Humans are inherently hierarchical creatures.
Their world is structured like a pyramid, divided into many tiers.
These tiers are fundamentally linked to strength and power. In modern society, of course, this translates to money and authority.
In the wizarding world, however, it manifests as pure magical power.
If your power is high enough, you stand at the pinnacle of the social pyramid. Different positions offer different views, and naturally, one's mindset shifts accordingly.
After enduring the most excruciating pain, Rey had successfully transformed into a black dragon.
Not only had his physique expanded many times over, but the magic within him surged like a mighty river rushing through a canyon.
Once the transformation was complete, the pain vanished, and his consciousness remained clear. Unlike in movies or novels where such transformations lead to madness or loss of control, Rey was fully lucid.
He clearly felt his four limbs and the powerful dragon wings on his back.
"But why is the ceiling pressing against my back?"
Rey's massive dragon body was cramped inside the underground hall, his back scraping against the stone roof. It made him extremely uncomfortable.
For a dragon of his power, comfort was a very important issue.
Compared to this annoyance, the fact that he had just flattened a human into paste—with bits of flesh and blood still clinging to his claws—didn't bother him in the slightest.
Crushing a person felt no different than slapping a mosquito—a very well-fed mosquito, given the amount of blood involved.
With a look of disdain, he wiped his right claw against the side wall of the underground hall, scraping off a layer of bloody pulp onto the rough stone.
Rey felt no discomfort doing this. Perhaps this was the change brought about by a sudden, massive increase in power.
Indifference. An utter indifference to life. A dragon capable of living through eons naturally possessed the right to be indifferent to lesser beings.
At this moment, it seemed even Rey's soul had transformed into that of a dragon.
To an ancient black dragon, humans were like ants—creatures with short lifespans and negligible strength.
There were two such "animals" left in the underground hall. One was a man standing rigid and motionless, light still emanating from his forehead.
The other was a woman in the corner of the hall, staring at him dumbfounded. Her eyes held an emotion he couldn't quite decipher.
She looked familiar. He felt he had some connection to her, that he should know her.
How could a dragon know a human woman?
Funny. Truly funny.
Might as well kill them both. Tiny humans are always such eyesores, showing up where they don't belong.
---
Terence Barrow, the human frozen in place, suddenly saw the light on his forehead fade. His body could move again.
The exorcism was complete, and clarity returned to his eyes. The events that had just transpired felt like an intensely vivid dream.
Turning his head in confusion, Terence Barrow saw the giant dragon not far behind him.
A massive body, black scales, a terrifying head, and a pair of large, dark golden eyes.
The black dragon lowered its head, bringing its eye right up to Terence. Even a tall man like Terence wasn't as big as a single dragon eye.
Facing a dragon, not everyone can summon the courage of Godric Gryffindor.
The dragon's nictitating membrane flickered, and its dark golden pupil exuded an aura of unfathomable mystery. Terence could feel the waves of heat radiating from the dragon's nostrils.
He dared not move; in fact, he couldn't move. Just maintaining his standing posture took every ounce of his strength. Terror filled his heart, and his legs refused to obey his commands.
The massive right claw raised slowly.
Terence felt a sudden updraft of strong wind, blowing his hair straight up.
Watching the colossal claw hover in the air, poised to crash down, Terence let out a scream of pure terror. Instinctively, he raised his hands to shield himself.
He shouldn't have defended himself like that. The correct response would have been to use his wand and cast a defensive spell.
It might not have been effective, but a magical shield was infinitely better than raising his bare arms.
Yet, facing the dragon, he reacted like a Muggle, throwing his hands up in a futile gesture.
It was a conditioned reflex, a manifestation of absolute fear.
As the dragon claw descended, Terence screamed and squeezed his eyes shut, daring not to look. The wind roared in his ears, the pressure increasing instantly—far greater than the updraft from earlier.
Terrified out of his mind, Terence suddenly felt his body knocked sideways.
He thought the dragon claw had hit him. Just as he expected to be flattened into a meat pancake, he realized he had been shoved out of the impact zone. The person who had pushed him was Helena—the woman who usually couldn't stand the sight of him.
---
The dragon claw didn't come down fast.
It was just a little ant; there was no need for speed. Letting it experience fear first was much more interesting.
Rey had instantly crushed Alofman because looking at him annoyed him. But with Terence Barrow, Rey felt a sense of playful mockery toward the insect.
This delay was the only reason Helena had time to shove Terence Barrow out of the way before the claw landed.
After pushing Terence aside, Helena stood directly under the hovering claw.
She looked up, chest out, staring straight at Rey in his dragon form.
"Enough!"
Her shout rang out, echoing through the silent underground hall.
The voice was crisp and clear, freezing the descending claw in mid-air.
"ROAR...!"
The giant dragon let out a roar of dissatisfaction at the woman beneath its claw.
The person under his claw had switched to a female human, but it was this specific female who made him hesitate to bring the claw down.
Strange emotions flooded his mind. He hated these feelings, yet they were the very reason he couldn't bring himself to strike the killing blow.
"You are a human, not a cold, unfeeling dragon!"
Her voice was questioning, caring, fearless—and filled with deep love.
"Not a cold, unfeeling dragon!"
Rey, his consciousness lucid, repeated the phrase. He seemed to remember something. The girl before him was so familiar, her presence so beautiful.
A dragon finding a human girl beautiful—it sounded like a massive joke. And the punchline was that this human girl was telling him he was a man, not a cold beast.
His thoughts were in disarray. Rey repeated the words "cold dragon" and the assertion that he was originally human.
At times, clarity would return, urging him to kill this girl who dared to stand so proudly before him. But whenever he lifted the claw halfway, he would inexplicably lower it again.
After repeating this hesitation several times, the girl became increasingly familiar.
Her beautiful face became clearer in his heart. Her smile, her tears, her anger, her strength, her pride.
Everything about her—her virtues and her flaws. The memories of knowing her and being with her began to slowly surface in Rey's mind.
---
When Rey first transformed into a dragon, his consciousness had been clear but detached. Now, not only was his mind clear, but his massive dark golden eyes shone with recognition. He remembered everything.
"I am indeed a human... not a cold, unfeeling dragon."
Rey's voice rumbled from the massive dragon's mouth.
And in that moment, Helena, who had risked her life to confront him, finally smiled with joy.