The dragon stood in the sea of bubbling lava flowing around his legs, submerged all the way to his knees in it. A large gem embedded in his armored golden and black forehead shone and played in colors.
The sea of lava stretched for kilometers, with small islands of bare black stone occasionally sticking out of it.
His long neck towered high above it, piercing the layer of clouds drifting through the sky and allowing him to see all the way to the world’s border.
The world stretched far, for kilometers, until it suddenly cut off, behind it, nothing but a black and empty void. The void encompassed his whole world in a giant impenetrable dome.
‘So this is my world?’ Vesuvius felt the heat of the air wash over his scales and armor, bringing nothing but comfort to him.
Everything and all within it was part of his domain. The stream of magma flowing out of his miniature world constantly nourished his soul and body.
‘If nothing else, it can work as a nice battery…’𝑜𝔳𝐋xt.𝑐𝑀
Vesuvius towered above the lava that flowed around his armored legs, which were submerged deep in the burning liquid.
He felt every pebble, molecule of air, and droplet of magma. It was his world, where he was the one and only absolute monarch.
As long as he had an affinity with it, he could control and shape it even in the main world, but the changes wouldn’t be permanent. However, this was his world where his will was law, so every change was permanent.
‘Let’s see how much I can shape it.’ With a single thought, the surface of the magmatic sea raptured, and a huge black mass of stone grew out of the ground, growing higher and higher with each passing second.
The magma flowed down in waterfalls from the rising island.
‘Yes, this can work… Maybe I can finally build myself a palace.’
The longer he messed with his new power, the more he realized how great it was. It even partially replaced some of the bonuses from the evolution option he saw in the past that would allow him to cover his kingdom in the domain and teleport into it.
The stone kept rising higher and higher, the black island turning into a tall black mountain peak that tore through the dark clouds of smoke.
Its top was perfectly flat, giving an overlook over the whole world, and its tall and steep black walls were overgrown with veins of dark, highly carbonized steel and coal, giving it a glossy, shiny look that reflected the light of the magma.
It was his world, and all the materials formed with powers were real and permanent while being in it. He could even create gold out of thin air and build out of it, and it would act and work like real gold.
‘There are only two limits to this… the material created by my power will be bound to this world, and the moment they leave it, they will turn back to mana. I also can only create and manipulate materials I have an affinity with. Now, I will scratch this all off and build my palace.’
The world shook, and everything trembled as a massive vortex consumed and sucked everything around.
A tall black wall of black stone and metal, perfectly smooth as if made of concrete, rapidly burst from the ground, quickly rising around the world and obscuring the empty void behind it.
Now that he had tested the powers, he had a vision of his small world.
‘I was too large for a castle, but what if I could turn this world into my palace.’ His eyes shone brightly as everything around him moved.
POV ???:
A woman in her thirties stood behind an oak wood reception desk. She was politely smiling, her dark blonde hair arranged into a simple bun.
She wore an elegant white and black dress that was part of the uniform of the company that she worked for.
Quiet discussion reverberated through the decorated chamber, with walls covered in dark oak wood, giving it a classy and luxurious feel.
Everything was illuminated by the natural sunlight entering through a large roof window.
Richly dressed men and women chitchatted quietly in small groups, all holding black pamphlets.
A muffled shout suddenly echoed through the hall, “In the name of the king, we request access to all of your records!”
Everyone immediately turned in its direction, looking for its source.
The young receptionist paled as her eyes fell on the newcomers.
Three figures in black, their entire bodies and faces hidden under the loose black cloaks and robes, with occasional glitter of metal showing up under them as they moved, alerting everyone of the heavy armor that they wore under it.
Long horns grew out of their heads, faintly glowing with magic energy.
One of them was short, probably a dwarf, while one of the two taller ones had visibly feminine curves.
Their faces were fully covered by their silver masks.
The tall monsters in heavy armor marched right behind them, their golden eyes glowing under their helmets and their shiny, enchanted armor rattling with each step they took.
Everyone briskly moved out of their way, avoiding eye contact, as the leading trio approached her counter.
Her hands were shaking, and her nervousness grew with each step they got closer to her.
The tallest one stopped so close to her that she could feel his burning hot breath. He threw a single parchment onto it with a casual flick of his wrist. The parchment was perfectly white, with its hem decorated with gold.
A golden seal shaped as a dragon sparkled with magic on its bottom part.
She couldn’t help but look at it, her face paling even more while her eyes widened in surprise.
‘This seal… it is the new royal seal. That means this is an order straight from that evil dragon or someone very high in the new government.’ She carefully reached for it, her hands trembling.
‘What is this? Why does dragon want records of all the auctions…’
The receptionist hastily collected herself and said, “O-of course, I will call the manager.”
“Alright, Karen, go call the manager.” The tallest of the trio whispered, and the short but bulky one chuckled. The third one, with a feminine one, glared at them from under her mask, making them turn quiet and avert their golden eyes.
‘What was this about?’