In that moment, I felt utterly helpless. Watching Natsuki plummet into the cavern tore at me with a sorrow and anger I had never known. Surrounded by creatures that barred me from saving him, something inside me shattered—something raw and destructive was unleashed.
I transformed into the giant bat I had once fought alongside Natsuki and Father during our hunts. With a piercing screech, I stunned the creatures, sending them tumbling. The sound reverberated through the cavern like a storm, shaking loose dust and stone. As they fell, I shifted into a baby dragon, exhaling fire that engulfed the five who had encircled me. Their shrieks echoed as flames consumed them, the cavern glowing with the fury of my grief.
Then, wings spread wide, I became a falcon, diving through the endless tunnels in search of Natsuki. Impatience clouded my judgment; I darted through passage after passage, each one twisting into darkness. The cavern stretched on without end, its silence mocking me. Hours seemed to pass, my mana drained, until exhaustion forced me back into human form.
I collapsed onto a jagged rock, tears streaming, despair gnawing at me. The thought of ending it all whispered in my mind, heavy and suffocating. Shadows pressed in, and for a moment I considered surrendering to them. But then—like a spark in the void—I heard a voice. Natsuki's voice.
Hope surged through me, fragile yet radiant. I followed the sound, clinging to the joy that he was alive. The tunnels twisted endlessly, time losing meaning, until I stumbled into a vast chamber. As my feet touched the ground, the tunnels sealed shut with the same magic that had blocked the nest's entrance. Portals shimmered open, and slime-dragons poured through. Yet they did not attack. They only watched, their eyes gleaming with eerie patience, as if awaiting command.
The portals sealed again, and then a massive rift tore open. From it emerged the most vile creature I had ever seen. Its eyes burned a flame-red, rimmed in black decay. Maggots writhed between rotting scales, its neck gaped open to reveal festering green flesh, and its mouth was jagged with missing teeth. Razor-sharp claws, pitted with holes, scraped against the stone.
The stench overwhelmed me, and I vomited. Its lazy, smooth voice slithered through the chamber, rancid breath filling the air. "Ahhh… very good, my children. You've brought me a fine meal today."
Its long, silver tongue slid out, licking where lips should have been.
I did not hesitate. I transformed into a frost serpent, scales glittering with icy light, but moments later, my power failed. I reverted to human form, unable to shift again. Chains erupted from the ground, binding me in place.
"Now, now, dear," the creature crooned. "We don't need any of that here. You should feel honored to be part of the reforming of the Divine Dragon Bell."
"Who?" I asked, bewildered.
Its eyes flared with rage. "You don't know who I am? I was the general of the Dragon Gods' original army! The first mortal to ascend to divine rank! The conqueror of kingdoms for my lord—and you claim ignorance of me?"
The cavern trembled with its fury. Flames gathered in its throat, crimson and suffocating.
"At least in your final moments," it hissed, "you will know the brilliance of who I am."
I forced a smirk. "More like who you were."
Its rage faltered as the chamber shook again. "This power… extraordinary. Exactly what I need to hasten my rebirth." It blasted fire into the ceiling, tearing open a void. "Children! Bring me my dinner!"
The slime-dragons swarmed upward, leaving me alone with the beast.
"It seems someone wishes to save you," it sneered. "Any idea who, my dear? You've been here long enough since I used…" Its voice shifted, becoming Natsuki's. "…your brother's voice to lure you."
"You monster!" I shouted.
It laughed, but its words chilled me. "If it is him, I'll let you die together."
My thoughts raced. Natsuki had no mana. What power had the creature sensed? Was it another entity, a guild, or something far worse?
A thunderous crash silenced my doubts. One slime-dragon plummeted through the void, splattering across the stone. More followed, raining down like a storm.
"No! My babies!" the creature shrieked.
From the void, a figure descended, landing atop the corpses before rising to face the decayed dragon.
"Something in here smells good," a familiar voice said.
The creature froze, trembling. Even the maggots fell from its scales. "No… it can't be! It's the one who defeated me, the sin of Gluttony, Haven's most hated defier of the Seven… Haven's Blasphemer."
The name sent a shiver down my spine.
The figure turned, and my heart stopped. His voice was unmistakable. His hair was longer, darker, his frame taller and leaner, muscles defined. But his eyes—once brown—now glowed a haunting, gloomy purple.
"Natsuki… is that you?" I whispered.
He smiled and nodded. My cheeks burned with a blush I could not suppress.
Then, with a grin, he turned to the decayed dragon. "I think it's about time we got to the fighting, don't you?"
In an instant, he drew his sword, dashing forward with deadly amusement. The clash of steel and decay was about to begin.