After the breakthrough, Albedo left that room, and the HeartForge had also slept at last. A large amount of Infernus Smiths took the moons rising as their signal to head to sleep, with only the occasional Smith remaining to practice their craftsmanship.
After hours of hamr-song and roaring fla, the forge had settled into a deep, molten rhythm, a steady breath of the mountain itself. The rivers of lava flowed quietly through their channels, the air still shimring faintly with leftover mana.
Albedo had moved to the dormitory chambers that was prepared for him and his classmates by the Infernus Smiths. The room was decent enough, enchanted by spatial formations to increase the area of the room.
It was carved from obsidian and basalt, glowing faintly from the veins of magma running through the walls, and the air was warm, but they had the ability to cool the room using various formations.
He was currently asleep, as he knew the group would be leaving The HeartForge late in the evening the next day, so he needed to recharge his batteries.
As he was sleeping, he dreamt, and the dream began as a whisper.
A distant sound, that was very deep and ancient, an imnse power beyond his current own level, more vibration than voice. It was the kind of voice that shook not just Albedo’s ears but also his very soul.
Then, he begun having visions, or flashes, all of which began displaying the sa or similar kind of story.
A sky filled with fire, rampaging flas burning regions to ash, mountains burning, volcanoes erupting and oceans boiling over.
And above all of the visions were the sa figures, Dragons!
Absolutely colossal beings of pure unfettered power and divinity. Wings that could blot of sunlight, eyes that glowed like stars, and roars that split mountains. It was a level of insurmountable power.
While Saphira was most likely just as powerful as the Dragons in these visions, seeing them in their natural form almost added another level of awe.
Not the small, proud creatures n told stories of, but colossal beings of pure divinity.
And at the center of them all, a heart. A massive, flaming heart, beating like the sun itself. Each pulse sent waves of light across the world. Each beat carried a word, a sound so old it wasn’t ant for human tongues.
"Yav’shar. Nur’Kael. Drath’uun..."
The words tore through his mind, scorching his thoughts, branding themselves into the core of his being.
He gasped, though in the dream, it ca out as a burst of fla.
Images flooded him in rapid succession. Ancient dragons flying through eternal storms, carving runes of power into the bones of mountains. Scales that glead like molten tal, wings that carried entire kingdoms on their backs.
And beneath it all, a pulse. Familiar. Resonant.
His own.
The Fla Dragon Heart. It was beating in unison with sothing ancient, sothing primordial that transcended ti.
Then ca the knowledge that imdiately flooded his brain. It wasn’t as if he was necessarily leaning this knowledge, but instead just rembering it, as if it was deeply buried mories only now coming to light.
Runes and glyphs spiraled through his consciousness, forming words in a tongue he sohow understood: the Ancient Dragon Language, a divine script of fire, soul, and creation.
Each word carried imnse power, shaping reality itself. He saw incantations carved into the air, forming blazing circles that burned into his vision.
"Vael’Noth - Fla that devours fla."
"Drathos’Rynn - The Heart Reborn."
"Vyr’Kalem - Flesh of the Half-Born."
The last phrase struck deep, and suddenly the vision changed again.
He saw himself, humanoid still, but not quite human. His arms were lined with deep crimson scales, his eyes slitted and glowing gold. Runes of fire burned faintly beneath his skin. When he exhaled, fla rippled between his teeth like a dragon suppressing its roar.
The Half-Dragon Form.
It wasn’t a full transformation, but a fusion using the precision of the Humanoid Form and Draconic Power. His muscles radiated unmatched strength and his aura blazed like an inferno contained in flesh.
Then ca the final surge, knowledge pouring into him like liquid fire. Spellforms, runes, ancient techniques only known to Dragons, so of which were completely lost to ti.
Draconic Spells.
Each one was alive, an echo of creation magic tied to the bloodline of Dragons themselves. They didn’t require chanting or focus; they responded to will. All Albedo needed to do was will
"Vyr’Shal — Breath of Annihilation."
"Tirn’Vakra — Molten Aegis."
"Rath’Quorr — Heart’s Domain."
The runes ignited across his mind’s eye, etching themselves into his mory. Many more spells burned themselves into his mind, and once all of them were finished, Albedo saw the last vision.
A colossal dragon sleeping beneath a dying sun. Its scales were a blend of gold and black, its breath reshaping the void around it. When it opened its eyes, Albedo saw himself reflected in them.
Not as a man and not even as a warrior, but as a being walking the razor’s edge between mortality and divinity. And then the voice ca again, vast, echoing from the depths of eternity:
"The Heart rembers, Child of Fire. And through it, you shall never fade."
The words resonated through his soul, and everything went white.
Suddenly, Albedo jolted awake. His eyes snapped open, blazing gold for a mont before dimming back to blue. His chest heaved as he drew in a sharp breath. The warmth of the forge had returned,but it wasn’t the sa.
It was alive.
He could feel every ember in the air, every spark in the molten veins beneath the floor. The mana of the forge responded to him now, as if recognizing its kin.
He sat up slowly, his heart still pounding. His Fla Dragon Heart pulsed visibly through his shirt, each beat echoing faintly with golden light.
Then he noticed sothing new.
When he exhaled, faint wisps of fla escaped his lips, not mana, not conjured fire, but breath. Draconic fla.
He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers. A faint shimr of red-gold scales flickered along his knuckles before fading back into skin.
The mories were still there, etched into his mind with terrifying clarity. The Dragon Language. The Spells. The transformation.
And beneath it all, a quiet truth resonating within his Fla Dragon Heart.
He no longer needed to constantly train like everyone else to grow. Just like other Dragons, he would now grow stronger naturally with ti, his power refining itself with age. Training would only improve this pace of improvent.
"...Half-Dragon," he whispered softly, tasting the word as a faint ember rolled off his tongue. "Guess I really am turning into sothing else."
He smiled faintly, closing his eyes once more. The forge humd around him like a heartbeat.
With that finishing, morning quickly ca to the HeartForge. The molten rivers continued running, while the sky beyond the mountain cracks shimred with the moons sinking beneath the horizon, painting the world in dim gold and blood-red light.
Albedo stood at the edge of his obsidian balcony, the faint warmth of the forge-breath brushing across his face. His platinum-blonde hair caught the glow of the lava below, each strand a thread of molten light.
He flexed his hand once, a ripple of gold flickered beneath his skin, the faint shimr of scales flashing before fading. His heartbeat was calm but heavy, each pulse resonating with that new, ancient rhythm.
He could feel it now, the latent heat coiling inside him, deeper and denser than before. Every breath drew in energy, every heartbeat refined it. The realization left him almost dizzy.
Even standing still, he was evolving, continuously and holistically improving himself.
The dream lingered in fragnts, flashes of wings that could swallow the heavens, fire that devoured gods, a voice that whispered through eternity.
’The Heart rembers, Child of Fire...’
He exhaled slowly. A faint shimr of golden smoke left his lips.
"Half-Dragon," he murmured again, testing the word like it was both alien and sacred. His reflection in the magma below smirked faintly back at him. "Guess I wasn’t imagining it."
The Fla Dragon Heart thrumd in silent agreent.
He rolled his shoulders, feeling the raw, coiled potential under his skin, the promise of wings, fire, and dominion. But even as the excitent flickered in his chest, instinct whispered caution.
No one could know yet. Not Lucian, not Lilian, not even Branthor. Not until he understood it completely.
This was his trump card, his hidden evolution, he needed to use it at a good mont to land a good shot against the Abyss, as it was a weapon that could turn the tide when he was potentially on the back-foot in a battle.
His lips curved slightly. "Let’s see how far I can push this... once we leave this place."
He looked back at the forge one last ti. The colossal HeartForge glowed faintly in the dawn, embers rising like fireflies from its depths, as if it too was acknowledging his transformation.
And Albedo, no longer just human, no longer bound by the sa rules as before, would walk it with fire in his veins and the legacy of Dragons burning within his soul.
He turned from the balcony, cloak shifting against the heat, and whispered to the still air, a hint of excitent beneath his calm tone:
"Let’s see what happens next,"
Reviews
All reviews (0)