The quiet night wrapped the wooden house in peace. Riku lay sound asleep in his bed, his breathing soft and steady. The golden egg, resting in the incubation artifact beside him, began to glow once more—this time with a gentle, magical light.
It was past midnight when the light slowly faded, and something incredible began to happen.
Inside the egg, the little golden-scaled dragon stirred. His small body started to shift. The glimmering scales faded away, the tiny wings disappeared, and the curved horn vanished.
A transformation had begun.
Moments later, the dragon was no longer there.
In his place was a small human-looking child, around four years old. His eyes were closed in sleep, his soft golden hair framed his face, and his clothes shimmered gold, black, and white—elegant, fitting, and clearly magical in origin.
Just before 11 PM, Lily and Kael had finished applying medicine to Riku. As they turned to leave the room, they caught sight of the transformation.
Lily gasped. "Kael… he… he looks human!"
Kael stepped closer, speechless for a moment. "He's... beautiful."
They both stood in awe, watching the sleeping child.
"This is a blessing," Lily whispered. "With this form, no one will question us. It's normal for humans to adopt children of other races… and sometimes, though rare, other races adopt human children too."
Kael nodded gently. "It'll make things easier. Safer. We'll raise him like our own."
With loving smiles, they left the room, gently closing the door behind them.
4:30 AM – A New Beginning
Ren's golden eyes slowly opened.
For the first time, he saw the wooden ceiling above him. Warm lantern light flickered softly across the room. He sat up, blinking in confusion.
"…Where am I?"
He looked down at himself—small hands, short legs, and fancy clothes.
"I'm... a kid?"
Suddenly, a voice echoed in his head.
[System Notice]
Skill "Primordial Aura" has been removed.
Reason: You are no longer an egg and can now protect yourself.
"What?!" Ren shouted in his mind. "That's unfair! You didn't even ask me!"
He pouted and crossed his arms.
[System Response]
Complaint detected.
Returning skill "Primordial Aura" with a debuff.
Skill can now be upgraded.
"Thank goodness…" Ren sighed, slumping forward.
[New Skill Gained: Humanization]
Allows switching between Dragon and Human form.
(This skill cannot be upgraded.)
[New Skill Gained: Imaginary World]
Transfers enemies into your imaginary world, boosting your stats by 10% while inside.
(Skill is upgradable.)
[System: Status Panel Unlocked]
[Name: Ren
Race: Primordial Dragon
Level: 1
HP: 137
Attack: 17
Defense: 29
Mana: 43
AP: 0
SP: 0
Skills:]
[Primordial Aura (Upgradable)]
[Humanization (Not Upgradable)]
[Imaginary World (Upgradable)]
[Note: 20 SP required to upgrade a skill.]
Ren stared blankly as the information filled his mind.
"A Primordial Dragon... so it's true," he whispered. "That's what I am now."
He slowly turned to look around the room, and that's when he noticed the small boy sleeping nearby.
The child had pale skin and silver-white hair. But what caught Ren's attention most were the fluffy white fox ears on top of his head and a cute, curled tail beside him.
"Woah…" Ren's eyes sparkled. "Is this my new brother?"
Without thinking, he gently reached out and began playing with the soft ears.
They were warm… fluffy… and fun to squish.
Then he touched the tail—it was like a soft cloud. Ren giggled quietly, unable to stop. "This is the best!"
Riku remained asleep, completely unaware of the playful little dragon poking his ears and tail.
Ren finally pulled back and looked around the room again. His eyes fell on a small wooden balcony. Curious, he walked over and slowly pushed the door open.
A gentle breeze greeted him.
His eyes widened.
Outside was a breathtaking view.
The village wasn't on the ground like he expected—the houses were built on giant trees, each one looking like a two-story wooden home nestled among thick branches and glowing lanterns.
The house Ren was in stood out—it was the biggest tree, right at the center of the village, standing tall like a five-story tower.
He leaned over the railing, looking at the peaceful world before him.
Then he looked up—and froze.
There were two moons in the sky.
One was a familiar silvery moon… but the other was reddish hue that cast a pale crimson gloom over the trees.
It's. breathtaking," Ren breathed quietly, his heart full of amazement.
He rested his arm on the balcony railing, watching out at the enchanting forest town sleeping beneath the twin moons. A cold wind caressed his cheeks, and a pleased smile stretched his mouth.
His new life had hardly begun.
Then he went to sleep.