When Rey saw the dragon's chest and abdomen glow red, he knew he was dead meat.
But by a stroke of immense luck, the cute little ghost dragon shot out from beneath his feet.
Consequently, the dragon's fire breath slammed on the brakes mid-eruption.
Rey could clearly see the high-velocity flames colliding with the dragon's suddenly clamped jaws, forcing small bursts of solid fire to escape from the corners of its mouth.
Rey wasn't stupid, nor was he blind. The dragon had stopped its fire breath internally. At the very least, its mouth must be seriously burned.
All of this was for the little ghost dragon. Rey wasn't vain enough to think his own charm had stopped the dragon mid-attack.
"The little guy showed up in the end. My life is saved for now."
Rey took a deep breath, steadying his weak body as his tense nerves finally relaxed.
However, just as Rey let his guard down, the dragon suddenly opened its massive maw in excitement and inhaled sharply.
Air rushed violently into the dragon's mouth, and the transparent little dragon began to dissipate into mist under the powerful suction.
The scene resembled a Dementor sucking out a human soul. Rey watched in horror, his heart pounding with fear.
---
After the little dragon appeared, there was no heartwarming reunion. The Great Dragon was just excited, as if it had found a supreme tonic.
As the Great Dragon inhaled, the little dragon became more transparent, prompting the excited beast to increase the suction force.
Consuming the little dragon step by step was the Great Dragon's goal. But the little dragon wasn't about to sit still and wait for death. It let out a squeaky cry, flapped its wings with all its might, turned around, and charged straight at Rey's head.
The scene unfolded incredibly fast. From the little dragon's appearance to the Great Dragon's inhalation, and finally the charge into Rey's mind, less than three seconds had passed.
As the little dragon slammed into him, Rey heard a loud buzzing sound. His mind went blank, his consciousness blurring instantly.
"ROAR..."
Seeing the transparent dragon enter Rey's mind, the Great Dragon let out a furious roar. The sound was so loud it shook the entire cave.
The little dragon belonged to it, and the Great Dragon wasn't going to let it go.
It raised its head, magma churning in its chest, and aimed a blast of fire at the dazed Rey.
An enhanced breath of Dragon Fire erupted. Rey, lost in his stupor, didn't react. However, just as the flames engulfed him, a black dragon suddenly burst out from within Rey's body.
Dark golden eyes, black scales, a ferocious form that rivaled, if not surpassed, the Great Dragon itself.
It had no physical body, yet its form was as solid as reality. Upon appearing, it opened its maw and unleashed a stream of blue flame, completely blocking the Great Dragon's fire breath.
Two solid streams of fire clashed in mid-air. The temperature skyrocketed, melting the gold beneath their feet. The Great Dragon was unaffected, and Rey, shielded by the spectral black dragon, remained unharmed.
Ten seconds later, the fire breath ceased, and the black dragon spewing blue flames vanished. Covered in residual blue flames, Rey collapsed to the ground with a thud, completely unconscious.
"A mere human who stole the dragon's blood... not only did the Dragon Soul submit to him, but he even gained the acknowledgment of the Dragon God."
The Great Dragon's eyes widened in shock and anger. It raised its head, preparing to unleash another breath of fire on the unconscious Rey, but ultimately, it held back.
---
Rey didn't know how much time had passed when he groggily woke up.
However, he was greeted by the dragon's cold growl: "Give me a reason not to kill you."
Normally, a dragon wouldn't deign to speak to a wizard who posed no threat. Rey hadn't expected it to break precedent and talk to him.
"Give me a reason to kill me first."
Rey took a deep breath and countered. There was no trace of fear in his tone.
At this point, fear was meaningless. Besides, Rey was currently filled with rage. The last thing he clearly remembered was the dragon trying to consume the little ghost dragon.
"This is the place where I await my mission. You shouldn't have come."
The dragon actually answered. It shouldn't have, but it did. It seemed that after absorbing part of the little dragon, something had happened that Rey wasn't aware of.
Also, what was up with the cave? The gold coins beneath his feet had melted into a solid golden mass at some point.
"What is your mission?"
Rey stared fixedly at the dragon, ignoring the changed environment. He felt like something that belonged to him had been stolen. It felt awful; it hurt.
Although the little dragon couldn't speak, it had saved Rey two or three times. He treated it like a brother. But now, his brother had been consumed by the dragon in front of him.
"What is your mission?!" Rey shouted, demanding an answer.
"Kid, don't push your luck. Just because the Ancient Dragon Soul submitted to you and the Dragon God acknowledged you doesn't mean I can't kill you!"
Rey's shouting provoked a roar from the dragon. It raised its right claw and pinned Rey against the solidified gold.
"I don't know anything about Dragon Souls or Dragon Gods! I only know you ate my little dragon!"
pinned under the dragon's claw, Rey didn't expect to survive, so he acted tough.
People are like that. Once they know there's no way out, they dare to do things they never would have dared before.
"That transparent little dragon was the Dragon Soul. And speaking of eating, you absorbed the most of it. If the Dragon God hadn't acknowledged you, barely making you half-dragon, I would have swallowed you whole."
The dragon spoke in human tongue, actually explaining the situation. It pressed down slightly harder, forcing Rey into closer contact with the gold.
Though the gold had solidified, it was still hot. The burn triggered a memory in Rey's mind—the little dragon charging toward him. As for what happened after that, he had no recollection.
---
The dragon ultimately spared Rey. Half a dragon was still kin.
"So, what is your mission?"
The atmosphere was awkward. having escaped death, Rey asked again. Although the dragon spared him, its eyes were filled with disdain and contempt, though devoid of killing intent.
Even so, Rey wanted to understand the dragon better. This was a rare opportunity. Plus, he was completely confused about the "half-dragon" and "Dragon God" stuff.
"My mission is to wait for someone. Someone who can lead the Dragon Race to rise again and oppose Death. Don't worry, I will sense that person when I meet them. It definitely isn't a thief like you."
Surprisingly, after the awkward silence, the dragon answered Rey's question. However, Rey didn't understand why the dragon called him a thief. Had it discovered that he stole the necklace for Helena?
"You know Death?"
Rey asked in surprise. He hadn't expected the dragon to mention Death.
"Don't you know him too? He was the one who took you there."
The dragon replied disdainfully. The answer stunned Rey, but he quickly realized: the dragon had absorbed part of the little dragon, so it naturally knew some of its experiences. Or rather, Rey's own experiences.
This was probably the real reason the dragon hadn't killed him immediately.
---
Helena sprinted back with all her might after escaping the treasure vault.
She hadn't acted willfully in a long time, but this one act of wanting to see the dragon had led to such danger.
She had assumed Rey's description of the dragon's power was exaggerated because the dragons she had seen weren't nearly as strong. That was why she planned to see a True Dragon.
She saw the True Dragon, but the outcome was tragic.
Helena dared not think about the possibility that Rey had sacrificed himself to save her. She had to save him, no matter what.
She didn't have the strength to rescue Rey from the dragon, but she could find people who did.
Her mother and her three friends.
Helena believed that the Four Founders of Hogwarts could definitely save Rey from the dragon's claws.
Apparition.
Helena attempted the teleportation spell she hadn't yet mastered. Having escaped the vault, she planned to use this magic to return to Godric's Hollow and bring reinforcements.
She didn't care about the danger of a failed spell. It was the only way Rey stood a chance of survival.
In the tent at Godric's Hollow, the Four Founders were discussing their findings.
However, neither the trip for Draconic lore nor the search for dragon tablets had yielded useful clues about the dragon's mission.
Just as the four were feeling disappointed, Helena suddenly Apparated into the tent.
She appeared instantly, moving so fast she crashed headfirst into Helga's arms.
---