"But why am I dreaming about the Primordial Dragon King? And why so often?" Noah asked, her confusion evident.
Leon thought for a moment. "When did these dreams start?"
He had a strong suspicion, but he wanted to hear it from her.
"Right after we came back from the Far North," Noah replied without a moment's hesitation.
Their eyes met, and the pieces clicked into place. Noah's recent strange symptoms were almost certainly linked to their exploration of the Primordial Dragon King's ancient tomb beneath the ice.
Right after their return, Leon and Rossweise had summoned the best healers in the clan to give Noah a thorough examination. Physically, she had been perfectly fine, aside from the minor injury to her right hand.
But given the mystical nature of those ancient ruins, a clean bill of health didn't guarantee that everything was normal.
Leon took the matter seriously. If something was truly wrong with his daughter, he'd make Constantine regret his existence first, then reduce those ruins to dust. Leon wasn't one for long lectures; he was a man of immediate, decisive action.
[Constantine: Fuk you, Leon!!]
But for now, the priority was solving Noah's problem.
"When you disrupted Constantine's ritual, your magic clashed with the Primordial Power, causing an explosion. That blast is what allowed you to stop him, correct?"
Noah nodded.
"I think you might have accidentally absorbed a trace of that Primordial Power yourself," Leon theorized. "And because you can't control it, certain… let's call them 'impressions' or 'echoes' contained within that power are causing your dreams."
Noah blinked, curious about this new concept. "Impressions within the power?"
"Yes, it's hard to define precisely. Some scholars believe they are the lingering souls of the departed, while others think they are fragments of memory," Leon explained. "But it is widely accepted that the magic we wield—" He raised his hand, and blue sparks crackled in his palm. "—carries traces of its wielder. If a person's body perishes, but their power and the 'impressions' within it are preserved, it can sometimes be revived through certain forbidden magics."
Resurrection was a taboo subject across most cultures and a complex magical theory, but Leon simplified it for his daughter. He had only read about it in theory until he saw it with his own eyes—witnessing the Empire shamelessly revive Constantine not once, but twice.
Constantine had initially been little more than a severed head, with only a sliver of power remaining. Now, he was practically bursting with life. The ancient power left in the ruins was far more vast in comparison.
Noah followed his logic. "So you're saying… there's a fragment of Primordial Power inside me? And because I can't use it, it's just sitting there, and a part of the Ancient Dragon King Noah's… 'impression' inside it is affecting my dreams?"
Leon nodded. "Theoretically, if we can safely draw that residual Primordial Power out of your body, the dreams should stop, and your physical symptoms should gradually improve."
Noah paused, feeling a little frustrated. "But Dad, I have no idea how to use Primordial Power. I've never learned it."
This was one area where her natural talent couldn't help her.
Leon, however, didn't seem worried. "That's true. But we know someone who does."
"Huh?"
.
.
.
"Why are you two smiling at me like that?" Rossweise asked, glancing sideways from her throne at Leon and Noah, who wore identical, slightly mischievous grins.
Leon held Noah in his arms as they both looked at her pleadingly.
"Honey~"
"Mom~"
"Just tell me what you want. I'm busy."
Rossweise sighed inwardly. As her daughter grew older, she was undoubtedly picking up more and more of her father's traits—his combat style, his preference for magic, his principles… and now, it seemed, his cheeky grin.
Not that she entirely disliked the change. She remembered all too well the future timeline where Leon had disappeared. The Noah from that era had become gloomy and withdrawn in his absence. Seeing her daughter now, so bright and lively, brought a quiet sense of relief to Rossweise's heart.
But back to the matter at hand. She knew they wouldn't disturb her without a good reason.
Leon quickly explained Noah's situation and their theory.
Rossweise immediately understood the seriousness of it. "Teaching Noah to channel Primordial Power… I can do that. Noah, when would you like to start?"
"Whenever you're ready, Mom."
Rossweise set down her pen and stood. "I'm ready now."
Leon & Noah: "Huh?"
"But you just said you were busy," Noah protested.
"The world can wait. My daughter's well-being comes first. To the training grounds."
The workaholic Queen had been instantly defeated by the mother.
Ten minutes later, the family of three stood in the training grounds behind the sanctuary.
"So, the theory is that if we release the Primordial Power Noah accidentally absorbed, the dreams will stop and her health will improve. Is that correct?" Rossweise confirmed.
Leon nodded. "How long do you think it would take to teach her the basics?"
He remembered how much time and effort Rossweise had invested when she first learned to control Primordial Power. Even with Noah's talent, he estimated it would take at least a couple of weeks to grasp the fundamentals.
After a moment's thought, Rossweise replied, "If she were to learn it the traditional way, it would take significant time. But given that her health is already being affected, we shouldn't delay. I believe… I can simply guide the Primordial Power out of her directly. It should achieve the same result."
It was a valid point. After only a couple of weeks, Noah was already showing clear signs of physical strain. Learning a complex new technique while fatigued would only make things worse. Her method was the most efficient solution.
"Then let's do it your way," Leon agreed.
"Alright. Noah, sit down here."
Noah nodded and sat obediently on the soft grass.
"Hold out your hand and place it in mine."
"Yes, Mom."
Noah placed her small hand into Rossweise's soft palm.
"Don't be nervous, Noah. Just relax," Rossweise said gently.
"Okay."
"Now, close your eyes and begin channeling your innate magic."
Noah did as instructed, and soon, familiar blue sparks of lightning flickered around her.
"Good. Now, try to sense any foreign energy mixed within your own power."
Noah frowned slightly. "Foreign energy?"
"Yes. Your natural energy should feel pure and familiar to you. The Primordial Power will feel different. Think of it like a drop of ink in clear water; it will have spread through your magical pathways. If you focus, you should be able to feel it," Rossweise explained. Having practiced with Primordial Power for so long, she had developed effective techniques for sensing it.
"Alright, I'll try."
Following her mother's guidance, Noah quieted her mind and searched within herself for the foreign power.
During this process, Rossweise used her own mastery of Primordial Power to gently guide Noah. Once Noah located the foreign energy, Rossweise would help extract it.
After a few moments, Noah's expression shifted. "I think… I feel it, Mom."
"Good. Leave the rest to me."
With that, Rossweise immediately "latched onto" the strand of Primordial Power that Noah had identified and began carefully drawing it out of her daughter's magical circuits.
This step required immense precision and care. Any recklessness could harm Noah.
Just as Rossweise was about to successfully withdraw the power, she suddenly sensed a faint, invisible force resisting her.
"What… is this?" she muttered.
Leon, who had been standing guard, noticed her hesitation and stepped closer. "What's wrong?"
"It feels like something is trying to stop me from pulling the Primordial Power out."
"Do you need me to intervene?"
Rossweise shook her head. "No, the resistance is weak. I can handle it."
"Alright. If anything feels off, I'll sever the connection immediately," Leon stated firmly.
"Understood."
Rossweise refocused, applying steady pressure to draw out the foreign power.
As she had said, the resisting force was feeble, nowhere near strong enough to overpower her.
A moment later, she successfully guided the last vestiges of the Primordial Power out of Noah's body.
Both mother and daughter let out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
Noah flopped backward onto the grass, feeling noticeably lighter. The persistent, low-grade headache that had been plaguing her also eased.
Rossweise examined the small, shimmering orb of white energy now resting in her palm. "So, this is the Primordial Power that seeped into Noah at the ruins…"
Leon crouched beside her. "Compared to what Constantine absorbed, this is pretty small."
Rossweise nudged him with her elbow. "Can you please make a reasonable comparison?"
Leon chuckled, then walked over and scooped Noah up into his arms. "Feeling better?"
Noah nodded, a genuine smile returning to her face. "Much better."
She turned to Rossweise. "Thank you, Mom!"
Rossweise stood and gently pinched her daughter's cheek. "As long as you're alright. Let's have the maids prepare some extra nutritious snacks for you tonight to help you regain your strength."
"Good idea."
.
.
.
That night, in the sisters' bedroom, Muen finished her cuddle session with Aurora and rolled over to latch onto Noah instead.
This time, she successfully attached herself to her eldest sister.
A content smile spread across Muen's sleeping face as she nuzzled her cheek against Noah's neck.
Noah, however, lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling.
She raised a hand and gently pushed Muen away.
A second later, Muen rolled back and clung to her again.
Noah pushed her away once more.
Muen rolled back and reattached herself.
Another push.
Another reattachment.
Noah finally gave up.
"This annoying little brat," a voice, not quite Noah's, muttered internally. "As the daughter of a Dragon King, how can you have such atrocious sleeping habits? You're a disgrace to my legacy."
A pause.
"Though… I suppose you are rather cute. Did the entire dragon race funnel all their potential into their appearance and nothing else?"
The ancient dragon spirit, now fully aware within Noah's mind, stared at the ceiling and pondered how the dragon clan she had saved millennia ago could have possibly evolved into… this.
It wasn't entirely bad.
Just… profoundly unexpected.
"Ah, it seems I can no longer use this child's body to secretly reaccumulate my Primordial Power," the spirit mused. "That Silver Dragon Queen is too sharp. To have already mastered my power at her age…"
"And her husband… Leon Cosmodeous. He's a troublesome variable, too. If I were to harm this child's body, he would undoubtedly show no mercy."
The spirit felt a flicker of its old pride. "If I still possessed my original body and full power, I would not fear those two."
[Author's Note: You sure about that, Old Dragon?!]
"But unfortunately… Ah." The ancient will sighed, the sound echoing in the quiet room.
It began to rack its brain, searching for another method to quietly restore itself.
But as it pondered, the little dragon beside her finally rolled over, curling up against her pink-haired sister instead.
At last, the ancient dragon spirit felt a wave of relief.
It slipped out from under the covers and padded quietly to the bathroom.
Standing before the mirror, it looked at the young dragon's face reflected there and let out another sigh. After a long moment of hesitation, it finally came to a decision.
"It seems…" the ancient voice whispered through Noah's lips, "it is time to have a proper conversation with you, little one."