Time seemed to slow down as Liam's body moved through the air, making him feel as if he was as light as a feather.
He instantly closed his eyes and kept his head up, forcing himself not to look down even if he fell to his death.
However, Liam's paranoia was quickly replaced with puzzlement and concern.
He felt a surge of heat rising throughout his body and an immense pain emerging from his back, as well as his skin becoming rougher than usual.
Curiosity got the better of him, and he slowly opened his eyes, just a little to take a peek.
Yet, they quickly opened wide once he saw that his hands and part of his forearms were now covered in white scales.
The shape of his hands had also transformed, shifting slightly to resemble a dragon's claws.
His gaze then started shifting quickly, scanning his body thoroughly, only to find that not only were his hands like that, but also his legs and feet, as well as the sides of his neck and the edges of his jaw.
His completely black hair was now a completely chaotic mixture of its original color and an eye-catching silver color that reflected the light of the moons.
His golden eyes were now glowing brightly, and from his back, a pair of white dragon wings had emerged.
They weren't fully developed yet, but they were functional enough to allow him to levitate.
"W-what's happening to me?" He mumbled, his lips trembling and his breathing becoming faster as he looked at his hands.
"No way… D-dragonification?" Mark thought. His jaw dropped, and his eyes widened as he gazed at the boy floating in the air.
However, his surprise quickly turned to frustration as he gritted his teeth.
His face turned red, with his expression becoming sour as he thought, "Not only did this pathetic slave awaken into a dragonborn, but you mean to tell me that the legendary dragon Morhvar chose him? How does any of this make any sense?"
Channeled by his frustration, Mark raised his revolver, aiming it directly at the boy's heart before pressing the trigger with no other thought.
However, the bullet ended up simply deflected by the scales that now covered the boy's back in its entirety, making Mark's frustration grow stronger.
The bullet seemed to snap Liam out of his confusion, as his body moved instinctively, flying away at an incredible speed and heading towards a line-up of towering trees that marked the start of a forest on the next island.
"Go back and get the air carriages ready! He will not go far once he enters the forest of illusion!" Mark yelled with a demanding voice.
Slightly frightened by Mark's anger, the guards nodded and immediately rushed back to the camp.
"I'm not letting you slip away from my grip just like this, I swear!" Mark thought as he stared at Liam's fading figure in the distance.
After a few minutes, Liam's wings seemed to give up suddenly, sending him crashing headfirst into the ground.
After rolling on the ground for a few meters, Liam lay on his back with one eye closed, groaning in pain as he thought, "Why is everything going wrong today?".
Soon after, he realized he was just a few meters away from the entrance of the forest.
For a moment, Liam hesitated. He didn't know what could be awaiting him if he entered, since forests are known for being home to a lot of monsters.
However, seeing as it was his only way to run from the guards, he took a deep breath and stepped inside.
The forest was shrouded in fog, making it almost impossible to find the correct way forward.
On top of that, the occasional sounds of shaking bushes and crows' caws only fueled his anxiety, making him move slowly and cautiously.
For what felt like hours, Liam wandered around the forest aimlessly.
He felt as if the fog was purposely leading him in the wrong direction, but he kept moving nonetheless.
Liam's body was reaching its tipping point, and it was a miracle that no monster had attacked him until then.
Liam was losing hope as he felt his eyes and legs could give up on him at any moment, but then, he finally saw a flickering light shining in the distance.
Without hesitation, Liam desperately made his way towards it, his speed increasing with each step he took.
Within moments, he found himself standing before a small cabin that was nestled alone amidst the trees.
A smile quickly formed on the boy's face as he ran towards the hut, not taking into consideration what he could find inside.
But before he could even reach the door, his body collapsed, and his vision blurred in an instant before it all turned to black.
Once he opened his eyes again, he found himself staring at a multitude of crossing wooden beams used as a support for the wooden roof placed above them.
He sat up in a panic, snapping his eyes around in a panic and trying to understand where he was.
Walls made of tree logs surrounded him, with the warmth of the small fireplace right across from him crashing against his body.
Then, he lifted his hands, only to see that his hands and body had returned to normal, and the scales had disappeared as if they were never there.
"You're finally awake." Suddenly, a deep voice emerged from the corner of the room where a man with a large figure was sitting, hammering a piece of metal.
"W-who are you? What is this place?" Startled, Liam asked in a low voice.
"Not even a thank you, eh? Just questions. Typical of you brats," The man replied in an annoyed tone as he turned around to face Liam.
His thick beard swayed slightly as he moved, and his sharp, black eyes sent shivers down Liam's spine as he stared at him.
His hair was tied into a tight knot to keep it from falling into the fire of the forge, and he wore a simple grey tunic.
" You nearly broke your scrawny neck at my doorstep, and you've got the nerve to glare at me like I'm some sort of predator." He added.
Liam felt a surge of pain in his head as the memories of what had happened came back into his mind.
Once he understood what had happened, Liam bowed his head slightly and apologized. "Thank you for helping me even though we've never met," Liam added.
"At least your manners aren't completely off," The man remarked, before pointing at Liam and adding, "It also looks like your body has returned to normal."
Liam's expression instantly shifted. His eyes darted away, and he started fidgeting with his fingers while his foot tapped fast in discomfort.
He wasn't sure what to say. Neither did he know what that form was, nor did he want people to know about it, even if they helped him.
"What are ye making that face for, brat? Even without your dragonification, I would've known you are dragonborn, anyway." The man explained.
"Dragonification?" Liam looked at him with a puzzled look before he realized he was talking about his earlier appearance.
"Yes, I'm talking about that transformation or whatever you call it," The old man replied.
"Not only is awakening as a dragonborn rare by itself, it's even more rare that one can transform like you since you need to be chosen by one of the legendary dragons or something like that." He added.
Flashbacks of the vision Liam had about the white dragon in that foreign land resurfaced in his mind.
"Does that mean that the dragon chose me when he touched my body? And does that mean that the dragon I saw was one of the three legendary dragons?" Liam thought.
Before his parents died, they had always told him stories about the three legendary dragons that ruled the land, and whose skeletons their world is built on, but he hadn't seen any drawing of them, so he didn't know their appearance.
"Now then, care to explain why you're bothering me here?" the man suddenly asked as he leaned back in his chair.
Liam hesitated for a moment, not knowing where to start, but he quickly began relaying what had happened from the moment he had awakened until then.
Once he was done, the man looked at him in amusement as he stroked his beard and said with a scoff, "Hmm, you sure are an important figure for a slave, huh?"
"Well, it doesn't really change anything for me since I hate those fuckers with a passion, so no need to worry." The man added as he shrugged his shoulders.
"Actually, it changes one thing. Come here, kid. I need your help with something." Arthur gestured for Liam.
Although startled, Liam hesitantly approached the old man, who had drawn what looked like a rune into the palm of his right hand.
"By the way, what's your name, kid?" He asked as he finished drawing the rune.
"L-Liam, my name is Liam."
"I see. I'm Arthur." The old man nodded as the rune glowed in a faint white light, "Now then, Liam. This will feel weird, but don't panic."
"H-huh? What do you–" Before Liam could finish, Arthur pushed his palm against the boy's chest, which made it glow.
Liam felt his body drain of all heat before it all concentrated in his lungs, making him feel slightly dizzy and confused.
"I just triggered your dragon breath, which is a core ability for any dragonborn," Arthur explained as he lowered his goggles over his eyes.
He then shifted his gaze to the piece of metal he had been hammering earlier. From what Liam could see, it looked like he was working on a spearhead.
"Hold it in and don't release it until I tell you to, then direct it all on this spearhead," Arthur explained before he started rapidly hammering the spearhead again.
Every second that passed, Liam felt the heat rising through his throat, making him feel more and more uncomfortable.
Just as Liam was getting overwhelmed, Arthur shouted, "Now!"
Liam immediately opened his mouth, letting a crimson fire escape and blast the metal piece.
Once Arthur noticed that the fire was overwhelming the metal, he forced the boy's mouth closed before leading him towards the forge, where he could release what remained of it while the old man returned to hammering the spearhead.
After a bit, he was finished and was already inspecting the spearhead in his hand.
On the other hand, Liam was fighting to stay standing as he felt dizzy and his throat was burning like hell.
"Your breath was stronger than I thought, but it definitely is effective," Arthur remarked with a slight grin on his face.
"How about we make a deal, Kid? I'll let you stay here and eat my food, and you'll help me here. And as a bonus, I'll teach you a thing or two if I see you can manage the job," He added as he extended his arm towards Liam.
Liam, who had just recovered from his dizziness, stared at Arthur's hand for a bit, trying to make the right decision.
However, he quickly decided as he shook Arthur's hand with a smile, "You've got a deal!"
Suddenly, their conversation was interrupted by knocks on the hut's door.