“Good luck. You will need it,” the monochromatic version of Asterios sneered at him while slowly dissipating into the air.

  Only after the last bits of his alter ego disappeared without a trace did he let out a deep sigh.

  Reaching out to help Silvia stand up, he glanced around the chamber. “Is everyone alright? I think you can stop blocking our connection now. I can’t stress how uneasy not being able to perfectly sense your state makes me.”

  Miria stepped closer to them while rubbing her throat. “I’m fine, Master. A little bit sore, but otherwise fine.”

  “I told you it should have been me to jump at him in the end.” Grea huffed, crossing her arms under her chest.

  “Your perverted expression would have given us away in an instant, Professor.” Tina shook her head, arriving by their side with Bryn and Selene.

  “Oh, come on. I can control myself. Who do you think I am?”

  They all raised a brow at her.

  Grea threw her arms in the air. “Ugh. Fine. I would have gotten at least halfway there if he grabbed me like that.”

  The girls chuckled while Asterios shook his head with a wry smile. When he glanced at Bryn and Selene, they nodded at him warmly to let him know that they were both fine too. Bryn had already taken care of their injuries and walked up to the others to begin working on them too.

  “Good job right there. You had us both.” Asterios smiled at them as all the girls gathered in front of him.

  Miria grinned at him while being treated by her new sister-mate. “We know you inside out, Master! But, it wouldn’t have been possible without Tina, as usual!”

  “You are giving me way too much credit.” The person in question dropped her gaze to the ground while blushing faintly.

  “She doesn’t.” Silvia gently shook her head. “Predicting that Asterios will jump in front of any of us to take the blow onto himself might not have been that hard, but coming up with the plan of putting me inside that flaming avatar of his because I have the highest affinity with his fire while transporting him out through Umbra’s ability is nothing short of incredible.”

  Tina’s cheeks continued to grow redder as everyone nodded in agreement.

  “I was so confused at that moment.” Asterios chuckled wryly. “Thankfully, the flaming aura wasn’t canceled without my presence inside of it. But, I have to say, you intentionally putting yourselves in danger to execute your strategy made me more than just a little worried.”

  “You do it constantly, Master. It was our turn to protect you.” Selene showed a kind, ladylike smile at him as her eight tails danced mesmerizingly behind her back. “Besides, he wanted to avoid killing us, most likely in hopes that he would gain control over our contracts after taking over your half. Otherwise, this fight might have been way more dangerous. Though, making our barriers brittle back then and watching them get torn into pieces so easily was indeed a little bit scary.”

  “I don’t think your father expected this to happen,” Silvia commented. “Otherwise, he wouldn’t have sent us here without a warning. Instead, he warned us against fighting more Dragons before we get what we were supposed to. It isn’t normal for an isolated Dragon’s Heart to become a separate entity, right?”

  “You might be onto something,” Grea agreed. “That bastard was healing rapidly by absorbing the energy generated by the ARK’s core. It was enhancing his strength too. Red mentioned something about the beneficial effects of its radiation and he did study it in depth. He most likely thought of this room as the best place to store the severed Dragon’s Heart for Asterios to retrieve in the future.”

  “Little did he know, it grew almost stronger than Asterios.” Bryn sighed softly.

  “No. It did grow stronger than the current me.” Asterios shook his head and glanced at all of them. “You are the reason this was possible. And our gear too, I guess. But, while he was clearly more attuned to my draconic origins, even being able to take the form of an actual True Dragon, he lacked companions. Numbers. If it was one-on-one, he would have been standing here with my heart in his hand instead.”

  The girls exchanged glances with gentle smiles and turned to Asterios. Before he could react, they all swarmed him together with loving hugs, pulling him into the middle of an affectionate circle. He laughed lightly and hugged them back, at least those who he had in front.

  “So, what now?” Tina asked after they separated, glancing at the black orb in his hand.

  “Well, there are only two options.” Grea scrunched her nose. “We either have to go up, turn the healing chamber on again, and shove this thing deep into Asterios, or…”

  “Or I crush it like Red had with that woman’s Dragon’s Heart and absorb the flames locked up inside,” Asterios finished for her.

  “Are we sure that’s the correct way?” Miria peeked at the crystal with a worried expression.

  He tenderly ran his fingers through her smooth hair. “I feel like it is. And it’s not like we know how to put it back in there. I somehow managed to figure out how to take it out of someone, but stabbing myself with it in my hand might not work the same way. It does sound quite painful, interfering in someone's spiritual structure.”

  “It would be sad to lose half of the power that belongs to you, though,” Silvia said with a calm, slightly melancholic tone.

  “As I mentioned earlier, I would throw it away without a moment of hesitation if there was even the slightest chance that my personality would change.” Asterios met her noble gaze. “I hate his conceited nature. It seems like being overly prideful and viewing others as below them is how all True Dragons are. Each time my emotions get the better of me, I feel like I make a step closer towards that path.”

  Bryn finished healing everyone up and stepped closer to him from the front, placing her palms over his cheeks.

  “You are an amazing person, Master, and you are doing a great job not letting your origins, or others, dictate who you are. I love the kindness and passion you show to us and everyone else and I have no doubt that those qualities will always prevail in your heart. I believe in you.”

  She left a gentle peck on his lips before backing away and joining the other girls.

  “We believe in you too, Master,” Miria spoke on their behalf, grinning at him adorably.

  He reciprocated the smile and nodded at them. “Alright. Let’s get it over with.”

  Raising the crystal orb to the front, he squeezed his fist and crushed the black Dragon’s Heart. Just like the last time, it shattered in spiritual particles of a matching color and the black flame raced up his draconic arm.

  Asterios gasped when they reached his shoulder and flowed onto his chest. Sudden darkness enveloped his vision and everything swirled around him as he completely lost his sense of direction. He couldn’t feel the ground under his feet anymore.

  Then, the world flashed back into existence and he could see again. But, he was not standing anymore. He lay on the ground while staring into the sky, which was covered with dark volcanic ashes as far as the horizon spanned. As he sat up, multiple tall mountains spitting lava spanned in all directions.

  He was back in the volcano realm.

  Chapter 45

  Reclaimed Lineage

  After sitting up, Asterios slowly scanned his surroundings with an unhurried gaze. He was curious if anything had changed in this weird place, but at first sight, the tall mountains spitting crimson fire looked more or less the same as he remembered them. It was hard to pinpoint where exactly he had entered this mysterious realm so there was still a chance that it hid something interesting in a different spot.

  He jumped to his feet and dusted off his clothes. This time, he had them on, most likely due to the fact that they were the extension of his spirituality. Or, thanks to him creating them during the last visit. Both options felt like they could be right.

  Without further ado, Asterios brought out his wings and flapped them a few times to stretch their muscles. It had come to him much easier than before and there was no pain accompanying the change. His wings looked just as he remembered them so it must be something else. Logically speaking, it would most likely be the Dragon’s Heart he had assimilated.

  Warmed up enough, he shot into the air, kicking up lots of gray dust from the ground. In just a moment, Asterios was hovering in the sky as high as the thick, ash-filled carpet of clouds allowed. He glanced at the wasteland riddled with volcanoes beneath him, looking for any visible changes or new sights.

  The lifeless badlands remained in a state matching his memories of the place. He could still see the humongous volcano that was connected to the smaller ones with streams of red lava. Countless little, fiery hills breathed flames, standing proud in every direction. Some had clearly gone out since his last visit, and some had definitely appeared. The latter was easy to spot considering their small size and location at the end of the chains.

  Sensing a connection with his own mountain full of fire, Asterios flew towards it. Right away, he was certain that his own volcano had grown in size considerably. The stream leading to it directly from the gigantic central hill was now about three times as thick as before. As for the volcano itself, he wasn’t sure by how much exactly, but it had expanded too, slowly beginning to match the neighboring peaks. It felt like an achievement considering the fact that those that were first in line were quite mighty.

  Asterios descended into the opening of his volcano from above. The pooling lava parted to let him in without a shred of inconvenience and he was soon standing on the ebony platform housing the ominous, crimson throne with draconic motifs and writing. The scorching hot chamber was much bigger too, which was obvious. Nothing else had changed, though.

  “I was hoping to find something new here. It does feel like my room in a giant dormitory. I kind of expected that consuming the black source would have promoted me into the higher class which granted me additional housing privileges, but things are just as empty as always.”

  After staring at the throne for a few seconds, he approached the fancy chair and sat down. Nothing assaulted his mind. Neither did he feel anything special. Maybe except for a faint connection to the energy that this volcano emitted. Even though it was present all around him, it didn’t look like he could interfere with it in any way besides controlling the volcano. If he wasn’t wrong, it was just a materialization of his own power.

  Having enough lavabathing, Asterios took one last stroll around the volcano and flew out the same way he had entered. Stopping above the jagged top, he glanced towards the biggest mountain. He could feel a connection with it. Now even clearer than before. So, he decided to approach it and see what happened.

  The closer he flew to the mighty, hell-spewing hill, the less confident he felt. Something was affecting him, causing Asterios to grow anxious. It might have been the enormous spiritual energy that radiated off the massive volcano. Before he reached the ring at the top, the pressure reached such an insane level that he was afraid of losing consciousness in the air. He clearly felt the connection he shared with it, though.

  Choosing not to risk his life over curiosity, Asterios began moving away from the oppressive mountain, still flying up. Reaching the top, he stopped slightly above, peering into the unbelievably wide hole from a safe distance. One could throw entire cities into the volcano and they would be swallowed whole.

  Since looking at it for too long was starting to make Asterios dizzy, he turned around while rubbing his eyes… and froze after letting go of them.

  “What?” He squinted to see better in the distance, soon remembering that he could use his enhanced draconic vision to get a better image. “Now, that’s definitely new. I couldn’t have missed those last time.”

  Without wasting time, Asterios flapped his wings and rushed towards the unusual sight. He flew above numerous volcanoes spewing dark crimson lava and flames for about a minute. A flat, barren land greeted him when the hills ended. But, the presence of that grand strip of nothing wasn’t what had surprised him so much earlier.

  On the other side of the no man’s land began more rows of volcanoes. This time, they didn’t shoot red flames, though. No, they flashed and flared with black-and-white explosions. The rivers of lava were of similar shades. It felt bizarre, but after everything Asterios had experienced up till now, it wasn’t that shocking.

  He warily crossed the empty space and slowed down in front of the first volcanoes on the other side, unsure if they were safe to approach. Thankfully, they didn’t react in any way to his arrival. They seemed pretty much the same as the crimson ones, except for the color, of course.

  “I wonder if there’s a giant one here too. Though, it feels almost certain,” he said to himself.

  Still keeping his guard up, Asterios continued further into the territory of the black flames, wondering if they could be associated with his black half. After about a minute again, he found the onyx version of the humongous, crimson mountain. Their sizes were comparable, for the most part. It was hard to judge, but neither felt considerably mightier than the other.

  He didn’t feel the same connection with the black volcano as with the red one, but there still was something. A more distant feeling, less direct, easier to miss. But, in terms of connections, there was something else. Just like on the other side, Asterios sensed a faint link, a pulling force drawing his attention somewhere.

  Choosing to follow that sensation, he flew around the central volcano until his eyes could find the object of his search. After it entered his sight, Asterios was perfectly sure about it. He was looking at another small, dormant hill with a thin but direct connection with the main one. That view reminded him of his first visit to this mysterious realm. Something told him to approach that volcano.

  Listening to the feeling, he carefully circled his target before slowly descending through the open top. Asterios considered looking for a possible cavern leading inside, but why would he use it when he could fly now? Nothing stopped him from getting inside the volcano, except for the deep ebony lava pooling inside near the bottom, releasing black and white gasses.

  Not seeing any platform to stand on, and neither a path going out through the walls, he tried doing the first thing that came to his mind. He willed for the lava to reveal what it was hiding. And it worked.

  The extremely hot liquid rock retreated to the sides, uncovering a similar chamber to the one he had seen in many other volcanoes. Of course, there was a throne placed in the very middle. This time, it was made of a material so dark that Asterios felt like it consumed the light coming at it, to some extent.

  He landed in front of the throne, taking a glance at it.

  “In darkness it all began, in darkness it all will end, huh?” Asterios read the draconic inscription out loud. “Does every color of True Dragons have its own motto? Such a weird species.”

  Besides that piece of text, there was nothing more on and around the throne, as expected. There was only one choice to be made, and Asterios wondered if it was the right thing to do. He knew close to nothing about True Dragons, but even considering that fact, he felt like having two volcanoes was a kind of unusual situation. Not to mention different colors.

  But, since it could hide more answers about him, Asterios decided to try it and walked up to the throne. Recalling his previous first contact with the crimson one, he lowered himself onto the seating a little warily. He couldn’t know if Red’s descendant sitting on a throne connected most likely to Black would insult or offend either of them, possibly triggering a not-so-happy reaction.

  The moment his butt touched the ebony mineral, an immense pressure weighed down on Ast’s entire body. He felt a powerful gaze right on him, seeing a pair of ferocious, draconic eyes staring into his very existence from ahead. There was a prickle of pain in his mind, but Asterios fought it back, reinforcing his mental defenses.

  “You won’t get me twice with the same trick.” He chuckled through gritted teeth. “Good luck trying to read my memories, bastard.”

  More draconic features surfaced over Ast’s body as he fought back against the force invading his mind. He successfully kept the invader at bay, not letting them peer deeper into his memories than to access the most basic ones with barely any relevance to his lineage and current life. The entity or spell pushing forward seemed relentless, though.

  Their struggle lasted for what felt like hours. It was impossible to accurately judge time under such heavy mental effort, though, so it could have been anything between a few minutes and a day. But, Asterios wasn’t worried. He knew that not that much time would have passed in the real world when compared to this spiritual realm. Therefore, he put his all into fighting the invader out of his mind. Even if it meant that he was rejecting the volcano and what it offered, he didn’t want to give full access to his memories to another entity, possibly endangering his family, friends, and loved ones in the process.

  Finally, after a really long time, the mental assault spiked in power, forcing Asterios to put everything on the line as loud, pained grunts left his throat. The barriers and techniques he put around his mind reached incredible levels of complexity. He had worked on that area a lot after the first time and all the other experiences where his memories were at risk of being leaked.

  When it felt like he was approaching his limit, the invader gave up, withdrawing the oppressive probe. The pressure weighing the panting Asterios down was still present, alongside the two, giant, draconic eyes drilling into him with intense anger. He chuckled quietly and smirked at them as that was all he could do in his current state.

  A few moments later, even the eyes disappeared, taking the pressure away too. Asterios let out a deep sigh of relief and finally relaxed, spilling on the throne like he owned it. But, the truth was certainly different. He had rejected it so it was nothing more than a piece of edgy furniture now. There was no chance that he could make use of it after all of that.