Throughout Yuki's whole life, since his childhood up to the present, he never had to suffer from anything. Life on Earth was peaceful and so was his life. At most, he would get a minor injury like a scratch from tripping on a stair or a burn from accidentally touching the hot part of a kettle. Aside from one incident in his childhood that he did not want to remember, he never had to put up for something or bear anything that he could not handle.
Even when he drifted into the world of Benedicto, he was not troubled at all aside from the occasional homesickness. Of course, he suffered a little grievance when Mirelia had beaten him up repeatedly, but he did not consider that as suffering since he benefitted from it greatly. It also helped a lot that the Dragon God healed him every time he reached his limit.
Yuki's life went on smoothly under the care of a dragon. And he thought that his pleasant life would continue. However, never would he have expected that he would experience hell. The moment Mirelia activated a magic circle underneath his feet after shoving blood in his mouth, immense amount of pain assaulted his senses, flooding his mind until he saw white. He fell limp on the ground, twitching every now and then as his muscles contracted by themselves.
It was the first time that he felt this amount of pain. The only thing that came remotely close to it was the tragedy that he had suffered a few years ago. But even that did not compare with the agony that the Dragon God had inflicted on him.
He was courageous and possessed enough resilience against adversities. Even the Dragon God had to acknowledge him for it, making it one of the reasons why it turned him into its servant. Still, while he did not fear anything, that did not mean that he did not dislike pain, especially a sensation to this degree. And the magic circle still glowing beneath him made sure that he felt everything.
Seconds, minutes, and hours had passed as he lay prone on the ground. His indomitable mental fortitude allowed him to hold on to his consciousness. However, even with that, he was already on the verge of breaking. His thoughts which were as calm as a lake when facing a dragon were no longer as cohesive as they used to be. He was in the midst of befuddlement. The only thing that remained in his mind was to stay awake. He had to! His instincts told him that if he failed to do so, then he would lose everything. His life, his future, and the possibility of going back home, all of it would disappear into the void. A strange obsession bubbled forth from the deepest part of his heart, giving him strength to go on.
"Ah…"
While Yuki was fighting for his life in the middle of a life and death crisis, light footsteps sounded in the area coming from the entrance of the underground. It went on for a while before the source stepped out of the shadows that enveloped the entire space. The figure emerged, lavender colored hair swayed with each step he took. Horns of similar color, albeit darker, sprouted out of his head. Upon seeing Mirelia, he knelt in subservience.
"You are here."
"This humble one greets Your Majesty the Dragon God."
"At ease."
"I thank Your Majesty."
"Enough with the pleasantries, tell this monarch of your findings."
"Hah!" The figure saluted once more in acknowledgement. "This humble one had searched the whole dragon territory and there were no irregularities found. There were no signs of travel nor were there indications of space magic being used. After investigating the activities on our borders, I found no suspicious individuals that could potentially trespass Your Majesty's domain. End of report."
"Well done, Ereben."
"It is my honor, Your Majesty."
The Dragon God moved its sight towards Yuki who still laid on the floor, unmoving. After a bout of silence, it spoke, "Then this means that he is without a doubt a drifter like I speculated…"
Ereben followed his liege's sight and discovered that another person was present in the space that housed his monarch. To his surprise, it was a human! And after realizing that along with the words that the Dragon God uttered, he reeled in shock.
"Y-Your Majesty, d-did you just say drifter? Are you saying that this person is a drifter?"
"That is right, Ereben. This person is a drifter, a real one. He appeared out of nowhere a few weeks ago right in front of this monarch without any signs at all."
"So, the task that Your Majesty had ordered for me to do is about… him?"
Mirelia nodded in confirmation. Such thing should not have been possible. No one in this vast world should be capable of sneaking to his liege but a human managed to do so. What the Dragon God had told him was the logical explanation to this mystery, but he could not believe it so easily. After all—
"But Your Majesty, a drifter… Aren't drifters only characters from myths? Based on the texts left behind by the ancients, no creatures from other worlds or dimension could enter ours without summoning rituals, right?
"Indeed. What you said is the truth."
"Then how?" Ereben glanced at Yuki's unmoving figure.
"The dimensional wall separating us from the beyond is starting to loosen bit by bit. I have not noticed it at first, but when this human appeared right in front of me, I took a quick look at it. In addition, those troublemakers are also getting more restless as time passes, undoing the wall even further."
"What?!"
Ereben swallowed hard. He never would have thought that something like this was happening when he was unaware. He just went here to report but unexpectedly received shocking revelations. Like Mirela, he was also a dragon and a powerful one at that. There were not a lot of things that could put him to shock but just coming here brought him immense amount of it.
"This monarch believes that the reason that a drifter had appeared is because of that. And due to a coincidence, he made it here in this place." The Dragon God shook its head. "No… I might be mistaken about that. Him making it here might be the handiwork of fate itself. Really… It looks like the world will change soon."
The subordinate dragon could only remain silent at the musing of the Dragon God. He knew that if it was his liege who said so, then the world might really experience great upheaval in the coming future. Unable to withstand the oppressive atmosphere, he turned his sight to the so-called drifter. And to his shock, he found that there was something wrong going on.
"Your Majesty… May I ask why… this person is in this state?"
To Ereben, Yuki appeared unsightly. His figure was caked with dust and his uniform was ripped to shreds. His face was also contorted in an ugly expression as if he was experiencing hell. The figure was just too pitiful that the subordinate dragon was compelled to ask.
"This monarch performed Bloodline Bestowal."
"…"
"He is not strong enough yet, but I decided to give it to him anyway. I want to see if he could withstand it."
"But this humble one thinks that he might die at any moment now if Your Majesty does not do anything."
Mirelia chuckled in response. It was amused by what its subordinate had declared, but to be honest, it felt quite different about Yuki.
"If Bloodline Bestowal only relied on physical ability, he would have been dead by now. Fortunately, this ritual tests both mind and body. If he manages to get through it conscious even as his body is collapsing, he would be able to reform his fleshly body and soul much quicker."
Really, it was an absurd idea. People would normally strengthen themselves first before undergoing such process. Some would even wait until they were at their peak before even attempting something like this due to the risks despite the reduction in the benefits that the users would gain. However, the Dragon God had an absurd idea to use such ritual when Yuki was still in his most basic form, only training him to the point where he would, at most, stand the most minimal of chances. This meant that if he succeeded, he would be able to gain the maximum potential of the bloodline used. But in exchange for that, his life would be in peril where a single mistake could cost him his dear life.
Ereben could only sigh at the bet that his liege took on. If the myths about drifters were true, then such reckless wager might be worth taking if the ritual succeeded. If it failed, however, it would be a waste that would make even a dragon such as himself feel depressed for a few years. Still, since the Dragon God decided to do so, proceeding despite the risks, then there must be something it must be banking on.
"Here it comes," Mirelia declared. "The worst part is coming."
Just as the Dragon God had said, changes began to take place in Yuki's body. Cracks appeared throughout his body as though it was soil from a drought ridden place. Blood dripped out from every orifice of his figure, giving him a very tragic look. His figure was breaking down to the very cells. However, the crazed look in his eyes as his body soaked in his own pool of blood made him look like an asura that had come from hell to wreak havoc in the world.
"He's still awake?"
Approval shone deep in Ereben's eyes as he looked at the figure of the aforementioned drifter. Dragons, although prideful, respected strength the most. While Yuki was just like an ant in front of them, the definite strength that came out of his eyes told them of his fortitude. The subordinate dragon had no clue how much pain Yuki was actually under in, but if the blood used in the ritual was what he thought it was, then it was already a miracle that a mere human was able to remain conscious for so long.
He seemed to have realized what the Dragon God beside him found within that human. He already understood after seeing those eyes filled with mad emotions, desperately clinging to dear life. And he knew that this moment would probably be etched in the history of Benedicto as something important in the near future.