I can't believe it's already been 74 days since I appeared in this world. I thought with exhaustion. Time went by so fast….
Our journey was very tiring, at first, I thought it would be on land and that we would rest once night fell, but I was wrong.
"Descend!" Shouted Kadian. Yes! Finally! I thought with excitement.
Only the first two days we traveled above the desert, because on the third, we started flying over the sea and hadn't seen land since then. The dragons in my family had incredible stamina, as they could fly without slowing down for up to 3 days straight, making the journey really fast.
At first, I worried about food or water, but my doubts dissipated as I didn't feel very hungry. In fact, I nursed from my beautiful mother's breast once every three days, which helped me accept that I was no longer human.
"Don't worry, son, I'll feed you soon." Said my mother who, by the way, I found out a couple of days after leaving was named Irisha.
How do you expect me to stay calm… If tonight I'll be able to eat and rest! I thought harshly from the exhaustion.
After descending from the clouds, the dragons stopped several meters above the sea. Then my father raised one of his hands and a shadow could be seen beneath the water. Unsurprisingly, the shadow grew until a stone surface emerged several meters above sea level.
I still don't fully understand that spell, but from what I could see, it creates a surface resembling an island from the depths of the sea and then makes it rise above the waters. I thought while analyzing my father's spell process again.
I know Kadian is strong, I can see that when he does absurd things with such ease. But, I'm intrigued to know if he's truly considered strong in this world…. I reflected for a second before answering myself.
He might not be the strongest, but I think he would be among the strongest in this world, because if he were weak, I think this world would have destroyed itself long ago due to the never-ending wars.
Once the stone platform was ready, the dragons descended and settled on one end of the stone ground. My father unloaded two of the tents and set them up in a couple of seconds thanks to magic.
I heard Kadian explaining the process to my sister before. I thought, trying to recall his words. If I remember correctly, the fabric of our tents contains soil as light as a feather, but when infused with mana, that soil becomes hard and firm, making it the perfect skeleton for a tent.
Kadian and Zoe started putting some things inside the tents. Once they finished setting up the essentials, my mother took me into one of them.
I'm glad to be inside the tents, because it's the least dizzying part of this journey. In fact, in my previous life, I hated traveling, even if it was short trips. I guess hating traveling so much led to my death on one…. I thought, laughing at myself while my mother fed me.
During the day, you only see the sky, the sea, and the clouds. At night, almost infinite stars illuminate the clouds along with the moon. Ah… I yawned tiredly. Being in this tent reminds me that I'm not some kind of bird, flying and flying south in its migration process… I thought, laughing at the comparison.
I really enjoyed talking to myself, because it made me feel like my sanity was intact.
Once I finished eating, for some reason my mother took me to the other tent, as that had never happened before, I was a bit surprised. But…. Why can't I stay with her?
Still in her arms, Irisha gently placed me in my crib, wrapping me in some very soft fabrics before leaving the tent.
What happened? Why am I only with my sister? I wondered as I saw Zoe alone with me. She only came close for a moment to check on me, then stepped away and started getting ready for bed.
Why won't I sleep with my parents tonight? Do they not love me anymore? I thought mockingly within my thoughts. As if my parents would abandon me along with my sister in the middle of the sea, hahaha….
Once Zoe was ready, she approached my crib again to give me a gentle kiss on the forehead.
Ahh… Wait! What was that supposed to be? A goodnight? I thought as she moved away and lay down on her bed. The culture of this world is a bit strange….
Just as I was about to fall asleep, some very strange noises started coming from outside the tent, making me alert.
What's happening? Could it be sea creatures? Or maybe… Are my parents really going to abandon us? Worried, I closed my eyes to listen more clearly.
No, I don't think so, after all, this sound is coming from the other tent—It can't be! I quickly opened my eyes and hid under the blankets full of embarrassment upon realizing it was the moans of my mother.
I didn't expect to hear that…. I thought timidly.
I tried to sleep to not think about weird things but in the end, I couldn't, due to the peculiar noise that didn't stop in the other tent. Tired, I decided to distract myself by reviewing Bernal's knowledge again.
What? There's no more!? I thought frustrated at not finding anything new. Damn it, despite its length, I've already processed all its information.
During all this time, I had hardly discovered anything new since that time I had fixed my core. Besides, since we hardly stopped traveling, I didn't have many opportunities to review its information. Still, the little I could discover were the three abilities granted by Bernal's Divine Spark, something about the languages of this world, and how I can improve my mana core in the future.
Right! Now that I think about it, the time Bernal placed his hand on my head, he gave me the language of his race, thanks to that we could speak. I thought, remembering that crazy day. I wish I could speak it with this body, but I think I'll have to wait for my mouth to get used to the movement before I can speak any language.
And right! When Bernal's fragment entered my body, I also learned two other languages, if I remember correctly they are called the Worldly and the Divine. I don't know what to think about learning 3 languages in less than 5 minutes. I thought awkwardly.
Counting those 3, in total, I would know 6 languages. I thought proudly. Spanish, English, Japanese, Dragonish, Divine, and Worldly… I could say I'm multilingual, right? I thought with a silly smile on my face.
Well, I shouldn't be happy about something I didn't even put effort into. I reflected a bit realizing my mistake.
Thinking about the power of magic made my chest burn with excitement to use it, so I slowly raised my little hands and placed them on my chest. I really want to experiment with mana… but I can't do it with my parents so close, if they were to realize that their 74-day-old son can already manipulate mana, it would make them suspicious. I thought followed by a sigh and lowering my hands again.
For now, I have to focus on growing both in wisdom and physically. I concluded, before settling down again to sleep, now that I no longer heard my parents.
The next morning, my mother came happier than usual to pick me up. Looks like you had a good time… well, they are a young couple after all.
°°°
"Swaford is ahead!" Shouted Kadian from the other dragon. "It's true... we've arrived." Confirmed my mother.
What? Where!? I can't see anything! I complained to myself as I kept seeing only the sea and the sky.
"I don't see anything." Said Zoe just like me. "To see it, imbue more mana in your eyes, daughter." Commented Irisha.
"Let's see... Wow, it's true! We're close!" My sister shouted full of excitement. Ahhh!! That's not fair!
It had taken us 107 days to cross the sea riding on Mork and Ness, but after so much torture, we were finally close to solid ground.
"We'll go east so they don't see the dragons!" Shouted Kadian again, bringing me back to reality.
After traveling for several minutes, I could see land in the distance just like my family. A large cliff divided the sea and the land, and much farther away, several mountains could be seen covering the area like sentinels.
The dragons kept flying past the cliff, some meadows, a river, and even a small forest.
"We'll descend!" Said Kadian, descending along with his dragon. On the other hand, ours followed immediately until we reached the mouth of a large cave near the mountains. Once we landed, we all dismounted.
Huh? And Swaford? I thought a bit confused. "We'll rest until nightfall, and then your mother and I will go for supplies in Swaford." Kadian told Zoe before setting up the tents inside the cave.
Tired, my mother Irisha put me in my crib before going to sleep.
Apparently, my mother was not used to sleeping so little because I always saw her tired during the journey unlike Kadian and even Zoe. Could it be that my father's race doesn't need to eat or sleep much unlike my mother's?
Making a mental note to find out more about it once I grow up, I slowly fell asleep due to the exhaustion and stress of the journey. I can't think very well... I'm so tired, it would be best to rest. I told myself.
But I'm glad to know that we finally reached land.... Were my weak and final thoughts before I fell deeply asleep.
...
What? What happened? I thought sleepily as I felt a small hand stroking my hair. "Sorry, it looks like I woke you up by accident." Said my sister's voice.
As I slowly opened my eyes, I found Zoe's gaze. For some reason, she had a slight smile on her face.
I turned my neck from side to side to look for my mother or Kadian, but I found no one. "Father and mother left about 2 hours ago to Swaford..." Said Zoe with a confused face.
"Well, I don't know why I'm telling this to a baby who can't even understand me...." She commented to herself before turning around and leaving the tent.
How strange Zoe is... but well, who am I to judge her. I thought cheerfully realizing that I was finally completely alone.
That city must be far away for me not to have seen it from the sky. If that's the case, it means that my parents must also be very far away to observe me. I commented as I sat on my crib.
Now I can finally manipulate the mana! I thought excitedly about this great opportunity. I waited so long for this moment!
Excited, I closed my eyes and took a breath before exhaling it slowly and entering my mana heart.
Both cores are still stable, thank goodness they didn't destroy each other. I commented to myself after analyzing both cores.
Opening my eyes, I had an idea to manipulate the mana. I quickly looked around to see that no one was watching me before putting it into practice.
Yes, I'm completely alone. I thought before raising my left hand with the palm open. Come on, you just have to make it flow through your body and then concentrate it in the palm. I told myself.
After extracting mana from my Dragonite core, I made it flow through my entire body, giving me a strange warm sensation that brought back unpleasant memories of when I was given Bernal's fragment.
NO!! DON'T TELL ME THAT.... I calmed down realizing that the familiar heat didn't grow exponentially unlike the first time.
Thank goodness it's not like that torture.... I told myself more calmly. When I turned my attention back to my hand, I was in for a big surprise.
Wow, are very beautiful. I commented as I saw small spheres of light appear on the palm of my hand, providing a faint illumination to my crib.
I continued until I felt a slight pain in my chest that forced me to stop. When I did, the warm sensation also disappeared.
I think at this moment my Dragonite core is very weak. I guess it's because I'm a baby… I reflected with disappointment. Better, I'll try to use my other core.
When I started extracting mana from my other core, a strange sensation came to my mind.
This sensation…. What I felt wasn't unpleasant; in fact, it was something comfortable and eerily relaxing.
Being in this state makes me feel like someone cold, calculating, and emotionless. I thought with a giggle on my face at my latest thoughts. As I extracted more mana from my other core, I started to feel a bit dizzy.
What? What's happening to me? I asked quickly as I saw everything becoming increasingly blurry. I need to stop extracting mana.
Damn it! It's not working! The dizziness continued until finally my small body gave in and fell heavily onto the crib.
Why the hell is this happ… I thought before my consciousness was absorbed by darkness.
…
What? What happened? I asked after waking up abruptly. My vision was dark, and I couldn't see clearly, but after analyzing for a few seconds, I realized what was happening.
What? What am I doing in a forest? I thought in desperation.
Ok ok ok... I was just in my crib, I felt dizzy from using too much mana, and now I'm in a forest! What the hell happened!?
Filled with questions, I started to observe more carefully.
"Be careful Drake!" Someone to my left shouted.
Huh? What the hell! Surprised, I tried to turn to see who it was, but before I could see, my vision became blurry, and in a blink, the entire scene changed.
Don't tell me this is a dream… I thought with relief.
Now I was holding a not very long sword, it was still night, and in front of me was a large man with two swords in his hands.
"BASTARD!!" I shouted loudly at the strange man in front of me.
But why did I shout? I asked myself, feeling a pain in my chest.
Again, the scene changed. This time everything was in slow motion. All I could see was a large sword slowly approaching my head, and instinctively I wanted to dodge it and move away, but I couldn't.
Damn it! All this is my fault… Wait, what? Why did I think that!? I asked myself, very confused.
This is my end… I thought with a slight smile before darkness enveloped me again. Did I… die?
"But the truth, Drake, is that I'm in love with you."
Once I heard that, I quickly opened my eyes only to find the familiar ceiling of my tent.
Wh-what… what the hell was that? I thought agitatedly and drenched in sweat.
"We've arrived!" My mother's voice was heard before she moved the door of the tent. "How's my little baby? Did you miss mommy?"
Mom? Wh-? How? But when? I thought anxiously as my breathing accelerated.
My mind was very confused, to the point that my mother noticed something strange in me because she had a worried look on her face.
Shit! I must calm down or she will notice that something is wrong. I thought anxiously while trying to stay calm.
"Did something happen, Irisha?" Kadian asked as he entered the tent. "Yes…" She responded softly.
Noo! It's too late! Only i— "Drake missed me so much that he started crying when he saw me." She said as she lifted me and gave me a warm hug.
What!? It was just that!? I protested internally. Wait! Am I crying?
Slowly moving my small hands to my face, I confirmed my mother's words. But… Why…? It was just a dream, right?
...
Days went by, and my stress from the journey significantly decreased. In the last 80 days, few things happened worth mentioning. We passed near a city called Alforge, and my parents went out again at night for supplies, leaving Zoe and me alone.
That time, although I had the opportunity to practice my magic, I didn't do it because of the strange fear growing inside me. Just thinking about having another nightmare similar or the same as the one I had gave me chills all over my body.
I don't think I'll use mana for a while, at least until I find out why that happened. I thought tiredly while traveling through the air in my mother's arms.
We had been flying over land, meadows, and mountains for several days. The feeling that we were getting close to our destination became more noticeable as the days went by.
On the night of the 193rd day since I had been reborn, Kadian confirmed that we were one day away from reaching Birton. I remember my mind being filled with excitement when I heard his announcement.
"My love, I will take the watch tonight." Irisha said a little worried as she saw Kadian's condition. He smiled, and without responding for a few seconds, continued preparing.
Kadian hadn't slept at all in the last 10 days, and I was also concerned about his condition…. I thought before imagining a life without a father again.
I should let mom go because from what I heard from Zoe, my mom is someone very strong, hunting some monsters won't be a problem for her.
"Don't worry, go to rest." Kadian finally responded once he was ready.
I know you act tough, Kadian, but it's not good to go to such extremes. I thought as I followed their conversation.
"No." My mother said, raising her voice a bit and blocking his path. "You are a mess, and tomorrow will be an important day. Go to sleep. Now." She finished firmly before picking up her dagger and leaving the tent.
Kadian was in shock for a few seconds at my mother's words before going to sleep without saying a word.
I guess some things don't change in any world. I thought with a mental smile as I remembered similar scenes from my previous world.
The next morning, Kadian left at dawn with a half-full cloth bag, and after two long days, he returned with good news.
"Pack everything, we're going to our new home." He said, looking at mom and Zoe. Yes! Finally, I will be able to stay in a house and sleep in a real bed. I thought excitedly.
After packing everything, we embarked on the dragons towards our new home.
We flew for a few hours until we arrived at a light forest hidden behind some mountains. Looking more closely around, I noticed that there were some houses in the forest.
Wow… So that's what houses are like in this world. I thought surprised. Wait! Are these 12 houses Birton?
I had managed to count 12 houses so far, each one very far apart, and all of them had a small garden that stood out from the forest trees.
Passing through a small clearing we finally descended near one of the houses.
Will that house I saw ahead be ours? I thought excitedly.
Once down, Kadian guided us along a very neglected stone path, as the entire path was surrounded by trees or plants the question came to my mind if the house we were going to was abandoned.
We kept walking for a few minutes until we reached a large two-story house.
This is… very… Big! I thought as I saw the place where I would live for the next few years.
A wooden fence surrounded our house separating the forest from our gigantic garden.
The house was very large, it had several windows, a terrace, and a big door at the entrance. Maybe it's not a castle, but compared to my previous apartment it's very big and beautiful.
Moreover, the house was about 30 meters long and 20 wide. Upon entering, the first thing I saw were two doors on the sides and some stairs in front.
"This will be our new home." Kadian said, dropping some things he had brought from the dragons. "Yes, it looks cozy, but we need to clean it and buy several pieces of furniture." my mother replied.
Then Kadian and Zoe went to get the rest of our things, while my mother gave me a tour of the entire house.
Well, I guess we finally arrived… I can finally grow up and learn like a normal person. I thought, satisfied with the long journey.