Aurora proved to be an attentive listener, gazing at with almost child-like wonder. She listened to my story with rapt attention, making herself an active participant rather than a passive one. She laughed, she grew angry, she cried. She also provided a lot of comntary, though not enough to disturb my storytelling.
It took a while to tell the story, since a lot happened after Aurora fell asleep. I had to take frequent breaks, and my throat grew parched near the end. When I got to the part with Lady Isabel's victims and the hidden chamber, Aurora must've sensed the turmoil I felt. She hugged tight with her entire body. I gave her an appreciative pat on the head.
When I finished, neither one of us said anything for a while. The two of us basked in each other's company and enjoyed the garden's beauty.
"I'm a little sorry that I missed out on all that," Aurora said, breaking the silence. "Still, it was worth it. I'm powerful enough to help you now."
I chuckled.
"You've always been helpful," I said. "Even if you weren't, I'd still love you."
Aurora nuzzled my cheek.
"That's sweet of you to say," she said. "However, that wasn't what I ant. I'm powerful enough to help you fight." She paused. "I don't know how strong I am exactly, but I think I'm sowhere between a Tier Three and a Tier Four monster in strength. I won't know for sure until I test it out."
I gazed at Aurora in amazent.
"It looks like you're ahead of now," I said. "I need to hurry up, or I'll fall even further behind."
Aurora snorted.
"I don't know," she said. "It wouldn't be so bad to be the one protecting you, instead of the other way around. Why don't you stop cultivating and dedicate yourself to providing with cuddles? I'll make sure to keep you safe."
I let out a wistful sigh.
"You know I can't do that," I said. "Though it does sound tempting. Maybe if our world weren't under threat from the Infernal Lands."
Aurora tightened her embrace in an effort to comfort .
"Lord Gabriel? Are you here?" Kiki called from sowhere out of sight, interrupting my private mont with Aurora.
I sighed. Well, it looked like our little respite was over. Ti to get back to work.
"Over here," I called back.
Aurora pouted.
"I wanted to enjoy this mont a little longer," she muttered.
"I know, but duty calls," I said.
A few monts later, Kiki ca into view. She stopped when she caught sight of Aurora and I. As for my familiar, she started trembling the mont she saw the other spirit. At first I thought she was either angry or afraid. However, when I looked, I saw that she wore an expression that was a mixture of awe, respect, and absolute terror.
I looked between Aurora and Kiki, confused.
"I presu this is your familiar, Lord Gabriel?" Kiki asked, walking towards us again.
Aurora's trembling grew worse as Kiki drew closer. I gave her a reassuring pat on the head, but that had little effect. Kiki stopped a few feet away from us.
"Yes, she is." My voice grew sharp. "What did you do to her? Why is she shaking like this?"
Before Kiki could respond, Aurora clutched at with one of her claws.
"Gabriel, don't," she said in a serious tone.
That caught off guard. I looked at her in surprise. Aurora almost never called by na. Usually she called human or her vessel.
"It's fine," Kiki said. "To answer your question, Lord Gabriel, it's because your familiar can see my true form." She paused. "Or enough of it to guess what I truly am. Rather, what I used to be."
I sucked in a breath, before I narrowed my eyes at her.
"And what exactly did you use to be?" I asked.
Aurora moved, positioning herself between and Kiki.
"I apologize for my human's insolence, great one," she said in a respectful tone. "He ans no insult."
Kiki chuckled.
"I already said it's fine," she said. "I'm used to Lord Gabriel's attitude. Besides, his question is a valid one." She looked at . "I could tell you what I am, or was, but it would be faster to show you. However, be warned. It will be a harrowing experience for you. Do you still want to know?"
Aurora twisted her neck to look back at , a worried expression on her face. It was clear what she wanted to pick. However, my curiosity about Kiki's true identity won out. I looked at Kiki.
"Yes, I still want to know."
Aurora let out a resigned sigh.
"Very well," Kiki said. "Brace yourself."
With that, she walked forward until she stood right next to and reached out towards my eyes. She covered them with a stone hand for a few monts, before pulling away. What I saw afterwards would be forever etched into my mory.
As before, Kiki stood in front of . However, behind her was a serpent, one so large that it seed to encompass the entire world. It filled my entire vision, until all I could see was Kiki and the serpent.
It was so big that it was impossible for to grasp the sheer scale of the creature. Each of its countless scales seed to be the size of a mountain. Its head seed to be the size of an entire continent. As for its body, I couldn't even fathom how long it was. It was coiled in on itself, endless and infinite, making it impossible to gauge its length.
However, the serpent's physical size was nothing compared to its overwhelming presence. It felt old. No, that was too small of a word. It felt ancient, as if it had existed since the beginning of the world and would continue to exist until it ended, and perhaps even after that.
I felt like a small, insignificant speck in comparison. It was as if I were a mote of dust gazing upon a mountain. That was the difference between us. Even then, that comparison fell short.
During my second life as Brandon Norwood, I encountered a few great and powerful beings, including the incarnations of gods. The way I felt now was similar to how I felt back then. However, this felt more visceral, for lack of a better term. The beings I encountered back then felt more distant and detached. That wasn't the case here.
I gaped up at the serpent, my jaw hanging open. It looked down upon with its massive eyes, amused.
Kiki reached forward to cover my eyes again. I was too shell-shocked to react. When she removed her hand, the world had returned to normal. Rather, my vision had. The serpent was gone, and I was back in the garden.
I sat there in a daze for several monts. Aurora wrapped her body around again. Her cold touch grounded , helping return to reality.
"That was you?" I asked Kiki when I regained a semblance of composure.
Kiki nodded.
"Rather, what I used to be," she said in a lancholic tone. "Now, I'm a re fragnt. A piece of a once mighty whole." She paused. "It wouldn't be inaccurate to call a ghost, but one with its mind and personality intact."
It didn't take long to figure out what kind of creature Kiki used to be. I had heard legends and stories about them, but I had never seen one myself.
"You are, or were, a world serpent," I said.
If storm dragons were the rulers of the sky, then world serpents were the rulers of the earth. They lived deep underground, deeper than most humans dared to tread. Most of the ti they kept to themselves. However, when their anger was roused, they could wreck great and terrible destruction.
"Correct." Kiki tilted her head and gave an amused look. "You know, I'm surprised. You're far more composed than I expected."
I shrugged.
"I've faced similar beings as yourself in my previous life." I frowned. "You weren't a normal world serpent, were you?"
I found that sentence absurd, since world serpents were anything but normal. However, despite their na, they weren't as large as the world itself.
"No, I wasn't," Kiki admitted. "Just as humans can grow stronger through cultivation, so can other beings." She sighed. "I once reached the threshold to godhood. However, when I attempted to cross that threshold…" She sighed. "Well, you can see how that worked out for ."
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
That would explain why Kiki knew so much.
"After my death, I spent a long ti simply existing," Kiki continued. "A part of wished to end it all, but I could never bring myself to do so."
"Until Lord Dominic summoned you," I guessed.
Kiki nodded.
"We were two lonely souls who found refuge in one another," she said, a smile in her voice. "He gave depth and aning to my existence. No single word can describe how important he is to , though love cos close. That's why I chose to help you, Lord Gabriel, to ensure Master Dominic's survival. To , he is the most important person in this world and any other."
I frowned.
"Wait a mont," I said. "If you're this powerful, then why haven't you done anything about Lady Isabel or the succubi? Defeating them should be child's play for soone like you."
Even as a re fragnt of a world serpent, one that reached the threshold to divinity, Kiki was still leagues above a Second Ranked Awakened such as myself.
"I am under a number of restrictions," Kiki said with a sigh. "Consider them as punishnt for my hubris. One of those restrictions is that I can't use my full power unless my very existence is threatened. I can still take action, but I must limit myself. However, you're right. If I could use my full power, I could kill Lady Isabel and the succubi with ease."
Restrictions? Who would put restrictions on a world serpent that almost reached divinity? The answer ca to right away. The gods.
I glanced up at the sky.
Well then. Things just beca more interesting. I wanted to ask more about Kiki's story, but I feared pushing too far too fast. Still, that didn't an I had given up. It just ant that discovering more of Kiki's past was a long-term project.
"The gods won't punish us for associating with you, will they?" I asked, a little nervous.
Kiki snorted.
"Of course not," she said. "If they were going to, they would have done so already." She glanced up at the sky as well. "In fact, by helping you lot, I might earn myself so freedom." She shrugged. "Even if I don't, that's fine by . As long as Lord Dominic lives a long and happy life, I'm fine."
A few beats of silence passed after she finished speaking.
"So," I said. "What happens now?"
"What do you an?" Kiki asked. "Just because you learn a bit about my past doesn't an anything has changed. We still need to deal with Lady Isabel and the succubi. As for what happens after that… Well, we'll worry about that later." She looked at Aurora. "Right now, I'm more interested in your familiar. What is her na?"
I gave Aurora a questioning look. She nodded.
"Her na is Aurora," I said.
"That is a beautiful na," Kiki said.
Aurora dipped her head. Through our bond, I felt her shyness.
"Thank you, great one," she said.
Kiki waved at her.
"Oh, you don't have to be so formal with ," she said. "Just call Kiki, like Lord Gabriel does."
Aurora made a choking sound. Given she could see Kiki's true form, I doubted she'd be able to act casually with the forr world serpent.
"I'll try," Aurora squeaked out.
"Anyway," Kiki said. "There's sothing strange about you, Aurora. You're not a natural born spirit, are you?" She paused. "No, you seem similar to . However, you're not a ghost. What happened to you? Are you willing to share that with ?" She paused. "Unless it's too painful to recall. If so, then ignore my request."
This ti, Aurora gave a questioning look. Though, in this case, she sought reassurance.
"Go ahead," I said. "Given Kiki's age and experience, perhaps she knows what happened to you."
Aurora nodded, before she looked at Kiki and began telling her story. After she finished, Kiki remained silent and didn't respond right away.
"While I don't know exactly what happened to you," Kiki said after a while. "I have a guess. There are always those who seek immortality, but are unable to achieve it through cultivation. So, they resort to other thods. I think the mad wizard who turned you into a spirit was one such person. It's possible that he sought to beco a spirit himself and used you as an experint towards that end." She held up a hand. "However, this is speculation on my part. With such little information to go on, that is the best I can do."
Through our familiar bond, I felt Aurora's anger and pain and despair.
"But why ?" she cried out. "What did I do to deserve this? This happened just after I left my parents' nest. I didn't even get to see much of the world before I beca like…" She gestured to herself with one of her claws. "…like this."
I wrapped my arms around her, offering as much comfort as I could.
"Oh, you poor child," Kiki said. "You've endured a lot, haven't you?"
Aurora sniffled and nodded.
"Well, let tell you a secret then," Kiki said. "I know a way for you to regain a body of your own. In fact, I know of two ways."
Aurora lifted her head high.
"Really?"
Kiki nodded.
"Yes, really."
I narrowed my eyes at Kiki.
"This isn't so kind of trick, is it?" I asked. "I love Aurora, and I will not see her toyed with."
Kiki chuckled.
"No, it's not a trick," she said. "What I'm about to tell you is sothing that all ghosts, or similar beings, can do." She paused. "Assuming they have enough intelligence and personality left to attempt it." She held up two fingers. "The first way you can regain a body, Aurora, is to possess one. As long as the body is compatible, you can make it your own." She gestured to . "For example, if Lord Gabriel's soul were to depart from his body, you can possess it. Assuming that it's in any condition to be possessed."
"No!" Aurora said, tightening herself around . "What's the point of regaining a body if I lose Gabriel? I refuse!"
Kiki laughed.
"I just ant it as an example," she said. "You don't have to take Lord Gabriel's body. Any suitable body will do. However, there are downsides to this thod. For one, your power will be limited by the body you possess. So, if you possess a body with low potential, you will remain weak.
"Another downside is that unless you possess a frost dragon, you won't remain a pure frost dragon. Whatever you possess will change your very essence, the core of who you are, at least in part. So, if you possess a human body, you'll beco part human. This happens with every body you possess. After enough tis, you'll end up losing your identity." She shook her head. "I don't recomnd doing that."
Aurora grimaced at Kiki.
"This thod doesn't sound very appealing at all," she said. "It sounds like theft."
"It can be," Kiki said. "But it doesn't have to be." She gestured to her own body. "For example, a magical construct counts as a body."
Hmm, that wasn't a bad idea at all. What if I asked Lord Dominic to make a magical construct for Aurora? That way she could more aningfully interact with the physical world.
However, to my surprise, Aurora shook her head.
"I don't like that idea either," she said. "Can you even feel anything with a body made of stone?"
Kiki paused for a mont before answering.
"Yes," she said. "Though the sensations are muted."
"There you go," Aurora said. "I don't want that." She nuzzled my cheek. "I enjoy my human's cuddles too much."
Kiki let out a theatrical sigh.
"Unfortunate," she said. "I had hoped to gain a new companion and peer." She sniffled. "However, I understand your reluctance, so I won't try to wheedle or cajole you. I'll just endure in loneliness, as I always have."
As Kiki spoke, Aurora grew more and more agitated.
"Will you stop teasing my familiar?" I demanded. "Look, you're making her anxious."
Kiki covered her mouth and chuckled.
"Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said. "It's been a while since I've interacted with a young dragon like her. They're more sensitive than they'll lead you to believe."
I rolled my eyes.
"What's the second thod you ntioned?" I asked, moving the conversation along.
Aurora nodded and gazed at Kiki with undisguised excitent.
"That one is a little… It's a lot more difficult to achieve than simply possessing a body," Kiki said. "In order to go through with it, you'll need to et a number of requirents." She gestured to . "First, you'll need to make a contract with an Awakened capable of reaching Seventh Rank."
Aurora and I glanced at one another in surprise.
"That's quite a strict requirent," I said, looking back at Kiki.
Few Awakened ever reached Seventh Ranked. It was a threshold, one that many never crossed. Most Awakened reached Sixth Ranked and stopped there. So took steps towards Seventh Ranked, but stopped partway through for one reason or another.
I didn't know if I was capable of reaching Seventh Rank. In my past life, I died before I got the chance to try. Still, I think I had good odds. My current body was much better than my previous one. At the very least, I believed I could go through Body Rejuvenation, like Grandfather Gabriel. As for anything beyond that… Well, I would have to try to find out.
"Yes, it is," Kiki said. "However, you'll see why it is necessary in a bit." She gestured to Aurora. "Second, you have to reach Sixth Rank yourself, or Tier Six if you prefer to call it that."
I narrowed my eyes at Kiki.
"Let guess the next requirent," I said. "The two of us need to reach Seventh Rank together."
Kiki nodded.
"Correct, Lord Gabriel," she said. "The process of you two reaching Seventh Rank together will allow Aurora to rebuild her body."
"What?!" Aurora said. "But that's impossible!"
"No, not impossible," Kiki said. "Just near impossible."
Aurora scoffed.
"What difference does that make?" Aurora's eyes widened as she realized that she just sassed Kiki. She bowed her head. "I apologize for my rudeness, great one."
Kiki waved off her apology.
"It's fine," she said. "As long as you don't treat with outright disrespect, feel free to act casual as you want."
Despite Kiki's words, Aurora still looked uneasy.
"Aurora makes a good point," I said. "There isn't much difference between impossible and near impossible, at least in this case. It's already difficult enough for one person to reach Seventh Rank, let alone two at the sa ti."
"True," Kiki said. "However, that's the only way I can think of for a ghost to regain a body without possessing one. It's more difficult, but there are several benefits. For example, Aurora's new body would be superior to her old one in every way. She would be immortal as well. Dragons may be powerful and long-lived, but they're still mortal in the end."
Hmm, I'll admit, that tempted . I wanted to reach Seventh Rank and achieve immortality. If Aurora joined , we'd be together for eternity.
"If this thod is so good, then why haven't you used it?" Aurora asked, a little wary. "You've lived long enough. I'm sure you could've found soone suitable to form a contract with."
Kiki took a mont before responding.
"I could have, yes," she said. "However, I chose not to." She held up a hand. "I won't tell you why, so don't bother asking. Just know that staying in my current state is a choice on my part and leave it at that."
Aurora and I shared a look. It was clear that Kiki was hiding sothing from us. However, neither one of us wanted to press her on it, so we let it pass. Besides, it wasn't any of our business until Kiki decided it was.
"Thank you for telling us all this, Kiki," I said. "You've given us a lot to think about."
Kiki made a dismissive gesture.
"You would've found all this out on your own eventually," she said. "I just hurried things along."
I nodded, before a thought occurred to .
"By the way," I said. "Why were you looking for earlier?"
"Oh, right!" Kiki said. "I grew so excited to see your familiar that I almost forgot my original purpose in coming here. Lord Sandstrike is here. He wishes to speak with you."
"And you're just telling this now?"
Kiki responded by gesturing to Aurora. I sighed.
"Very well," I said. "Let us go and et with him."
With that, Aurora entered my body and I stood up, before heading out to et with Lord Sandstrike.
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