Chapter 6 – In the Dragon's Lair
______________
Asharic's POV
The air was still.
I stood before the dark door, its height towering over me like a monolith. Unlike the others in the palace, this door wasn't laced with gold or carved with royal elegance. No... it pulsed with something deeper. Older. The material felt unnatural to the touch, pitch black with strange, ancient carvings etched deep into its surface.
As I pressed my palm against it, I felt it again... that cold hum, like something inside was watching me.
This door wasn't locked, yet it resisted like it weighed the world itself.
"Oh well... Let's go see inside."
With a slow push, the door creaked open.
Every muscle in my body strained. My arms trembled.
It felt like I was pushing against the will of something far beyond me... as though this gate had been waiting for only one person to open it… and it had been sealed for a reason.
When the gap was finally wide enough, I stumbled forward.
Somehow, I made it inside.
But damn… just opening that thing took more out of me than it should've.
Was it the weight? Or some kind of restriction?
The chamber ahead was dark.
Pitch black.
I couldn't see a damn thing.
The floor beneath my feet felt like stone... cold, dry, smooth. The air was dense, almost too still. A passage led downward, a narrow staircase hidden in the shadows.
Down, huh? Of course it would be down.
Because walking into a pitch-black ancient staircase under a palace I barely understand always ends well.
Still, I moved. Carefully.
My hand skimmed the stone wall as I descended, but I could barely see an inch in front of me.
…This isn't going to work.
Then I remembered... aura manipulation. In the memories I inherited, even basic enhancement could channel aura into specific parts of the body.
Eyes included.
I took a breath and focused.
Circulated energy from my core… to my heart… to my eyes.
And then, light.
Not real light... but my vision sharpened. Lines took form. Shadows became shapes. The carvings on the walls were ancient... symbols I didn't recognize. Warnings, maybe. Prayers. Or just madness.
I kept moving, step after step, until the descent opened into something vast.
My jaw tightened.
Gold.
Gold everywhere.
Piles upon piles of coins, gemstones, crystalized essence stones… books, scrolls, artifacts I didn't even have names for.
And the further I walked, the more absurd it became.
Weapons... swords longer than I was tall, curved blades with runes glowing faintly, shields, armor, relics… A graveyard of power from another age.
...Is this a dragon's hoard?
It should've made my heart race.
It didn't.
Why doesn't this excite me?
Is it this body? This bloodline?
Even surrounded by literal mountains of treasure… I feel nothing.
I moved deeper, stepping over goblets and ancient tomes.
And then I saw it.
Atop a high mound of gold... almost as if it were part of the treasure itself... lay a massive figure.
Black scales, darker than shadow.
Its body coiled, wings folded, breathing steady.
Its presence made the air feel heavier.
A dragon.
A real one.
And it was sleeping.
I stood frozen for a moment.
Should I wake it?
No. That's idiotic.
Dragons are said to be sensitive... far more than any human.
If I'm here, it already knows.
I turned my gaze to the surroundings, giving the creature its rest.
Shelves of glowing vials, crates of medicines, tools, weapons, armors... the room had everything.
I picked up a small vial.
A deep red liquid. Unmarked. Probably valuable.
I should keep this.
I tucked it into my robes.
And then...
a voice echoed through my mind.
"Looks like you're back."
I froze.
The voice was deep. Ancient.
Heavy enough to feel like it pressed directly against my skull.
…Telepathy?
I turned slowly, eyes locking on the dragon's unmoving form.
It hadn't stirred. Not even slightly.
"If you're going to talk, at least open your eyes," I muttered aloud, "Have a proper conversation."
I don't know what kind of man used to live in this body.
But I can tell one thing for sure...
He didn't fear dragons.
And neither do I.
The voice returned, laced with amusement.
"Still the same, I see."
"I don't even know you," I replied.
But before I could take another step...
Pain.
Sharp. Crushing.
It surged through my chest like fire.
"Ah-!!"
I dropped to my knees.
The dragon's voice echoed again... calm and unfazed.
"Still struggling, I see."
I gritted my teeth, unable to reply.
My aura... scattered. I tried to gather it, circulate it to ease the pain. But it wasn't working.
Another low chuckle rang in my head.
"It's no use. The pain is the price of return. A side effect of the soul reclaiming its vessel."
I didn't understand.
And I couldn't speak.
The pain was too much.
I collapsed fully, sitting with both knees folded under me, breathing hard.
Focus.
Circulate the energy. Don't pass out.
Slowly, my aura began to flow again.
The pain dulled... not gone, but manageable.
Finally. Phew.
I raised my head.
Time to ask this dragon some questions.
Who are you?
I raised my voice, pushing it through the stale air of the chamber as I stood tall... well, tall enough despite the weight still lingering in my limbs.
My gaze locked onto the enormous creature resting atop the gold, its massive chest gently rising and falling, as if it truly were asleep.
No response.
I clenched my jaw.
"Hey! Don't pretend to be asleep, you damn lizard!"
A slow breath echoed through the chamber. A faint chuckle followed.
"Always this impatient," the dragon's voice echoed directly into my mind, thick with amusement. "And who am I? Can't you see? I am a dragon."
Amusement. That was the tone. Like I was some child still learning how to walk.
"'Always'? What do you mean by that?" My brow furrowed. "I don't remember meeting you. And don't toy with me... you know what I meant." I took a step forward and narrowed my eyes. "Who are you really? And why are you here? I need answers."
I was sick of the cryptic pauses, the amusement in his tone, the way he looked down on me even while sleeping.
"It seems your soul hasn't fully recovered yet," the dragon replied after a pause. "Give it time. You'll remember everything on your own."
"My soul hasn't recovered...?" I muttered, confusion threading with frustration. Then it hit me... maybe that explained the throbbing pain in my chest and the headaches. Pieces were starting to come together. Slowly.
But I wasn't done.
"You still haven't answered me!" I barked, raising my voice again. "Answer me properly before I shove that oversized sword straight into your skull!"
Silence.
The kind of silence that felt like I'd just been ignored... again.
"You'll get your answers... as time passes and your body recovers," he said, still calm. "To answer one of them... I am the dragon who once owed your ancestor a debt. And in order to repay it, I swore to protect the kingdom he built. That is why I remain."
A pause.
"Waiting... for my chance to repay him."
So that was it. A favor to an ancestor. Tied by oath and ancient honor. Typical.
But still... useful.
So he's staying here, which means he must know a lot more than he's letting on.
"Then tell me," I said, steadying my voice, "What year is it in the capital? What is the current state of the royal palace?"
No reply.
The muscles in my jaw twitched. I could feel the irritation climbing my spine.
"HEY!" I barked, louder this time. "I asked you a question, you oversized gecko! Is your brain as slow as your fat body?!"
Another chuckle.
"That's for you to find out. Not my business."
...This damn dragon.
I nearly reached for the sword in the ground. My hand twitched instinctively... but I took a breath and backed off.
Tch. Arguing with a giant lizard like a child. What the hell am I doing?
"Fine," I exhaled. "At least tell me how to recover my strength."
"No idea," came the reply. "But that red potion you tucked into your robe might help you regain some of your aura."
So he was watching me earlier. Just as I suspected.
I took out the potion and downed it in one go. The taste was metallic, thick... but almost immediately, I felt something stir. The numbness in my limbs began to ease. The exhaustion in my veins loosened slightly.
I sat down cross-legged on the floor, shutting out the world for a moment.
Core first. Then heart. Then flow through the limbs.
Focus.
Bit by bit, my body responded. The aching in my chest dulled. The stabbing behind my eyes faded. Strength, even if little, was returning.
It took a while... maybe minutes, maybe longer. But once it was done, I let out a sharp breath and looked at the dragon again.
"What was that thing I drank?"
"Blood."
My expression didn't change, but I stared at him for a beat longer.
Blood...
But it helped, so I didn't care.
Now what? This dragon clearly wasn't in the mood to be helpful, and staying here arguing was pointless.
I needed information... and I needed to move unseen.
My eyes drifted around the room.
I'm standing on top of treasure itself.
Guess I'll just take some and find someone discreet to help me scout from the outside.
I reached down and grabbed a handful of gold coins, two old books that looked valuable, and a small sword that caught my eye. Lightweight. Sharp. Easy to conceal.
As I turned to leave...
"You look stupid."
The voice rang in my head again. "And don't touch my stuff without permission."
I glanced back at the dragon, still "asleep."
"Do I need your permission?" I muttered. "You're literally squatting in my palace, remember?"
Another pause.
"At least take this ring," he said, and something small flew through the air and hovered in front of me. "Put your things inside it. Don't ruin your own image... you look like a thief, not a king."
A ring of storage, huh?
"...Show-off," I muttered, but I reached out and grabbed it. Just as he said, I gathered aura around it, then touched the items I wanted to store.
It worked like magic. Neat and easy.
Smart bastard.
Before leaving, I paused.
"One last thing."
I looked at the massive figure on the mountain of gold, voice serious now.
"How many people currently have dragonblood in them... and what are their names?"
A long pause. Then the answer came directly into my mind. Clear. Exact.
And that's when everything clicked.
Those names...
That timeline...
Everything.
I was right. This world... this story...
This is the novel.
A slow smile crept onto my face. I couldn't help it. The laughter broke free.
"Ha... ha... HAHAHA!"
So that's how it is.