Villain Transmigration: Author Transformation

Mystique had set up a strong camouflage for a while now, and no one had detected them yet, or so she claimed, when Keith caught Arnold's signal. But right now, she was distraught, unable to focus on the situation at hand.

'She realized? What?'

Keith pondered hard amidst the crisis they were about to face at the moment as he knew it was so much going on, even for her.

Moreover, the main problem was the large serpentine almost slithering in the blizzard.

A little more, and its majestic head emerged from the frosty billows of clouds. Its horns had several encrusted blue crystals gleaming at any angle. Its scaly profile had an azure shade, turning aquamarine near its blue eyes.

'Is this… The legendary Frost Wyrm?'

Even from afar, the mere presence of the mythical creature got Keith in awe and intimidated at the same time; and later on, a heavyweight placed on both of his shoulders, making him grit his teeth against the numbing pain he had.

'This—pressure…' He squinted his eyes, almost with a glare, as more of its defined profile was seen from the skies. To the side was Mystique, who seemed not one bit affected by its powers, and now went through her phone, tapping it fast and furious.

The same went for Arnold, who stood tall and with grace. However, the knights and the men clad in dark robes had it worse, as they buried themselves to the ground, twitching from the strength. Leaving

Soon as it drew close, its long, oscillating body slowly showed as it descended from the heights. Almost thousands of jewels adorned alongside its stark shades of blue on its body with mesmerizing fractals on it.

All the way to its tip was akin to a chic glacial spike, glinting like a star in the serene night sky.

Levitating up the hilltops, the serpentine body curled and moved its body like free-flowing water afore Arnold.

"Perhaps you were simply too early for such a visit, is it not?" 

The voice rang almost in Keith's head, and was rather deep and hoarse, almost like a wise old man—which colored him surprised, as it was the first time he witnessed this never-seen-before creature, let alone listening to its voice.

"Indeed, I was, Ashtra," Arnold replied.

"You know too well yet you're courting death." Ashtra huffed, letting out a frigid hiss while arching up to the skies. 

Thunders rumbled in his will, and the ground suddenly trembled in response. 

"I don't think so."

"Oh?" Ashtra's eyes glimmered, then leered at the numerous knights that gestured a groveled deep afore him. "Are you telling me these are the kind of tribute you'd be giving me?"

"No…" Arnold shook his head. 

"Wonderful as they don't look tasty."

'Tribute? What did he mean by tribute? Wasn't it a pact?' So much he had to ponder, he noticed Mystique, who was already trembling, fiercely tapping on her smartphone, even hearing a series of snaps from it.

"Spare them if you will as I supposedly came on my own terms…."

"While I do try to enjoy myself with your measly, dry jokes…"

"I'm serious."

"Oh! Quite a change of heart we do have now, Arnold." Laughing in a stifled, raspy manner, he continued. "So you, indeed, offer yourself, then?"

"Agreed."

Mystique covered her mouth, she stared in shock. 

A kind of shock that he recognized was coming, inevitable but still in a shock twist.

The Grand Duke of Blackwell stood there unafraid of his presence.

After which, Ashtra slowly roamed around him as he sneered, "Where was this… New you, after all this time?"

Keith scrutinized the situation, from the reactions of both the father and daughter. 

However, the 'Frost Wyrm' prattled on, "Back then, you threw your own uncle, then little brother, and then…. Even your beloved wife in this? Hmmm?"

While Arnold remained unbothered and cold, Mystique gaped out of surprise, except the latter most, of which her eyes screamed she knew the truth.

'What? Her Grace was—?' Keith was unable to move, and right now, it was as though his heart stopped beating as well as his gut stirring ever-so-wildly.

For the first time, did he learn about this kind of revelation. The sudden onset of goosebumps now numbed all over his body.

While he knew lately that most of the prominent family members of the Blackwell Household suffered from the Great War; the heroic stories went on as Mystique's brothers went through the war. 

Even he witnessed during that time in the war, except for the sole Grand Duchess of Blackwell, Alice Sabrina Blackwell, shrouded with mystery but had never gotten the chance to dwell in it—Arnold prohibited it.

Under the assumption that as one of the many nobles, of high and low birth and status, fought and perished from the war, it would've only done a disservice to them digging in it further.

'My Lady…' He shifted his gaze at her, eyes closed for a while.

[Keith, will you promise me right now that you would support me no matter what…]

"Ahh?"

[I meant what I said.]

"But of course, My Lady," he tried to answer as resolutely as he could.

[Good.] She tore a page in the grimoire, and then closed her grimoire, hugging it close to her chest as she wiped off her frozen tears. [Take this with you, and give it to His Grace, Nathan.]

Keith gracefully accepted it and kept it in his pouch.

"Now that you 'offered' yourself right now, it seemed plain and boring," Ashtra groaned, pulling himself away from Arnold. 

"Ashtra, we must end this."

"We need to make it exciting—"

Thereafter, its glacial horns gleamed, pointing towards their direction. With its wide grin revealed a massive, vicious set of teeth, he breathed out all of them frozen solid.

"What more do you need?!" Arnold bellowed, stepping back as though something went wrong.

"Truth be told, I'm very intrigued with another fawn, who seemed to be hiding amongst the evergreens!"

With its eyes gleamed, Keith flinched out with the instinct to run away.

Arnold screamed bloody murder, "NO! NO!"

But it was too late when its frosty breath razed their hidden spot. But with Mystique's runes of protection, they were safe. Before they could arch their necks, a dark shadow loomed over them.

"Well, well… What do we have here?"

Keith was beyond stunned, never had he experienced this numbing, bone-crushing sensation.

Unexpectedly, Mystique stood, even smiling at Ashtra.

This time her sultry voice echoed, "I came here to offer a tribute as well."

"What a brave lady—"

"If you give me a moment of your time, I hope to entertain you with sublime."