The Dawn Of The Dragonheart

The Celestial Dragon

For Gilgamesh, drinking human blood was nothing special, since they are weak creatures nothing bad could happen to him. But on the other hand, Xaiver felt a burning sensation in his throat and pain in the center of his chest where the dragonheart crystal was located.

The ruler clutched his chest, panting heavily, feeling intense pain coursing through his body, screaming loudly. The blood that came from his chest stained the white tunic, as the fabric is very thin, so the crystal could be seen through the clothing. Gilgamesh tossed the cup aside and worriedly approached Xaiver, grabbing his shoulders to prevent him from sinking under the water.

He called out to him anxiously. "Ruler!"

The ruler continued to scream in agony, clutching his chest tightly, feeling tears running down his cheeks. Suddenly Xaiver fell unconscious, Gilgamesh quickly pulled him out of the water and carefully laid him down on the ground. The dragon king tore Xaiver's tunic and looked at the blood-stained crystal, confirming that the blood did indeed come from the dragonheart crystal.

Gilgamesh carried the ruler in his arms and left the sanctuary. There was no one around the area, so he took Xaiver to his chamber. Carefully, he laid the young man down on the bed and then checked what the mana flow is like inside his body.

Compared to before, there was more mana circulating in his body, meaning that the crystal successfully awakened. However, due to the fact that Xaiver is a human, carrying more mana inside him could be dangerous. If things get worse and the ruler does not awaken, then Gilgamesh would be forced to remove the crystal from his body, even if it means losing it forever.

Gilgamesh sighed deeply as he sat next to Xaiver, looking at his pained expression, hoping that everything would turn out well for him. Merlin suddenly appeared out of nowhere, surprising the dragon king, making him question irritably.

"What are you doing here? Can you just walk in the door like everyone else does?!"

"I apologize for the intrusion, but my curiosity got the better of me, so how did it go?" Merlin asked calmly.

Gilgamesh replied briefly. "He is still alive, but his body may collapse at any time."

Merlin approached Xaiver, checking his condition closely. "His mana increased significantly, however, he is still not strong enough to support such a large amount of mana."

Gilgamesh was aware of this, so he wanted to wait a few more days to perform the ceremony, but time ended up becoming limited. If only Xaiver were a dragon, awakening the dragonheart crystal would not cause him any harm. Unfortunately, fate decided otherwise, leaving Gilgamesh to choose between removing the crystal permanently or losing Xaiver forever.

The wizard noticed the wavering in Gilgamesh's red eyes. "If you remove the dragonheart crystal from his body, it will become useless and all hope will be lost forever."

Gilgamesh clenched his fists tightly. "I know...but if I leave it inside him, then he'll die!"

Merlin suggested calmly. "Give him some time, if his condition worsens and you really want to save him at the cost of losing the crystal, I won't stop you."

Gilgamesh nodded silently. "Alright..."

Merlin left quietly, leaving Gilgamesh alone with Xaiver. The dragon king gently caressed the ruler's cheek, wishing him luck in overcoming this ordeal. Hours passed and Gilgamesh fell asleep next to Xaiver, drifting away into the world of dreams.

...

The dragon king woke up with a start, looking around confused. These were not his chamber, much less Castle Ziggurat. He quickly got up and found that he was lying in a field full of grass and flowers.