Chapter 203: Consume the heart

"What do you mean by 'dying?'" Cristine asked, staring deeply into the eyes of the man who seemed so unconcerned.

"It's like you heard... I had to do some things that pushed me beyond my human limits. Or rather, I've lost all of them. I'll need to force an evolution," Strax said calmly, offering a gtle smile as he stepped closer to her.

"It's fine, don't worry." He smiled, leaned in, and kissed her forehead, running his fingers through her hair.

"How can you say it's fine? You're talking about dying!" Cristine exclaimed, pulling his hands away from her head and looking deeply into his eyes.

"Calm down, okay?" Strax said, turning to walk toward Samira, who seemed to be in pain.

Cristine froze for a momt, Strax's words echoing in her mind.

Her heart raced, and a wave of frustration and despair began to well up in her chest. His calm demeanor, the way he spoke so nonchalantly about something as serious as "dying," unsettled her deeply.

"How can you say that so casually?" she demanded, her voice trembling with a mixture of fear and anger. She grabbed Strax's arm, forcing him to stop as he walked toward Samira. "You're talking about death, Strax! You can't expect me to stay calm."

He sighed, turning back to her with a sere yet firm expression. "Cristine, I understand what you're feeling, but this isn't something that's going to happ, okay? I just need the dragon heart, and everything will be fine."

Cristine clched her fists, refusing to accept his words. "And you think that's all it is?" Her voice shook with emotion. "Why are you acting like this is nothing?"

Strax's expression softed as he realized the depth of her anguish. He stepped closer again, this time cupping her face with a gtless she knew so well. "I didn't know my fourth wife was so worried about me. It makes me emotional, knowing she loves me this much." He smiled playfully, gazing into her eyes.

"Nothing's going to happ," he concluded.

Before Cristine could argue further, Samira groaned in pain beside them, drawing both their atttion. Strax immediately knelt beside her, his expression serious. He placed a hand on her shoulder, conveying the same sse of calm he had tried to give Cristine.

Samira, despite her weaked state, managed a faint smile. "Still... trying to be everyone's hero, huh, darling?" Her voice was hoarse, but her characteristic humor remained.

"Someone has to keep you all out of trouble, right?" he replied softly, while Monica and Beatrice continued their efforts to stabilize her.

"I'm a grown woman," Samira shot back, trying to stifle another groan of pain. "I can take care of myself."

Strax looked at her for a momt before responding. "I know. Thank you for protecting the two of them."

Cristine crossed her arms, still shak by their earlier conversation, but Strax's words about fighting together resonated within her.

Footsteps began to approach as Lyana, who had be some distance away, arrived with Rogue, carrying several large crates. As she glanced a at the chaos gulfing the city, her expression grew tse.

"What's our next move? We don't know who or what is attacking, but the city's shaking... Something's happing, and I feel like we need to act soon."

Rogue, still playing with the rings on her fingers, glanced at Strax with a sly grin. "Careful, Strax. With all this wealth and power, you might d up becoming an ev bigger target."

He gave a short laugh. "That's part of the game, Rogue. And I've never shied away from a good gamble."

They began making their way carefully back to Evelyn's mansion.

Cristine's gaze lingered on Strax, her worry only growing. She knew he was determined to consume the Dragon Heart, but what did that really mean? The idea of an "evolution" had never be discussed in detail, and the possibility of something going wrong haunted her. Ev though Strax tried to reassure her, the fact that he was about to cross an irreversible line left her deeply unsettled.

'What a strange feeling... why am I so worried about this man?' Cristine thought, her chest tighting with an unfamiliar concern that had come out of nowhere. 'Is this... love?'

Ynifer, by her side, noticed the weight in her sister's expression. "Are you alright?" she asked, adjusting the cloak over her own wounded shoulders.

Cristine shook her head, not really answering. "I don't know... I'm worried."

Ynifer placed a comforting hand on her sister's shoulder. "Strax knows what he's doing. It might not seem like it, but he's always a few steps ahead, ev wh he looks carefree... Plus, he loves his wives deeply... and that includes you, so you better trust him."

They reached Evelyn's mansion in the late afternoon, the sun setting on the horizon in a spectacle of reds and oranges, mirroring the intsity of the battle to come. Evelyn, already aware of the situation, met them at the trance, her expression neutral, though there was a flicker of concern in her eyes.

"You did it," she said calmly, her eyes gleaming as they landed on the boxes the group carried. "The Dragon Heart and the Ginsg... finally in our hands."

Strax nodded, getting straight to the point. "Yes, but there's no time for celebration. I need to consume the Heart now. Kryssia is at our doorstep, and if we want any chance against her, I need to be at full power."

The mansion seemed to breathe in unison with its occupants as everyone made their way to the main hall. The shadows from the large windows danced to the rhythm of the flickering torches and lit fireplaces. Strax placed the box containing the Dragon Heart on the ctral table and, with a gtle gesture, lifted the lid.

Inside, the Dragon Heart pulsed as if it were still alive. The flesh was a deep crimson, dark veins running across its unev surface. The sct of power radiated from it, almost intoxicating. Everyone a could feel the magical pressure emanating from the Heart.

"That's really... a dragon's heart," Rogue murmured, her eyes fixed on the artifact before them. "I never thought I'd see something like this up close."

"Neither did I," Lyana agreed, instinctively stepping back, as if the power of the Heart was too overwhelming to stay near for long.

Cristine, however, couldn't take her eyes off Strax. "Are you sure about this?" she asked once more, her voice low but filled with urgcy. "Once you do this, there's no turning back."

Strax looked at her and smiled reassuringly. "I have to." He stepped closer, brushing a hand gtly against her cheek before turning back to the pulsating Heart on the table. "Everything's going to be alright."

With a determined movemt, he grasped the Dragon Heart. The object seemed to vibrate in his hands, and everyone a could feel the magical weight in the air growing dser. Strax looked one last time at his companions, especially Cristine, who still looked conflicted but said nothing more.

Th, he consumed the heart.

[The Heart of the Dragon Kallamos has be consumed, a Dragon watches you.]