The cavern pulsed like a living heart. For ages, it had slumbered, hidden beneath layers of rock and protective wards, sealed against time itself. Crystalline walls shimmered faintly, their surfaces inscribed with runes far older than the written word. It was a tomb, a cradle, and a prison all at once.
Now, cracks splintered its surface.
Thump.
The sound reverberated through the chamber, echoing with unnatural resonance. A heartbeat–the first in millennia.
Thump.
The earth shuddered. Magicules surged in violent waves, bursting from the cavern like geysers. Forests withered, then regrow. Rivers churned. Beasts trembled in their dens. Across the continent, rulers and tyrants paused in unease, instincts screaming of a power older and greater than their owm.
The cocoon of crystal fractured. Light bled from the cracks, pure and blinding. With a final crackling groan, it shattered, shards scattering like falling stars.
From within stepped a young man.
His hair spilled in silver-blue strands, catching the faint glow like liquid starlight. Golden eyes gleamed, not merely human but molten and draconic, each glance piercing through the veil of existence. His frame was tall, slender yet sculpted, carrying both the grace of humanity and the raw divinity of a True Dragon.
He drew in a long breath, exhaling slowly. A sigh that echoed as though two voice spoke in harmony.
"...Finally. It's about time I woke up."
The words reverberated, rich and smooth, yet layered with resonance that made the cavern walls vibrate.
He clenched his fist, flexing fingers stiff from eternity. The motion alone sent faint ripples of distortion through the air. His aura leaked with the casual inevitability of a storm rolling over a plain. The cavern, built to contain divinity, crumbled around him, unable to withstand its occupant's return.
As he straightened, his tattered, ageless garments dissolved into sparks of light. They reformed against his skin, molding into a simple yet regal attire–dark tunic, silver trim, boots light as shadow. [Universal Shapeshift] obeyed his will effortlessly, his form sculpted with perfect precision.
A voice whispered into his consciousness, calm and absolute.
⟪Ultimate Skill [Raphael, Lord of Wisdom] has awakened. Initializing synchronization with host...complete.⟫
He blinked, then smirked. "Still with me, huh, Raphael? Loyal as ever,"
⟪Correction. The persistence rate of Ultimate Skill across stasis was 93.4%.⟫
"So basically, Father was right again."
⟪...Affirmative.⟫
The voice carried no inflection, yet he swore he could feel its faint exasperation. He chucked softly, running a hand through his hair. "Some things never change."
He stretched his sense. Magicules coiled through his veins, and endless tide. Gluttony stirred, whispering hunger in his soul. Void yawned at the edge of his perception, eager to devour existence. His dragon eyes pierced layers of reality, while his universal perception unfurled like a web across the land.
Every creature in the forest above, from crawling insect to apex predator, breathed with his awareness.
"...Noisier than I remember," He murmured.
Memory flickered. His father, Veldanava, smiling gently. His mother, Lucia, singing lullabies of starlight. His sister Milim's laughter echoed through endless skies.
And the prophecy whispered before he was sealed.
When the Son of Stars awakens, the world will change.
The cavern groaned, walls caving in. He stepped forward, folding space with a thought. Reality shimmered like glass, and In the next instant he stood beneath the sky.
The forest stretched around him, moonlight dappling the canopy. The air was thick with magicules, flavored with centuries of evolution. He tilted his head back, golden eyes reflecting constellations. Stars are both familiar and foreign blinked above.
"...This is going to be a pain, isn't it?"
Ripples Across the World
The shockwaves of his return spread.
Far in the Frozen Wastes, Velzard stiffened mid-flight, wings faltering. Her sapphire eyes widened. "...That presence...Rimuru?!"
In burning skies, Velgryand snarled, flames wreathing her form. "Of all times, he choose now to awaken? The world will shatter beneath him!"
Within his prison, Veldora Tempest threw his head back and roared with laughter. Hah! Little Bro's awake! I knew it! Uncle Veldora always knows!"
And in a gilded place, Guy Crimson's grin slit wide. His crimson eyes gleamed with amusement. "So... the Son of Veldanva walks again. Things just got interesting,"
But none felt it deeper than Milim Nava.
Her aura explode as recognition slammed into her heart. She froze mid-flight, eyes trembling, lips parted. "Little Brother...?"
Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes. Then, with a burst of overwhelming power, she soared higher, wings beating furiously. "I'm coming to see you!"
First Contact
Rimuru walked through the clearing, moonlight silvering the grass. He suppressed his aura as best he could, but even veiled, it was like a tempest behind fragile glass.
His dragon ears twitched. The faint scrape of steel.
He halted. A figure emerged from the shadows.
Silver armor glimmered under the moon, each plate polished, precise. Short black hair cascaded down her back, her face sharp, eyes keen and cold. A blade gleamed in her hands, steady yet taut with hidden tension.
"You," she called out, voice calm but commanding. "What are you?"
Rimuru arched a brow. "Straight to business? No hello? No 'nice night, isn't it?"
Her gaze narrowed. "Answer."
He chuckled. "Persistent. Fine. Rimuru. Half-High Human, half-True Dragon. Son of Veldanava."
For the first time, her expression cracked. A flicker of disbelief. Then a scoff. "Lies. Do not mock the gods."
Rimuru sighed. "Always the same reaction. Your sword's trembling, though."
She blinked, glancing down. Indeed, the blade in her grip quivered, its holy enchantments reacting violent to the divinity coiled within him.
Before she could retort, the air thickened.
Cold descended, sharp and elegant, wrapping the clearing in an aura of night. Form the shadows, a woman stepped forth.
Her hair flowed like moonlight, skin pale as snow. Crimson and blue heterochromatic eyes burned with immortal hunger, yet her beauty was undeniable, a vision of perfection carved by eternity. Each step radiated power, Freezing the world around her.
Hinata stiffened instantly. "L-Luminous Valentine...!?"
The True Ancestor ignored her. Her gaze locked onto Rimuru, widening with shock–then softening with something else. Recognition. Longing.
"Rimuru Nava", she whispered, her voice trembling. "N0...Rimuru Tempest now, isn't it?"
Rimuru tilted his head, studying her. "So you know my old name. Which means you knew Father,"
Her lips curved into a faint, almost pained smile. "More than knew. I worshipped him. I...served him. And now... I see his son."
Hinata's eyes darted between them, face taut. "Son of Veldanava...? Impossible.'
Rimuru sighed, rubbing his temple. "Great. First day awake, and already I've got a knight pointing a sword at me and a vampire staring like she's seen a ghost. This era's going to be exhausting,"
Luminous stepped closer, ignoring Hinata entirely. Her voice lowered, soft as a prayer. "Rimuru...do you have any-idea what your awakening means?"
"Not really," he admitted with a half-smile. "But judging by your faces, I'd say it's nothing small."
The silence that followed was heavy, broken only by the whisper of wind.
Above them, unseen but approaching fast, a power far more explosive drew closer–wings tearing through the night. Milim was coming. And the world was about to change.