Devouring Dragon Heir

In a green, lush garden, radiant with an otherworldly glow, a huge pond lay at its center, filled with sparkling, luminous water.

From the depth of this pond, a colossal tree with a vibrant, almost sentient vitality stood, its massive trunk stretching upwards, its branches reaching beyond the clouds and into the distant, golden skies.

The leaves shimmered with an ethereal light, and golden roses, unlike any found on Earth, bloomed in profusion around the pond's edges.

A figure of a mature woman, her golden-voilet attire flowing around her, sat gracefully on one of the tree's enormous lower trunks.

She exuded an aura of profound calm and ancient power. She was surrounded by many palm-sized, humanoid spirits, all female, with delicate, gossamer wings at their backs, fluttering around her like tiny, devoted attendants.

At this moment, in the mature woman's gentle embrace, lay a young man in his twenties. He was Klaus, now fully healed, his face serene, a stark contrast to his earlier battered state.

hair, clean and soft, was being gently stroked by one of the small, winged spirits.

"Leave him, Raphael, I bet he doesn't even remember you. Being a mortal has its limitations, so you should not keep any false hope," a small spirit, with fiery red hair and iridescent wings, floated near the mature woman and said, her voice a tinkling bell. She hovered near Raphael's ear, a hint of exasperation in her tone.

"No, Mum," Raphael, the spirit cradling Klaus, replied, her voice soft and melodious, yet firm. "Even though he is a mortal, I still feel we are connected.

In his last life, he promised me he would return, and look, he did." There was a defiant yet calm certainty in her words. Her touch on Klaus's hair was infinitely gentle, as if he were the most fragile and precious thing in the universe.

"Tch," the small, red-haired spirit retorted, crossing her tiny arms in mid-air. "This shameless man didn't come here deliberately; he was being hunted by a bat monster.

Had I not saved him, he would have been food to that thing." Her tone was sharp, betraying a protective concern that belied her seemingly dismissive words.

"He fell into the abyss of the mutated dungeon and then right into our sacred waters, and you, Raphael, just had to pull him out before the beast got him. It wasn't some grand, fated return, but a desperate fall."

"I don't know, Mum," Raphael said again, fresh tears welling in her large, luminous eyes as she continued to comb Klaus's hair with her tiny fingers.

"Last time, I made him chase because you wanted to prove that mortals get over love too soon. Because of that, my darling suffered so much. This time, I won't let that happen again." Her gaze was fixed on Klaus's face, a look of profound affection and regret etched on her features.

Thanks to the dashing face of Klaus, even in his unconscious state, he looked like a prince charming right now in her embrace. His features were perfectly sculpted, his skin flawless, making her daydream about her distant memories with him, memories of a life that felt both ancient and vividly present.

The soft, golden light of the garden accentuated his features, making him appear even more ethereal.

Soon, Raphael's mother, the mature woman on the tree trunk, spoke, her voice calm and authoritative, yet filled with a gentle sorrow.

"You know your father won't let you get along with him, right? Only the inheritor of the Black Dragon Throne will be able to marry you. That was the condition your father set even before you were born. It's a decree from the very foundation of our existence."

"I know, Mum, and I know I can't defy the heavenly fate set by Father," Raphael acknowledged, her voice tinged with sadness but also a deep resolve. "But still, I have to try no matter what."

As she spoke, a small, shimmering blue crystal, about the size of her thumb, appeared out of nowhere in Raphael's hands, seemingly coalescing from the very air around her. It pulsed with a soft, inner light.

Seeing the blue crystal, all the other spirits gasped simultaneously, their tiny forms flinching back slightly.

"This stone...???? What is this, Raphael???" one of them squeaked, her eyes wide with alarm. The other spirits murmured among themselves, their small faces filled with a mixture of awe and apprehension. The object was clearly of immense significance, something rarely seen.

"This was given to me by my Grandma," Raphael explained, her gaze fixed on the crystal. "She said it would help me defy the heavenly fate if, in case, I feel bound by it.

I don't know what it is and how it works, but I have a feeling that it will help darling greatly." With that said, without hesitation, she gently placed the glowing blue crystal on Klaus's chest, directly over his heart.

A second later, the crystal shone intensely, emitting a blinding blue light that momentarily eclipsed the golden glow of the garden. Then, it began to melt, slowly at first, then more rapidly, dissolving into Klaus's chest as if it were water soaking into dry earth.

There was no physical residue, no wound, just a shimmering absorption. Everyone around, except for Raphael, looked dumbfounded, their tiny jaws agape. The red-haired spirit rubbed her eyes in disbelief.

"You gave a divine item to a mortal," Raphael's mother said, her voice now stern, a clear note of concern in her tone. "You know that this will put him in even more danger, right? Such an item would draw attention from entities far more powerful than any monster he has faced. It's a double-edged sword."

Raphael looked up at her mother, her eyes clear and resolute, the tears now gone. "I just gave my darling the means to face those dangers, Mum.

It's a divine skill. If my real destiny allows, then he shall rise and sit on the Black Dragon Throne. And if he is bound to die even in this lifetime, then I will die with him." Her declaration was absolute, spoken with the quiet certainty of eternal devotion.

With that said, she gently kept her hand on Klaus's forehead and began to chant a spell. Her voice, previously soft, now resonated with a deep, ancient power, filling the garden.

As she chanted, a massive, intricate magic circle, glowing with golden runes, appeared in the sky directly above them, swirling and expanding. The very fabric of heaven and earth seemed to be shaken by the force of her invocation. The tree itself pulsed with light, and the pond's water churned.

The magic circle pulsed once, then expanded rapidly, transforming into a massive black hole. It began to hum, a low, resonant thrum that vibrated through the air.

The black hole expanded further, engulfing Klaus completely within its swirling darkness. He simply vanished, drawn into the void. With his disappearance, silence returned to the garden, broken only by the gentle rustling of the radiant leaves and the soft murmuring of the small spirits, who watched with a mixture of wonder and trepidation.

Raphael's mother simply gazed at the spot where Klaus had been, a complex expression on her face.

---

In the outside world, far from the luminous garden, somewhere in the slums of City-35, a shabby, ruined house stood amidst crumbling buildings and discarded refuse.

The air was thick with the smell of damp earth and stale dust. Inside this dilapidated dwelling, Klaus woke up with a start, feeling profoundly fatigued, as if he had just run a marathon.

"What the fck?" he mumbled, his voice hoarse. His eyes darted around the unfamiliar, dingy room. "Did I get eaten? Is this that bat's stomach?" He pressed a hand to his stomach, half-expecting to feel the pulsating walls of some monstrous digestive tract.

pushed himself up in a disoriented manner, his limbs stiff, and stood near a broken, grimy mirror hanging precariously on the wall. He touched his forehead again and again with his fingers, trying to ascertain if he was truly awake, if the past events had been a dream.

"Why do I feel so comfortable here?" he mused aloud, a strange sensation washing over him, a feeling of deep relaxation and well-being that defied his squalid surroundings.

"As if I was massaged by Sydney Sweeney." The thought was random, a lingering echo of some profound comfort he had just experienced, a stark contrast to the rough awakening.

He sat back on the dilapidated bed, the springs groaning under his weight, and closed his eyes. He tried to remember what had happened. How did he escape the Gate?

The last thing he recalled was jumping into the abyss, the bat monster poised to strike, and then... nothing but a comforting warmth.

As he concentrated, he soon noticed something on the floor near what appeared to be a dilapidated, unused door.

It was a letter, slid inside the house through a gap in the bottom of the door. The door itself was untouched, covered in a thick layer of dust and grime, so it was a little hard to notice normally, blending into the surrounding decay.

He got up and cautiously went ahead, his instincts for self-preservation still active despite his confusion. He picked up the envelope, noting the official seal, and opened the letter.

Inside, he found a sturdy, official-looking card and a short letter from what appeared to be a government agency.

The letter read:

---

Government of the United Territories

Department of Awakened Affairs

Official Notice of Condolence and Recognition

To the family and loved ones of Mr. Vance,

It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that we convey the unfortunate news of the passing of Mr. Vance, a registered Awakened individual under the jurisdiction of the Department of Awakened Affairs. Mr. Vance tragically lost his life during an expedition into a C-rank dungeon, which, due to unforeseen and rare circumstances, experienced a mutation of its gate. This incident occurred several days prior, during which Mr. Vance and the members of his assigned party became trapped within the mutated gate.

Upon receiving the emergency signal, the Dungeon Response Division of the Association mobilized all available resources to execute a coordinated rescue effort. Despite sustained attempts and the deployment of specialized units, the situation escalated beyond recoverable thresholds, and the operation, regrettably, did not succeed in retrieving Mr. Vance or his companions.

Mr. Vance served as a courageous and devoted member of our nation's Awakened corps. His willingness to enter high-risk dungeons in the service of public safety and advancement is a testament to his character and his dedication to the greater good. His sacrifice will not be forgotten.

In recognition of Mr. Vance's valor and service, the Union Government has authorized a bereavement contribution in the amount of 100,000 Union Credits. These funds have been transferred to the designated National Bank account linked to the card inside the attachment. We hope that this contribution, though modest in the face of your loss, provides some measure of support during this difficult time.

On behalf of the Union Government and its citizens, we extend our most sincere condolences. May the memory of Mr. Vance endure, and may his soul rest in eternal peace.

With profound respect,

Director General of City #35

---

Looking at the letter, a strange headache crept up his head, a mix of amusement and irritation. Vance was the name he had used in this world, his official registered identity after transmigration. The association hadn't even bothered to look up his family history to check if he had any relatives; they just assumed he was another isolated hunter.

He was alone in this world, an orphan without parents, and when he originally transmigrated here, he had changed his permanent address and left the orphanage, cutting all ties to his past.

But still, looking at the card in his hand, a small, genuine smirk touched Klaus's lips. At least he got some great money out of his "death." 100,000 Union Credits was a substantial sum, equivalent to him working for a whole year as a low-ranked porter. It was unexpected, but a welcome boost to his finances.

With that, he checked his laptop, which lay on a dusty bedside table, to ascertain the current date. Earlier, he had lost his phone in the dungeon during the frantic escape.

Looking at the laptop screen, he sighed. Almost two weeks had passed since the incident in the dungeon. He opened a news portal to check for any lingering reports about the vanished gate and, as expected, apart from a few articles buried deep in the archives, the news of the gate mutation did not make many headlines.

Everyone knew how common mishaps happened in this world, how hunters sometimes disappeared in dungeons, so no one made a fuss about them. Life went on.

Soon, he kept scrolling through his device, quickly getting all the recent updates on global events, major gate appearances, and hunter news. Once he was done absorbing the information, he stood up and returned to his bed to lie down.

Looking at the cracked ceiling of the shabby room, he got lost in his thoughts, meticulously planning how to proceed further from now on. He was legally dead, effectively off the grid. This could be an advantage, a new beginning.

That was until a strange red pop-up, appeared directly in front of him, floating in the air. It pulsed with an ominous light.