With only a single step left between him and the statue, the little boy felt a hand clamp down firmly upon his head. He immediately tried to pull away, but to no avail; the hand gripping him allowed no retreat, forbidding him from moving even a millimeter.
Ten lifetimes, ten lives...
Shall bring it together.
Through it,
The Prophecy shall come to pass.
As the words echoed within his mind, Mel was swept away by the surge of energy flooding his body. It was pure bliss coursing through his veins, granting him the euphoria of a rebirth.
The black-haired young man, who had parted ways with him at the beginning of the path, appeared equally exalted. Even as his feet resting upon the pedestal rapidly turned to stone, the smile gracing his features did not waver in the slightest.
At that exact moment, far away, the person inside the crystal coffin drew his last breath. In stark contrast to the anxious faces of the black-robed men gathered around him, the ghost of a smile lingered upon his lips.
A considerable amount of time passed before Mel could emerge from his trance; it took five whole days for the symbols branded onto his body to sear themselves deep into his flesh.
When the little boy finally awoke, he found himself all alone on the small altar where he and his grandfather had sat cross-legged. Right where the old man had stood drenched in blood, there now lay a letter, a ring, and a medallion.
Faced with this scene after waking from what felt like a long dream, he maintained a much cooler head than he would have in the past. First, he picked up the worn parchment and began to read the letter.
"To my Heir, Mel,
There are many things you do not know about me, little one. I would have wished to tell you everything piece by piece, but alas, fate willed otherwise.
My name is Drago, but the world knows me as the Coral-Eyed Green Dragon. Ensure this secret remains deeply buried, lest people attempt to sever your throat at the first opportunity.
I was the ninth heir of our supreme ancestor. By choosing you as my successor, I have fulfilled my duty and passed into eternal rest.
It grieves me to say this, but along with a monumental opportunity, I have also bequeathed to you the hatred and enmity of the entire world. We are special people, Mel. Even though the lineage was heavily diluted by the time it reached me, we all carry the essence of dragon blood in our veins.
It grants us power, wisdom, nobility, and a life force far beyond what anyone else could ever dream of possessing. That is the sole reason your feeble grandfather lived for hundreds of years, child.
Naturally, this inheritance bears its own responsibilities. A Dragon Blood Heir never wields a weapon in battle. Relying on man-made armor to protect your body would only bring shame to your bloodline.
Just like the nine predecessors before you, you shall fight utilizing nothing but the supreme body you have been blessed with. I am certain you will come to understand the gravity of this principle as time goes on.
Unlike the rest of the world, we do not cultivate our Spiritual Power; the energy of the world already belongs to us. We take and use whatever we require whenever we require it—that is the very nature of dragons, the proud rulers of the skies.
As I said, by the time the inheritance reached me, our supreme ancestor's bloodline had thinned with every generation. But do not let this dishearten you; everything still rests solely upon your determination.
Remember the temple where your initiation ritual took place, Mel. That is the one and only sanctuary that will grant you power on the long journey you have just begun.
I can guess what is passing through your mind. Right now, you are likely wondering how a place whose location you do not even know could possibly assist you.
Your Energy Palace is inside of you, Mel. The energies of our supreme ancestor and all the heirs, myself included, are sealed within it, waiting for you.
During the ritual, I could only pass on about thirty percent of my energy to you, but claiming the rest of my inheritance shall pose no difficulty for you.
The ring I left behind is a Spatial Ring. Inside, you will find a detailed guide explaining exactly how to lay claim to my energy and wisdom.
The cave you are in right now, and the valley surrounding us, exist solely for you. I hope that within three years, you will be able to reach the pitiful realm I managed to attain.
Do not merely set your sights upon my level, child. As a Dragon Blood Heir, your ultimate goal must be gathering the energies of your predecessors and striving to reach the heights of our supreme ancestor.
Walking this path shall be far more arduous than you anticipate. You must know that the current masters of this world are the martial artists who cultivate their souls.
You must never let them discover who you are. If they do, they will not hesitate for a single breath to extinguish your life, merely to steal the Dragon Blood inheritance in your veins and the secrets hidden within your peerless body.
Until you fully complete my inheritance, conceal your true nature. Never give people a reason to suspect you harbor something extraordinary within you.
Do not kill anyone who has not entered the Killing Cycle.
That is my final request of you, little one. As my heir, I trust you will honor it..."
By the time he finished reading the letter, Mel understood what had truly transpired on that terrifying night, and how they had managed to live in peace right beside a forest crawling with wild beasts.
It was all thanks to the old man the village had deemed a burden. He was the guardian watching over him and the rest of the villagers from the shadows.
Reaching for the ring beside the letter, the moment the metal touched his skin, a faint wisp of energy from his fingertips flowed directly into it.
A whole new world unfolded before his eyes—a massive void. Inside, stretching as far as the eye could see, were books, clay pots lined up on colossal shelves, and glowing chests.
A plain but captivating desk sat right in the center of this vast space. Upon it, immediately drawing his gaze, was a large tome opened right down the middle, accompanied by a white quill waiting dipped in a pot of ink.
On the open page, written as a massive heading, were the words Dragon Claw. When Mel traced his eyes downward, he was met with very familiar handwriting.
"Heir,
This is the name of the only combat technique your useless Drago could leave behind for you. Just like the peerless body of our supreme ancestor, your hands will morph into dragon claws, delivering certain death to any enemy foolish enough to stand in your path.
From the very first page of this book, everything you must do to claim my entire legacy is inscribed in detail. Train relentlessly. Succeed where I and my predecessors failed, and become the first man to ever reach the level of our ancestor!"
Even though his comprehension had expanded along with the transformation he underwent, he still needed a moment to fully assimilate these truths.
He had gone from a simple village boy living a mundane existence, to the heir of a legacy that had earned the enmity of the entire world.
Taking the final keepsake—the medallion—and slipping it around his neck, the little boy began walking toward the dim light filtering through the stone-arched doorway of the small chamber he was in.
It did not take long before he stepped into the cave with the ceiling adorned by radiant stones. It was obvious now that the chamber where the ritual dubbing him the Heir took place was actually just a tiny fraction of the greater cavern.
"The Spring Peonies have bloomed so beautifully!"
While strolling through the flower garden, Mel murmured the name of a blossom whose petals had burst into a riot of colors. As a result of this involuntary utterance, the little boy halted mid-step.
"How on earth do I know the name of this plant?"
The question was straightforward: how could he possibly know the name of something he had never laid eyes upon before?
"Its effects, its uses, cultivation methods, the elements it reacts with! What is happening to me?"
He was astounded. If it were merely the name, he might not have reacted so strongly, but right now, every single fragment of knowledge related to that plant was flooding into his mind.