'It's… so… cold.'
The cold bit deep into his bones.
At least that's what Drax felt right before everything went dark.
His brain sluggishly processed the freezing sensation spreading through his body as his vision faded to black, and then...
He died.
Just like that. Gone.
And for good.
All his dreams, his plans for the future—everything snuffed out because of some stupid accident.
Sure, maybe the Witch would face justice eventually.
Maybe she'd get arrested and convicted.
But what did that matter now? Drax was dead.
Whatever happened on Earth after this moment had nothing to do with him anymore.
It wasn't his problem.
Except... right now, Drax didn't actually feel dead.
There wasn't even a gap in time.
Almost instantly, he heard voices mumbling nearby.
The words reached his ears clearly, but they made absolutely no sense.
He could hear them just fine, but understanding them? Impossible.
It was a completely foreign language. Something he'd never heard before in his entire life.
He tried opening his eyes to find whoever was speaking, but his body refused to cooperate.
Drax was too weak to move even a single muscle.
No matter how many times he struggled, his body wouldn't respond.
Eventually, he gave up trying.
[Ding!]
[Host detected!]
[Acquiring Dragon Queen's Legacy]
[0%... 33%... 57%... 79%... 84%... 100%]
[You have acquired a draconic bloodline]
[Successful!]
[Acquiring Elf Queen's Legacy]
[0%... 57%... 83%... 100%]
[Successful!]
[You have acquired an elven bloodline]
[You have awakened the system!]
[System Objective: To create the…]
Glowing screens suddenly materialized inside Drax's mind, floating in the darkness like they were hanging in mid-air.
For a moment, he was completely stunned.
'What the hell was this?' Drax wondered.
But within a few minutes, his shock transformed into pure excitement.
He was happy.
In an instant, Drax figured it out.
He knew exactly what this was.
This was something millions of people back on Earth dreamed about.
Something he himself had watched in countless anime and read in hundreds of manga, webtoons and webnovels.
He was living every otaku's ultimate fantasy.
This was actually happening!
He wasn't in hell.
He wasn't in heaven.
He was exactly where he needed to be—an isekai world!
The realization hit him like lightning, and Drax was so thrilled that he didn't even care that he'd literally just died.
'So it's real!' he shouted in his mind, unable to contain his excitement. 'Isekai is actually real!'
He absolutely loved this.
The idea of being reincarnated, of leaving his old life behind and getting a genuine second chance.
It was everything he had ever wanted.
'Wait, a system? To create that? What's that supposed to...'
Before he could finish sorting through his thoughts, exhaustion crashed over him like a wave, and he passed out without any control over his body.
Even while unconscious, Drax vaguely sensed himself being moved around, but he couldn't react or wake up.
******
"He's so handsome, Alucard," Queen Freya whispered, gently rocking the baby boy in her arms.
Alucard walked over and gazed at the newest mother and child.
Even though she had been hesitant about helping Queen Freya with that high-grade summoning spell, seeing Drax's adorable baby face made every doubt vanish.
The dragon spirit felt zero regret.
Every time she looked at the baby, Alucard was glad she'd participated in the ritual.
If nothing else, it made Freya happy, and that was worth everything.
"He is, my queen," Alucard agreed softly.
Queen Freya smiled and suddenly threw her arm around Alucard's neck, pulling her close.
The elf queen pressed her forehead against the dragon queen's, overwhelmed with gratitude.
Tears threatened to spill from her eyes.
"Thank you, my dear friend."
The sincerity in those words made Alucard's heart melt.
She was used to Queen Freya calling her "friend".
Freya had even insisted Alucard return the favor and drop the formalities. But this time felt different.
This time, it came from somewhere deeper, more genuine than ever before.
Alucard understood how much this meant to her.
Queen Freya couldn't have children on her own.
For someone who wanted nothing more than to be a mother, it had been absolute torture—unbearable agony.
She had desperately searched for a solution for years.
When she finally found one, Alucard knew nothing in this world could have stopped her.
"Freya," Alucard said quietly.
The elf queen stopped rocking the baby and looked up.
Alucard's expression had turned serious, and Freya immediately sensed that whatever was on her mind was definitely cause for concern.
"What about the World Council, Freya?"
Queen Freya continued rocking her baby lovingly, completely unbothered by the dragon queen's worrying question.
After a few seconds of smiling down at baby Drax, she finally looked back at Alucard with that same serene expression.
With all her political concerns melting away, she said casually, "Fuck the World Council, Alucard. Those old geezers aren't my problem right now."
Alucard's eyebrows shot up. 'Did she seriously just curse out the World Council?'
Freya turned her attention back to the baby and gently poked his right cheek, giving it a soft rub while grinning from ear to ear.
"Besides, we can always figure something out. This wouldn't be the first time they've stuck their noses where they don't belong, right?"
Alucard froze like she'd been hit on the head with a massive hammer.
She tried to respond, but her lips twitched uncontrollably.
Yes, Queen Freya was one of the most powerful mages in the world. And yes, Alucard herself was one of the strongest beast spirits alive. But that didn't change the fact that the World Council was still an enormous threat.
Even if they were—speculatively—just as strong as the Council members, that didn't make the Council weak. And it certainly didn't make the two of them immortal.
"My queen, but—"
Queen Freya looked the dragon queen directly in the eyes.
"Don't worry about them, my dear Alucard," she said softly, cupping the dragon queen's cheek with her warm palm. "We'll keep this between us for now. At least until our baby grows strong enough. It'll be our little secret. Just you and me."
Queen Freya glanced at the baby and rocked him with one arm while pulling Alucard closer with the other.
"I'm sure with my blood and yours running through his veins, he'll be incredibly strong. He might even surpass both of us someday. Maybe he'll accomplish things that even we couldn't."
"No way—"
"Yes way, Alucard. I believe our baby will."
The dragon's eyes widened further as she managed to whisper, "Our baby?"
Queen Freya nodded firmly.
"He's our child now, Alucard. Our little source of happiness. We're both his parents. We'll stay by his side and protect him from whatever dangers come his way."
Freya gazed at their magically created baby with eyes full of love. "He's the son of the Elf Queen and the Dragon Queen."
Alucard said nothing, just stared at both the elf queen and the baby.
"Who do you think he'll look like, Alucard?" Freya asked, clearly emotional about this whole new mother experience.
Alucard shrugged. "Me, I suppose. Everyone knows spirit heritage is way stronger than mortal heritage. Plus, I am the Queen of Dragons."
Queen Freya scoffed, realizing Alucard had a valid point. The baby might not resemble her as much as she'd hoped.
"Proud thing!" she playfully shouted at the dragon spirit, tears dramatically streaming down her face.
After composing herself, the elf queen glanced at the magic circle on the floor, then looked back at Alucard.
They exchanged a knowing look and nodded simultaneously.
Alucard understood her job—clean up every trace of the forbidden spell. Meanwhile, Queen Freya would handle the baby.
The elf queen knew Alucard wasn't exactly the nurturing type when it came to newborns. Freya was much better suited for the motherly role.
It was a decision they'd both silently agreed upon.
Freya carried the newborn toward the exit of the grand hall where they'd performed the ritual.
"About the World Council," Freya paused mid-step.
"We'll just tell them we were practicing our combat skills or better yet, that we were developing a new spell and it backfired."
Alucard bowed as she prepared to erase every trace of the summoning circle.
"As you wish, my queen."