Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

Everything’s clear. Splendid. All threats neutralised… well, as much as they can be neutralised at least.

Henry muttered so in his heart as he finished his patrol around the foot of the hill. In his round, he had come across a vast array of monsters and beasts, harmless and threatening ones alike but the threatening ones far outnumbered the harmless ones with a ratio of one to ten. That was just how dangerous this forest was, even more so than Ulrum. The most concerning fact were that the threats did a wonderful job of concealing their true nature. Ironically, the ones that looked threatening were more often than not, completely harmless.

Another eerie fact was that the majority of the plants here had animal-like sentience and they were carnivorous but not like the Venus Flytraps. The carnivorous plants were straight-out predators that were actively and constantly on the prowl and seeking after their prey. But of course, they were nothing before Henry. Much like the creatures in Ulrum, they no longer dared to attack him when they bore witness to his ferocity and strength. Some of the sentient plants even shirked out of sight and made way for him.

Though these plants were harmless against Henry, the same couldn't be said for Iluna or Vishara. Henry fell and burned down as many of these carnivorous plants as he could. He left the ones that gave him the cold shivers alive. He gradually came to understand some of the plants’ death would bring more trouble if they were culled.

Henry was preparing to return to the camp after gathering some sweet and sour egg-sized berries that were the only non-poisonous fruits in the area. As he brandished his wings, he felt something come through his mind. A wave of relief washed over him.

“Henry!” exclaimed a voice.

“Nadea! Finally! I was beginning to worry that I might be trapped in this world indefinitely.”

“You don’t sound worried to me.”

“I wondered about that too. I know I should be… panicking or whatever but there’s just this voice in my head that keeps telling me that everything will be fine at the end of the day.”

“That’s your bestial instinct at work, much like how animals can sense natural disasters long before they strike. Your instincts sense no imminent danger which is why you are able to keep calm.”

“I see… Well, anyway, just what the hell happened? Is this the work of some—”

“Fortunately, my initial assessment was wrong. This is just a result of a world’s dimension partition breaking down due to the lack of divine supervision.”

“...Okay, can you explain to me one more time but in English this time?”

“The decay of a godless world had spilt over to other worlds. It’s a mere coincidence that Ulrum just so happened to be the victim.”

“A godless world? This world?” Henry looked around and saw only lush greeneries and a healthy landscape that was teeming with life. “It doesn’t look godless to me. Everything’s lively.”

“A world’s sustainability has nothing to do with a divine presence. It could keep on flourishing and thriving even without divine supervision. However, it will be defenceless and helpless once an outer being comes or should the partition start decaying like this world. You can’t see it but it’s happening, the boundary between this world and the other is crumbling.”

“Alright, I understand the problem now. So, how can this problem be fixed? No, first of all, get me out of here. This place is fucking dangerous. This whole fucking forest is like one huge murderous psychopath. Everything wants to kill you or eat you here, or both.”

Nadea sighed. “I’m afraid it ain’t that easy, Henry.”

“Enlighten me.”

“In order to transport you from this world back to Ulrum, I will need to take over the maintenance of this world, which is easy to do, relatively speaking. However, the other divines want a piece of this world too. They would see this act as me stealing a march on them. They are not going to be happy about it.”

“Why can’t you just take the world over for a bit just to get me out of here and then let go of it once I’m back in Ulrum?”

“That would set a terrible precedent, especially for the opportunistic divines who would employ any tricks or schemes to obtain the authority of a world. They would use this as an excuse to take over the other unclaimed worlds.”

“...No offence, Nadea, but being a god sounds like a tedious job.”

“It is a tedious job. It has its moments but tedious, nonetheless. It’s not as fun as people so desperately believe. Yet, mortals just kept having the idea that divines can do whatever they want without any repercussions or consequences whatsoever.”

“Alright, enough about that. Just tell me what I can do from my end. There’s gotta be something I can do, right?”

“There’s plenty you can do actually but it's a matter of time. There’s plenty of solutions but most of them require years of work.”

“Okay, give me the ones that don’t require years of work.”

“Find the Consecrated Pieces.”

“Layman?”

“Things that have been… exalted with a divine’s presence.”

“A divine? You mean—”

“The former divine overseer of this world. This may be a godless word now but it used to have a god. Find the Consecrated Pieces. It’s the fastest way.”

“But where can I find these Pieces? And how would I know what it looked like?”

“You would know if you see it and as for where you can find them, follow the light.”

“What light?”

Just then, there was a beacon of light reaching into the clouds from around tens of kilometres away, or maybe even in the hundreds, Henry couldn't exactly tell. It wasn't close, that was all he understood from a glance. The beacon was bright and sharp, instantly catching his attention.

“You’re in luck,” Nadea said. “There’s one nearby, relatively speaking, and it’s a very powerful one. Find that piece and you’ll be able to go home. I’ll be busy in the meantime. There’s much to be discussed with my fellow divines regarding this… incident. Contact me once you find the Pieces.”

Henry sighed. “Righty-o, Nadea. And could you tell Yula for me that I’m fine and I’ll be returning soon?”

“I already have, Henry.”

Henry raised his brows. “Why, thank you, Nadea.”

“Enough with that. Now get moving.”

****

“Henry, you’re back!” Iluna cheered, trotting briskly up to Henry as soon as he landed. “Are you hurt anywhere?” she asked.

“I wouldn’t be slouching if I am. My scales are nigh impenetrable. If I’m hurt, then that means we have a serious threat.”

“Ah, I-I understand… Lord Henry.”

“Oh? Lord again? What happened to just Henry?”

“Don’t tease me, Lord Henry. That was just a slip of the tongue.”

Henry chuckled and plopped right down by the fire. He then rolled the berries off his paw on a flat boulder conveniently just next to him. “Here, eat up. They’re not poisonous.”

“Dear goddess, Lord Henry, this is wonderful. Thank you so much,” she said and began devouring the fruits with a relentless appetite. “Forgive my conduct, Lord Henry, but I’m just extremely famished.” She did not stop eating as she explained.

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t believe manners are a factor considering our circumstances. Just eat to your heart’s content.” Henry stared at her with a warm gaze.

Feeling Henry’s gentle eyes, red dyed Iluna’s cheeks as she slowed down her feast.

“For heaven’s sake, you two, have some shame,” Vishara grumbled while sitting by a small arch with a bowl of water in her hands.

Henry frowned. “Where did you get water and that bowl?” he asked.

“I made the bowl myself,” she said. “I carved it out from the rocks. As for the water, you have Iluna to thank for.”

Henry turned his gaze to Iluna in wonder.

A small smile appeared on her lips as she manifested a drop of water the size of a softball, floating in between her palms.

“Water Magic?”

Iluna nodded. “It was very handy as a healer. The wounded ones are always in dire need of water, whether it is to quench their thirst or wash their wounds. But the amount I can conjure is finite. My Murux is… derisory in comparison to yours, Lord Henry.”

“Nonsense, Iluna. You don’t judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree now, do you?”

“I won’t.”

“There you have it. I’m a Dragon and you’re a Lavan. It’s senseless to judge your worth by my standard.”

Iluna gave an endearing smile and nodded adorably as she nibbled away the berries like a chipmunk gnawing on nuts.

Soon, night came and fell. The fire burned as fierce and radiant as ever due to Henry’s consistent efforts. Whenever it grew small, Henry would just spit a spark and that was all it took to reignite the fire’s volume.

Iluna was fast asleep by the campfire with Henry’s tail forming a ring around her to provide the much-needed extra warmth. Henry himself was still fully awake, not that he had trouble sleeping. Even if he did, it was no issue to him as he could go a week without sleeping so long as Murux or any form of energy essence was present in the air.

As this was a foreign world, Henry saw more benefits in staying up the night to survey his surroundings than getting some sleep he didn’t need. He had yet to tell them of the way to return to Ulrum. He decided to do just that first thing in the morning so as to not make Iluna too excited to fall asleep.

“Not sleepy?” Vishara asked. She was also still wide awake. She had been sparring with her shadows since dusk left and night came.

“What about you?” Henry returned the question.

“Vampires don’t need sleep for reasons that most creatures do. We only sleep to recuperate injuries. I may be less than a shadow of my former glory, but I’m still a true vampire nonetheless. I will appreciate it if you don’t underestimate me that much.”

“You were absolutely helpless against the Slayer. It’s hard not to underestimate you considering that’s my only image of you.”

“If we ever encounter a threat of flesh and blood with a sentient mind, I’ll show you how terrifying I can be even at my weakest.”

“We’ll see.”

“Better yet, how about you spar with me now? It’s quicker this way to see if I’m just tooting my horn. I’m stronger than the last time we fought, Dragon.”

“I gain nothing from sparing you and Iluna will most likely wake up the moment we clash and exchange blows. She’s not like us. She’ll need as much sleep as she can.”

“What bundle of joy you are, Dragon. Is this a Dragon’s trait or is it just you?”

“It’s the trait of a sensible being. Why do you ask? Is it too foreign of a concept to you, Vishara?”

“Your claws and fangs are not the only sharp features you have.” Vishara chuckled. “You’ll do fine as my mate.”

Henry glared at Vishara with a frown of disgust.

“What? Is my appearance too homely for a Dragon’s preference? I’ll have you know, I’m considered to be one the most beautiful women of all in my nation. My appearance is one of the major reasons why I have so many suitors. Oh, sorry— had many suitors.”

“It has nothing to do with your appearance.”

“If it’s strength, I can assure you that no one is worthy to be my opponent other than you and those War Machines if you can even count those as candidates that is.”

“I don’t care for your strength either.”

“Character, then. Why? Is my character too much for you?”

“You’re too forward, inconsiderate, and brash, more so than someone I know but at least she’s willing to learn and change.”

“That’s funny. It’s a likeable trait amongst my people.”

“Well, you’re not courting someone of your race.”

“That’s true. I’m courting, quite possibly, the strongest breed of all creatures, beasts, and monsters. But know this, I care not about any love between us. I only wish to be inseminated by you and carry our offspring just so I can have a legacy as strong as me or possibly even stronger.”

“Then unless you plan to enthral me to do your bidding, you will never get my seed,” Henry scoffed. “I wish you all the best in finding someone else to fill your womb.”

Vishara tittered. “We shall see… Henry.”