Blessing

Leopold found himself standing in a space of pure black. There was no ground beneath his feet, no rocky ceiling above, and not a single familiar scent or presence around him.

The only thing that existed was himself.

“Where is this...?” He frowned and muttered to himself. “According to my inherited memories, my consciousness should have sunk completely into the depths of my bloodline during the slumber. I shouldn't even be dreaming.”

There was no light, no sound, no scent. Even the instinctual perception that the dragon clan took the most pride in could not detect any boundaries.

It was as if this place had been completely forgotten by the world.

Could it be... that he was in the depths of someone's consciousness?

Just then, the boundless darkness suddenly began to contract. A deep voice echoed from the void:

“At last, another little one has arrived.”

Leopold whipped around, but there was nothing there. The voice seemed to roll in from all directions, with no clear source.

“Who's there?” Leopold steadied his breathing, his golden vertical pupils scanning his surroundings warily. “This is the depths of my bloodline, my place of slumber. There shouldn't be any outsiders here.”

“An outsider?”

The voice burst into a fit of laughter.

“You carry my blood and inherit my memories, yet you call me an outsider?”

Leopold's pupils contracted sharply.

He looked around again. The darkness was still a boundless void, but a strange sensation suddenly washed over him.

“Are you...” Leopold spoke tentatively, “the Primordial Dark Dragon—Yaridagu Blackwell Tann?”

“Call me by my full name, little one. It seems your inherited memories aren't entirely lost.”

“Respected Ancestor, supreme Dragon God.” Leopold immediately bowed his head and lowered his body.

The moment Leopold bowed his head, the boundless darkness suddenly collapsed inward.

A massive silhouette slowly coalesced before him. It was a giant shadow that surpassed all his comprehension—its wings, when spread, seemed to blot out the entire void. Dark golden vertical pupils hovered in the darkness like two setting suns sinking into the earth.

This was the Primordial Dark Dragon, the source of his bloodline!

“Rise,” the Primordial Dragon's voice was deep and commanding. “A descendant of the Tann bloodline has no need to bow to me.”

Leopold immediately stood straight.

The phantom of the Primordial Dragon shifted slightly, those dark golden vertical pupils scanning him from head to toe.

“Your bloodline is very thin,” the Primordial Dragon said bluntly. “But your soul... is very interesting.”

Leopold held his breath and did not speak.

“You carry an aura that does not belong to this world,” the Primordial Dragon spoke slowly. “It is not of the dragon clan, nor the God Race, nor is it the mark of any other race.”

Leopold opened his mouth, but he did not know how to answer. Should he admit he was a transmigrator? Admit that the soul inside this body was not a native dragon of this world at all?

“You need not explain,” the Primordial Dragon cut off his unspoken words. “The fact that you can enter the depths of my bloodline already proves you are worthy of this inheritance. Regardless of where you come from.”

The dark golden vertical pupils narrowed slightly.

“You are the seventh descendant to come here in ten million years,” Yaridagu seemed to ponder. “Though your bloodline is the thinnest, your soul is exceptionally stable.”

“Barring any accidents, you should be able to receive my blessing. Let me think, what would be best to bestow upon you?”

Leopold held his breath, waiting for the ancient voice to speak again.

“Wisdom and courage are your most precious assets,” the Primordial Dragon's voice slowly rang out. “I shall bestow upon you the 「Shadow Blessing」!”

Before Leopold could react, he fell to his knees, unable to stop himself from retching.

From his spine to his chest, the flesh beneath every single scale twitched violently. The magic in his body surged continuously, as if it were about to burst his physical form from the inside out!

That unspeakable power washed through his body—muscles compressed and then expanded, tendons tore apart and then reconnected, and even his pupils repeatedly dilated and contracted. He knelt in the void, his body no longer under his control.

“You can endure more than you think,” the Primordial Dragon's voice sounded. “Leopold, bear with it!”

Leopold was being reshaped—his scales grew darker, their edges faintly shimmering with a layer of dark silver veins, and his pupils turned completely golden.

After a very long time, Leopold finally stood up slowly. He looked down at his scales, which now possessed an extra layer of matte luster.

“Is this... the Shadow Blessing?” he murmured.

“Your body has accepted it,” the Primordial Dragon's voice descended from on high. “From now on, your magic will inherently carry the power of shadow. Any enemy who comes into contact with you will be eroded by the shadows.”

Leopold looked up; those dark golden vertical pupils still hovered in the darkness.

“Sleep, my descendant.”

“You shall receive one blessing and two great spells.”

“Use your brand-new heart to carve out a new path for the dragon clan...”

Leopold wanted to ask more, but the darkness before him had already begun to dissipate, and the Primordial Dragon's phantom rapidly receded. He felt himself falling through the air.

Falling through layer after layer of darkness, through countless shattered memory fragments. This fall lasted for a very long time, so long that he thought he would keep falling forever...

A soft halo of light shone upon a soft, large bed. Leopold slowly opened his eyes, his vision remaining blurry for a long moment.

“Huh? Have I turned back into a human?” Leopold raised his hand, and what entered his sight were long, slender fingers.

“It's over...” Leopold held his head. Just as he was about to turn over, he discovered a head resting on his left arm.

A white-haired girl lay beside him, one hand draped over his body, her fingertips slightly curled.

Leopold froze completely. He blinked and noticed a few pale white scales faintly remaining on the side of the girl's neck.

“...Isabella?”

The girl did not wake. Her brow furrowed slightly, and she snuggled even closer against him instead.

Calm down, calm down. Any dragon who had undergone a slumber could transform into a human form; there was nothing unusual about this.

He carefully tried to pull his left arm out, but Isabella's head moved along with it, her brow furrowing slightly.

Leopold immediately stopped, not daring to move another inch.

“...Leo?” Her voice was slurred, her eyes still closed.

“...Yeah,” he replied. “Are you awake, Bella?”

“No,” she buried her head back into his body. “Just a little longer!”

“Get up.” Leopold sat up immediately, rubbing the space between his brows in exasperation.

He turned to look around. This was a small stone room, but it had been arranged to be unexpectedly comfortable.

“Welcome to the world sixteen years later, Leopold.” Isabella opened her icy blue eyes, stretched, and sat up as well.

“Sixteen years?” Leopold was stunned.

“To be precise, sixteen years and one month.” Isabella got out of bed, her bare feet stepping onto the stone floor. She wore a simple white robe.

“Blake's slumber lasted for over four years and three months, while mine lasted for over five years and two months.” Isabella had already walked over to a wooden table in the corner of the stone room, bending over to pour a cup of water.

Her movements were natural; she had clearly grown accustomed to her human form. Carrying the cup, she walked back and handed it to him.

“In the future, try to move around in human form as much as possible, otherwise it will cause a lot of unnecessary trouble and misunderstanding.”

Leopold looked down at his open hands, then touched his face. Skin, facial features, hair—everything was that of a human.

“You'll get used to it slowly,” Isabella stuffed the water cup into his hand. “When I first woke up, I couldn't even walk straight for a few days. I kept wanting to use all four limbs.”

Leopold took the cup and drank, clearing his cluttered thoughts slightly. Alright, although there was some discrepancy in the timing, he needed to address the first order of business now.

“Bella, what happened to the Bronzebeard Tribe...?”