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.
Suddenly he heard someone calling him, he turned around and found a dark figure smiling at him.
"You shouldn't worry about that boy, the dragonheart crystal cannot be removed from his body, don't be reckless."
Gilgamesh did not know who that black figure was, but he seems to be worried about the decision he might make regarding Xaiver. No one can tell him what to do, he will make his own decisions as always.
"Don't give me orders, I'll make my own decisions." Gilgamesh scowled.
"Stubborn as always, I see." When the black figure said those words, his features became clearer to Gilgamesh's eyes.
"It cannot be, Ozymandias?" The dragon king couldn't believe that he would end up seeing the previous ruler once again.
"You don't seem happy to see me, even after all the years we spent together." Ozymandias always knew that he was never a special existence within Gilgamesh's heart, so he did not expect a heartwarming encounter.
"Why did you decide to appear in my dream, when you know I wouldn't listen to you?"
"Even if you harbor deep affection towards the current ruler, you cannot remove the crystal from his body. The celestial dragon will certainly pass its judgment upon you." Ozymandias warned.
Gilgamesh snorted. "Since when do I care what that damn dragon thinks?"
"If you remove the crystal from Xaiver's body, your path to redemption will be closed forever."
Gilgamesh clenched his fists tightly, but he couldn't help but think of the worst-case scenario. What if Xaiver dies because of the dragonheart crystal? He would have failed him, causing all hope to disappear forever.
Ozymandias understood the conflict in Gilgamesh's mind, so he placed his hand on the dragon king's shoulder and told him firmly. "Believe in him, Gilgamesh. If anyone can free dragons from their suffering, that person is him."
"You..."
The former ruler smiled reassuringly. "Xaiver has awakened the dragonheart crystal, and you must guide him to fulfill his destiny."
Gilgamesh took a deep breath. "I understand... but what about you? I thought you died back then."
Ozymandias said bitterly. "My body is currently in a deep slumber, I don't know if I will be able to wake up."
Gilgamesh chuckled humorlessly. "Always dramatic, aren't you?"
The previous ruler laughed softly. "Of course, I'm the great Pharaoh Ozymandias, it is obvious that I will return to the land of the living someday."
Gilgamesh rolled his eyes. "Sure..."
Ozymandias smiled warmly. "I hope we meet again one day, farewell, old friend."
Gilgamesh watched as the previous ruler disappeared from his sight.
"Farewell, Ozymandias." The king murmured.
Gilgamesh slowly opened his eyes, Xaiver still sleeping next to him. The dragon king checked the ruler's mana flow and it seemed to be stable. It looks like he doesn't need to remove the crystal after all.
The dragon king sighed as he thought about what Ozymandias said. If Xaiver manages to end the war against the gods, Gilgamesh's path to redemption will open once again. Although he was not sure that the celestial dragon would grant him his wish, he is willing to take any risk to restore the glory of the dragons.
Gilgamesh looked at Xaiver, relieved that he had avoided making a terrible mistake. The dragon king gently caressed the ruler's cheek, wondering what kind of dream he was having.
...
Xaiver woke up in an unknown place, but it was very beautiful, so he thought maybe he might be in heaven.
Suddenly, a mysterious voice called out to him. "Ruler..."
Xaiver looked around, but he saw no one nearby.
"Who's there? Where am I?"
"You are within my domain."
The ruler looked up and saw a huge dragon flying in the sky. The creature had a long serpentine body with blue scales and four wings on its back, white feathers covered the wing membranes. The dragon descended and landed gracefully before the ruler, revealing its enormous size.
Xaiver looked at the dragon in amazement, as he had never been able to see such a majestic creature in his life.
"You are the celestial dragon...right?" The ruler asked hesitantly.
The dragon nodded. "Indeed, I am."
Xaiver bowed respectfully. "Nice to meet you."
The celestial dragon shook his head. "There is no need for formalities, ruler."
"Can I ask you something?" The ruler asked nervously.
"Go ahead, you may speak." The dragon agreed.
"Will I be able to save the dragon and the human race?"
The celestial dragon looked at Xaiver seriously. "If you succeed in your mission, then both races will find salvation; however, your journey will be filled with pain and sadness."
The ruler lowered his gaze sadly. "I see..."
"Do not lose hope, ruler. You have awakened the dragonheart crystal, which means you are worthy of being a savior." The dragon reassured.
Xaiver clenched his fists tightly, looking at the celestial dragon with determination in his eyes. "I will do my best! I will save dragons and humans!"
The celestial dragon smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, ruler. But you should know that there is only one dragon alive in the entire world, and that is Gilgamesh."
"What! But what about the citizens of Uruk? Aren't they dragons too?"
"Not anymore, in the previous war between humans and dragons, humanity won, so the gods eradicated the dragon race. The previous ruler, Pharaoh Ozymandias, gave part of his life to bring the dragon race back to life. However, they lost their dragon form. The only dragon to survive the wrath of the gods was King Gilgamesh."
Xaiver frowned. "Is Gilgamesh the only dragon?"
"Correct, since there is no guarantee that Ozymandias will wake up from his deep slumber."
"I see..."
"Ruler, you are the only one who can end this bloody war. With Gilgamesh's guidance, you will be able to achieve your goal."
Xaiver nodded firmly. "I understand, I'll do my best to end the war."
The celestial dragon smiled. "Very well, ruler. Farewell."
Xaiver closed his eyes slowly, falling into darkness.
...
Xaiver slowly opened his eyes and found Gilgamesh sitting next to him. The ruler sat up and stretched, feeling completely refreshed.
The dragon king asked. "How are you feeling?"
"I don't feel any pain, so I think I'm fine now."
Gilgamesh sighed in relief. "That's good to hear, I thought you wouldn't wake up."
Xaiver remembered his conversation with the celestial dragon. "King Gilgamesh, I spoke to the celestial dragon, he told me that you are the last dragon in the whole world."
Gilgamesh snorted. "Yes, unfortunately that is true, the others lost their dragon form and became humans."
Xaiver looked at Gilgamesh worried. "What happened during the previous war between dragons and humans?"
"Right now I can't tell you what happened, but maybe one day."
The ruler understood that Gilgamesh probably did not want to talk about it, so he respected his decision.
"Stay here and rest for a while, Siduri will come to bring you food along with your two brothers."
"It's been a long time since I saw Edward and Cid, even though they live in the castle, I rarely see them." Xaiver murmured.
Gilgamesh stood up from the bed. "I have things to attend, so I'll leave you alone."
Xaiver watched as the dragon king walked away. "Wait, King Gilgamesh."
The dragon king turned and looked at Xaiver questioningly.
"Never mind, it's nothing."
Gilgamesh raised an eyebrow suspiciously, but decided to ignore it, leaving the room. Xaiver fell onto the bed, wondering why he wanted to call out to Gilgamesh.
A few hours later, Siduri brought the food to Gilgamesh's chamber, accompanied by Edward and Cid. Xaiver sat up and smiled happily when he saw his brothers.
Edward sat next to him and hugged him tightly. "I'm glad to see you awake, when I heard you fainted I was really worried."
Cid approached Xaiver, checking to see if he was injured anywhere. "Are you feeling okay? Do you need anything? Just tell me and I'll get it for you."
Xaiver chuckled softly. "I'm fine, Cid. Don't worry."
Cid pouted. "But I was really worried, you know."
Siduri placed the food on the table next to the bed. "Here is your lunch, please enjoy it."
Xaiver thanked her sincerely. "Thank you, Siduri."
Edward sniffed the food curiously. "This smells delicious."
"Let's eat before the food gets cold."
"Ruler, I must inform you that King Gilgamesh will be away for a couple of days, I'm pretty sure he hasn't told you." Siduri informed.
Xaiver felt a bit disappointed, but he did not show it. "No, he didn't say anything."
"Samhat is performing a ritual, so the king took Diarmuid with him to stop her. But don't worry, Enkidu will always be by your side if anyone tries to harm you when the king is gone."
"Samhat? Who is she?" Xaiver asked curiously.
"Samhat is a priestess who worships the goddess Ishtar, she is responsible for creating a storm to destroy Uruk. King Gilgamesh believes that Samhat is trying to increase Ishtar's power, so he is going to stop her." Siduri explained calmly.
Edward exclaimed. "A storm destroying Uruk?! That sounds horrible!"
"Yes, I think Urash has already arrived at the temple, he should be able to stop her ritual before it's too late." Siduri added calmly.
"I hope everything turns out well." Xaiver murmured.
"Don't worry, ruler. Urash will definitely stop Samhat until the king arrives." She reassured.
Xaiver hoped that Urash could stop Samhat; Otherwise, many people would die under the storm.