POV Dex and Echidna:
'It's time,' the shared thoughts echoed.
The figure raised both hands, and crimson-black energy began to accumulate in the palms. But this time there was something different.
'Remember it,' Echidna's voice whispered through the fused consciousness, 'Remember your most primal will and place it here.'
Dex hesitated—or at least, the part of him that was still Dex hesitated.
'My most primal will?'
'Yes. The one that brought you to this world. The one that made you accept me. The one that makes you keep going.'
And then Dex... remembered.
He remembered Ray—no, himself. Looking at the screen. Wishing, more than anything, to return to the simple moments of his childhood, between the happiness of being with his father and mother.
He remembered the day of his father's death and how his life changed after that day. His mother, who was frequently at home, had to take care of the guild left by his father. And each day he felt that he only wanted to have a simple life.
And finally he remembered the moment he woke up in this body. Scared. Confused. But not alone—because she was there. Echidna. The voice in his head that had become his companion. When he was tense, she would make jokes to calm him down, and when he had doubts, she always answered his questions as best as possible.
And he understood.
His most primal will wasn't power.
It wasn't revenge against the Usurper.
It was something much simpler. Much more human. And something that in a way he had known all along.
'I never want to be alone again,' Dex thought, and the energy in the fused palms pulsed with renewed intensity. 'I want to live a life alongside my family, a quiet and ordinary life that can satisfy me and them.'
'And Yggdrasil,' Echidna completed softly, 'will be the blade to preserve our family and ensure that no one dares even touch any of our wives.'
The energy in the palms transformed.
It was no longer just crimson-black—there was something more. Something warm. Like the light of a fireplace on a cold night. Like the embrace of someone who loves you unconditionally.
'That's it,' Echidna whispered, marveled. 'That is the true essence of our desires and wills.'
And the energy flowed through space until it reached its destination.
Not like a violent flood. But like a gentle current of a river that knows its way.
The trunk absorbed it and began to glow, not with the cold light of absolute power, but with something welcoming.
The glow spread. First through the branches. Then through the sub-branches. Following the ten thousand paths until the entire colossal structure breathed with Dex's will.
A desire for home.
A desire for family.
A desire to never be alone again.
And in the center—the black sun, the soul—began to pulse.
Thum.
Weak, but constant. Like a newborn heart.
Thum.
Stronger now.
Thum. Thum. Thum.
And at the same time in the real world.
POV Edward:
Edward meditated in silence when he felt it.
It wasn't his imagination. It wasn't the sound of the hall.
It was something... different.
Thum.
A beat. Distant. Almost imperceptible.
'Focus,' he told himself. 'It's just a distraction.'
Thum.
Louder. Or perhaps... closer?
Thum. Thum. Thum.
Edward's eyes opened abruptly.
He turned his head, searching for the source.
And saw.
Around Dex and Echidna, ghostly structures of crimson-black energy materialized—semi-transparent, as if they existed simultaneously in two worlds.
A tree that enveloped the two monsters.
However, the energy wasn't cold. It wasn't threatening. It was just... welcoming.
But still, despite the apparent tranquility, just imagining approaching those two made his blood freeze. It was like a camouflaged predator waiting for its victims.
And then, while he watched between fascination and horror, the tree began to retract.
It wasn't violent. It was like watching a plant folding its leaves at nightfall—natural, organic.
The sub-branches dissolved first, flowing back to the main branches. Then the branches, converging to the trunks. And finally the trunks, retracting completely into the bodies of Dex and Echidna.
In less than a minute, it disappeared.
But the beating... continued.
Thum. Thum. Thum.
Weaker now. Almost inaudible.
And then their eyes opened.
POV Dex:
Dex felt... heavy.
Not physically. But spiritually. As if he had run a marathon and only now allowed himself to feel the exhaustion.
He looked to the left—Echidna was at his side, also panting, also exhausted.
But there was a smile on her face.
'We did it,' her voice echoed in his mind through the telepathic link they shared.
'Yes,' Dex responded mentally. 'We did it.'
And then he felt it.
In his arms—from wrist to shoulder—something pulsed. He looked down and saw crimson patterns under the skin.
Thum. Thum. Thum.
In sync with his heart. But also... with something more. Something deep in the Soul Realm.
Yggdrasil.
It was like... having a second circulatory system. Something that functioned automatically, without necessary conscious thought.
Dex moved his fingers experimentally. The patterns pulsed slightly stronger in response.
'I wasn't expecting this,' Echidna said, also observing the marks on her own arms.
'What exactly is this?' he asked, while touching his new veins.
'I think our lineage from a primordial dragon reacted to what we were doing and created this to pass the large amount of aura.' She then closed her eyes. 'Feel the current passing through it and you'll understand.'
Dex then closed his crimson eyes and also tried to feel the current.
And after concentrating, he could feel—aura being gently pulled from his mental sea, refined through Yggdrasil's channels, deposited in his soul's core which was still partially filled with the aura he had naturally formed after his awakening. And from that core he could feel a connection with the physical world, and from it a small part of the aura was being transported to the veins he now possessed.
And he could feel the aura slowly reaching every corner of his body and fortifying it.
'They're fortifying us,' he said, surprised.
'Exactly.' Echidna tested her own arms, flexing her fingers and watching the crimson patterns pulse in response. Satisfied, she began to stand up. 'These veins take advantage of the high aura production made by Yggdrasil to extract a small amount and strengthen our body continuously.'
Dex also stood up, more slowly, still processing the information and slight changes. His muscles responded with strength he didn't have before—not dramatic, but present. As if each fiber had been slightly reinforced.
"I feel... different," he said aloud for the first time since they woke up. "More solid. As if my body had been... refined?"
"Exactly." Echidna turned to him, and Dex noticed she also seemed different. More... defined. As if her physical structure itself had been subtly optimized. "It's passive fortification. Over time, the effect will be exponential. The more aura Yggdrasil produces, the more these veins will strengthen us."
She paused, looking at her own veins, then at Dex's.
"But anyway, to what matters most," she said while using aura on her fist, which was quickly covered by a black aura with red rays. "It's as I thought, the veins also serve as a more efficient passage for aura."
Both could see the vein in Echidna's arm, which before was just a small red streak, increase in size and pump aura up to her fist.
She then commented: "The efficiency increased greatly. Even if I constantly keep the aura activated only on my fist for hours, we'll still be producing more aura than we spend."
Dex, hearing this, got excited and was about to respond, but was interrupted.
"Impossible."
The voice wasn't calm. It was tense—charged with something between shock and... despair?
Both turned around.
Tiamat was five meters away, but was approaching rapidly. Her eyes fixed on them with an intensity Dex had never seen—there was no professional composure. There was urgency.
"It was only an hour," she said, stopping abruptly in front of them. "How... how did you form this monstrosity in one hour?!"
"Professor," Echidna said aloud, tone respectful but firm, "awakening time varies according to the efficiency of the method used."
"No," Tiamat interrupted, and there was something close to controlled panic in her voice. "It doesn't vary that much. The draconic method—my method, the method I learned over centuries—takes at least three days. Usually a week for stable results."
She moved closer, eyes fixed on Echidna.
"You did it in one hour. And you didn't just awaken—you revolutionized the entire process. How?"
Echidna maintained her gaze, not retreating a millimeter.
"It's a lineage method. Highly optimized."
"That's not an answer—" Tiamat began.
"It's the only one I'll give," Echidna cut firmly.
And through the telepathic link she explained to Dex: 'As I said before, in that space we're almost gods, so I manipulated time so we could make Yggdrasil faster. It was supposed to be a surprise, but she ruined everything.'
Dex nodded almost imperceptibly, understanding.
"The method," Tiamat continued to insist, "at least explain how—"
"No," Echidna said simply. "It's ours. And we're not obligated to reveal it."
"At least," Tiamat said, changing tactics, "tell me the origin. Did you find ancient records? Inherit ancestral memories? Did someone teach you?"
"I can't answer that," Echidna said calmly.
"Can't or won't?" Tiamat pressed, moving closer.
"Both."
"But—"
Dex, for the first time, intervened in the conversation, approaching the professor.
"Professor," Dex said, and in his tone there was a touch of warning. "We're being respectful. But this line of interrogation needs to end. Now."
Tiamat stopped, recognizing the limit that had been established.
"The veins," she said, changing approach again, "at least confirm some technical things. Are they permanent?"
Dex simply looked into her eyes coldly. "Until tomorrow, professor."
He then took Echidna's hand and began walking toward the door.
Tiamat froze, completely stunned.
"Wait!" she shouted, but the word came out more desperate than she intended.
But the shouts fell on deaf ears.
Echidna, surprised by the intervention, spoke telepathically: 'I think she's not going to like this.'
'I don't care if our professor is going to like it or not,' Dex responded, squeezing her hand even tighter. 'Who does she think she is to try to force you to speak?'
Echidna felt unwanted warmth rise to her face. 'When you worry about me... you're actually cute.'
And so they left the hall under the gaze of three incredulous people.