Amon shifted his attention to the second Core, where a little furry creature with wide, curious eyes was staring around.
The whole space was white and only a few meters wide, enough to contain the little creature without feeling too suffocating or dull.
As though it had sensed Amon's presence, the little creature raised its head curiously toward a particular spot where it sensed his will.
"Hey, little guy…"
Amon's words trailed off as he noticed a drastic change in the Primordial Dragon.
For a brief instant, his eyes were filled with terror, and he thought he had been tricked and used as a chess piece.
But all that was dispelled the moment the Primordial Dragon spoke.
It still maintained the form of a little cat, but its aura and posture were vastly different from before.
"Little human, be calm."
"I saved this sliver of my consciousness to see how I would look when I gave up everything. It seems my soul subconsciously chose a body that wouldn't draw attention. That is good… The second reason I left this sliver of my consciousness is to tell you."
"…About the ancient dragon method of growth."
"Ancient dragon method of growth?" Amon was slightly startled, staring at the little creature in surprise.
The little dragon nodded, then continued after noticing his confusion.
"There is a reason why dragons are the rulers of this world."
"Isn't that because… dragons are stronger?" Amon interrupted with a question.
The Primordial Dragon shook its head. "Although dragons are stronger, it's still not enough to rule over everything. There's one reason why we truly reign supreme, and that is because of this unique method of growth. However, to do this, there is a requirement."
Hearing the dragon's words, Modret's eyes flickered with thought.
A requirement?
If the price wasn't too steep, he could pay it.
Nodding for the dragon to continue, he listened.
"The only requirement is that you must remain your true self."
"Your true self? How do I maintain my true self?" Amon was puzzled.
"On the divine path, after absorbing divine energy for a while, one's core mutates into a different color. This is basically stripping parts of oneself and evolving into a higher being. However, we dragons discovered that this path is… wrong!"
Amon's eyes widened in disbelief.
'So this was the reason…'
Amon's eyes almost popped out as he recalled what had happened a few hours ago when he was about to enter the next divine path and felt something was off.
In the end, he opted to form another Celestial Core instead.
'If I had gone through with it, that would have caused irreversible damage!' Amon drew in a sharp, shaky breath.
"Only by maintaining one's true self can one achieve greater heights. And that can only be done by forming… a second core."
"What?" Once again, Amon was shaken.
"Indeed. Rather than evolving one's core, it's better to form a second one…"
"That…" Amon was slightly disappointed rather than surprised.
He had already taken that step.
'So, in essence, I already cracked the Dragons' code all by myself?'
Pride swelled within Amon, and a cheeky smile appeared on his face. Thankfully, it was the right path nonetheless.
The dragon didn't seem to notice Amon's doused excitement or the change in his expression and continued.
"Since we Dragons possess massive bodies that can span great distances, we simply formed a second core next to the original one, and kept forming new cores until they numbered in the thousands…"
"Fuck!" Amon stood rooted to his spot, dumbfounded.
His consciousness froze on the dragon's words, which continued replaying in his mind.
…Kept forming new cores until they numbered in the thousands…
It was a sight to behold!
It was a preposterous thing to do, only creatures as daring as Dragons would ever be so insane.
'And… it's completely different from my method! Similar… but different!' Amon also realized something else that shook him to his core.
His thoughts whirled endlessly, spinning in chaos.
"Actually…" Amon interrupted gently. "I have something to show you…"
After he finished speaking, it was as though a door opened within the inner core, leading to the outer one.
"What?" The dragon's voice was filled with shock, as if this was the first time it had been startled in a very long while.
"You… monster. Of course you already thought of something like this."
Amon could sense happiness in the dragon's voice.
"This is good. And the two techniques can be combined, with you forming a second core and another core within that core, continuously… perhaps eternity isn't beyond reach…" The dragon's voice grew heavy with melancholy.
They had depended on their own technique for so long that they hadn't even thought of ways to improve upon it.
The Primordial Dragon let out a sigh. "My time is almost up. Before I go, I will teach you the method and conceal it for you, because there is a spell on this technique that will alert the other Primordial Dragons should anyone outside the oath cultivate it."
"Alright." Amon nodded, then immersed himself in the method of forming another core.
A long while passed, and Amon had completely absorbed the information.
His consciousness returned, and he realized that the little cat had shrunk even more.
"Are you alright?"
"Y… yes. Just too tired." The dragon's voice sounded faintly in Amon's mind, and he could tell this was truly the end for the Primordial Dragon.
Although it hadn't been long since they met, Amon had truly bonded with this creature who had done so much for him without asking for anything in return.
A silent tear slid down the corner of his eye, and a wave of pain hit him.
"Th…is is good… bye, Amon… remember… be careful… of… be careful… of…"
Before the Primordial Dragon could finish its words, Amon's mind fell silent.
"Huh? Be careful of what?" Amon was stupefied.
He could tell that whatever the Primordial Dragon had been about to say was very important.
Who or what exactly should he be careful of?
Amon's heart immediately became unsettled.
His gaze fell on the Primordial Dragon, but it was already asleep.
Amon's brows furrowed in deep thought.
Things just got a whole lot more complicated.
Suddenly, a voice sounded from not too far away.
"Son? Are you awake? It's already morning, and the person responsible for your Sword Arts lessons is here…"
Amon heard his mother's warm voice enter his ears, pulling him out of his Celestial Space where the Primordial Dragon lay, back into the real world.
"Huh? It's morning already?" Amon squinted slightly, feeling the sting of sunlight on his skin.
His body felt a bit weak from not sleeping the previous night, but it was something he could bear.
"Mom, the Sword Arts instructor is here already?"
...
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Can you, dear readers, guess what Amon was about to be warned about? Or perhaps... Who?