"A Rosenheim...yet not the one that I met before," the dragon sighed softly to itself. "He was quite a bit older. By your human standards, at least."
Rian tilted his head, not quite knowing what it meant. At first, he thought that maybe dragons simply perceived time differently from humans.
Yet, the more he processed the information, it became clear that he wasn’t describing the founder of Rosenheim.
’Did another descendant of Rosenheim know about the dragon and everything down here as well?’
But before Rian could open his mouth to speak, the dragon had interrupted before he could speak. It simply moved its head over weakly, taking a closer look.
"...What an awful thing you carry."
"You mean the curse?"
"Curse..." the dragon repeated, amused by the word. "Is that what you humans have chosen to call it?"
"...What else would we call it?"
The dragon glanced to the side, noticing Alicia still keeping her distance. "Whatever has taken root inside you is beyond what even I could have undone at my prime."
Rian already didn’t have much confidence, but hearing an ancient dragon give him a bad diagnosis really wasn’t helping morale.
"Mmm..." it slowly nodded, examining the young Rosenheim’s body. "You are a clever one. Obtaining the Seed of Abundance would allow you to prolong your life, yes..."
"Are you not mad? That you know...the Rosenheims have kept you down here for so long," Rian asked carefully, taking a step back.
Yet his efforts were unnecessary, as the dragon simply shook its head.
"I was, once."
"But centuries offer one a great deal of time to think," it continued slowly. "I have taken many lives, Rosenheim. Destroyed much that did not deserve to be destroyed. Death is merely my final penance."
"Then...I suppose you won’t mind if I take the Seed?"
"No."
Rian raised an eyebrow. ’That was surprisingly easy...?"
"However..."
’There’s the twist.’
The dragon moved its head, beckoning Rian to come closer. Normally, this would have sounded like one of those "wolf disguised as a grandmother" situations, so Alicia stood on guard, hands hovering over her daggers.
Rian took a step closer, only to finally see the other side of the dragon’s face.
It had completely decayed to the point that Rian could literally see the dragon’s skull from inside. Its flesh had been drying up so much that the dragon was practically lying on a pile of its own decayed cells.
"You’re..."
"Already dead," the dragon finished his sentence. "Yes...Yes, I am. Which is why I want to strike a deal with you, descendant of my warden."
Rian was inclined to disagree. However, a part of him somehow felt sympathetic for the poor thing. He did not answer, but the dragon spoke anyway.
"Cedric was a lifelong friend, one that promised me a favor. But his mortal body failed him before I ever called upon that promise."
The dragon slowly turned toward Rian so that both sides of its face were visible. Both life...and death.
"I possess little strength now, but what remains is still more than your frail body could ever hold naturally."
"I will give you the last of my essence. It will restore what your curse has destroyed. Your flesh will no longer wither. Your bones will no longer break beneath your own weight. No ordinary illness will take hold of you again."
"And you," it nodded toward both Rian and his maid. "Hold onto this favor for when I need to use it...in his stead."
Rian really had no idea how to respond.
’What could an ancient black dragon need a favor from me for? What if I can’t carry out what it wants?’
But still, he was inclined to accept. The part about the dragon’s blessing was invaluable as well. Even if the unspecified favor was quite suspicious in hindsight.
He gained everything and lost practically nothing. But even so, Rian felt the urge to keep this thousand-year-old pact, a sign of respect to both of those who had kept it for so long.
So with a hesitant nod, he accepted.
"Thank you..."
Even with a verbal promise, Rian could feel the dragon’s gratitude resonate deep within his heart.
"I’ll do what I can."
The dragon, looking like someone who had acquired its final wish, slowly lowered its head and closed its eyelids. Yet it now looked content, finally accepting of death’s open embrace.
Once its movements slowed, Rian could only watch as he asked it one final question.
"What is your name?"
"Vharos, the Progenitor of Dragons," it answered proudly, lifting its eyelid one last time to look at Rian. "Then I shall entrust the rest to you, young Rian Rosenheim."
Rian could only watch as its breathing grew slower, clutching onto the lantern in his hand until finally...
Vharos passed away.
There was still far too much he didn’t understand. About the Temple. About Cedric. About the promise he had just inherited.
’Wait...I don’t recall ever telling it my name?’
Before Rian could linger on the fact, something bright seeped through the cracks of the dragon’s mouth. With a hesitant glance, Alicia approached it carefully.
She lifted its mouth slowly, only to see a simple purple orb the size of a marble...the same thing that she had recovered from the Shadowhound—
The Dragon’s Core, whatever was left of Vharos’ mana, essence, and life force all accumulated there.
But before Alicia could tell her Young Master, she noticed something strange. The lantern that he had been holding was suddenly emitting a bright golden light instead of the plain white one of [Ars Lux].
"Young Master, your lantern..."
Rian tilted his head in confusion, only to realize it once Alicia had pointed it out. He lifted the lantern, peering into the center and closely inspecting it.
The thing was smaller than his palm, surrounded by strands of golden light—but there was no mistaking it.
"The...Seed of Abundance?! How the hell did it get in here?"
He reached out and grabbed it, only to feel the powerful aura of life that it radiated almost immediately. Alicia returned by his side once more with the core in her hands before placing it inside his instead.
Rian stared down at the two completely opposite relics in his palms, yet both told the exact same story.
An ancient dragon’s core, which held immense power. And the Seed of Abundance, the shackles that had been used to bind it.
It was a lie to say that Rian wasn’t scared. But the steadily dwindling lifespan inside his mind offered little room for hesitation.
Slowly, he raised his right hand...and consumed the Seed of Abundance.
Pure life force erupted inside him, coursing through his veins and binding itself to his very being. It spread through every withered corner of his body, imbuing it with life where there had been none before.
[TRAIT acquired.]
[Life Force Synthesis Lv. MAX]
And finally, the thing that would complete it all. A little bonus that Rian hadn’t thought he would get, but one he welcomed nonetheless. He crushed the Dragon’s Core, letting its powerful essence and mana flow through him.
It seeped into his body, allowing Rian to feel the changes instantly. His bones felt like they had become tougher, hardening. His muscles, tighter and stronger than they ever were before.
It felt like he had suddenly gained the well-trained body and physique of a knight without performing a single day of training.
But most importantly...
[Life Force Synthesis Lv. Max has been activated.]
[Converting life force...]
[Estimated Lifespan: 30 days, 15 hours, 29 minutes]
Everything was working as intended.
A grin slowly surfaced on Rian’s face, one that had finally confirmed that he was no longer bound to fate. No longer the Rian Rosenheim that was supposed to die on his eighteenth birthday.
It wasn’t a permanent solution, but it was enough.
Enough to continue the story of Rian Rosenheim that had been snuffed out once before. But never again, because now—
...He was finally at the starting line.
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