Chapter 153 152: Gone, Girlfriend & Goodbye

Chapter 153 152: Gone, Girlfriend & Goodbye
Morning sunlight slipped softly through the curtains, painting golden lines across the quiet room.

Damien Drakaris stood near the center of the room, staring down at his hands as if they belonged to someone else.

Slowly, he closed his eyes.

He focused on the feeling inside him, the ancient heat that had once vanished from his blood.

The dragon.

It had been gone, silent. But now... He breathed in deeply.

Power surged through his veins.

A shimmer of golden scales flashed across his arms, and with a sudden burst of magic, his body shifted. Wings unfolded behind him, massive and powerful, filling the room for only a moment before the transformation reversed.

In seconds, he was human again.

Damien laughed in disbelief. He tried again. Another surge of magic. Another transformation. 

Dragon.

Then human.

He fell back onto the bed, breathless, a huge smile spreading across his face.

"My dragon..." he whispered. "It's really back."

For the first time in so long, he felt whole.

Across the room, Seraphine watched him with shining eyes. Her smile was just as bright as his.

"You have gotten your essence back," she said softly. 

Seraphine ran toward him and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. "I'm so happy for you," she said, her voice full of excitement.

Damien hugged her back just as tightly, lifting her slightly off the ground as he laughed. "You have no idea what this means to me."

He pulled back slightly, looking at her with awe. "Your power... that light last night... it must have done something."

Seraphine tilted her head. "You think it restored your magic?"

Damien nodded slowly. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

The thought left both of them stunned.

Her magic hadn't just awakened. It had healed something ancient.

For a while they simply sat together, smiling and talking, the happiness between them almost unreal.

Later that day, they even celebrated, laughing, teasing each other, and testing Damien's dragon form again and again like excited children discovering magic for the first time.

But when night came again...

Damien's thoughts began to change. The joy slowly faded into worry. He sat quietly on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor.

What if everything had been a mistake? What if Seraphine had only given him a chance because she felt guilty? After all, she had been the reason he lost his dragon essence in the first place.

Maybe she had stayed with him out of pity. And now that his magic had returned... Maybe she would go back to Lucien.

The thought twisted painfully in his chest. He clenched his fists. "I don't want to lose her," he whispered to himself.

At that moment, the door opened.

Seraphine walked in, immediately noticing the troubled look on his face.

"Damien?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"

He quickly tried to look normal. "Nothing."

She crossed her arms. "You're a terrible liar."

Damien sighed.

Seraphine walked closer and sat beside him. "Tell me."

For a moment he hesitated.

Then the words spilled out.

"I was just thinking... maybe you only gave me a chance because you felt bad about what happened to my dragon power."

Seraphine blinked.

He continued quietly.

"Maybe you felt guilty... or sorry for me. And now that I've gotten my magic back... maybe you'll realize you never really wanted me."

He swallowed. "Maybe you'll go back to Lucien."

The silence that followed was heavy.

Then Seraphine suddenly stood up.

Damien looked up in confusion.

"Do you know what you're saying?" she asked. Her voice wasn't angry, just shocked.

She placed her hands on her hips and looked straight at him. "Damien... I gave you something incredibly important to me."

His brows furrowed.

"I had never been with anyone before," she said honestly. "Do you really think I would share something that personal with someone I didn't care about?"

Damien's eyes widened.

Seraphine shook her head. "Do you think I'm the type of person who would do that out of pity or guilt?"

"Of course not," he said quickly.

"I love you," she said simply.

The words filled the room.

"I care about you so much. And I don't want to go back to Lucien. I just want to see where this"- she gestured between them- "can go."

For a moment Damien couldn't speak. Then a slow, relieved smile spread across his face.

"You really mean that?"

Seraphine rolled her eyes playfully. "Why would I lie?"

Damien laughed softly, his heart suddenly lighter than it had been in months.

"Well... in that case..." He took her hands gently. "Seraphine Embarlain Vale..."

She raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

He grinned. "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Seraphine stared at him for a moment. Then she smiled. "Yes."

Damien pulled her into his arms again, happiness rushing through him like wildfire, things finally felt right.

His dragon was back. 

And Seraphine was truly his.

______
Morning came quietly.

Soft sunlight filtered through the windows of the house as Seraphine and Damien finished packing the few things they had brought with them.

Their time away from the academy had felt strangely peaceful, almost like a break from the chaos of magic, prophecies, and ancient secrets.

But now it was time to return.

Time to go back to Aetherborn Academy.

Downstairs, Juna stood near the door waiting for them. Her arms were crossed, but her expression softened the moment she saw them coming down the stairs.

"So... this is goodbye, huh?" she said.

Seraphine smiled gently. "Yeah."

Juna looked at her for a long moment before pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you," she admitted.

Seraphine hugged her back just as tightly. "I'll miss you too."

Damien stood nearby, smiling quietly at the scene.

Juna pulled away and laughed lightly.

"Well, don't worry about me," she said. "I'll wait for the family to come back from their vacation. Once they're back, I'll tell them I'm leaving."

She glanced toward the small chest hidden under the table, the one filled with the gold and diamonds Seraphine had given her.

"After that," Juna continued, a spark of excitement in her voice, "I'm going to start my own life."

Seraphine's face brightened. "You deserve that."

Juna shrugged playfully. "Thanks to you."

She looked between Seraphine and Damien with a teasing smile. "Try not to destroy the magical world while you're gone, okay?"

Damien laughed. "No promises."

They shared one last hug before stepping outside.

The morning air was cool and fresh.

Seraphine and Damien walked for a while until the house disappeared behind the trees. Soon they reached a dense forest where the trees grew tall and thick, hiding them from the rest of the world.

They continued deeper and deeper until there was no sign of civilization, only the whisper of wind through the leaves.

Damien stopped. "This should be far enough."

Seraphine nodded. She stepped forward and raised her hand slightly. She spoke the ancient words that opened the hidden pathways between worlds.

The spell echoed softly through the forest.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then the air in front of them began to ripple.

Light twisted and folded into itself until a glowing portal slowly formed between the trees. Its surface shimmered like liquid starlight, humming with powerful magic.

Seraphi
ne looked at Damien. "Ready?"

He reached for her hand. "Always."

Hand in hand, they stepped forward.

The portal swallowed them in a burst of light.

And within seconds, they disappeared from the human world, returning to Aetherborn Academy, where destiny was waiting for them once again.