Chapter 287: New Look - Dragonlord Appearance
Underground Base, Bolton Lands
POV of Domeric Bolton
Domeric looked at the large mirror that he had just transfigured. And a stranger stared back at him.
He had become taller. Not by much, only a few inches. But it was noticeable to him.
His body structure had changed little. He had lost some weight and become leaner, but even though his muscles did not swell, instead they now had sharper lines.
This was because, thanks to the change he made in the ritual, his muscles would now develop compactly, and as they grew, they would compress and grow stronger rather than swelling.
After the body enhancement ritual, his strength had reached its peak, and he could no longer grow stronger through training. But now that the limit of his potential had increased, it was possible to become stronger again through training.
His facial structure had also become sharper. The childlike features he had before disappeared, and now he looked more like an adult. It also made him look elegant and regal, as if the ritual had taken him as close to perfection as possible.
His hair had changed color. The black hair had turned into the golden-platinum color that only the pure Valyrians ever had.
Only Daenys the Dreamer in the Targaryen line was ever reported to have hair like this: she and the other powerful mages in Valyria.
His eyes had changed as well. Once, they were pale grey. Now, they were bright violet. And they almost seemed to glow with the magic that was now churning inside him.
So much magic.
He had never felt so powerful in his life before in either of his lives.
If he was not wrong in his estimate, then he was twice as strong now as Dumbledore used to be in his prime.
The ritual had been beyond painful, and it had done a number on him.
But he had a feeling that his lifespan had also increased by a bit, something that he'll look into later.
But the power it gave him could not be denied.
He waved his hand, and the mirror was suddenly ten times larger and covered the entire wall.
Now, wandless magic was very easy for him, and his magical control had improved incomparably compared to before.
He chuckled in joy. The chuckle soon turned into laughter, which turned into a coughing fit as it sent a jolt of pain toward his still-injured throat.
Shouting and screaming for hours will do that to you. At least that's what Ygritte told him.
He himself couldn't remember the ritual properly. Only faint glimpses of pain and torture made him glad that he was incoherent throughout the ritual.
That much pain could break anyone.
He was lucky he wasn't a vegetable like the Longbottoms and the other victims of the Cruciatus Curse at Saint Mungo's.
And if he was hesitant about using this ritual on Ygritte before because of risks, he was entirely against it now, at least not without making adjustments to the ritual.
The gain of turning her into a Dragonlady was not worth the risk of her turning into a vegetable.
But if he knew Ygritte at all, he knew she wouldn't give up this ritual easily.
Moreover, if he wanted to build a Dragon Army, he would need more Dragonriders. And Ygritte becoming a Dragonlady through this ritual would ensure that their future children would inherit these Dragonrider abilities.
Therefore, Domeric thought it made more sense to fix the problem with the ritual.
Fortunately, his condition after the ritual had shown him what was wrong.
The ritual altered the body far more than Domeric had anticipated. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say it completely rebuilt the body. This was likely because Domeric modified the ritual to use three eggs instead of a single one.
And the human mind is not strong enough to withstand the dismantling and rebuilding of the body. Therefore, Domeric had to add an addition that would render the person unconscious and put them in a temporary coma during the ritual.
Perhaps the Valyrians would put people to sleep with some drug or Valyrian wizarding potion before performing this ritual. If so, it's understandable that he skipped this step, having found nothing about it in the ritual drawings he'd seen.
Furthermore, the body required significantly more water and nutrients during the ritual. So, he also had to add supplements and ensure they were delivered to the body throughout the ritual.
Fortunately, these were external additions that did not interfere with the ritual's core and were easy for Domeric to implement.
"Are you done staring at yourself?" Ygritte asked as she entered the room, and he smiled at her and nodded.
She walked up to his naked body and wrapped her arms around his waist.
"It's going to take some time to get used to this new face." She said as they met eyes in the mirror.
"Do you not like it?" he asked with a smirk, knowing well what her answer was going to be.
He did not look ugly before. In fact, he considered himself to be quite good-looking. But now… now he could easily take the spot of the most handsome man in Westeros. That is, if he did not hide his Valyrian features with a glamor charm.
King Robert Baratheon held a great deal of hatred for the Targaryens after all.
"I like it." She said and kissed him on the neck, "I loved you before as well. And I would have loved you even if your face had turned hideous from the ritual. But I like it better the way it is now."
He turned around and kissed her lips, picking her from the ground from her waist.
"I need to go and check on the egg." He whispered once they separated.
"Let's see this egg of yours then." She said and led him out of the room.
They crossed the corridor and reached the Incubation Room.
He pushed the door open, and at the center of the room was a large black egg, double the size of any other egg in the room.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.288: Enchanted Valyrian Armor and Staff
Ch.289: Staffs vs. Wands
Ch.290: Sothoryos