In the sky, Terra and Cinder, mid-flight, were suddenly stopped by a surge of oppressive energy coming from the ground. They exchanged concerned glances, their dragon eyes reflecting the gravity of the situation.
“That aura… it feels familiar,” Cinder murmured.
Terra nodded, her mind racing. “I feel the same, but I can’t quite place it,” she replied, her tone filled with worry.
Before they could think further, another wave of energy, this time raw and unfiltered, waved past them. It was a wave of pure agony, a loud cry of pain that resonated with their primal instincts.
“Our Lord is in danger!” Cinder yelled.
Without hesitation, she surged forward, her wings beating furiously against the air.
“We mustn’t let anything happen to him!”
Terra followed close behind, her own fear propelling her forward. She roared, her voice echoing through the sky.
Meanwhile, on the ground, Alister was engulfed in a maelstrom of pain. His body convulsed as the awakening process intensified.
The system’s words made him confused.
“What is this?” he groaned, his mind was practically in a haze due to all the pain he was going through. For a brief moment, clarity returned, allowing him to think about the system’s message.
‘Dragon soul… could this be related to my Draconic aspect?’ he wondered, barely able to think straight.
Ignoring the pain, he focused his will on the system. “Y-yes, re-assimilate the memory fragment,” he said, though his voice was filled with pain.
[Processing…]
Suddenly, Alister felt a weird sensation; it was like the reality around him shifted and changed, and for a moment, he didn’t even know he was Alister. Suddenly a scene played before him.
His eyes cracked open; the world was bathed in a crimson light. A violent cough racked his body, and a spray of golden blood spilled from his lips, each droplet shimmering briefly before fading to dullness on the scorched earth. The air was thick with the scent of iron and decay.
His white hair was a tangled mess, stained with blood. The armor that covered his body was ruined with cracks, a mere shadow of its former glory.
He raised a trembling hand to his face; the firmness of his skin against his hands wasn’t how he remembered it. His face was cracking. freewebnvel.coɱ
The world around him was a desolate wasteland. Massive structures, once part of a thriving civilization, were now remains, consumed by a sinister black flame that flickered. Corpses were scattered like discarded toys, most covered in the red hues of their own blood. A few, however, had a similar golden hue.
He felt a sudden feeling of despair. He wanted to scream, to weep, to understand, but his body refused to obey. His voice was a mere whisper, trapped in his weak body.
Then, a voice, cold and indifferent, echoed in the silence.
“##### end, this is all it led to. ## could have ### it all, #####, if only ### had listened.”
His gaze lifted, drawn to a shadowy figure standing directly in front of him. Behind it, a colossal crimson eye, encircled by a golden halo, dominated the sky. It was the source of the strange red glow that bathed the wasteland in crimson.
The figure extended a shadowy hand.
“### ## #### ## try again?”
“###### make a deal, what do you say?”
The memory ended.
A sharp jolt snapped Alister from the abyss of his nightmare. He felt a weird solid substance encasing his body in a suffocating cocoon; using the strength he could muster, he slowly cracked it open.
As he did, Terra and Cinder, now standing by his side, gazed in awe as the cracks seemed to be illuminated with a golden glow.
“He’s waking up!” Terra exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
Cinder’s eyes, previously clouded with worry, now held a flicker of hope. “Is he really?”
The cracks rippled around, and the strange cocoon shattered, allowing him to feel the cool night air.
His eyelids fluttered open, revealing the towering figures of Terra and Cinder looming over him. Terra was happy to see he was alright, excited even. “You’re awake! You’re finally awake, my lord!”
Cinder leaned in closer, her massive head inches away from him, her voice filled with concern. “Are you hurt? Are you sick? Are you exhausted?”
Alister was taken by surprise by her sudden show of worry; this wasn’t her usual stoic demeanor she usually had about her. He awkwardly shrugged, attempting a reassuring smile.
“I’m fine,” he managed to croak out.
‘What was all that just now? My head feels so fuzzy; I can’t think straight… a deal? What was that thing talking about?’ Alister’s thoughts raced.
Trying to sit up, he found himself tumbling back to the ground. Cinder and Terra exchanged worried glances.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Cinder asked, her voice gentle and still sounding worried.
“Yeah, I’m fine, you don’t have to worry,” Alister insisted, though his voice was weaker than he intended. As he tried to rise once more, his vision blurred, and he suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion come over him.
Before he could fully succumb to darkness, a system notification flashed before his eyes.
[All Skills leveled up to Level 2.]
[Draconic Rage Gate 1: Emergence (Unlocked!)]
The notification was lost in the growing fog of unconsciousness. As his senses faded, he heard Terra and Cinder’s worried calls, their voices growing distant.
Suddenly, a bright glimmer of light caught his attention. It was momentarily blinding, but he couldn’t muster the strength to shield his eyes.
Suddenly, a woman, cloaked in a powerful red aura, stood before him. Her silver hair and crimson eyes were striking against her black and white armor.
‘Wait… who is she…’ Alister wondered, weak as he was, his vision was blurry and fading.
Gently, she lifted him into her arms. Beside her, another woman could vaguely be seen, her
featurs were blurry, watched with an unreadable expression. And then, darkness enveloped him completely.
Although he was now unconscious, the system’s voice echoed.
[New skill discovered!]
[Draconic Hunger Lvl 2!]