Alexander was astounded to hear that he could now use a type of magic other than null.
Yet, his delight did not last long once he remembered exactly what type of magic he could now supposedly wield.
"Wait, so if I have an affinity for shadow magic, does that mean it would appear if tested with an oracle orb?" Alexander asked, his expression showing a hint of terror.
'Yes, it most likely would. Our magic abilities are now intertwined. But what does it matter? Shadow magic was quite sought after in my time.'
Tharildron could sense that something was bothering Alexander, and wanted to assuage whatever fears he might have so that they could move on.
"This is bad. Really bad." Alexander muttered in a panic.
'What is wrong? You've gained the ability to use a rare and powerful type of magic. I would think you would be elated.'
"You don't understand! Shadow magic is forbidden! Anyone found to have an affinity for it is summarily executed."
For as long as the current six human nations had existed, shadow magic had been considered taboo. From what Alexander had learned, it was said that those capable of this rare type of magic had caused the devastating war that occurred over six centuries ago. Few records remained of this bloody conflict, but what did painted it as the worst ever to occur in history. Humans had been nearly brought to extinction, and it was only through the Dragon Lords' intervention that they did not continue fighting to the end.
Naturally, Alexander explained all of this to Tharildron, but the shadow dragon's reaction was not what he expected.
'Gahahaha. They've really revised events to suit themselves. And to think that they feared me so much that they outlawed shadow magic.' Tharildron said in amusement.
Feeling perplexed by his 'companion's' reaction, Alexander attempted to ask for more details. However, Tharildron was not forthcoming.
'Now isn't the time to care about the past or the future. Worry about the present first. The longer we stay here, the more danger you'll be in. The ghasts that wander this castle stay away from this area because of my presence, but it is only a matter of time before they notice my absence.'
At the mention of coming threats, Alexander hastily looked around for any signs of monsters.
Thankfully, the area was quiet. Yet there was no telling how long that would continue to be.
"Okay, page five, right?"
Following Tharildron's earlier directions, he opened the large tome to page five. There, he found the spell the shadow dragon wanted him to use.
After carefully reading its description and listening to more instructions, he was ready to cast his first ever non null magic.
"Shadow Manipulation."
With his umbral steel daggers in hand, Alexander sent his magic power into them and used one of the spell formulas within them to conjure his chosen magic.
As he concentrated on his left leg, he watched as a dark silhouette of what was missing appear.
This part of his shadow that should have vanished along with his lost leg had miraculously returned.
Of course, only the shadow was back, his flesh and blood would not be returned to him so easily.
Still, with the spell he had just cast, Alexander focused on this part of his shadow and imagined it moving to take the place of his missing leg.
An inky substance reminiscent of the form Tharildron had taken before began to rise up out of the ground.
In a matter of seconds, what had once been only a two-dimensional black outline had become fully solidified.
Alexander curiously reached down towards his new shadowy leg and touched it.
It did not possess the warmth of a real limb, but it was solid and moved at his command.
Slowly he rose up and put pressure on his shadow limb.
Moving it took more focus than it had with his original leg, but in time he was sure that using it would become natural.
'See, I've upheld my part of our bargain. Now let us leave this place, and once you are safe, we can discuss my part of our deal. Ah, but before anything else, you should remove that bandage. At this rate you will cause irreparable damage.'
At first Alexander thought that it would be foolish to remove the makeshift torniquet he had applied to himself. Except, when he checked his leg, he found that the wound had miraculously healed over.
Hastily, he removed the bandage and his shadow limb to examine his leg more thoroughly.
"It really is sealed up. There's not even any pain."
Wondering about his other injuries, Alexander patted himself all over. To his surprise, the cuts and bruises he had incurred were gone as well. In fact, now that he was aware of it, other than the missing part of his left leg, he felt better than ever.
'You have dragon's blood flowing through you now. It is only natural that you are tougher than the average human. Just do not let it go to your head. There are limits to your new robustness.' Tharildron warned.
"Got it." Alexander responded with disinterest. He had already moved on to the next amazing thing that had caught his attention.
The golden ring he had taken out of the dimensional cache along with the items Tharildron had told him to was still sitting on the ground nearby.
Enthusiastically, Alexander picked it up and slipped it onto his right ring finger.
He then sent magic power into it without restraint. Already knowing the magic tool could handle it.
Immediately, he felt the powerful enchant encase his body and increase his physical abilities.
The feeling was similar to when he used his mother's pendant, but vastly superior.
Yet, when he took a step forward, the unbelievable strength he could now wield threw off his balance.
Tumbling forward, he slammed face first into the floor with a heavy thud.
"Ugh." Alexander groaned more in embarrassment than pain.
He could hear Tharildron's raucous laughter in his head. While the shadow dragon was certainly assisting him out of mutual interest, it was quite clear that they were far from friends.