Reincarnated as a Dragon – The path of the Dragon God

Henry was resting on one of the many floating isles with Iluna when Vishara returned. He had caught some land fowls and he was currently roasting the meat on spits. The floating isle was essentially a self-contained environment in which the land fowls fed on the plants growing on the isle. Initially, he was afraid the fowls would taste weird but the aromatic scent emanating from the fire dispelled all of his apprehensions.

“Smells like chicken,” Vishara remarked as she joined the two by the fire.

Henry was in his human form, gently turning the spits over the fire. “I trust that you had your fill,” he said, glancing over at the whale shark that was perching on the isle that Vishara had flown over on. “And are you sure that thing will behave?”

“You can smell its fear, no? I don’t think it would try anything. It knows what I can do and it certainly knows what you are capable of. So yes, I’m sure it would behave.”

“I disagree.”

“Of course you do, Dragon,” Vishara scoffed.

“Even a cornered rat would bite the cat. Despair sometimes turns cowardice into courage. They would fight tooth and nail until they exhausted their last breath or until they made it out of their predicament.”

“I know we have our differences but do you have to find fault in each of my actions?”

“Your actions endanger others. Are you implying I should just turn a blind eye and feign ignorance of your dangerous actions? Maybe that fish isn’t much of a threat to me but what about Iluna?”

“It’s alright, Lord Henry,” Iluna spoke up. “I’m not afraid.”

“You should be, Iluna. Fear helps keep you alive. You’re less likely to make some stupid mistake if you’re afraid. And it’s not just about fearing for your own life but also the lives of those around you. Fear compels you to be better.” Henry shifted his gaze from Iluna to Vishara. “Which is where your problem lies, Vishara.”

“My problem?”

“You don’t have any fears, which is why you keep doing all of these reckless actions. I sincerely hope you don’t bring trouble to Ulrum once we have returned.”

“Be at ease, Dragon. I won’t. I don’t have a reason to.”

“We shall see,” Henry muttered and turned his focus back to the roasting fowls.

Shortly after Henry and Iluna had filled their bellies, they resumed their journey. The rest of the way was uneventful. They flew past great and wonderful sights but they encountered no complications or obstacles. At best, it was just Vishara having a hard time flying the whale shark she had taken to ride. Even now, as they approached their destination while night fell, Vishara was still making elaborate manoeuvers with the whale shark.

“Hey, Iluna,” Henry called out quietly.

“Yes, Lord Henry?”

“Make sure you double your vigilance on the humans after we have returned. I fear Vishara’s vengeance would inevitably bring trouble to Ulrum whether it’s intentional or not.”

“That’s quite difficult to arrange, Lord Henry. The human emissaries who frequently trade with the Lavans would surely notice those changes and get suspicious.”

“What if you tell them it’s because of someone new unknown monster in the forest?”

“Then that would pique their interest and would demand to be involved. Truth to be told, your existence alone is already quite a challenge for us, Lord Henry. If the human caught wind of your existence, they would stop at nothing to hunt you down.”

“I know…”

“I’m not admonishing you or anything, Lord Henry. I was just—”

“I understand Iluna. I don’t blame you. The humans are to be blamed here. Their greed and curiosity knew no bounds. Honestly, I think it’s only a matter of time before they drop all pretence and invade Ulrum.”

“Should that ever happen, all of Ulrum would retaliate in kind.”

“And I would be at Ulrum’s aid.”

The two smiled. Though they weren’t staring at each other, they knew the smiles were meant for each other.

“...I hope my people are doing fine.”

“Do you have that little faith in your people?”

“I don’t doubt my people’s will but my presence and existence are akin to a god’s emissary. My absence would surely cause great unrest. Worst of all, the humans might even take advantage of the unrest.”

“It will be fine, Iluna. We’re barely gone for a few days. If your people can’t function well without your presence, then all the more reason that you should stay away from them.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Iluna’s tone turned sullen.

“Your people can’t be too dependent on you. You will not just become their strength but also their greatest weakness. They need to know that you don’t dictate their fate. They are not bound to you. You are supposed to be their guide, not the master of their fate.”

Iluna fell silent as she absorbed Henry’s words. She wanted to retort but she knew Henry had only spoken the truth. The Lavans were too dependent on her even though she contributed nothing but merely acted as an anchor for their mental health. If she was to draw a comparison, she was akin to a drug to her people. Currently, she could only pray that her people could grow out of their dependency in her absence.

Soon, the night took over the day. Creatures that slumbered through the day were now awake. They howled at the sky, signifying their turn to reign and also to warn those who thought of treading into territories. Henry, Iluna, and Vishara heard those howls but they ignored them as they had to tread through those places where the howls came from should they wish to arrive at their destination.

“We should camp here for the night,” Henry said and landed on a barren floating isle nearby. There was no plant on the isle but plain rocks and dry ground, which was perfect for them since they wouldn’t need to worry about being attacked by any of the creatures that were potentially living on the isle while they slept.

They decided not to make a fire as Henry and Vishara could sense the creatures here were fiercer and stronger than the ones they encountered before.

“It’s freezing here,” Iluna said, breathing into her palms to keep herself warm but her shoulders quivered uncontrollably despite the numerous times she had rubbed her shoulders until her palms were sore and warm but the cold quickly came back.

Seeing the poor priestess trembling incessantly like a phone put on vibrate, Henry, who was in his human form, huddled close to Iluna and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

Instantly, Iluna sighed in comfort and leaned into Henry. “You’re so… warm, Lord Henry,” she muttered blissfully as she wriggled in her seat to snuggle closer to Henry than she already was. “Can we stay like this for a while longer?”

“Iluna, we can stay like this for as long as you like.”

Hearing his response, Iluna’s shoulders jumped and she shrunk in bashfulness. “D-don’t tease me, Lord Henry, please.”

“I’m not, Iluna. I truly don’t mind if you wish to stay like this until the morning.”

“You don’t feel uncomfortable with this position? Am I not heavy?”

Henry chuckled. “You are not heavy, Iluna. Besides, you are merely leaning against me, not on me. Just don’t worry about a thing and go to sleep, Iluna. There might be a huge journey ahead of us.”

“Aren’t we already close to our destination?”

“We are but there’s a high chance of complications occurring.”

“I see… Well, Lord Henry, good night.”

“Good night to you too, Iluna.”

Iluna smiled warmly and closed her eyes, entrusting herself completely into Henry’s embrace. Only a minute went by and she was already fast asleep.

Vishara was also fast asleep. She was actually the first one to retire for the day, probably because of the enmity between her and Henry. Falling asleep would temporarily relieve her of the awkward mood until the morrow came. The vampire was not bothered by the cold at all. Contrary to Henry’s temperature, she was cold and Henry remembered how she felt chill to the touch during their brief altercation in the past.

After making sure there was no threat in their immediate vicinity, Henry also began to doze off in order to save up as much strength as he could for their journey tomorrow. However, his slumber did not last until morning. He was assailed by an acute feeling of danger that jolted him out of his sleep. When he opened his eyes, he found Vishara was also wide awake, standing in her combat stance and looking around them.

“You felt it too?” Vishara asked.

Henry nodded and also stood up after laying Iluna gently on the ground. “Have you caught sight of our imminent assailant yet?”

“No, but it won’t be long before it presents itself before us.”

“We should leave before that happens,” Henry said and only then, he noticed the whale shark was missing. “Where’s your mount?”

“I do not know but its cries were what shook me out of slumber. I’m surprised you still remained sleeping even after that. I thought you would never wake up.”

“That’s… concerning.”

“That might be a testament to how good the threat is at hiding its bloodthirsty intent. The threat is very likely somewhere very nearby. It might even be dangling on the underside of this isle.”

Henry closed his eyes and listened to the sounds and noises around him intently and carefully. After a while, he opened his eyes. “It’s anywhere on the isle but the fact that it could take such a big animal away and hide its presence right away, we are up against a very mighty foe.”

Vishara’s nose twitched as she sniffed at the air. “I smelled the blood of my mount but I can’t tell where it’s coming from.” Vishara was able to see in the dark and so could Henry but despite this, they weren’t able to perceive the threat visually.

“We need to leave,” Henry said and transformed back into his Dragon form. He scooped Iluna onto his back and took flight after Vishara hurriedly jumped on. Just as he left the isle, the threat finally made its move. It came from below and Henry hastily rolled to the side in his flight to avoid being hit by the threat. Vishara had also sensed the threat attacking, so she held onto Henry’s spike to avoid falling off and she also made sure Iluna didn’t either.

In Henry’s sudden evasive manoeuvres, Iluna finally awoke from her slumber. She flinched in Vishara’s arms when she realised they were in the air on the back of Henry. “W-what in the goddess’ name is happening?” she cried.

“We’re under attack by an unknown,” Vishara explained curtly.

“Not anymore,” Henry said.

In front of them, the threat finally made itself known.

“A serpent?” Iluna gasped.

“A Wyrm?” Vishara guessed.

Henry shook his head. “No… it’s a Dragon.”

The threat before them was indeed a Dragon but it bore little semblance to Henry. Although, he was convinced the threat before him was indeed a Dragon. To Henry, the threat was indeed a Dragon of the eastern depiction kind, or largely so. It had the green glinting scaly skin, the mane, the whiskers, the antler horns, and four limbs across its slithery body, but the rest of its features were akin to a Wyrm. However, those few distinctive features were enough to convince Henry the threat was a Dragon.

“Well, if you say it’s a Dragon, then I suppose it is a Dragon,” Vishara muttered. “But how do we kill it?”

Henry shrugged. “I have no idea.”

“Great,” Vishara sighed.

The Dragon stared at Henry and the two, unmoving. Its gaze spelt caution.

“Hmm? That’s… interesting.”

“What is?”

“We have arrived at our destination.”

“We have?” Iluna asked.

The realisation struck Vishara first. “Ah… This Dragon before us is the destination.”

“That’s not good,” Iluna said. “This creature looks strong.”

“Whatever we are looking for, it’s inside of this Dragon.”

“Well then…” Vishara stood up on Henry’s back. “I guess it’s time I show you the true power of a Vampire Sovereign.” And then, a pair of wings sprouted from Vishara’s back, formed of blood.