The first thing Aelric felt was heat.
It wasn't the gentle warmth of sunlight or a hearth.
It was primordial — a heavy, ancient heat that pulsed through the black stone beneath him, as though the island itself were breathing.
When he opened his eyes, the world shimmered red and gold. Shadows danced along carved stone walls veined with veins of emberlight. The air carried the sharp tang of salt and sulfur, and beyond the stone, faint roars echoed through the mist — distant and immense.
He didn't know where he was. Not at first.
Then, a single name came unbidden to his mind.
Dragonstone.
The recognition hit him like lightning. The seat of House Targaryen. The cradle of dragons.
But how—?
His last memory was not of fire, but rain. A road glistening under streetlights.
Headlights.
Pain.
Then… this.
He sat up, breath catching. He was young — perhaps fifteen. His hair was a pale silver, long enough to brush his neck, and his eyes, when he caught his reflection in a polished bronze mirror nearby, were a strange blend of lilac and deep crimson. Targaryen eyes. Yet his features were not purely Valyrian — there was something harder, earth-born, in them.
Then the air around him shimmered.
> [System initializing…]
He froze.
The voice wasn't sound. It was light, runes of molten silver forming in midair.
> [Welcome, Aelric of House Bellerys-Targaryen.]
[Bloodline synchronization complete.]
[Unique System detected: Dynasty & Bloodline Interface.]
[Would you like to display full status?]
His lips parted. "Y… yes."
The chamber dimmed as if obeying the command. Then the runes expanded into an intricate web of light — part scroll, part constellation, burning with silver fire.
---
⟡ STATUS PANEL ⟡
Name: Aelric Waters (Unacknowledged Bastard)
True Lineage: Prince Baelon Targaryen × Valyra Bellerys of Essos
Age: 15
Realm: Dragonstone, Crownlands
---
Bloodlines
Targaryen (Draconic Fire Lineage): Fire Affinity (Minor), Dragon Resonance (Dormant), Flame Resistance (Lesser).
Bellerys (High Dragonlord Lineage): Arcane Instinct, Metallurgic Vitality, Draconic Constitution.
Unique: Conquest Bloodline (Dormant): Devour and assimilate foreign bloodlines. Forge dynastic evolution.
---
Career Paths
> [Active Career Limit: 3]
Only three active paths can be cultivated simultaneously. Additional careers remain dormant until merged or relinquished.
Combat Path:
Squire (0 %) → Novice Knight → Knight → Veteran Knight → Elite Knight → Legendary Knight
Life Path:
Villager (Passive) → Apprentice Blacksmith → Journeyman → Master → Artisan Lord
Leadership Path:
Follower → Captain → Commander → Lord → Warlord → Dynast
---
Core Traits
Awakened Bloodline: Passive growth rate +10 %.
Bondforger: Form soul-bonds. Each bond grants shared growth and loyalty.
Accelerated Growth (Bond Effect): Bonded subjects gain +200 % learning speed.
Potential Amplification: Bonded subject's innate potential increases by one tier (Max: SSS+).
Legacy Seed: Each bond strengthens dynastic authority.
Dormant Devour: (Locked) — Consume and integrate bloodline essence.
---
Potential System
Every living being possesses a Potential Rank — a measure of their ceiling, their destiny.
Rank Growth Speed Description
SSS+ Godlike Evolves 100× faster than mortals; capable of transcending limits.
SSS Mythic Genius of a thousand years; destiny-shaping.
SS Legendary Heroic; born to command.
S Exceptional Natural leader or warrior.
A Talented Above average; the backbone of greatness.
B Competent Reliable, disciplined.
C Average Most men of the realm.
D Weak Unremarkable. Slow growth.
E Feeble Advancement nearly stagnant.
F Deficient Needs decades to achieve minor progress.
> Example: A soldier of F Potential may need a decade to reach Veteran Rank.
A prodigy of SSS Potential may achieve the same in mere weeks.
Bonds with Aelric's dynasty automatically raise the subject's potential by one full tier.
---
Skills
Type Skill Level Description
Combat [Swordsmanship] Lv. 1 Fundamental understanding of edge, guard, and stance.
Combat [Fire Affinity] Lv. 0 Dormant link to draconic flame.
Leadership [Command Presence] Lv. 1 Projects authority; improves morale of nearby allies.
Crafting [Basic Metallurgy] Lv. 1 Knowledge of smelting, tempering, and forging.
Bloodline [Draconic Resonance] Lv. 0 Dormant sensitivity to dragons.
System [Bond Link] Lv. 1 One active bond slot available; expands with Leadership Rank.
---
Aelric stared, stunned. His mind raced through possibilities.
A system that could raise others, elevate bloodlines, build empires through loyalty and growth?
He didn't just have a way to survive — he had the foundation of dynasty.
He clenched his hands, heart pounding. If I can train warriors, uplift them, create knights and lords of my own... then even the crown will have to bow.
The runes flickered again.
> [System Notice: Potential Bond Detected — Draconic Entity (Dormant).]
[Proceed with Bonding? Y/N]
He turned, drawn by instinct.
Across the chamber stood a stone pedestal, and upon it — a dragon egg.
Black as midnight, veined with molten red, it pulsed softly, rhythmically. The glow illuminated the carved dragon heads lining the walls. Their eyes seemed to watch him — ancient, expectant.
He took a step forward.
Another.
The air grew hotter. Sparks curled from his palms.
"I suppose you're mine," he whispered.
He reached out.
The moment his hand touched the egg, agony lanced up his arm. Fire — not burning, but transforming. His veins glowed crimson, and a deep, ancient pulse echoed in his chest.
The chamber shook.
Rocks trembled.
The egg cracked.
> [Draconic Compatibility: 97 %]
[Bond Sequence Initiated.]
[Establishing Link with Entity: ???]
[Name Generated: Bahmut.]
[Potential: SSS+ — Highest Classification.]
[Mutual Evolution Rate: +300 %.]
[Shared Traits Activated: Empathic Link, Draconic Growth, Flame Harmony.]
The egg shattered with a burst of molten light.
From it emerged a small dragon — scales the color of cooled obsidian, eyes glowing like molten gold.
He looked fragile, no larger than a cat, yet when their eyes met, Aelric knew.
He wasn't the dragon's master.
He was its equal.
> [Bond Complete.]
[Bahmut recognizes you as Kin.]
[New Skill: Draconic Empathy Lv. 1]
[New Trait: Shared Growth]
[Bloodline Resonance — Minor Awakening triggered.]
Heat surged in his veins, fanning behind his eyes. His vision sharpened — the faint shimmer of heat, the flow of energy through the room, the pulse of his own heart, and Bahmut's.
The hatchling chirped, curling his tail around Aelric's wrist. His scales pulsed faintly, like breathing metal.
Aelric exhaled slowly, chest tight.
I can feel you…
The dragon's emotions brushed against his mind — curiosity, hunger, affection.
And something else. Pride.
He laughed quietly, the sound strange in the empty chamber. "Then we'll grow together."
He rose, Bahmut clinging to his shoulder, wings half-unfurled. He looked toward the horizon through the open balcony of black stone.
Far below, the sea churned like molten glass, waves crashing against the cliffs of Dragonstone. Beyond that — the world.
The Seven Kingdoms.
The Iron Throne.
The legacy of Fire and Blood.
He wasn't born to it.
But he would take it.
> [System Notice: Dynasty Initialization in Progress.]
[First Bond established. House Sigil unlocked.]
[New Dynasty: House Aelric of Dragonstone — Motto pending.]
[Dynastic Authority: 1. Level — "Seed of Fire."]
[New Objective: Recruit first follower. Build foundation of loyalty.]
Aelric smiled.
The wind carried the scent of the sea and the faint roar of dragons in the distance.
The story of his dynasty was beginning.
And all of Westeros would one day remember the name —
Aelric Targaryen. The Bastard of Fire and Blood.