Chapter 43: 43. an S-Ranked Sli
Three more days passed.
Owen waited on the platform outside the Tower of Royals, alternating between his massive Juvenile Dragon form and his new humanoid form as he was having form playing around with the alternation.
When he’d first looked at his reflection in the mana-infused spring water near the platform, he was surprised.
His humanoid face, though covered in patches of black scales along his jawline and temples, looked exactly like his human face from his previous life.
The sa basic structure, the sa expressions that flickered across his features. It was uncanny, disorienting, like looking at a photograph of himself that had been altered in subtle but significant ways.
He wondered if all dragons had so kind of past lives that they looked like when they transford, or if this was sothing unique to him. Another question he had no answer to.
The Greater Dragons checked on him periodically. Fey’rath brought him food, massive slabs of so kind of magical beast at that tasted like the finest steak he’d ever had, marbled with fat that practically lted on his tongue. She’d sit with him sotis, not talking much, just keeping him company in her own way.
Zephron tried to goad him into a sparring match to "test out that new body," which Owen declined. He wasn’t in the mood for gas, not while Yuki was still in there.
Veridra observed him silently from a distance, her erald eyes tracking his movents whenever he transford or practiced walking. He could feel her analytical gaze, always studying, always assessing, though she never approached.
Glacius asked questions about his experience in the tower, which Owen answered reluctantly, giving the bare minimum of detail. The ice dragon seed satisfied with what little Owen shared, nodding thoughtfully at certain points.
And Chronara... Chronara just watched. Always watching. Those violet eyes seeing things Owen couldn’t even begin to comprehend, looking at him like he was a book she was reading, seeing not just what he was but what he could beco.
"She’ll return soon," Chronara said on the evening of the third day, appearing beside Owen without warning, without even a whisper of displaced air.
Owen, in his humanoid form and practicing a series of combat stances, nearly jumped out of his scales. "How soon?"
"Dawn." Chronara leaned on her staff, her ancient face peaceful. "She has faced trials different from yours. Harder, in so ways. Easier in others."
Owen’s hands clenched into fists. "What do you an?"
Chronara’s expression was unreadable, her violet eyes distant. "You learned what dragons are. What you are ant to be. What legacy you carry." She paused, considering her next words carefully. "She will learn what she is. Not what others have told her. Not what she believes herself to be. But what she truly is, beneath all that pain and trauma"
Before Owen could ask what that ant, before he could demand more details, Chronara vanished in a swirl of purple mist, leaving him alone on the platform with more questions than answers.
Dawn ca slowly, the artificial sky of Drak’thar lightening from deep purple to soft gold.
Owen stood at the base of the Tower of Royals in his humanoid form, black wings folded against his back, tail wrapped nervously around his leg, golden eyes fixed on the massive doors. He had barely slept that night, too anxious, too worried about what Yuki might have faced in there.
The other Greater Dragons had gathered as well, standing at a respectful distance in a loose semi-circle. Even they seed curious about what would erge, about what the Tower of Scholars would make of a human who’d dared to enter.
The doors began to glow.
Golden light spilled from the cracks between the massive slabs of stone, growing brighter and brighter until Owen had to shield his eyes.
And then they opened with a sound like thunder, swinging outward on hinges that hadn’t moved in who knew how long.
A figure stepped out, silhouetted against the golden light.
Yuki.
But she looked—or rather, felt different.
There was sothing changed about her presence, sothing fundantal.
From analysing her stats with dragon’s eyes, Owen could tell she was still C-Rank, though she had levelled up alot.
And perched on her head, nestled comfortably in her dark hair, was a small green gelatinous creature.
A sli.
It was translucent, about the size of an apple, with a faint green glow emanating from sowhere deep within its gelatinous body.
Two tiny black dots that might have been eyes stared out at the world with what could only be described as innocent curiosity. It jiggled slightly with each of Yuki’s steps.
Owen’s eyes widened. "Yuki!"
He rushed forward, his wings spreading instinctively, his tail unwrapping from his leg and swishing behind him for balance. He’d been waiting three days for this mont, and now that she was here, now that she was safe, the relief was overwhelming.
Yuki’s eyes locked onto him and she froze mid-step.
Her visible expression went from exhausted relief to complete shock, her eyes widening behind her mask.
"O..Owen?" Her voice was barely a whisper, disbelieving.
Owen skidded to a stop in front of her, suddenly self-conscious about his new form, about how different he must look.
"Uh, yeah. It’s . I know I look different, I evolved and got this humanoid form thing and I’m still getting used to it but—"
"Your face."
"What?"
Yuki’s hand trembled as she reached up, slowly, carefully, like she was afraid he might disappear if she moved too fast. Her fingers touched his cheek, traced the scales along his jawline with feather-light pressure, then moved to his more human features, his nose, his lips, his brow. Her hand was shaking.
"You look just like how you did before..." She swallowed hard.
Then she pulled him into a hug.
It was sudden, desperate, and completely unexpected. Her arms wrapped around him with surprising strength, her face buried in his shoulder.
Owen froze, his wings flaring out in surprise, his tail going rigid. Then he felt it—she was crying. He could feel her tears soaking into his shoulder, could feel her body shaking with silent sobs.
"I’ve missed you....so much" she whispered, her voice breaking. "In the tower. I couldn’t feel you through the bond. The connection was gone. I thought, I thought maybe...that I had lost you again...."
"You didnt....I’m here," Owen said, finally recovering from his shock and wrapping his arms around her, an action that still felt foreign with hands instead of claws but sohow right. "I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I promise."
They stood like that for a long mont, neither speaking, just holding each other.
The Greater Dragons watched from a respectful distance, saying nothing.
Then Yuki pulled back, wiping her eyes behind her mask with quick, almost embarrassed motions. "Sorry. I’m just, it’s been a long six months."
"Six days, actually," Owen corrected gently. "You were in there for six days total."
Yuki blinked, confusion crossing her features. "Six? It felt like... longer. Or maybe shorter. Ti was weird in there. It kept stretching and compressing. I don’t know anymore."
Owen nodded, understanding completely. "Tell
about it. The tower ssed with my perception of everything too."
Then his eyes focused on the sli still perched on her head, jiggling contentedly. "Uh, Yuki? What’s that?"
Yuki reached up and carefully lifted the sli off her head, cradling it in her hands.
The creature seed perfectly content, molding itself to the shape of her palms. "Oh. This is... I haven’t nad it yet. The tower gave it to . As a reward for clearing the trials."
"The tower gave you a pet sli?"
"It’s not a pet," Yuki said, a defensive edge creeping into her voice. "It’s a companion. A partner. Like you."
The sli jiggled happily in her hands, and Owen could swear it looked pleased with that description.
Owen activated [Dragon’s Eyes], focusing on the creature, curious what the system would tell him.
---
[Tad Beast: Unnad]
[Species: Primordial Sli]
[Rank: S]
[Level: 1/20]
[HP: 5,000]
[Stats:]
- Attack: 5000
- Defense: 10,000
- Agility: 3000
- Mana: 15,000
[Skills:]
- Absorption (S-Grade): Can absorb and store matter, energy, and even skills temporarily
- Shapeshifting (S-Grade): Can alter its form and density at will
- Corrosion (S-Grade): Can secrete powerful acids capable of dissolving most materials
- Regeneration (S-Grade): Near-instant healing from almost any injury
- Adaptive Evolution (SSS-Grade): Evolution path changes based on absorbed material.
---
Owen’s mouth fell open. "Holy shit."
"What?" Yuki asked, concern flickering across her face.
"That thing is S-Rank. And its skill set is insane." Owen stared at the innocent-looking sli, re-reading the descriptions.
"Depending on what it absorbs, it could beco... really, really dangerous. That Adaptive Evolution skill is SSS-Grade. Do you know how aweso that is? It’s literally onpar with my Sovereignties!"
The sli jiggled again, seeming to pulse with that faint blue light, as if pleased with itself.
Yuki smiled faintly, the first real smile Owen had seen from her since she erged. "The tower said it was a gift. Sothing to help
grow stronger. Sothing that would grow with ." She looked down at the sli with genuine affection. "We’re bonded now. I can feel it, like I feel you, but different."
Owen switched his [Dragon’s Eyes] focus to Yuki herself, curious about what changes the tower had wrought in her.
---
[Hunter: Yuki Goldberg]
[Level: 75/100]
[Rank: C]
[HP: 5,000]
[Stats]:
-attack:172
-defense: 175
-agility: 174
-mana: 1090
[SP: 0]
[Skills:]
- Beast Contract (C-Grade)
- Beast Heal (B-Grade)
- Beast Link (A-Grade)
- Beast Space (B-Grade)
- Beast Shift (A-Grade)
- Beast Sync (S-Grade)
- Gust (C-Grade)
- Swordsmanship (B-Grade): NEW
- Mana Reinforcent (A-Grade): NEW
- Battle Intuition (S-Grade): NEW
- Indomitable Will (SS-Grade): NEW
---
Owen’s eyes widened even further. "Yuki... your stats. Your skills. You’ve grown trendously. Your mana especially, it’s increased a lot."
Yuki looked away, her expression darkening like clouds covering the sun. "The tower was... thorough. I had to put all my SP into mana"
"What happened in there?"
Yuki’s expression darkened further. Her hand tightened around the sli, which made a small concerned Squeaking sound. "I don’t want to talk about it."
"Yuki..."
"I said I don’t want to talk about it, Owen." Her voice was firm. Final. The tone that said the conversation was over, that pushing would only make things worse.
Owen recognized that tone. It was the sa one she’d used after Oak and Lucien died.
She’s been through sothing. Sothing that changed her. Sothing she’s not ready to share yet. Maybe sothing she’ll never be ready to share.
He nodded slowly, respecting her boundary even though he desperately wanted to understand. "Okay. When you’re ready."
Yuki’s shoulders relaxed slightly, so of the tension draining from her posture. "Thank you."
The sli jiggled and began climbing back onto Yuki’s head, wiggling through her hands and up to her hend, settling into her hair like it belonged there as its nest.
Fey’rath approached, her humanoid form striking as always, all deadly grace and barely contained power. "Well, well. Both brats survived. Color
impressed."
Zephron grinned, his storm-gray eyes gleaming with excitent. "And she ca out with a Primordial Sli! That’s a legendary-tier companion right there! Do you know how many human tars would kill for that?"
Veridra’s serpentine eyes narrowed, studying both Yuki and the sli with intense focus. "The tower deed her worthy of such a gift. Very interesting indeed."
Glacius stepped forward, his icy gaze appraising both Owen and Yuki with the cool assessnt of soone who’d seen countless warriors co and go. "You have both completed the Tower of Royals. You have earned the right to remain in Drak’thar. You have our acknowledgnt, if not yet our full trust."
Chronara tapped her staff against the ground, the sound resonating with finality. "Rest. Both of you. Recover your strength. Tomorrow, we will discuss what cos next."
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