Rio's face was frozen in shock. He didn't understand what was happening.
"Ren… are you saying you became human? And now you can talk? That's really amazing!"
Rio sounded excited. Finally, there was someone he could speak with.
Ren only smiled at him without answering. He still didn't fully understand human emotions.
"Then how did this happen to you, Ren?"
Rio asked, curious about the reason for Ren's transformation.
Ren pointed at the apple he had been eating. "That. I just ate it."
Rio stared at the apple in disbelief and moved closer to it.
"That apple… when I left, I saw you eating it. What kind is it? System!"
The system analyzed the apple:
"That is an apple containing the knowledge, power, abilities, and human energy of a man called Faris. After Ren ate it, he appears to have obtained that human's knowledge. That is why he became able to speak the human language. As for his appearance, it seems to be a special skill belonging to that individual, Faris, which Ren gained after eating the fruit."
Rio focused intensely on the apple, then asked the system to analyze Ren. He wanted to know what changes had happened to him.
"System. Analyze Ren and give me everything about him."
The system began analyzing… After ten seconds, it finished. A large screen appeared in front of Rio.
Name: Ren
Age: 6 years
Race: Ancient dragon, descendant of the Dragon Emperor
Level: 2.
Basic abilities:
Flight: [Max Level]
Blue Flame Breath: [Level 17]
Fire and Ice Manipulation: [Level 10]
Element Fusion: [Level 10]
Magic:
Complete Control of Fire Branches: [Level 9]
Complete Control of Ice Branches: [Level 6]
Abilities taken from the human called Faris:
Body and Form Transformation: [Level 60]
Amplification: [Level 2]
Enhancement: [Level 100 — Max Level]
High Regeneration: [Max Level]
Void and Structural Control: [Level 10]
(Currently, Ren can open portals through the void to travel, summon objects, and store things within it.)
Magic:
Water–Air Magic
End.
Rio studied the list with interest. Ren had evolved far more than expected.
"System, after Ren obtained human knowledge, what is his intelligence level now?"
Rio was deeply curious about that.
The system replied: "Approximately 100 to 120."
Rio was stunned. That was an extremely high range.
"That's amazing. I wish I had that level in my previous life."
A week passed after those events.
Rio, in an excited tone:
"Come on, Ren! Hurry up, we're leaving now!"
Rio was thrilled about something.
Ren, with a tired expression:
"Wait, Rio. There's no need to rush… don't worry, we're going on the trip now."
At the entrance of their castle, Rio and Ren spread their wings. After living there for a year, they had finally decided to travel and explore the world.
Rio looked back at the castle with concern.
"Wait, Ren… what about our castle? Won't someone enter and ruin it? What should we do? And that tree—we can't let anything happen to it, or all the inhabitants of that planet will die."
Ren looked at Rio in exasperation and whispered:
"That idiot must have forgotten he can surround it with mountains… and even create an entire separate dimension around that area."
Rio remembered he could create a special zone. He imagined an enormous structure that almost covered the forest, containing only the tree and the castle. The place he created had no oxygen, ensuring nothing could survive there.
"Now it should be safe."
Rio felt reassured.
Rio and Ren launched into the sky and flew. As they soared, they breathed in the fresh air. Their first destination was a great kingdom called Valorie.
Rio raised his hand and spread his wings enthusiastically, shooting upward.
"Our journey begins now… Ren!"
He laughed with joy and excitement.
Ren smiled faintly.
"Wait for me, Rio."
Somewhere else…
A strange voice echoed, carrying a terrifying malicious intent:
"They began happily, Ren and Rio, unaware of the despair, hardships, problems, and pain awaiting them on that journey. They may think that planet is like any ordinary world, but they were isolated from it since birth… the real test has begun."
Ren whispered, his face hiding sadness:
"That world… it's cruel, Rio. You've never left the forest since you were born. You know nothing about that merciless world. I wish I had never eaten that apple. Because of it, I saw that human's life… and the truth of how cruel the world is."
After a long flight, Rio and Ren landed in a small village.
The villagers were extremely kind to them. They even shared their food despite their deep poverty.
Rio and Ren felt comfortable and decided to stay with them for a while.
Rio loved the children there. He played with them constantly, laughing, and everyone treated him warmly, as if he were part of their family.
One day, while Rio was happily playing with the children, an old grandmother called them over to tell a story.
Rio joined them and sat down to listen.
The grandmother began her tale:
"One hundred years ago, during the era of the First Great King—known as the Age of Opening after the Dark Era—the First Great King ruled the entire world—"
One of the children interrupted:
"Grandma, what do you mean he ruled the whole world? Shouldn't he rule just one country?"
She smiled gently.
"Let me explain, little one. This world holds many secrets yet to be revealed… A century ago, there was a young man named Thanis. He dreamed of ruling the entire world. No one believed him. They thought he was just a foolish dreamer. But in time, he achieved that dream. He united all humanity under one banner, ended an age of oppression and conflict, spread goodness across the land, and brought peace everywhere.
"But how did Thanis gain the power to unite the world? I'll tell you. This planet is made of four continents: the Ice Continent — Thorais; the Human Continent — Fina; the Beast Continent — Tartarosa; and the Great Continent — Lafitelia. At their center floats an island in the sky. Upon it stands a magnificent palace containing the secrets of the entire world—no, perhaps of the universe itself. There lies the answer to every question.
"It is said that whoever reaches that place gains the power to unite the world—and even the universe—if they wish. All who reach it are later called the Great King. Only one person ever reached it. Strangely, after doing so, he cut all ties with humanity. Whenever asked about it, he remained silent. There were things he did not want humans to know.
"Afterward, he vanished from existence. No one knows what happened to him. After his disappearance, rule returned to the Ten Great Kings. But the sudden fragmentation caused nations to fight for control. War lasted nearly forty years. The world fell into darkness again, as if the Dark Era were returning. A large portion of history was erased, and no one knows why.
"And have you heard of Zaris? The tyrant known as the Uncrowned Great King. He challenged the Ten Great Kings alone and destroyed their seemingly endless army by himself. He was a terrifying tyrant… yet he too vanished. It's as if the world itself hides great figures by its own will.
"It is said Thanis disappeared because he learned something forbidden to humans. The world erased him to preserve silence. And anyone who approaches the truth… disappears.
"As for the floating island… three hundred years after the first ruler, before Thanis united the world, the sky above Thorais was clear. Then one day, a small island appeared floating in the sky. No one knew where it came from or why it stopped there.
"At first people thought it was a miracle. But they noticed something strange. The island never moved. It wasn't affected by storms or wind. It was as if it were suspended by something invisible.
"Then they realized something worse: anyone who stared at the island for too long began forgetting important memories. Some forgot their mother's names. Others forgot their dreams. One man forgot himself entirely and walked into the unknown, never to be seen again.
"The rulers forbade looking at the island and built a stone tower to block the view. Yet the legends continued.
"After the island appeared above the Ice Continent, a blinding light illuminated the entire planet. Then it vanished, followed by a massive ice storm that swept across the continent. Now, anyone who tries to go there hears a strange crying voice… and returns the next day dead in a horrific state, as if tortured beyond imagination.
"They say a girl sits in the center of the ice, crying. When her sorrow falls as tears, beautiful snow descends, mesmerizing all who see it. But behind that beauty lies a monster. A single touch of that ice destroys a person from within. They suffer unbearable pain for ten years before dying as a frozen statue. And all those bodies mysteriously disappear.
"A man named Niz once built a primitive flying machine of wood and feathers and ascended toward the island. He reached its boundary but could not enter. He vanished for a week, then returned walking. He was silent, his face emotionless, as if no longer fully human.
"When people asked what he saw, he answered only one sentence:
'Above truth, there is nothing… except the mirror.'
"The next day, he was found dead by the river, smiling.
"No one understood his words. Did he see himself? Did the island reflect what lies inside those who reach it? It is said Thanis reached that island… but he never revealed what he saw. He only said: 'Humans should not know everything.'
"As for Zaris, he tried to ascend by force, but fell before reaching it. They say he saw what should not be seen… lost his sanity, and sought destruction.
"The island appears in the sky only two nights each year. After that, it vanishes."
As the grandmother finished, an army of ten thousand soldiers stormed into the village.
They shouted for everyone to stop what they were doing and began attacking, using fire magic and burning everything in sight. Rio stepped forward and shouted:
"What are you doing? Stop!"
He couldn't endure it any longer. Rio attacked, restraining the entire army effortlessly. They had no chance against him. He demanded to know why they were doing this.
Their only answer was: the villagers had learned too much.
Rio activated his new fire magic. He imagined a flaming meteor falling from the sky.
"Rio, stop!"
An old man shouted at him.
Rio, furious:
"What are you saying?! I'll burn them all!"
He seemed to be losing control. Ren grabbed him. Then came the shock—every villager surrendered themselves.
Rio cried out in anguish:
"What are you doing?! You should run, not surrender!"
The grandmother spoke calmly:
"This is our punishment. Anyone who tries to know what must not be known is turned into a slave in this world."
Rio didn't understand. He collapsed to the ground, watching as the villagers were taken away. He screamed and cried in despair:
"Please… don't go!"
Grief nearly drove him mad. Ren tried to comfort him, but he still didn't understand human emotions. All he could do was hold him.
Rio lifted his head and glared at the army with burning hatred, his voice firm and cold:
"I'll make you pay dearly… I swear I'll bring your king's kingdom to ruin."
He raised his hand and slammed it into the ground with all his rage. The impact created a massive crater—twenty kilometers deep and thirty kilometers wide.
Ren sat beside Rio, unsure what to do. He simply embraced him.
Rio spoke through tears, his voice trembling:
"I lived with them for almost two weeks… they were the best days of my life. They were like family to me, Ren… more than family."
To be continued…