Atop a vast, shimmering golden sea, Iguro maliciously stared at a demon, his eyes burning with intensity. The air was heavy with anticipation.
"Who the heck are you?" Iguro's voice echoed through the cavernous space.
Iguro's vision dimmed slowly, his eyelids fluttering, as he gazed at a humanish figure before him. The person would easily be mistaken for a human, except for the constant drift of tortured souls along its form, all with faces contorted in agony. This made them appear extremely ghastly, and they smiled mysteriously at Iguro, their lips curling upward.
"Oh? You still retain consciousness? No matter. This will be the last iteration of my glorious Perfect project!" Tamashi exclaimed, waving his hand forward with a flourish.
Iguro felt like he would fall at any moment, his balance precarious.
"Hmm?" Soul energy flew into Tamashi as he directly absorbed Iguro's soul energy, the air rippling with the transfer. Though careful at first, the absorption soon intensified, with beads of sweat dripping from his brow, trickling down his face.
"How the heck are you still conscious?!" Tamashi shouted angrily, his voice echoing.
"Uh.... Lucid? Is Iguro's soul energy supposed to do that?" Luck commented fearfully, pointing at Iguro, whose form seemed to turn golden, radiating a warm glow.
"N-no." Lucid replied uncertainly, "That is Soul Saturation, a state where one's body is filled to the brim with soul energy."
"I have a feeling this is our opportunity!" Haven suddenly shouted, and the dragon tattoo mark on his body roared to life, its deep rumble vibrating through the air.
"What are you doing? We can't act without consent!" Dark shouted.
Strangely, the dragon mark flared to life, and black voidal chains shot out of Haven's chest, into Iguro's golden form, with a loud whoosh.
"Huh?!" The other three gaped, their jaws wide with shock.
________
"Be quick!" With Haven's shout, the three quickly came to their senses and rebelled against the chains.
The chains originally would lash at them, but instead, they got attracted to Iguro's golden form and shot straight into him, with a soft, metallic clang. Voidal chains shot out of Dark and into Iguro, same for Luck and Lucid. Luck's chains gave off a starry glint, while Lucid's couldn't be seen properly, resembling a mist.
"What's going on?" Dark asked confusedly, staring at Iguro's motionless golden body.
"They're all attracted to the rich Soul Energy he's emitting. We'll have a chance soon." Lucid smiled.
________
"The Dragon Soul Chains!" Tamashi gasped.
Iguro was confused, but he had no time to think. He lightly grunted as the Dragon Soul Chains suddenly flew into him, greedily absorbing the energy around him.
At first, he was scared he would be sucked dry, but he realized this golden sea was his Soul Energy. He suddenly felt extremely arrogant, and pointed at the demon in disgust.
"Get the heck out of my soul!" Iguro angrily cursed.
With his growl, a presence within the Dragon Soul Chains suddenly peered at Tamashi. An enraged presence slowly descended, resonating with Iguro's anger.
Basically, the chains didn't want to share their only source of food.
With a deafening roar, the chains shot out of Iguro and intertwined into a huge dragon. Roaring loudly, a golden beam shot out of its mouth, blasting Tamashi into dust.
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"Tamashi's presence is gone!" Haven shouted.
"Luck!" Dark said.
As soon as he spoke, a throne emerged from the waters below, and Luck hurriedly placed himself on it.
________
Tamashi, in the normal world, nearly puked out blood as the final step of his plan failed at the crucial moment, causing him to be extremely depressed. The True Dragon's Remnant Soul had betrayed him.
Slowly, this depression turned to anger, and he stared at Iguro's motionless body hatefully.
"Another failed iteration. What am I missing? The theoretical work is already complete!" Tamashi slammed his fist into the cave walls in anger.
The souls revolving around him made ugly faces as he directly lashed out at them due to his bad mood.
"I'll have to extract the three again. I'll turn this little bastard into a soul generator." His cunning smile returned to his lips.
He grinned savagely and stared at Iguro.
All of a sudden, he shrieked and moved backward, his eyes shaky.
"Don't count on it." Iguro's form suddenly resembled the Space King.
"You should only be able to pass on your attributes! How are you controlling the main body?!" Tamashi shouted in fear and confusion.
"Guess you put us into a monster." Luck sneered, causing the Soul Demon's face to contort in a mix of emotions. He looked at him in pity, and he made a cutting gesture at the glass barrier, shattering it instantly.
Space visibly shattered as he moved his hands, and stardust-like motes of light flew about, dancing in the air.
The dimly lit cave suddenly turned brighter, illuminated by the cosmic dust.
Luck grinned.
"Y-you!" Tamashi stood, his face pale.
The souls revolving around him shrieked endlessly as his current state caused torture to them, whether unknowingly or not.
"Your experiment ends here." Luck flew forward and shot his fist into Tamashi's face, causing the latter to fly straight out of the cave like a missile.
Tamashi's body crashed into the distant rocks beside the waterfall, sending debris flying everywhere.
"Oh? I'm naked?" Luck said surprisedly, noticing his nudity. A grand robe suddenly appeared from nowhere, covering him. Despite being mere clothing, it radiated a vast aura, countless stars lighting up it's dark front.
________
"Are you the dragon within the Dragon Soul Chains?" Iguro stared at the golden form of a dragon that stared down at him, causing immense pressure on the young lad.
"Yes." Its voice a low growl, the dragon answered.
The majestic creature stood tall, its magnificent body a shimmering tapestry of gold. Its scales glinted like polished amber, reflecting the golden sea below with a warm, sun-kissed glow.
As it moved, its body rippled like molten gold, as if the very metal itself it was composed of had come to life. It's wings, broad and strong, stretched wide, with a delicate membrane that shimmered like gold leaves.
When it flapped them, the air became filled with a soft, rustling sound, like the gentle lapping of waves on a golden shore.
Its eyes burned bright, two glittering rubies that seemed to hold the very essence of fire within them.
They sparkled with ancient wisdom, and a deep, abiding kindness. A delicate fringe of golden spines ran along its neck and back, like a glittering crown. It's claws, sharp and curved, shone like polished gold, and its tail, long and slender, ended in a sparkling golden point.
As it breathed, a warm, golden light emanated from its mouth, filling the air with a sweet, honey-like scent.
Iguro remembered its roar from before.
A way to describe it was like thunder, yet gentle, a soothing rumble that seemed to vibrate deep within the soul.
The golden dragon exuded a sense of warmth, of comfort, and of wisdom, causing Iguro to look at it with a gaze of reverence.
"How about we make a pact?" The dragon suddenly said.
"Huh? A pact?" Iguro blinked in confusion, and slowly replied in a suspicious tone, "What pact?"
"A draconian pact." The dragon seemed to grin.
"What does that even mean?" Iguro asked.
"It means," the dragon began, "that you'll grant me access to your soul, and in return, I'll grant you immense power."
Iguro hesitated.
"What kind of power?" he asked.
"The power to control the very fabric of reality," the dragon replied.
Iguro's eyes widened.
"Is that even possible?"
The dragon nodded.
"With my help, it is."
Iguro thought for a moment.
"Okay, deal."
The dragon smiled.
AU: If you're reading, then thanks! I'll try to post more consecutive chapters, and today being a weekend, I might be able to post a bonus chapter! :3 :D