Nadiel's Point of View
The passing days in the palace blurred into weeks, then melted into years. At first, my life was filled with nothing more than crying, feeding, and sleep — the usual struggles of infancy. But beneath this frail human exterior, the mind of I, the ultimate dragon, simmered in silence.
By the time I turned three, I could walk with confidence, speak with clarity, and wield intelligence far beyond the grasp of any ordinary toddler. My unnatural maturity both fascinated and unsettled those around me. Servants whispered, scholars observed, nobles speculated — though none dared question the queen's radiant joy or the king's evident pride.
The palace, as these humans called it, possessed a completely different atmosphere from my former lair. It pulsed with life and emotion. Yet, strangely, I found it… comforting. The warmth in their voices, the soft hands that carried me, the reverence in their eyes — all so very human. And yet, they treated me with genuine affection, respect, and unwavering care.
By my seventh year, I believed I was finally ready — ready to awaken the arcane (mana) system. But before that, it was time: the royal library, my favorite refuge in this strange new life.
It was in that vast, arcane sanctuary that I began piecing together the truth.
I had first discovered it during my fourth year, sneaking out of my chambers barefoot and unnoticed, drawn by instinct, memory, and curiosity. The palace was a grand maze of gleaming halls filled with human guards, maids, and the so-called royal knights. But that room — filled with books humming with latent magic and history — was different. If there was any place in this palace where answers could be found, surely it would be there.
"Your Highness," a calm voice greeted as I stepped inside. "I was wondering when you'd return."
She stood like a statue of ancient wisdom — tall, composed, with long chestnut hair cascading over her shoulders. Her spectacles gleamed beneath the magical lanterns. A pristine white robe adorned with violet runes clung to her slender frame. There was serenity in her manner, but beneath it… something simmered. A quiet turbulence, hidden well beneath the calm.
"Hello, Siarah. It's been a while."
She nodded gently.
"Yes, it has, Your Highness. Off to your usual section?"
"Indeed."
I walked past her without another word, heading toward the Historical Archives — my chosen place of research.
Lately, I had immersed myself in the kingdom's records, combing through its past like an archaeologist unearthing ancient bones. My goal was simple: to understand the events that led to my rebirth. And the deeper I dug, the clearer a piece of the picture became.
My research was a slow, painstaking process. I began with royal decrees from nine years ago, cross-referencing them with the court physician's private logs. In a dusty tome titled A History of Curses and Their Vengeful Echoes, I found the first piece of the puzzle: a detailed account of the Last Breath Curse. It was a spell of pure vengeance, cast by a dying being to extinguish the bloodline of their killer. Its cost was absolute: the soul of every newborn heir.
A cold dread settled in me.
I then turned to the royal family's own records. The official ledgers were pristine, but the archivist's private notes told a different story. They mentioned two stillborn princes before my birth, their deaths officially attributed to "infant frailties," but the dates aligned perfectly with the curse's timeline. Two infants had perished beneath its grip.
The final clue came from a scroll detailing the War of the Lich Lord, which chronicled my human father's campaign. It confirmed he was the one who slew the lich — thereby becoming the curse's target. Yet somehow, I had survived. The official record was frustratingly vague, mentioning only that the curse had been "neutralized" with the aid of a witch from the Onyx Marshes.
But what caught my attention was what the records didn't say.
There was no mention of the method used to shatter the curse. No detail about the spell, the components, or the counter-ritual required. Nothing. It was a deliberate omission — a crucial piece of history that someone had intentionally erased. Why?
No detail about the spell. No mention of the item required.
Why omit something so crucial?
The question burned in my mind, solidifying my resolve. The answers were not in books; they are out there. It's just a matter of time until I find them.
That night, while moonlight spilled like silver silk through the glass windows, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling — my thoughts a storm of questions.
The chamber door creaked open softly.
"My sweet Naddy," my mother whispered, stepping into the room like a dream. Her silver hair glowed in the moonlight, flowing like liquid starlight. She leaned down, brushing a cool hand across my cheek before kissing my forehead.
"Sleep well, my little prince."
Trailing behind her were my two personal maids — a mismatched pair in every sense. The first, Lina, always seemed moments away from skipping or singing. The other, Maelis, radiated discipline and restraint.
Maelis offered a respectful bow. Lina gave a cheeky wave and chirped,
"Sweet dreams, Your Highness! Don't let the mana bugs bite!"
When they were gone, and silence once again wrapped around me like a cloak, I sat up. My heart pounded.
Tonight… was the night.
I slipped from under the covers and sat cross-legged on the soft velvet carpet, facing the moonlit window.
A breath in... a breath out. I had done this a thousand times before in my dragon life, but this time, in a human body.
To someone else, it might seem like simple meditation. But it wasn't.
With each breath, the noise of the outer world faded. The familiar tug of consciousness pulled me inward. I was reaching into the core of my being — beyond thought, beyond calm.
The moment my mind slipped fully inward, the world outside ceased to exist.
I stood at the edge of a vast nothingness.
Into the very core of my being.
Into my Inner World.
The blank space welcomed me — vast and endless, stretching into a horizon that didn't exist. For most, this space remained locked until their arcane (mana) system was triggered. A blank world — a defense mechanism against accidental tampering.
But for me, it was different.
I took another breath. Deeper this time. And with it, I expanded my awareness.
The void stirred in response, shifted, and took form.
It was shaped by three essential pillars: Mana, Mind, and Spirit. These three pillars represent the mana system and its relation to my body, mind, and spirit.
Floating at the center, bathed in an ethereal glow, were two orbs pulsing with silent power — Mana Hearts. One lay dormant, pulsing faintly, soft and blue like a quiet lake at dawn. The other flickered with a deeper hue, its surface cracked with faint golden veins, radiating a familiar ancient pressure. It was slightly twisted, unmistakably different.
Any other being would have panicked at the sight of two Mana Hearts in their system.
Not me.
I recognized exactly what it was.
My dragon heart.
Turning to the Mind Plane, I was greeted with the architecture of my former life — towering spires of floating script, rotating rings of runes, and crystalline tomes suspended midair — all pulsing with arcane knowledge.
Every theory, every incantation, every spell I had mastered was there.
I smirked, knowing normally the Mind Plane should be empty for someone just activating his mana system.
"Is this some manner of joke?" I murmured to the silence of my Inner World.
"This complicates matters immensely. What fool would be even more foolish enough as to reincarnate me with both of my greatest treasures?"
I had been a dragon who valued even the tiniest speck of potential. I possessed many artifacts, but none more valuable than my knowledge.
Before settling in my perfect lair, I had been a traveler. I had explored every corner of the world, mastering magic arts, swordsmanship, combat forms, forbidden spells — even the laws of other dimensions.
But that's a tale for another time.
After my journeys, I destroyed my original dragon heart and reconstructed it from scratch, carving a complex magic circle from the result of my deep research into magic circles and runes — one of my greatest achievements.
The process nearly killed me, but it turned me into a being capable of wielding every known type of mana: World, Holy, and Demonic.
My magical knowledge had grown so immense that even Gaia, her sisters, the goddess, and the gods themselves had become aware of me.
To preserve it, I redesigned my Mind Realm as a vault.
Naturally, my Spirit Realm evolved alongside it — strong enough to summon all Elemental Kings at once.
Having my dragon heart and hybrid Mind Realm reborn with me… should not be a wise move for anyone trying to mess with the great me.
I looked around and saw dormant Mana Veins — hundreds of them — snaking through the landscape. Some connected to an immense crystalline structure — the Mana Core, waiting to be activated.
I paused.
"My vessel definitely can't handle the power from my dragon heart. It would kill me if I linked it to my mana system."
An idea sparked.
Using the knowledge stored in my Mind Realm, I replicated the magic circle from my dragon heart and etched it onto my human Mana Heart.
In an instant, it activated — sending waves of mana through the veins toward the core.
The Spirit Pillar, which I had assumed was ordinary, surged with power and split in two. A new form emerged — feminine in shape, radiating a presence unlike anything I had encountered in my previous life.
I didn't investigate further — not yet. I knew better than to prod something I wasn't prepared to handle.
Soon, mana flowed through everything — except the Mana Core.
That was intentional.
Unlike dragons, humans don't store mana in their hearts. They rely solely on the Mana Core. So, I divided mine — separating it into three compartments, each designed to hold a different kind of mana.
But for now, I sealed the chambers for Demonic and Holy mana.
No need to raise suspicions… yet.
And that was enough for now.
I took one last look around my Inner World, committing it to memory. Then I began taking deep breaths, slowly activating my chosen breathing technique — one that would allow me to cultivate and regulate my new arcane system.
The last thing I saw before fading from the Inner World was the dormant second heart — still flickering faintly.
I opened my eyes, a subtle hum dancing trough my blood.
The mana… it flowed.
But there was a problem.
Standing before me were several high-level clerics and healers, accompanied by a few royal mages.
I blinked.
"What's going on?" I muttered.
My elder sister raised an eyebrow and replied with a sarcastic tone,
"Oh, nothing much. You've just been unconscious for about three weeks."
I didn't know what shocked me more — the news itself or the way she delivered it.
"WHAT?!"