§Dragon Language§
"œφℜℑξλ"
The world halted.
Its colors faded into a lifeless gray.
Reality itself, as if compelled to obey, staggered, paused, and then resumed, but no longer the same.
Arrows, once suspended mid-flight, lost their momentum and tumbled to the ground.
The spear that had been tearing through the air toward Rizen faltered, its momentum snuffed as it kissed the earth.
Weapons gripped by mounted riders slipped from their hands. The mounts collapsed, pinning their masters beneath them.
Foot soldiers dropped to their knees, to all fours, as if crushed by an unseen weight, their eyes cast down, refusing to meet his gaze.
And then—
Rizen's eyes dimmed, the golden flames fading, returning to their normal hue.
He stepped past the thousand-strong army and entered the town, no one dared block his path as he stored the carcass within his Dimensional World.
Inside, the streets were empty. No vendors manned their stalls, no shopkeepers in sight. Only the birds remained, pecking freely at fresh fruits left unattended.
Rizen spent the evening, and the night within the town. By the time the baron and citizens returned, having received word of what had transpired, the sun had begun to rise.
Grateful, Rizen had been offered several rewards, which he accepted without ceremony. He then made a request: arrangements for a caravan to the Empire's capital, where craftsmen capable of working with the hide of the slain beast could be found. There were none in this town with the skill to handle such a task.
The baron agreed, taking it upon the city's coffers to fund the expedition—an escort caravan bound for the capital a thousand kilometers away, along with a team of adventurers to accompany him on the journey.
As noon held firm and the sun blazed high in the sky, Rizen departed alongside a party of four. The Baron and a crowd of citizens gathered to bid him farewell in silence, awe still lingering in their eyes.
The caravan rolled forward along an unpaved, uneven path, wheels creaking against stones and soil. Riding beside it, Rizen glanced toward the adventurers assigned to accompany him. They all appeared to be in their twenties, except for one cloaked figure, whose hood masked everything.
Rizen didn't bother peering beneath it. He could have, easily with his Dragon Eyes. But he chose not to.
And unlike the hooded figure, Rizen wore his hood for a different reason.
His massive frame made it impossible to find proper clothes, so the cloak had become a necessity. But more than that, it served to hide his face, at least the parts that might unsettle others.
His ashen skin, eyes marked by crimson lines that hadn't been there before. They had appeared after the first time he invoked the Dragon Language. Streaks so raw, they looked as if blood might spill from them at any moment.
He didn't wear the hood to conceal his identity, but to keep people from recoiling at the sight of him.
And as the caravan rolled, Rizen looked at their status through his Authority.
∴ ∴ ∴
Status
True Name: —
Race: Human
Affiliation: God of Thunder
Class: Axemaster
STR: 1005
AGI: 1002
VIT-F: 1089
Mana: 50
Ability:BerserkAxe
∴ ∴ ∴
∴ ∴ ∴
Status
True Name: —
Race: Human
Affiliation: God of Thunder
Class: Sharp Archer
STR: 500
AGI: 1200
VIT-F: 50
Mana: 2009
Ability:One-Shot EagleEye
∴ ∴ ∴
∴ ∴ ∴
Status
True Name: —
Race: Human
Affiliation: God of Thunder
Class: Debuff Priest
STR: 200
AGI: 500
Miasma: 500
Ability:Debuff of Heavens
∴ ∴ ∴
∴ ∴ ∴
Status
True Name: —
Race: Human
Affiliation: Plague Monarch
Class: Plague Thief
STR: 500
AGI: 1009
Murk: 5000
Ability:Plague Inflicter (Constant)
∴ ∴ ∴
Rizen glanced through the first three status screens. Standard readings. Nothing worth noting.
But when he reached the fourth…
His brow twitched.
"Plague Monarch…" he muttered under his breath, low enough that none of the four could hear.
Something about that name sat wrong with him. Unease stirred in his chest as his gaze drifted toward the one bearing the Plague Thief class.
They sat silently at the far edge of the caravan, eyes downcast, hands folded in their lap. Cloaked and still.
The others in the group, their own companions, kept their distance. No words exchanged. No looks shared. As if pretending the fourth member didn't exist.
Rizen's gaze lingered a moment longer.
And just as Rizen found himself growing curious about the silent, hooded figure in the corner—
A message appeared before him.
∴ ∴ ∴
| Possibility Detected: Follower Induction |
You may grant one of the following Dragon God Sub-Skills:
| Dragon Contract |
You may either force a dragon within your domain to form a contract—
Power will clash, and outcome is determined by relative Power and authority.
Alternatively, with the dragon's consent, you may offer their contract to a chosen Follower.
| Dragon's Favored |
Dragons—sensing your fragment of The Dragon God's energy, regard you with natural favor upon first contact.
This affinity may be used to sway their will, command their support, or get temporary blessings.
...
| Dragon God's True Skill |
∴ ∴ ∴
Rizen scrolled through the list in silence, eyes narrowing.
Only one caught his attention.
| Dragon Contract |
You can compel a dragon, initiating a clash measured by Power Holdings.
Or, with their consent, you may offer their contract to a chosen individual.
Rizen stared at the skill screen for a long moment.
"The Dragon Contract..." he murmured under his breath.
Above him, the sun dipped lower into the horizon, painting the sky in hues of gold and crimson. Eventually, the caravan came to a slow halt beside a wide river, its surface glinting with the last light of day.
"We'll set up camp here," the caravan rider announced, hopping down from the driver's seat.
The party of five disembarked. The other adventurers moved toward the river's edge, unpacking supplies and assembling tents. Before long, one of them glanced back at Rizen.
"You can take a walk or something," they said. "We're paid to handle the setup anyway."
Rizen gave a silent nod and turned away.
In contrast, no one addressed the hooded figure.
They didn't assign him a task.
They didn't even glance his way.
The figure, silent as ever, drifted off into the forest, alone, neither asking nor being told.
As if both sides preferred it that way.
Rizen had a few thoughts about it, swirling in his mind as he walked slowly along the edge of the trees, listening to the sound of rustling leaves in the silence.
That's when the archer approached, awkwardly, glancing around as if unsure whether he should even speak.
Rizen stopped and turned to him.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
The archer hesitated. "It's nothing… just—"
He scratched his neck, clearly uncomfortable.
"—the party leader asked me to suggest that you don't get too close to the hooded girl."
Rizen's brow rose.
He tilted his head slightly, waiting for an explanation.
The archer gave a weak, apologetic smile.
"No, no, it's not like that," he said quickly. "It's just... wherever she goes, the animals she wounds, or even touches with her daggers, don't die right away. They carry something. A plague."
He paused, lowering his voice.
"Within months, it spreads through their entire race. Wipes out whole populations in the area."
He glanced around again, as if the forest itself might be listening.
"That's all. The leader just told me to warn you," he said with a slight shrug. "Rest's up to you."
And just before he turned to leave, he added one last thing over his shoulder:
"Oh, and if you ever fight a beast she's wounded… don't let it touch you."
He met Rizen's eyes for a moment.
"You'll carry the plague too."
Then he walked off, heading back toward the camp, now nearly complete.
Rizen, deep in thought, turned his gaze toward the forest, the direction the plague-marked girl had wandered. With a silent breath, he spread his senses outward.
Far in the distance, nestled among the trees, he found her.
She sat alone atop a jagged stone outcropping, its edges sharp and uneven, yet she paid it no mind. Her eyes were fixed on the full moon, calm and distant.
Half of her face caught the moonlight, pale and soft.
The other half seemed to consume it, dark, hollow, and half-rotted.
Flies buzzed around her, drawn instinctively to decay.
But they never reached her. One by one, they dropped dead mid-air, their wings folding before they could even touch her skin.
Those that survived fled, spiraling back toward their hive, likely carrying something unseen.
The colony would be gone within days.
Rizen observed her in silence. She sat with quiet grace, her hood slipped down by her side.
There was something solemn about the way she gazed at the moon, half her face bathed in silver light, the other half—untouched.
Mmm... This will do.
Rizen thought, as he turned his senses inward—into the Dragon Realm.
A world within him, vast and storm-veiled, where dragons of every kind, some ancient and colossal, others young and barely evolved from wyverns, drifted, flew, or slept. This was his domain, a cosmos teeming with flame and bloodline.
He reached out with his will.
"Is any among you willing to offer a contract?"
The great ones, those ancient, timeless beings, remained silent, indifferent in their slumber.
But then, a voice stirred.
Faint. Youthful.
Yet proud.
A presence pulsed from a newly risen dragon, one who had only just ascended from wyvern form.
"Sure. I could give it a try."
Rizen opened his eyes.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
Rizen willed the system to pass the contract onto the girl's interface.
A soft ding echoed in the air as the confirmation flickered once, then vanished into the sky.
After a brief walk beneath the moonlit trees, Rizen returned to the camp.
The meal prepared by the caravan driver with help from the other three was simple but warm. He ate in silence.
Meanwhile, deep in the forest, the plague-marked girl remained seated, eyes still lifted to the moon in quiet stillness.
Suddenly, a message unfolded before her.
System Message
| Contract Available: Flame Dragon – Flamevyrn's Oather |
She stared at the screen, eyes widening in disbelief.
A tremble passed through her fingers as she slowly reached out and tapped it.
Another message followed.
System Notice
Contracting with Flame Dragon will void existing pact with Plague Monarch.
Warning: May trigger hostile effects from the Monarch of Plague.
As the final message faded, the girl's heart sank.
Her eyes drifted to her half-rotten body, skin hardened, cracked, and dry, stripped of moisture long ago. What fluid remained had long since drained from her in the form of pus and blood.
It had started within the first month of taking the Plague Monarch's contract—a desperate choice made when all else had failed. She had needed power, fast. Not for herself, but to survive. To provide for her little brother.
Now, the price had come due.
She slid the system message with a slow swipe, then pulled up the black cloth once more, drawing the hood over her face. Every step back toward the camp felt heavier than the last.
The wind was quiet. The trees watched.
She walked in silence, shrouded and distant, until she saw him.
Rizen stood alone under the moonlight, its glow outlining the faint contours of his form. When he noticed her, he shifted slightly.
"Oh. You're here," he said, his voice calm, gentle, even; though the smile he tried to surface never reached his lips. Nor did it show from beneath his cloak.
The girl paused mid-step, surprised for a moment. Then her expression returned to stillness. She passed him slowly, moving toward the river.
Without looking back, she spoke.
"You do not know who I am. You should stay away."
It wasn't a warning.
It was a precaution, spoken with the quiet weight of someone who had long since stopped believing in their own salvation.
Rizen didn't react at first. He simply watched her walk away, shrouded once more in her hood and silence.
But just before the night passed, he offered a quiet suggestion.
"You should always take the chance," he said, his voice calm as he sat down on the grassy field, legs crossed, letting the night air settle around him as the campfire crackled gently in the distance.
"You never know which risk is greater."
His gaze remained fixed on the moon as the wind rustled around him.
The girl returned to her part of the camp, where a covered plate of food had been left untouched, the lid keeping it warm. She didn't touch it immediately. Instead, she sat in the quiet and turned Rizen's words over in her mind, again and again.
You never know which risk is greater.
She slept that night with unease in her heart, unsure whether it was fear she felt… or hope.
The next morning, as the caravan resumed its journey under a soft light of the sun, a single message floated before her:
Nullify Plague Monarch's Contract?
She had been staring at the system screen in a daze since morning.
The message floated before her, pulsing faintly in her vision:
Nullify Plague Monarch's Contract?
She said nothing. As she just watched it, vacant and uncertain.
The sun rose high by afternoon, casting harsh light over the dusty trail.
That was when the Plague Monarch's influence was at its weakest.
And with the subtle jolt of the caravan beneath her, almost as if fate gave her one final push, she made her choice.
Her finger tapped the screen.
Yes.
In that instant, the sky darkened.
Clouds surged across the heavens unnaturally fast, swallowing the sun in a matter of seconds. A heavy silence fell across the path.
Then—
A crack of lightning split the sky.
It struck the caravan with terrifying force, bright and violent enough to incinerate them all.
But just as the bolt came down—
Rizen's eyes narrowed.
He had already turned his gaze skyward.
He felt it in his bones—something wasn't right.
With a flick of his wrist, the air warped, redirecting the lightning off-course. The ground exploded to the side in a violent burst of flame and smoke as Rizen muttered lowly
The Plague Monarch