Sly tried to open his eyes, but they felt heavy, as if they were glued shut. Around him, muffled voices spoke in a language he couldn't recognize, yet he somehow understood what they were saying.
"Look at him. Isn't he the cutest thing?" a soft, feminine voice cooed, filled with warmth.
"He is," replied a deeper, masculine voice, tinged with pride.
Sly's mind stirred as fragments of thought returned to him. Reincarnation? He sighed inwardly, piecing together the situation. I died… and now I'm here. But why do I still have my memories?
It didn't take him long to draw a grim conclusion. Maybe this is some kind of divine punishment, forcing me to remember my failures. His thoughts drifted back to the betrayal, the humiliation, and the pain of his previous life. His jaw would've clenched if he had control of it. No more. Never again.
This time, Sly vowed to seize every opportunity, crush every obstacle, and live life on his terms. A spark of determination ignited in his mind.
Then, without warning, a strange sound echoed in his consciousness:
"Ding. Host detected."
"Binding system to host."
"Binding complete."
The sudden notifications startled Sly, but he quickly calmed himself. This… this is a system, isn't it? His heart raced with excitement. My golden finger! I've read about this in novels. I've hit the jackpot!
"Ding. Congratulations to the host for activating the Imperial Domination System."
Even the name sounds ridiculously overpowered, Sly thought, grinning mentally. He wasted no time. System, show me my status.
"Ding."
[Name]: Sly
[Race]: Royal Ancestral Dragon (Imperial Dragon)
[Age]: Newborn
[Skills]: None
[Strength]: 10,000 (Average newborn dragon: 100)
[Health]: 100,000,000 (Average newborn dragon: 10,000)
[Stamina]: 10,000 (Average newborn dragon: 100)
[Skill Points]: None
[Store Points]: None
[Daily Draw]: 1/1
Sly stared at the status screen in stunned silence. What the hell kind of world did I reincarnate into? The absurd stats made his past life as a struggling human seem like a distant joke.
As he processed this, he felt himself being lifted into warm, gentle arms.
"My son," a soft, maternal voice said with emotion, "you've kept Mommy waiting for a long time."
The warmth of her voice filled Sly with a strange sense of peace. So this is what it feels like to have a mother, he thought, feeling a tearless sob well up inside him.
"You had us worried for over a thousand years," said another voice—a deep, resonant male voice that carried both authority and tenderness.
I have a family, Sly realized, his heart swelling with an unfamiliar joy. A real family.
"Why isn't he opening his eyes?" another voice asked anxiously, younger and more feminine.
"Don't worry," an older male voice reassured. "He's probably exhausted from his earlier roar."
Roar? Sly thought. I roared when I was born? No wonder I feel like I ran a marathon.
The older man continued, "Let the child rest. We'll check on him later in the evening."
Sly felt himself being laid down on a soft surface, and a warm kiss brushed his cheek before the voices faded. Left alone, his thoughts turned back to the system.
Alright, System. What's this daily draw about?
"Ding. Host can draw one prize daily. The number of draws will increase as the host grows stronger."
Free rewards every day? This is way too good! Sly's excitement grew. System, initiate the daily draw.
"Ding. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the God-Class ability: Transcendent Dao Pupils."
Suddenly, a searing heat surged into Sly's eyes, pulling a cry from his lips. His cry wasn't ordinary—it was a piercing, primal dragon roar that shook the very palace.
In the throne room, the roar interrupted a gathering of elders and royal advisors. The man on the throne, a regal figure with golden antlers, frowned in concern.
"To the main hall!" he commanded, standing abruptly.
His wife, seated beside him, followed quickly, her worry evident. The other elders and royals exchanged glances before hurrying after them.
When they arrived, they found the prince cradled in his mother's arms. His father stood protectively beside them, his gaze locked on the child.
The baby's eyes, now open, glimmered with intelligence far beyond his age. But what stunned everyone in the room was the color of his pupils: a swirling mixture of gold and crimson.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"His eyes…" one elder murmured in disbelief.
Before anyone could react further, a figure materialized in the room. The baby's mother instinctively pulled her child closer, but when she saw who it was, she froze.
"Father," the parents said in unison, bowing deeply.
"Ancestor," the others echoed, following suit.
The old man before them radiated power. His golden antlers gleamed, and his long beard flowed like a silver waterfall. He was a living legend—the last surviving elder from the calamity that nearly wiped out their kind.
This was Dragon King Balthazar, known as the Conqueror of Planes and Emperor of Death. His name was spoken in both reverence and fear.
Yet now, this fearsome figure gazed at the child in his arms with awe and excitement. He chuckled softly before breaking into a booming laugh.
"Transcendent Dao Pupils!" he declared, his voice echoing through the hall. "This child is destined for greatness!"