Chapter 53
"First of all, what do you know about the dragon kin?" Bahamut asked, her piercing gaze fixed intently on him.
Draco cleared his throat, "Uhm, well, they are mortal dragons with some spirit heritage," he replied, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
Bahamut's lips curled into a thoughtful hum. "Not a bad description," she conceded.
"But tell me, do you know what a spirit is?" she asked.
"Only a little," Draco admitted.
"I know that they are beings sent by the gods to help the mortal world before they descended." He replied.
Vasiliki perked up at this, her eyes alight with curiosity. The others just quietly listened with some interest.
"Draco nii, how do you know all this?" she asked.
"I've read the few books we had at home, and none of them contained such information." she said.
Draco inwardly cursed himself, realizing he had revealed information that he shouldn’t have.
"Uhh, the spirits told me," he replied hastily.
"Spirits?" Bahamut's brow arched in surprise, even though she could tell he was partly lying.
"You've met them?" she asked.
"Yes, well, I had a dream about one four years ago, who told me to find you," Draco explained, recounting the details of the dream.
Bahamut's expression softened with understanding.
"Hmm, sounds like something she would do," she murmured, almost to herself.
"Anyway," she continued, "the dragon kin and spirits are related because the spirits were used as a basis for them." she said.
Draco's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean by that?" he asked.
"The dragon gods originally had no interest in the lower world, since the age of dragons ended eons ago," Bahamut began.
"That was until Io, the primordial dragon god, suddenly took an interest in the spirit creation process used by the other gods." She paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing.
"Io wanted to create a spirit-dragon hybrid, a being that would combine the power of a dragon with the spiritual essence of the divine messengers. The reason why he would think of such a thing, still a mystery.” she said.
“He then experimented a bit, mixing the creation process of a dragon and a spirit, but couldn’t find the right balance. The dragon aspect always seemed to overpower the spirit part." she explained.
Draco listened intently, his mind racing to keep up with the information.
"The end result was a semi-mortal race, which we now know as the dragon kin," Bahamut explained.
"Io was a bit disappointed at first with the end result, as the dragon kin were far weaker than the spirits after their birth. But that soon changed with the passage of time." she continued.
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.
"The dragon kin had growth phases and grew stronger, the longer they lived. It began with the hatchling stage, then the juvenile, followed by the adult stage, which enabled them to take on the form of a dragon. After that came the mature/elder stage, and finally, the last known stage, the ancient." she said.
Draco's mind whirled as he tried to absorb all the details.
"And during these phases, did they manifested spirit abilities?" he asked.
Bahamut nodded. "Yes, to the surprise of Io and many. There may have been even more phases, but the dragon kin didn't live long enough for us to witness them all." she replied.
"Certain gods quickly took note of the dragon kin's abnormal abilities," she continued, her tone turning somber.
"They were ridiculously strong for a mortal race, lived extremely long, and could even reproduce, which made some gods feel paranoid, jealous and perhaps even threatened. Well you can already imagine the rest considering you are currently the last one" she explained.
Draco's heart sank as he realized the implication.
"So those certain gods are my enemies?" he asked, his voice laced with trepidation.
"Yes," Bahamut confirmed, "but I highly doubt they would do anything overt against you." she said.
She leaned back, her expression softening.
"You see, Io was extremely attached to the dragon kin. He may act like a soft-spoken old man most of the time, but when he's mad, only a handful of gods can stop him. If you hadn't survived, who knows what more might have happened after his rampage in the upper realm." she said.
Draco let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding, a wave of relief washing over him.
"So, I'm safe, for now?" he asked, needing confirmation.
Bahamut nodded. "For now, yes. But I must caution you, Draco. We are currently in the mortal world, so things won’t be simple even if you have Io’s protection. Tread carefully, and never let your guard down." she said.
‘Wow, the lore that X created for my existence is crazy. Having some gods as my enemies will be very tricky. I need some gods that will be my allies’ Draco thought.
He let out a heavy sigh, the weight of his heritage suddenly bearing down on him.
"I understand," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
His family, who had been silent throughout most of the exchange, reached out and grasped their brother's hand, offering him a reassuring squeeze.
"We'll be careful, Draco nii," they said, fully aware that they were one of his weaknesses.
Bahamut observed the family with a small smile.
"I don't think you should worry too much about the gods in the mortal world for now, that's why I'm here," Bahamut said, her reassuring presence filling the room.
Draco felt a sense of relief, knowing he at least had the support of some gods.
"Thank you, but I have an important question," Draco replied, his brow furrowed in contemplation.
"What do the gods and spirits desire of me? I've been receiving so much help, and I can't help but wonder if it's solely because I'm the last of the dragon kin." he asked.
Bahamut regarded him with a measured gaze.
"You really are a smart boy," she complimented.
"Well, I wasn't supposed to say anything, but I suppose it can't be helped. Draco, your existence is an anomaly." She stated bluntly.
Draco's heart raced, and he couldn't help but wonder if the gods knew he was a reincarnator.
"What do you mean by that?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Till this day, we still can't figure out how you survived the divine judgment. All the dragon kin should have been killed by it, but years later, you were suddenly found in an egg at the ruins of their civilization. Even more puzzling, you didn’t hatch all those years till around 12 years ago" Bahamut explained, her brow furrowing in confusion.
"Well, we speculated that the dragon kin used some kind of method to protect you, but nothing has been proven," she continued.
Draco listened intently, his mind racing with questions and theories.
"Is there anything wrong with me being alive, and what does this have to do with what the gods need from me?" he asked, his voice tinged with a hint of concern.
Bahamut sighed. "Well, the future changed. You see, there is a dragon god called Chronepsis, and he can kind of see flow of time, like the past and future, except one particular bit of the past is missing." She paused, her gaze intense.
"Some kind of power was strong enough to block a god as powerful as him from seeing the details of how you survived, but that isn't the main point. Due to your existence, certain future paths opened and many closed. I can't reveal the details, but something very big is going to happen in the future, and the lower world needs several heroes and a champion to overcome it." she revealed.
Draco felt a knot form in the pit of his stomach.
'Shit, things are getting more crazy. X, what the fuck did you do?' he thought, his mind racing with the implications.
"Is there a reason you can't tell me what will happen?" Draco asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.
Bahamut's expression softened. "If I did, that future would be cemented in stone, as it would greatly influence your actions," she replied.
Draco's brows furrowed as another question popped into his head, but Bahamut had read his mind.
"Oh, and if you want to ask why didn't he save your family if he could see the future, the answer is that it was not possible. While in the lower world, his ability was sealed, so he had to return to the upper world four years ago, so that I could come down," Bahamut said, her voice laced with regret.
‘Even if he could somehow save them, he probably wouldn't. Chronepsis is an observer and rarely interferes with anything. It was already strange to us that he interfered with your life' she thought.
Draco clenched his fist tightly, the pain of his family's loss still fresh in his mind.
"I understand," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
'It doesn't seem to be a lie. Gods have their arcanum sealed in the lower world, and I can't currently think of anything she would gain from lying to me,' Draco thought, his mind working overtime to process the information.
"I have no desire to be a hero or a champion, but if something happens that would endanger the lives of my loved ones, I will do something about it," Draco stated, his voice filled with conviction.
Bahamut smiled, seemingly satisfied with his reply.
"That's great, now before you join my familia, I have one more thing to warn you about," she said, her expression turning serious.
"What is it?" Draco asked, his curiosity piqued.
"Well, receiving my Falna blessing will be a different experience for you," Bahamut replied, her eyes narrowing.
Draco's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?" he asked, his mind racing with possibilities.
Bahamut hesitated for a moment, her gaze shifting to the side.
Bahamut's expression grew serious as she explained the process to Draco.
"Normally, your kind can grow stronger without falna. That would normally take anywhere between 100 to 500 years to reach the mature/elder phase," she said, her brow furrowing slightly.
"But according to my friend, receiving falna from a dragon god could speed up the process. Imagine your body is a vessel that slowly accumulates power and changes, growing to adapt when that power reaches the limit of its current state," she continued, her tone clinical yet tinged with a hint of fascination.
"Uhm, so basically falna would trigger a process where your vessel would gather excelia by hunting monsters and performing feats to fill itself. This forces your vessel to reach its limit and forcefully adapt faster than its natural speed, in your case growth phases. I imagine the process will be extremely painful, when entering the next growth phase. Do you still wish to proceed?" Bahamut asked, her gaze searching Draco's face for any sign of hesitation.
'Ugh, no way I am waiting 500 years,' Draco thought, his crimson eyes narrowed in concentration.
The prospect of reaching his full potential centuries ahead of schedule was enticing, but the implication of immense pain gave him pause.
"Yes, I would like to proceed. But..." he trailed off, his brow furrowed with uncertainty.
Anticipating his question, Bahamut raised a hand to cut him off.
"Stop! I know what you want to ask, and the answer is I don't know. You’re the first case, and I am just telling you what my friend told me," she stated firmly, her expression suddenly turning apologetic.
"I see," Draco replied, his voice tinged with a hint of disappointment.
Sensing the shift in the atmosphere, Bahamut clapped her hands together and offered the group a bright, infectious smile.
"Anyway, I welcome you all to the great Bahamut familia - Draco, Clair, Michalis, Eleni, Nikolaos, Dimitra, Vasileios and Vasiliki, right?" she exclaimed, her energy palpable.
One by one, the group members stood and voiced their gratitude, their initial hesitation slowly melting away in the face of Bahamut's warm reception.
Clair, stepped forward first. "Thank you, Lady Bahamut, for accepting us into your familia. We may not be as strong as you'd hope, but we'll give it our all," she said, her voice quiet yet determined.
Michalis, being a simp, followed her example.
"Your generosity is truly humbling, Lady Bahamut. We are honored to serve under your guidance, and we won't let you down," he declared.
"The opportunity you've given us is invaluable. We are forever in your debt, and we will strive to become worthy members of your familia," Eleni stated, her words laced with sincerity.
One by one, the rest of the group expressed their gratitude, each offering their own unique perspective and personality.
Draco watched, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips, as he witnessed the camaraderie and unity within the group.
"Thank you for letting us join.," Draco said, his voice steady.
He was genuinely grateful to Bahamut for her honesty and for welcoming them into her familia.
As the last words of thanks faded, Bahamut's smile only grew wider.
"Alright, come one by one to my room. Let's get you all falna," she announced, her excitement palpable.
Draco remained seated, deciding to go last. Left to think, he began to ponder.
'Some gods feared the dragon kin due to their growing power, what would happen to me if they knew that I could impregnate a goddess?' he wondered, his mind racing with questions and concerns.
Chronepsis had clearly withheld certain information, and Draco couldn't help but wonder if this enigmatic dragon god was truly his ally.
'I've been told so much that I didn't know, and I'm having trouble processing it all,' he thought, his brow furrowed in deep contemplation.
“Sigh, forget it all. This is a problem for the future me” he muttered to himself.
Getting up from his chair, Draco made his way towards Bahamut’s room.
He was curious to see what abilities, his family would gain from receiving falna.