Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

A smile of relief and triumph adorned Rayne’s face as she hopped off from her mount, a Wyvern she managed to enthral. Wyvern was known to be hostile towards any poor individual or creature that stumbled into its territory or just so happened to be in its sight when it was hungry. They were considered to be one of the most dangerous monsters in Ulrum due to the mixed factors of their size, aggressive nature, and their ability to fly.

Yet, Rayne had one such monster under her dominance. She did not Geas but merely a simple enthralling spell that her clan used to enslave animals and monsters. She scoffed at the memory of her being scolded by her father and her brothers for calling it ‘enslavement’ and ‘enthrallment’ instead of ‘taming’. She had laughed at their lack of courage to own up to their cruel treatment of the creatures they enslaved. She hated how they acted like they were morally better than her but the truth was, they were the same and she was just honest.

Moreover, she was born with a special constitution. At just five years of age, she beat up a boy who was three years older than her. At eleven years of age, she won a spar against an adult. At eighteen, she became the strongest fighter and warrior in her clan. She thought her family and her people would be proud but all she received from them were dubious gazes and fearful glances. Simply put, she was shunned by her clan for being better and different. From that point on, she sought to become the leader and change the ways of her clan.

And that was still her desire in spite of her exile. She had no love for her clan but they were still her people, her bloodline, her legacy. Her motivation wasn’t the love for her people but her pride as a Zeva. She couldn’t stand being associated with a bunch of weaklings. They condemned her because they knew they could never be as good as her.

Ever since she was a child, she had always wondered what made her different. Her curiosity spurred her rebellious and bold nature. Unbeknownst to everyone else, she had snuck into the forbidden section of the village library and she had been constantly devouring the forbidden contents since. On her last day in her village, the day before her exile, she snuck into the library for the last time. She stole the forbidden texts and hastily made her way out of the village in the dead of the night.

Her father and her brothers didn’t even know until it was too late. To prevent the village’s outcry and panic, her theft of the forbidden texts was not relayed to the people. When they realised what Rayne had stolen, they decided to enlist the help of Henry while they made their own proper preparations, such as informing the tribes and clans of other regions of the possible calamity that was about to occur.

However, they did not know about Vishara and they had made the wrong guess that Rayne was heading for the tomb of their ancestors. Rayne praised the loyalists for hiding Vishara’s existence well. As Rayne was rebellious and constantly doubting her clan’s creed, she was able to uncover this piece of knowledge through her own ability. She found out the truth but she told no one. She bided her time, waiting for the right time. Her exile was a blessing in disguise. It presented her with the opportunity to leave her clan’s territory without being suspected.

Rayne was smiling widely as she strode across the field of white flowers. These flowers were one-of-a-kind and they could only grow on this small patch of ground, where Vishara’s ashes were scattered. These flowers existed because of Vishara’s ashes.

Rayne walked to the centre of the field where the largest white flower was. She held her palm over the flower. She produced a knife from one of her many satchel pouches around her waist and she cut her palm with it, letting the blood drop onto the white flower.

“I am your blood. I am your flesh. I am your soul. I am your descent. The truth is known. The time is ripe.”

The white flower absorbed the blood and it turned red.

“Rise, o’ true lord. From the ashes, rise anew. Rise, o’ true lord. You were never forgotten. The truth is known!”

In seconds, all of the white flowers turned red from the blood Rayne offered.

“Rise, Vishara, the Crimson Queen, the true lord of all vampires! Take your revenge against the blood of the betrayers! Rise, my queen!”

Ropes of red mist rose from the flowers. The mist flowed and gathered above the flower in the centre of the field. The congregating ropes of mist accumulated into a human-sized red orb that appeared to be moulded of blood.

Rayne’s jaws and eyes were agape. She stared with bated breaths at the growing red orb. Her hand unconsciously reached out towards the orb and her legs followed. She was entranced by the orb and she herself was none the wiser about it. When she got close enough to the orb, an arm shot out from the orb and grabbed her outstretched arm. Only then, Rayne regained her consciousness. She tried to yank her arm free but the grip was strong.

The arm also had skin as pale as snow like Rayne but of a slightly darker shade. Another arm appeared from the red orb and it grabbed onto Rayne’s shoulder.

Realising the futility in her struggle, Rayne relented to the arms gripping tightly onto her. The red orb began to disperse in fading clouds of mist and a person could be gradually seen within. It was a woman and the arms were hers. The woman was none other than Vishara, the Crimson Queen. Her whole body was bare but she showed no hint of embarrassment. She had the same long white hair as Rayne did. She was slightly taller than Rayne but her figure was as lithe and ample as Rayne’s own. She looked older than Rayne but not much older. One could easily mistake them for sisters.

Rayne got to one knee and lowered her head. “My queen, your descendant gives her greeting and welcomes you back to the land of the living. I am—”

“Spare your breath,” Vishara interrupted her and pulled her close, sinking her fangs into her neck.

Rayne saw those fangs coming but she was too weak to resist. She decided to let herself be feasted on.

Vishara did not withhold her thirst and fed on Rayne without restraint. She sank the full length of her fangs into her flesh. As the blood flowed into her mouth, gushed down her throat, and seeped into her dry veins, the tone of her skin lightened and redness dyed her eyes. Power returned to her soul and strength filled her body. Not only those, Rayne’s memories, recent and old alike, flowed into her mind.

Once she had her fill of blood, Vishara pulled away from Rayne and cast her to the side like a mere afterthought. She threw her head back and let out a sigh of delight with a heartfelt chuckle.

The Wyvern took off to the skies the moment Rayne hit the ground as if the hold over it had disappeared. Rayne cursed under her breath at the sight of her mount abandoning her.

“I have returned after so long. A pity I have no way to ascertain the true number of years that have passed.” Vishara turned to Rayne, who was struggling to stand. “I have you to thank for, Rayne.”

“You know my name… But I haven’t told you…” Rayne struggled to speak as much of her blood had been drained.

“I consumed your blood, Rayne. I know everything that you do. I have all of your memories.”

“I see… Then, you know why I—”

“I do but I don’t care.”

“W-what? Wh—”

“Why?” Vishara chuckled inwardly. “Because I don’t care about revenge, not against my own descendants at least. They have already been punished.”

“Already been punished…? I don’t understand.”

“The Zevas and the ones before them believe it was some kind of illness that befell on the vampires and reduced them to what they are today. The truth is awful. The truth is, it is no illness at all. It is a curse, one that I inflicted on my people. The deterioration of the vampires is my own doing. Seeing as the Zevas are all that’s left of the vampires, I say my vengeance has long been sated.”

“P-preposterous!” Rayne shouted after drawing a deep breath. “W-why… I—”

“You need not say anything else. I have your memories, Rayne. I know your story. I know your pain. I know your desire. However, I will not be providing you with any of what you desire from me. Actually, I’m baffled that you think that I will grant you your wish.”

“I… resurrect you.”

“You did but you did me no favours as resurrecting me is the final atonement of your ancestors’ wrongdoings.”

“This… This is—”

“Unfair? It is. But what will you do about it? What can you even do?”

Rayne gritted her teeth and clenched her fists tightly as she seethed in her indignant fury.

“I don’t care about your petty grievance with your own clan. The vampires have been reduced to such a pathetic state. I’m already more than satisfied but my people are not the only ones who ruined me. They had help. Humans. They had sought help from the humans. It’s a pity I couldn’t curse them as I do with my own people. What has become of them… Your memories are of no help with that.”

Rayne was glaring at Vishara with a trembling fiery gaze ignited by her wrath.

“Feeling betrayed? I know that feeling well.” Vishara crouched in front of Rayne and patted her on her shoulder. “You grew up without ever knowing the feeling of being weak. You’re a great fighter and warrior but that’s all you are. You’re no leader. You want my help in becoming the leader of your clan. You think you can lead your clan to glory. You can’t. You are only capable of commanding fear. You’re incapable of commanding respect.”

“Silence!” Rayne roared, rising to her feet with quivering legs. “I should have left you rotting in this field.”

“You should have but what’s done is done.”

Rayne snickered. “I can tell why you were betrayed.”

“Oh?”

“With a nasty attitude like that, I bet there would have been a mutiny regardless of your willingness to marry someone inferior to you.”

Vishara laughed. “You’re so right,” she said and pointed a finger down at the ground. “Kneel.”

Taken by an unseen force, Rayne dropped to her knees harshly. “What the—”

“Don’t look so surprised. You know Geas. This is something similar. More refined and more… natural.”

Rayne tried to move. Her knees budged a little but she stayed kneeling. “H-how is this possible…?”

“I am still the lord of vampires. My words are law and absolute for all vampires. It was quite clever of the traitors to take away my voice first and foremost. Otherwise, it would be their ashes here, not mine. My powers are still incomplete considering you can still move a little.”

“D-damn it!!” Rayne slammed the ground with her fists. “Why is this happening!?”

“If you can’t even understand why all of this is happening, it shows that you are not worthy of leading the last of the vampires, however enfeebled they may be. And… oh? I’m still stark naked. How embarrassing.” Contrary to her words, there was no hint of shame on her face. She clicked her fingers and then paltry pieces of clothing clad her bosom and her lower body. “I can barely make my own clothes. I’m weaker than I realise.”

“Good…” Rayne scoffed weakly.

“Hmm… Your measurements are the same as mine, mostly. Maybe your garments will complement the parts that I lack.”

Rayne widened her eyes and crossed her arms on her chest as she leaned away from Vishara. “You wish to strip me of my dignity too? Was betraying my expectations not enough?”

“I did not betray you. You merely misplaced your trust. Those aren’t the same thing. Speaking of expectations…” In her brief silence, her face turned sorrowful. “What happened to the Dragons? Why is there only a single Dragon left?”

“You have my memories. You should know I don’t have the answers to that.”

“I know. I was just mulling.”

Rayne clicked her tongue.

“Say… this Dragon you have enraged and aggravated, I sure love to meet him. Henry, his name is. Henry… What kind of name is that for a Dragon?”

Rayne chuckled meekly. “Why don’t you ask him?”

Vishara smiled in return. “I shall,” she said and turned around, facing upwards into the sky as Henry swooped into her sight.