Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

“Henry, looked!” Yula urged as she trotted up to Henry who was skinning his fresh game just outside the cave.

“Hmm?” Henry gave a lazy retort and cocked his head slowly to the side. His expression lit up like a bulb upon laying his sight on Yula. “Whoa…” he breathed.

“So, what do you think?” Yula asked, twirling with an expectant gaze in her newly-made dress that was a pitch black gown. The gown was made of her shadows but the texture resembled that of silk gauze. Her skin was slightly visible under the thin fabric. Her abundant chest was especially enticing with the faint see-through aspect of the gown.

As Henry was in his Dragon form, he had much better control of his libido and lust. Therefore, he was able to refrain himself from popping a boner at how alluring Yula’s new garment was. “You look absolutely ravishing. But how long did it take and why haven’t I seen you making it?”

“I practised whenever you were out hunting by yourself. It took me quite a few tries but after the first success, it was a breeze. But it still takes a lot out of me. But it’s worth it.”

Henry chuckled. “It sure is. If I wasn’t doing anything right now, I will have you right here and now.”

Yula held up a hand with a small frown. “Not a chance, Henry. You promise to give me rest during the day. Or else I will die when night comes.”

“You won’t die that easily.”

“I might just become a vegetable if you go overboard.”

“Then perhaps it’s nigh time that I go looking for another woman,” Henry quipped, expecting a violent response from Yula, but it never came.

Instead, Yula was looking at the ground, fidgeting with her fingers and thighs while her cheeks flushed a deep red.

“Um… Yula? I was just joking. I—”

“I don’t mind, Henry,” Yula said, her gaze still cast down.

“What?”

“I said I won’t mind if you have another woman, Henry.”

Henry blinked. “Y-you won’t?” He tapped his ears. “Did I hear wrong?”

“You didn’t hear wrong, Henry. I know what I said. I have been thinking about it. I know one woman is not enough for a person like you with bottomless lust. I know how much you have been suffering for my sake, how much you have been holding back because you don’t want to hurt me…”

“Yula… is that what you talked about with Sarynn?”

“Well, we talked and we shared our thoughts. I thought about it, Henry, long before my talk with Sarynn. I thought about it every night when we were making love and in the afterglow. I thought about you fucking another woman. I thought it would feel heart-wrenching but it didn’t. Instead, I only got more aroused at the thought of you fucking another woman while I watch on the sidelines…”

Henry couldn’t believe what he was hearing and seeing. Yula had a smile on her face but not the usual bright kind of smile. It was one that was laced with indelicacy and obscenity. He could even smell how wet she had become from her confession. He had thought Yula would be the possessive type and he had been wrecking his brain on how to convince Yula to accept him having a harem in the future. But a solution came so abruptly and it was delivered to him by the cause of the problem herself. He wasn’t sure if he should be thankful or terrified.

Seeing that Henry was barely smiling and simply blankly staring at her, Yula turned away. “Are you disillusioned with me now?” she asked meekly.

Henry sighed and assumed his human form. He walked over to Yula and pulled her into an awkward hug as his height was only the level of her chest. “Of course, not,” he said, his voice slightly muffled by Yula’s enormous bosom. “Why would I be? I don’t I will ever be disillusioned with you even if I wanted to. We’re meant for each other, didn’t you say so? And I wholeheartedly agree with that.”

Yula returned the hug and squeezed Henry who was trapped in her arms and chest. “Henry…” she squealed softly in delight.

Though it was suffocating, Henry didn’t budge. He could easily break himself free but he didn’t. It wasn’t exactly agonising to be suffocated by the woman he loves and her abundant breasts. He wanted to just stay in this position until their next meal time but fate wasn’t so kind.

Henry gently pried Yula off and cast a narrowed gaze to the skies.

Yula got the message immediately. “Hostile?” she asked.

“Not sure but treat it as such.”

Yula’s shadows whirled and a hood and a half-mask formed around her head.

A mass of ripple and blur came into sight in the sky. Going by the scent alone, Henry could tell the intruders were a flying mount and its rider. The rider’s scent was familiar and it didn’t take him long to find the answer in his memory bank.

The mount and the rider made themselves known once they were right above Henry’s abode and the pair slowly made their descent. The mount was some kind of thin-looking lizard monster with a pair of wings as its forelimbs. Once the flying lizard had touched the ground, the rider hopped off the saddle with a flip.

“Soren…” Henry muttered, taking note that the Zeva was wearing hide armour.

“Soren? Isn’t he the brother of the bitch who enslaved you?”

“He is.”

“What is he doing here?”

“Let me go ask,” Henry said and strode towards Soren.

The Zeva took notice of Henry’s approach but Henry was in his human form, Soren did not recognise him. “Well met, child. I am Soren, son of Roven. I am here on behalf of my clan to impart a warning of imminent danger to the Lord Dragon. Would I be correct to assume you and the lovely lady are Lord Dragon’s servants?”

“What kind of danger?” Henry asked, paying no heed to Soren's misconception as he was in his human form.

“The kind that I can only say to the Lord Dragon himself. It is not meant for just any ears.”

“Oh? Are you not aware of how ominous and suspicious you sound?”

“The Lord Dragon and my clan may have some past grievances but this is something I cannot share with just anyone. The fewer people know the better.”

“It’s something dangerous and imminent but you can’t share it with just anyone?”

“Yes. It concerns my exiled sister, Rayne.”

Hearing that name, Henry let his human form come undone and he reassumed his Dragon form.

Soren gasped and backed away hurriedly. The flying lizard was frightened too but due to magic, it was forced to stay.

“What has she done now?” Henry asked.

“L-Lord Dragon…” Soren immediately fell to one knee. “Forgive my impudence… I didn’t know.”

“Enough of that. Just speak. What did your accursed sister do now?”

“It will be a very long explanation. Perhaps we can—”

The veins on Henry glowed. “Talk, now.”

Soren gripped the hilt of the sword by his waist tight as he swallowed a lump in his throat. “As you wish, my lord. In the Zeva Clan, there’s a building where it houses all known texts of the history of Zeva. In this building, there is a section forbidden to all but the clan head and the crowned successor. Through means that we have yet to be able to discern, Rayne managed to sneak her way into that section and stole a map.”

“What map?”

“It’s the map that leads to the tomb of our ancestors, our true ancestors.”

Henry leaned forward. “Continue.”

“The Zevas… We are actually the descendants of vampires.”

“Vampires?” Yula blurted out.

“Not just any vampires. Our ancestors are pureblood vampires. We don’t know what happened but now, we are nothing like our ancestors. We have no taste for blood nor do we gain anything from drinking it. The only semblance of us to our ancestors is our appearance, nothing more.”

“So, what happens if your bitch of a sister finds this tomb?”

“You fought Rayne, my lord. You know how strong she is. She’s the best warrior and fighter in the clan. And her skin is tough, as tough as steel, or even tougher. There was never anyone quite like her. She's... special. We suspect it to be atavism of a certain degree.”

“A small portion of your vampire ancestors’ power had awakened in her.”

“You are wise, my lord." The flattery came so naturally from his mouth as if he was used to it. "That is so. We fear that if she finds the tomb, she will likely find a way to awaken more of that power. She’s already a menace with her current abilities. If she becomes stronger than she already is—”

“I should have just killed her.”

“My lord, though she might be a grave sinner, she’s still my sister, my father’s daughter, our flesh and blood. If you have the heart, please don’t kill her. With your powers, apprehending her will be—”

“No, she dies.”

“My lord, please.”

“She dies. The stakes are different now.” Henry glimpsed behind his shoulder. “I can’t afford to let her live. She poses too much of a threat. Now, tell me, where is this tomb?”

Soren took out a scroll from within his armour and hesitantly presented it to Henry. “This is a copy of the map.” His hands were shaking with reluctance.

Henry swiped the scroll from Soren’s grip and tossed it to Yula, who grabbed it with her shadows.

“I’m curious about one thing,” Henry said.

“What is it, my lord?”

“From the sound of it, your clan is doing nothing in response to this conundrum.”

“We can’t, my lord. We have a treaty in place with the other clans and tribes. We are not allowed to intrude upon other lands without the proper proceedings. The tomb lies in the east, the lands of the Spirit Foxes, the Kivus.”

“But you’re here.”

“This part is considered neutral ground but my presence here will nevertheless raise questions if I’m seen. I can’t afford to explain my visit as it would reveal a clan secret.”

Henry clicked his tongue. “Fine, I’ll do it, but I’m not sparing your sisters and I’m doing this for myself. In return, leave me out of your political feud and strife in the future. And make sure the conflict does not spill into my territory. Understood?”

“Yes, my lord. Will that be all, my lord?”

“Of course, not. You didn’t tell me anything about the tomb aside from that it houses your ancestors’ graves.”

“Forgive my presumptuousness, my lord. We only expect you to intercept Rayne at the entrance of the tomb as given your size, we didn’t think you would be able to enter.”

“Well, that won’t be an issue. Now tell me, what should I be expecting from the tomb? What threats will I be facing in there?”

“I’m not even entirely sure, my lord, as I have never set foot in the tomb. I was only told vaguely about it by my father, the head. All I can say is that it will be well-guarded either by traps or long-aged golems. The layout would not be complicated, so it won’t be easy to get lost as long as one has a basic sense of direction.”

“Anything else?”

“The tomb will be located on the outskirts of the Kivu’s lands. The chances of coming across the Kivus will be high. If that happens, I humbly hope Lord Dragon can explain the circumstances to the Kivus without painting the Zevas in contempt.”

“No promises.”

“Of course, my lord. And this is everything I know, my lord.”

“Very well. You may leave.”

“Thank you, my lord. I will relay this piece of good news to my father.” Soren bowed and quickly hopped back onto his frightened mount. And he left as abruptly as he came, but Henry did not miss the small hint of anger in his eyes as he took his leave.

Henry let out a long deep sigh. “It’s just one problem after another.”

“Are you truly gonna kill her?” Yula asked.

“She’s too stubborn. As long as she lives, she will never give up looking for ways to make her comeback and I have no way of just incapacitating or crippling her in a permanent manner. She’ll be coming to look for me if she had already gotten what she wanted.”

“Then shouldn’t you be going after now?”

“No,” Henry said with a sorrowful smile. “I’m too distracted right now. My mind's not in the right place. If I go now, I won’t be able to do my best. I need to make sure I'm in tip-top condition when I face her. I’ll depart at first light on the morrow.”

“But didn’t Nadea forbid you to kill her or something?”

“Nadea?” Henry called out.

“I heard everything,” Nadea responded as she made her appearance beside Henry. Her face was tinged with guilt, regret, and sorrow.

“Then you know she must die. I have Yula with me now. I can’t afford to let a loose cannon like Rayne run about.”

“I understand, Henry. But please know that Roven would not be pleased. She may be a terrible person but she’s still his daughter. Killing her would most likely invite Roven’s fury.”

“If he didn’t desire this outcome, maybe he should have educated her properly.”

“The Augru Tribe and The Kivu Tribe consider themselves your subjects and servants. If Roven attacks you for killing her daughter, the two aforementioned tribes will come to your defence. I’m sure you can see where that will lead to.”

“A war between tribes and clans and Ulrum will be collateral in the ensuing war. Great...”

“And while you lot are busy fighting each other, what if a hostile third party intervenes by capitalising on the conflict? What do you think will happen then?”

“A shitstorm.”

“So—”

“So, I will need to become strong enough to make sure the Zevas won’t even entertain the thought of retaliating against me.”

Yula broke into a chortle.

Instead of sighing in exasperation, Nadea was chuckling with amusement. “You are starting to think more and more like a Dragon. I like it. You’re adapting fast.”

“You approve of my decision?”

“As long as you found a way to make up for the loss of the fighting force, I will not criticise you. In fact, I look forward to you dominating Ulrum. You are a Dragon. Such is your nature. But if you fail, you’ll be bringing ruin to Ulrum.”

“I won’t. I don't like killing but the bitch has to die. If left alive, she would only sow more chaos. If the Zevas and I became enemies then, so be it.”

“Splendid thinking, Henry, but not so splendid if you can't talk the walk. Don't make me regret choosing you, Henry.”

“That Soren dude isn’t telling me everything he knows. He sounds absolutely certain that something within the tomb will awaken Rayne’s true potential. What do you know, Nadea?” Henry asked.

“The tomb isn’t just a grave for the ancestors themselves but also their secrets. Much can be learned if one knows where to look or what to look for. They know what Rayne was looking for. It’s definitely some big family secret that they deemed too important to let anyone know in spite of the circumstances.”

“Obviously, but I’m asking for the specifics here.”

“That I do not know. Not now, at least.”

“Meaning?”

“I have billions of years' worth of memories. It will take some time to dig up the old memories.”

“What can you tell me right now?”

Nadea nodded. “I can tell you Soren speaks the truth when he said they are descendants of vampires.”

“What happened to them?” Yula asked.

“They caught an affliction. It’s not lethal but it degrades them physically. They never managed to find a cure for it. Thus, with every successive generation, they became weaker and weaker. They only managed to acquire natural immunity against the disease approximately five hundred years after they contracted the affliction. But by then, they have already been reduced to a pale shadow of their former glory.”

“Rayne has a portion of her ancestors’ power,” Henry said.

“Around ten or so percent.”

“That’s only ten percent?!” Henry exclaimed. “She nearly kicked my ass with only ten percent of her ancestors’ true power?”

“Now imagine what she can do if she managed to even awaken a mere quarter of it.”

“...I should leave now instead of waiting until morning.”

“No, rest for now. She’s still far away from the tomb. Get some good rest for your body and mind. Move at dawn when you’re well-rested. She’s not alone. She has managed to enslave a strong beast to her whims and cause. You’ll need to be at your peak when you face her.”

“So…  Henry and I can’t… do it tonight?” Yula asked meekly.

Nadea tittered. “I’ll leave that decision to you lovebirds,” Nadea answered and disappeared without a trace.

“How the fuck does she do that?” Henry muttered to himself.

“H-Henry…?”

“Yes?”

“W-will we—?”

“You are my solace, Yula. Does that answer your question?”

Yula brightened with a smile and nodded.