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In way, there is a pro to waiting so long to update. That is, the ginormous amount of notifications Wattpad saves me. When I uploaded the previous chapter on New Years, I had 4.3k notifications. I LOVE seeing such a large number, even if it takes months. I feel like an attention/validation seeking whore for this.😂
I didn't do it earlier in the novel, but to differentiate easier between speech in human language and Dragon language, I will add brackets to speech in Draconic. This does not mean that when a human character is performing a spell, they are chanting in Dragon language. Not everyone has the privilege of being a dragonborn, sorry.
I don't make the rules. *makes the rules*
Also, check out the A.I art somebody on iFunny made for me at my request.
The color palette of Setsuna isn't what its supposed to be and the wings are missing because, you know, it's a.i., but look at this magnificent piece. It's so pretty!
What about this one? Amazing, right? I certainly think so. There are obviously going to be flaws to them because they are a.i. art, but ignore those and just bask in how awesome it looks! I felt so giddy and excited inside when I was shown these. They look so cool!
Anyways, here is the next chapter, I hope you enjoy it as much I had making it. I am reminded once again that making a tragic backstory, even if it's mediocre, is really fun.
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"[Is someone there..? Please help me! I'm scared...]"
Before I realized it, my feet moved on their own towards the cry for help. The candles that once lit the spacious area had now gone out, leaving nothing but darkness and the echoing cries for help to guide me.
"[Where are you!?]" I called out in dragon language, my voice and the sound of my footsteps echoing off the walls.
"[Over here!]" the voice beamed, the cry turned into hope upon hearing a familiar language. "[Over here! Please, help!]" The sad voice continued to yell, and I followed after its origin. I found myself before yet another door in this god forsaken place. Without hesitation, I kicked it down.
The door fell with the sound of hundreds of pounds slamming against stone. Once it was clear to move it, I ran inside.
"What the?"
Confusion took hold in my moment of panic upon seeing what was behind that door. What greeted me inside the room behind that door was a large, white semi-sphere with runic symbols orbiting it. Based off context clues, it was a sealing spell of sorts. How it was made, I didn't have a clue. And inside...
Was a black colored dragon.
"[A Death Dragon?]"
My feet stopped in place once I realized what was trapped inside the sealing spell. It was a Death Dragon, a specie of dragons that specialized in the manipulation of darkness attributed mana. Why they were not just simply called Darkness Dragons, I didn't know, but that's not what was important.
This Death Dragon was extremely small. Based off its size, it was only a hatchling that hadn't put any effort into training their body. They were a mere Novice rank that achieved that rank by naturally aging. If they had put any effort into it, they'd be at Adept rank already.
"[Who are you?]" The Death Dragon asked me. They themselves were also surprised to see me. They thought that whoever was coming to save them would also be a dragon, not a human.
"[Before I answer, what is a Death Dragon like yourself doing here?]"
Caught up in my thoughts, I didn't reply to the Dragon's inquiry in the proper manner and instead answered with a question. The Death Dragon didn't seem annoyed by that, though, and answered me happily.
"[My name is Siegfried.]" The Darkness Dragon, Siegfried, said, "[I was... captured. Taken from my parents after they were slaughtered... Then, I was locked up here behind this spell. From what I could tell, it has been about 5 years...]"
With each sentence, memories seemed to flow into Siegfried's mind and he started to cry softly. He went on to talk about how his life was full of happiness before some nasty humans that were extremely powerful came into his family's lair and slaughtered them and his siblings. He was still in his egg at the time, so he couldn't have done anything to fight back. His entire life, all he knew was this room, and this spell.
"[Siegfried,]"
This bastard.
"[So you're a reincarnator?]"
With that accusation, the eyes of Siegfried grew wide in surprise.
"[H-how..?]"
Siegfried was so shocked that he couldn't help but admit to it. How did this person know? What did she know that he didn't?
"[What do you mean, 'How?' It's because your story was full of holes and only had details a reincarnated would be able to put in. Such as, how the hell would a hatchling like you know the concept of time set by humans unless you used to be one?]"
Though it was practically a natural born gift for a dragon to be able to speak Draconic, there was no way in hell for an unhatched person, unless they were reincarnated like me, to know and understand what happened outside of the egg they were incubating in. Plus, Dragons only officially named their children their True Names once they were born, not while they were still in an egg. He must have given himself that name.
I inspected the mysterious spell surrounding Siegfried. "[The only reason you're still alive right now is because of that spell, right?]"
Death Dragons were the most hated organism in the world, though it was mainly through superstition. They, without question, were always a kill on sight target. No one would ever think about keeping one alive unless they were batshit insane.
I had thought back to something the voice in my head I named Sans had once said. Though I didn't remember exactly what he said, since it's been a few years, it went along the lines of how he'd protect unborn hatchlings.
"It has been set that nothing will happen to you while you are incubating, so if you were worrying about something breaking your egg and causing a premature birth, there is no need to fret. I will make sure that nothing happens personally to all eggs in danger."
This barrier served as a protection spell for the Death Dragon. If I had to guess, until the immediate threat to safety left, it should not dispel. That would mean that the spell itself still thinks that the Death Dragon is in danger even now, years later. Someone must have tried to break his egg while he was still in it, Sans' magic must have activated, and then until that threat was gone, it wouldn't go away.
Right when I was hypothesizing all of this, a voice could be heard emanating from the spell.
[Foreign Draconic mana from at least a Master Rank Dragon detected. A suitable Guardian has been found. Releasing protection spell... Complete.]
Hmm?
With practically no warning, the spell, with a voice that sounded like the automated message announcer made by Sans, announced its deactivation and vanished into thin air. The extravagant light it emitted and the strange runes dissipating as if it never existed.
"[Y-you're a Master Rank Dragon?]" Siegfried was shocked. He too knew of the voice inside my head, as he had one himself, and it had once told him too of the Ranks of Dragons and their society. A Master Rank Dragon was someone who was titled as an official adult and this little girl was an adult dragon? This... humanoid? Yeah, they had wings, horns, and a tail, but they were not a full-body dragon.
Siegfried, now free of the oppressive, confined space he knew as his safe-haven, stretched his neck out to further examine me. It seemed he couldn't believe his eyes.
"[Back off.]"
When Siegfried's face got too close, I pushed him away with a little effort. His neck bent upwards and it felt like I was pushing away the muzzle of a dog that was about to drool all over me while I was playing with it. Siegfried backed away at my words, but couldn't help but hold his doubt.
"[Siegfried.]" I called the Death Dragon's self-given name, "[Did you know that there are different Dragons reborn aside from yourself?]"
"[No,]" Siegfried seemed a little scared of me, seeing me as a stranger much more powerful than him, "[Then, does that mean...?]" He answered my question without thinking, but he realized something from my words.
"[Yeah, I'm a reincarnated person too.]"
I was honest with him.
***
My previous life could be summarized as a sharecropper toiling away for pennies. I was broke, and lived just so that I could see what little coin I had earned that season. Most of what I grew went to the landlord, who was the designated Royal Authority over the area, as payment for living on his land.
When I was born, my mother died in exchange, leaving the burden that was me all to my father to raise on this lonesome. To support me, he worked, worked, and worked some more until he died when I was merely 10 years old.
Without money, I was evicted from the ransacked building I used to call home and left to wander the streets. All I had left was the clothes on my back and what little amount of money I managed to hide from the eyes of my father's debtors.
Staying in the walls of the city was a death sentence. It was too risky for a 10 year old boy like me to stray in. I'd either die of starvation, or be kidnapped and sold as an orphaned slave. I couldn't work either as I wasn't strong enough to do any physical labor, so my only hope was farming.
I happened to meet the Lord of the area who was evaluating the situation of his farmland on an inspection tour by pure luck. I begged him to let me work so that I could feed myself, and he happily assigned me to a field once I agreed to give over my harvests in exchange for food and pocket change. But for a peasant like me, that offer felt like it came from God's grace himself.
God was watching over me. He had to be. I was alive, after all.
And like that, for years I fought through the repeating cycles of winter and summer toiling away. I remained a bachelor as no sensible family wished to hand over their daughter to a poor man who could barely provide for himself. I prayed everyday for God to continue his watch over me regardless. His tests of faith were endless, but I was determined to not bend or break.
So when conflict with a neighboring Kingdom escalated and war began, I was lucky enough to not be conscripted into the army to fight. They said that they can't feed everyone if there is no supply of food, so someone had to stay behind to tend to the farmlands.
But God's trials are endless.
Our country quickly began to lose and the front lines were pushed back all the way to where I worked in a matter of a few months. All us peasants could do was pray that God would save us.
One day, soldiers of the enemy kingdom attacked in the dead of night. A night raid. I awoke to the smell of smoke burning away the fields I put my life's work into. I grabbed my pitchfork and dashed out of my home.
And what greeted me was a sight only the devil himself could smile at. Laid to waste were the corpses of my friends I had made and the neighbors I shared my life's work with. I wanted to fight back against them, but there wasn't anything a mere farmer like me could do, so I dropped my pitchfork and ran.
Like a coward, I ran away. Leaving everything I knew behind. My father's grave, my home, my friends, my neighbors, my entire life. Everything.
"One is escaping! After him!"
Some soldiers discovered me in my attempt at fleeing and began chasing after me. I was running out of breath, the smoke filling my lungs and sapping away my stamina. I continued to run without looking back and I could hear the gallops of their horses coming closer.
"Kuack!"
There was a sharp pain across my back. It felt hot. My back was slashed by a soldier's blade and I lost all feeling below my waist. Instantly, I crashed into the dirt. All the air that I had in my lungs violently escaped.
With tears forming in my eyes, I dragged my body along the ground to continue escaping with dear life. I dared not look at the devil incarnates that laughed and snickered as they watched my desperate attempts at crawling away.
"Ack-!"
A soldier pressed his boot against the wound on my back, sending a wave of pain I'd hoped to never have experienced throughout my paralyzed body. He ground it like he was stepping on a bug, all the while laughing his heart out at my misery.
"Dear God, please, save this worthless lamb." I meekly muttered, no strength left in my body to say anything more.
Even in this situation, my faith did not break.
Perhaps he was listening, as all the soldiers that were getting their sick kicks from torturing me suddenly lost all interest and left me alone. They probably left to go continue their evil deeds to others since I was no longer of any interest to them.
Now left to rot, bleeding out, I continued my crawl over to the nearest tree and leaned against it. I looked up from the bloodstained grass that was coated in my blood to look at the fires of hell burning over what remained of what I once called my life. As if crying over the loss of his sheep, the sky wept. Rain had begun to fall.
My heart that was beating like a drum eventually started to slow down. The adrenaline rush was over and so was remaining wick of my flame of life, pelted by the cold rain.
"Hello, dear friend."
And that's when a figured approached my dying body that was going to soon be embraced in God's arms. They greeted me, with a soft voice, like a friend they hadn't seen in years. I didn't even notice their approach. It was like they appeared out of thin air.
Through my gasps of air as I struggled to breathe, I slowly managed to look up at the figure who greeted me. It was a man in a toga with long, pure white hair, and an equally colored and lengthy beard.
"Quite the pickle you're in." The mysterious stranger said as they groomed their beard with a chuckle, "I have a solution for you, if you're interested."
"What's..." I began, through labored breaths, "the point..? I'm going into... the arms..."
"Of God, yes, I know." The old man interrupted. It perplexed me how he knew what I was going to say, but perhaps it was obvious considering the condition I was in. "But, what if I told you that I am that very God you speak of?"
"Blasphemy..." How dare this old man claim he was God? If I could move, I'd have punched him.
"How is it blasphemy when I am God?" The blasphemer laughed, "With me as my witness, if I am not who I claim to be, let lightning strike from the heavens to cleanse this corrupted soul."
There was a pause, but no lightning ever came in the midst of this cry from the heavens. What he said must have been true.
"...God?"
"Yes?"
Tears, different from the ones shed earlier from pain trickled down my eyes. Ah, God was standing before me. He was going to personally shepherd this lost lamb to be with him in paradise.
"God..." I repeated his name. I wanted to speak to him more, but I was losing consciousness. I had met God while in the flesh, yet there was no need to regret it. I'd get to talk to him as long as I wanted while in Heaven.
"Before you go," God said with a snap of his fingers. A strange energy filled my body and my fading consciousness returned, if only for a moment to finish listening to his command, "Drink this."
God pulled out a metal cylinder from his toga and clasped my hands around it for me. The work of a master artisan must have embroidered the imagery of a black dragon only seen in literature books on the metal. I could feel liquid slosh about inside of it.
"It's a personal creation of mine. I'd like you to have the honors of drinking it, as a reward for your faith, free of charge."
God pulled back on a piece of metal that stuck out from the can, and with a pop and the sound of water that just began to start boiling, an makeshift spout was formed.
"Go ahead. Drink it."
I lifted the metal, swigging it like a pint of alcohol. God watched on with a smile as the liquid poured down into my mouth and down my throat.
"H-hot..."
The drink itself was cold, but once it entered my stomach, it began burning like it was on fire.
Then, a massive wave of what I can only describe as a dullness bubbled around a shot of pure euphoria entered my head. Did God give me a medicine that would painlessly send me over to his side? That sounds nice.
And like that, the last thing I saw was God's smiling face as he waved. My arm that was drinking the can lost strength and fell to the ground, the cylinder softly clashing against the grass, and I lost consciousness.
"Phew. Another one down." God said, popping his neck with a hand pressed against it, "Let's just move on. It's annoying, but a hobby is a hobby. It's game night."
What I didn't know was that to God, my struggles were seen as meaningless. I amounted to nothing more than filling a space in a game of his creation.
...
When I awoke, darkness surrounded me. It felt like I was a lifeless, dead body floating the darkest pit of the sea.
I was afraid. Had God sentenced me to hell? Was this hell? It sure didn't seem like it, but it did feel like it. I couldn't move, I couldn't talk; I couldn't do anything.
"Hello? Hello, hello?"
Then, God's voice appeared. His guiding voice entered my head. To put it in his words, I was going to be reborn as a dragon as a special, extra reward for my faith. It didn't feel like a reward to me since I was going to continue to be given a mortal flesh and not live ethereal with him in Heaven, but if God says it's a reward, then it must be.
I chose not to skip ahead of time to when I would be born and instead practice as he suggested.
I chose to work on my mana skills rather than focus on improving my body; eventually, I reached the same level of strength of a dragon that had lived for decades would have reached all while still inside the egg.
I was so ecstatic and happy. Unlike before, I was acquiring strength that I could never have even dreamt of obtaining. This life would surely bring me to see wonders and sights that I couldn't hope to see as a poor peasant, wondering what I would eat next and starving all day long.
But apparently, life, even though I had yet to be born, could never be so easy. Perhaps God wanted to continue to give me trials since I was to soon live in mortal flesh once again.
"[Get away!]"
"[Protect the eggs!]"
One fateful day, the voices of what I assumed to be my new parents were suddenly full of fear and panic. There were sounds of screams, explosions, and crumbling rocks. I realized instantly what was happening. My parents were fighting an enemy all while protecting me, their unborn offspring. I prayed to God, hoping he would listen, and pleaded that nothing happen to my parents.
In the midst of my prayers, all suddenly became quiet. I could hear the sound of armored footsteps approached my defenseless self. The voice of God himself had said that he would personally protect me while I was incubating, so though I was extremely worried, I trusted that nothing would happen to me.
"Well hello, beautiful."
I heard a muffled voice through the shell of the egg. A voice belonging to a woman in a language I couldn't understand seemed to greet me and pick me up. The water-like fluid inside my egg swished me around from the force. Thankfully, it would seem that she had no intention of breaking my egg.
"We have big plans for you." she said, and then giggled.
I was put on a cart and sent somewhere.
And like that, time passed. Days; weeks. Soon, it would be just about time for me to leave my egg.
Though it was unfortunate and I was extremely distraught at the deaths of my parents that I hadn't even got to see with my own eyes, there was nothing I could do but continue my training with nothing but the thought of surviving, just as I had done for years before I had become a dragon. If I could, I would get revenge against those that had caused me such grief.
"What do you mean!? It's a Death Dragon! A fucking Death Dragon! Are you listening to yourself!?"
One day, wrath filled words in that strange language were directed towards another one of my holders. Based off how they sounded, even if I didn't understand them, I knew that they were arguing.
"Come on! We can sell it to those Demon Cultists and live the rest of our lives off the fortune! Why are you being so obstinate about killing it?"
"You damn moron! Even if it means sacrificing the brotherhood we have built and shared our entire lives, I will kill that damn thing, that monster! Fortune be damned!"
There was a brief sound of two swords unsheathing, a few more loud threats, and then after an even briefer clash, there was the sound of screaming, a fallen sword clashing against stone, and finally a body hitting the floor.
I felt a sense of Deja vu.
[Significant threat to safety detected. Deploying preventive measure.]
The voice of the woman inside my head, soulless, announced.
It was the same sense of fear from when I was running away from those cavalry soldiers. I was going to be slashed.
'Please.'
I put hope in my promised insurance.
'I want to live.'
"W-what the-!"
The scream of the man intending to harm me pelted against the walls of my shell. It had the tone of being surprised, so something must have happened. After a while of nothing else happening, my tension finally left my body and I cheered.
I did it! I survived!
At least, I could only hope that I did.
[Preventive measure has been successfully deployed. Searching for the presence of nearby qualified Guardians... Failed. Playing special audio log, now.]
It would seem that a special log plays if the insurance was claimed. I wonder what God has to say?
"Hello again, my dear zealot dragon." God's standard greeting echoed in my head. "I come with good news and bad news,"
I wanted to ask what that was, but God's voice continued as if he didn't want to listen and was going to explain it anyway without needing to ask.
"Good news is, you're alive. My special intervention, that is the my magic I placed upon your egg, had successfully repelled the harm sent your way. Now, something like you getting attacked wasn't in the plan, but it never hurts to be too careful. Good thing was careful 'cuz that saved your life."
I patiently listened to God's voice. He was straight to the point.
"Now here is the bad news: You're parents are dead, or at least, a qualified adult capable of protecting you, a hatchling that hasn't even taken their first breath yet."
A somber feeling grew inside my head. I had hoped that there was perhaps a slim chance they were alive, but I guess not. But, if that is the word of God himself, then it must be true. It seems even in this life, I will grow up without my parents yet again.
"The magic is set to disappear once a qualified Guardian that can protect you appears within range of the magic that now surrounds your egg. You'll see what I'm talking about once you hatch. I don't know who will appear or how long it will take for one, but please don't lose hope and strive for survival. When they do appear, you'll be free. Of course, that doesn't mean they are your actual guardian, as they don't have the responsibility to take care of you, but it wouldn't hurt to have some continued insurance, right?"
Yes, God.
"As I've mentioned in another log you should have heard... the first one, I believe, you are a Death Dragon. In this world, they face harsh prejudice and threats to their lives in every waking moment. A good trial for you, eh? Fortunately for you, Dragons have a natural instinct to protect children, even if they are not their own. So no matter who finds you, a mentally mature adult shouldn't harm you."
Yes, God... your trials never cease. I will never break or bend.
I trusted his word. And eventually, I made it out of the egg. I was visited on occasion by who I could only assume to be my captors as they inspected the magic that surrounded me. They spoke to me, but I couldn't understand the language they were speaking, so I ignored them and continued my practice. There was no one I could talk to. If I could talk to the humans, I'd preach to them the greatness of God.
To be honest, I was a little lonely... No, very lonely. Throughout my few years of this new life, all that I've ever seen was this dark room lit by this strange, white barrier, and the voice of God that appeared every so often to give me updates and information.
The captors changed every so often. Sometimes there were alot of them, sometimes barely anyone at all. What remained constant was the wailing of women and children who were also kept captive outside. That is, until a certain little girl appeared.
I could feel something familiar to myself, so I raised my voice and called out to the void, hoping against hope that they'd understand me. "[Please, help me!]" I shouted, and waited for a reply I thought was never to come. And after another call, someone came.
Just... Not who I was expecting.
It was a little girl that, If I had a child in my previous life, would look to be about the same age as her. I died in my late 20s, so... about 10? Maybe 12?
But unlike what I assumed her age to be, her crass language was certainly ahead of her age. She was either an adult, or just an unsupervised and undisciplined child who hung around the wrong clique.
After I explained my life's story to this supposed adult, she dismissed it as nothing but something trivial, saying the stuff like, "[Damn, that's crazy.]" over and over again.
"[That's a cool story bro; too bad I don't care.]" She said once I was done.
The small, shining white colored little girl turned away, waving her hand.
"[Now that you're free, you're on your own, kid.]"
Seeing them make movements to leave filled me with anxiety. I had waited patiently for years for somebody to release me and protect me, like God had promised, so seeing her leave without so much as introducing herself back was scary. It went against the instinct God said adults were supposed to have.
Oh... right.
They were a reincarnated person too.
They are used to the instincts of being human, so they must able to naturally fight against their new instincts if they deem it unnatural themselves. That must be it. But surely God planned for something like that, right?
But she kept moving without turning back.
"[W-wait!]" I called, hoping that her attention would return. Being alone was not a great experience. I didn't want to be freed all to be abandoned again! That... That's just too much.
Ignoring my plea, the little girl kept her pace. She didn't want anything else to do with me.
Seeing that, a sense of injustice along with the anxiety from before crashed against each other. Fine, if that's how you want to play it...
Throughout my time here, all I had ever done was practice. I had no need to waste time hunting food or finding a clean water source as my captors had graciously kept me fed and maintained. Practicing was all I could do, so I was confident in what I was about to attempt.
My mana began to leak from my body...
If she wasn't going to give me any attention, I'll make her! It may seem childish, but that's exactly what I am! A child!
Protect me! Wah!
...
I was finally meeting another reincarnated person. Too be honest, my curiosity was piqued, but something I can't explain was telling me to leave that place. It felt... dangerous. This feeling only grew larger as I sat and listened to Siegfried's story. It was pitiful, to put it simply. He had it much harder than I.
Personally, I believed it to be a skill issue. Kek.
Kidding! It was actually very sad. I didn't shed any tears though.
Anyway, that feeling was telling me to leave immediately, so I did.
"[W-wait!]" Siegfried yelled, his arm stretching out. It seemed he was scared that I'd leave him, which is true, but I just couldn't stay there. I needed to leave. Why do I need to leave? I just need to. Why do I need to? I just do. I need to get out of here. No, I need to stay. But why do I need to? I have to leave.
I have...
...To leave?
My mind was in a panic. What is going on?
Fear was settling in my mind. Something was telling me to leave, but something else then started to tell me to stay. Something...
My head turned around, feeling killing intent.
...Somebody was causing this.
Siegfried.
Mana was flowing like a black, oozy stream from Siegfried. It's darkness took over whatever light remained inside the room and seemed to dash right to me. Siegfried was losing control. He was losing control of his rationality and intelligence. There was an obsessive madness in his eyes as him mana sought me out.
Seeing him, it reminded me of something Yuri once told me long ago. She had once told me that the Emperor, back when he was still a prince when she had first come to this world, had told her of a story about dragons and why they were hunted down.
He said that there were rumors of reincarnated people from otherworlds becoming dragons, and that those who had become them had an increased tendency to become violent as they aged. How exactly such rumors came to be known was a mystery to me, but it was also fortunate that I had Yuri to tell me that.
"It's because it is rumored that the God takes the souls of people from a world similar to yours and puts them in the bodies of dragons. Those dragons have the potential and talent that most other dragon's do not. As those dragons grow older, they become increasingly violent as they pass through their classes until they eventually snap and rampage."
Seeing the state of Siegfried, it was likely his first mental snap. He didn't seem to realize himself what he was doing, but nonetheless, he needed to be taught a lesson.
It was a natural order. You fuck around, you find the fuck out.
Slowly, my body began to change form. The disturbing sound of bones and skin ripping could be heard as I changed my body back to that of my original Dragon form and I put up a barrier of light magic around my body to protect myself.
Siegfried's mana crashed into the barrier.
-Crack-
And instantly, the barrier began to break under its force, showing signs of damage like broken ice. I expected it, but me, who specialized in physical ability against a dragon that specialized in their magic, fighting them in a battle of mana was not the way to go.
Shatter!
After another wave of mana, my barrier broke apart like shattered glass and disappeared. It held on just long enough for me to finish my transformation.
Siegfried had a look of shock and confusion as he saw my changed form. 'What happened to the small little girl?' he thought, bewildered. The little girl that was before his eyes had become a large, white dragon just like himself. In addition, that dragon was at least three times his size.
That's right.
I was bigger than Siegfried. Naturally, as I was a Master Rank. Compared to my siblings, who were the same age as me, I was about twice their size by the time I had left the cave to go adventuring. One's Rank explosively increased one's size. I still didn't hold a candle to the mass of my parents, but I certainly was significantly larger than the Novice Rank, Siegfried. It was a wonder to me though my I was so large in my dragon form, yet a little girl in my dragonoid form.
Siegfried took a step back once he saw how much larger his opposition was. Panic set in his head and his wings trembled as he held them tightly to his body in fear. He looked like a child who was afraid of getting whipped by a belt after doing something bad.
"[Siegfried.]" my voice boomed, harshly echoing off the walls and crashing into his eardrums. "[Stand down if you don't want to get hurt.]"
He was just a frightened child, nor was there was no need to take him seriously. And people like Siegfried who, based off the life story he gave me earlier, was a person who greatly valued his life. He wouldn't fight me if there was a threat to it. Normally, I would have beat a motherfucker to death, but I felt like sparing him.
Mana continued to escape from the scared dragon's frozen body, except this time, it had lost its killing intent and just bloated around him in an unconscious attempt to shield himself from danger.
His mana pricked against my body. I gazed down at my arm that was taking the brunt of the mana.
It was slowly dyeing black. Was his mana causing my flesh to necrotize? No wonder they were called Death Dragons. Of course, the nerves in my arm were screaming in pain as they were destroyed cell by cell and regenerated, only to die again in the next moment. It really hurt, but I couldn't let Siegfried notice that it did.
Was it was a good thing or a bad thing that I was becoming numb to pain?
...Yikes, that was cringe. Let's never think of that sentence again.
To distract myself from both the pain and the edgy line I just thought, I channeled my mana with more force than before.
As I specialized physically, when it came to healing myself, it was much more efficient than healing others. Sorry Siegfried, you simply met your counter. You were a essentially a lone mage facing a tank that had a continuous healing buff applied to them. No matter how much damage you dealt, it'd only be healed in the next instant. And you didn't have enough DPS to deal significant damage in a short amount of time.
In conclusion: get fucked nerd.
I took a step closer to Siegfried. The stone under my feet slightly caved in from my weight. In response, Siegfried took a step back.
"[You running away?]"
Seeing that Siegfried had enough piece of mind to think about running, he must not be crazed, but actually coherent. If that was true, then why is he performing this pathetic act in the first place?
I took a step back. Siegfried took a step forward.
I took another step forward, and Siegfried took another step back.
I was already pissed off at Siegfried. He was like an arrogant Russian middle schooler who like to mess with strangers only to back away at the first sign of retaliation from said stranger. If I approached, he'd back away. And if I backed away, he'd approach.
"[Listen here, fucko.]"
The only way to end this war of nerves was to go all in as I had initially planned.
"[You're pissing me off.]"
I quickly got in Siegfried's face. His neck was thin enough to where if I tried, I could bite it clean off in my maw. Yet, still, Siegfried didn't stop his mana from escaping his body.
"[I'll give you one last chance. Retract your mana, or I will kill you.]"
"[...]"
Wordlessly, probably because he was still struck with fear, Siegfried retracted his mana. He was cornered and outclassed. There wasn't much he could do.
"[Now that this dick measuring contest is over, i'll be leaving.]"
I didn't like having my skin decompose in real time and feeling the pain that came with it. Who in their right mind would?
That itching feeling in my head that was telling me to get out of this place was still aching me, so with hastened steps, I changed back into my human form to fit through the doorless doorframe.
"[I'm sorry... mother.]"
And once again, this guy does something that really knows how to make people stop in their tracks.