《The Strongest Species》


 Chapter 1: Awakening

    It was dark... but it was warm... comfortable... and safe...


    Magnus remembered a time where it was only like this but he couldn''t fully pinpoint it. He couldn''t remember the scenes but he could remember the emotions.


    He couldn''t move, just like before. What did he do then?


    What did I do then?


    As if eternity passed, Magnus remembered some aspects of it.


    He breathed.


    The darkness quickly became engulfed in light.


    Too bright...


    Magnus would have closed his eyes if he were human but dragons have the most evolved eyes in the world. He became quickly accustomed to the light.


    Feeling a bit wet and sticky, the dragonet slowly climbed out of its broken shell. Magnus''s scales were gold in color and due to his age, the scales had a dull sheen.


    He wiggled his body to remove some of the liquid that came from his egg.


    The gold dragonet looked around.


    It was a cave but it wasn''t dark. It helped that the dragon''s eyes were sharp and the cave was illuminated by crystals. Thousands of crystals protruded everywhere, on the ceiling, the walls, and the floor. When Magnus inhaled the air around him, he felt the thick presence of magical energy in the cavern.


    The crystals are beautiful and they looked valuable as well. While this beautiful environment would cause awe in anyone, the dragonet''s reaction only consisted of a stomach growl. Magnus was annoyed by this feeling.


    It approached a nearby crystal. It raised its claw and touched the crystal. Magnus immediately felt refreshed as a wave of energy rushes towards him.


    Then he chomped on the crystal. The diamond-like crystal shattered like glass under the strength of the infant dragon. With crystal shards in his mouth, Magnus started chewing.


    Tastes nice.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The dragonet''s hunger was satiated by the crystal''s innate energy. Magnus'' body seemed to become tougher as the consumed energy reinforced bones, muscle, and sinew.


    Despite his great hunger, a single bite was enough to satisfy Magnus. He did not finish the crystal.


    After satisfying his first concern, the dragonet then looked around. It was confusing for him.


    It had old memories but none of them covered how to handle this age but at the same time, those old memories were fuzzy, as if fading in and out of existence. It was concerning but as the memories slowly disappear, the concern fades just as fast.


    For now, Magnus'' main concern was to explore the cave.


    The area where Magnus was born was the main area of the cave. It had the most crystals and, after a more thorough look, some metals that protruded from different parts of the ground. The crystals seemed to release some light, giving the cave a soothing ambiance. The main area was circular in shape with a flat ground where Magnus could walk in.


    There was a small pool of water by the side. It was releasing some form of a mist which enriched Magnus'' senses.


    Magnus drank from it before he turned his attention to the pathway leading out of the main area.


    The pathway was smooth and the crystals seemed to regulate the temperature as well, not that Magnus needed it. The dragonet''s claws had a bone structure that allowed it to scale almost any environment, even a smooth marble ceiling.


    The pathway leads to an uphill path which leads to another big cavern. This cavern is dotted with crystals and metals as well but their sheen and magical aura seemed to pale in comparison to the ones in the main area. It still exuded a lot of magical energy but compared to the main area, it was unbelievably scant.


    Magnus looked around and noticed that there are some other inhabitants of this cave. Magnus huffed his nose and it felt like the whole cavern stopped. All the creatures turned their attention toward the gleaming dragonet.


    The creatures have never seen a dragon before but even if a thousand years pass, instinct reminds us of our greatest fears. The creatures knew that the small but shiny dragon represented millennia of sleeping power so they stopped moving to give it the rightful deference it deserved.


    Magnus huffed again as if to release the creatures. The creatures quickly scuttled away, afraid of being called once more. The young dragonet continued on his travel, his purpose is to reach the outside of the cave.


    Magnus followed the pathway once again. As Magnus traveled towards the exit, the crystals and metals slowly started to become less common. It wasn''t too long before Magnus reached the cave entrance where it looked like any normal cave entrance, albeit covered with natural leaves, vines, and old tree branches.


    Magnus approaches the shrubbery and as he is about to touch the shrubbery, he feels a compulsion to stop as if his senses are telling him that he is far too weak to survive the outside area yet. Magnus huffs again, a bit annoyed.


    Despite the instinctual fear, he feels an old memory that tells him to stop acting like before and face his problems head-on. So, Magnus steps forward.


    The feeling of grass on his claws is a bit wet. It''s morning. Magnus breathes in. He sighs in pleasure as he feels the touch of nature on his body.


    Magnum walks forward to explore this huge forest.

 Chapter 2: Change to Survive

    Magnus walked away from his cave. He intends to return to it since the magical energy in that place is too precious to leave fully.


    I''ll leave it when... what?... when what?


    Magnus stopped for a moment. Why was it important for him to stay in a place with a lot of magical energy? Energy is enough to stop his hunger but that could be done by hunting. Magnus'' instincts confirmed that he could indeed hunt other animals so there wasn''t a need for energy. So why does he feel the need to return to it?


    Nevermind. I''ll think about it when I get there.


    With a quick thought, Magnus banished his confused thinking. For now, Magnus was simply interested in his surroundings. His cave was well-hidden. It was covered with dozens of foliage and greenery. It barely had a mound in which a hill would form and the trees around it formed a nice barrier. And most important of all, it seemed natural to the area.


    The forest was huge. Magnus tried to use his wings to fly but it seems that he cannot muster the strength to fly, for now at least. But the forest is still huge beyond Magnus'' perception. His sharp senses told him that even as he walked, there were many creatures around him scuttling around, minding their own business.


    There was a manner of many types of creatures in this wide world but Magnus did not care much for them. He stopped again. That was a mistake. His old memories told him that not caring was a mistake.


    But why?


    His mind and instincts were telling him that he should worry. He should think. He shouldn''t rely on simply his strength. There''s something that is warning him that he must not ignore the weak. Not anymore.


    Despite not knowing the full reason, Magnus chose to trust his instincts. He then observed the creatures around him as he traversed the thick forest. The number of creatures present was too many. It would be too burdensome to list all of them but Magnus categorized these creatures in his head.


    Insignificant


    Magnus is not belittling these creatures for no reason. For him, these creatures are not powerful and not in any way able to affect the world. They balance the ecosystem but great enough magic can do that. This isn''t looking down on these creatures but understanding that while they do have a job in the world, it can be replaced.


    The voice in his head telling him to not ignore the creatures has quieted down. This is enough for now.


    As Magnus continued on his way, his sharp senses alerted him to something. He heard the almost imperceptible rustling of leaves. Magnus turned his head to the right. He saw a collection of thick trees.


    It wouldn''t have been a problem but dragons, even ones that recently hatched, are extremely attuned to nature unless that dragon has chosen to live a life of destruction, in which only the thoughts of the next chaos would fill their heads. In this case, Magnus felt the forest spirits fly away, as if afraid of something.


    Dragons are characterized by many things but mostly curiosity and pride. While there is a famous phrase "curiosity killed the cat", there is also another famous phrase in this world. It is "you''ve got a dragon''s curiosity" which meant that one was strong enough to have that level of curiosity.


    Magnus turned to his right and started to follow the direction where the forest spirits were running from. The forest spirits are invisible entities that help guide the forest. They are simply what allows the forest to be a forest. The swaying of every tree, the bending of a flower, and even the sweetness of fruit are caused by a forest spirit. Magnus acknowledged them because while similar to insignificant creatures, the work of forest spirits is far more important.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.


    I smell... iron... no... blood...


    Magnus first caught wind the scent of iron but as he continued his walk, he realized it was blood. After demolishing a few shrubs, Magnus reached a clearing.


    "Kill them!"


    The sound of slaughter and metal clashing was everywhere. Magnus saw a group of skeletons attack helpless animals. Behind all of this cruel order is a robed individual. The robed individual was an old man whose face was emaciated but his eyes were filled with hate-filled vigor.


    Magnus watches as the poor denizens of the forest are getting slaughtered. He contemplated whether he should help or not. Dragons used to rule the world and in this current world, Magnus knew that he was alone. Dragons no longer rule the world and while he did not have any proof, he felt it in his essence. If he were to reveal himself and many heard about a young dragon, many would try to harm him.


    But there it was again. His instincts... No... It wasn''t his instincts. A dragon''s instincts would never tell him to jump into a dangerous situation and take the risk of revealing himself. These were his old memories. Magnus felt the calling of the past. He must change. His instincts will protect him as a dragon but the dragons of the past lost when they followed their instincts.


    We need new instincts.


    And to gain new instincts, one must change their thoughts. Magnus stepped forward.


    <hr>


    Melinoe was a necromancer. He was once a student of the magical academy but he had horrible talent. It was enough to learn magic but not enough to pass the academy. It meant that his future of becoming an esteemed mage was not going to happen and at most, he would have become a minor assistant to some accomplished mage.


    This did not sit well with the young and impressionable man. Frantic and desperate, Melinoe started looking for any way he could increase his power, just so he could pass. And he did, he found his source of power. A book filled with evil magic. It was in the school library. Why and how could such an evil book be present in a library that did not deal with evil magic?


    It was simple. Someone planted it for gullible and weak-minded individuals like Melinoe. And just as planned, Melinoe delved deep into this evil magic. With forbidden arts, Melinoe passed but before he could celebrate, his teacher discovered his depredations and attempted to slay him. Melinoe, with his newfound powers, escaped.


    As he delved deeper into the book, Melinoe did not realize that it cost so much power and energy to use these monstrous magics. Just to progress the book''s lessons, Melinoe spent his early years, transforming him into a monstrous old man despite being only at the young age of 21. Too late did he realize his folly. Now there''s only one way left and it was the path to madness.


    Melinoe looked at his small but respectable army. It was a great number of more than two dozens of skeleton warriors, all reanimated from a defiled graveyard. He intended to summon more and according to the book''s next passages, he could create an undead ravager if he can create more skeletons and fuse their bodies.


    With this number of undead, Melinoe could ransack a small village. According to the book, the slaying of innocent souls render demonic mana, a powerful source of energy that''s compatible with the lessons present in the book. When Melinoe destroys a village, it would not only give him demonic mana but also more bodies to work with, allowing him to create an even bigger army. If he is smart about how he acts, he will snowball to become a powerful and untouchable grand necromancer.


    Melinoe could not help but laugh. His maniacal laughter filled the area as his servants ruthlessly massacred the forest''s denizens. Their deaths, while small in amount, give Melinoe some demonic mana. This amount would be more than enough to raise two more dozens of the undead.


    I can feel it! The academy will be forced to apologize! Accept my power! And induct me in the rank of mages! No! Archmages!


    As he was imagining his triumphant return, he felt a sudden stillness. He looked to his servants and saw that the skeletons were standing still as if their connection to their master was cut. Even the wounded animals refused to move as if the incoming entity is more terrifying than whatever wound they had now.


    All the skeletons and animals turned their eyes towards a part of the trees. Melinoe did so too.


    In the thick foliage, Melinoe saw two bluish slits staring at him. Those eyes felt terrifying as if a predator was looking down on its prey.


    "Wha-... Skeletons! Check that bush! Now!"


    Melinoe manages to command his servants. The skeletons suddenly come back to life as their master''s command suffuses them with purpose. Before the skeletons could actually move, Melinoe''s curiosity was immediately answered as the foliage started to move. The thick collection of leaves and shrubbery made for a beautiful entrance as Magnus stepped forward, his golden body reflecting beautifully in the sunlight. His presence made the skeletons stop once more. The animals started to whimper in fear. Melinoe''s jaw dropped as he saw a creature he only knew as a legend.


    "Dra-dragon!"

 Chapter 3: Ripping a soul apart

    Magnus'' presence was powerful. No matter what he did, even if he tried to suppress it, the presence of a dragon instilled fear into everything, even things that one would consider fearless.


    The three skeletons that followed Melinoe''s order hesitated when Magnus first appeared. That was a mistake.


    The body of the nearest skeleton was immediately shattered to pieces as Magnus swiped his right claw. The force of the dragonet was enough to shatter bone infused with magic.


    Melinoe screamed as he saw Magnus shatter one of his soldiers. He remembers the time he dug those graves in the middle of the night while always looking behind him to see if anyone would stop him. The stress was enough to kill a man and yet his hard work was immediately destroyed.


    Magnus didn''t care and he shattered the two undead in front of him with a swipe and a powerful bite.


    "Attack! Destroy the dra-dragon!"


    Melinoe managed to recover some of his courage and ordered the remaining undead to swarm Magnus. Something that Magnus seems to remember is that the lowest tier of the undead isn''t too powerful. They''re capable of wounding ordinary people but against trained individuals, these entities are nothing but moving flesh bags or, in this case, a walking pile of bones. Despite being on all fours, Magnus attacked with great swiftness.


    His claws rendered bone into dust and his bites dealt damage sufficient enough to scatter the reanimating magic within the skeletons. Once Melinoe gathered his wits, he opened the book and started casting a spell.


    With the meager demonic essence he gathered, Melinoe starts to cast a spell of destruction.


    "Oh great beast of the unknown, summon yourself in the presence of a humble servant and destroy his foes. Let their flesh be melted, their bones dusted, and their memories wiped from the mind of their beloved!"


    Melinoe summons demonic energy on his decrepit right hand. As he chants, the dark energy starts to crackle and even slowly burn off his flesh. Before his whole right hand is burnt off, Melinoe releases the spell.


    Demon Lightning!!


    A bolt of red lightning appears from Melinoe''s hand and it streaks towards Magnus with great speed. The skeletons in between were obliterated as the lightning destroyed everything in its path. Magnus'' eyes looked forward at the incoming spell. The lightning spreads out as it hits Magnus straight on the body. The collision releases a small area of smoke that covered Magnus.


    "Yes! I am all-powerful!"


    Before Melinoe could continue his celebration, he hears an exhalation of air as the smoke is cleared with ease, revealing Magnus. The lightning strikes Magnus'' front chest, leaving a small wound on it. The wound is small and negligent but the spell still managed to harm Magnus, albeit minimally.


    Melinoe''s eyes widen. He used almost all the demonic essence he gathered for that spell and it just scratched the dragon.


    "Wh-why me?! What did I deserve to reach such horrible luck!? Skeletons destroy it!"


    Melinoe''s command wills the undead to rush forward and attack Magnus. Despite seeing his servants get eviscerated earlier, Melinoe somehow believes that the remaining undead can kill the dragon.


    His weak confidence is quickly shattered as Magnus shatters the first skeletons by swiping both his claws in front of him. Melinoe''s legs slowly weakened as he saw his small army get decimated without any effort.


    While the forces that harmed the forest''s denizens were being destroyed, the animals stayed. It''s not because they were interested in watching their attacker''s demise, not that they understand such a concept, but it is because they were afraid that the dragon''s wrath would be directed at them.


    Magnus studied his work. The bones were scattered everywhere. He wasn''t particularly proud of his actions. It''s not like a weak skeleton could possibly harm him, especially these types of undead.


    He turned his attention to Melinoe who is standing still in complete fear.


    Magnus thought of what he needed to do. Should he kill this necromancer? The necromancer had the scent of dark magic and if one wasn''t aware of the intricacies of magic his old age would be a sign that he has been a user of dark magic for a long time.Stolen novel; please report.


    This isn''t the case for Magnus.


    A dragon''s senses aren''t simply on the physical plane but also extend to the spiritual and astral plane. Magnus peered into Melinoe''s soul and sees a young tortured soul. The soul was white with its farthest edges being black in color. It meant that the soul wasn''t fully corrupted by evil. From the fear evident in Melinoe''s face, Magnus knew that Melinoe might have been coerced or even manipulated into this situation, albeit with his free will, if you can even call it free will.


    Magnus started to walk towards Melinoe. Melinoe screams and he uses the last of his demonic essence to cast Demonic Lightning.


    The red lightning strikes Magnus straight on the head. The smoke quickly dissipates and reveals an unharmed dragon. Unknown to most, except the most fanatic of dragon scholars, the head of a dragon has the toughest scales.


    Melinoe screams with an undignified sound and he tries to summon the power of his demonic mana but he finds himself drained dry. Desperate, Melinoe starts to cast neutral mana spells instead, the spells he learned in the academy.


    "Strike true, I call upon the movement of energy and allow my will to strike my enemy without missing a beat!"


    Mana Missiles!


    Multiple darts of energy appear from Melinoe''s hand and they fly with great speed towards Magnus. Each dart strikes true and hits Magnus'' body. As expected, there was no effect. After all, even if multiple mana missiles hit a single spot, it would still be significantly weaker than a single demonic lightning spell. But Melinoe was afraid. If he wasn''t so desperate, he would realize that his spells would not be able to harm Magnus. It was better to escape.


    It was too late now. After casting multiple spells in succession, Melinoe''s mana was running dry. Magnus eventually stopped a few feet in front of the aged young man. On all fours, Magnus only stood at 3 feet tall yet he looked gargantuan for Melinoe. The poor man dropped to his knees.


    After he escaped the academy, he hid for 2 years. He hid in the worst conditions. He was a mage that came from a wealthy merchant family and yet he could not approach his family. He was afraid that if he did, they would be persecuted like him so he hid in the recesses of society. When he became 20 years old, he acted upon his plan and started studying the book to gain power. Unwilling to harm the innocent, he used his life force to power his first experiments. And after giving almost 60 years'' worth of his life for power, it was destroyed by an unlucky meeting with a legendary creature thought to be extinct.


    For the first time in those 3 miserable years, Melinoe prayed. Before his mind could conceive any prayer, Magnus lunged forward with his gaping mouth. It should''ve been done there. The average dragonet''s bite force exceeded 5000 psi and Magnus was definitely not an average dragonet. Despite this, Melinoe felt no pain. He opened his eyes and he saw Magnus in front of him. The dragonet wasn''t moving but Melinoe definitely felt the dragon move.


    Despite being a magic caster, Melinoe was not powerful enough nor did he have the talent or skill to perceive the spiritual world. Magnus momentarily split his soul from his body and with his spirit, he lunged forward and took a bite out of Melinoe''s soul. Magnus could easily consume Melinoe''s soul to become stronger but that would taint his soul and Melinoe''s soul was lacking compared to the crystals in his cave. Instead, Magnus took a bite of the tainted part of Melinoe''s soul.


    Demonic bile...


    Magnus felt disgusted but it was over just as fast as it started. He ripped the darkened soul and threw it into the recesses of the void, home of the demons. Fortunately for Melinoe, the corruption wasn''t deep, or else it would have been impossible to save his soul.


    The moment Magnus'' astral self returned to his physical body, Melinoe undergoes a quick change. His body becomes engulfed in greenish light as the gaps in his soul try to find a substitute. With no demonic essence in the area to fill those gaps, Melinoe''s soul instead absorbs the forest spirits around him. Due to his soul''s nature changing, Melinoe regains his youth as his body changes from that of an old man to a man in his prime. The change didn''t stop there. His eyes changed to the color green as if to reflect the forest. His white hair turned to a nice shade of brown. When the transformation was finished, Melinoe felt refreshed. It was the most refreshed he has ever been.


    He no longer felt burdened by his past mistakes. He felt like a new person. In this case, he truly was a new person.


    Before he could think about what just happened, he turned to his benefactor, the dragon who destroyed his devilish work. When he looked up, he saw Magnus walking away. The whole affair didn''t seem to bother the dragon.


    It didn''t. Magnus didn''t really care about much of what happened but he did take the book. He didn''t want anyone picking it up and using it so near his home. It was just a bit annoying carrying the book with his mouth.


    "Wa-wait!"


    Melinoe, with his new body and reinvigorated youth, screams for Magnus. He runs and for the first time in three years, he feels strong. His lungs are coping well with his physical effort. It was like all the suffering was a dream.


    Magnus turned to see the man. He didn''t care much for him, he simply decided to follow what his old memories were warning him about. He needed to care. It was weird but he needed to change. Magnus didn''t speak. It wasn''t because he didn''t want to. He was too young. Speaking was not something he could do yet.


    "Ancient one! Please wait!"


    Melinoe only knew of the legends of dragons and how they were the true immortals. He didn''t know about their growth process or how they grow. He knows that they become big and powerful but he didn''t know the specifics either. For him, Magnus might as well be the god of dragons.


    Magnus stopped. He waited for the man to speak. When Melinoe sees Magnus wait, he heaves a sigh of relief. He wanted to thank him. But is that it? The dragon removed the corruption in his soul but could he do more?


    "Ancient one! I, Melinoe Vourina, wish to become your servant!"


    Magnus huffed and turned around, immediately rejecting the request. He didn''t want a servant. Melinoe started panicking and he followed Magnus, to wherever the great dragon walked.

 Chapter 4: A Poor Mans Desperate Plea

    Magnus left the clearing but Melinoe continued to follow him. Melinoe kept trying to sell himself.


    He studied magic. Not interesting.


    He is an accomplished mage. Not interesting.


    He knows dark magic. Not interesting.


    He can help him do stuff that requires thumbs. Dragons have thumbs and have more bones in their hands allowing flexibility that most thumbed creatures do not have.


    "I-I can help you carry that book ancient one."


    Magnus stopped for a moment and looked at the forestborne in front of him. Truth be told, Magnus does not know this man''s name. He mentioned it earlier but the dragon could not be bothered to remember it. But the dark book was becoming cumbersome on his mouth. He dropped it and the forestborne took it.


    "Yes, I will help you ancient one!"


    Magnus started walking and Melinoe started following from behind. Magnus simply needed someone to carry the book. He plans to stash it in his cave later. Despite the evil book, dragons truly have the innate nature of hoarding. This book could be considered his first treasure. And if he became interested, he could read it later. Dark magic can''t corrupt his soul.


    Magnus continued to walk. He was looking for any landmark or anything he could do. After almost an hour of traversing the forest, Magnus reached an area with fewer trees. Outside of it, he saw a rough path. Despite walking non-stop, Melinoe was not showing any signs of fatigue. The transformation increased his physical abilities that are not usually present in magic casters.


    Magnus stayed in the forest as he surveyed the road.


    No humans... but there''s a road... civilization might be nearby then.


    Magnus felt the need to check civilization. He knew it was risky but he needed to see how far humanity has advanced. His memories aren''t clear but he knows a few things. It''s been 1,000 years since the time of dragons. He must see if humanity became the paragon race that they wanted to be. Defeating the dragon race surely would have given them the boost needed to reach that pinnacle.


    "Ancient one, may I ask where you intend to go?"


    Magnus ignored the mage. Magnus started to follow the road but he kept himself inside the forest. If by chance a powerful human showed up, he would not have the power to protect himself. He needs to be careful. Despite being ignored, Melinoe followed Magnus.


    The mage, even when he was fixed, did not have a change of heart. He still wished to become a great mage. It was his dream as a child. It wouldn''t change just because of a fortuitous encounter. In fact, he''ll side with this dragon till the end just to get a chance to become an official mage.


    Magnus was unaware of Melinoe''s thoughts and if he did, he wouldn''t have really done anything. For now, he has a book carrier. Magnus followed the road.


    <hr>


    There was a caravan traveling. It was a group of poor peasants that just sold their extra harvest to the nearby town. Their harvest consisted of wheat, grain, and corn. Simple food for simple people. These poor farmers usually do not sell their harvest even if they had an abundant season but a bandit leader recently came into their lands demanding payment. They already took their most beautiful woman and if they don''t pay tonight, the remaining women will be taken while the men are sold to a slave mine.


    Gregory, the village head, gripped the reins of the caravan horse in anger. It was his daughter they took. She was only 18 years old. She was supposed to study in the city. He saved up all the money he got from selling his harvest over the past 18 years just to let her study under a respectable merchant.


    But now, she was a captive by unsavory men and he was to pay them tonight, or else the women and daughters of his friends will suffer the same fate. What man should suffer this? He wanted to hire mercenaries, ask for help, or even hire a costly adventurer but he was warned. If there were any signs of mercenaries or adventurers, the bandits would escape with his daughter. He could not risk it!


    Gregory looked forward as he controlled the pace of the horse. He chose the slowest pace he could. He wanted this day to end but he could not bear to hasten it as well. While the caravan moved forward, Gregory heard his friends talk about the current situation. They were affected but not as much as he was. They had threats pointed at their faces but they haven''t lost anything yet. Gregory might lose his precious daughter.


    For a moment, Gregory closed his eyes and he started to pray. He started praying to every god he knew. When he closed his eyes, Gregory remembered an old prayer. One that worshipped the beast of the dragon forest.


    <hr>


    Great Lord of the woods,


    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.I call upon your nobility and compassion.


    Grant me the fertility of harvest and protection from starvation.


    Help me see far past the trees which block my view.


    Give me the strength to survive this temporary pain.


    Let me peacefully live my life in quiet.


    Allow your wings to provide shade onto our homes


    until the time comes you spread it open and let loose the buffeting of creation.


    <hr>


    Magnus'' eyes widened as he felt a call. Not too far from him, he felt the touch of desperation call upon him. Melinoe noticed a sudden change to the dragon. He then looked at the road and saw a slow-moving caravan. Melinoe took note of the poor peasants. They must have come from the nearby village he intended to destroy. His mind has changed now. He no longer wants to learn dark magic. He''ll learn whatever his dragon master will teach him.


    Magnus didn''t notice Melinoe''s changing facial features but instead, he focused on the caravan. The caravan had the scent of a dragon worshipper. He smelled the scent of sleeping dragon blood in the man. It was weak but this man''s ancestors once worshipped the dragon race.


    Before Magnus could think of what to do, Melinoe spoke.


    "Ancient one, if these peasants interest you. I can gladly offer them to you! They shall fill your stomach with glee and-"


    Magnus lightly slapped Melinoe with his tail. If Melinoe did not transform into a forestborne, Magnus'' tail whip would have surely killed him. Fortunately, it only knocked out the young man. Magnus watched the caravan move and he followed. He made sure to stay in the woods. He was interested in this descendent of a worshipper but if danger shows up, he will withdraw. No use in risking oneself for something interesting.


    Magnus took the book from the unconscious Melinoe and left the mage for whatever fate awaited him. It was enough that he saved the mage''s soul from eternal damnation.


    The caravan''s destination wasn''t too far. It was a nondescript village with nothing special in it. They worshipped the common gods, planted common crops, and had commoners with common jobs. That was the village''s look if one didn''t know what to look for.


    Magnus studied the village from afar and felt the presence of an old dragon. The dragon was long gone but its presence continues to protect this village from certain destruction. Its presence was waning and Magnus felt that misfortune will befall the village. He was thinking if he should act. His memories tell him that he should gather allies. Instinct tells him otherwise.


    Magnus grits his teeth in annoyance. Should he follow his memories or should he follow his instincts? Magnus chose to follow his instincts for now. He won''t approach the village yet. He will watch the worshipper, to see if he is worthy of visiting.


    Magnus stayed still. His golden scales seemed to blur and create a camouflaging effect that would trick most individuals.


    Magnus stayed in the same spot for hours. His supernatural senses spread out as he watched the village. His stomach eventually felt empty.


    Weird.


    The energy he got from the crystal disappeared as if absorbed into something deep inside him. While waiting for something to happen, he looked deep inside him. He saw his primordial soul at the center of it was a perfect sphere that seemed to hold the universe in it. It was barely full. The bite he took from the crystal seemed to add a measly 10% to it. He would need 9 more bites to fill it up. Magnus doesn''t know what will happen if he fills up his core but he will try it later. For now, he continues to watch the village.


    <hr>


    Gregory and his fellow farmers reached the village. The sun was still up. He dreaded the time it would go down. He made the lonely walk back to his darkened home.


    Ever since his wife died from childbirth, his only motivation to live was his daughter. He loved and cherished her. He wanted nothing in this world than to see her happy and living with a full stomach. He succeeded for the past 18 years... until now


    He opened the door to his home. It was dim. In truth, it was actually bright due to the sun being up but it felt darker as if the sole light of the home was extinguished. Gregory entered and he sat by the dinner table. He contemplated taking his life.


    No!


    Anger suffused Gregory''s veins. He slapped himself on the face.


    How could he think of taking his life if his daughter is out there suffering! As long as his daughter is alive, Gregory would push through. Gregory went to his hunting drawer. He took his knife and bow and arrow. He couldn''t do anything now but if night hits, he could follow those bastards back to their den and find a way to save his daughter.


    Don''t worry my little girl, daddy''s coming!


    Gregory prepared everything he could carry. He started thinking differently. Humans, like animals, are made of blood, bones, and sinew. That means they can die just like an animal if you treat them like one. Gregory has been a hunter most of his life. He has never used his skills against a human before but for some reason, he was thinking differently now. Gregory has never been this sharp-witted or decisive. It was as if something awakened within him that''s giving him the strength and power to act. Whatever it is, he''ll act before it wears off. Act before the fear grips his heart. In Gregory''s mind, he saw his daughter begging to be saved.


    I will save you!


    <hr>


    Magnus did not have memories of having servants so he was not aware of his effect on this lone worshipper. As planned, Magnus stayed in the same spot observing the village and the worshipper. The worshipper left his house and entered a shed. He took hunting traps and other items that Magnus didn''t recognize. Magnus was surprised at Gregory''s sudden change of demeanor. Earlier when Magnus first saw Gregory, he was sullen and depressed but now he was acting with purpose. His eyes burnt with energy and his body felt energized.


    Magnus continued studying the worshipper. Eventually, night arrived and Magnus felt the presence of other people. He turns his eyes to a path that leads to the forest. In the dark, Magnus sees the silhouette of at least a dozen men. The men reeked of filth. They obviously haven''t bathed in days. They had the scent of dried meat and blood.


    Bandits.


    While only seeing them now, the word popped up into Magnus'' head. His old but blurred memories seem to really help him when he is in need. In this case, he associates these malicious individuals with the term "bandit".


    Magnus stays still as he watches what happens.


    The village people gather in the center as the bandits show up. The village head, Gregory, shows up as well. He was a bit sweaty as if he was running around.


    Magnus was curious as to why those bandits were here. Before the conversations could begin, Magnus'' senses pricked once more. Magnus sensed the presence of another person as they enter the village. Magnus turns his eyes towards the path and sees a handsome young man with green eyes and soft brown hair.


    Hmmm...

 Chapter 5: A Dragons Power

    Melinoe woke up. The sun was starting to dip by then. He rubbed his head.


    Ow... did something hit me?


    Melinoe looked around and couldn''t find Magnus.


    Oh no! Where''s my master!


    Unknown to Melinoe, Magnus already left him for the village. Melinoe started looking around for tracks. Unfortunately for Melinoe, Magnus''s steps are light despite his weight. Magnus did not leave any tracks to follow. Magnus did not do it intentionally, it was simply in his best interest to not be followed by anyone.


    My master has gone elsewhere! I must find him! Aha! The village!


    Melinoe remembered that his master was interested in the peasants that were going back to their village.


    Does my master want to eat them? If that''s the case... why did he spare me?


    A sudden inspiration enters Melinoe''s self-centered head.


    My master saw my talent! I knew it! Those stupid old men at the academy couldn''t see talent if it slapped them in the face!


    If Magnus knew what Melinoe was thinking, he would have simply left him to his fate.


    I must find my master. This must be a test.


    <hr>


    Magnus looked at the poor delusional sap that is Melinoe. He didn''t consider him to be an idiot but he did think that Melinoe was unlucky.


    Melinoe proudly strode towards the village. When he looked around, he immediately saw the collection of people near the village center.


    As Melinoe approached the village center, some of the bandits that were ordered to keep a lookout for enemies informed their fellow bandits about Melinoe.


    "Hey!"


    Without any tact, the undergraduate mage called the attention of the bandit group.


    The bandit group splits in half to reveal their leader, a muscular man with dirty blonde hair. He had an ax on his back and a shortsword on his right hip.


    Melinoe seemed to scrunch his nose. His senses became sharper ever since his transformation.


    "Oof, you guys fucking stink. Don''t you barbarians know what a shower is?"


    The comment at their stink seemed to gain the ire of many of the bandits.


    "Who the hell are you, you skinny twig?"


    The leader spat in Melinoe''s direction, just a few inches away from his feet. Melinoe''s brows scrunch from the leader''s actions.


    "Who are you to call me a twig! I am the ancient one''s servant! You better apologize for this transgression or face my lord''s wrath!"


    The bandits looked at each other. The leader looked at Melinoe to see if he was serious or not.


    "Hah! Men grab him. Ancient one! Idiot, there''s no such thing here!"


    Melinoe shakes his head in disappointment and he starts to summon the power of his magic only to find that his transformation has shaken his magical foundation. It means that he can''t cast spells until he fixes his foundation.


    Oh shit.


    Melinoe''s last thoughts were cursing before he was hit by a club on the face. He hit the ground fast.


    Magnus watched in high definition as Melinoe was getting the shit kicked out of him. The villagers could do nothing but watch the bandit''s cruelty. Magnus would have swooped in and killed the bandits but he wanted to watch the worshipper first. Melinoe wasn''t anyone important anyway. At least, it was amusing to watch him.


    "Gregory! We had an agreement! I want the payment now!"


    Gregory stepped forward. He took out a pouch filled with many silver coins. The leader smiled and put out his hand. Gregory gave it to the leader.


    "Thanks doing business with you... Now, I need another woman."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    When the leader mentioned that he wanted another woman from the village, the villagers started to protest.


    The sound of swords and weapons being unsheathed quickly shuts them up.


    "That''s more like it. Now, Gregory, you''re the village head. You choose who to send to me or else, I just take everyone."


    Gregory grits his teeth and he squeezes his hands into a fist. If he had claws he would have cut his hand already.


    The leader walked away with his posse of bastards and misfits.


    When the group is gone, the villagers approach Gregory and start asking him what to do.


    "You won''t take my wife right?"


    "Gregory my child is good, you won''t take her right?"


    "My wife is sick please don''t give her away!"


    Many of the village''s men started to beg for the important women in their lives but Gregory, who had other plans in mind, screamed at them.


    "Shut up!"


    The villagers quiet down.


    "You think..."


    Gregory controlled his anger.


    "I will handle this. Everyone go home!"


    The villagers have never seen Gregory so angry. For now, they listen and go home. It was Gregory alone. Melinoe was taken by the bandits. He was probably going to be their punching bag until they got bored.


    Gregory went home and took his tools.


    He was going to hunt.


    Magnus was watching the whole time. Dragons can stay in one place for even a hundred years, a few hours wasn''t a problem. He stood up and looked towards the forest path. He could wait for Gregory but it would be more useful to check on the bandits.


    I should explore more of the forest. I must see if there are other dangerous creatures around my home.


    Magnus followed the bandit group as they retreat to their base. Magnus'' senses allowed him to almost have a perfect 360-degree vision. It also helped that his sensing abilities are so honed that he might as well be using magic.


    While following the bandit''s trail, he noticed that they followed a path towards the left. It was well hidden and they''re probably the only ones who can find it. It''s not too hard for Magnus. It''s fortunate that Magnus isn''t that big yet or else he would have a harder time sneaking.


    Magnus continued to follow the path.


    He hears the conversation of two bandits.


    "So, Zack got that girl right?"


    "Yeah."


    "When do you think we''ll get a taste of that village lass?"


    "Pfft, probably never. Did you see Zack? He was so enamored, he hasn''t even touched her yet. Wants to make her fall in love. What a bunch of bullshit."


    Magnus was behind the two bandits yet they could not sense him.


    So there was a captive.


    Magnus seemed to have had some bad memories triggered. He couldn''t remember the memory but he remembered the feeling. For a moment, he let some of his presence be felt and the bandits seemed to become fully still. Cold sweat dripped from their foreheads as all forms of levity disappeared.


    When humans see snakes, they become afraid. It''s an evolutionary fear of something humans know. But when humans encounter dragons, they become maddeningly terrified. It''s the primordial fear of something that was there when humans first existed.


    The bandits couldn''t move. They knew something was behind them. They didn''t know what it was but they couldn''t move. Magnus was a breath away from these two bandits. He could easily open his mouth and bite their heads off but he stopped. Eventually, Magnus calmed down and he disappeared.


    The bandits felt the fear go away and they looked behind them. When they saw nothing, they nervously laughed and started teasing each other. Magnus wasn''t bothered letting them live. If Gregory was truly worthy of the blood of his kin, he''d finish the job.


    Magnus continued onwards a bit annoyed being reminded by old painful memories.


    The path became clearer as it was obvious that the bandits started cleaning the place. There were lit torches that lighted the area up. Magnus slowly crawled towards the bandit den. As he gets closer to the main base, more bandits appear. Magnus saw around 30+ bandits.


    That is... not normal...


    The amount of bandits in this area is not normal. Magnus knew this much. Bandits relied on numbers but unless they had a steady amount of money and food, command broke down quite easily. Not only are there a lot of bandits but they also seem disciplined.


    An army? Is this a border?


    Magnus tries to summon his old memories but it seems that his memories aren''t reliable. At first, Magnus was supposed to see if these people would be a bother but it seems that things have become more dangerous.


    I can''t have a war here. I live here. And when did the alliance split into two human kingdoms!


    Magnus sorely remembers, according to his fragmented memory, that there was a single human alliance. This was the alliance that defeated the dragons. When did humanity fragment into two kingdoms?


    Hmmm, it does not matter.


    Two kingdoms or not, Magnus would regain his power and resurrect the dragon race. He just needs time. Magnus seemed to get annoyed. The dragon''s greatest weakness was the time it took to become strong.


    It takes too long to grow into power.


    It would have been fine if it took time to grow but the dragon race also had a hard time having offspring. A single death meant losing a large part of the population.


    But... I''m here... And it is up to me now.


    Magnus was about to contemplate more about his race''s problem but he reached his destination. He was still hiding in the forest. He turns his head to the clearing. There were dozens of tents with more than 50 soldiers. They were all wearing armor. The bandits just came back and they''re already changing their clothes and cleaning up. The "leader" puts the money away and reports to a higher-up.


    Magnus turns his head towards the prisoners. He sees Melinoe''s black and blue face there along with some other poor people. Magnus was supposed to ignore all of them until he finds a specific individual. He saw a young beautiful woman. Her red hair separated her from everyone there. She was beautiful but most of all she was unbroken.


    Magnus sensed pure dragon blood in her. She was not a dragon but she was as close as one can get without being an actual dragon, a dragonborn. Originally, Magnus was going to scout this place first and then make a decision later but it seems he has no choice but to act now.


    A dragonborn was too important to pass up. If Magnus does not save this girl and her potential is discovered by another organization or powerful entity, they could raise her to become an extremely powerful enemy. He could not risk that.


    Before Magnus could start his plan, he felt movement in the forest.


    It seems my worshipper is moving... and he finally has his first two kills.

 Chapter 6: The Blood of Dragons

    Gregory brought with him three hunting knives, his bow and arrows, a mask, and a multitude of traps. He didn''t care how risky and dangerous this is, he wanted to save his daughter no matter what. Gregory didn''t understand why he was so riled up but he didn''t care. Right now, he had the courage to act. He had no intention of questioning it.


    He followed the trail the bandits created. The trail was, for some reason, very well hidden.


    Bandits shouldn''t be this good at hiding their trails.


    Gregory ignored it as he rushed through the forest. In the distance, he sees the light of two torches. There were two guards there. They seemed a bit shaken up.


    They die first. I have to be quiet.


    Gregory approached the two bandits with surprising silence. He knew how to be quiet because he would hunt animals like this but it felt like his body became twice as light. He doesn''t understand what''s happening to his body but if this is how the gods are helping him, then he will not question it.


    Once he approached the two from behind, he took out two of his hunting knives. These knives were regularly sharpened. After all, he uses them to cut pelt, material that''s tougher than the neck of most humans.


    Gregory approached the nearest guard and stabbed his neck while shoving a pile of leaves in the guard''s mouth. The other guard turns to see Gregory approach him with a knife. He tries to unsheath his sword but it''s too late. Gregory pushes his knife up the guard''s chin and into his skull. This all happened within a few seconds.


    Breath in... breath out.


    Gregory then hid the bodies. He took a sword and the knives he used to kill the guards.


    Those two were his first human kills. He''s supposed to feel weak, nauseous, or even just a bit confused but he didn''t. He felt invigorated. He remembers that this happened after he prayed to the guardian of the forest.


    Thank you guardian beast of the forest. I will repay this blessing tenfold.


    Gregory snuffed out the lights of the torches and he followed the path towards the bandit den.


    <hr>


    Magnus felt the worshipper trudge towards the military encampment. There were scouts positioned everywhere but none of them has spotted the shining and glimmering golden dragon nor have they spotted the drugged-up worshipper coming towards them. Gregory is not really drugged up. The presence of Magnus has awoken some of Gregory''s dragon blood which empowers him to act. After all, dragon blood is arguably the most potent of all blood.


    Magnus seemingly blended in the forest. Despite his golden scales, he was hard to see unless one had sharp senses.


    "Huh?"


    Magnus'' eyes turned to a scout near him. Magnus was surprised. Many scouts passed by him without reacting to his presence but this one did.


    Shame.


    The scout was about to scream but the jaws of the dragon silenced him far too quickly before he could utter any sound. Magnus spit out the scout''s head. Dragons were famous for eating humans but Magnus always found it too uncouth. Humans were sentient creatures. As a matter of fact, Magnus would never eat any sentient creature. Besides, humans tend not to give too much energy unless they were powerful magic casters.


    I have to move.


    Magnus stood up. He just killed a scout. The patrol will notice that one of their members is gone. Magnus starts to move deeper into the military camp''s direction.


    Another one.


    Magnus felt the death of another soldier nearby. Magnus didn''t feel pity for these soldiers but he didn''t hate them either. He didn''t feel much regarding these humans. His memory tells him that was a flaw. His instincts have no comment. Now was the time to choose.


    Should Magnus meet the worshipper or should he leave him? It wasn''t too hard of a question and to be honest he preferred to stay alone for now but those were his dragon instincts talking. His memories keep telling him to gain allies but that goes against most dragon instincts.


    Maybe this is why the ancient ones were wiped out and only the young ones survived.


    Magnus remembered some parts of the war. Most of the ancient dragons were destroyed. Only a handful of the ancients managed to survive. Despite the majority of the ancients dying, many of the young ones survived.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    The sound of shouting suddenly snapped Magnus back to reality. The two missing scouts must have caught the attention of the other patrol.


    The choice was now or never.


    Magnus attuned his senses towards Gregory and he started to move towards him.


    The young ones might have been correct in their decision. If I were to look for them now, they would surely spurn my offers of an alliance. They would think I failed them.


    Magnus heard more shouting as soldiers were ordered to comb the area for intruders.


    <hr>


    Gregory was running around the camp. He was invigorated by the blessing of the beast, or so he believes but this blessing only gives courage, decisiveness, and a small boost of physical abilities, it didn''t give one knowledge of things they didn''t know. Gregory killed a patrol, not knowing that would cause trouble. Well, he knew that killing would cause trouble but he didn''t expect it so fast.


    Where''s my daughter?... I need to find her.


    When Gregory reached the camp, he was surprised by how organized it was. After seeing the bandits changing their clothes, Gregory realized that these weren''t bandits. These were soldiers. Gregory should have escaped and reported the news to the nearest town but he couldn''t risk his daughter. If he did call the might of the kingdom''s army, he risked losing his daughter forever.


    Gregory sensed the presence of many soldiers. He never had this ability before. At most, he could sense animals but even then, it wasn''t as sharp as his ability to sense humans now.


    At least 6?


    Gregory started to lead these 6 soldiers to an area where he set up traps. He was an efficient trap setter. His traps were aimed to hit the vital spots in animals. Now, he just had to adjust it so it could hit the vital spots of humans. Unless someone had magic or powerful abilities, they would die from these traps all the same.


    Gregory runs through a small area and he lightly jumps.


    "There!"


    The soldiers finally saw Gregory. They make chase.


    Shit. I''m making too much noise! My little girl might be in danger!


    The soldiers start running through the same path Gregory followed.


    Gregory doesn''t react when the ground behind him breaks open, revealing wooden spikes. The one leading the group falls to the pit along with the one directly behind him. It wasn''t a quick death. The spikes were made out of wood but they pierced the soldiers all the same. The death of two of their comrades put a stop in their tracks.


    "Johann! Tarel! Nooooo!"


    Three out of the four remaining soldiers start to move around the pit and continue the chase. The other one was to return to base and inform their superiors what was happening.


    Gregory saw the other guy run away.


    Shit shit shit shit shit.


    He wanted to chase him and silence him. Any more noise and trouble could be dangerous for his daughter but he couldn''t. If he died, no one will save his daughter. Gregory kept running and he prayed once more.


    "Please have that man trip on one of my traps. I beg you oh great beast of the forest."


    Gregory kept running deeper into his trapped territory.


    <hr>


    Simon was a conscripted soldier. He didn''t have many plans for his life. He wanted to survive till the age of 30 so he can retire and use the empire''s pension system so he can buy a farm and live a simple life with a wife. He was 24. He needed to survive for 6 years, get the money, and get a wife. That was the extent of his dreams.


    Unfortunately for Simon, Gregory''s prayer was heard. There were no traps to meet him but there was something else.


    At least, Simon''s death was quick and painless. Magnus made sure of that.


    No need for endless suffering. They will have more opportunities in the next life.


    Magnus slowly stalked his worshipper and the ones trying to catch him. As he stalked the forests, Magnus noticed the handiwork of Gregory. There were many traps. The first spike pit claimed two souls. There were other traps but only the 3rd trap managed to claim another poor human. There were still 2 assailants and from what Magnus could sense, there weren''t any traps where Gregory was going.


    Does he plan to lose them in the forest? I believe he will not succeed.


    It was fine if Gregory was running out of options. His beast of the forest was close enough to hear his prayers.


    Magnus followed closely behind Gregory and his two assailants.


    <hr>


    Gregory was going to a dead-end. He had no choice. His other traps were too wide and if he went another way, he would have been forced to return to the camp. He could not be captured.


    Could he risk endangering his daughter by showing up? No!


    Could he not risk her by not showing up at all? No!


    And if he gets captured, he will surely be beaten to death. He could not bear his daughter watch her father get tortured and killed.


    The most he could do now was hope to lose these two soldiers. If that failed, he must kill them. Earlier, Gregory managed to kill two guards but that was by surprise. He was not confident he could do it in an actual fight.


    Gregory exits a part of the forest and his heart sinks to his stomach. In front of Gregory was a wall of stone. It was a cliff that Gregory had no hope of climbing.


    "Finally caught you!"


    Gregory unsheathes his short hunting knife. He turns around and sees the two soldiers.


    "You know how to run well old man! I''m gonna gut you like a fish for what you did!"


    The two soldiers unsheathe their swords. They spread out a bit as they slowly approach Gregory. Gregory''s heart was pounding fast. He wasn''t afraid to die. It was weird. Ever since he started his plan, he lost any semblance of fear. At most, he could feel anxiety or a bit of nervousness but not true fear. But then Gregory''s daughter came to his mind. Then he felt fear.


    I can''t die.


    "Kill him!"


    The two soldiers charged forward to stab and hack at Gregory. Gregory, in a desperate attempt to save his hide, prays once more as he charges forward.


    Guide me, guardian!


    Magnus was there to hear the prayer.


    I hear your prayer.


    A creature larger than a wolf leaped from the shrubbery and greens of the forest. The two men were immediately crushed as the greater weight of this creature slammed them to the ground, breaking their skulls and spines. Their death was quick.


    The landing of the creature created a small shockwave and Gregory hits the floor. Gregory closes his eyes as the feeling of strength in his body seems to magnify and intensify to the point that he broke the hunting knife''s handle.


    Once the dust settles, Gregory opens his eyes. He beheld the majestic figure of the creatures of legend.


    A single thought occurred in Gregory''s mind. Something that almost every human knew instinctually.


    Dragon

 Chapter 7: A Grisly Massacre

    Magnus looked at this poor man. Gregory was a bit old. He was nearing his 50s but his life of lifting, hunting, and farming has given him a good body. The dragon blood surely helped as well.


    Gregory was trembling but he was not afraid. He was in awe. When humanity first saw dragons, they always reacted this way. It was either worship or fear. All of them were appropriate responses.


    Magnus''s presence seemed to silence Gregory. At moments like this, Magnus knew that the powerful should speak first but... he can''t speak.


    The silence was deafening for Gregory. He could not focus on anything but Magnus. For a moment, he even forgot about his daughter but his senses quickly returned and he realized that the golden dragon has not spoken.


    Is he waiting for me to speak?


    "Oh- oh great... bea-"


    Magnus growls lightly which scares Gregory into silence. Magnus did not like the term beast. It was a term used by humanity to reduce the achievements of the dragon race.


    "Oh great... dragon?"


    Magnus slightly moved his head as a form of acknowledgment. Gregory heaved an internal sigh of relief. The soldiers scared him but at least he had a chance of surviving, no matter how little. In front of this entity, Gregory had no chance. He needed to be careful or else he would have no opportunity to save his daughter because he''d be dead.


    "Ha-have you heard my prayer?"


    Magnus nodded. Gregory''s eyes widened. For the entirety of Gregory''s life, he was ignored by the gods but a single prayer to the bea- *ahem* dragon of the forest, and he was already being saved.


    Gregory kneeled and put his head in prostration. For a man that has wished for nothing but the peace of his family, Gregory despised the gods who did nothing when it was taken away from him. With a single prayer, the dragon appeared.


    Gregory thought himself lucky but he could not do anything but express his thanks. After a few seconds of prostration, Gregory raised his head to look at his benefactor.


    "What do I do now great dragon?"


    Magnus raised his claws. Gregory felt a connection. It was a sudden explosion within his chest. It was a feeling of power rising and beating from his heart. He knew that if that claw touched him, it would awaken and give him a new purpose... but he didn''t want that, not yet. Gregory looked sad.


    "I... I am sorry my lord... I must decline... I am truly thankful for this opportunity but... I wish to save my daughter and have her live a good life first... I beg for your forgiveness!"


    Magnus lowered his claw. He remembered in the olden times where the most gruesome and evil of his kind would demand sacrifices from his worshippers. Those fanatics even gave their children, wives, and siblings. They were disgusting.


    Magnus likes Gregory. Magnus believes that Gregory will prove loyal as long as Magnus manages to gain Gregory''s trust. Magnus remembers the girl he saw in the prison camp. She was a dragonborn, a human with both dragon blood and a portion of their soul being like that of a dragon.


    It must be his daughter.


    Gregory''s daughter is obviously the dragonborn Magnus saw in the camp prison. It makes sense that the worshipper and the dragonborn would be related somehow. In this case, it was literal.


    Once Gregory declined Magnus''s offer, the dragon turns around. He leaves Gregory as he starts to walk towards the camp.


    "Whe-where are you going oh great dragon?"


    Gregory noticed that Magnus was going straight in the camp''s direction.


    Does he intend to attack the camp head-on? This... this is perfect! Those cretins wouldn''t stand a chance!


    Magnus did not hide his aura anymore. He surveyed the camp earlier. There are no humans there strong enough to harm him. If he intended to show himself to help the dragonborn and gain the trust of Gregory, he must make sure no one survives. If anyone survives, the news of a dragon would spread. Magnus would be hunted down before he is able to regain any semblance of his true power.


    It is cruel but Magnus promises it to be quick. He will ensure that their next life would be better. A dragon''s influence is well known by the god of reincarnation.


    He will accept my favors. He won''t... sell me out to the others.


    Magnus remembers a bad memory with the gods.


    <hr>


    Zack was a sagamore of the empire. It wasn''t a high rank but it gave him some semblance of comfort that rank and file soldiers could not afford. As a sagamore, Zack was allowed to command a small platoon. He and his men were commanded by higher ups to come here with two other sagamores to scout the borders. After they scout out the borders, they were supposed to send a message towards an outpost within their borders.


    When Zack and the other sagamores met, it was agreed that Zack and his men were supposed to scout out the area first. Zack didn''t object to it. If there were any treasure or glory to be found, he would get there first but he would also be the first to encounter danger. Fortunately, his squad didn''t meet any danger except a poor village.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    At first, Zack wasn''t too interested in the village. They''d extort it for some drinks and food and that was all but he saw a goddess. While sneaking around the edge of the village, Zack chanced upon Gregory''s daughter. She had red hair and sharp golden eyes, eyes that seemed to hypnotize you if you looked too close. The young woman was carrying objects that would make other men falter. She had a commanding voice but she still carried a grace that city women could not emulate.


    I must have her.


    That was Zack''s first thought. It was a risk but he wanted her. It was his price since he agreed to be the first scouting team. He wanted her so bad that he didn''t even let his men touch her. He hasn''t touched her either. He wanted her to submit to him.


    It was supposed to be a simple mission. Get the girl, extort the villagers, and scout the area.


    What the fuck is happening?!


    It was chaos. In the center of the camp was a large creature. The soldiers of the empire were used to fighting the wargs of the blackened swamps so they knew how to fight large four-legged creatures. But this creature was just slightly smaller than a warg but it was tougher, faster, and smarter.


    The soldiers tried to tie it down with metal chains but the creature snapped at those links of metal with a powerful snap of its tail, immediately shattering them. The soldier''s spears could not pierce the creature''s body. With a single swipe of its claw, it killed more than 3 men, each wearing thick leather armor.


    There was a brave soldier. He was a rank and file individual but he has been trained in the arts of sword energy. With his blade empowered by sword energy, the soldier charged forward and made a horizontal slice. The creature immediately used its back legs to stand up, avoiding the attack. It then quickly used its massive weight and smashed that soldier to the ground. Zack was sure that the soldier was dead.


    One of the sagamores called their men and arranged a phalanx formation while the other ordered his men to pull out the hidden ballista. It was a weapon always brought along by empire platoons. It was used to kill beasts that could not be pierced by mortal strength alone. If spears powered by humans could not kill this creature, a spear with the strength of the winds could.


    The creature seemed to share that idea as it started to act with fast movements. Seeing the creature panic, Zack quickly orders his men to reinforce the phalanx. They must defend the ballista as it reloads.


    <hr>


    Magnus tore through the ranks of men. He didn''t like meaningless bloodshed but he knew there was no other way. If he let these men stay, he would lose out on two powerful allies and it risked his current home being found out. He could leave his home but Magnus believes that the core inside his body, which is currently 10% full, would have a hard time being filled.


    The flesh and bone of men were like water against Magnus'' claws. Their bodies, even strengthened by the use of inner power, could not handle his might. He made sure they all died quickly. If some managed to avoid a death blow, he would follow up with another attack that made sure they died.


    Dragons respected death. Immortality gave them the perspective that death is not to be feared but to be revered. It could take even the most powerful of dragons if they were not careful. Humans feared death.


    Maybe that is the reason humanity won. Fear of death?


    Magnus ignored the thought. For now, he focused on this grisly massacre. The leaders of the soldiers ordered a phalanx to be formed. Magnus was not too wary of it. Even if he jumped towards them with their spears pointed at him, the material was not strong enough to pierce his scales.


    Then he saw the other men pull out a ballista. Magnus''s eyes widened.


    That could kill me if I''m not careful.


    With his current age, a ballista bolt would be able to pierce him and fly through him. The ballista was still being loaded. Magnus moved. He would not give them the time to shoot the weapon.


    Magnus ran towards the phalanx. The soldiers held strong. Their spears pointed towards Magnus. Knights wearing full plate armor would hesitate to charge this formation but Magnus ran at full speed.


    The ballista''s bolt was halfway loaded. Magnus needed to reach it now.


    As the dragon approached the spear wall, it released a deafening roar. It did not have the power to induce magical fear but it was enough to scare the wits out of already scared soldiers. Many of the soldiers abandoned ranks and the spear wall lost some of its strength. Magnus charged headfirst at the spears. The spears shattered from his head''s horns and he used his body to destroy the shield wall. The soldiers were scattered. The soldier manning the ballista was panicking but the ballista needed only a few more seconds.


    It wasn''t enough.


    Magnus reached the ballista the moment it was fully reloaded. Magnus was faster than the soldier manning the ballista. Magnus raised his right claw. He flexed his powerful muscles and swiped at the ballista''s head. Wood splintered and shattered under Magnus''s great strength. The soldier manning it just managed to shoot the ballista at the last moment but alas the front was destroyed and the bolt flew sideways, barely missing Magnus'' head.


    Magnus used the ballista as support and he leaned forward. He chomped on the soldier''s head and spit it out towards the sagamores. The face of that decapitated soldier was forever encapsulated in fear. For a moment, the world seemed to stop for these commanding officers but it quickly resumed as Magnus started killing the scattered members of the spear wall. The sagamores screamed in fear and ordered a mass retreat. The soldiers were too afraid to follow a command and they all ran in different directions.


    This would usually mean that the assailant would have a hard time chasing the scattered soldiers but Magnus was not a human.


    Normal humans could run fast, with some normal humans pushing their bodies to run as fast as 45 kilometers per hour, but most humans couldn''t run that fast without the help of internal energy, qi, or magic. In short bursts, Magnus could run at 80 kilometers per hour. If he paced himself, Magnus could continue running at a brisk pace of 40 kilometers per hour. As he gets older, this speed only increases due to his increasingly larger stride but he won''t need it as he''ll gain the ability to fly.


    The scattered soldiers felt despair as Magnus picked them off one by one. The sagamores tried to ride their horses and retreat but with a single roar from Magnus, the horses kicked off their riders and ran away. Despite Magnus''s insane speed advantage, there were too many survivors. He could not hunt all of them down.


    Not good. I must make sure no one survives.


    Despite his full effort, Magnus could not kill them all. Many escaped to the forest. Magnus was about to give chase but he stopped for now. It was still night. They were not going to go far. Magnus turned his eyes towards the prisoner''s area. He saw Gregory''s daughter. She was staring at him with a burning desire.


    It wasn''t the desire for thanks or respect but simply the desire for battle. Dragons loved combat. With each movement, a dragon felt electricity run through their powerful muscles and bones. They loved to fight at their strongest and only other dragons could provide this challenge.


    The dragonborn''s spirit suddenly burst into flames when it saw another dragon.


    Magnus approached the girl.

 Chapter 8: Sanria Woods

    Sanria Woods was Gregory Woods'' daughter. Everyone in the village knew her as a good girl. She loved her father just as much as he loved her. When he did nothing as she was taken away, she didn''t resent him. She just hoped he would have a happy life.


    From the moment she was born, Sanria was different. She had red hair while both her parents had brown hair. It actually caused a commotion in the village in which Gregory''s wife was accused of cheating but it immediately died down because she died in childbirth. Gregory didn''t care. He loved Sanria just as much he loved his wife. He saw his wife in Sanria and thus took care of her like a proper father.


    Sanria grew up quickly and was so much more amazing than her peers. Other children seemed so slow compared to her. She was intelligent, picking up the language at a young age and being able to do basic arithmetics from watching her father haggle with the townsfolk. She was quickly lauded as the hope of the village. Gregory, knowing her daughter was amazing, did everything he could to make her life better.


    He taught her all the skills he knew. She knew how to hunt, trade, farm, and be a leader. It was as if her blood was different from her father''s. Despite all the rumors and words of the people in the village, Sanria was truly Gregory''s daughter. When Gregory''s dragon blood passed on to her, it also changed her soul, a 1 in a billionth of a chance yet she was lucky enough to have it. In bardic tales, Sanria would be apt to be called a hero, if she ever used her potential.


    As she grew older, Sanria''s talents just exploded. She had great strength, fast reflexes, and amazing cognition. At the young age of 9, she was already stronger than most men in the village. At the age of 13, she could outrun deer. At the age of 17, she could already comprehend topics that would confound students of the academy.


    Gregory knew his daughter was a diamond among diamonds and he wanted to put her in a good place where she could express her capabilities.


    But then, tragedy struck. Sanria was taken by an enamored sagamore of the Incarna empire. Sanria thought that her dreams of providing a beautiful and wealthy home for her father were lost. She thought she would be violated, humiliated, and then tossed away like trash after they were done with her. Fortunately, Sanria still had the soul of a dragon, albeit partially. She could subconsciously control the weak mind of Zack, who thought that he was being a knight in shining armor for not raping the girl he kidnapped.


    Sanria stayed in her cage quietly. She was thinking of what to do. She was strong but she couldn''t bend metal... yet. So, she waited until an opportunity appeared.


    It didn''t take long.


    Night came and chaos ensued.


    A creature appeared. Sanria didn''t need her dragon soul to tell her what it was.


    A dragon!


    If Sanria was a normal person, she would have started panicking and looking for a way to escape but she wasn''t a normal person. Sanria bided her time as the dragon continued its massacre. As the seconds passed, Sanria started feeling excited. She watched the dragon with ragged breaths. Her heart, which was used to the mediocrity of the people around her, suddenly started pumping. Despite knowing that she was nothing but a bug compared to this "large than life" creature, she felt the need to test herself against it.


    Could I fight it... Is my talent... enough?


    Sanria felt a need to fight it. Even if she risks dying, she wanted to try, such as the dragon blood''s influence.


    The massacre didn''t last long. Magnus was too powerful. He overwhelmed the empire soldiers with might and greater fighting experience. After that, Magnus turned his wise gaze towards Sanria. Sanria felt her heart skip a beat.


    Is it looking at me?


    Sanria''s heart started beating fast like a maiden in love if the maiden wanted to beat the man she pined for. Magnus used his powerful claws to grip the metal cage''s entrance and then rip it off.


    Without missing a beat, Sanria jumped towards a gap on Magnus''s side. Magnus didn''t grab Sanria. He simply turned to face her. Sanria reached the ground and did a landing roll. While she rolled, Sanria quickly grabs a sword that was dropped there by a soldier. When she quickly sits up, she throws a dagger toward Magus that she managed to steal from Zack while she was being imprisoned.


    Magnus used his wing to throw the dagger away. In a normal fight, Magnus would have used the dagger to distract his enemy then lunge in for the kill. But this wasn''t a normal fight, this was a fight between two dragons. Magnus must be careful.


    Sanria was the lesser of the two and she felt that she needed to act first. She lunges forward and stabs the blade towards Magnus.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    A normal blade would not wound Magnus. A normal blade empowered by internal energy, unless empowered by a powerful creature, could not harm Magnus either. But Sanria''s internal energy was unbelievably sharp.


    Magnus was thoroughly impressed.


    The control is lacking and it is definitely her first time using it but her power is impressive.


    Magnus moved forward and he swiped his claw towards Sanria. During that time, Sanria had a maniacal smile on her face. Magnus didn''t smile but he was amused.


    "No!!!!"


    Sanria was so enamored by Magnus''s presence that she couldn''t hear her father''s desperate scream as he ran towards them.


    The blade was aimed straight at his heart but Magnus used the tip of his claws as he strikes the blade with precision, shattering it. Sanria tried to dodge away but Magnus moved faster. He lunges forward and uses his claw to pin her down, his hand grabbing her neck. Sanria hits the ground and Magnus looks at her with a triumphant look.


    Despite losing quite easily, Sanria wasn''t angry or pissed off. She was ecstatic. Her eyes were wide with excitement. Her body was trembling with joy.


    Before she could say anything, Sanria was snapped back to reality when she sees Gregory''s knees hit the floor in front of the dragon.


    "Please great dragon! Spare my daughter! She is the only one I care about! I will gladly take your offer earlier! I willingly become your servant! Please let my daughter go!"


    "Fa-father! What are you doing here?!"


    Magnus ignored the poor man. Before Magnus could let Sanria go, he heard an annoying voice.


    "Master! I knew you''d come for me!"


    Gregory and Sanria turned their eyes to an unrecognizable man in another cage. The man was naked. When he was brought here, he was beaten, removed of his possessions, put in a cage, and was beaten again. Despite all that, Melinoe did not falter in his beliefs. His master would surely save him from eternal damnation, like before.


    Magnus saw Melinoe. He was surprised. He was sure that the forestborne was dead. He was so inexperienced that he didn''t check his magical foundation after being forcefully transformed. He just assumed he can still cast magic which got him into this poor situation. Magnus was amused, very much so.


    He lets go Sanria. Gregory quickly kneels and hugs her. He cries his poor heart out as he is reunited with his daughter. Sanria should be crying as well but he looks at the dragon. She wants to try again but knows now is not a good time.


    Magnus approaches the metal cage. Raising his left hand, he grabs the corner of the cage and bends it slightly, giving Melinoe just enough space to squeeze through, albeit uncomfortably.


    "Master, your power truly knows no bounds! But um... why didn''t you fully remove the door?"


    Magnus turns around and focuses his attention on Gregory and Sanria. Gregory kneels and prostrates himself to Magnus.


    "My lord! You have truly made this old man''s life worth it. You have saved my daughter, something you did not deign to do!"


    Magnus did not speak.


    "My lord... I am ready to serve."


    While Magnus never spoke to Gregory, Gregory knew what was intended for him. He could feel his blood boil in anticipation every time he is near Magnus. He knew instinctually that he needed to follow him.


    Magnus waited. He knew Gregory had something else to say.


    "But... my lord! Please... I must beg you of something."


    Magnus nodded. He knew that Gregory was ready to give his loyalty so he allowed him to ask once more.


    "My daughter... she is talented..."


    Magnus agreed.


    "She is... beautiful..."


    He agreed once more.


    "And she has the ability to reach heights I would never be able to... I beg of you... to let me send her away so she could find her potential."


    Magnus did not agree. But fortunately for Magnus, who could not speak, Sanria was also not in agreement.


    "Father!"


    Gregory was surprised by Sanria''s sudden interruption.


    "Ria, please quiet down. My lord will-"


    "No father! I will not be sent away!"


    "Wha-what? I-Why?"


    Gregory started to stand, his emotions starting to get the better of him. He almost died trying to save her... for only for her to reject his efforts.


    "Sanria! Why must you reject your father''s wishes! I do not want you to become like me, a mediocre man, living in a remote village at the border of our kingdom, uncared for and victim to warlike people. I want you to reach your potential. Heights I could not possibly imagine! You shouldn''t be afraid to leave just because of this event!"


    Gregory started to cry but Sanria stood her ground. She waited for her father to finish. When Gregory stopped, Sanria spoke.


    "Father, I do not wish to go away not because I am afraid... I want to stay here."


    "Bu-"


    Sanria held her father''s hand.


    "I want to stay with him."


    Sanria pointed at Magnus. Magnus simply watched them while Melinoe''s eyes widened.


    "The audacity! How dare you poin-"


    Melinoe was just about to exit the cage when Magnus''s tail hits his face with the minimum amount of force needed to knock him out. If there was anything to praise Melinoe for, it was his tenacity and endurance.


    "What do you mean Sanria?"


    "Him father. I want to be his."


    Gregory''s eyes widened and after hearing her daughter''s words, he imagines a marriage. A human and a dragon. The image was terrifying.


    "Absolutely not! I cannot let my one and only daughter become the partner of a dragon!"


    Magnus raised an eyebrow.


    Gregory flinched but he continued. He already said the wrong words, no point in back out now but before he could continue shouting, Sanria stops him.


    "I''ve made up my mind dad. I want to stay with him and learn under him."


    Sanria pulls her father to a hug. Gregory was surprised but he leans into his daughter''s hug. Sanria whispers.


    "Father. I finally found something I want to do. Please support me in it. I know you always cared for me. I promise to do you proud. I swear on you."


    Gregory silently teared up again but he nodded in between tears.


    Sanria, satisfied, lets her father go. She turns to Magnus.


    "So my lord?"


    Magnus shakes his head. Magnus writes on the floor a name.


    "Principum?"


    Magnus nods.


    "Can I call you Prince?"


    Magnus nods.


    "Prince, what do I do to become yours?"


    Magnus raises his claw once more, like what he offered to Gregory earlier.


    And just like that, Magnus gained two loyal followers... three if you include Melinoe

 Chapter 9: Clean Up

    Fucking shit!


    Zack ran like hell. When the other sagamores ordered the retreat, Zack started running. He was lucky. The creature seemed to stop its rampage when it saw the girl. It was a shame but it was better to survive than lose a girl.


    He was alone. He got separated from the other soldiers when some of them tripped or fell over due to fear. He couldn''t wait for them. He couldn''t risk dying. For now, he needed them to be sacrificed for him. He already had a comfortable life.


    Damn it! I''m not gonna die here! I''m going to go back home, get a new platoon, get more money and find more women! I''m definitely not going to die here!


    Zack reaches a clearing with a small stream. When he does, he finally gets some breathing space. He stops for a bit and drinks some water. He sighs in relief. He''s been running for a while now. His lungs have been burning for the past hour.


    When he stands up, he hears a giggle. Zack quickly pulls out his sword. He looks around. The first time he spins around he sees no one but by the second time, he sees a person on the other side of the stream. Zack lost his breath.


    Beautiful


    Zack saw Sanria on the other side. Her long red hair flowed like the wind and her golden eyes pierced him like a flying arrow. Sanria was wearing a smile. It was a confident and smug smile that seemed to sting Zack''s ego. Zack''s awe was quickly overshadowed. Doubt entered his mind as he realized something important, Sanria was locked in a metal cage.


    "Ho-how did you escape?!"


    Sanria smiled. She crossed the stream with light and deft steps. She seemed excited as she got closer to Zack, the same way a loving wife would greet her husband after he came back from work. In a normal home environment, Zack would have been happy but this was too scary. Sanria was no longer using her charms so Zack did not become addled in his judgment.


    "Get away!"


    Zack screamed but Sanria kept coming closer. Zack releases a horizontal slash made out of internal energy. This wave of internal energy could kill a person with ease. Zack was a sagamore and most sagamores didn''t have this level of ability. He was a bit above other normal sagamores when it came to skill.


    Sanria didn''t change trajectory. She was still smiling when the slash was upon her. At the last moment, Sanria jumps upward in a forward somersault. With ease, she lands in front of Zack. Zack backs away and makes another panicked slash towards Sanria. Sanria moves with perfect grace, dodging Zack''s attack while getting closer to him.


    Sanria speaks with a teasing voice.


    "Hey, didn''t you want me to come with you?"


    Zack''s face turned to fear as his second slash was easily dodged.


    "You told me you''d bring me home and make a good woman out of me right?"


    Sanria''s voice had some edge to it. It was like a woman getting angry because she was being rejected.


    "Hey... you said you''d bring me with you..."


    Zack started to feel dread in him the moment he heard the sharper edge in Sanria''s voice. Despite Sanria''s beauty, Zack couldn''t feel any excitement from this beautiful woman''s attention. Zack felt like he was staring at a monster wearing a beautiful woman''s skin.


    Did the dragon do this?


    "Hey... hey... hey..."


    Sanria started muttering. Zack''s spine was starting to rattle. He truly considered running but he felt that he would die if he turned her back on her even once.


    Zack slowly backs away. He wanted to make sure he gained some distance from Sanria while also keeping an eye on her. Sanria seemed to stop moving. Her face was obscured by her long red hair which seemed reminiscent of blood. Zack was slowly gaining distance but his heart suddenly stopped. He hit something behind him. His instincts forced him to turn around and he sees a tree.


    Shit


    Zack immediately turns his head to Sanria. He made a mistake. He shouldn''t have reacted to the tree. When Zack returns his look to the front, Sanria was gone.


    FUCK!


    Zack didn''t leave the safety of the tree. If his back was at the tree his back would at least be safe. Zack looks around, just to see where Sanria is.


    Where is she?!


    Zack''s heart started beating loudly. He was afraid. And the fear felt similar. He felt it earlier when the dragon attacked. He was with something unknown to him.


    While looking around, Zack didn''t notice the tree was slowly creaking. There was something on top of it. Zack heard the giggle again. It was behind him.


    He turned his head upward and towards the tree.


    Sanria smiled.


    <hr>


    Gregory was awakened.


    Magnus first awakened Sanria. The change was immediately evident. Her body seemed to exude an amazing aura of strength. Her potentials were suddenly increased and if she could''ve reached great heights before, she could reach even higher heights now. Not only did her potentials increase but she also seemed to have matured as her beauty became more accentuated. Her golden eyes seemed to slightly glow in the dark and her red hair became more prominent.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    After her awakening, she smiled at Magnus with a very excited smile. Gregory has never seen her give that smile to any person. With Sanria being awakened, Magnus gestured for her to move.


    Sanria moved away. Magnus then approached Gregory. After seeing her daughter''s change, Gregory was scared but also excited as to what change would occur with him. Magnus gently touched his forehead with an outstretched claw.


    The world seemed to have escaped Gregory''s mind. His mind entered a blank state as if he was being reborn. Instead of fear, Gregory felt an old emotion.


    Comfort.


    For some reason, he knew that this was the same as when he was with his mother all those years ago. She was dead now but Gregory had happy memories with her. Gregory cried as the world returned to him. When his vision returned to him, Gregory saw a smile on Sanria''s face. Gregory touched his face and noted that his beard was still there. He looked at his hands and saw the years of hard work has disappeared. His hands looked smoother and his body felt fitter. Sanria, who was looting the area while her father was out of it, produced a mirror.


    Gregory didn''t become younger in the sense that his body returned to a younger look but instead, his body became stronger. His body transformed to a fitter and more muscular form. His looks were old before but due to the awakening, he looked like a handsome old man. His body no longer had any obvious signs of aging. If Gregory showed up at a brothel, many women would gladly take him.


    While his physical looks changed, Gregory felt stronger as well.


    Normal humans, without the help of magic or internal energy, had a low ceiling for physical stats. Even if a talented human trained every day and pushed his body to the absolute limits every day, he would reach a hard limit eventually. Gregory, after the awakening, now has a higher ceiling. If he trained, he could even overpower individuals that had internal energy without using any internal energy himself.


    But that wasn''t all the awakening changed. Gregory felt something inside him move. It was like a living thing but it had no consciousness. He flexed his arm and he felt internal energy leave it. He flexed his arm again but he did his best to make sure the internal energy stayed in his arm. Gregory felt an immense amount of power.


    Wanting to test his newfound strength, Gregory turned to the iron cages. He touched a bar and, with his empowered arm, bent it forward.


    Gregory was surprised. He knew that he didn''t have control of this energy yet, he needed practice but he knew that with this, he is no longer the humble village head. He could be more.


    <hr>


    Magnus watched as Sanria and Gregory took in their newfound abilities. Gregory''s abilities were improved to the point that he is no longer the same man. He was more. Sanria''s abilities improved so much that if she were awakened earlier, she could have taken this camp alone.


    Is this the effect of my influence on them?


    Magnus knew that awakened worshippers and dragonborns showcased great power but this growth was too much. Gregory''s increase in ability is too great and he suddenly gained the ability to use internal energy. Sanria''s presence feels more like a dragon rather than a dragonborn. Magnus ignored it for now. He did not have memories of worshippers or dragonborns.


    For now, he needed to order them to wipe out the remaining enemies.


    Magnus connected his mind to his two awakened allies.


    Gregory and Sanria stopped whatever they were doing and turned their attention to Magnus. Gregory looked respectful while Sanria looked at Magnus with intensity. Magnus ignored it.


    With him being so young, Magnus had to be careful releasing his psychic energy. He feared hurting his two new allies.


    Slay the remaining enemies.


    It was a single phrase but the two knew what Magnus meant. If Magnus said this earlier, the two would have been hesitant to do so but now, they were confident. Gregory was prepared to kill the moment his daughter was taken. Sanria would kill a lot of people for Magnus.


    Gregory took some armor and weapons with him. He took a shortsword, a better bow, two daggers, and a helmet. He was about to help Sanria wear her gear but she declined. She said it was more exciting this way.


    Gregory was about to tell her how worried he would be if she fought without gear but Sanria was too busy looking at the forest. Sanria''s senses were sharper than before, almost as sharp as Magnus''s current senses. She already saw how many soldiers were remaining but she didn''t care about them yet. She wanted to find a specific soldier.


    "There you are."


    Gregory was about to push gear on Sanria but she disappeared. With the combination of her increased physical skills and explosive internal energy, Sanria ran to the forest. Gregory followed after he managed to track the trails of the other escaped prisoners.


    <hr>


    Zack ran. He ran like a child who saw a ghost.


    "Zaaack~ Come back! You promised to take care of me right?!"


    "Shit shit shit shit shit!"


    Zack kept cursing. He was slowly running out of internal energy. Once that was gone, he had to rely on his stamina. Once that was gone, he would be captured by Sanria. Zack had to reach the outpost or else he''s dead.


    Sanria could have easily caught Zack but she wanted to play.


    "Zack! Come on! Don''t you want me? You wanted me so bad right?"


    Zack started sweating as he continued to run. He started praying in every god the empire worshipped but no one answered his desperation.


    Then he tripped.


    Zack fell face first on the hard ground. He felt his nose break.


    "Ahhh fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"


    Zack felt immense hate for the gorgeous woman following him. Zack slammed his fists on the ground causing some small cracks on it due to his internal energy. Zack curses again. He''s wasting energy on breaking the floor instead of running.


    "Aww, did you fall Zack?"


    Sanria feigned concern which pissed off Zack even more.


    "Shut the fuck up you bitch!"


    Sanria giggles.


    "Why? I thought you were a strong man. You were going to bring me home and make me a proper woman?"


    Sanria''s voice is laced with sarcasm and anger but Zack didn''t need to hear that to know she was angry.


    "Shut the fuck up, shut up, shut up!"


    Sanria giggles again.


    "You... you were playing with me..."


    "Maybe I did... so what?"


    "Fuck! You bitch! I knew it! You and that fucking liza-"


    Zack suddenly blacked out. He quickly recovered but he felt an immense amount of pain on his face. He touches it and feels a bruise. He turns to Sanria. Her smile was gone. She had a look of condescension on him.


    "Do not da-."


    "You bitch! You fucking hit me!"


    Sanria''s face then returned to her smiling one.


    "Oh, I apologize. You just said something that pissed me off. It was my bad."


    "Fuck, why do I have to be so unlucky... My army got decimated by an overgrown rep-"


    Sanria kicked Zack''s face and he hits the ground hard.


    Zack coughs up blood but he doesn''t get any reprieve as Sanria straddles him. He feels powerful hands grab his throat. Zack was slowly losing air. His vision was darkening. Despite his body being infused with internal energy, he couldn''t pry off Sanria''s hands.


    "Listen here you worthless sack of meat! You, for the remaining minutes of your pathetic life, cannot speak, think, or even wonder about his greatness and majesty. He has shown me something far greater than what your puny speck of a mind could ever possibly comprehend. I am his and the moment any trash like you speak ill of him! I''ll kill them!"


    With a snap of her powerful hands, Zack stops struggling. Sanria sighs.


    It''s done.


    She stands up and looks far away.


    "I have other pests to clean up. I can''t keep my lord hanging."


    She smiles to herself as she sees a rather interesting future. A future she''s looking forward to.

 Chapter 10: Very Young Legends

    Magnus was in the clearing. He was comfortably sitting on a patch of grass. Melinoe was unconscious beside him. Magnus decided that he would keep the novice mage. He was too amusing to let go.


    Two remaining.


    Magnus watched his two awakened servants. Gregory was an efficient killer. He killed them instantly. Sanria on the other hand seems to enjoy toying with them. It seems after she was awakened, she finally realized how small and insignificant everyone is compared to her. After all, she was already so far above her peers even before she met Magnus. Now, she''s having a hard time seeing the value of other people.


    Zero. Rest in peace brave soldiers.


    Magnus lightly bows his head as a form of respect to the ones that died today. He did not enjoy their deaths. He lightly calls upon the god of reincarnation.


    Once that transaction was done, Magnus waited for Gregory and Sanria.


    Magnus felt his stomach rumble. It seems that his body is feeling some hunger after that strenuous activity.


    <hr>


    Gregory meets up with Sanria first before they return to Magnus.


    Sanria appeared a bit bloody. Her simple clothes were stained by the blood of her enemies. Her fists were also covered in blood. Gregory was bloody as well but that was because he was using a sharp weapon rather than a blunt one.


    Sanria saw Gregory''s reaction. She spoke as to reassure her father.


    "Father, don''t worry. I may look like I''ve become a deranged psychopath but I am fine. I just did what those people deserved. Did you know how many of them tried to touch me? I only survived due to luck."


    Gregory nods. He would rather massacre all of those soldiers himself than let Sanria get hurt.


    "Now father... let''s return to Prince. I am sure he is waiting for us."


    "Yes, let''s go back my little apple pie."


    Sanria chuckles. She knew that Gregory used that to comfort her when she was young. Now, he uses it to comfort himself.


    <hr>


    Magnus saw the father and daughter duo come out of the forest. They were a bit wet. They must have washed up first before they returned.


    Gregory and Sanria approach Magnus. Without any indication or words, Sanria immediately kneels in front of Magnus.


    "Prince... we''ve done your will. They''re all dead."


    Sanria raises her head. She seemed to want praise. Her golden eyes were practically begging for it. Magnus considered patting her head but that was too degrading. Instead, he nodded. That was enough.


    Sanria smiled giddily. Gregory looked at this daughter with confused eyes. He has never seen her daughter act like this but he''s never seen her so excited for something either. She''s always been bored so seeing her so excited makes Gregory happy.


    But... is this fine?


    Sanria stood up and she waited for commands. Magnus stood up from his comfy position. He connected his mind again to them.


    Go home... for now... I will... call upon... you...


    Sanria frowns. She didn''t like that she would be separated from Magnus. Gregory didn''t mind it. He would have time to be acclimated with his new situation and the responsibilities being thrust upon him.


    "Pri-Prince, would it be okay if I joined you? I do not presume you cannot speak but I can be your mouth! I can talk for you!"


    Sanria immediately tried to latch onto Magnus but a single look from him immediately shuts her up.


    "So-sorry. I assumed too much."


    Magnus wasn''t angry but he needed alone time. He was not confident he could focus on his current task with her around. Magnus looked at Gregory.


    Gregory stepped forward.


    "We will go home for now my lord. I will make sure this place is properly taken care of... I will practice my newly gained abilities during the time of pause. I and my daughter will surely be more capable after we practice."


    Magnus nods approvingly. It was lucky that Gregory is loyal or at least has the makings of a loyal servant. He wanted to reward Gregory but he was not yet capable of creating items of magical power. He will reward him one day. He looked at Sanria and wondered what she wanted.


    The way Sanria looked at Magnus unnerved the dragon. She was human but she wanted something from Magnus. He could sense that she itched for a fight but something else? Was it the dragon''s desire to conquer others?


    Yes, that might be it.


    Magnus stood up and was about to leave but he remembered something. It wasn''t important but Magnus looked at the unconscious Melinoe.


    Should I take him?


    Magnus shook his head. Sanria looks at Magnus with a surprised look. Magnus grabs the unconscious forestborne and drops him at Gregory''s feet. Gregory knew that Magnus wanted the poor imbecile taken care of. Gregory bowed without hesitation. While Melinoe wasn''t awakened like the two of them, Gregory knew that Magnus placed some value on Melinoe even if it was little.


    Melinoe''s value was purely his jester skills. He should have tried to become a jester rather than a mage.


    Magnus started to walk away. Sanria tried to follow him but Gregory stopped her. She pouted and stomped her foot a bit but she couldn''t do anything for now.


    Eventually, Magnus disappeared from view.


    <hr>


    Magnus traversed the forest. The sun was slowly rising. Magnus turned his head to the rising sun. He closed his eyes as he basked on the sunlight hitting his scales. Magnus''s golden scales shined brighter as the sunlight reflected on his body.


    The sound of nature comes alive as the birds sing, the wind blows, and the animals go through their everyday tasks.


    After a few moments of simply enjoying nature, Magnus walked back home.


    The cave was undisturbed. Magnus knew it would have been undisturbed.


    Magnus spreads the vines and enters. The damp and quiet cave is empty, excluding the small creatures living in it.


    Hmmm... I did a lot of things yesterday.


    After a while, Magnus reaches the deepest part of the cave where the magical energies were most dense. He saw his eggshells and approached them. Magnus took his shells and put them in a corner. He would have use for them later.


    For now, let''s clean this place.


    Magnus is currently 2 days old. He spent his first day destroying a scouting camp of an empire he didn''t even know and then awakening a worshipper and a dragonborn. It was morning by the time he was done.


    Once he removed the obvious mess in his room, the shells and some scattered rocks, his cave looked comfy. Magnus was about to look for a crystal to eat but he noticed something interesting. The bite marks of the crystals were already dulled and showed signs of healing.


    That seemed to surprise Magnus. The crystals in his main cave are valuable if you considered the abundant magical energy inside them. Now, their value just skyrocketed. If Magnus wanted to become rich, he would first damage the crystal but leave enough so that it can regenerate its full form. He would then sell the crystal. But Magnus didn''t want or need money.


    For him, the crystals were food and now, he needed to eat. He was quite hungry.


    Magnus left the slightly chewed crystal and approached another fully formed crystal. Magnus leans forward and takes a chomp out of the crystal. Quickly, Magnus felt his hunger disappear as the magical energies dissipate within him. Magnus feels his core fill up with dense and pure magical energy, up to 20%.


    Magnus felt the increase in his core. He wondered what would happen if it filled up to 100%. He felt that it couldn''t lead to anything bad, it was his body''s core after all. Magnus decided to fill up the core. Being a smart creature, Magnus took 8 more bites from different crystals to ensure that he wouldn''t fully destroy some of them.


    When Magnus took the final bite, he started chewing. At first, nothing happened but Magnus''s eyes widened from surprise as he felt his core suddenly start beating with immense power. The core suddenly explodes and spreads throughout Magnus''s soul. The explosion was not harmful in any way or form but Magnus still felt its magnitude. It felt like he was being moved forcefully through space and time.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    Magnus saw that his vision was slowly being covered by some form of energy. Magnus did not panic. The energy was familiar. It was his but his body was automatically creating it without him needing to consciously will it. He didn''t feel any danger from it. Both his instincts and subdued memories agreed on this aspect. Despite that, Magnus was still curious.


    What is this?


    Magnus knew that the shell was going to cover him no matter what he did so sat down and surrendered to it.


    The shell eventually covered Magnus and the dragon closed his eyes.


    Unbeknownst to Magnus, the creation of the shell released an almost invisible and imperceptible burst of energy. This burst of energy suddenly spread like a circle. This circle of energy grew in size and quickly encompassed the whole planet. If Magnus knew what just happened, he wouldn''t have taken the risk of filling his core up.


    <hr>


    The Incarna empire wasn''t aware of the massacre that occurred on the borders of the Kerak kingdom. Despite the unknown loss, that event wasn''t as important as what was happening now.


    A commotion was occurring in the grand mage academy of the Incarna empire. The eyes of the statue, of the greatest mage of all time, the Luminous archmage, were glowing white. This has never happened before.


    "Silence!"


    A powerful voice was uttered by an old man which silenced the noisy courtyard. The old man walked forward while he was attended by a younger but still old man and another young girl.


    As the trio approached the statue, the mages made way for them. Whispers abounded as the trio slowly went near the statue.


    "That''s the grand archmage, Ultio Firebrand. I heard he was going to retire and give his position to his student."


    "Look at that beauty. She must be sir Turner''s new student."


    "Yeah, I can feel her energy from her. She must be a genius!"


    "Sir Turner''s presence is becoming sharper. He truly is the next in line for grand archmage."


    The three mages ignored the whispered voices that surrounded them. They simply approached the statue. Once Ultio is in front of the statue, the statue seems to shudder. It recognized its successor''s successor. Suddenly, a bright light exploded from the eyes of the great archmage statue. Everyone was blinded by this light but within the light, a vision seemed to appear.


    Later on, all the people present in that courtyard, from simple cleaners to great semi archmages, were interviewed as to what they saw or heard.


    The simple non-magical people didn''t see anything. The light was too blinding for their unattuned eyes.


    The novice mages were in similar boats. Most of the novice mages couldn''t see anything past the brilliant light. Some of the talented novices saw the skies.


    The adepts were better off. They managed to see the skies with a clearer view. They all reported that it wasn''t just seeing the sky. It was as if they were the ones flying. Some of the weaker-minded adepts had almost gone mad. They were babbling about how it was the most glorious and majestic feeling in the world.


    The masters were cryptic in their words. They saw more than the skies. They saw their forms. They did not tell what it was.


    The grandmasters did not deign to share what they saw.


    Ultio, Turner, and Lisa were in the grand archmage''s office. Turner was pacing with a pale face. He was obviously stressed. Ultio was sitting on the room''s comfy couch. He was drinking tea served by his grandstudent, Lisa.


    "What do we do master? The luminous mage has thought it fit to leave an alarm spell for such an occasion! This is obviously dangerous!"


    Turner''s vision was grim. He saw the dark smog-filled skies as he released unimaginably large gouts of fire towards the cities of humanity. Even the greatest of the mages buckled under the weight of his breath that threatened to blot out the sun.


    Ultio''s vision was peaceful. He was flying above the other creatures. He was so far up that he couldn''t see the world. It was only a peaceful blue. He was satisfied with this.


    Lisa, despite being a novice, was gifted great potential. Lisa had great potential, the potential that was only seen a few hundred years ago. The same potential that the luminous mage had. Unlike her grandmaster, master, and peers, Lisa saw a different vision. She saw herself in a nest. She was a young one, not able to fly yet but these giant creatures looked at her with pleasure and happiness. They were waiting for her to grow.


    One day, you''ll blow us all away.


    She didn''t share her vision.


    "Now now, don''t panic my student."


    Turner sighed.


    "Master! My vision was clear! Master Luminous showed us visions!"


    "Specific visions my student. We didn''t share the same visions."


    "The sky?!"


    "Yes, the sky but everyone that saw the sky reported small differences."


    "But-"


    "Put the thought away my student. We shall investigate this further but we should not let fear grapple our hearts. Let us take this vision as... the new tide. New things will come, my student, I can feel it."


    Turner scowled while Lisa hid her smile.


    <hr>


    The Kerak Kingdom wasn''t aware of the scouting force the Incarna empire sent. They were experiencing something big. The current tyrant, Sedret the 3rd, was dying.


    The king''s retainers were panicking. They summoned the kingdom''s mages and clerics but none of them could pinpoint the cause. The king was old but he was made strong by the magics of the kingdom mages. In this world, old age was easily trumped by magic if you knew where to look. Despite all the magic amulets, rings, and spells keeping him alive, Sedret the 3rd was dying. Unbeknownst to the inept mages there, Sedret''s soul was dying.


    Even if one could delay the decay of one''s body, the soul decays as well. If the soul dies, the body dies. The only true way one can become immortal is if one''s soul becomes immortal. Sedret''s soul was already dying but it was delayed due to the amount of magic not letting him die. Unknown to this horrible king, the magic pulse released by Magnus''s shell shattered his withered soul into pieces.


    In a few minutes, the pathetic old king will die.


    When the retainers realized that nothing will save the king, many of them started to run away. Once the king died, their heads would fly. The king committed many evils in the kingdom, which is the main reason for its decline. The court mage sighed as he watched the king''s life slowly fade away. Despite being an evil tyrant, the king left the court mage well alone. It suited the court mage''s preference but now that the king was dead, he would either be removed from his position or his responsibilities would increase.


    While the royal court panics, another bringer of bad news barges in the court. A messenger was frazzled as he screamed.


    "Barbarians are outside the castle! They''ve defeated the border protection! We''re all going to die!!!"


    The panicking members of the court started panicking even more. The dying king could do nothing but await his death. At least, his people will die with him.


    When the tension starts to rise to the point of people attacking each other, a powerful voice comes from the open doors.


    "Father!"


    The voice silences the royal hall. A young handsome man with powerful features came in. His stride was full of energy. The dying king raised his feeble head. His eyes widened in shock.


    It was his son! His son would save him. This was what the king thought. Unlike the vicious and evil father, the son was kind, compassionate, and cared for the people. Despite their differences, the father could not harm the son so he sent his talented son to the borders to fight the barbarians and the empire. And just like the father, the son could not harm the father but unlike the father, the son can make decisive decisions.


    Sedret the 4th rushed towards his father. The dying man had many nobles by his side and one of them, the royal advisor, ordered the guards to protect the king. He knew that the king''s son was righteous. If he were to be here the moment his father died, he would be immediately crowned king. It doesn''t help that a king is needed to mobilize the army against the appearance of the barbarian army.


    A small unit of well-armed soldiers appears and stands to block Sedret the 4th''s path. The king tries to speak to get them to leave but his body continues to fail him just the same way he continues to fail his kingdom and his son.


    The prince looks at the line of soldiers to tell them to move.


    The soldiers unsheath their blades as they glare at the prince with defiance.


    Sedret the 4th sighed. He didn''t want to harm the soldiers of his kingdom.


    So someone else will do it for him.


    "Darling!"


    With a quick shout from Sedret the 4th, a giant silhouette appears from the outside of the royal hall''s gates. The soldiers infused their bodies with internal energy as they prepared to meet the enemy.


    Each one of them moved with superhuman speed. Sedret the 4th was impressed.


    The elite guard is still elite... but that isn''t enough.


    A tall and powerful woman appears from Sedret the 4th''s side. Taking a maul from her back, she swings it with great force. In unison, the soldiers summoned a barrier made out of their internal energy.


    This barrier was enough to tank the force of a 5th level spell, a spell only experts could cast.


    The soldiers planned to stop the maul with the barrier then scatter as the flow of the attack would be canceled. Once surrounded, they would attack the amazon woman with their enchanted blades. It didn''t matter how strong the enemy was, their enchanted blades strengthened with their abundant internal energy were enough to pierce any defense.


    A powerful shockwave echoed as the maul struck the barrier. As expected, the barrier held, and the elites moved to execute their plan.


    This barbarian would not last against our blades. This was what the soldiers thought as they surrounded the giant woman. They were about to move forward and skewer her with their blades.


    The woman smiled as she summoned a plume of cloud, lightning, and thunder in her hands.


    The elites'' eyes widened as they miscalculated. The enemy wasn''t just a mindless brute swinging with their muscles but a shaman warrior!


    Sedret the 4th erected a magical barrier around him. He would have created one for the other people of the court but he knew most of them. He wouldn''t spare a second thought to scum like them.


    The shaman warrior clasped her hand into a fist. With quick movements, she knelt down and punched the floor. Her attack released a burst of lightning and thunder around her. The soldiers weren''t prepared and most of them were vaporized by the lightning.


    The outcome was brutal. Many of the court''s retainers were splattered all over the walls. Sedret the 4th clicked his tongue as he saw some of the more reviled members of the court still alive.


    The surviving elites were supposed to stand up but many of them buckled on what they saw.


    She was 8 feet tall. Her body was toned and muscular. Her visage was terrifying to look at. She was truly a warrior that put other warriors to shame. Despite that, she was beautiful. The conflicting images scared these veteran soldiers.


    The barbarian chieftess was about to continue her murder spree before she heard her husband''s words.


    "Darling, that''s enough. I think you''ve sent a good enough message."


    The chieftess suddenly turned to a happy smiling girl as she went and hugged the man she married.


    "Did I do well?!"


    Sedret smiled and laughed.


    "Of course you did!"


    The barbarian giggled as she hugged her perfect husband. Many would-be envious or happy for this scene if the walls weren''t caked with blood.


    Sedret the 4th turned his attention to the throne.


    I guess this all for naught. I just need to talk to my brother.


    <hr>


    The realm above the mortal world was in disarray. The pulse of energy enveloped the entirety of the world and the immortal denizens of this higher realm recognized it.


    It was the defiant roar of a primordial dragon.


    The gods were scared. They needed to do something about this. The return of the dragons to the mortal world was not something they wanted.


    Despite all their strength, they can''t just appear in the mortal realm. It would breach the ancient contract struck long ago by the gods and dragons. They had no intention of breaking that unless they wanted a full-blown war with the sleeping dragon spirits.


    For this situation, they needed someone.


    An avatar would be too obvious.


    A vessel would not be enough.


    A hero would be perfect.


    <hr>


    Despite the effects of Magnus''s transformation everywhere, a mundane one was happening near Magnus''s home.


    The shockwave, which according to the gods were reminiscent of a dragon''s roar, awoke a sleeping creature.


    The creature roared back.


    It wasn''t a defiant roar but rather, a subservient one.


    The master of all its masters was back.

 Chapter 11: Rampage in the border

    After the roar released by Magnus''s transformation, a week has passed.


    Sanria was bored out of her mind.


    When she went home with her father and the slug that her master found, she was elated.


    She spent the whole day waiting for her master''s call but she didn''t hear a single roar from his majestic form.


    She rationalized that Magnus must be busy, sleeping, or resting. Her master wouldn''t forget about her.


    But a day turned to 3 days and 3 days turned to a whole week. At some point, Sanria gave up and started getting bored.


    Sanria still sensed the invisible connection between the two of them so she knew Magnus was still alive.


    Magnus didn''t message her and that irked Sanria. She couldn''t do anything which made things worse.


    Gregory, on the other hand, was fine with the peace. When he went home with his daughter and with his suddenly improved looks, many people were amazed.


    Some even claimed that he met a god that gifted him with power. Gregory declined this but it didn''t stop the village''s ladies from admiring his dignified and handsome appearance. Some of the old men started asking him if he can make them younger too. The smarter villagers asked what happened.


    Gregory offered them nothing but a smile. Gregory instructed everyone to not go to the forest. When asked, as to why he simply offered them an ominous warning.


    No one was to go to the forest.


    Sanria agreed. If anyone started looting the items that rightfully belonged to her master, she would commit manslaughter.


    Earlier, she saw the villagers enter the village. She didn''t see her father which worried her but a young man, whose name Sanria forgot, explained that an animal stampede came from the forest.


    According to the young man, Gregory managed to save all of them. After saving everyone, Gregory went to the town to report it while the other villagers went home.


    Sanria sighs. She was very bored.


    At least, dad has something to do.


    Sanria was leaning on the windowsill. Her long hair seemed to flow according to the wind''s wishes and it covered her face. Sanria sighed.


    She blew her hair away and saw someone enter the village.


    Oooh.


    Sanria''s blood was reinvigorated.


    <hr>


    The forest was experiencing an upheaval. Its biggest and most powerful beast, the golden furred bear, was being challenged.


    A golden furred bear was a huge bear infused with the natural energies of any forest. Albeit small compared to the super forests scattered around the world, this specific forest must have taken a liking to this bear to give it such a blessing.


    The authority of the golden furred bear was being challenged so it had no choice but to reply.


    While inside its den, the giant bear released a powerful roar which scared many of the animals living in the forest. Its mate ran for dear life as the golden furred bear ran out of its den.


    It would greet its challenger with tooth and claw.


    The combined roars of the two powerful predators inflicted great fear in the whole forest. Animals of all sizes started running away, resulting in an animal stampede akin to the movement of animals when there''s a forest fire.


    <hr>


    Gregory was going home. He went to the nearby town with other villagers. He spent the whole week doing his chores, training with Sanria, and testing his abilities.


    Despite his improvement, Gregory quickly realized how weak he was. Not in comparison to other people, but compared to his daughter.


    At first, Sanria was excited to use her abilities at such a high level but they quickly found out that her previous high level was now her low level. Sanria quickly got bored of her father''s ability. She still trained with him and did her best to not show her boredom but Gregory still noticed.


    I guess my daughter is truly amazing.


    Despite feeling a bit sad about her daughter''s boredom with his skill and strength, Gregory was also proud. His daughter was so impressive that if she ever went to the cities, she would be fine.


    "Look out!"


    One of the villagers with Gregory screamed as a pack of giant wolves came out of the forest.


    Gregory turned his head towards the forest.


    Gregory''s senses suddenly went into overdrive. For the past week, he''s been testing the limits of his body. Gregory''s most important discovery was that his physical abilities have returned to his prime. In addition to not being limited by the constraints of age, Gregory''s abilities are above average humans.


    A giant wolf leaped towards him. With his enhanced reaction time, Gregory jumped backward and landed on the wagon. The wolf simply passed by him and it continued running.


    "Gregory! There''s more!"


    Gregory looks at the forest. The wolves were only the beginning. All manners of creatures started pouring out of the forest.


    Gregory quickly jumps back to the front of the wagon. He whips the horse and it starts to run but it was too late. The large mass of animals crashed to the side of the wagon, easily upending it. The villagers were thrown to the ground and the horse was trampled.


    When the wagon was thrown aside, Gregory quickly reacted and landed on both feet. Without hesitation, Gregory rushed to the nearest villager. He was a young man. Gregory grabbed the man.


    "Stand! We need to get out of here!"


    Gregory told the man to stick close to him. Then he ran to the next nearest villager.


    Shit.


    An 8-horned deer was charging straight towards Gregory and the young man.


    Gregory infused his body with internal energy. He was thankful that he practiced this week in its usage.


    Stepping forward, Gregory caught the deer''s powerful charge.


    Any normal person would have been thrown off by this creature''s powerful charge but Gregory stood strong. The deer''s sharp horns couldn''t pierce Gregory.


    "Ahhhhh!"


    Gregory dug his feet on the ground and he lifted the deer by its horns. With great momentum, Gregory threw the huge deer towards the incoming horde. Many animals were forced to move away, giving Gregory some breathing space.


    "Help!"


    A villager was about to be crushed underfoot. Gregory moved quickly and grabbed the man. With superhuman speed and strength, Gregory moved to get the other villagers.


    Despite the stampede, Gregory managed to save everyone with minor injuries. Their only real casualty was the horse and wagon.


    Gregory calculated the cost of fixing the wagon. It would cost a lot which annoyed him.


    It would help if the village had a blacksmith.


    The villagers stayed away from the stampede''s path. No point in trying to get themselves killed.


    Eventually, the stampede stopped for now.


    The aftermath was brutal. The road was brutally ripped apart by the animals. Any plants were either beaten or eaten by the stampeding animals.


    "Gregory, what do we do?"


    The young man approached Gregory.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "Sylas, go home first with the others. I''ll rush to the town to report this. Maybe something is happening to the forest."


    Sylas nodded. After Gregory returned from the forest, everyone noticed his change. He became more like a leader.


    Sylas, following Gregory''s command, called the others to prepare for the walk home.


    Gregory walked towards the town.


    His thoughts were suddenly preoccupied with his master. He couldn''t report him, but it will surely hit other caravans or traveling people if the stampede continues. If he doesn''t report this, many people would be affected.


    Gregory cursed inwardly. He still sensed the connection he has with his master so he knew Magnus was alive but it''s been a week since their last meeting. For all he knows, his master might be the cause of this.


    Shit.


    Gregory moved towards the direction of the town.


    <hr>


    The bustling town of Mckaintyo was a frontier town. It was the passing area of people wanting to leave or enter the kingdom.


    It was connected to three other frontier villages and one village that was closer to the capital.


    Quodin was one of these frontier villages. It was where Gregory and Sanria lived. This town was by no means rich but it wasn''t poor either. It gained its wealth mostly from tariffs and taxes gained from traveling merchants. It also had a healthy share of adventurers.


    Gregory traveled to the town gate.


    "Gregory? Is that you?"


    Gregory looked at the guard who called his name.


    "Yeah, it''s me."


    "You just left earlier? Don''t tell me, you already have another load of food or items to sell?"


    Gregory shook his head.


    "I''m going to the adventurer''s guild to report something."


    "Ahhh, let me guess. Giant rats?"


    The two shared a laugh before the guard let Gregory in.


    Gregory took regular trips to the town so he was well known here. Educated and literate villagers were extremely rare so Gregory was someone almost everyone in Mckaintyo knew.


    His fame grew when he returned to the town looking like a hunk of a man. Fortunately for Gregory, there wasn''t a mage guild branch here or else he would''ve been taken for a lot of questioning.


    Gregory reached the adventurer''s guild branch. When Gregory was awakened, he enjoyed the benefits of increased strength but he also gained muscle mass. Some of Gregory''s clothes were ripped off during the stampede which revealed his chiseled body.


    Gregory pushes the adventurer guild''s door open and enters the building.


    The multitude of many adventurers took a glance at the newcomer. Many were surprised by the age of the man coming in. Despite Gregory''s new look, he still had that appearance of age.


    Whispers were everywhere as Gregory made his way to the counter.


    "Look at that guy."


    "He''s so buff."


    "You think he''s a veteran?"


    "Nah, we''re some backwater town. What would a veteran do here?"


    "What rank is he?"


    Gregory promptly ignored them. He was taught that as long as someone didn''t directly hurt you or embarrass you, you ignore them.


    Once Gregory reached the counter, a young clerk stood up.


    "Good morning sir! How may I help you?"


    The young clerk, named Quilana, was smiling. Quilana was new here. It was actually her first day.


    She was excited to help and serve the people. She was nervous but that was fine. Adventurers were surely not going to make it hard for her.


    When she saw Gregory, she happily stood up to greet him.


    Gregory was a bit surprised by the young lady''s politeness. He thought he would be ignored since he was just a village head of a remote village.


    "Ah yes, I am here to report something."


    "Oh! Let me get the IVM."


    "IVM?"


    Quilana stood up to go to the back. She heard Gregory''s question and quickly responds.


    "It means Information Value Manual. It helps us put a value on any information given to us."


    "Oh, but why would you pay us for information?"


    Quilana smiles. It was her time to shine! She remembers back to her training days and she stands up proudly.


    "Oh, sir! It''s because information is power!"


    Gregory was confused but he nodded. The old man didn''t understand a lot in life but he did know when to just nod and agree.


    Seeing the lack of interest, Quilana feels suddenly down but she keeps her smile and instead opts for a short and concise explanation.


    "The many guilds in the world, including other organizations, and even the government use the information gained from reporters for a variety of things, some of which I cannot say about. So, the more valuable or important your information is, the larger the money we are willing to pay for."


    "Ahh, so that''s why."


    Quilana smiles and nods. She recovered some of her spirits seeing Gregory understanding her explanation.


    I''m so great! My training was worth it!


    Quilana was in a good mood.


    "Now, sir?"


    "Gregory."


    "Yes, sir Gregory, now can you tell me about this news?"


    Gregory nods. He then retells what happened when he was about to go home with his fellow villagers.


    Quilana was intently listening to Gregory the whole time. She offered him tea, some biscuits, and a smile.


    Gregory appreciated it. Once he was done retelling the story, Quilana nodded.


    "Well, animal stampedes aren''t common and their danger is based on the animals, beasts, or monsters present in the herd. Did you notice any creature that was out of the ordinary?"


    Gregory thought if there was any creature that was out of the ordinary.


    "Well, what do you consider out of the ordinary?"


    "Animals that are too big, magical beasts, or monsters."


    "Hmm, there were giant wolves."


    "Okay, giant wolves."


    Quilana noted down the information. She upped the difficulty of the mission associated with this information.


    "Anything else?"


    "An 8-horned deer tried to tackle me. Is that important?"


    "Ooh! I''m glad you managed to dodge Sir Gregory. The charge of 8-horned deers can pierce even some tough armors. They''re actually one of the top reasons for amethyst adventurer dea- umm forced retirement. Thank you for telling me this."


    Quilana calculates the value of the information.


    "The information you brought to the guild is worth 10 gold coins."


    "What?!"


    Gregory was very surprised by Quilana''s estimate. Quilana tilted her head in surprise. She thought to herself.


    Hmmm, this must be sir''s first time in the adventurer guild.


    "Sir, is this your first time in the guild?"


    Gregory breathes in and tries to recompose himself but he can''t help but be bewildered. 10 gold is already a large amount of money for a villager, much less a villager that lives near the borders.


    "Ye-yes. Sorry, I was just surprised."


    "Well, I can pay you now sir but the stampede doesn''t have a mission assigned to it yet. Do you want to use the information money to make it the mission reward?"


    "You can do that?"


    "Yes. Adventurers need to be paid and requests are funded either by a private contact or the government. In some rare cases, we fund the request by ourselves but that''s a very rare case."


    "Well, my village relies a lot on the forest for food, furs, and other produce. I''d like to have it be investigated."


    Quilana nods.


    "It''s part of my job to give you a realistic view of what will happen when I post this request. While this request might be of utmost importance to you, we, the guild, rank the mission and consequently lock out some adventurers from it. We can''t have adventurers throw their lives away for no reason after all."


    Gregory nods understandingly.


    "And will you be adding more to the reward or no?"


    "isn''t 10 gold enough?"


    Quilana smiles.


    "10 gold is a big amount for average everyday people but it''s a small amount for adventurers who spend the bulk of their money on supplies, new gear, buying information, and so on."


    Gregory seems to be surprised by this.


    "I-I see. That seems complicated."


    "It is. Now, will you post this request with only 10 gold?"


    "Is this request difficult?"


    "Hmmm, the request is to deal with a disturbance but to be truthful to you sir Gregory, we lack information. Due to this lack of information, the guild has to be careful in allowing anyone to handle the situation. Considering the danger of the unknown, a minimum of Lapis-ranked adventurers will suffice."


    "Lapis?"


    "9th rank adventurers. They''re a bit more skilled than their lower-ranked counterparts but still within the stone group of adventurers."


    "Stone??"


    Gregory was starting to become really confused.


    "Well, they''re-"


    "That''s enough. How much do I pay Lapis ranked adventurers?"


    "Depending on the request, it''s a minimum of 10 gold per rank, so at least 20 gold but considering the danger, we can add 10 or 15 gold more."


    The amount was staggering for someone like Gregory. He couldn''t just fork out that amount of money. The village needed it for repairing tools and buying animals.


    He sighed.


    He couldn''t hire Lapis-ranked adventurers without endangering the village.


    "Is there no other way?"


    Quilana shook her head dejectedly.


    Gregory was about to leave until he was surprised by the sound of a fist hitting the wooden table. He turns his head to see an adventurer looking at him directly.


    Quilana saw the adventurer and noticed their amethyst-colored badge. She spoke with command in her voice.


    "Sir!"


    Quilana stood up to reprimand the adventurer.


    "We''ll take the job!"


    The man pointed his thumb at him.


    "Huh?"


    "Huh?"


    Gregory and Quilana were both surprised as to what they heard.


    <hr>


    Sanria saw his father with a few strangers come into their village. She stopped doing whatever she was doing to greet him.


    "Father! You''re back!"


    Gregory''s stress seemed to disappear as he saw his beautiful daughter run towards him.


    "Sanria!"


    Gregory stepped forward to catch his daughter. The two exchange a father and daughter hug.


    "How was your day father? Was the stampede eventful?"


    Sanria asked with some teasing in her voice.


    "Eventful? You should have-"


    "Hey, I''m Zack. Pleased to meet you."


    Before Gregory could finish, Zack, the young amethyst adventurer, speaks up. Zack looks enamored by Sanria''s beauty. He gives Sanria a wink and his best smile.


    Sanria raises an eyebrow in confusion.


    Zack''s two other party members groan and facepalm.


    "Zack! What did I tell you about rudely interrupting the conversation of other people?!"


    A young girl hits Zack on the head with her staff.


    "Hey! Elisha that hurts!"


    Before Zack could protest against Elisha''s attacks, a tall and strong-looking man comments.


    "Zack, if you keep acting like that, we won''t get good contacts."


    "See! Even Jordan is agreeing!"


    Zack looks at the tall man. After seeing Jordan''s stern look, Zack quickly bows.


    "I apologize. I just couldn''t help but want to meet your acquaintance. You''re so beautiful. I wanted nothing more than to know who you were."


    Elisha and Jordan groan again. Jordan grabs Zack before he could embarrass themselves more. Jordan starts to scold Zack while Elisha apologizes to Gregory and Sanria.


    Gregory chuckles while Sanria rolls her eyes.


    "It''s okay. My daughter has received many confessions of admiration. This was not the first and will definitely not be the last."


    Zack hears that and immediately shouts.


    "Sir, I am a fine young man. I can definitely treat your daughter right."


    Sanria scowls at that.


    Gregory responds when he sees his daughter''s reaction.


    "Many have said that my boy and none have delivered. Now, let us go to my home first before I guide you three to the forest."


    Zack was a bit depressed by Gregory''s response but he quickly recovers when he sees Sanria walk away. He can''t help but admire that view.


    Elisha hits Zack on his head with a stick.


    Sanria followed her father as they made their way back to their humble abode.


    "Father, you will guide these... people?"


    "I''ll only guide them to the edge of the forest."


    "Wait, you don''t think it''s connected to him?"


    Sanria internally hissed at herself for calling her master him.


    "I... I''m not sure but yeah it''s possible."


    Sanria frowns.


    "If that''s the case, we should go in as well to avoid any meddling of his home."


    Gregory didn''t want to agree but he knew she was right. He owed his loyalty to his master. If he were to be lacking in his loyalty, what type of man would he be?


    "Okay. We''ll lead them inside and do our best to steer them away from the battlefield and his home."


    Sanria nodded approvingly.


    "Oh yeah, we have a visitor. He came earlier before you guys got here."


    "Oh, who is it?"


    Sanria smiled. Her blood felt like fire.

 Chapter 12: A Poor Mage

    Melinoe was a very poor and unfortunate individual. After getting knocked unconscious by Magnus for the nth time, he finally woke up.


    Despite being knocked around so many times, Melinoe didn''t blame it on his master.


    Master must have his reasons.


    These were Melinoe''s thoughts.


    He woke up on a comfortable bed. It was his first comfortable bed in a long while.


    When he looked around, he saw a quaint living room. It was clean, had open windows, and beautifully carved furniture.


    "Are you done looking around?"


    Melinoe quickly turned his head towards the voice. Melinoe saw Gregory gutting a rabbit and cutting some vegetables.


    Melinoe''s stomach growled. He hasn''t had a proper homemade meal in a while.


    "You hungry?"


    Melinoe nods.


    Gregory nods. He prepares a meal for the poor mage.


    "Sit on the table. I don''t want you spilling stew on one of my beds.


    "O-okay."


    Melinoe was still groggy. He couldn''t bring out his cocky demeanor.


    Once Melinoe was seated, Gregory brings him a hot bowl of rabbit stew.


    Melinoe grabs a spoon and quickly takes a sip. Immediately, Melinoe screams.


    "Ahhh!!"


    Gregory looks at Melinoe bewildered.


    "IT''S SO HOT!"


    "You should have waited for it to cool down first."


    "You stupid peasant!"


    In a fit of petty rage, Melinoe was about to throw the bowl of hot stew towards Gregory, but he notices a quick silhouette appear beside him. He winces in pain as he feels an iron grip on his wrist. The bowl of how stew is about to fall to the ground but the silhouette easily grab it with one hand.


    "Who dares!?"


    Before Melinoe could continue his tantrum, he feels something shoved down his mouth. He turns his head towards his assailant. Melinoe sees Sanria standing beside him. Sanria''s face lacked any emotion. Gregory sighed and he didn''t speak.


    "Listen here you filthy cum rag, the only real reason I didn''t drop you off that cliff me and my dad passed by was that my master told me to take you home. I was curious as to what type of anomaly you were, but you''re a normal person with some leaves growing out of their ass from the looks of it. You don''t have any of the energy me and my dad can use. And my dad told me you tried to cast magic yesterday but you got beaten without any magic coming out. So, let me be clear so you don''t miss what I''m going to say next. I''ll keep you alive due to my master but the next time you shout at my father or me, I''ll rip out your tongue. Understand?"


    Sanria stared straight into Melinoe''s eyes. For some reason unknown to the mage, Sanria''s eyes instilled great fear into Melinoe. It was simple. With her awakened soul, Sanria''s eyes carried a portion of the might of a dragon''s eyes.


    Melinoe was forced to nod. He felt that Sanria would keep her word if he tried to protest.


    It was only when Melinoe nodded multiple times that Sanria let him go.


    "And another thing."


    "Sanria, that''s enough."


    Sanria shuts her mouth. She respected her father so she listened.


    "Melinoe correct?


    Melinoe looks at Gregory with annoyance but it quickly disappeared with a single look from Sanria.


    "Y-yes."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    "The dragon... I mean our master wants us to keep you here until further notice."


    Melinoe nods.


    "I can''t feed you or house you without any real reason."


    "But you just said our master told you to keep me here."


    "Exactly. He didn''t specify so I''ll assume I''ll keep you here. So, I''ll have you work for your housing and food."


    "What?!"


    Sanria slightly moves and Melinoe flinches.


    "I mean yes! I''ll help around the place!"


    Just wait till I repair my magical foundation!


    "Good, now eat up. You need the strength for later."


    Melinoe nods.


    "I''ll be outside chopping firewood. Give me a holler when you''re done."


    Sanria looks at Melinoe and after a while, she leaves.


    Melinoe heaves a sigh of relief when the monster girl left the room. Melinoe was about to stupidly threaten Gregory but the old man left with Sanria to work.


    Tsk, I guess I''ll have to threaten him when he''s working.


    For now, Melinoe resigned himself to eating.


    The meal was delicious but Melinoe would never admit to it. After finishing the bowl, Melinoe stood up. He was preparing to threaten Gregory.


    Melinoe gathered all his courage and looked out the window. He didn''t see Sanria anywhere so he stepped out of the door.


    He saw Gregory putting down an axe.


    Easy enough, I''ll just shout at him. The old man should cower quick enough.


    Melinoe heard a powerful rip as Gregory ripped a small log in half with his hands. Melinoe saw the old man''s powerful muscles flex underneath the thin clothes.


    Melinoe gulped a throatful of air.


    On second thought, I shouldn''t bully senior citizens.


    And that''s how Melinoe''s week passed. It was very uneventful.


    <hr>


    Melinoe did work around the village, work he was unfamiliar with but he still did his best. His pride made sure that his work was good.


    During his stay, Melinoe continued to fix his magical foundation. It''s taking time but he''s slowly repairing it.


    In addition to his chores, Melinoe got to know some of the villagers in the village.


    Gregory was a fine man. He lost his wife at childbirth but he spent his years taking care of Sanria and the people.


    Melinoe was scared of Sanria. Every time he looked at Sanria, he felt a pit in his stomach. She was beautiful, talented, and powerful but she seemed alien in nature. It felt like she was something else wearing human skin.


    There was this young man named Sylas. Melinoe liked the young man enough. He seemed like a good kid. He seemed interested in learning magic. Melinoe said he could teach him but he wanted to wait for his master first before he does anything.


    In all honesty, there wasn''t a guarantee that Melinoe could properly teach someone due to his lack of talent. Melinoe would never admit to it.


    There was this young woman, named Angelica. Melinoe noticed how she tried to talk to him all the time. Just like Sylas, she''s probably interested in learning magic.


    She always seems so shy around me, it''s not like I''m gonna bite.


    Melinoe sat on a wooden chair overlooking the forest, the same forest his master lived in.


    For the whole week, Melinoe thought about just entering the forest and finding his master but each time he strayed near the forest, he felt something was watching him. Even when he did his best to look for the source, Melinoe couldn''t find the one watching him.


    He was sure it was Sanria. That crazy demon lady was to be the death of him.


    Melinoe stayed in the village.


    <hr>


    Melinoe was 90% finished on the magical foundation. Usually, it would take a longer time to create one but repairing a broken foundation is easier, as long as the foundation isn''t fully destroyed.


    Melinoe was near the forest. Despite Sanria being nowhere to be found, Melinoe knew she could catch him even if he had a one-hour lead on her.


    After his transformation a week ago, Melinoe found that he gained an affinity for forest mana.


    Unlike normal and novice mages, Melinoe could fill up on forest mana rather than neutral mana. It would allow him to use nature-inclined spells with ease and still use neutral spells without any problems.


    Melinoe started to gather energy from the forest to complete his magical foundation.


    92%... 94%... 96%... 98...


    So close!


    "Your foundation is lacking. It has many flaws."


    Melinoe''s concentration was suddenly cut off and his progress today disappears.


    What the fuck?!


    Melinoe turns his attention to the voice he heard. It was a young child that just exited the forest.


    The young child had eyes that seemed to carry the universe within them. After a second look, Melinoe realized that the child was beautiful beyond measure. Not only was the child beautiful but his body was perfect.


    Melinoe''s anger was quickly quashed.


    He forgot that his concentration was interrupted by the child. Remembering that the child spoke about something, he muttered a weak response.


    "Wh-what?"


    "I said, your foundation is lacking. It has many flaws."


    "Huh?"


    Melinoe''s shock slowly dissipated as he took in the situation.


    What is this kid saying?


    Before he could say anything to the kid, Sanria suddenly appears. She quickly ran from her house when she saw the new person enter the village.


    "Hi!"


    The kid looks at Sanria and he nods.


    "Oooh, you''re so cute!! So adorable! Let''s get you clothed and that monster of yours in some pants! Can''t have people think we''re deviants!"


    Melinoe was scared stiff. The whole time he was in the village, he has never seen Sanria so excited or happy.


    The kid looks at Melinoe and he shakes his head. Sanria ignores Melinoe and grabs the kid''s hand.


    "Let''s go to my house. We have all the privacy in the world there! I promise to properly dress you!"


    When Melinoe heard those words, he was suddenly afraid for the child. He didn''t think that Sanria was that type of person. He finally realized why that beautiful woman was single and unmarried.


    Deviant!


    Despite being afraid of Sanria, Melinoe resolved to get the kid.


    No child must ever have to suffer the depravities of an unhinged adult!


    Melinoe, despite not yet finishing his magical foundation, rushes to the house.


    Melinoe slams open the door to Gregory''s house.


    "Unhand that child you heathen!"


    Before Melinoe could continue his speech, he sees a golden tail sweep towards him. It hits his face and he is knocked unconscious.


    Melinoe''s last thoughts echoed in his mind before he fell asleep.


    Master?

 Chapter 13: A Weird Job

    Sanria was humming happily as she walked towards the house with her cute and adorable master.


    Her master took a human form albeit it seems that Magnus is limited to this age range.


    She didn''t care. She was finally with her master. It meant, she can finally enjoy life again.


    Magnus was perplexed by his situation. After being asleep in the egg for a week, he emerged differently.


    He still had his draconic form but there was something else.


    Sanria and Magnus enter Gregory''s house.


    Magnus was still thinking when Sanria asked her a question.


    "Master, is this form permanent?"


    Magnus looks around and makes sure they are alone.


    After he''s done surveying the area, Magnus answers Sanria''s question by reverting to his true form.


    Quickly, the human child form breaks as its skin spreads open revealing golden scales and powerful wings. In a few seconds, Magnus has returned to his draconic state.


    Magnus studies his surroundings and he concludes something he thought was impossible.


    I grew older...


    "Master! You''ve gotten bigger!"


    Magnus was a bit tense due to the sudden change. Dragons did not grow this fast, doing so would have been a suicide in the previous age. The reason dragons were so powerful, other than their bodies, was due to their experience gained through countless years.


    Magnus was feeling tense when the door to the house suddenly opened.


    "Unhand that child you heathen!"


    Magnus''s body reacted and he moved his tail to strike the source of the voice. He made sure to limit his strength as to not kill his target.


    Magnus and Sanria hear the sound of a body hitting the wood floor.


    "Ma-master, that was the jester..."


    Magnus turns around and he sees Melinoe''s unconscious body.


    "Oh... I see."


    Sanria''s eyes widen when he hears Magnus''s sharp and primal voice.


    "Master! I love your voice!"


    "Thank you Sanria."


    Sanria seems to stumble a bit when she hears her name from her master''s mouth. She smiles.


    "Oh, your voice... it''s so..."


    Sanria smiles dopily at Magnus. The young dragon ignores his rather peculiar dragonborn.


    "Sanria, it seems your father is back home. Greet him."


    "Oh!"


    Sanria snapped out of her stupor and she senses her father''s presence, in addition to three new individuals.


    Magnus reverts to his childlike human form. He didn''t like this form.


    Too restrained... I''m not used to not having a tail.


    Magnus felt uncomfortable not having a tail to balance his body. He also felt weak. He could summon a small fraction of his true body''s strength but that did not assure him.


    But... to learn from the humans, I need this form. I will learn to live with them... to see how we were defeated.


    "Sanria, please give me clothes. I''m unable to create clothes yet."


    Sanria quickly goes to find Magnus some clothes. Magnus is quickly dressed and he goes out of the house.


    Sanria rushes towards her father so she can greet him properly.


    Magnus stays on the porch where he can observe the quaint little village.


    He saw the many village people do their everyday tasks. It was hard but it was a life with dignity.


    Magnus inwardly chuckled. If he didn''t have such a massive burden upon his back, maybe he would have taken a human form and explored the world under the guise of a traveling hedge mage.


    Yeah... that would be satisfying.


    Magnus saw Sanria and Gregory hug each other. It was a heartwarming image.


    Hmmm?


    Magnus saw a young man get scolded and beat up by other people. Considering their outfit and gear, they were not travelers or villagers.


    Who are those?


    Magnus was curious but he decided to wait. He can wait for Gregory and Sanria to come to him. He can ask them instead.


    Magnus saw Sanria scowl.


    She must be annoyed.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Magnus watched the five individuals walk towards him. Sanria looked the same as usual but Gregory''s strong body was impressive to look at.


    Magnus wasn''t fooled.


    Gregory''s muscular body was due to his awakened blood and years of working his body to support his daughter. Sanria''s body was thin and toned but each fiber of her body was far stronger than Gregory''s. Her strength was most likely due to the extreme purity of her internal energy.


    Magnus sat on a chair overlooking the area. He waited for Gregory.


    <hr>


    Gregory was a bit scared. He saw his daughter''s face. She smiled and while most would see it as innocuous, such as that simpleton Zack, Gregory has become aware of his daughter''s trait, obsession.


    He knew that when she wanted something, she would do anything to get it. Gregory knew that for the past week, Sanria only wanted one thing and that was to be with their master. Gregory didn''t understand.


    What could a young beautiful girl with all the talent in the world want with an overgrown reptile?


    Gregory sighed. He didn''t want to badmouth his master. It was rude of him to do so. And his master was so much more than just a reptile. His master was compassionate, merciful, and intelligent.


    Gregory. Sanria


    Gregory and Sanria suddenly stilled as they heard their master''s voice in their minds.


    Master?


    Master!


    Gregory tested the waters while Sanria eagerly replied to Magnus'' call.


    I am waiting on the porch of your house. Bring your acquaintances but do not call me your master as we speak.


    Gregory and Sanria both answered in affirmative as they continued their walk.


    "So, does this frontier village have any problems?"


    Elisha tried to ask Gregory a question but Gregory was a bit out of his mind, thinking about his master.


    "Sir?"


    After Elisha called him, Gregory was snapped out of his thoughts.


    "Oh... Ummm... we can talk about it later when we''ve returned to my house. So you three can get settled."


    Elisha nods.


    Zack, the young amethyst warrior, stared at Sanria with admiration. Jordan sighed as he tried to not hit Zack on the head. He was also enamored by Sanria''s beauty but he wasn''t about to jeopardize employer relations just for a girl.


    Sanria ignored Zack while thinking about her master.


    Hehe... my master is so amazing. His true form is majestic and powerful but his kid version is also cute and refined!


    Zack kept smiling at Sanria, thinking that her smiling was for him.


    "Gregory, Sanria, you two are back."


    Gregory was caught off guard when he heard the young voice. He looked towards his house and saw a beautiful doll-like human waiting for them. If not for the peasant clothes he was wearing, Gregory would have believed that the child came from royalty.


    Jordan and Elisha, who were keeping their guard up, immediately saw the handsome child.


    Their jaws dropped as they saw the unbelievable beauty that was Magnus.


    Zack was too enamored with Sanria to notice the appearance of an equally beautiful entity.


    Gregory was shocked too. He thought his master would take an older form, a wise old man or a handsome bachelor. He was not prepared to see an extremely beautiful child.


    I feel weird calling a young-looking child... master.


    "Come in, it is getting cold and you two shouldn''t stay outside."


    Magnus walks towards the house''s main door. Sanria was the first one to snap out of it and she quickly follows. But before she could do anything, she feels a tug on her sleeve.


    Turning around, Sanria saw Elisha''s eyes looking at her with obsessed eyes.


    "Is that young boy your brother?? Yo-you know! I''m a graduate of the academy, I-I have pretty good credentials. If he ever becomes a bachelor... I-"


    Jordan smacks Elisha on the head and the mage falls. Sanria heaves a sigh of relief. This snaps Gregory out of his thoughts.


    "I apologize for the poor attitudes shown by my teammates. They are weak against beautiful women and handsome men... or in this case... a very beautiful young boy. It''s usually in control but you two are... extraordinary."


    Gregory sighs.


    "It is okay Jordan. Take her in, please. Just make sure they keep it in their pants."


    <hr>


    The three amethyst adventurers entered the house.


    Jordan was carrying an unconscious Elisha. Zack was too focused on Sanria to help.


    Once inside the Wood''s quaint home, Jordan put down the drooling mage girl that he was disappointed in.


    Jordan sighed as he put Elisha on one of the chairs.


    "Jordan, this mission is going to be important to us."


    Jordan turned towards Zack. He saw that the young man was serious.


    What? He suddenly became serious.


    Jordan looked around and noticed that Sanria wasn''t there.


    Oh... this slimy...


    Zack returned to his normal self the moment Sanria left his sight to make tea.


    "Yeah... it is important Zack."


    Zack nodded resolutely.


    "Once we finish our first mission, we''ll have money to spend... I''m gonna buy a ring and propose to Sanria."


    Jordan sighed again. He felt like he was aging faster each time Zack did his shenanigans.


    Gregory sat on the other side of the chair with Magnus. Jordan watched the handsome and beautiful child drink water.


    He''s too beautiful... Who is he? Is he the requester''s son?


    Magnus was aware of Jordan''s appraisal and he stared at Jordan''s eyes. Jordan felt a bit unnerved and scared of Magnus''s eyes.


    Jordan didn''t like being afraid for no reason, especially of a 12-year-old child.


    If Jordan knew Magnus''s true form, he would have felt some relief because anyone with a right mind would be afraid of a dragon.


    But as of now, Jordan did not know what Magnus was. He just felt like he was staring at something alien and wrong.


    "Ahem."


    Gregory called the attention of Jordan and Zack. Jordan woke up Elisha. Elisha woke up from her dreamy stupor. When Elisha saw her surroundings, she quickly panicked. She took out a handkerchief and wiped her lips.


    She muttered apologies as Gregory prepared to explain the situation to them.


    "So! What are the details of the requ-"


    Zack tries to break the ice but his brave front quickly crumbles to a dopey mess when he sees Sanria go towards them, wearing a light pink apron that she sewed in her free time.


    Sanria first serves tea to Magnus, then to Gregory, then to Jordan, then to Elisha, and lastly, to Zack. Magnus, Gregory, and Jordan''s cups were made of fine porcelain. It was an heirloom the family has had for many generations.


    Elisha and Zack looked at their clay mugs. It was a bit ugly. Zack didn''t mind but the mage had some qualms about it.


    "Ummm, excuse me? Are there any other cups?"


    Sanria smiles.


    "So sorry, we only have the three."


    Elisha frowns.


    "Then why did you give it to Jordan??"


    Jordan raises an eyebrow as he drinks some of the tea.


    Don''t pull me into this mess woman.


    Jordan ignored Elisha.


    Sanria smiled again.


    "Oh, I just felt like the one that knows how to control their saliva should have the fancier cup."


    Elisha''s scowl deepened as she prepared to shout.


    "Enough."


    Gregory''s voice was deep and powerful, a gift he gained from his awakened blood.


    Elisha settled in her seat while Jordan stiffened a bit. Zack was too focused on Sanria to notice.


    "Let''s talk about the job."


    Jordan, the more responsible of the three, nods. Elisha nods as well.


    "What do you want us to do sir Gregory?"


    "As you already know, there was a forest stampede. That never happens. That has never happened in the time I was the chief of this village."


    "So, you want us to investigate this?"


    Gregory nods towards Jordan.


    "I don''t want it to ever happen again."


    "That''s a very general request sir. Any specifics?"


    Gregory thinks. Before he could speak, Magnus speaks.


    "The danger posed by an animal stampede is very high for the village. If an animal stampede were to come through here, we would not survive. Many of our crops, homes, and supplies would be destroyed. Now, the request is for you three to look for the source of the animal''s duress. Not only to look for it but to deal with it in a way the stampede never happens again."


    Gregory accidentally coughs out some tea.


    Jordan and Elisha stare at Magnus with shock.


    Magnus realizes why everyone is shocked and he continues.


    "Isn''t that what you wanted to say, Gregory?"


    Gregory wipes his mouth and he quickly nods.


    "Yes yes yes. That is indeed the request."


    Jordan pulls back. He closes his eyes.


    This quest is weird.

 Chapter 14: Powerful Roars

    After taking a breather, Gregory explained what he wanted to do.


    "I will accompany you three in the forest."


    Zack nodded.


    After causing Zack to be useless for a while, Gregory asked Sanria to leave the room for a bit.


    Sanria didn''t like that. Now, she disliked Zack even more. Zack was oblivious to this growing dislike.


    When Zack waved a dopey goodbye towards Sanria, her dislike turned to hate.


    Maybe, I should just handle this forest problem and kill all three of them.


    Sanria felt that she could just kill all three of them but her father obviously didn''t want that.


    Magnus enjoyed the tea while Gregory explained the need for them to accompany them.


    "Inside the forest, there are areas we consider holy ground. Non-villagers are not allowed to go there. I know it sounds nonsensical but I plea that you respect our faith."


    "Of course father!"


    Zack quickly responds to Gregory''s warning.


    "Don''t call me father."


    Zack ignores him.


    "Your words are absolute and we will avoid these holy areas."


    The holy areas were bullshit.


    Gregory''s village didn''t have any major faith or religion. Even the worship of the great Guardian wasn''t followed by everyone.


    It''s just that, Gregory and Sanria haven''t finished cleaning the battlefield. Even with Melinoe''s help, the three of them couldn''t clear all the bodies. Some of them were starting to stink as well.


    At least, we managed to gather the weapons and gear.


    Gregory remembered how his unused storage room was filled to the brim with weapons and armor. There were even some ballista bolts stored in the storage room.


    It''s a shame my lord destroyed the ballista. It would have been a good weapon to use if we ever needed it.


    "Well, as long as you understand."


    Jordan raises his hand.


    "Yes, Jordan?"


    "What if we''ve explored the part of the forests that aren''t considered holy ground and haven''t found the source of the problem? Do we stop or do we enter the supposed holy areas?"


    I hope that isn''t the case.


    Gregory thought of the dangers of letting these people see the plains full of dead soldiers.


    Before Gregory could speak, Zack calls out to Jordan.


    "Jordan?!"


    "Shut up Zack, this is part of the request. Well, sir Gregory?"


    "Ah ah ah, father please ignore the words of my friend here, he-"


    "Enough."


    Zack shuts up.


    "If the source of the problem is not in the forest... I''ll lead you three to the holy areas."


    Jordan nods satisfied.


    Elisha chimes in when Gregory finishes.


    "Not to be disrespectful, but may I ask what religion does the village follow?"


    Shit.


    "Uh uh"


    Magnus replies.


    "We revere the great guardian of the forest. We consider it to be our ancient protector that keeps us safe from dangers."


    Elisha was about to say a disrespectful quip but she can''t help but admire Magnus so her thoughts were quickly muddled. Jordan heaved a sigh of relief.


    At least Elisha isn''t as crazy as Zack.


    "Now, are there any other questions?"


    "No, we have no more questions."


    "Good, now I''ll just get my gear, and let''s head out."


    "Gregory, can I come with you?"


    "Uh uh, Prince... Sorry, but I cannot risk you."


    Magnus thinks. Magnus wanted to check out his own home. He needed to make sure there was nothing dangerous. If there was, he just needs to get rid of it.


    "Yeah, you should listen to your father."


    Magnus looks at Jordan and ignores him.


    Jordan shrugs.


    "Gregory, the forest is also my home and my place of worship. Please, let me come. I am sure the Guardian will protect us. And if it does not, these three will be able to do that as well."


    Jordan frowns.


    "This isn''t an escort mission. We aren''t guards."


    Gregory looks at Magnus and he sees unyielding eyes.


    Shit. Master, do you truly need to come?


    Magnus ignores Gregory''s cursing.


    Yes. I must survey my domain.


    Gregory sighs. He couldn''t say no.


    "Jordan, how much do I pay you to add escorting as part of the mission?"Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    "I... I don''t know but you''ll have to pay for it in the guild."


    Gregory nods. He feels a tug on his shirt. Gregory turns to Magnus.


    "Yes, Prince?"


    "We can pay them with this."


    Magnus took out a pouch from his clothes. He handed it to Gregory.


    Gregory felt a smooth object from the pouch.


    Peeking inside, Gregory quickly closed it.


    Where did Prince get this?!


    Inside the pouch, Gregory saw a beautiful and smooth gem. This alone would be worth at least 50 gold.


    "Jordan, please escort the both of us. We''ll be able to pay for the extra fee."


    Jordan shrugs. Zack nods. Elisha smiles at Magnus. Magnus ignores the young mage.


    <hr>


    Sanria waited outside. Eventually, Melinoe woke up.


    "Oh, you''re up?"


    "Whe-where am I?"


    Melinoe''s senses return and he sees Sanria.


    She was sitting behind the house. Melinoe was thrown out of the window so the others wouldn''t see an unconscious man.


    "Behind the house. Now, don''t make a fuss."


    Melinoe remembers what happened to him and his face contorts in happiness.


    "Was that master?!"


    Sanria smiled.


    At least, I know he''s a fanatic to master. If he wasn''t, his value would be worthless.


    "Yes, that was our master. He has come home."


    Melinoe was extremely excited.


    "I- I must greet him!"


    "You already did earlier."


    "I did?"


    "Yeah. He even corrected you about your magic."


    "Oh..."


    Melinoe suddenly remembers Magnus''s comment about his magical foundation.


    No!!!! I had the chance to learn from my master and yet I blew it!!!


    "I- I need to find him now!"


    Melinoe was about to stand up but he finds himself rooted to the ground. He noticed that Sanria was holding him down with a single hand.


    "Sanria! What are you doing? I must learn from my master!"


    "Shut up. Do you think I want to be away from my master''s presence? Of course not. I was excused by my father and our master seems to value his opinion so I have to follow."


    Melinoe looks at the pouting Sanria. He would have thought that she was cute if not for the fact she could rip him in half.


    Sanria, who was downtrodden, perks her head up.


    "Oh, they''re moving out."


    "Who? Who''s moving out?"


    "Our master, who else?"


    "What? How did you know?"


    "I can hear them walking away. Let''s go."


    "You said we can''t?"


    "That was limited to earlier when they were talking. Now is fine but we''ll need to hide. You better keep silent or I''ll break your ankles."


    Melinoe nodded. He knew she wasn''t lying.


    "Let''s go."


    The superhuman woman and the weak mage follow Magnus and the others.


    <hr>


    The powerful legs of the golden furred bear plowed through the forest. It knew where its challenger was. Fortunately for the king of the forest, its challenger was running towards it as well.


    It released a powerful roar which was challenged by an equally powerful roar.


    The bear charged through a small barrier of trees, crushing it underneath its powerful body. The moment it passes the treeline, it sees its challenger leap towards it. The challenger''s dagger-like teeth, sharp claws, and unbreakable scales are an image of terror.


    The giant reptile landed on the bear and the two powerful predators crashed through the trees. The clash of claws would rend blood and bone but the two monstrous creatures were tough.


    The reptile tried to pin the bear with its sharp claws and teeth but the bear''s greater weight prevents it from doing so.


    The bear roars as it delivers a bone-breaking strike towards the reptile. Quicker and faster than the heavy bear, the reptile backs away and manages to dodge the strike but now the bear was no longer pinned.


    The bear stood up and glared at its challenger. It roars at its assailant.


    The reptile hissed at its target. It needed to kill the king of the forest. It had to. It wanted to offer it to the new king of the forest.


    The reptile roared and it charged towards the bear.


    <hr>


    Gregory walked forward with Jordan by his side.


    Magnus was behind them. Zack and Elisha flanked his sides. Elisha was quite enamored with the young man while Zack was thinking of cozying up with Magnus to get closer to Sanria.


    Magnus did not think of any of those. Instead, he thought of the roars he has been hearing for the last few minutes.


    "Sir Gregory, not to be a nuisance, but what are those roars?"


    Jordan was worried. The roars sound like it comes from a monstrous beast.


    "I don''t know Jordan but it might be your quest."


    "A monster that''s upsetting the ecosystem huh?"


    Gregory nods.


    Jordan sighs.


    "Zack and Elisha, be on your toes. We''ll need to be prepared if something comes up."


    Zack nods.


    "Always prepared Jordan."


    "Elisha, stop trying to hold Magnus''s hand."


    "Whoops!"


    Elisha backs away a bit from Magnus.


    Magnus looks at Elisha. His magical eyes allow him to pierce the weak veil that is the fleshy body.


    Her body was normal. If she was stabbed with a sword, she would die but Magnus knew it wouldn''t be so easy for any random nobody.


    Compared to someone like Melinoe, Elisha was extremely talented. Her magical foundation was at least 2 levels above Melinoe in terms of quality.


    In addition, Magnus felt that she had a substantial amount of mana.


    If she survives, she might at least reach the rank of elder in the future.


    Magnus remembered the old ranking method of the mages.


    I wonder, did they ever change it? Did Exosia ever change the system?... I doubt it, he was too focused on learning to care.


    "Hey, Prince."


    Magnus turned his head towards Elisha.


    "So, are you studying?"


    "Studying?"


    "Oh, you know? Reading? Having a learned education?"


    Magnus thinks for a bit. He asks Gregory.


    Gregory, am I learned?


    Ma-Master? Yes! Of course, you''re learned!


    Not that Gregory. I meant, are your children educated? Or in this case, your child?


    Well... Sanria does not have a formal education master but she is literate and has great arithmetic abilities.


    I see. So it would make sense that I would be literate and arithmetically capable if I was your son?


    Uh... Uh...


    Do not panic Gregory. This disguise is beneficial for both of us.


    ... Whatever you will master.


    "I didn''t formally learn from an institution of education miss Elisha but father taught me very well. Sanria and I are both literate and are capable of basic arithmetic."


    "Ah! So you can read! That''s perfect!"


    "Hmmm?"


    While keeping his eyes forward, Gregory made sure to listen to his master and Elisha''s conversation just in case he needed to intervene.


    "Elisha, that''s enough. We can talk when we rest. You risk announcing our position to every creature in the forest."


    "Yeah! You should shut up Elisha!"


    Zack smiles at Magnus after his loud display, as if to say that what he did was correct and Magnus should look at him as a role model.


    Jordan sighs.


    "Tough party?"


    Jordan looks at Gregory''s understanding eyes.


    "You have no idea."


    "I have a chil- I have children like them. Trust me, I know."


    "I can imagine the hecticness surrounding those two. I''m surprised that no nobles have come and taken them due to their..."


    "Looks?"


    Jordan nods with a bit of sadness.


    "I''m lucky. We''re a frontier village so no nobles come here... especially since Sanria and Prince are so exceptional, not only in looks but also in their abilities."


    Jordan turns around and sees Elisha quietly talk to Magnus about magical concepts. Jordan is surprised to see that Magnus can understand the concepts easily.


    Master...Wouldn''t it be dangerous for you to speak so fluently about magical topics?


    Do not worry Gregory, I have not introduced any topic. I simply am repeating what she''s saying without looking too intelligent.


    ... Master, are you... are you capable of using magic?


    Yes.


    Oh.


    Would you want to learn?


    !!!?


    While walking with Elisha, Magnus raises an eyebrow at Gregory''s mental surprise.


    Gregory, control your emotions. In the mindscape, uncontrolled emotions can sometimes result in psychic damage. If you are not careful, you can harm others. It doesn''t help that your wiseness, age, and awakened bloodline contribute to a stronger mental power.


    Oh... I apologize my master.


    Good, now answer my question.


    ... Yes.


    I shall teach you when we have some free time.


    Thank you, master.


    The three adventurers, one village head, and a disguised dragon continue towards the loud noises.


    Behind them, the jester mage and the overpowered Dragonborn followed.


    <hr>


    Where!


    The reptile had an animal thought. It was looking for its new master, the strongest master there is in the world. It felt a powerful force hit its face.


    The reptile roared at its enemy, the previous king of the forest. Both creatures were wounded but neither could land a death blow.


    During deadly combat, the powerful reptile sensed the presence of its master.


    Near!


    And it was distracted. The golden-furred bear did not let this opportunity pass by and it lunged forward. With a powerful strike, the bear batted the large reptile to the ground. The reptile screamed in pain as the king of the forest was about to break its neck.


    Before the bear could continue, it felt the presence of another powerful monster behind him, far more powerful than him and the creature it''s trying to slay.


    Fear from certain death, the bear turned around.


    It saw a group of humans staring at it with some caution in their eyes.


    The humans did not matter, except maybe for the old man. The old man was dangerous but if it was careful, it could win against him.


    But... the small human behind the old man was dangerous. Magnus''s eyes bled intimidation.


    If not for its current wounds, the bear would''ve run but now, there''s no other choice.


    After all, an animal is more vicious if it''s cornered.


    It releases a defiant roar once more.

 Chapter 15: A Heroic Weakling

    Magnus heard the roars.


    He didn''t care much about the roar of the bear. He didn''t recognize it so it wasn''t important.


    But Magnus recognized the other roar or at least some parts of the roar. It was reminiscent of a dragon but different.


    The roar sounded like it came from a young dragon or a sick dragon.


    Dragon roars sounded magnificent and majestic but this roar sounded very fragmented or shattered.


    Either way, Magnus needed to see what it was. If it was remotely related to him, he would take it in.


    "Prince!"


    Magnus turned to Elisha who suddenly called out his name.


    "Yes?"


    "You weren''t listening!"


    "Oh, I was thinking of something else. I apologize."


    Elisha pouts, not because she was ignored but because Magnus was ignoring her.


    "Aren''t you interested in learning magic?!"


    "Hmmm, not really."


    "What?!"


    Elisha stretches her hand. A small plume of cold air exits her finger. Her target was a tree branch. The branch was quickly engulfed by the cold air and it became frozen.


    "See. Isn''t that amazing?"


    Magnus frowns. He approaches the tree. He touches the frozen branch and he feels the imperceptible pain that the tree is experiencing.


    With closed eyes, Magnus saw the ancient years of this random tree. It was a small sapling carried by the coattails of a wandering air spirit.


    Here in this forest, the sapling grew to be one of its many citizens. Magnus sighed.


    "Elisha?"


    "Hmm?"


    Elisha felt weird. Magnus''s voice didn''t change but something did, like an invisible aura.


    "Why the poor branch?"


    Gregory and Jordan stopped. They both felt the change as well. Even Zack felt the change.


    "Wha-what?"


    "I asked, why did you freeze the branch?"


    "What do you mean? It''s just a branch?"


    Elisha tried to stay calm. She didn''t do anything wrong.


    Magnus thought otherwise.


    "A life on its own and a home for forest spirits."


    "Wha?"


    Elisha felt even weirder. How did Magnus know about the concept of spirits? She didn''t mention them in the short time they''ve been together.


    "Elisha."


    Elisha felt her heart being gripped.


    "Ye-yes?"


    "Don''t do it again."


    Elisha quickly nodded.


    "Yeah! I-I won''t! I promise."


    Almost immediately, the choking aura disappeared. When Elisha looks at Magnus, the young man was already walking ahead.


    What just happened?


    Everyone, including Gregory, was confused.


    "Father, let''s go. If we are not quick, the night might catch us."


    Gregory snaps out of his confusion.


    "Yes, let''s go. Jordan, will you please take the lead?"


    Jordan looks at Gregory as if surprised.


    "Ye-yeah. Let''s go. Elisha and Zack, snap out of it!"


    Magnus was back in the center as Elisha and Zack tried to restart the conversation. Fortunately for them, Magnus was in a talking mood.


    Jordan, on the other hand, was still nervous. Gregory felt just as nervous as him.


    "Is that normal?"


    "What is?"


    "Your son... has he always been like that?"


    "Oh... Yes... he has always been unique."


    "With all due respect sir, that isn''t just unique."


    "I... Jordan... How much?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "How much, so you never talk about this situation."


    "... Nevermind... I''m just curious about... him... worrier about you as well."


    "I''m just your employer. No need to put yourself in my business."


    "If you survive, you might become our employer again in the future. Goodwill always goes a long way, or so I was taught."


    Gregory thinks, then he nods.


    "Good lesson."


    "Yeah."


    The group continued onwards.


    <hr>


    As the bear was about to deliver the death blow towards its challenger, it felt Magnus''s overpowering presence.


    It felt its wounds and knew it couldn''t run. It was time to double down. It roared towards the overwhelming presence and charged towards Magnus, ignoring the other members of the group.


    <hr>


    The group continued onward but was met with a brutal battlefield. Two giant creatures, both capable of wiping out platoons of soldiers, were battling each other.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The first one to curse was Jordan. He wasn''t as well-read as Elisha but he knew what a golden-furred bear was. For someone like him, an amethyst-ranked adventurer, it was a death sentence.


    "Run!"


    The monstrous bear charged forward. With its claw stretched outward, the bear slams it forward. Gregory and Jordan managed to move away but they quickly realize, it''s not after them, it''s after Magnus.


    SHIT!


    Jordan and Gregory both cursed as they tried to rush towards Magnus but the bear was already in front of the three backlines.


    The bear expected Jordan and Gregory to try and attack it from behind.


    With a quick strike, the bear turned around and attacked both Jordan and Gregory. Jordan was unprepared and he suffered two broken arms. Gregory was better but he couldn''t control his body and he was sent flying.


    Elisha tried to cast a spell but she was too slow. The bear struck the mage and she was sent flying. Her magical barrier was immediately shattered and she was knocked unconscious.


    Zack empowered his body with internal energy and he unsheathed his sword. With precise movements, Zack attacked the bear with an empowered strike.


    The bear didn''t even flinch as the blade struck its fur. Flexing its muscles, the bear shattered Zack''s empowered weapon. It then struck its claw towards Magnus.


    Magnus was prepared to react and defend himself but Zack was a bit faster.


    Zack threw himself in front of the bear and he hugged Magnus with his body. The bear''s claw struck Zack''s body.


    Zack screamed in pain as the claw almost rendered him paralyzed. Thankfully, Zack was toughened by his dwindling internal energy.


    If he wanted to survive, Zack had to move. Zack ran with Magnus in his arms.


    He spent most of his internal energy to survive the bear''s initial strike. If he gets hit by one more, he''s dead. Zack knows this, so he runs like hell.


    Fuck fuck fuck... Why! Why did it have to be a monster like that?!


    Zack heard the heavy footfalls of the beast behind him. It was frighteningly fast, especially for something its size.


    Zack kept running. He felt the limits of his strength as his muscles strained to carry Magnus while making sure they didn''t die.


    "Why are you doing this?"


    Magnus asked Zack an inappropriate question.


    "What?"


    Poor kid... he must be afraid.


    "Don''t panic! I''ll get you out of here!"


    Zack was panicking. Once his internal energy was out, he was dead. And if he was dead, Magnus was dead. He couldn''t let that happen.


    "If you leave me, you will be able to run and survive."


    Zack ignores Magnus. He couldn''t afford to listen or else he might lose focus. One misstep and he dies.


    "Zack, I will be fine."


    Zack pushed his body further as he felt goaded by Magnus''s self-sacrificing words. Then he felt an earth-shaking roar as the beast behind him leaped forward and struck him with its claws.


    Zack clenched his back as the claw tore through flesh. His remaining internal energy wasn''t enough to even survive a tap from the beast, much less a full-powered strike.


    With that strike, Zack was sent forward with Magnus in tow. Zack turns around to catch the ground with his remaining strength so he would land instead of Magnus. It was excruciatingly painful. He felt his torn back hit some sharp rocks on the forest floor.


    Zack''s vision was getting blurry but he tried to stand up.


    "A-are you okay Magnus?"


    "I am fine Zack."


    Magnus was unscathed. He was a bit confused by Zack''s determination to keep him alive.


    Is his crush on Sanria that powerful?


    "Zack, you''ve done enough. You should leave."


    "No... No... can''t let you... die..."


    "..."


    Magnus thinks for a while. The beast slowly makes its way towards the two of them.


    "Sanria will not like you more even if you save me."


    Zack was quiet. Then he stood up. His back was gushing out blood and if he moved a little, his spine might break.


    Magnus was sure this man would die if not given the proper help.


    "Wha... you... think... I''m... doing this... for her?"


    "What else would be the reason for you to save me? Saving a child in the middle of a crisis offers no real merit. It endangers you."


    Magnus words were sharp and almost devoid of emotion.


    "I''M SAVING YOU CAUSE I DON''T WANT A CHILD TO DIE!"


    The bear seems to respond to that scream and it roars.


    "Now... come on... let''s get out of here..."


    Zack tries to lift Magnus with his feeble body. He no longer had any internal energy. Zack collapses from the sheer weight of Magnus.


    Did he get heavier?


    "You''re risking your life, a life where you might achieve enlightenment, to save a feeble child?"


    "Look kid... enlightenment... and that shit? I don''t care... I only... wanna... do good..."


    "Good?"


    "I want... I want to help other... people..."


    "That''s it? What about my sister?"


    At this point, Zack was starting to hallucinate or at least feel like he was. When he fell, he saw Magnus become bigger. It was a weird image. The child''s body slowly broke and revealed a golden form.


    This quest is fucking weird.


    "Answer me, Zack, what about Sanria? Did you not do this to impress her?"


    Zack mustered the last of his strength.


    "No... I didn''t... I just didn''t want you to... die..."


    Magnus nods.


    Zack fell forward but instead of hitting the hard dirt floor, Magnus caught him. Magnus knew Zack was hallucinating so he transformed to his real form. He needed it to defeat the bear.


    He was wary of Elisha and Jordan but Elisha was still out cold and Jordan was bleeding out.


    Gregory.


    Master?


    Where are you?


    Going to you my lord.


    Assist Jordan and Elisha.


    Oh... Yes, master.


    We cannot have them die...


    Why my lord?


    If these three die, wouldn''t the guild send more?


    They would my lord.


    Then make sure they survive.


    Your will be done.


    The bear roared at Magnus. Magnus lets down Zack on a soft patch of grass. Magnus leans forward and spits on the poor man''s back. Almost immediately, some of the biggest wounds start to close.


    Magnus hears an angry scream a few meters away.


    Sanria what is the matter?


    No-nothing my lord!


    We shall talk later. For now, I shall handle this beast.


    Yes my lord!!


    Magnus heard Sanria mutter a bit more about envy but he didn''t care.


    Magnus took a step forward.


    "No more beast. I give you a chance to leave. Do not challenge my authority."


    The bear roared to reply.


    "So be it."


    Magnus inhaled a large amount of air. Dragons have enormous lungs which is technically a useless organ as they slowly lose the need for sustenance and air once they grow older. But it allowed dragons to gather insane amounts of oxygen for a variety of uses.


    The bear charged forward.


    Magnus rears his head and then he releases the contained air within his lungs, creating a powerful burst of sound and air in front of him.


    The bear did not expect this and was struck with a shockwave that leveled the surroundings. Despite its bigger size, the bear was sent away.


    The bear crashes into a tree and its body takes heavy punishment. The bear''s body suffered a powerful shockwave that shook its organs and caused some of them to outright explode. The bear tried to stand up but its body couldn''t move anymore.


    The nearby trees and earth were devastated by Magnus''s earth-shattering roar.


    Magnus sees the damage he has caused and he apologizes to the environment. He releases an invisible stream of energy from his mouth which will repair the forest within record time.


    Magnus looks at the near-death bear. Once he was sure the bear could no longer move to protect itself, Magnus reverts to his human form. It''s better to be careful.


    Magnus approaches the bear.


    "Oh great king of the forest, I do not wish ill upon you but I must take your seat. Your lack of fealty makes you an enemy... Your passage in reincarnation will be smooth."


    Magnus then stabs forward his hand. While his strength is limited, Magnus knew where to strike. The bear takes its last breathe as Magnus strikes its heart. Magnus pulls out his hand. It was slick with blood.


    "Sanria, attend to me."


    Sanria drops from a nearby tree. She quickly kneels.


    "Yes, master?


    "Cloth. My hand is bloody."


    Sanria produces a piece of cloth from her pockets. She takes Magnus''s hand and wipes it.


    While Magnus observes the area, he hears a loud thud. Turning his head, Magnus sees Melinoe, who just fell down from a tree, slowly standing up


    "You are awake."


    "Master!"


    Melinoe runs and does a sliding kneel.


    "..."


    "..."


    Both Magnus and Sanria were shocked speechless.


    "Master! You are finally back! And you took such a... such a... great form! One that brims with potential!"


    Melinoe tried to be respectful, after all, he did not expect his master would turn to such a young form. Nobody would give such a young child their respect.


    "Sanria, that is enough."


    Sanria pulls the piece of cloth away from Magnus''s hand.


    Magnus turns his eyes towards the destroyed area. He sees a limping creature walking towards him. The creature resembled a dragon, albeit smaller and without wings. Its face also lacked the majesty or regalness of a true dragon.


    It looked monstrous, yes but it was more similar to the giant lizards of the forest than the dragons of the skies.


    Despite its wounds and beaten body, the reptile was visibly happy. It released a victory cry and it ran towards Magnus.


    Sanria summoned a dagger from her sleeves and enveloped it with her internal energy.


    She hisses at the reptile and it stops on its tracks.


    "No further, animal!"


    The reptile sees Sanria trying to stop it from going to Magnus. It then hisses at Sanria.


    The reptile turns its eyes towards Magnus. Its eyes were shiny and filled with joy and reverence.


    "Stand down Sanria, this one is kin. It is not close to me but still kin, albeit far from even the farthest of true dragons."


    Sanria looks at Magnus to confirm his order. When Magnus does confirm his order, Sanria moves aside.


    The reptile quickly loses its hostile appearance. It then seems to act like a dog, a very big and cold-blooded dog.


    Magnus nods.


    "Come."


    The reptile rushes forward but before it could jump on Magnus, Magnus commands it.


    "Sit."


    It sits.


    "Now... what are you?"


    The reptile tilts its head.

 Chapter 16: Awaken Hero!

    The gods were stuck bickering. They had spent countless days bickering about the recent pulse of almost imperceptible primordial energy.


    Humans had many forms of mana, gods and aspects had divine energy while the ancient world makers, the so-called Empyrean Titan, had primordial energy.


    It had been decades since the last major meeting of the gods. The last major meeting was when the Twilight Emperor announced their desire to conquer the multiverse.


    For the gods, the sudden appearance of the primordial energy was a greater problem than the Twilight Emperor, who almost succeeded in putting the multiverse under his thumb.


    "An avatar?!! Are you an idiot! If we sent an avatar now, do you think the other powers will not notice!


    "What powers? Who''ll dare challenge us!"


    "The demon kings and the eldritch gods you dumbass!"


    Many gods were bickering.


    "A vessel isn''t enough! Even if we create a vessel, that thing wouldn''t last a second against an Empyrean Titan, even if the titan was blind, deaf, limbless, and didn''t have a body!"


    "An avatar?! I thought wisdom came with age! If we send an avatar, we risk dying as well!"


    The bickering continues in the court of the gods.


    While these immortal and powerful entities continued to bicker, an entity reclining on a highly positioned chair sighed.


    Immediately, the court of the gods went silent.


    One of the gods, an ascended one, looks at the entity sitting alone on a throne above the court.


    "So, what''s the plan oh great lord?"


    The ascended god was very sarcastic. The other gods trembled. This was not a good thing to do.


    But they understood why. Unlike spirit gods and living gods, ascended gods were originally mortal. Ascended gods didn''t have the same level of maturity or wisdom as the other types of divines.


    This particular ascended was a young god. At first, he was excited about becoming such a powerful entity and have great control over the universe but his role was minor and he was given a minor world to govern.


    This pissed the young god off. He originally came from a minor world, that offered little faith and power to the gods, but he did great deeds there and was offered godhood by the infinite dragon, the maker of all.


    Despite being a god, he was still originally mortal. He still had mortal feelings and mortal problems, issues that he couldn''t easily let go of. And one of them was bowing to someone he didn''t deem worthy.


    The aspect of this court did not care. It was one of the few aspects who thought that the appearance of primordial energy being wasn''t worth being troubled about.


    Despite his complaints, his peers did not care and forced him to hold a court meeting.


    Each aspect had a court, a court filled with gods of varying powers and strength.


    This aspect was the aspect of trickery. Doing nonsensical things bored him and he wanted to have fun. But after the prank he did to the twilight emperor which almost cost him his eternal existence, he was forced to mellow down a bit.


    He looks at the ascended god glaring at him then he smiled.


    The aspect of trickery had a very interesting idea.


    <hr>


    Magnus was walking back home. Gregory carried Jordan and Elisha while the giant drake carried Zack. In addition, the bear''s corpse was being dragged back home. Magnus was a pragmatic sort, he would never allow the body to go to waste, every part will be used as a sign of respect to the previous king of the forest.


    Melinoe tried to speak with Magnus but he was ignored. When he tried to speak to Magnus again, Sanria was about to get angry, but Magnus told them off.


    Magnus told Sanria that he was disappointed in her for not coming to help despite having the ability to do so. When Sanria tried to defend herself, Magnus told her that he could sense where she was hiding.


    After that scolding, Sanria and Melinoe were both gloomy. Magnus gave Gregory an appreciative nod.


    Gregory tried his best not to feel happy with Magnus''s acknowledgment as his daughter showed extreme discontent.


    The group slowly approached the village.


    Magnus suddenly stops and the people following behind him stops as well.


    "Gregory. Is there a place big enough for Humilem to stay?"


    Gregory takes a look at the drake.


    I have the shed... but he won''t be able to move.


    "We have the shed my lord but... he will be stuck. He won''t be able to move properly."


    Magnus thinks then he shakes his head.


    "That would not be a fitting home for the first of my family to appear and willingly offer their service to me."


    "Aren''t we family as well?"


    Sanria''s voice has a heavy amount of pity in it.


    Magnus looks behind him. He looks at Gregory, who is embarrassed by Sanria''s attitude, and at Sanria.


    Family? Hmmm...


    "No."


    Sanria becomes more downtrodden.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "At least not yet."


    Hearing this, Sanria suddenly recovers. Sanria beams at Magnus. Gregory smiles as well.


    "What about me, my master?!"


    Melinoe sees the happy emotions between Sanria, Gregory, and their master. He feels envious.


    Sanria was about to become angry but Magnus chuckles. Sanria and Melinoe were surprised by that.


    Magnus chooses not to answer Melinoe''s question.


    "Gregory."


    "Yes, my lord?"


    "If you told these people about the drake, will it cause trouble?"


    Gregory nods.


    "Yes, my lord. And... if travelers come, some of them will likely speak of it."


    Sanria scowls. She knew how much the village loved to gossip.


    For them, exchanging stories with travelers and adventurers was one of the blessings of being a frontier village.


    "Hmmm... Humilem."


    Humilem, the drake, perks up at the call of its name. It almost shows a sliver of a smile.


    "Come."


    Magnus raises his hand and the drake quickly approaches. Lowering its head, Humilem lets Magnus touch his head.


    For dragons and their descendants, bowing was only reserved for one''s betters, sometimes not even. In some cases, dragons would rather die than bow.


    Humilem waited for Magnus.


    "Melinoe."


    Melinoe perks up and quickly approach the side of Magnus.


    "Yes, master!"


    "Watch closely. I will cast a rather complicated spell. I want you to remember it, practice it, and then cast it."


    Melinoe, who was excited to learn, suddenly felt his jaw drop. He felt his balls suddenly enter his body due to fear.


    "Le-learn? A complicated spell?"


    "Yes. In your tongue, it is called polymorph. I can use it to transform myself but I prefer my natural polymorph abilities. I will be transforming Humilem so that he can live with us."


    Despite staying silent on Magnus''s decisions, Gregory was thinking of the cost of daily living.


    Will they eat much? Wait, they''re in their human forms. Surely, they''ll eat only as much as we do. Sanria... eats a lot... She eats twice as much as our biggest men... don''t tell me, my master and this drake will eat as much!


    While Gregory was having a financial crisis, Sanria was staring at Magnus. While she couldn''t cast spells due to the lack of a magical foundation in her body, she wanted to learn magic as well. If she learned polymorph, she can transform herself into a dragon. She would be like her master.


    Sanria felt very giddy at the thought of being like her master.


    While Sanria was stuck in her delusions, Melinoe was about to ventilate.


    Melinoe was proud but this was not confidence. It was a misplaced pride, created so he could protect his fragile ego. Now that he was being faced with a great task, he was afraid he would fail like all those times in the academy.


    He was afraid he would be deemed worthless again.


    "Ma-master. I should start with the basics first... I believe that even your basics are greater than the knowledge in my previous school!"


    "Melinoe."


    "I- I mean! There''s nothing wrong with starting in the beginning right?!"


    "Melinoe."


    "I mean come on! Polymorph! I haven''t even heard of the spell!"


    "Melinoe."


    "I haven''t even repaired my magical foundation! It''s still incomplete! I can''t cast magic missile, one of the simplest spells, much less a great spell such as that!"


    "Melinoe!"


    Magnus raises his voice and Melinoe''s incessant chattering was immediately silenced. He looked at his young master.


    Oh no... I did it again... My master will hate me...


    "I''m not teaching you because I have expectations."


    Melinoe looks at Magnus with a surprised face.


    "What do you mean my lord?"


    "I have no expectations for anyone. I only wish to learn and in this case, teaching you might teach me. So, will you try this with me or not?"


    Melinoe''s felt his heart soften. His master did not expect anything from him. He would be taught without any conditions or any expectations.


    That... That feels nice.


    "Ye-yes! I''ll do it for you master!"


    "Good. Now watch closely, I will only do it once. Commit it to memory. This will be your first lesson from me, a reward for following me despite the unnecessary abuse you received."


    Melinoe nodded vigorously.


    Yes, I was abused a lot!


    Melinoe was about to look at Sanria but the vicious woman glared at him.


    Magnus, ignoring the interaction between Sanria and Melinoe, speaks in an arcane tongue.


    Unlike Melinoe and most mages in the world, Magnus had an excessively large amount of mana, even in his young form, but unlike most mages, Magnus did not need to draw power from himself.


    With the arcane works clearly spoken, Melinoe watches in rapt attention as Magnus commands the world to twist and turn to his very whims. Humilem, the drake which Magnus adopted, looks around with a dopey face. Its tongue was lolling out as Magnus surrounded it with the spell. Humilem releases a cute sound as its body slowly contorts. Its scales slowly become peach in color and its body becomes smaller. Within a few seconds, Humilem transforms from a rather large scaly predator to a young child, around the tender age of 6.


    Humilem had cute features and due to Magnus being the one to cast the spell, Humilem looked a bit like Magnus. One could say that they were like siblings.


    The transformation of Humilem seems to have utterly shocked Gregory and Sanria, especially Gregory. Gregory watched as his problems grew and grew.


    How will I explain that I have 2 more kids?


    While Gregory is exasperated by his situation, Sanria is smiling.


    If I learn this spell, I would be able to transform! Now... I just need to ask this worm how to cast spells.


    Sanria looked at Melinoe but the mage was too focused on understanding the intricacies of the spell Magnus cast.


    Now that Humilem did not have his draconic form, it was safer for the group and their unconscious adventurers to enter the village.


    Magnus takes a look at his servants, the unconscious adventurers, and the bear corpse.


    "Let''s go."


    <hr>


    The aspect of trickery called upon the tribune, a collection of the many aspects of reality. Like the gods, the aspects were entities who governed specific concepts or laws that made up the vast multiverse but unlike gods, who usually commanded specific or limited domains, aspects commanded vast and almost infinite concepts.


    The aspect of trickery did not only govern trickery but also laughter, joy, sadness, betrayal, good humor, and many more concepts. The other aspects controlled a similar amount of concepts as well. One''s importance to reality determines one strength and rank in this cosmic hierarchy. The aspect of trickery was quite important but also not so much, it was more or less in the middle.


    "So trickery, what is the purpose of this meeting?"


    The one who called trickery was a higher aspect named order. Order encompassed the many concepts relating to its name.


    "Well, it was not I who called the meeting but..."


    Trickery purposefully stopped his sentence which annoyed many of the tribune members.


    "Speak already trickery or I shall smite you where you stand!"


    War, one of the more powerful aspects, screamed. His scream sent out an invisible psionic force which spelled the doom of many unlucky planets in the multiverse.


    Trickery chuckled. He couldn''t die, at least not in such an easy way, but being smitten by an aspect was still painful, at least for the conscious and sapient aspect.


    "As I said, it wasn''t me who called this meeting but!"


    Trickery gestured his incorporeal hands to the hypothetical door.


    The members of the tribune looked at the quantum door and they see their leader, the greatest of them all, the aspect of creation and destruction or also known as the infinite dragon.


    The aspects collectively gasped. The infinite dragon has not shown its face ever since the dawn of creation. At the time of creation, only the aspects of order, chaos, life, and death were present. The aspect of creation and destruction ordered the four aspects to spread his will so that the multiverse would come into existence. After that order, the infinite dragon disappeared. Why would he appear now?


    Order, chaos, life, and death studied the aspect of creation and destruction but they could not divine its intentions.


    Before the aspects could speak their thoughts, the infinite dragon spoke. With a few words, the entirety of creation seemed to shake.


    <hr>


    Magnus was currently reading a small parchment while tapping his fingers on the dreaded book that he took from Melinoe.


    Oh?


    Magnus turns his head towards the window to look at the sky.


    Hmmm...


    <hr>


    The aspects agreed with the current plan. According to the infinite dragon, the pulse of primordial energy came from a dangerous enemy.


    What this enemy was, the other aspects did not know. But what they did know was that they needed a proxy, a powerful entity that they could use to face this enemy. Despite being a dangerous enemy, the infinite dragon also explained that it was currently weak but it would gain power if left alone. To counter this, the aspects decided to summon not a vessel or avatar but a hero. A powerful hero gifted with enormous talent, unfair abilities, and most of all, a malleable personality.


    And so, the aspects called their slave.

 Chapter 17: Contemplation

    The imagery of a broken house, a burning village, and a mountain of bodies filled his vision.


    Zack screamed as he awoke from his nightmare. He sat up as he tried to save them all.


    After realizing that he is now awake, Zack started to touch his body.


    Wounds, wounds, wounds?


    Zack touched his back and was surprised to see he had no wounds. His back was as smooth as the day he was born.


    "Wha-... Prince! Where''s Prince!"


    Zack tried to leave the bed but he felt an enormous amount of fatigue. It was a result of emptying his internal energy.


    Zack still tried to leave the bed. He felt weak but he needed to find Prince. Despite his efforts, Zack falls off the bed. He groans in pain.


    Zack starts to panic. If he survived, Prince should have surely survived, right?


    "Can you stop moaning and just rest?"


    Zack turns his head to the voice he just heard. Despite being in pain, Zack almost forgets the suffering when he sees Sanria leaning on the wall.


    "Sanria! Ow!"


    Zack feels pain in his body each time he exerts too much effort.


    Sanria rolls her eyes.


    Why did I have to watch this man? I want to be with my master.


    Once the group returned to the village, Magnus ordered Gregory and Humilem to carry the bear''s corpse to the shed for processing later while Sanria was to bring the three unconscious adventurers to the cabin to rest. Melinoe asked what he was supposed to do but Magnus told him he had free time to study what he saw. Melinoe disappeared after that.


    Sanria frowned. Why did she have to stay with the random mooks whose face didn''t even stay in her mind?


    Grrr...


    Despite her anger, Sanria had no choice but to stay. She had to follow her master''s words.


    "Sa-Sanria!"


    Sanria slowly looks at Zack with distasteful eyes.


    "Whe-where is Prince?"


    "Tsk."


    "Tsk?"


    Zack was surprised but Sanria speaks and he quickly forgets that she seems to absolutely despise him. Before Zack could say anything, Sanria speaks with a grating tone.


    "He''s fine."


    Zack releases a sigh of relief.


    "That''s good."


    Now that his immediate stress was gone, Zack falls to the bed and he quickly falls asleep.


    Now that the pest is asleep, Sanria tries to turn her thoughts into good ones, specifically learning how to use magic so she could shapeshift into the form of a dragon.


    Yes... if I do that, will my master praise me? But... where will I learn magic?


    Sanria thought of Melinoe but she knew that he was incompetent so where would she learn magic. Looking at the unconscious Zack, Sanria remembered Elisha, the rather adorable wizard girl who was infatuated with her master''s appearance.


    Sanria shaked her head. She wanted to learn magic from her master but she knew absolutely nothing about it. If she asked him, she would only bother Magnus.


    Unless!


    Sanria suddenly had an inspiration.


    If I learn the basics of magic, my master won''t be bothered too much! He can just show me the polymorph spell and I can learn it on my own!


    Sanria chuckles to herself.


    Sometimes my own genius frightens me.


    "Kukuku..."


    In truth, Elisha was asleep in a nearby bed. Well, she was asleep. Now, she''s awake but hasn''t moved ever since Sanria started chuckling to herself. Her magic barrier managed to catch the majority of the bear''s strike which saved her life but the impact of being thrown towards a tough object knocked her out.


    Do I move? Do I stay still? What do I do?


    Before Elisha could contemplate what to do, she felt Sanria come close to her bed. Elisha didn''t move and she even stopped her breathing. But the next words chilled her.


    Sanria leaned forward and lightly whispered in her ears.


    "~You''re awake~"


    Elisha screamed like hell.


    <hr>


    Jordan was the first to wake up from the three adventurers. When he first woke up, Sanria was sitting on a chair watching them. Zack and Elisha were peacefully sleeping. After asking Sanria what happened and receiving nothing but vague answers, Jordan left the house in search of Gregory. Both of his arms were in make-shift casts so he had some difficulty moving around but he couldn''t just stay in one place. He had to find out what happened.


    It''s impossible... that thing wasn''t an enemy amethyst rank adventurers could defeat... How did we survive?


    Jordan didn''t even consider that the bear was dead due to how strong it was for him. Despite infusing his body with internal energy, the bear''s single strike, one that wasn''t focused on them, shattered his arms. When he woke up, he was empty of internal energy. It was focused on repairing his broken arms. Despite using all his internal energy to repair his arms, it would take an extremely long time. Internal energy was a strong source of power, but it wasn''t a good source of utility at the weaker levels. Jordan wasn''t a strong enough individual that he can repair his body instantly with internal energy.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    It would take me a week or more to heal these arms of mine.


    Jordan was looking for Gregory.


    Where is he?


    <hr>


    Gregory was in his shed with Magnus.


    Magnus was standing in the center of the shed. He was observing the war gear that Gregory and Sanria hauled from the battlefield.


    Taking a sword from one of the full barrels, Magnus raises it.


    "Hmmm..."


    "Is there a problem master?"


    "This is a sword."


    Gregory nods.


    "This sword is proof of how humanity closed the gap between them and powerful monsters."


    Gregory nods as well.


    "Interesting isn''t it? If you think about it, humanity managed to create these weapons by emulating claws, teeth, or natural weapons. And look how far humanity has gone."


    Magnus looks at the dull sheen of the iron sword.


    "But..."


    "Yes, master?"


    "This sword isn''t particularly strong huh?"


    "Yes, it''s only a weapon used by soldiers."


    Magnus swung the blade. Despite being amateurish, the strike generated a powerful blow. This powerful strike wasn''t due to Magnus having skills related to swords but his physical abilities were extremely high.


    Gregory swallows a lump of saliva. He knew his master was strong but even in his humanoid form, he''s absurdly strong.


    "Its sharpness is not enough to pierce my scales."


    Something that Magnus hides with his long hair is patches of golden scales dotted randomly on different parts of his body. This is due to his young age which results in a weaker and incomplete natural polymorphing ability. Even though the scales are a flaw, it retains some of his true form''s defensive capabilities.


    To prove that point, Magnus raises the iron sword and brings it down to a scaley part of his body.


    A clanging sound reverberates around the shed. Gregory winces a bit but he doesn''t move.


    "Hmmm... disappointing."


    Magnus raises the sword and notices the small crack on the part he used to strike his scales with. If Gregory saw this before his awakening, he would be surprised but he was sure he could also shatter the sword if he used his internal energy.


    Holding the sword, Magnus seems to think.


    "Gregory, I don''t have internal energy yet. I want you to try and mend the blade."


    "Ho-how will I do that my lord?"


    "Internal energy has many uses, Gregory. Many consider it to be lesser than mana which can be used to power complicated spells but internal energy can also be used for complicated tasks, not just empowering oneself."


    Gregory nods at Magnus''s words.


    "If that''s the case, why can''t you use it, my lord?"


    "Oh... It''s because I never bothered to learn it."


    Gregory''s face turns into a thin line. He didn''t mean to show his displeasure but he couldn''t help it.


    "I didn''t mean to show disrespect!"


    Magnus waves his hand.


    Gregory lightly bows his head.


    "Do not apologize. I am not angry. I''m just stating the fact that my strength before made me ignore the potential powers of internal energy."


    "May I ask a question?"


    Magnus nods.


    "Well... If you never used internal energy before, how come you are so knowledgeable about it?"


    Magnus looks at the ceiling.


    "I just remembered an old friend telling me about these."


    Magnus then hands the sword to Gregory to stop the conversation.


    Gregory takes it.


    "What do I do again?"


    "Slowly infuse it with energy."


    Gregory does as he is told and he slowly fills up the sword''s capacity with internal energy.


    The blade seems to glow as the internal energy quickly fills it with heat.


    "Gregory, that is-"


    The blade shatters and a veritable amount of shards fly everywhere. Magnus blocks the incoming shards with his fingers. Gregory manages to infuse his body with internal energy and he resists the super-heated shards.


    "That isn''t the correct way."


    "Sorry master. I am not yet... familiar with the power you gifted me."


    Gregory felt a bit sheepish. Despite not having shown the ability to do so, Gregory was sure that his daughter would have succeeded with a single try.


    Not everyone is blessed with talent, I guess.


    "It''s fine, you ca-"


    Magnus turns his head towards the door.


    "Jordan is coming. Will you handle him, Gregory?"


    Gregory nods and goes to leave the shed. Once Magnus was alone, he picks up a shield.


    It was a simple wooden shield meant to block superficial attacks from not too strong individuals. Holding the shield aloft, Magnus stabs his hand through it. The shield''s center shatters into pieces as Magnus''s hand enters the shield.


    Hmm...


    Magnus knew that despite the weakness of the weapons in front of him, humanity still managed to defeat his race with these weapons, albeit more powerful versions.


    So a more powerful shield?


    Magnus discards the wooden shield and picks up one of the few metal shields in the shed.


    Raising it in front of him, Magnus opens his mouth. Whispering the words of creation, invisible energy seems to envelop the shield.


    Not too much.


    Magnus controls the primordial power that envelops the shield.


    The simple metal shield with the empire''s insignia transforms into a completely different appearance. Its once dull iron color turns to a black sheen. Its insignia has been removed and instead it was replaced with an intricate ruby design in the center. Its edges were gilded with gold but anyone who saw the shield knew that these gold-like colors were very tough.


    After observing the item in his hand, Magnus knew that this shield was tough enough to survive at least one blow from his true form''s current strength.


    Magnus sighs heavily. The act of using the words of creation seemed to inflict fatigue on Magnus. Sweat poured from his head and back. Magnus takes a seat.


    I guess... my current strength isn''t enough...


    After resting for a few seconds, Magnus hides the enchanted shield under a thick sheet of cloth.


    Magnus leaves the shed after locking it. It would be rude to Gregory if he left it open.


    Once Magnus locked the shed, he went to the forest. He wanted to rest for a bit and explore the forest.


    <hr>


    Gregory met Jordan halfway.


    His master sensed Jordan first but after extending his own senses, Gregory found where Jordan was as well.


    Despite having broken arms, the adventurer looked energetic.


    That''s an adventurer for you, I guess.


    Gregory prepares to meet Jordan and he does his best elderly chief smile.


    "Gregory!"


    Jordan''s face lights up when he sees Gregory.


    Gregory nods towards the injured adventurer.


    "Jordan, how are you feeling? Your arms are broken."


    "That''s fine, my body will heal as long as I''m ali- wait! That''s not what I''m here for. I wanted to ask you about the bear."


    Gregory internally thinks of the bear carcass.


    Master removed its scent... but... I''m still worried.


    "Well, what did you want to know?"


    "What?! I want to know how we survived!"


    "Hmmm... Well, we were..."


    Gregory stops when he sees Jordan''s serious look.


    He''s determined huh... This must be what master said when I should handle him... Tsk... why can''t I be like my daughter.


    Gregory laments the fact that he isn''t as decisive as his daughter.


    I must not be a burden.


    "Let''s walk Jordan. I''ll tell you about it."


    Without waiting for Jordan to reply, Gregory, walks away.


    Jordan follows.


    <hr>


    Once in the forest, Magnus looks around.


    "Humilem, come."


    Magnus''s ears perk a bit as he hears the sound of leaves rustling.


    A small child runs out of the thick forest foliage.


    Despite its peasant clothes, Humilem looked bright and energetic.


    Magnus can''t help but smile to himself.


    Humilem jumps up and down. Magnus calms him by patting his disheveled hair.


    "Slow down Humilem."


    Humilem stops jumping but he still bobs up and down in place.


    "Come, join me for a walk."


    Magnus doesn''t say anything else and he walks deeper into the forest with Humilem behind him.


    Despite Humilem''s happy mood, it knows its job. It''s supposed to guard Magnus.


    So... what now?


    Magnus''s thoughts were currently on the present. Magnus intended to resurrect the dragon race but what else?


    Humans aren''t bad or evil. They have done nothing that is worth destroying... at least as far as I know.


    The short time Magnus has spent with humanity told him that it was not worth destroying but it might change later.


    Will reviving the dragon race be impossible if the human race was around?


    No. Magnus didn''t believe that resurrecting the dragon race needed eradicating or enslaving the human race.


    But it might be different in the future.


    Magnus''s eyes showed an unbelievablely sharp sheen as he thought of the possibility of having to fight humanity.


    Magnus smiled. Humilem felt shivers down its spine as it saw its master''s battle-hungry smile.


    Not that I would mind.

 Chapter 18: Offer of Power

    Jordan followed Gregory towards the forest.


    It''ll be quick.


    Jordan took a deep breath. Despite his broken arms, he took a breath of the fresh air. It was the silver lining of the horrible situation he was in.


    He won''t feel any pain... I''ll make sure of it.


    Gregory internally sighed as he thought of the sudden change of situation he has had to face in the past few days. While he appreciated his new physique and the attention of the ladies in his village, Gregory also gained the burden of being his master''s servant. Gregory was not as powerful as Sanria but his master placed more faith in him than her.


    Why was that?


    It was simple. Gregory was more in control of his emotions and thoughts. His master appreciated that more than the rampant use of power. If his master did appreciate him more, he needed to show the appropriate amount of action.


    Hmmm...


    Gregory''s thoughts of quickly murdering Jordan turned to his desire to serve his master.


    Why... do I want to follow my master''s orders.


    "So, are you going to tell me what happened? We''re pretty far from the village."


    Gregory''s thoughts were dashed away by Jordan''s words. It quickly returns to the thoughts of a quick and clean murder.


    "Yes."


    All of Gregory''s anxiety and fear were suddenly swept away as his mind became focused on the task at hand. He didn''t know why but Gregory''s emotions were suddenly calmed and he felt like his once strong river of a mind became as peaceful as an empty lake. Gregory thought of the powerful skill he heard when he was a young child. It came from a wandering warrior.


    Was it Lake Heart?


    Gregory pushed that thought away as he slowly turned around. Jordan''s face changes as he sees the calm look on Gregory''s visage.


    "Hey, is there a problem?"


    "No, nothing at all."


    Gregory''s body tenses as he infuses it with internal energy. Then he moves forward.


    Jordan barely sees Gregory move as he is assaulted with a powerful strike. Gregory hid a knife in the recesses of his sleeves and when he dashed forward, the knife moved seemly towards his hand and onto Jordan''s chest, where his heart was located.


    Oh, I guess that''s a warrior for you.


    Gregory muses to himself.


    Jordan managed to react at the last second and use a skill that toughened his body. It wasn''t that he saw Gregory''s attack but mostly due to instinct and his experience as a warrior.


    "Gregory!"


    Jordan screamed angrily but it was mostly to hide the fear in his heart. He only had a scant amount of internal energy. He had to stop the regeneration his arms were doing to use Bastion to defend himself. In addition to using Bastion, Jordan had to increase his defense by using his internal energy.


    What?! He''s so strong!


    Panting from the use of his limited energy, Jordan looked at Gregory. He didn''t seem like he was panicking or angry. In fact, Gregory did not look like he felt anything at all.


    "What are you doing?!"


    Gregory did not deign to answer Jordan''s panicked answer. Instead, he raised the dagger once more and infused it with more internal energy.


    Just like what I did with my master earlier. Just enough.


    Gregory was about to move. Jordan was anxious. He only had enough energy for one more use of Bastion and this time he couldn''t add to its defensive value with internal energy.


    Nothing to do now but run!


    Before Jordan could run, Gregory moves forward with speed unbefitting an old man. Same as before, Gregory pushes his hand forward, delivering a simple but deadly dagger strike towards Jordan''s chest.


    Jordan moves backward but he quickly uses Bastion which reinforces his body.


    The dagger strikes his chest which leaves a small nick instead of being fully blocked like earlier. Jordan holds back a wince of pain as he backs away. Instead of following, Gregory backs away as well. Jordan looks down and finds that Gregory left the dagger embedded in his chest.


    Wha-


    Before Jordan could question why Gregory suddenly backed away, the dagger suddenly heats up and explodes, releasing shrapnel all over Jordan''s body.


    Agony spreads all over Jordan''s body as the heated metal melts into his skin.


    Gregory frowned.


    This isn''t as painless as I thought it would be.


    "GREGORY YOU BASTARD!!!"


    The pain made Jordan panic and lose all sorts of control. He used the last bits of his internal energy to protect himself from Gregory''s 2nd strike. He didn''t expect an explosion and left none for that possibility. Now, he couldn''t use internal energy to push out the shrapnel embedded in his body.


    Gregory ignores the screams of pain and summons another knife in his hand, hidden in his sleeves.


    "Sorry Jordan, this isn''t personal."


    Jordan watches in terror as Gregory slowly makes his way towards him.


    Shit shit shit...


    <hr>


    While Gregory was committing murder, Magnus was walking in the forest.


    What, in the 42381 hells, is Gregory doing?


    Magnus felt the pulses of Gregory''s usage of internal energy.


    At least, he''s not wasting as much energy as he did earlier. He learns quickly.


    "Humilem, let''s go and fetch Gregory before he does something he''ll regret."


    Humilem, who has been picking flowers with his new fingers, stands up when he hears his name.This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    Magnus nods approvingly. Humilem follows with small flowers in his hands.


    <hr>


    Gregory walks forward without any emotion on his face. Despite Jordan''s pleas, Gregory does not stop.


    Jordan moves away by crawling backward.


    God, I can''t die here! Zack and Elisha are gonna die if I''m not there to take care of their asses!


    Gregory wasn''t aware of Jordan''s thoughts but he didn''t care. His mind was calm and was entirely focused on his task. Looking at the weakened Jordan, Gregory knew that his task was about to be finished. Raising the hand wielding a dagger, Gregory leans forward. With infused internal energy, Gregory dashes forward with his dagger in a stabbing position.


    "What is this?"


    Gregory stops mid-dash. Jordan''s eyes are glued to Gregory but he starts to move his head, looking for the voice.


    Careful not to remove Gregory from his sight, Jordan looks for the source of the voice. Finding no one, Jordan starts to panic but he notices that Gregory stopped moving. He didn''t enter a defensive stance which would be a normal murder''s course of action if someone unknown appeared. Instead, Gregory looked nervous. His calm look was replaced with a slightly scrunched eyebrow and twitching lip.


    "Who goes there?!"


    Jordan shouts.


    "Jordan, don''t panic."


    Jordan panics. The poor man tries to stand but he finds himself pinned to the ground by an invisible force.


    Internal energy?!


    Jordan moves his eyes towards Gregory.


    Even now!


    Gregory held Jordan down with a massive amount of internal energy.


    Ho-how?! He had this much energy?


    "Master, you didn''t need to come down yourself. I was handling it."


    Jordan did his best to find this "master" but he couldn''t find him.


    "Gregory... remember earlier?"


    "Yes, you told me to handle him, him being Jordan."


    Jordan hatefully looks for the master who ordered his death.


    Magnus sighs.


    Gregory... might not be the sharpest tool in the shed...


    Magnus thinks about his daughter, Sanria, and realizes that they''re not too different.


    "Do you remember the time the bear attacked us?"


    Gregory replies in the affirmative.


    "Now, remember why I wanted Jordan, Zack, and Elisha to live?"


    Gregory''s face crunches in confusion. What could his master mean? Then it dawned on him. His confused face suddenly turns pale. Gregory turns his eyes towards Jordan. He sees Jordan''s angry face and he swallows a large lump of saliva.


    "Uh... ma... master... I..."


    "Enough."


    Gregory found himself unable to speak. Magnus didn''t do anything but Gregory''s fear of his master and guilt in almost killing Jordan silenced him.


    Jordan feels the pressure disappear from his body.


    "Jordan, I know that you want to release and vent some of your anger. I give you the opportunity."


    Magnus spoke the words of creation once more, filling Jordan with the primordial essence of life. Almost immediately, Jordan feels refreshed and rejuvenated as if he was birthed once more by his mother. Jordan would be hard-pressed to find a more euphoric feeling than what he just experienced.


    Jordan stands up. He looks around but he cannot find Magnus. Looking at Gregory, Jordan noticed that the old man was also rejuvenated by the same power. They were both 100%.


    "Gregory!"


    Not even waiting for a second, Jordan rushes forward.


    "AHHHHHHH!!!"


    Jordan, with renewed energy, cloaks his right arm with internal energy. It wasn''t a technique or skill, it was a simple empowered punch. Gregory reacts by raising his infused hand to block the attack.


    Instead of continuing his strike, Jordan quickly turns around and strikes Gregory with an infused back fist. Not expecting the sudden change in attack, Gregory suffers a back fist strike on the cheek.


    "Urgh!"


    Not letting off, Jordan raises his feet and kicks Gregory. Gregory manages to grab the incoming leg strike and pulls Jordan in with his stronger body and internal energy. Jordan is forcefully yanked off his feet and Gregory delivers a gut-wrenching blow towards Jordan''s stomach.


    "Agh!"


    Jordan is slammed to the ground by Gregory''s powerful attack. Jordan knew that Gregory was stronger than him but he was a better fighter. Knowing the disadvantage in pure physical ability, Jordan strikes Gregory''s knee. It buckles and the old man starts to fall. Jordan kicks up, hitting Gregory''s chest with his leg.


    Gregory groans and is about to strike Jordan but the younger man rolls away.


    Once a bit of space is present, the two fighters start to size each other up.


    Gregory knew that Jordan was a better fighter so he had to make sure that he would last longer.


    The two prepared for a fight. Then they moved.


    <hr>


    Magnus was hidden in the treelines when he infused Gregory and Jordan with energy. He was thankful he was hidden because he was almost on the verge of hyperventilating. His skin was pale and his vision was blurry.


    Humilem is panicking at the sight of his master weak. He didn''t know what to do and was flailing his childish hands.


    Okay... No more true magic... this is horrible.


    Magnus''s vision was fading to black. He felt incredibly weak. A spell that would have been easier, had he have been stronger, drained a lot of energy and strength from his body. This stress compounded on the use of true magic to imbue the shield earlier.


    Okay... no true magic until I get stronger... This weakness... is too much.


    Slowly standing up, Magnus returns his view to the fight. Jordan and Gregory were both in dire straits. Gregory has taken more hits but Jordan''s face is equally bruised. Jordan can hit Gregory more but each of Gregory''s strikes is far more powerful.


    Huh? They''re pretty equal... In the future, Gregory will outclass him though.


    Despite the almost equal fight, Gregory was slowly winning. His higher amount of internal energy was slowly defeating Jordan through attrition.


    This was supposed to be the case until Jordan decided to risk an attack. Making a wide attack, Gregory is baited into attacking Jordan''s opening. Purposefully leaving an opening, Jordan waits for Gregory to take it.


    Gregory creates a powerful strike. Smiling internally, Jordan dodges the blow. With all his remaining internal energy, he deals a powerful strike towards Gregory''s chest. Gregory pukes blood as he feels the powerful blow release a shockwave within his lungs.


    Gregory slowly backs away in extreme pain. Jordan doesn''t let Gregory go for a breather and he moves forward. While weakened, Gregory takes a flurry of blows and strikes that deal heavy damage.


    Each of Jordan''s strikes was fueled by his anger and the fear of dying. Eventually, Gregory is unconscious on the floor breathing weakly. Jordan''s fists were bloody and his anger was quenched.


    Seeing the old man battered and beaten, Jordan seems to feel guilty. He quickly quashes these feelings and reminds himself that he almost died before he was able to repay what he owed. He needed to make sure Gregory couldn''t take his revenge. Taking Gregory''s disarmed dagger, Jordan prepares to stab the unconscious old man.


    Pushing downward, Jordan''s hand is stopped, with the tip of the dagger just a few centimeters away from Gregory''s weakly breathing chest. Looking at the hand that stopped him, Jordan turns to see that Magnus has caught his hand.


    "Pr-Prince?!"


    Jordan was so surprised to see Gregory''s "son", that he forgot that he was holding a dagger.


    "That''s enough Jordan."


    Despite being held by a child, Jordan''s shouted.


    "Enough?! He almost killed me!"


    "And leave it in the fact that you almost killed him."


    Jordan looked at Gregory. For Jordan, Magnus was right.


    While Gregory did attempt to kill him, he failed due to intervention. This time, Jordan failed as well due to intervention. Despite not fully making sense in Jordan''s head, Magnus seemingly managed to convince him. This isn''t a fluke either, Magnus''s words have power in them, and dominating or controlling the weak is one of them.


    "Bu-..."


    Jordan feels weakness and he accidentally drops the knife. At this height, it wouldn''t damage Gregory but Magnus caught it anyway.


    "Jordan, now that you''ve settled some of your grievances, I have a proposition."


    A bit more in control of his senses, Jordan looks at Magnus, who seemed far too mature for his looks and age.


    "What?"


    "I need someone to guide me to the city of Kerak."


    "Isn''t Gregory able?"


    Magnus gives Jordan a rather deprecating smile.


    "As you can see, he misinterprets my commands a lot. While he is a good servant, I cannot have him kill people just because I said something remotely close to killing. Do you understand?"


    Jordan knew what Magnus meant and in truth, the young man was afraid of this young child in front of him. He knew that Magnus''s innocence was only skin-deep and if he rejected Magnus''s proposition, he feared he would get slain.


    "Don''t reject me yet Jordan. I am not aware of your purpose or goal in life but I promise you that by being by my side, you would not want anything. I can give you anything."


    Jordan swallows audibly. In his short life, Jordan has seen nobles and wealthy people but no one of them felt as persuasive as Magnus.


    "A-anything?"


    Magnus thinks.


    "Yes, anything."


    "... Power?"


    Magnus brandishes the dagger. Magnus was still exhausted from his constant usage of his power but he needed to show Jordan he could do anything.


    Summoning the remaining dregs of his power, Magnus whispers the words of creation to infuse the dagger with great power.


    The dagger floats above Magnus''s hand and invisible threads of energy surround it. Its iron blade slowly becomes crimson in color as the power of creation is infusing its power based on the intentions it originally had. The dagger was used to almost kill both Gregory and Jordan so it took a bloody image.


    Its crimson blade was unbelievably sharp. Grabbing the crimson dagger''s hilt, Magnus swings it with intention, which releases a burst of red energy. It cuts down a large boulder, leaving a scar on the boulder and the land beside it.


    Jordan''s mouth was agape. He has never seen magic items before but he felt that this dagger was stronger than most.


    Magnus puts the dagger in Jordan''s hand.


    "This is yours now."


    "Wh-what?"


    "Consider it as advanced payment for your loyalty."


    Jordan looked at the magical item in his hand. For a moment, Jordan''s dream of revenge seemed possible and he smiled.


    "When do I begin?"


    Magnus smiles back.

 Chapter 19: Minions

    Dragons.


    The strongest creature.


    An entity that rivals gods, crush empires, and lords over all of life.


    These creatures have long existed in both legend and reality. No living being in the world is free from the might of dragons. Even the lowliest creatures, such as goblins know of the true rulers of the world.


    And just like their might, dragons were also known for one more aspect, their horde.


    A dragon''s horde is the very representation of their power and greed.


    There were many types of dragons but no matter what, all dragons create a horde.


    One could say that this was due to innate greed but according to the dragons of old, dragons didn''t crave hoarding for greed but rather craved having many things from the universe. After all, everything was made of the same material. For dragons, everything was part of the multiverse. By owning many things, one could boast that one owned many parts of the multiverse.


    Magnus was no different.


    But unlike what history has passed down, there was another reason the dragons of old created immensely large hordes.


    While a dragon grew in power as it aged, a horde helps them become stronger.


    Any item in a dragon''s horde becomes a part of its nature. Every item, down to the last coin, is now forever bound to the dragon unless purposefully let go or given to another. These items, depending on their nature, generate an extremely scant amount of magical power that the Dragon absorbs when they hibernate or sleep, making a dragon''s decade-long nap essential to their growth.


    This was what Magnus was currently thinking of as he went back to Gregory''s house. Behind him, Jordan meekly followed Magnus while he was carrying the unconscious Gregory.


    But, a dragon''s horde wasn''t the only thing that dragons are famous for.


    When a dragon reaches a certain age, the desire to gather a horde and carve out a home becomes very powerful. While Magnus was still physically young, his mind belonged to that of an ancient wyrm. His desire to create a horde and a lair were becoming strong.


    But it wasn''t easy.


    To create a horde, Magnus would need a lair so he can store his treasure.


    To create a lair, Magnus would need a safe area.


    Fortunately for him, Magnus already has a safe place. He could remold it to fit his tastes later on when his command of true magic becomes more potent.


    But just because he has a safe place, it doesn''t mean it will be safe forever.


    When Magnus reveals himself to the world through direct or indirect means, his lair will eventually be known to other entities.


    Looking at Jordan, a rather low-level individual, Magnus felt a bit of hesitation.


    Maybe, I should just kill him instead?


    Just as Magnus thought of Jordan''s value, Jordan called out to Magnus.


    "Prince?"


    Magnus nodded to acknowledge Jordan. He takes the opportunity to speak his mind.


    "Why me? Am I special?"


    Magnus didn''t immediately reply.


    Why did I pick this one?


    "Jordan."


    Jordan stiffens. While Jordan was 2 to 3 heads taller than Magnus'' human form, he felt small in front of the mysterious Magnus. Since he accepted Magnus'' offer, Jordan quickly realized that Magnus'' appearance was deceiving. For a child, Magnus was well-versed in a lot of topics that people of Jordan''s age would not understand. Because of this, Jordan felt awe and fear when interacting with Magnus.


    "Yes?"


    Jordan internally heaves a sigh of relief when he manages to speak without stuttering.


    "You are expendable."


    Huh?


    Jordan felt confused by that.


    "What do you mean Prince?"


    Magnus turns to look at Jordan.


    "I gave you the magical item as payment for your services and loyalty but in the end, I am simply making you a servant or minion. You are to be used to further my plans."


    Jordan pursed his lips. He wanted to say something but Magnus continued.


    "But. If you follow me and treat me with the proper loyalty and respect, I will not abandon or let you be taken by entities that would wish me harm. As long as you are loyal to me, you will achieve your plans and dreams. I will not let those under me become useless."


    Jordan nodded.


    "Understood?"


    Jordan nodded again.


    Magnus turned around and didn''t say anything else. Jordan followed while contemplating his current situation.


    So... if I''m a minion... what is Gregory''s position? Is he a super minion?


    Jordan scowls when he realizes that he might have to answer to Gregory in the future.


    As Magnus slowly approached Gregory''s house, the door suddenly opens with a smug Sanria. She rushes towards Magnus with a big smile on her face.


    "Mas- Prince! I''ve been looking for you!"


    Magnus tilts his head in confusion, something that Sanria found cute.


    "For me? Why?"


    Before Sanria could speak her thoughts, she notices her unconscious father on top of Jordan''s shoulder and her vision goes dark.


    Jordan awkwardly raises his healed arm to wave at her but Sanria was already in front of him.


    "He-!!"


    Due to his experience, Jordan manages to infuse his body with internal energy in addition to using Bastion.


    Magnus hears a powerful shockwave as Jordan is sent flying by Sanria''s strike. Despite being tough enough to catch sword strikes from a steel blade, Jordan was sent flying.


    He hits the ground and the air was knocked out of his lungs causing him to gasp.


    Shit, her too!


    Jordan tries to stand up by supporting his weight but he hears a squelching sound.


    Huh?


    Looking at the source of the sound, Jordan sees both of his arms shattered from Sanria''s strike. His eyes widen in fear and he opens his mouth to scream. But his mouth was quickly covered. Looking at the cause of his silence, Jordan sees Sanria kneeling in front of him with murderous eyes. She covered his mouth and was about to snap his neck.


    Jordan''s heart rate skyrocketed as he looked at Magnus for help.


    HELP! PLEASE!!


    Sanria then starts to move her hand but she suddenly stops.


    "Sanria, stop."


    Sanria''s deep eyes regain their clarity with her master''s words.


    She doesn''t turn around, indignant. While she was devoted to her master, she was even more devoted to her father. She remembered her beaten and unconscious father and her vision quickly darkened. She would never allow anyone to harm Gregory. If not for her loyalty, she would kill Jordan and demand an explanation from Magnus.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Fortunately, Magnus knew this and spoke.


    "Gregory is unconscious because of his own actions."


    Sanria wanted to ask more but she knew her master was above petty lying. She still felt upset but at least not blindingly so.


    She stands up, letting the petrified Jordan go. But before leaving the poor man alone, Sanria gives him an ominous warning.


    "Master told me that it''s not your fault but I want you to know that if this happens again and it''s your fault, broken arms will be the least of your worries."


    Jordan didn''t answer. He felt something thick in his throat. He couldn''t reply. Sanria didn''t care.


    Turning around, Sanria''s anger suddenly disappeared and a bright and happy smile appeared on her face when she looks at Magnus.


    "Master!"


    Smiling, Sanria quickly closes the gap between her and Magnus.


    Magnus nods.


    "Hello Sanria, I had to handle the situation as your father... made an error."


    Sanria frowns but she quickly reverts to her smile.


    "I see... I''ll talk to him later."


    Magnus shakes his head.


    "No, there is no need. I already scolded him."


    Sanria nodded.


    "Now, look at your mistake."


    Sanria turns her head to Jordan who was now sitting up. His arms were broken and he was desperately trying to fix them with internal energy.


    "Sanria, fix his arms."


    She looks at her master incredulously.


    "But master, I can''t use healing magic."


    Magnus shakes his head.


    "Internal energy can be used to repair damage to the body."


    Sanria looks back at Jordan''s pathetic attempts to try and ignore the pain. He was failing, and tears were starting to fall from his eyes. She didn''t pity him but she didn''t want to disappoint her master.


    "Okay, I will try."


    Magnus says nothing. Sanria approaches Jordan who flinches from her presence.


    "Stay still. I will attempt to heal you."


    Jordan''s eyes widen in surprise.


    ATTEMPT?!?!


    Before Jordan could pull away, Sanria quickly grabs both of his hands, causing unnecessary pain which causes Jordan to wince.


    But before any more pain could spread, Jordan feels his bones, muscle, and skin repair themselves. His eyes widen in surprise at how fast his arms were healing.


    Expert level!


    Jordan was baffled.


    He knew that internal energy could be used to close wounds, mend broken bones, and remove disease but it wasn''t that easy. It didn''t mean that internal energy has the ability, every user could do it too.


    For someone like Jordan, whose level of mastery was only in the novice level, closing small cuts was the limit of his current ability.


    He knew that Sanria''s ability was already at an expert''s level.


    "Ho-how?"


    Sanria doesn''t respond. Once Jordan''s arms were fully healed, Sanria touches her father. Within a few seconds, Gregory suddenly moves. His eyes open and he groans in pain.


    "Wha-what happened?"


    Looking up, Gregory sees a pouting Sanria.


    "Sanria?"


    She turns around with a "hmph" and follows Magnus, who already entered the house.


    Gregory looks at Jordan and Jordan looks at Gregory.


    The air was tense.


    Gregory spoke first.


    "Uhhh... Sorry about earlier."


    Jordan was about to be angry but he remembers Sanria''s brutality and smartly decides for bygones to be bygones.


    "Uhhh... please don''t mention it."


    He looks at Sanria''s receding back. She didn''t look at him but Jordan felt that she had eyes on the back of her head.


    Gregory and Jordan stay in awkward silence.


    <hr>


    Melinoe gasped in exhaustion as he finally managed to consolidate the shattered remains of his magical foundation.


    Flexing his fingers, Melinoe conjures a small fire on the tip of his index finger.


    "Yes!"


    Melinoe whisper-shouts due to his success.


    "Okay, now that I got my magic back, I need to learn that spell..."


    Realizing that he has to learn polymorph, Melinoe frowns.


    Shit, I''ve never even seen someone cast polymorph.


    Melinoe looks around. He was alone in the forest. After his master left him such a difficult task, he entered the forest to remake his foundation and try to learn the spell.


    "Okay... you can do this. You''re not some third-rate mage."


    Recalling how the spell was done, Melinoe starts to break it down to the best of his ability.


    "Okay... master used ordered magic of the 4th circle. I just have to understand circle so I can cast the spell."


    Looking around, Melinoe found himself alone in the forest, in which he felt at peace. Ever since his transformation, Melinoe has felt nothing but closeness to the forest.


    "Okay... first circle. The first circle is about... the body?? Let''s..."


    <hr>


    Elisha was catatonic.


    Well, she wasn''t but she was very shocked.


    She looked at her party member on the other side of the table. Jordan was currently holding a crimson dagger, a weapon that did not fit the giant of a man.


    Elisha tried looking for Zack for help but quickly realizes she was alone in this situation. After all, Zack was still unconscious from his earlier exhaustion. Looking by the side, Elisha sees imagery she never expected.


    The brother and sister *ahem*, master and servant, were currently sitting together.


    To be specific, Magnus was sitting on Sanria''s lap. Sanria looked extremely satisfied.


    How did this come to be?


    Sanria destroyed the extra chairs so that only Jordan, Elisha, and Sanria could sit. Elisha turns away and returns her look at Jordan, who placed the enchanted dagger on the table.


    Unfortunately, Magnus dismissed Gregory due to his failure to properly discern his will. He was relegated to battlefield clean up duty.


    "So... you''re telling me... that this magical dagger... that''s oozing so much power was created by Prince over there?"


    Jordan nods.


    "Yep."


    Elisha continues.


    "And that Prince isn''t a kid but rather a powerful creature that killed that monstrous bear that shattered my magical barrier in one strike?"


    Jordan nods again.


    "Yes."


    Elisha continues, a bit more stressed out than earlier.


    "And that..."


    Jordan cuts her off.


    "Yes! He wants us to come under his command as servants."


    Elisha screams.


    "But why??? We''re adventurers, as far as I recall, we slay monsters not follow them!"


    The room temperature suddenly drops as Elisha sees Sanria give her a thin smile. But before Sanria could speak, Magnus lightly taps her cheeks which causes the room temperature to return to normal. She smiles as she enjoys her master''s attention. Magnus warns Elisha.


    "Try not to use derogatory terms. Sanria does not take them lightly."


    Elisha frowns. Looking at Magnus, Elisha finds him to be very cute and handsome. She knew that if he grew up, he would be a godlike beauty that turned the heads of everyone. But that would be the case if he was human. After Jordan explained the situation to her, Elisha felt afraid of Magnus. But it didn''t mean she didn''t have her pride.


    "Or what?"


    Jordan''s face pales at that and he quickly responds.


    "What my well-spoken friend meant is that, we aren''t familiar... with monsters that aren''t always against humans."


    Magnus raises an eyebrow at that. Elisha gives Jordan the stink eye. Seeing that Elisha wasn''t in the least interested in cooperating, Magnus sighs which cause Jordan and Sanria to panic. Jordan didn''t want to die and Sanria thought that Magnus was uncomfortable.


    "I see that I made a mistake."


    Jordan starts to sweat. Elisha grips her staff beside her.


    Sanria didn''t care.


    Magnus takes out a small pouch from one of his pockets.


    Elisha quickly raises her staff and stands up.


    "What''s that?!"


    Jordan stands up and puts his hand up.


    "Elisha, what the hell are you doing?!"


    Magnus ignored the two of them. Jordan tried to de-escalate the situation.


    "Elisha put the staff down! You don''t know what you''re doing!"


    Elisha angrily looks at Jordan as if she was betrayed.


    "Don''t know what I''m doing?!?! It''s you who doesn''t know what they''re doing! Why do you think the three of us entered the guild?! To play with monsters?! No! We joined because we need money, resources, and connections! You know this!"


    Jordan was starting to get angry. He replies full of rage.


    "OF COURSE I KNOW!"


    Elisha screams back.


    "DO YOU?!?! FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, YOU SURRENDERED THE MOMENT YOU GOT THREATENED. AND NOW YOU''RE BEING BRIBED! WHAT ABOUT OUR GOAL!!! WE CAN''T DO THAT BEING SLAVES TO HIM!"


    Magnus frowns at the word slave.


    Jordan was pissed. He didn''t do this to let go of their goal.


    "YOU THINK, I''M DOING THIS BECAUSE I WANT TO RUN AWAY?!"


    Elisha''s staff glows as the magic starts to flow.


    "WHAT ELSE!? BY BEING AFFILIATED OR BECOMING SERVANTS, OUR ACTIONS ARE RESTRICTED!"


    Jordan pulls out his greatsword, prepared to counter Elisha''s magic if needed.


    Before things could continue to escalate, Magnus pulls out a gemstone from his pouch.


    The gemstone glowed brightly. It released a magical presence that attracted Elisha. For a moment, her anger subsided.


    "Wha-what is that?"


    Jordan momentarily lowered his sword, mesmerized by the bluish glow.


    "I feel that I am not fair by only offering a gift to one servant when I am interested in gaining all three of you."


    Elisha was confused by that.


    "What do you me-"


    Magnus speaks again.


    "This is my offer to you. A magical gem, far more powerful than the one in your staff. It is capable of channeling 100% of your power, rather than a limited amount."


    Elisha''s eyes widen in surprise.


    "WHAT?! A 100%?!"


    Magnus nods.


    Jordan smiles. He knew that Magnus finally managed to catch Elisha''s attention. But she wasn''t fully on board yet.


    "What''s the catch!"


    Magnus speaks.


    "Be mine."


    Sanria frowns. Magnus pays her no heed.


    "What do you mean ''be mine''? That has so many innuendoes you know! And now that I know you''re not a monster, at least I don''t have to feel guilty thinking that you''re really cute!"


    Jordan retorts.


    "Nah, that''s still bad. He still looks like a kid."


    "Shut up, Jordan!"


    Magnus waits for the two of them to finish.


    "By ''be mine'', I meant that you are to follow my orders and fulfill them down to the letter. I will expect loyalty, respect, and efficiency."


    Elisha responds.


    "And slave drive us to the dirt?"


    Magnus shakes his head.


    "No. I will repay loyalty with extreme generosity. And this is my downpayment."


    He puts down the pure magical gem on the table.


    "Accept it. It will strengthen your staff, thus making you stronger, allowing you a step closer to your dream."


    Elisha looked at the gemstone. Magnus was right. The moment she incorporated it into her staff, she would at least be twice as strong as before.


    If that happened, she would quickly rank up.


    Jordan spoke as if trying to hammer the nail down.


    "Elisha, as long as we do our duties, our goal isn''t that far off."


    Elisha pursed her lips. She still wasn''t sure.


    Then Magnus spoke again.


    "I''ll add one more thing. I''ll teach you magic."


    When Elisha heard this, she couldn''t believe it.


    While she did come from a magic academy, it wasn''t that good. Finding a legitimate master was something that all mages dreamed of. But could Magnus even cast magic?


    This question plagued Elisha''s mind.


    "Humilem, come here."


    Humilem, who was eating a sandwich underneath the table, pops out and stands beside Magnus.


    Magnus quickly utters a few words of magic, all familiar to Elisha.


    "Wha-"


    Quickly, light envelops the room. Once the light subsides, a large reptile was in the room. Its eyes moved to follow Elisha and Jordan.


    While the two of them were cautious of Magnus, he did not have the appearance of a monster.


    Humilem did.


    Jordan unconsciously gripped his sword a bit tighter. Elisha was already halfway in casting a spell.


    "This is my bodyguard and close servant. He does not have the ability to transform but I can transform him if needed."


    Elisha''s eyes widen in surprise.


    "You can cast polymorph?!"


    Magnus nods.


    "Teach me!"


    Jordan chuckles when he sees Elisha''s sudden change of personality. He knew that she was desperate to learn. Ever since she found out that she had magical talent, a good one at that, she''s done everything in her power to learn.


    But unlike Incarna, Kerak didn''t have an official government-funded magic academy.


    Magnus knew that he managed to hook Elisha.


    "Will you follow me then?"


    Elisha looks at the glowing orb and the giant drake behind Magnus.


    She then looks at Jordan for support. He gives her a thumbs up. She looks at Magnus.


    "I will!"


    Seeing Elisha burn with desire, Sanria nods approvingly.

 Chapter 20: A Source of Service

    After convincing Elisha to side with him, Magnus left the house. He left the task of convincing Zack to Jordan and Elisha. They promised that Zack would join his side. While Magnus didn''t need the three of them, having a large number of expendable agents is good in the long run. After all, Magnus can''t always use his powerful servants to do the task that minions could do. Most importantly, if Magnus were to lose Gregory, Humilem, or Sanria, it would be a huge blow to his overall power.


    While Zack is weak... he has good character. I will accept him as a soldier.


    Traversing the forest, Magnus slowly undid his transformation and his body started to regain its draconic aspects. His soft baby-like skin slowly transforms into peach-like scales. His peach scales then start to shine with Magnus'' usual golden sheen. As he continues to transform, Magnus leans forward as he supports his growing body with his front limbs. His body starts to quickly grow in size and the scales on his back start to undulate then stretch, creating his golden wings. On top of his head, Magnus'' hair was slowly reabsorbed by his body and in its place, two powerful horns grow. Magnus'' face then extends, creating the familiar draconic visage that strikes fear in all those that see it.


    Finally, Magnus completes his transformation. Now inside a familiar body, Magnus stealthily traverses the forest, taking everything in using his draconic senses. With the senses of a true dragon, Magnus could see, feel, sense, and smell more things. It was an enjoyable experience after staying in a human body.


    Magnus closes his eyes in pleasure as he enjoys his true form.


    I truly feel more comfortable in this state.


    Using his senses, Magnus takes notice of the many creatures in the forest. Despite being far away, Magnus hears the cursing of a very unfortunate individual. He recognizes him.


    The mage is doing his best to learn the spell. It will take time as he is not talented in magic. How unfortunate.


    Magnus continued. Despite his supernatural senses, someone "almost" evaded him.


    "Sanria, I told you to stay put and keep an eye on them."


    There was no reply.


    Magnus stayed quiet.


    Then he spoke again.


    "Sanria."


    Magnus hears the sound of rustling leaves and Sanria drops down from a nearby tree. She looked sheepish as Magnus glared at her.


    "Explain yourself."


    Magnus'' voice emanates power. Sanria felt scared but excited at the same time. Doing her best to control her breathing, Sanria explains.


    "Well... while you did tell me to stay, I felt that the two of them were already firmly on your side Prince. So... I decided to follow you instead and guard your person. Hehe."


    Sanria gave Magnus a goofy smile that didn''t detract from her grace and beauty.


    She didn''t care. She liked being in Magnus'' presence.


    Understanding Sanria, Magnus slowly nodded.


    He knew that what she said was true. After his offer, Magnus could feel that Elisha and Jordan were fully hooked by his promise of power.


    And the two of them were very desperate for power.


    But.


    He didn''t like that Sanria disobeyed a direct order.


    While Magnus didn''t want to deprive his servants of their freedom, he did not want them to ignore his orders as doing so can cause problems in the future. Infusing his voice with power, Magnus speaks with the dignity of a leader.


    No, even better, a dragon.


    "Sanria."


    Magnus'' empowered voice seems to stun Sanria into submission. Taking advantage of the suddenly silent Sanria, Magnus takes a step forward. Unable to move, Sanria could only watch in excited horror as Magnus approaches her with heavy steps.


    Oh no... he''s going to punish me... HE''S GOING TO PUNISH ME!


    Fear turned to excitement and Sanria started to heavily pant.


    Magnus suddenly stops which causes Sanria to startle. Magnus'' face showed an expression that Sanria didn''t understand since she didn''t have much experience with dragons.


    It was an emotion similar to disgust.


    I don''t recall having dragonborns in the past... but were they all deviants?


    Realizing that shouting or scolding Sanria was futile, Magnus starts to rack his head on how to show his authority.


    Ah... I forgot that she is the type that wants attention...


    Giving Sanria one last look, Magnus turns around. Sanria, who was waiting to hear her master''s powerful voice, felt deflated.


    Wait... what? I thought he was going to shout at me?


    Seeing Magnus walk away, Sanria quietly calls out.


    "Prince?"


    But Magnus doesn''t stop.


    Sanria wanted to call out again but she knew she overstepped her bounds. Speaking out now would be blatantly going against Magnus'' orders. Sanria opens her mouth but she immediately closes it.


    While she wanted her master''s attention, Sanria didn''t want him to hate her.


    She watches Magnus slowly recede from sight.


    But her master was merciful.


    Before Magnus was fully out of sight, he lightly spoke.


    "Return to your home Sanria, I expect it to be guarded the next time I visit."


    Hearing her master''s calm voice, Sanria quickly replies.


    "Yes, Prince! I will keep it safe!"


    Magnus then confidently walks out of the village''s outer perimeter and enters the area where his current lair is situated.This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it


    It wasn''t long when Magnus sees the entrance to his lair. It was still very well-hidden but Magnus could discern certain characteristics.


    Despite being well-hidden, Magnus did not like the current state of his lair.


    The lair''s entrance was small, something Magnus will have issues with when he grows bigger as he ages. It was also lacking any of the grandeur a dragon deserves. Despite his sensibilities, Magnus was a dragon both in body and mind. He had the innate desire to hoard valuable objects. And valuable objects deserved to be stored in an equally valuable lair.


    But he knew that what he wanted right now was impossible so Magnus quashed those desires within him.


    Hmmm... while I can''t afford to decorate my lair, I must secure it. So far, it is camouflaged but I have no security, and anyone that enters it can have access to my treasures... I can''t have that... I need guards... Humilem can do it but I''d rather not leave him in here alone for a long period of time.


    Magnus'' blood boils as he imagines a few thieves enter his lair.


    Calming himself, Magnus enters his home.


    Once inside the cave, darkness surrounds Magnus. Fortunately, dragon senses are second to none and Magnus could easily navigate the large cave. Eventually, Magnus sees a faint light as he goes deeper into his lair.


    The crystals are spreading?


    To his surprise, Magnus noticed that a few small and almost imperceptible amount of crystals start to grow in previously empty areas. This meant that Magnus'' food supply was growing but also the value of his lair.


    I must keep this place hidden and secured no matter what. I don''t have enough servants. I need more.


    Going deeper in his lair, Magnus eventually reaches the deepest part, the place where he woke up.


    Looking around, he noticed that the crystal he used to age faster was healing at a noticeably fast rate.


    Magnus approved. In his current situation, anything that helped was good enough for him, even if it meant taking in a few weak individuals.


    Remembering how much effort and power he expended to use creation magic not just once but twice, the young dragon searches for a large crystal.


    He finds a suitably large enough magic crystal that exuded an enormous amount of magical power. Even a small fragment of these ogre-sized crystals had more power than both Elisha and Melinoe''s combined power multiplied by 10.


    And Magnus treated them as food and a recharging resource. Opening his maw, Magnus sinks his extremely sharp teeth into the magic crystal. Immediately, Magnus feels the extremely pure magic flow into him, replenishing his lost power.


    Fatigue, exhaustion, and mental stress quickly fade away, as Magnus chews on the chunk of magic crystal.


    Magnus makes sure not to waste any of the crystal chunks. His body quickly processes the swallowed material turning everything into useable mana.


    Sighing in satisfaction, Magnus turns his attention to a corner in the main room.


    It was the place where Magnus intended to put his horde.


    Currently, it only had 2 valuable items. Magnus didn''t deign to put worthless items, such as swords or spears, in his horde.


    First is the dark book that Melinoe possessed. While it only contained introductory dark magic, Magnus knew its true value.


    A sealed Necronomicon that responds to the strength of its user. Vourina was not able to go past the first few chapters due to a lack of power but... it would not be a problem for me.


    Touching the dark book, Magnus floods the seals with his true magic, the most potent form of magic there is. Immediately, the seals, that were created by ordered magic, shattered under Magnus'' power. After removing the seal, Magnus felt tired and winded.


    Tiring but not a wasted effort.


    Gently opening the book with his claws, Magnus reads a few passages in the following chapters. While true magic was potent, Magnus currently does not have the ability to use it for long periods of time. And he was restricted to the weaker forms of true magic. If he had more power, he could command the power of true magic to create legendary artifacts.


    A fully unsealed Necronomicon has enough knowledge to create a nascent death lord. If one is not careful... their soul will be corrupted and they will no longer be able to enjoy mortal pleasures or moral choices.


    But that wasn''t a problem for Magnus. A dragon''s soul is extremely resistant to corruption. It would take the darkest of magic for Magnus'' soul to become tainted similar to what happened to Melinoe.


    Returning the unsealed Necronomicon on the ground, Magnus turns his attention to the 2nd item in his horde.


    It was the shield transformed by Magnus'' true magic.


    Touching the shield, Magnus was contacted by the shield. Due to Magnus'' true magic, the shield gained an unbelievable amount of power, so much so that it gained what is commonly known as an artifact soul.


    It was still a young artifact soul but because of its existence, the shield had a name.


    "Carmaje. It seems that you''ve recently awoken. When I first created you, your soul was still asleep."


    The shield did not respond to Magnus. While it could understand the dragon''s words, it didn''t have the power to communicate, at least for now. Magnus knew this and spoke anyway.


    "Now that you are awake."


    Magnus touches Carmaje and marks it, forever bonding the shield to him, a ritual that dragons do with their hordes. This was to ensure that no thief could escape a dragon''s lair without consequences.


    "There. You are mine."


    The powerful shield did not decline or show refusal. It silently acknowledged Magnus'' power and allowed the dragon to mark it.


    Once marked, Magnus returns the shield to the horde.


    After quickly marking the two items, Magnus'' thoughts return to security.


    I cannot post anyone here and posting them by shifts would garner suspicion. Even if the villagers are just normal humans, some nosey individuals will eventually bring me a disaster.


    Thinking of a possible solution, Magnus remembers his apprentice jester.


    While he was weak, he used the Necronomicon to summon the undead. They''re not dangerous or strong but that''s when they''re compared to me. Against normal individuals, skeletons might pose a threat or at least make them hesitate. But, it will not stop someone like Jordan.


    Contemplating the pros and cons of dark magic, Magnus picks up the unsealed Necronomicon. He then walks towards the center of the room.


    Magnus sits on the crystal floor and once he''s comfortable, he looks at the Necronomicon''s cover.


    There must be creatures stronger than those that Vourina summoned. Maybe, I can create more powerful creatures.


    After a few seconds of imagination, Magnus opens the book.


    When he turns to the first chapter, the unsealed Necronomicon immediately releases a spell meant to dominate. The spell targets Magnus.


    Magnus snorts in annoyance, releasing his power that causes the spell to quickly dissipate. He frowns.


    A silent spell. It lowers an individual''s inhibitions and increases their satisfaction when doing depraved acts. Vourina must have been ensnared by this spell...


    Magnus frowned. Whoever created this Necronomicon was not to be trifled with. If the book is so dangerous, Magnus had a thought.


    But why did it fall into the hands of Vourina? I''m sure that whatever force placed the book where it was found, it must have been intended for someone else. It must have been an unlucky coincidence. Why else would anyone give such an untalented individual such a dangerous item?


    Reading the first chapter, Magnus was introduced to the topics of necromancy, specifically ordered necromancy.


    Ordered magic has advanced very far.


    Magnus reminisces the time when ordered magic was at its infancy stage. Dragons, beings of pure power, had access to a type of magic called true magic, the ability to warp reality to suit their needs. To use true magic, an entity needed to have a primordial soul or at least have some fragments of a primordial soul. A dragonborn could theoretically use true magic due to the nature of their soul. This ability to use true magic is what sets dragons apart from every other creature in the multiverse.


    With true magic, a dragon could do anything it wanted to, provided it had the power to do so.


    But the other races of the world did not have access to the glorious power that is true magic. Instead, the ancient mages created what is now known as ordered magic, the type of magic that mages, of the present, use.


    Unlike true magic which is a ''true'' manipulation of reality, ordered magic is interference within reality causing it to create some specific effects.


    If a dragon used true magic to create a fireball, reality would conform to the dragon''s will and the fireball would come into existence as if it was part of the universe itself. But ordered magic instead creates loopholes to trick reality, thus creating a fireball out of nothing but at the cost of being less flexible. The same fireball created by the dragon can be used for so much more. Its shape, size, and form could be changed with a single thought but a fireball created by ordered magic is dictated by the formula used to cast the ordered spell. The effects of ordered magic cannot change once it has been cast.


    While these were all important to consider, there was also one thing that made true magic much more special than ordered magic.


    True magic was vastly more powerful than ordered magic.


    The same amount of power needed to create true magic would completely overwhelm anything created by ordered magic with an equal amount of power. To equate the strength of a fireball created by true magic, a mage using ordered magic would need to use up to quadruple the mana just to match it.


    This is why the dragons were able to rule the majority of the world. Coupled with their infinitely strong bodies, dragons used true magic to dominate the world, reshaping it to their image.


    But, the dragons lost.


    And now, Magnus was alone, something he wished to change.


    Chapter 1: Servants of the damned. Step 1: The Constant Need for Corpses.

 Chapter 21: Empty Battlefield

    After opening the Necronomicon, Magnus, spent the entire day and the following night, reading the first chapter. Just like most books, the first chapter contained introductory knowledge.


    Magnus eagerly devoured the 1st chapter''s information, ranging from lore regarding the beginning of necromancy, spells allowing one to reanimate the dead, to conjuring corrupted spells that can eviscerate its target.


    Processing this information, Magnus started memorizing the introductory information, including the ability to reanimate the dead using the basic spells.


    After finishing chapter 1, Magnus decided to rest. While he could go on, he wanted to rest his mind, a privilege that only the living could enjoy.


    Magnus drifts off to a comfortable sleep.


    <hr>


    While Magnus was busy learning the secrets of necromancy, Sanria returned to their house.


    "SANRIAAA!!!"


    Sanria frowns as she hears the voice of a very annoying individual. Looking at the source of the voice, Sanria sees Zack run towards her with open arms and a stupid smile on his face. Behind Zack, Elisha and Jordan try to grab him but his romantically empowered speed was too fast for them.


    For a moment, Sanria immediately covers her annoyance with a bright smile, which is her disguise when interacting with normal people. After all, if people like her personality, she''ll have an easier time manipulating them.


    If only master didn''t get you three as servants... wait...


    But she realizes that Elisha, Jordan, and Zack were now her master''s minions. And according to her master''s telepathic message just before he left, these three were considered below her and Gregory. She was their superior. For Sanria, that meant she didn''t have to mask her usual expression.


    And this made her happy, extremely happy. Sanria''s fake gentle smile is quickly replaced with a sadistic smile that forces Elisha and Jordan to stop. Zack, on the other hand, is oblivious to Sanria''s expression. For him, Sanria was just giving him a brighter and wider smile. Sanria''s thoughts towards Zack turned malicious.


    I no longer have to play nice with him... but... I can''t kill him... it would waste master''s efforts.


    In a great mood, an idea suddenly pops up in Sanria''s head.


    I can do that. Yeah... master probably won''t be too mad if I do just that. In fact, I think he''d be happy if I did that.


    As he approaches the most beautiful girl he''s ever known, Zack''s awareness was getting duller. Focusing his attention on Sanria, Zack''s eyes widen when Sanria suddenly seems to become more beautiful, a thing that he didn''t think possible. In fact, Zack saw and felt a lot of things. Sanria was surrounded by pink petals and bright light. He didn''t care. Zack continued to run towards her.


    If Zack''s mind was a bit clearer, he would be able to tell something was off.


    Following his instincts, Zack immediately raises his arms to pull her into a hug. Jordan, who''s experienced Sanria''s strength, suddenly becomes pale as he hears Zack''s sudden scream. This causes Jordan to break into a sprint.


    Fuck! Not again! I can''t see Prince anyway! No one is here to control Sanria!


    Running towards Zack, Jordan immediately looks for any broken bones or wounds. While Jordan and Zack were on the same rank and level, Jordan was slightly stronger which meant that Sanria, if she wanted to, could completely dominate and destroy Zack.


    "Zack, what happened?!"


    When Jordan reached his friend, he quickly notices that Zack was completely fine and devoid of any damage. Instead of the expression of pain and suffering that Jordan expected, Zack had a face full of joy and happiness. Zack''s smile was so wide and perverse-looking, Jordan felt a slight tinge of disgust.


    "Yes, marry me Sanria! I promise to make you happy."


    Jordan''s confusion was suddenly broken when Zack suddenly turned at him with a terrifying look. Zack appeared to lust after Jordan''s muscular and toned body. Then Zack leaps forward.


    "Zack! What the hell are you doing?!"


    Zack quickly approaches Jordan but the taller man immediately pushes him away. This doesn''t stop Zack''s advance.


    "We must consummate our marriage! 10 children at least! You''re so strong my love! I will show you mine too!"


    Now infusing his body with power, Zack starts to grapple with Jordan. Confused and scared, Jordan screams for help.


    "Elisha! Help! Zack''s gone crazy!"


    Never the type to panic, Jordan uncharacteristically screamed for help as Zack was extremely close to giving him a french kiss. But Jordan was unaware that his thoughts were also influenced. His faculties were betraying him and he couldn''t properly formulate the thoughts needed to get Zack off of him. He kept flailing to push Zack away.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Elisha, who''s dumbfounded by Zack''s actions, doesn''t move. She was influenced too.


    She looks at Zack harassing Jordan. While continuing to watch the horror of her two friends wrestling on the ground, Elisha started to feel hot.


    Huh? What happened? And where''s Sanria? And why do Jordan and Zack look hot when they''re doing that??


    Elisha was unable to move as she fought the building desire within her body.


    What''s happening! This isn''t normal! This isn''t normal!!


    While Jordan and Zack continued their wrestling and Elisha was becoming more confused, Sanria leans on a nearby tree. She was exhausted.


    Calming herself, Sanrai is catching her breath after exercising the true might of a dragon.


    So that''s... wow... that''s Prince''s power huh? No... it''s my power now...


    Looking at her hand, Sanria finds it hard to believe that she can alter reality according to her whims. Waving it, reality seems to move ever so slightly but even the smallest ripple causes Sanria to lose both energy and stamina.


    Okay... not too much. I can''t handle it yet. I wonder how long before I can just create a physical copy of master... Well, at least I can still affect these three.


    Despite being exhausted by controlling the material reality, it was less costly for her to slightly manipulate the thought process of the three new minions.


    If they were slightly stronger, they might have been able to resist the ability... but the results are still great! Now, I have some peace and quiet... I really need to learn how to use magic... So... let''s release Elisha first. She didn''t finish teaching me yet.


    Approaching the extremely hot and bothered Elisha, Sanria touches her back to release the magic. Immediately, Elisha''s head, which was full of forbidden thoughts regarding Jordan and Zack, was cleared. Panicking, she looks around. She sees Sanria grinning at her.


    Blushing as red as a tomato, Elisha tries to explain herself as if Sanria could magically read her thoughts.


    "I- I didn''t mean to! I wasn''t doing anything! I- No, you!"


    Before she could continue embarrassing herself, Sanria quickly touches Elisha''s lip with her fingertip. Elisha quivered as she felt Sanria''s absolute control over the situation.


    "Shh shh, enough of that. I released you from my power because I need you for something."


    With widened eyes, Elisha screams.


    "Tha- that was you?!"


    Feeling a bit playful, Sanria doles out a lie.


    "Well... not entirely... I can only increase desires that are already a part of you... and it seems..."


    Elisha, who''s not in the proper state of mind, squeaks.


    "Shut up shut up shut up! What do you need me for!?!"


    Sanria laughs as Elisha changes the topic.


    "Well, my teacher, if you don''t want them to know what you were thinking, I''m going to need more lessons."


    Elisha swallows the lump in her throat as Sanria gives her a wide smile.


    What did I get myself into?


    <hr>


    After a peaceful sleep, the next day comes and Magnus immediately goes back to work. It doesn''t take long for Magnus to fully awaken his body.


    He continues to read the first chapter of the unsealed Necronomicon. While he did finish the chapter yesterday, there were a few concepts that Magnus considered important to return to.


    The very backbone of dark magic is corrupted, tainted, or, more commonly known as, dark mana. Dark mana is a source of power that can defy the laws set forth by the concepts and gods. Undead, creatures that were not made by any concept or god, defy the natural laws. If there are any gods of the undead or similar entities, they came into existence later rather than in the beginning, unlike the concepts and primordial gods.


    Realizing this, Magnus had a question.


    Can true magic create undead?


    Still pondering the question, Magnus opens his inner eye to observe his soul, the true essence of his being.


    As expected, Magnus saw a small universe that represented his primordial soul. Knowing the nature of souls, Magnus knew that his soul was as pure as one could get. There was no dark energy here that could be used to use ordered forbidden magic.


    Reciting a passage from the book that''s meant to taint a small portion of one''s soul so that the reader can generate dark mana, Magnus finds his soul unaffected.


    Am I unable to use necromancy?


    Magnus frowns. He knew that dragon souls are almost impossible to corrupt due to their primordial nature but he did not expect a 99.99% resistance, something that all true dragons have. In Magnus'' case, he might as well be immune to soul manipulation or change.


    Tapping the Necronomicon, Magnus thinks. Looking around, Magnus knew that he had a large amount of power that he could spend.


    I can afford to experiment but... I will need a body.


    Closing the book, Magnus stands up to stretch. He opens his wings, letting them unfurl in the cavern.


    Then Magnus mentally prepares to call upon the might of true magic.


    Necromancy... the act of corrupting the cycle of reincarnation by forcefully creating creatures that defy the natural order. But... can true magic do that? True magic is changing a part of reality or more correctly, creating a new reality. Does that mean it''s no longer an act of corruption?


    Looking at the 1st chapter of the Necronomicon, which only talked about the basics of necromancy, Magnus became disappointed.


    "But I must start somewhere."


    Closing the book, Magnus carries the Necronomicon with his right front limb.


    Magnus walks towards the exit of his cave. Once outside, sunlight floods his vision and the sound of birds chirping surround him.


    Using his supernatural senses, Magnus looks around.


    The battlefield.


    Turning to the battlefield''s direction, Magnus walks. While walking, Magnus connects to his semi-reliable servant.


    Gregory. Answer my call.


    Without any delay, Gregory replies to Magnus.


    Master. How may I serve?


    Magnus continued to walk. In the distance, he observed Melinoe tirelessly try to decipher the magical circles needed to cast polymorph.


    Go to the battlefield.


    Gregory stuttered a bit with his reply.


    Ma-master... I apologize but we haven''t fully cleaned it yet due to... the new servants.


    Magnus used his connection with Gregory to see with the latter''s eyes. Gregory was currently serving breakfast for Elisha, Jordan, and Zack. While Elisha and Zack ate happily, there was a tense air between Gregory and Jordan.


    It is fine. Their addition will be useful.


    Magnus felt that Gregory did not believe that but the latter was wise enough not to comment on it. Magnus issues an order to Gregory.


    In addition, bring them as well. I must test some things.


    Gregory replies.


    Yes, my master.


    Magnus cuts the connection and he continues towards the battlefield.


    It wasn''t long before Magnus reaches the place where he sent many young men and women back to the reincarnation cycle. While he didn''t regret killing them, Magnus didn''t like unnecessary killing.


    Looking around, Magnus observes the empty battlefield. The tents and roughly made buildings were still there since Gregory and Sanria didn''t have enough time to get them out of the way.


    If I''m successful with my experiment, I will be able to supply Gregory with enough manpower.


    After quickly spreading his senses to protect himself, Magnus takes a seat on a relatively clean part of the battlefield.


    Taking a moment to take in the scenery, Magnus waits for his loyal servant to come.

 Chapter 22: Great Plans

    Sanria was multitasking.


    While listening to Elisha''s longwinded explanation, she was also watching Jordan and Zack. Both of them were still desperately wrestling. One of them was doing it to top the other and the other was just trying to escape.


    When Elisha asked Sanria to free them from her magic, Sanria flatly declined, causing Elisha to drop the subject.


    Elisha continued explaining the basics of ordered magic, or just magic, to Sanria.


    "Ordered magic is the ability to exploit certain rules of reality to create specific effects. It was created by the primal archmage Genozax when he learned from the true dragons that ruled the world during the second age."


    Sanria nodded. While she didn''t care much for the history lesson, it included topics about dragons. Her master was a dragon, so she listened. Surprised by Sanria''s attentiveness, Elisha continues her lesson.


    "Due to ordered magic being very specific, the way ordered magic exploits reality are called spells. A spell is a very specific set of instructions that allow one to create an effect by exploiting reality. And because of these instructions, a spell can''t be changed once activated. An activated fireball will always be a fireball."


    Sanria nods. While listening to Elisha''s explanation, Sanria tries to internally study the power within her.


    It''s magic yes... but it''s not ordered magic. There aren''t specific instructions to it... I can just do anything I want!


    Sanria suddenly interrupts Elisha''s lesson.


    "Elisha."


    Startled, Elisha replies.


    "Ye-yes?!"


    Sanria smiles but she quickly a question to alleviate the tension.


    "If ordered magic uses set instructions, what about the magic that doesn''t need instructions?"


    Elisha smiles at Sanria''s appropriate question.


    "Well, that''s called true magic and-"


    Before Elisha could continue her explanation, a voice cuts through the peaceful scene.


    "Sanria, and ms. Elisha, our master called for us."


    Elisha turns to the source of the voice and sees Gregory a few meters away from them. The handsome old man looks at the exhausted but still wrestling Jordan and Zack.


    "Sanria, was this your doing?"


    Sanria gives her father a wide smile then she shrugs.


    "Remo-"


    Sanria quickly raises her hand to stop her father.


    "Father!"


    Gregory stops and quickly nods at her to continue.


    "Well, since you''re here. I wanted to see if you could cancel my magic."


    Gregory''s eyes widen at Sanria''s words.


    Magic? She can cast magic?? Already??? I knew my little girl was talented but this fast?


    Gregory turned to Elisha. The young mage shrugs.


    "I don''t know how she did that sir Gregory. In fact, she''s asking me to teach her magic which doesn''t make sense because I can''t do that."


    Elisha helplessly points at her two friends.


    "So... if she can do that, she either has a unique magical power or can cast some specific types of magic... I don''t know. While some spells can control the mind, I''m not familiar with them."


    Gregory sighs. He then looks at Sanria.


    "Sanria, how do I cancel this then?"


    The mischievous daughter gives her father a wide smile. It was both teasing and exciting.


    "Well!"


    Sanria stops. Gregory waits for her daughter to continue.


    "Elisha, I know that you''re teaching me but can you please go for now?"


    Interested in learning new magic, Elisha frowns. She wanted to ask why but she was smart enough to know that Sanria was not the type of person you say no to, at least when you''re not able to go against her.


    "Okay, call me when you need me. I''ll be in the house reading my books."


    Elisha reluctantly leaves the father and daughter duo alone. Once alone, Gregory returns his focus to Sanria.


    "She can''t know?"


    Sanria nods.


    "Father, you know how there''s magic right?"


    Gregory nods, trying to ignore the slowly winning Zack behind Sanria. Sanria continues.


    "Well, when Prince awakened the two of us, we gained some magic too."


    Gregory flexes his hand, empowering it with internal energy. Sanria shakes her head.


    "Not that father. I can do that too but I meant another type of magic."


    Sanria demonstrates her extremely sharp control of internal energy by quickly waving her hand in the direction of a nearby tree. Immediately, a single branch falls.


    Gregory''s eyes widen as he sees the reason. The base of the branch was cut by an extremely sharp and invisible source of power.


    So... precise!


    "Jordan calls this type of magic internal energy. It''s different from actual magic but it has similar properties. It''s mostly used for physical abilities, such as empowering oneself or healing a broken body. It can''t create fire or call upon demons like normal magic."Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    Gregory nods, speechless from Sanria''s demonstration. Sanria continues her explanation.


    "I meant that my body has a different type of magic, even more, different compared to Elisha''s type of magic."


    Gregory was confused.


    There are three types of magic?


    Before Gregory could continue his thoughts, the father and daughter hear a voice they worship.


    Yes, there are three types of magic.


    Sanria''s eyes glisten.


    Master! You contacted us!


    Gregory did his best not to physically bow but he made sure to show his reverence in his thoughts.


    Master, we were just about to go there.


    Ignoring Sanria''s extremely excited mental energy, Magnus explains for Gregory.


    Gregory.


    Gregory quickly replies.


    Yes, master!


    Magnus speaks.


    As you surmised, there are indeed three types of magic. Ordered magic is the type of magic that is most strongly felt in the world as of now. I assume it is the magic type most used by everyone around the world. Before the reign of ordered magic, there was true magic. I will explain both of them at length at another time. The magic that you have access to, Gregory, is internal energy. In truth, I do not have any memories of internal energy. While I can figure out how it functions and how it is used, never have I encountered such magic. Internal energy is a type of magic that is present only in the present. It is a baffling thing really.


    Hearing that internal magic slightly confused their master, Gregory felt weird. While he has never been a schooled individual, Gregory knew when other people were more intelligent or knew more than him. In his relatively long life, Gregory has never met a more knowledgeable individual than his master, and for Magnus to claim that something baffled him, was a cause of surprise.


    I-I''m sure you''ll get to the bottom of its true nature master!


    Without acknowledging Gregory''s words, Magnus speaks.


    Enough, Gregory and Sanria, meet me at the battlefield. Bring along Elisha. And Sanria, cancel your magic. You will have the time to teach Gregory at a late date.


    Sanria quickly responds.


    I''ll immediately remove the magic and go there, Prince!


    Gregory turns to her daughter flabbergasted. He looks like he was wronged. He quickly censors his thoughts.


    Is our master more important than our father and daughter relation?!


    Magnus ignored his servant''s plight. Sanria was oblivious to his father''s complaints.


    Sanria snaps her fingers and the magic that suffused both Jordan and Jack disappears.


    The two entangled men were suddenly returned to reality. Jordan looked at Zack, who was disheveled and worn out.


    Wha- what happened?


    Realization suddenly hits and Jordan turns her head towards Sanria. The mischievous girl giggles and gives Jordan a terrifying smile. He quickly turns his vision towards Zack.


    Zack, on the other hand, was kneeling on the floor, lost and tired. He was deep in his thoughts.


    I... What happened?... one moment, I was in bed with Sanria... No... first... I saw her smile then... it was already a date... what??


    Zack looked as if he was out of his mind. Usually, Jordan would try to help his friend but the image of lips and hugs prevented him from doing so.


    Looking at each other, both of them felt disgusted.


    Gregory turns to his daughter with a frown.


    "How will you fix this?"


    Sanria smiles at her father.


    "They''re best friends. If this small thing rattles them, then they were never friends, to begin with."


    With that, Sanria leaves to go to Magnus.


    Gregory watches his daughter walk away.


    She''s so much more aggressive now...


    Sighing, Gregory looks at the two men on the ground.


    "You two, stand up. Our master calls us."


    Jordan snaps back to reality and he looks at Gregory.


    "He did? So quickly? It''s only been one day. Is... is he displeased?"


    The only not aware of their new master''s true form, Zack speaks.


    "Probably not. He doesn''t seem to be the type. He accepted us, nobodies."


    Zack remembers the golden silhouette he saw just before he blacked out.


    Was that... Prince?


    Gregory starts to move. Jordan stands up and follows his new superior.


    "Zack, let''s go."


    Still deep in thought, Zack stands up and follows Jordan.


    <hr>


    Assuming his human form, a form that he''s not comfortable with, Magnus sits on a tree stump. He was currently patting the head of a small child.


    "Humilem, do you prefer this form?"


    The small child didn''t reply. He simply enjoyed Magnus'' patting and Magnus enjoyed the presence of another dragon, albeit one that was so much more different to him. Remembering something, Magnus asks Humilem a question.


    "I remember commanding you to stay in the house. Why did you break that command?"


    Realizing that he didn''t follow his master''s command, Humilem looks at Magnus with apologetic eyes. Chuckling, Magnus rubbed the smaller kid''s head.


    "It is fine. I am not angry. You missed me and I appreciate your presence. It reminds me of home."


    Humilem smiled. He liked that his master associated him with home. After all, Humilem felt like he was at home when he was with Magnus.


    "But..."


    Humilem looks at his master with slight apprehension.


    "Do not tell Sanria I did not scold you. She will feel that she is cheated."


    Humilem then brightly smiles. He quickly nods.


    Magnus smiles when he sees the young drake so happy. Then his senses pick up Sanria''s presence.


    Gregory and the others are following behind. As per usual, Sanria is very eager.


    "Humilem, I will be casting magic. When the creatures of the night appear due to my power, do not attack them unless I order you to do so?"


    Listening to Magnus, Humilem resolutely nods.


    The sound of rustling leaves reaches Magnus'' ears.


    Sanria''s hear.


    Before Sanria could launch into reverent praise, Magnus turns around and speaks.


    "Sanria."


    The young fanatic quickly replies.


    "Yes!"


    Magnus looks for an area and finds an area with a log.


    "Wait there. Greet the others and instruct them to stay there with you."


    Sanria immediately nods.


    "As you wish."


    Doing as she''s told, Sanria waits for the other servants.


    Gregory shows up with a refreshed Jordan and Zack. Elisha was tailing behind them while reading a book. The three new minions see Magnus sitting on a tree stump with Humilem beside him.


    Now that all of his immediate servants were here, Magnus stands up. Empowering his voice with power, Magnus addresses his servants. Humilem stands up straight beside Magnus.


    "My servants."


    Elisha frowns a bit, unused to the term "servant". Jordan didn''t care while Zack stared at Sanria. Sanria ignored him.


    "I am sure that you are curious as to what my plans are and how you fit into them?"


    The three friends look at each other and they return to look at Magnus. They were all curious but they didn''t dare ask.


    Gregory nodded. He was also curious but in the end, he would do anything his master asked of him.


    Sanria stares at her master. In truth, Sanria isn''t interested in the complicated part of her master''s plan. She just wants to be with him while he''s enacting his plan. But she still listens intently so that she can do her best to further her master''s plan.


    Looking at his awakened servants, Magnus telepathically contacts them.


    Sanria and Gregory.


    The father and daughter do not show any signs that their master contacted them. Magnus approves of their control.


    I plan on making this area my domain.


    Sanria asked.


    Domain?


    Magnus spoke in affirmative.


    Yes. I intend to improve this area, create an impregnable lair, gather powerful servants, and improve the lives of those who serve under me.


    Gregory felt relieved when he heard that his master was going to improve the life of his village. While their village was never poor, they did want for more.


    Maybe, my master can provide for that "more" they''re looking for.


    Sanria replies to her master''s words.


    Prince, no matter what your plan is, I will do my absolute best to assist you, no matter how difficult or hard it may be.


    Gregory agrees with her daughter.


    Your plans are benevolent my master. As long as you continue to protect us, I will loyally serve.


    Magnus nods in approval. After quickly informing his close servants, Magnus speaks with his physical body, addressing Elisha, Jordan, and Zack.


    "Elisha."


    Elisha felt a wave of power overcome her. She did her best to resist it but she knew it was futile. Looking at the handsome young child, Elisha felt powerless.


    "Jordan."


    Jordan didn''t resist. He knew that it was time to show his loyalty. Now, he leaves his life to his new master.


    "Zack."


    Zack tried to resist but he remembers how Prince transformed into a golden creature and saved him. Then he sees Sanria look at Prince with great awe and reverence.


    So, it''s like that huh?


    Zack surrenders.


    Now that the three servants knew of his power, Magnus addresses them.


    "You three have just entered the fold and do not deserve to know my true plans, not until you''ve proven your loyalty."


    Jordan, the acting leader of the trio, replies.


    "That is understandable."


    Elisha and Zack don''t comment.


    Magnus nods.


    "But you must at least know the first step of my plan which is to improve the area where I live, my domain."


    Before anyone could speak, Magnus continues.


    "And to do that, I need manpower."


    Gregory speaks.


    "We can try to hir-"


    But his master stops him by speaking in a language that none of the present individuals can understand.


    Magnus closed his eyes and gathered a significant amount of power within him.


    Then once more, he summoned the peerless might of true magic.