The cavern was dark and wet, the only light a dim crimson flicker pulsing along Ryujin's veins.
Water dripped steadily from stalactites, the sound echoing like distant drums. Outside, a waterfall concealed the cave entrance, masking his presence from any hunters that might still be stalking the wilderness.
It had been three days since the battle.
Ryujin lay slumped against the cold stone wall, breath shallow, each exhale raged with pain.
His ribs felt like shattered glass grinding beneath his flesh, every mov ement sending white-hot agony stabbing into his side. Venomous green lines spiderwebbed faintly beneath his pale skin, glowing in the dark like dying embers of poison refusing to fade.
He had torn strips from his ruined tunic, binding the worse of the wound where Valtheris' dagger had plunged deep.
The makeshift bandages were already soaked through, the scent of blood mixing with damp moss and stone.
Without the Eternal Dragon Legacy's passive vitality, he knew he'd be dead.
The only reason his heart still beat was because the draconic essence within him fought tooth and nail against the venom coursing through his veins. But even that came at a cost; his soul was frayed, burning, dangerously close to rupture.
Nox lay curled beside him, the Abyssal Drake's molten eyes glowing faintly in the dark. The drake had hunted small forest beasts, dragging their carcasses back to the cave.
It refused to leave his side for long, shadowflame occasionally flickering along its jaw as if daring anything in the darkness to try and harm its master.
Ryujin coughed, crimson flecking his lips, and forced himself to sit up despite the pain screaming through his body.
He couldn't afford to be helpless. Not now.
Using the cavern wall for support, he tried to lift his spear. The weapon trembled in his weak grip before slipping from his hands, clattering onto the stone floor.
"Damn it…" he muttered, slamming a fist against a rock. The impact jolted his ribs, forcing a pained hiss from his teeth.
The system's faint glow pulsed before his eyes.
~----~
[WARNING: Venom Residue Detected – Mortal Integrity 31%]
[Legacy Passive: Draconic Vitality slowing venom spread.]
[Full purge requires advanced healing or specific dragonblood antidote.]
[Soul Strain Recovery: 21% ~ 22%]
~----~
He grimaced, leaning heavily against Nox's warm scales. The drake rumbled softly, lowering its head to nudge Ryujin's shoulder.
"I should've died out there," Ryujin whispered, voice hoarse.
He stared at his trembling hands, remembering Valtheris' poisoned blades cutting through his defenses like silk. "But we didn't. Somehow… we survived".
Nox growled softly, as if rejecting the notion of defeat.
Ryujin allowed himself a faint, pained smile, resting his forehead against the drake's snout.
"We'll get stronger," he murmured. "Strong enough that no assassin… no serpent… will ever touch us again".
…
Veydral…
Emerald banners snapped violently in the wind atop the Jormungandr Estate.
The throne hall was filled with hushed voices and fearful glances as news rippled through the noble court: Valtheris had failed.
It was a single report, but one with numerous implications.
Whispers hissed like snakes among the vassals.
"An exile defeated him?"
"No one's survived Valtheris before".
"And bonded to a dragon… it reeks of heresy".
In the Ancestral Soul Hall, Ryujin's obelisk burned crimson instead of emerald, brighter than ever.
It pulsed with draconic energy that made nearby runes writhe like living serpents. The sight was an omen never before seen in House Jormungandr.
Lord Halveth stood before it, emerald cloak billowing like a serpent's hood. His hands were clasped behind his back, but his aura radiated venomous fury, so potent that lesser beast tamers struggled to remain standing in the chamber.
"Valtheris," Halveth hissed, voice like steel drawn across bone, "undefeated for thirty years… and yet my weakest son survives".
He turned sharply, emerald eyes burning as he faced the council. "I severed him from this bloodline to excise weakness. And now, the world whispers of draconic heresy under my name!"
One bold noble spoke, trembling. "Perhaps… perhaps it's not heresy, my lord. If he truly wields a dragon legacy…"
Halveth's aura slammed outward, shattering an obsidian column.
The noble choked on his own breath, collapsing as if crushed by an unseen serpent's coils.
"I will not hear it," Halveth spat. "Blood that defies Jormungandr law is traitorous blood".
The obelisk behind him flared violently, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface as Ryujin's rise to E-Rank resonated through the ancestral hall. Flames of crimson light spilled across the floor like spilled blood.
Halveth stared at it in silence, voice dropping to a venomous whisper.
"You defy death, son… but you won't defy destiny. If blades cannot kill you…" His emerald-ringed fist clenched until knuckles whitened. "…then fire and chains will".
He strode from the hall, cloak swirling like a striking serpent.
Behind him, nobles dared not breathe as emerald sigils flared across the throne room floor, summoning a new cadre of Dominion; beast tamers of infamous cruelty and skill, tasked with erasing Ryujin completely.
…
Far from the capital, at the edge of the wilderness, Valtheris knelt beneath moonlight, serpent tattoos faintly glowing across his battered body.
One arm was tightly bandaged where Ryujin's spear had pierced it, venom-infused blood still dripping into the soil.
He stared into the forest where Ryujin's scent lingered, a faint smile twisting beneath his mask.
"No one's ever fused with a dragon before," Valtheris murmured softly. "Not in the Dominion's history".
Despite his failure, there was no shame in his voice, only dark fascination.
"That boy isn't prey anymore," he whispered. "He's something else".
Instead of returning to Halveth's judgement, Valtheris melted into the tree line like a phantom. He would stalk Ryujin from the shadows, watching, waiting.
When the boy grew stronger, Valtheris vowed he would return, not as assassin and prey, but as hunter and rival locked in deadly evolution.
…
Cavern…
Storms rolled across the mountains that night, lightning flashing through the waterfall's veil. Rain hammered the cavern mouth while Ryujin shivered under its chill, venom fever burning through his veins.
His mind drifted in and out of consciousness until, in the darkness, Drakarys appeared once more.
The Eternal Dragon Sovereign towered like a god of fire and shadow, molten eyes staring down at him.
"Your blood burns brighter," Drakarys' voice rumbled like thunder. "But even fire dies without fuel".
Ryujin knelt weakly before the vision, coughing. "I… can't purge the venom. My body's failing".
"Because you are still mortal," Drakarys said. "The serpent's venom is not meant for fragile flesh. Seek what heals dragons… or the next strike will still your heart forever".
The vision burned away in crimson light, leaving Ryujin gasping awake, Nox's warm breath against his face.
The drake whined softly, molten eyes filled with worry.
Ryujin noticed faint claw marks along the cavern wall; not from Valtheris or Nox, but from another creature entirely. Something massive had once taken refuge here.
Outside, a distant roar echoed across the peaks… a sound unlike any serpent or drake Ryujin had encountered before.
It was deeper, sharper… the call of a Wyvern.
Despite agony lancing through his body, Ryujin dragged himself upright. His movements were shaky, his breath shallow, but his eyes burned with stubborn fire.
He rested a trembling hand on Nox's snout. "We're not done… not yet".
"One dragon at a time, we'll rise…" He stared toward the distant mountains where the road had sounded. "…until even gods fear us".
Nox lowered its head in silent agreement, shadowflame curling faintly along its jaw.
As the storm raged outside and lightning lit the cavern walls, the wounded heir of dragons made his silent vow; not just to survive, but to claim power that even the Serpent Dominion could not crush.
DING!
~----~
[System Update]
[Quest Triggered: Blood of the Wyvern]
[Objective: Seek and tame a healing-blood Wyvern to purge venom and strengthen soul integrity.]
~----~