Chapter 16: Dragon King

Chapter 16: Dragon King Duserdis looked at him, eyes glowing with light and weight. "Because its purpose remains. It was never merely to carry us—it was to preserve us. To protect our kind. To awaken again when the time came." Hearing the grave words of the Dragon King, Fenric stayed silent, his eyes still lowered. He knew—deep down—what time Duserdis was speaking of. Still, he asked, his voice quiet but firm, "What time is this?" His tone carried something deeper—like he already knew the Dragon King's true meaning, but needed it spoken aloud. "The time..." Duserdis said softly, almost like a prayer. Then his voice rose, resolute. "The time for the Sacred Successor of my bloodline to rise. For you to carry on my legacy." And in that moment, the starlit void around them began to tremble. Deep echoes—like the beating of ancient wings—resounded across the vast sky. The legacy had awakened. "Ahh, here it is... the bats, dramatic tone, echoing space," Fenric muttered with a roll of his eyes, half amused. He found it amazing that this Dragon King guy had gone so far as to include background effects—just to make an entrance more theatrical. The Dragon King, Duserdis, took his hand down from his drmatic pose and gave a long, lazy yawn. "As expetcted fo most lethargic Drgaon king, he wasn't even abelt o maintian his dignified image for more than a minute" Fenric muttered looking at the yawning Drgaon king. Fenric narrowed his eyes, watching the translucent image of Duserdis lie down midair, arms behind his head as if preparing for a nap. "As expected... a Dragon King of Sloth," he mumbled, shaking his head. But even as he scoffed, he knew better than to dismiss the being before him. Lazy or not, this overgrown celestial lizard was still a being capable of flattening armies—and Fenric needed his acknowledgment and, more importantly, his blessing. Blessings were a sacred thing in this world. To cultivate true power, every human—or beast, or demi—needed a blessing. A divine mark from a higher being. Fenric's family had preserved their blessings since the time of the Empire's founding, passed down from one generation to the next. But why settle for the blessing of a long-dead ancestor when one of the founding monsters of that same era was alive and floating in front of him? This lazy-ass dragon could probably kill hundreds of those original founding emperors in his sleep. So yes—Fenric wanted his blessing. And a powerful class to go with it. In the original timeline, Drake, the villain got his blessing from a fallen god, a God his mother side family worships and awakened the "Dark Puppeteer" class. Later, after devouring the Dragon King's corrupted fragment, he stole a draconic blessing—not quite on Duserdis's level, but powerful enough to evolve into the Dark Soul Puppeteer. It allowed him to manipulate not just souls of the dead, but the living and even undead alike. Fenric wasn't going to let that happen again. Not this time. The reason Drake never received Duserdis's blessing was simple—he already had one. The Dragon King only awakened when a suitable, unblessed candidate came near. To him, Drake was already "claimed" and unworthy of further gifts. But Fenric, in the original book, was too weak to receive any blessings at all. Any attempt would've killed him instantly. That's why his status was a "blank slate"—a Black Stem, someone untouched by divine power. Ironically, that made him the perfect vessel for Duserdis's blessing, once the Dragon King stirred from his long slumber. "So," the Dragon King suddenly spoke, pulling Fenric out of his thoughts, "what's the brat going to do? Eat the power, or not?" Fenric blinked, startled. "What happened to the whole dignified dragon king thing?" he asked dryly. "Dignified?" Duserdis scoffed, flicking a lazy hand. "Pfft. I was the most laid-back divine of my era. Who cares about dignity? Dignity doesn't make you powerful." He yawned again, floating aimlessly. "Back then, I was just the playing the fairy king's part. Now I'm playing my part in this mess. So, tell me—what kind of blessing do you want to receive?" Fenric raised an eyebrow. "Wait... there are types of blessings? What's the difference between yours and the Fairy King's?" "Nothing much," Duserdis said with a shrug. "Let's just say he was a river, and I was the sea." That lazy metaphor annoyed Fenric to no end. "That doesn't help at all." 'Why can't I get a proper, powerful, battle-hardened divine being instead of this lazy sky lizard picking his nose in front of me?!' he thought, watching in growing disbelief as the mighty Dragon King casually scratched his face and yawned again. "Can't I just... get both blessings?" he asked hopefully. Duserdis paused, genuinely considering. "Hmm... Your soul is resilient for some reason. But no, you can't bear both of our blessings at once. Our power levels are too far above human thresholds. Your body would shatter." "So, I can't?" Fenric sighed. "It's not that you can't forever," Duserdis said with a lazy tilt of his head. "Let's say... once you grow stronger, and your soul expands, then maybe you can bear the Fairy King's blessing too." Fenric nodded slowly. "Okay. Then... please. Give me your blessing." "Good choice," Duserdis said, suddenly serious. He floated forward and extended one clawed finger, pressing it against Fenric's chest—right above his heart. A searing, burning sensation erupted across Fenric's body as the blessing took hold. He didn't scream—he couldn't. It was like something sacred and ancient was burrowing into his very being, etching itself into his soul. His vision faded into black, and he fell back—returning from the starlit space to the real world. And as he collapsed into his chair, Duserdis's voice echoed in his mind: {I have given you my blessing.} {And I've also given you this...} A glowing book appeared in front of Fenric's eyes. It was ancient—bound in scaled leather, with a silver eye etched into its cover. {It is the Dragon Tongue: the origin of all magic in existence.} {For now, learn this. After you reach the sixth tier of magic, I will teach you more.} The voice faded, and Fenric slowly opened his eyes. He looked around, dazed. And then opened his shirt to look at the place where his heart is and also where the Drgaon King left his blessing mark.