to bear the scars of her suffering with pride. I taught her a lot, but it was she who attained such heights.” It was then that Lilia’s voice boomed across the air, drowning Yog’s thunder.

”Merlin... Arad had already created the fabric of mana inside his stomach, and so, your job isn’t that of a divine, but that of a manager. Maintain that fabric, and make sure to set rules and laws so the people there don’t break what he created.” When Lilia started moving, Arad had jump back even further so Merlin won’t be crushed by her sheer mana density.

”There can only be one magic portfolio in the universe, not more, as the threads of mana can easily get tangled if two wills tug on them. If she is to bear a divine magic portfolio and walks an inch outside your stomach, I’ll have to kill her.” As she stopped moving, Arad growled back.

”You think I would let you touch her?” As he glared at her, Lilia turned her head toward him. ”Let’s say you can kill me. The entire universe would implode on itself as the fabric of mana shatters, and Merlin still is thousands of years from being anywhere near able to handle my job.” She lifted her hand, and the divine portfolio of magic appeared floating above her palm.

Arad tried to snatch the portfolio away with his will as AO, only to realise something horrifying. The portfolio wasn’t responding. He didn’t create it...

”Also... there is no real magic portfolio, as mana is a neutral state between the divine and cursed. The universe AO made only had divine and cursed magic. He never intended for mortals to wield universe-changing power without the monitoring of the divine.” She lifted her hand and summoned a golden coin. ”Good and evil. Positive and negative energy... he was the null himself, so he never needed something to stand in between. Like throwing a coin, he never cared about the option of it landing on its side.”

She then smiled. ”Mana only became useful when his system started to fail in the war against the abominations and the mortals were forced to fight. AO aimed for the perfect route where the mortals live in peace and bliss, never having to suffer and shed blood in the war... but that naivety is what led us to this time.”

”I created this portfolio as a way of making it easier to maintain the fabric of mana; thus, only I can command it.” Lilia opened her mouth and swallowed the entire apple-sized orb of light with ease. ”Merlin, congratulations on becoming a queen, congratulations on becoming a goddess of magic, congratulations on becoming an abomination, congratulations on living, and good luck...”

Threads of pure blue extended out of Lilia’s body, and as the entire area shattered, Merlin pushed Arad aside and formed a massive barrier, deflecting a wave of searing magic. ”Why are you attacking us?!” Merlin shouted as she pushed the wave away, and Arad immediately snapped, going all out in the blink of an eye. He was about to tear Lilia apart, but before he could do that, his entire body disintegrated into ash.

”Trying to use mana in front of the goddess of magic is foolish, especially if you don’t fully understand what you’re doing, Arad Orion.” Lilia flew toward Merlin like a lightning bolt, and Merlin didn’t waste a second to charge right back at her.

In the back, Arad’s body reformed, and before he could charge again into battle, Yog cut his path. ”Hold it there; Lilia isn’t trying to kill her. If she wanted to do that, she would’ve already given her the same treatment you got. At her current level, Merlin can only learn from Lilia or me.” The dark tar dripped from the sky, and then in a second, all of it disappeared into Arad’s mind.

{Ahh... feels nice.} Yog moaned inside his head as she relaxed for a second, and he growled back at her. ”Get out of my head.”

{Sorry, but I can’t exist without a host for long unless I take some drastic measures. Hiding here for now is the cheapest and best option for me.}

”I said get out, now!” As he growled, trying to will her out, she just giggled. {You can’t rip your own brain out. Whether you like it or not, I’m a part of you and not going away. I know that you’re already aware of your own existence, so you don’t have to worry about that. For how I knew... even if I can’t track you, I can track where you aren’t, and those who interact without are easy to use as evidence to conclude results...}

”You...” Arad sighed, and she burst into laughter. {If you were aware and didn’t tell anyone, I would have never found out. But as you expect, your wives aren’t protected from my forbidden knowledge.}