Chapter 135
As the searing pain continued to surge through Draco's frame, he felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation emanating from the raw, oozing stumps where his majestic horns had once been.
A deep, pulsing ringing reverberated in his ears, while a severe, debilitating migraine throbbed within his skull, the agony intense enough to momentarily eclipse the anguish radiating from the rest of his battered body.
It was as if his entire head was being torn apart from the inside, his skull being remolded and reshaped from the ground up.
Draco gnashed his teeth, his canines cracking under the pressure, he had nearly bitten off his tongue while clenching his jaw.
However he quickly regained his senses, avoiding a disastrous outcome.
He strengthened his will to endure the unrelenting torment, knowing that this was a necessary step to fulfil his goals.
He had desired the powers and prowess that came with the forced and quick evolution of his species, and this was a price he had willingly agreed to pay.
‘Endure, it cannot get any worse than this,’ he thought, trying to reassure himself as the migraine subsided ever so slightly with time.
Little did he know that this was merely the beginning of his ordeal.
Minutes felt like hours as Draco wrestled with the all-consuming anguish, his entire world narrowing to the excruciating pain that wracked his entire being.
Soon, the agony in his head began to subside significantly, much to his immense relief.
However, the pain radiating from the rest of his body still felt almost unbearable.
Bahamut who had been overseeing Draco's transformation, watched his face, struggling to keep her composure.
Seeing the slightest hint of relief wash over Draco's features and his struggle to get up, she quickly approached him, intent on offering her assistance.
"Let me help you up," Bahamut said softly, reaching out to grasp Draco's arm and support his weakened frame.
Yet, Draco quickly stopped her, realizing that his body had become hypersensitive to even the slightest touch.
The parts of his skin that were in contact with the makeshift bed of pillows beside him felt as if they were on fire, and he knew that any external stimulation would only serve to exacerbate his suffering.
Gritting his teeth, Draco managed to push himself up onto his feet, despite the searing pain radiating from every joint and muscle.
But just as he found his balance, a sudden, sickening snapping sound echoed through the room, causing both Draco and Bahamut to freeze in dread.
To Draco's horror, he felt his femur bone snap, the sharp, jagged edges tearing through his flesh.
Before he could even scream in agony, the rest of his bones followed suit, shattering in rapid succession.
His mind fell into a state of shock, unable to process the overwhelming sensations assaulting his body.
Draco's form crumpled to the pillows beside him in a resounding, sickening thud, his limbs twisted at unnatural angles.
Bahamut watched, her eyes wide with a mixture of horror, revulsion and fascination, as Draco's tail stood rigid and stiff, the only part of him that seemed intact, protruding from the odd, fleshy pool that had once been his body.
The goddess had witnessed the evolution of many dragonkin before, but never had she seen a transformation quite like this.
A blackish-red liquid began to ooze from Draco's deformed body, the thick, viscous fluid carrying a peculiar stench of fresh, new bones.
To Bahamut's astonishment, the liquid soon began to move with a life of its own, coalescing into a large, egg-shaped sphere.
As the sphere hardened, the room fell silent, save for the soft, rhythmic beating of a heart.
"Is it over?" Bahamut whispered to herself, her fingers gently tracing the surface of the strange, pulsing egg that now rested amidst the pillows.
She was cautious, fearful that any sudden movements might disrupt the delicate process unfolding before her.
Draco's transformation had taken an unexpected and unsettling turn, and Bahamut couldn't help but wonder what would emerge from the enigmatic shell.
……………………………………………………………………..
An hour had passed since Draco had retreated into his egg to undergo the transformative process.
Bahamut stood by, watching and waiting anxiously, unsure of how long the process would take.
She had initially estimated it to be a relatively quick affair, lasting no more than an hour at most, but the slow pace of the changes unfolding within the blackish-red shell told a different story.
Bahamut found herself tempted to briefly tap into her arcanum, the vast well of divine power at her disposal, in an effort to gain a more detailed insight into Draco's transformation.
However, she quickly dismissed the idea, knowing that such an action would likely draw the unwanted attention of the other gods – a situation she was keen to avoid.
As Bahamut continued her vigil, a soft, muffled knocking sound echoed through the room, interrupting her contemplation. She perked up, her ears straining to discern the source of the noise.
"Draco, is that you? Are you trying to communicate with me?" Bahamut asked, pressing her ear against the egg's surface.
The knocking came again, and Bahamut realized with a sheepish realization that the sound was not emanating from the egg, but rather from the door to her room.
"Oh," she muttered, feeling a bit embarrassed by her mistake.
Quickly opening the door, Bahamut found Vasiliki standing on the other side, with the rest of the familia members gathered behind her, their expressions a mix of curiosity and concern.
‘Ah, how could I have forgotten,’ Bahamut thought, mentally chastising herself. Draco had entered her room to undergo his level up, a process that should have taken only a few minutes, but it had been over an hour, and the room had been cloaked in a veil of silence due to the silencing magic tool he had placed on the door.
"What is that?" Vasiliki asked, her gaze drawn to the large, blackish-red egg resting on a stack of pillows in the center of the room.
Although Vasiliki was curious about the egg, her eyes seemed to tell a different story.
She rapidly scanned the room with her eyes hoping for catch Draco and Bahamut in the act.
Bahamut could see the movement of Vasiliki's eyes, and she realized that the silly girl’s mind had likely jumped to a very different conclusion regarding the nature of Draco's extended stay in the room.
With their current change in relationship, Vasiliki was probably worried that the two of them had been engaged in some sort of intimate activity.
"Oh, that's Draco," Bahamut replied, deciding to be upfront about the situation. There was no point in hiding what was happening, as the worst had already passed.
"What?" Vasiliki exclaimed, her shock evident in her voice and the expressions of the other familia members who had gathered around the door.
Clair, Michalis, Eleni, Nikolaos, Dimitra, and Vasileios all rushed to the door, their curiosity piqued by Vasiliki's outburst.
"Sigh, make sure you don't touch it. You don't want to kill your brother, right?" Bahamut said, stepping aside to allow the others to enter the room and get a better look at the egg.
"Whoa, what happened?" Vasileios asked, his eyes wide with wonder.
Bahamut gave them a brief recounting of the events, omitting the more gruesome details of Draco's transformation, as she didn't want to alarm them unnecessarily.
"I wonder if I can keep these," Vasiliki murmured, her gaze fixed on the discarded horns on the floor.
"Well, you'll have to ask him when he emerges," Bahamut replied, gesturing towards the egg.
"So, how long will he be like this?" Nikolaos inquired, his brow furrowed with concern.
"I don't know," Bahamut admitted, shaking her head.
"Hey, no touching!" Eleni scolded, catching Clair and Michalis poking at the egg with curious fingers.
"I guess the guild plans for the evening will be cancelled," Dimitra observed, her tone tinged with disappointment.
"Yes," Bahamut confirmed.
"Anyway, you all shouldn't worry. When his transformation is finished, he will come out. For now, let's go have dinner – it's quite late already," Bahamut suggested, ushering the group out of the room and towards the dining area, hoping to alleviate their concerns and allow Draco the time he needed to complete his metamorphosis.