Magnus was in the clearing. He was comfortably sitting on a patch of grass. Melinoe was unconscious beside him. Magnus decided that he would keep the novice mage. He was too amusing to let go.

Two remaining.

Magnus watched his two awakened servants. Gregory was an efficient killer. He killed them instantly. Sanria on the other hand seems to enjoy toying with them. It seems after she was awakened, she finally realized how small and insignificant everyone is compared to her. After all, she was already so far above her peers even before she met Magnus. Now, she's having a hard time seeing the value of other people.

Zero. Rest in peace brave soldiers.

Magnus lightly bows his head as a form of respect to the ones that died today. He did not enjoy their deaths. He lightly calls upon the god of reincarnation.

Once that transaction was done, Magnus waited for Gregory and Sanria.

Magnus felt his stomach rumble. It seems that his body is feeling some hunger after that strenuous activity.

Gregory meets up with Sanria first before they return to Magnus.

Sanria appeared a bit bloody. Her simple clothes were stained by the blood of her enemies. Her fists were also covered in blood. Gregory was bloody as well but that was because he was using a sharp weapon rather than a blunt one.

Sanria saw Gregory's reaction. She spoke as to reassure her father.

"Father, don't worry. I may look like I've become a deranged psychopath but I am fine. I just did what those people deserved. Did you know how many of them tried to touch me? I only survived due to luck."

Gregory nods. He would rather massacre all of those soldiers himself than let Sanria get hurt.

"Now father... let's return to Prince. I am sure he is waiting for us."

"Yes, let's go back my little apple pie."

Sanria chuckles. She knew that Gregory used that to comfort her when she was young. Now, he uses it to comfort himself.

Magnus saw the father and daughter duo come out of the forest. They were a bit wet. They must have washed up first before they returned.

Gregory and Sanria approach Magnus. Without any indication or words, Sanria immediately kneels in front of Magnus.

"Prince... we've done your will. They're all dead."

Sanria raises her head. She seemed to want praise. Her golden eyes were practically begging for it. Magnus considered patting her head but that was too degrading. Instead, he nodded. That was enough.

Sanria smiled giddily. Gregory looked at this daughter with confused eyes. He has never seen her daughter act like this but he's never seen her so excited for something either. She's always been bored so seeing her so excited makes Gregory happy.

But... is this fine?

Sanria stood up and she waited for commands. Magnus stood up from his comfy position. He connected his mind again to them.

Go home... for now... I will... call upon... you...

Sanria frowns. She didn't like that she would be separated from Magnus. Gregory didn't mind it. He would have time to be acclimated with his new situation and the responsibilities being thrust upon him.

"Pri-Prince, would it be okay if I joined you? I do not presume you cannot speak but I can be your mouth! I can talk for you!"

Sanria immediately tried to latch onto Magnus but a single look from him immediately shuts her up.

"So-sorry. I assumed too much."

Magnus wasn't angry but he needed alone time. He was not confident he could focus on his current task with her around. Magnus looked at Gregory.

Gregory stepped forward.

"We will go home for now my lord. I will make sure this place is properly taken care of... I will practice my newly gained abilities during the time of pause. I and my daughter will surely be more capable after we practice."

Magnus nods approvingly. It was lucky that Gregory is loyal or at least has the makings of a loyal servant. He wanted to reward Gregory but he was not yet capable of creating items of magical power. He will reward him one day. He looked at Sanria and wondered what she wanted.

The way Sanria looked at Magnus unnerved the dragon. She was human but she wanted something from Magnus. He could sense that she itched for a fight but something else? Was it the dragon's desire to conquer others?

Yes, that might be it.

Magnus stood up and was about to leave but he remembered something. It wasn't important but Magnus looked at the unconscious Melinoe.

Should I take him?

Magnus shook his head. Sanria looks at Magnus with a surprised look. Magnus grabs the unconscious forestborne and drops him at Gregory's feet. Gregory knew that Magnus wanted the poor imbecile taken care of. Gregory bowed without hesitation. While Melinoe wasn't awakened like the two of them, Gregory knew that Magnus placed some value on Melinoe even if it was little.

Melinoe's value was purely his jester skills. He should have tried to become a jester rather than a mage.

Magnus started to walk away. Sanria tried to follow him but Gregory stopped her. She pouted and stomped her foot a bit but she couldn't do anything for now.

Eventually, Magnus disappeared from view.

Magnus traversed the forest. The sun was slowly rising. Magnus turned his head to the rising sun. He closed his eyes as he basked on the sunlight hitting his scales. Magnus's golden scales shined brighter as the sunlight reflected on his body.

The sound of nature comes alive as the birds sing, the wind blows, and the animals go through their everyday tasks.

After a few moments of simply enjoying nature, Magnus walked back home.

The cave was undisturbed. Magnus knew it would have been undisturbed.

Magnus spreads the vines and enters. The damp and quiet cave is empty, excluding the small creatures living in it.

Hmmm... I did a lot of things yesterday.

After a while, Magnus reaches the deepest part of the cave where the magical energies were most dense. He saw his eggshells and approached them. Magnus took his shells and put them in a corner. He would have use for them later.

For now, let's clean this place.

Magnus is currently 2 days old. He spent his first day destroying a scouting camp of an empire he didn't even know and then awakening a worshipper and a dragonborn. It was morning by the time he was done.

Once he removed the obvious mess in his room, the shells and some scattered rocks, his cave looked comfy. Magnus was about to look for a crystal to eat but he noticed something interesting. The bite marks of the crystals were already dulled and showed signs of healing.

That seemed to surprise Magnus. The crystals in his main cave are valuable if you considered the abundant magical energy inside them. Now, their value just skyrocketed. If Magnus wanted to become rich, he would first damage the crystal but leave enough so that it can regenerate its full form. He would then sell the crystal. But Magnus didn't want or need money.

For him, the crystals were food and now, he needed to eat. He was quite hungry.

Magnus left the slightly chewed crystal and approached another fully formed crystal. Magnus leans forward and takes a chomp out of the crystal. Quickly, Magnus felt his hunger disappear as the magical energies dissipate within him. Magnus feels his core fill up with dense and pure magical energy, up to 20%.

Magnus felt the increase in his core. He wondered what would happen if it filled up to 100%. He felt that it couldn't lead to anything bad, it was his body's core after all. Magnus decided to fill up the core. Being a smart creature, Magnus took 8 more bites from different crystals to ensure that he wouldn't fully destroy some of them.

When Magnus took the final bite, he started chewing. At first, nothing happened but Magnus's eyes widened from surprise as he felt his core suddenly start beating with immense power. The core suddenly explodes and spreads throughout Magnus's soul. The explosion was not harmful in any way or form but Magnus still felt its magnitude. It felt like he was being moved forcefully through space and time.

Magnus saw that his vision was slowly being covered by some form of energy. Magnus did not panic. The energy was familiar. It was his but his body was automatically creating it without him needing to consciously will it. He didn't feel any danger from it. Both his instincts and subdued memories agreed on this aspect. Despite that, Magnus was still curious.

What is this?

Magnus knew that the shell was going to cover him no matter what he did so sat down and surrendered to it.

The shell eventually covered Magnus and the dragon closed his eyes.

Unbeknownst to Magnus, the creation of the shell released an almost invisible and imperceptible burst of energy. This burst of energy suddenly spread like a circle. This circle of energy grew in size and quickly encompassed the whole planet. If Magnus knew what just happened, he wouldn't have taken the risk of filling his core up.

The Incarna empire wasn't aware of the massacre that occurred on the borders of the Kerak kingdom. Despite the unknown loss, that event wasn't as important as what was happening now.

A commotion was occurring in the grand mage academy of the Incarna empire. The eyes of the statue, of the greatest mage of all time, the Luminous archmage, were glowing white. This has never happened before.

"Silence!"

A powerful voice was uttered by an old man which silenced the noisy courtyard. The old man walked forward while he was attended by a younger but still old man and another young girl.

As the trio approached the statue, the mages made way for them. Whispers abounded as the trio slowly went near the statue.

"That's the grand archmage, Ultio Firebrand. I heard he was going to retire and give his position to his student."

"Look at that beauty. She must be sir Turner's new student."

"Yeah, I can feel her energy from her. She must be a genius!"

"Sir Turner's presence is becoming sharper. He truly is the next in line for grand archmage."

The three mages ignored the whispered voices that surrounded them. They simply approached the statue. Once Ultio is in front of the statue, the statue seems to shudder. It recognized its successor's successor. Suddenly, a bright light exploded from the eyes of the great archmage statue. Everyone was blinded by this light but within the light, a vision seemed to appear.

Later on, all the people present in that courtyard, from simple cleaners to great semi archmages, were interviewed as to what they saw or heard.

The simple non-magical people didn't see anything. The light was too blinding for their unattuned eyes.

The novice mages were in similar boats. Most of the novice mages couldn't see anything past the brilliant light. Some of the talented novices saw the skies.

The adepts were better off. They managed to see the skies with a clearer view. They all reported that it wasn't just seeing the sky. It was as if they were the ones flying. Some of the weaker-minded adepts had almost gone mad. They were babbling about how it was the most glorious and majestic feeling in the world.

The masters were cryptic in their words. They saw more than the skies. They saw their forms. They did not tell what it was.

The grandmasters did not deign to share what they saw.

Ultio, Turner, and Lisa were in the grand archmage's office. Turner was pacing with a pale face. He was obviously stressed. Ultio was sitting on the room's comfy couch. He was drinking tea served by his grandstudent, Lisa.

"What do we do master? The luminous mage has thought it fit to leave an alarm spell for such an occasion! This is obviously dangerous!"

Turner's vision was grim. He saw the dark smog-filled skies as he released unimaginably large gouts of fire towards the cities of humanity. Even the greatest of the mages buckled under the weight of his breath that threatened to blot out the sun.

Ultio's vision was peaceful. He was flying above the other creatures. He was so far up that he couldn't see the world. It was only a peaceful blue. He was satisfied with this.

Lisa, despite being a novice, was gifted great potential. Lisa had great potential, the potential that was only seen a few hundred years ago. The same potential that the luminous mage had. Unlike her grandmaster, master, and peers, Lisa saw a different vision. She saw herself in a nest. She was a young one, not able to fly yet but these giant creatures looked at her with pleasure and happiness. They were waiting for her to grow.

One day, you'll blow us all away.

She didn't share her vision.

"Now now, don't panic my student."

Turner sighed.

"Master! My vision was clear! Master Luminous showed us visions!"

"Specific visions my student. We didn't share the same visions."

"The sky?!"

"Yes, the sky but everyone that saw the sky reported small differences."

"But-"

"Put the thought away my student. We shall investigate this further but we should not let fear grapple our hearts. Let us take this vision as... the new tide. New things will come, my student, I can feel it."

Turner scowled while Lisa hid her smile.

The Kerak Kingdom wasn't aware of the scouting force the Incarna empire sent. They were experiencing something big. The current tyrant, Sedret the 3rd, was dying.

The king's retainers were panicking. They summoned the kingdom's mages and clerics but none of them could pinpoint the cause. The king was old but he was made strong by the magics of the kingdom mages. In this world, old age was easily trumped by magic if you knew where to look. Despite all the magic amulets, rings, and spells keeping him alive, Sedret the 3rd was dying. Unbeknownst to the inept mages there, Sedret's soul was dying.

Even if one could delay the decay of one's body, the soul decays as well. If the soul dies, the body dies. The only true way one can become immortal is if one's soul becomes immortal. Sedret's soul was already dying but it was delayed due to the amount of magic not letting him die. Unknown to this horrible king, the magic pulse released by Magnus's shell shattered his withered soul into pieces.

In a few minutes, the pathetic old king will die.

When the retainers realized that nothing will save the king, many of them started to run away. Once the king died, their heads would fly. The king committed many evils in the kingdom, which is the main reason for its decline. The court mage sighed as he watched the king's life slowly fade away. Despite being an evil tyrant, the king left the court mage well alone. It suited the court mage's preference but now that the king was dead, he would either be removed from his position or his responsibilities would increase.

While the royal court panics, another bringer of bad news barges in the court. A messenger was frazzled as he screamed.

"Barbarians are outside the castle! They've defeated the border protection! We're all going to die!!!"

The panicking members of the court started panicking even more. The dying king could do nothing but await his death. At least, his people will die with him.

When the tension starts to rise to the point of people attacking each other, a powerful voice comes from the open doors.

"Father!"

The voice silences the royal hall. A young handsome man with powerful features came in. His stride was full of energy. The dying king raised his feeble head. His eyes widened in shock.

It was his son! His son would save him. This was what the king thought. Unlike the vicious and evil father, the son was kind, compassionate, and cared for the people. Despite their differences, the father could not harm the son so he sent his talented son to the borders to fight the barbarians and the empire. And just like the father, the son could not harm the father but unlike the father, the son can make decisive decisions.

Sedret the 4th rushed towards his father. The dying man had many nobles by his side and one of them, the royal advisor, ordered the guards to protect the king. He knew that the king's son was righteous. If he were to be here the moment his father died, he would be immediately crowned king. It doesn't help that a king is needed to mobilize the army against the appearance of the barbarian army.

A small unit of well-armed soldiers appears and stands to block Sedret the 4th's path. The king tries to speak to get them to leave but his body continues to fail him just the same way he continues to fail his kingdom and his son.

The prince looks at the line of soldiers to tell them to move.

The soldiers unsheath their blades as they glare at the prince with defiance.

Sedret the 4th sighed. He didn't want to harm the soldiers of his kingdom.

So someone else will do it for him.

"Darling!"

With a quick shout from Sedret the 4th, a giant silhouette appears from the outside of the royal hall's gates. The soldiers infused their bodies with internal energy as they prepared to meet the enemy.

Each one of them moved with superhuman speed. Sedret the 4th was impressed.

The elite guard is still elite... but that isn't enough.

A tall and powerful woman appears from Sedret the 4th's side. Taking a maul from her back, she swings it with great force. In unison, the soldiers summoned a barrier made out of their internal energy.

This barrier was enough to tank the force of a 5th level spell, a spell only experts could cast.

The soldiers planned to stop the maul with the barrier then scatter as the flow of the attack would be canceled. Once surrounded, they would attack the amazon woman with their enchanted blades. It didn't matter how strong the enemy was, their enchanted blades strengthened with their abundant internal energy were enough to pierce any defense.

A powerful shockwave echoed as the maul struck the barrier. As expected, the barrier held, and the elites moved to execute their plan.

This barbarian would not last against our blades. This was what the soldiers thought as they surrounded the giant woman. They were about to move forward and skewer her with their blades.

The woman smiled as she summoned a plume of cloud, lightning, and thunder in her hands.

The elites' eyes widened as they miscalculated. The enemy wasn't just a mindless brute swinging with their muscles but a shaman warrior!

Sedret the 4th erected a magical barrier around him. He would have created one for the other people of the court but he knew most of them. He wouldn't spare a second thought to scum like them.

The shaman warrior clasped her hand into a fist. With quick movements, she knelt down and punched the floor. Her attack released a burst of lightning and thunder around her. The soldiers weren't prepared and most of them were vaporized by the lightning.

The outcome was brutal. Many of the court's retainers were splattered all over the walls. Sedret the 4th clicked his tongue as he saw some of the more reviled members of the court still alive.

The surviving elites were supposed to stand up but many of them buckled on what they saw.

She was 8 feet tall. Her body was toned and muscular. Her visage was terrifying to look at. She was truly a warrior that put other warriors to shame. Despite that, she was beautiful. The conflicting images scared these veteran soldiers.

The barbarian chieftess was about to continue her murder spree before she heard her husband's words.

"Darling, that's enough. I think you've sent a good enough message."

The chieftess suddenly turned to a happy smiling girl as she went and hugged the man she married.

"Did I do well?!"

Sedret smiled and laughed.

"Of course you did!"

The barbarian giggled as she hugged her perfect husband. Many would-be envious or happy for this scene if the walls weren't caked with blood.

Sedret the 4th turned his attention to the throne.

I guess this all for naught. I just need to talk to my brother.

The realm above the mortal world was in disarray. The pulse of energy enveloped the entirety of the world and the immortal denizens of this higher realm recognized it.

It was the defiant roar of a primordial dragon.

The gods were scared. They needed to do something about this. The return of the dragons to the mortal world was not something they wanted.

Despite all their strength, they can't just appear in the mortal realm. It would breach the ancient contract struck long ago by the gods and dragons. They had no intention of breaking that unless they wanted a full-blown war with the sleeping dragon spirits.

For this situation, they needed someone.

An avatar would be too obvious.

A vessel would not be enough.

A hero would be perfect.

Despite the effects of Magnus's transformation everywhere, a mundane one was happening near Magnus's home.

The shockwave, which according to the gods were reminiscent of a dragon's roar, awoke a sleeping creature.

The creature roared back.

It wasn't a defiant roar but rather, a subservient one.

The master of all its masters was back.