Re-Awakened :I Ascend as an SSS-Ranked Dragon Summoner - Chapter 425

Chapter 425: Paint the town red

Noah left Kelvin’s side with a smile still tugging at his lips. The ridiculous conversation about weaponized massage oils echoed in his mind like an afterimage of much-needed levity. For the first time in days, he’d laughed so hard that his chest ached. Maybe Kelvin was right, he thought as he walked through the long east corridor of the palace. Sometimes the best medicine is letting someone else take care of you.

But the thought didn’t last. His mind inevitably drifted back to their talk about soul forms, Sigma-7, and the gnawing uncertainty of what lay ahead. That weight never fully left his shoulders.

And yet, there was one person he wanted to see right now. One person who always seemed to ground him, even when the galaxy felt like it was spinning off its axis.

Sophie.

As he made his way toward the guest wing, the palace maids bowed respectfully when he passed. A few were bolder than others—young women with luminous eyes and soft voices who greeted him with a mixture of eagerness and shy admiration.

“It’s him, the one the princess had challenged the other earth girl for, Lord Eclipse,” one whispered, her cheeks tinting pink when he nodded politely in acknowledgment.

Another, braver, tucked a stray lock of dark hair behind her ear and smiled as though she wanted to say more but couldn’t find the courage. Noah offered her a small smile in return, and that alone made her turn crimson.

He didn’t linger. He could feel their curiosity, their quiet awe, but his mind was pulling him in one direction. Toward Sophie.

He stopped before the carved wooden door of her quarters and knocked lightly.

“Come in,” came her voice, calm but with that familiar warmth that always seemed to cut through the noise of his life.

Noah stepped inside, finding Sophie seated near the wide balcony window, the glow of Raiju Prime’s twin suns painting her in soft gold. Her dark hair was loose this late afternoon, falling over her shoulders in a way that seemed careless yet impossibly elegant. In her lap rested a sketchpad, and in her hand, a slim brush that moved with surprising precision.

Noah blinked. “You draw?”

Sophie glanced up, smiling faintly. “The maids helped me with the brushes and paper. Apparently, Raiju artists use mineral inks. It feels different, but… kind of freeing.”

Noah stepped closer, tilting his head to see her work. “I had no idea you could.”

She gave a soft laugh, one that carried a hint of self-mockery. “Yeah, well. Military academy has a way of beating the softer skills out of you. March, drill, weapons, more drills… not much room for painting green fields.”

That caught Noah’s attention.

His gaze drifted to the stack of sketches on the side table. Curiosity got the better of him, and he picked them up carefully.

There were portraits—Sophie’s steady hand capturing faces with surprising tenderness. Some were of their team. Lucas, mid-scowl. Kelvin, grinning cockily. Even Lyra, eyes sharp but weariness hidden in the set of her jaw.

And then one stopped him.

It was of the two of them—Noah and Sophie—standing together in what looked like a meadow, rolling green hills stretching into the horizon under a sunlit sky. Sophie’s smile in the sketch was softer than he’d ever seen her wear in real life. His own likeness, captured beside her, was relaxed in a way he didn’t think he had ever looked outside of dreams.

Noah swallowed. “…You drew us. Like this.”

Sophie’s brush hovered above her current page as if caught. “Yeah.” Her voice was quiet, almost fragile. “Sometimes I imagine what it would be like if things were… different. If we weren’t soldiers in a war. If we had a normal life.”

Her eyes flicked to the meadow sketch, then back to him. “Just you and me. No monsters, no Ancestors, no EDF. Just… us.”

The weight of her words pressed against Noah’s chest. He wanted that too. God, more than he could ever admit. But he also knew how impossible it was.

“That sounds like it would be perfect,” he said softly. “But with everything going on… maybe the universe won’t ever give us that chance.”

Sophie gave a rueful smile. “Unrealistic, yeah. But a girl can dream.”

The silence that followed wasn’t heavy—it was tender, like the space between two heartbeats.

Finally, Noah cleared his throat. “Speaking of dreams… I just got ambushed by Kelvin and half the palace maids. They gave me the best massage of my life.”

Sophie arched a brow, feigning outrage. “Wait, wait. You got pampered by Raiju masseuses while I was stuck here painting?”

Noah grinned. “Pretty much.”

“No fair,” she said, setting her brush aside with mock seriousness. “I need one too. Immediately. Equal rights and all that.”

He chuckled, moving behind her chair. “Well, lucky for you, I pay attention. Let me see if I learned anything.”

Her amber eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned forward, giving him room. “You better not half-ass this, Eclipse.”

Noah placed his hands on her shoulders, feeling the heat of her skin through the thin fabric of her dress. Slowly, deliberately, he pressed his thumbs into the tense knots just beneath her shoulder blades.

Sophie gasped softly, her lips parting. “Oh… oh, that’s… not bad.”

Encouraged, Noah worked lower, kneading with slow circles. He could feel the tightness in her muscles unwinding beneath his touch. He adjusted his grip, sliding his palms down to her arms, then back up in long, soothing strokes.

Her body softened beneath his hands, her breaths growing slower, heavier. “Mmm… okay, you might actually be better than the maids.”

“Don’t tell Kelvin,” Noah teased, his voice low near her ear.

Her laugh was breathy, tinged with the beginning of something more. He felt her shift under his touch, the curve of her back pressing subtly against him.

Noah’s hands slid downward, lingering at the edges of her waist. The thin fabric of her dress left little to the imagination. He felt the swell of her hips, the firmness of her thighs, the supple give of her ass when his fingers brushed lightly against it.

Sophie exhaled sharply, her voice husky. “Careful, babe. That’s a dangerous spot.”

He smiled against her hair, inhaling the faint scent of her shampoo—something floral, earthy. “i have three dragons in a dimensional space. Careful isn’t how I do things,”

His hands slid forward, tracing her stomach before gliding upward. He cupped her breasts, round and full beneath the fabric, his thumbs grazing the stiffening peaks of her nipples.

Sophie shuddered, tilting her head back against his chest. Her hair spilled over his arm, dark strands framing her flushed face.

“Noah…” she whispered, voice trembling with restrained need.

He bent down, his lips brushing her ear. “Relax. Let me take care of you.”

She turned her head, and their lips met—soft at first, then deepening as the dam broke. The kiss was hungry, desperate, days of longing compressed into a single moment.

Without breaking contact, Noah lifted her effortlessly, her sketchpad tumbling forgotten to the floor. Sophie clung to him, her legs tightening around his waist as he carried her toward the bed.

He laid her down gently, their lips parting only when breath forced them apart. Noah’s eyes roamed over her, drinking in the sight as if seeing her for the first time.

Her dark hair spilled across the white sheets like ink. Her breasts rose and fell rapidly, round and perfectly shaped, her nipples pressing hard against the thin dress. Her hips curved invitingly, the swell of her ass straining the fabric when she shifted.

“God, Sophie…” Noah murmured. “You’re… beautiful.”

Her cheeks colored, but her gaze didn’t waver. “Then don’t just stare. Do something about it.”

Noah’s hands moved with deliberate care, stripping the dress away inch by inch. Her skin was soft and warm, her body arching beneath his touch as though she were offering herself to him.

When the fabric fell away, Noah paused to take her in fully. Her breasts were magnificent—full, heavy, the perfect handful, capped with dusky nipples that begged for attention. Her waist tapered gracefully before flaring into hips that curved like they were sculpted to fit his hands. Her ass, round and firm, shifted enticingly when she moved her legs, a sinful invitation he couldn’t ignore.

He touched her as though memorizing every line, every dip, every swell. His palms explored the soft heaviness of her breasts, squeezing gently, then harder when Sophie moaned and arched into him. His thumbs circled her nipples, teasing them into aching stiffness.

His mouth followed, trailing kisses down her neck, her collarbone, before closing over one nipple. Sophie gasped, tangling her fingers in his hair, pressing him closer.

Her body writhed, her thighs parting as if by instinct, her voice breaking into breathless moans.

“Noah…” she panted, her back arching, her entire body alive beneath his hands and mouth.

He pulled back just enough to meet her eyes, his lips glistening from the attention he’d lavished on her chest.

Sophie’s gaze burned with unrestrained desire. Her lips trembled, then parted in a whisper that turned into a growl of need.

“Fuck it, Noah,” she gasped, pulling him down against her. “Fuck me.”

Blue balls for everyone muhahahahhaa