Reborn as a DRAGON

The fortress of Breil is a fine castle, built with a lookout of the surrounding land. It serves as the last line of defense against the Yadour Empire, and the damned traitors who seek to divide our great Kingdom. From the towers stand medieval watchers, quivers, and arrows ready to fly. Steadfast walls were built for defense in an age that's defined by jealousy, greed, and the love of power as much as honor, nobility, and loyalty to the crown. — ???

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My breathing was ragged as I returned to the nightmarish realm. Each jump, I would take over a new Dragon, a stronger one than the last, yet that was slowly starting to take its toll on me.

The realm now had significantly fewer eyes staring down at me. I unconsciously avoided the largest Golden ones in the middle. I was not yet ready to face whatever they hid.

With each new jump, I'd experience a completely new life, a brand new feeling. The stronger the Dragon, the longer the time spent in its memories. With each life, I would leave with my energy a bit larger than before.

No Dragon was the same. For the first few tries, I was stunned at the diversity between members of the Dragon race. Sure the general physic was about the same, but their characters were completely different, they appeared to be almost human-like.

Some valued freedom as they did not care for any worldly matters, their joy was to spread their wings and travel the realms unbothered. Some sought to bring peace to the land through their teachings, others brought destruction. Some relished in the hunt, as they scoured the realms in search of new prey, while others simply enjoyed mindless slaughter.

Through their eyes, I watched as Dragons built cities using magic that could only be called Heavenly. I saw Dragons lead armies as they rained hell upon their enemies...and I saw Dragons fall as they were bested by others...

In that dreaded realm of abyssal darkness, I had lived a thousand lives, I had witnessed generations come and generations go. I watched battles that split the seas and flattened mountains.

I bore witness to the true might of a Dragons. Each life seemed to bless me, bidding me good luck on my own, each Dragon seemed to lend me a tiny portion of its might, be it their courage, their anger, their curiosity...but never their fear, for a Dragon, was always courageous.

I did not feel it immediately, but unbeknownst to me, I was slowly changing, that realm changed me, was it for the best or the worst, I had yet to figure that out. But one thing was for sure, I was growing stronger, as I shed my previous human belief. I was now a Dragon!

The realm slowly reverted to its previous empty state, leaving behind the final pair of overbearing Golden eyes. As I turned my gaze to face them, my breathing was steady, and my heart was calm.

I was not afraid as our eyes interlocked, for Dragons did not cower, no this time a different feeling rushed from the bottom of my heart. It was akin to something ingrained at the very depths of my soul...I felt respect as I met its steady gaze.

For a moment, I could almost swear the complete vague figure of an enormous black Dragon appeared, yet it went as soon as it came. The familiar tug at my consciousness reappeared as I was sent spiraling towards another realm, another life.

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A red fiery planet appeared before my eyes. Oceans of lava decorated its surface with tall volcanic mountains. I bore witness as another smaller planet collided with it, the debris from the impact collected in an orbit around it forming the moon.

The years passed with nothing changing, I was like a steady mountain, simply observing the world below. I saw the planet shift as the first life came to be.

And for the first time, I intervened. The moon was too close to the planet, and so I 'corrected' its path, unknowingly helping the tiny life forms grow.

Fascinated, I watched as life evolved on the new blue planet. At first, all living things were simple, they were so insignificant, so small in the grand scheme of things that it was easy to overlook them, but not to me, I observed as the small life continued on its path of evolution.

And so came the first Elves, birthed from the land itself. Then was the Humans. Since curiosity was my main virtue, I watched them with interest as they stumbled to find their footing in this new world.

Once again, I refrained from intervening in their matters and simply found joy in studying them from afar. Time passed, as the mortals made their own faith, with a whole pantheon of Gods.

I was amused as I watched them pray to deities that did not exist. And so I decided to descend upon their realm. I was always content with not meddling in their affairs, but this time, my curiosity and boredom got the best of me.

As my giant body moved for the first time in eons, a sharp pain assaulted my brain as reality was once again sent crashing down, before I could understand what was happening, my body was sent tumbling back to the familiar black realm.

This time, I was disoriented as memories of thousands of years still lingered in my mind. It took me a while before they become nothing but a distanced dream tucked in the far corners of my mind. I felt like I had just watched the longest movie ever...

I glanced up surprised to see that the Golden eyes did not disappear like the others, they remained there with a majestic aura surrounding them. I lowered my head as I offered my respect, I now knew what I didn't before. The eyes did not belong to 'any' Dragon, no they belonged to the progenitor, the forefather of all Dragons!

The eyes looked sentient as they glanced down at me, I could feel some of the pressure easing at my bow, yet before I could say, or do anything, the entire realm began to crack as it collapsed on itself.

'What-' I was unable to mutter a single sound before I was whisked away from the dreaded realm.

With a groan, my eyes slowly fluttered open, the sudden glare of the sun forcing me to close them as soon as I did. I blinked a few times, trying to get used to the bright light.

I was still collapsed on the green forest floor. I turned to peer at my father as his obsidian eyes examined me with curiosity. The weight that I previously felt pushing down on my heart as I stood in front of my father lessened as a sudden surge of courage forced me to stand proud with my snout raised high.

My father's large mouth seemed to widen even further, revealing a massive row of teeth as it curved upwards into what I assumed was a grin of approval.

I did not need any words to understand, as waves of his emotions washed over me, clearly conveying his intent.

'Pride and Approval.'