Chapter 13: Draconis

It was as if the rules of the time didn't apply in this world. At one moment, Fen could gaze at the nearly endless body of the giant dragon. Yet, this ancient beast most likely didn't want to make the young man die from the seizure, turning into an elegant young man in the very next moment!

Shoulders long, red hair enveloped his noble face. Dressed in what looked like a barbaric or at least primitive robes, his outfit still reached a far greater level of artistry than anything Fen saw previously in his life.

"Come on, I know that you must be filled with questions. For me, just hearing them will be as good as getting a report, so kindly go on."

Maybe it was the aura of this place, or rather, the aura of the existence standing in front of him. Maybe it was something else. But in this one moment, Fen suddenly stopped.

Not moving. Not talking. Not thinking. This young man suddenly stopped caring. So far, ever since his execution, he was so scared and confused about his new reality, that he turned blind to the meaning of everything that happened around him.

Dropping all his worries aside for a moment, Fen could not fail to notice the underlying message hidden in all the actions of everyone that surrounded him. The way everyone's' mood would rapidly change once his fake exploits would come to the light.

So far, he would cover in fear of the truth about him, being discovered. But now, when faced with this overwhelming and unyielding power in front of him, he simply couldn't care less already. No matter what he does, sooner or later his secrets were bound to surface. Yet, rather than cowering in fear, doing his best to make the most of the given chance sounded way more fun!

"What is this place?"

Instantly voicing his first question, Fen's disposition changed. No longer was his face hiding in the shadow. With his gaze penetrating everything in front of him, the young man smiled lightly.

If this being wanted him dead, there would be no force in the entire world that would defend Fen from it. This notion was just as obvious as the sun rising on the east.

Once the young man cast all his reservations and fears aside, a new reality opened in front of his eyes. The casualness and kindness of this being's approach was inviting rather than petrifying!

"Straight to the crux of the matter, I see…"

Nodding his head with a suddenly satisfied smile, this god alike young man crossed his arms on top of his chest.

"I will try to make things short, but I still need to cover several topics in order to let you understand it. It all started all the way back, during the creation of the world."

As if lecturing a young student about the commonly known annals of history, this elegant man paced around the place. So immersed in the joy of sharing his knowledge, he even failed to notice the change on the young man's face.

'Creation?'

This one word was enough to once again push Fen's mind into disarray. Instantly immersing himself in the various possible explanations of this word, for a short moment, the old, quiet Fen has returned.

Only to shatter away and give way for this new version of himself.

"In short words, four gods decided they wanted to create something that would outlast them. Lonely in the vast loneliness of the universe, they wanted life to look out for. By connecting and mixing their own elements, they created what we consider to be our world. Earth, plants, rivers, whispers of the night canary… All of those are created by the combined force of what you call arcana."

Word by word, Fen could feel sinking deeper and deeper into the profoundness of this lecture. Rather than enjoying the tone of his own voice, this strange being was shooting out the facts in a manner extremely simple to understand. Even despite how important those points were, Fen didn't feel any bit confused about it!

"Later on, the age of ancient best came. Once the elements mixed to the point allowing for life to appear, from the huge masses of the wild energy, some of the most powerful beings in this entire world came to be."

Just listening to his words, Fen was able to deduct two things. First, this being in front of him clearly belonged to that era. Even ignoring how he was most likely the Draconis worshipped in the cathedral, just this immense strength of his that Fen managed to steal a glance at, was enough to put him as the apex predator.

"Focus for a bit more, we are nearing the end. In the ancient age, me and my fellow compatriots each fought for a certain element, that was responsible for our birth. We all were simply attracted to this power, unable to stop reinforcing our grip over it. In the late part of the age, most of the power was already divided. For the fire, I ruled it along with a friend of mine."

At this moment, all the small bits of information that made its way to Fen's memories, connected. From how he saw a pair of wings above him during the execution. How his village burned down. Why he was hunted. It was easy to see how nearly the entirety of the Empire worshipped Draconis. If he was the offspring of Phoenix clan…

"There was the time, when the two of us, along with most of the other ancient guardians, realised the meaning of what the gods did. At the current rate, just our immense power was stopping the world from developing further. While we could change ourselves to fit the world, the world couldn't change itself to fit us. Hoping to see how far this godly creation could go, we decided to leave the fate of the future to those who would come after us."

Suddenly stopping in his tracks, this godly young man looked sharply at Fen, yet his lips formed an immensely curious smile.

"You see, back then, I made a bet with that friend of mine. I believed that spreading my power to everyone around would allow me to harness even greater prowess over my element once I would reincarnate. On the other hand, this silly friend of mine believed that only selected few should have the honour of being the host of Ancient Guardian's blood."

With his smile turning sour, this human personification of Draconis turned his back to Fen, returning to the same spot he appeared back a moment ago.

"From what I can see, your bloodline is currently stale… Yet, seeing how the world looks like according to your memories…"

At this point, Fen couldn't even be surprised by how this insane being was capable of reading his mind as if it was nothing. What brought his attention was the hidden hint of threat in this being's voice.

"I guess I will do it this way. I hope I won't create you an enemy, but this is the only way. Tell me, are you willing to sustain the worst kind you could even imagine?"

Suddenly stating his question, the godly man looked at Fen with a determination written all over his face.

"Y-yes…"

No matter how far Fen was willing to go to live his life to its fullest, this kind of question was enough to scare him out of his wits. For this insane being, a notion of pain had to hold an entirely different meaning than it would have in human speech!

"Then prepare for something even worse. Once you get accustomed to that, relax and immerse yourself in this experience. Do not fear what you will see, what you will hear and what you will feel. This is the awakening of your bloodline."

Suddenly appearing in front of Fen, this godly being placed his hand on top of the young man's head. In this single moment, he was no longer in the sea of fire that he was before. As Fen could feel this strange place pushing, a bout of a voice reached his ears.

"This is my gift in honour of our wager with my friend. The place that you asked about, is the body of the fire god. Once you awaken, it will become your safe haven and source of power. Good luck."

At this moment, Fen's vision faded away, suddenly surrounding him with a literal sea of flames. Standing in the middle of the blood pool, Fen was absolutely sure he didn't allow his fire to appear even for a moment. Yet, the entire pond turned into a huge ball of the blaze!

"Honestly, I can't wait to see your exploits!"

As if the fires surrounding him vibrated in a strange manner, a muffled voice caressed Fen's ears for the last time. Just as his body, contrary to what had happened during his execution, literally stood in flames.