Chapter 19: The Dragon's Answer
Asharic's POV
The palace corridor stretched endlessly before me, empty as always.
Each step echoed faintly across the stone, swallowed by the heavy silence of this place.
So, I have returned.
Back to the King's Palace… back to the place I must face again.
Coming here was not something I wished for, but something I needed.
I want answers.
I want answers from that damn dragon.
The room Aella had taken me to… that cursed place… it was not an ordinary chamber.
No, I know the truth.
Because I read it once in the novel.
That room… it is a door.
A bridge that exists only at the cost of a Dragonblood's life and magic.
A forbidden price.
Getting here was easy because of that room's function, and I will admit… it will be useful in the days to come.
But first… I have work to complete.
Work that is dangerous.
Work that ties directly to the reason why I was condemned as the villain.
It was because of them.
Even after the so-called Mad King died…
Even after his end…
I was revived by them.
And I rose again as one of the most dangerous villains in the story.
I cannot allow that future to repeat.
Not again.
This time… I will change it.
And that begins with the dragon.
How could he allow this kingdom to collapse?
How could he stand by while the empire he was sworn to protect rotted from within?
And her…
I clenched my fists. My footsteps slowed.
The corridor yawned endlessly ahead, dressed in a thick, crimson carpet that flowed like a royal river down its length. Golden fixtures gleamed along the walls, shaped into dragons with wide-open jaws, flames frozen in eternal bronze. Hanging lamps glowed faintly, crafted in the likeness of lotus blossoms, their soft light bathing the runed pillars that rose like guardians on either side.
Above me, the ceiling soared like a cathedral, its glass and crystal mosaics catching the sunlight, scattering fragments of rainbow across the stone. For a brief moment, the hall shimmered like a sacred temple.
And then the shimmer was gone.
And I was left staring at the door once more.
That ominous door.
The one that led into the darkness.
This time… I was not the same as before.
I had trained.
I had circulated aura perfectly.
I had pushed this body until its dormant strength awoke.
I was stronger.
And yet...
I pressed my hand to my temple.
The headache.
This cursed pain gnawed at me like a beast chained to my skull.
It slowed me, dragged me down, kept my recovery crawling at a pace I could not tolerate.
But I will endure.
I must.
I pushed the door open.
It yielded more easily this time, as though the palace itself acknowledged the strength I had reclaimed.
Darkness swallowed me whole.
Step by step, I walked deeper.
The silence was suffocating.
But I pressed on, until I reached the place I sought.
The Dragon's Lair.
The treasures greeted me once again.
Mountains of gold. Rivers of silver. Jewels strewn carelessly as though they were pebbles. No matter how many times I saw this place, it never lost its weight upon my soul. The royal treasury itself would pale in comparison to what was piled here like discarded trinkets.
And there…
He lay.
The black dragon.
Vast as a fortress.
His scales shimmered like obsidian dipped in moonlight, his aura coiled around him even in slumber... silent, suffocating, ancient.
This time… I could feel him.
My aura had recovered enough to sense the sheer depth of his existence.
An ocean beside my small flame.
His chest rose and fell, slow and steady.
His head rested atop a mound of treasure.
Was he sleeping?
No… he knew I was here.
He must know.
Is he ignoring me?
Again?
My hand ran through my golden hair, irritation prickling in my chest.
My blood-red eyes narrowed.
Looks like I'll have to teach this uneducated beast some manners.
I let my aura slip free.
The lair shuddered.
Gold trembled and clattered to the floor. The air itself seemed to warp beneath the force, a storm of pressure shaking the cavern. Even I was surprised.
…So this is what I can unleash already.
And still…
He slept.
My lips curved into a sharp line.
I approached.
Past the treasure piles, until I stood at the base of the golden mountain where he slumbered.
My hand closed around a sword half-buried in jewels. The metal hummed the moment I touched it. Familiar. As though I had held it once before in another life.
Without hesitation, I bent my knees and leapt.
In an instant, I was airborne, above the black giant's massive frame.
I hadn't even used aura to strengthen the jump. This body... this Dragonblood flesh... was truly a gift.
If not for the cursed headache gnawing at me, I would already be much further.
My grip tightened. Aura surged into the blade, wrapping it in a sharp glow.
No technique. No name. Just raw power, condensed and honed into a strike.
I brought the sword down.
But...
A barrier shimmered into existence between us, like a crystal veil.
The sword struck with a crack of force, then rebounded.
I landed back upon the treasure, steadying my breath.
So.
He was awake.
His eyes opened slowly.
Twin abysses, deep and merciless.
And then they locked onto mine.
A voice rippled into my mind. Deep. Ancient. Filled with annoyance, as if I were a fly disturbing his slumber.
What are you doing…?
My lips pulled into a thin smile.
I lowered the sword, my tone cool, steady.
"Just waking you up. You seem far too lazy."
The dragon's presence stirred. His voice echoed again, rumbling directly in my skull.
You…
He paused.
What do you want? You are not the type to visit me so often.
My gaze hardened.
"You sound like you know a great deal about me."
I exhaled, the blade lowering to my side. "We'll leave that for another time. Today… I came for a different reason."
The dragon's vast head shifted, one eye glinting in the dimness.
Then speak.
I did not hesitate.
I raised my voice, anger lacing each word.
"Will you fight for this kingdom? Truly?"
My aura pulsed, my face hardening with fury.
But the dragon only stared.
Silent.
And he took his time to answer.
His eyes glowed faintly in the gloom, their crimson depths unreadable, like an ancient fire smoldering behind layers of stone. Silence pressed down over the lair until I could hear nothing but the slow beat of my own heart.
And then... his voice. Not spoken aloud, but sliding into my mind, heavy and resonant.
You seek answers that you may not wish to hear.
I clenched my fists at his words, my calmness betraying itself in the tremor of my breath.
Why? Why had he not appeared in the novel? Why had there been no aid, no intervention, no dragon rising to defend Ashkar?
The thought clawed at me.
I refused to leave without answers.
So I twisted the truth, letting my anger spill out.
"You… You know that I hold knowledge of the future. In that future, you are not there. Ashkar is destroyed."
The words echoed sharply against the dark walls, my voice unsteady between anger and sorrow. But the dragon remained silent, his gaze unwavering, as though he could see through every deception and every wound I carried.
His silence made him dangerous. It made me distrust him.
Had he already helped once, in ways unseen? Was that why he had no role in the novel? Or was it something else, something far worse?
My thoughts spun with every possibility... until his voice cut through them like a blade.
Is the King of Ashkar present in that future you speak of?
The weight of his question froze me. His eyes... ancient and knowing... said more than his words.
I was shocked.
That single question unraveled threads in my mind, threads I had stubbornly clung to. Why was I still thinking of this world as a story? This was no longer a novel. It was a living world. My world.
I had lived within it. Bled within it. Suffered within it.
It was no longer bound to the words my... once wrote. It walked its own path, and so did I.
And this dragon, who once seemed powerless in my memories of the tale, was no weak relic. He had his own steps to take. Perhaps… even alongside mine.
But there was still one question that burned above all else.
I steadied my breath, forcing the rage in my chest to calm, and asked the one truth I needed.
"…Why did you allow her inside the palace?"
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
Her?
"Don't pretend," I snapped, my voice sharp enough to pierce the silence. "You know who I mean. One glance at her should have told you everything."
Again, silence.
His massive frame shifted slightly, scales glinting in the faint glow of scattered treasure. My grip on the sword at my side tightened as I stared at him without yielding.
Then, at last, his voice returned, deep and measured, echoing inside my head.
Perhaps… it was my mistake. Or perhaps it was fate. A thread that could not be altered.
His words burned me.
But then he continued...
Now you also stand before the same choice. To let fate lead you forward… or to break it.
"Tell me!" My voice rang, shaking against the chamber's stillness. "Tell me the way to save her..."
The fire in my throat faltered, my tone lowering.
"…Just tell me the way."
For a long moment, the dragon only looked at me. The ancient weight in his gaze pressed harder than any aura.
At last, his voice came... slow, deliberate.
So you have chosen. To resist fate itself…
A low rumble filled the chamber, like thunder rolling from deep within his chest.
Then know this... the path you seek is real. But it will demand more of you than you can yet imagine. The cost will be… unbearable.
My heart hammered, but I stood tall, meeting his burning eyes.
"I woke once more for this," I said, my voice sharp with conviction. "I will change it. No matter what it costs me. I will save her... and everyone."
For the first time, the dragon's expression shifted. Not annoyance. Not disdain. But something heavier, like reluctant respect.
Very well.
His voice thundered inside me, filling every corner of my mind.
Then I shall tell you the way. This time… I will aid you without price. For we have walked together through longer shadows than you know.
The gold trembled beneath my feet.
The lair darkened, as if the air itself had grown heavier.
The dragon's eyes glowed brighter... searing crimson that cut through the abyss.
And then, as his vast jaws parted, his voice came one final time.
But to save her, King… you must first...
The chamber shook violently. A shockwave tore through the lair.
And in that instant, I knew the answer... and the price that I have to pay.