Chapter 4: Next Morning
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(...) -> small moment of silence
"Talking"
'Thinking when the story eventually is in third person'
[Chanting]
{System} (If it was even talking in the chapter at all)
Don't shy from commenting on a typo or suggesting a modification to certain things that didn't make sense to you.
I hope you enjoy reading this chapter.
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I wake up to the sun blinding my eyes. I still didn't open my eyelids though.
I scream at the sun(internally): LEAVE ME BE, SUN. I STILL WANT TO SLEEP MORE.
{Master, read the new skill's description}
Ugh. You just had to go and say that. I can't resist checking it.
I open the abilities section of the system.
Ariel (variant)
Dragon Hearted
Cute Appearance (new):
The holder of this skill is, more often than not, viewed as cute. The skill holds no responsibilities for their viewed cuteness.
"This is a message from me. You need to check the falna for the actual description of the skill. This message will disappear by the next time you view the skill"> (AN: the abilities will only be described the first time they appear to avoid excessive word count. The full descriptions are going to have their own auxiliary chapter)
...
...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA..." I kept on screaming in absolute terror and despair for a while afterwards. I was meant to be as great and majestic as a dragon, not cute.
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After a forced morning bath, which I didn't appreciate being forced into, and a little "mealtime", the residents of this manor gathered around the dining table for breakfast.
The atmosphere of this breakfast felt weird. It was as if they didn't sleep enough. Father and aunty Haruhime, mostly.
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"Lili still insists on hearing your story from yesterday. You slept suddenly, leaving us with no answers. And what made you scream as you woke up?" Lili said after we were moved to a meeting room of the manor.
Do you need to insist so much? And here I thought I could skip that part by ignoring it.
I can understand the part where she got a tick mark when talking about my screams. I woke them up.
"Aagu" I said while raising a hand. Mommy suddenly hugs me closer after that.
It doesn't seem to work, as they are all staring at me, as if to expect an answer. There is no running from this one, I guess.
"Lili remembers what you said yesterday. You could transform to talk at any time you want" She says with so much confidence. It was a mistake to tell them that bit. Now I won't have an excuse to stay silent without making some problems.
I transform and they are awed and curious by the process. Why is that? As I don't feel anything while transforming, maybe I'm just as curious? I will ask them that later.
"Sigh. You are persistent, you know that?" I'm gonna complain about everything that annoys me. I made a mistake of not doing so in my past life. I hated my father (previous life) as a result.
"Lili does not think so. Now, answer" She is... commanding me. I will get some sweet, sweet revenge later. Oh, don't you worry. It is going to be harmless... to some degree.
"Just for your knowledge, I don't like being commanded to do something, neither do I like overly persistent people. I will answer your question from last night, though. If only to get you to stop" She dares to glare hatefully now? Sure as hell, I'm gonna enjoy my revenge later.
"I knew about those things that happened before my birth. "How?" some may ask. The answer is quite simple. We had a book that showed us some very particular part of the future, now past, of this world, in pictures even. That is the gist of it. Before I forget, it was mostly centered around father. That is why I know some of his deepest embarrassments. Sadly though, I didn't read the entirety of the book" I tried my best to downplay it there. I mean, it was something the readers consider the future when the part was still unwritten. It is also a past to me now. I became a resident of this world, after all.
Just swallow this bait. I want you to not dig deeper than this.
"He is telling the truth" Hestia comes to my rescue. She just became a heroine to me. I will treat her better from now on.
"Thank you grandma Hestia" I say in the most cheerful way I could manage.
"GEH" She recoiled dramatically, with the back of her left hand on her forehead and her right hand balled atop the area where her heart is. She then proceeded to fall onto the sofa. "Call me mommy Hestia instead. "Grandma" makes me feel old" She demanded cutely with some serious puppy eyes and an overly pleading, sweet tone.
"NO. MOMMY IS THE ONLY MOMMY FOR ME" I deny instantly, ignoring all the appeal she tries to build. No way am I gonna call someone else that. Mommy is an exception.
"..." Hestia deflated in her place laying on the sofa. She is completely out of commission now. All the while, mommy was caressing my scaly back softly, slowly inching towards my neck. Haah, how comfortable.
"The screaming?" My eyes snap open onto her direction. Her face, with her eyes that were covered in a shadow of displeasure, pales in apprehension and great alarm. She practically became white. Others showed signs of concern and vigilance in their faces.
*crack*
So that was why. My feelings of annoyance triggered my lightning, though I assume it is still weak. Still, it is lightning. I will zap her a bit.
"KHAAAAAAAA" *crack* *zap* (AN: this is my best attempt at replicating an ancient dragon's roar into text. Just search it in YouTube if you didn't hear it before)
The lightning was red, as expected. What WASN'T expected was for her to not dodge the attack. Maybe the surprise took at her, coupled with her surely present underestimating of me, I can understand how this could ever occur.
Her head got swung backwards entirely from the impact of the hit.
I look at her appearance and... "Pfftt hahaha, this... haha... this is just... HAHAHAHA"
Her state was comical to say the least.
Her head, neck and part of her shoulder were all covered in a layer of soot. Her hair? It was the infamous, cartoonish "electrified hair" style. Her eyes became white, only returning to normal after she blinked a few seconds later, while shaking her head to get rid of the dizziness, the soot too. The soot is still there by the way.
As for me, I got a little tired after firing that. My reserves are terrible, to be worn down after just one zap, not a proper attack even. How pitiful.
*smack*
"Owwie. Who hit me?!" I will not ta... ke... it.... Mommy did it.
Noticing her stern expression, which isn't discernable unless you are used to her, mostly, minute changes of expression, I clamp my mouth shut and seal it with my paws, looking ashamed because mommy of all people found enough reason to smack me.
"No magic inside the house" A rule I will take to heart.
As it stands, she on "no magic inside the house", not "do not zap others". So, is it fine to zap others? Yes, it is fine.
"No zapping others" Mommy continued to look at me sternly, readying another smack.
"Ho...""A mother's instinct" Mommy cut me before I managed to say my question, stunning me into silence. Her expression remaining stern all the same.
"I will not do that again, mommy" I answer in shame. I mean, I just toke my petty spite out on Lil'E without second thought, inside what pretty much could have burst in flame if I used my lightning inaccurately. Isn't that childish?! And I'm supposed to be a former adult. And to top it off, I'm still not experienced at all with the ability to shoot it, yet, neither do I have the reserves to rely on.
"Un. Good child" She complimented me, pointing out that I'm a "good child" for listening to her words. She smiled brightly too, something I didn't see before. If my scales didn't cover my skin, they may have seen my heavy blush at being called a "good child". I can feel its heat all around my head. Look at him, that rabbit of a father of mine. He got smitten by her smile all over again. I guess she is just that charming for him.
"I will answer your question as compensation" I start in a depressed tone. "I had a nightmare of mine become a reality" I said, dismayed because of my new skill. It must have bled into my voice, since a still electrified and soot covered Lil'E smirked at me.
"We had a little talk after you went to sleep yesterday" Father started after regaining his composure "How do you want to proceed with life? Do you want to continue acting as an adult? Or do you want to start over as a child?" Father asked. That question is an essential one. By answering this, I dictate how they will treat me after.
What should I choose? Being treated as an adult may look fine, seeing as I have lived as one, albeit young. That would, however, entail responsibilities I don't want yet. Being treated as a child, on the other hand, although uncomfortable, will allow me freedom and another chance to get by without worrying about every little thing I do since children are not responsible for most of what they do. So, what should I chose based on those conditions?
"Am I allowed my childhood?" I always wanted to live without any responsibility for at least a single day. If I'm allowed to, I will choose being treated as a child.
"Yes" Mommy hugged me again. I return the hug with heartfelt gratitude. She just gave me the pass. Nobody, and I repeat, nobody can take that pass from me now.
"After this conversation I will do what I want. Children do that without regard for any consequence" I say with the most childish tone I can manage.
"Why did you suddenly start resembling Bell more than before?!" Uncle Welf said to me, face blank with amusement purposefully hidden deep in his voice.
Father's face became a little red after understanding the meaning of this. The only thing holding him from replying was his intuition telling him to not do so, for some unknown reasons, maybe.
Let me make sure of a few important things before saying anything.
System, does my DH (Dragon Hearted) skill affect my falna growth? You know, eating/consuming dragon hearts makes me stronger. If I become stronger like that, would my falna show that strength in stats?
{No, it does not, master. As a matter of fact, a permanent, irremovable debuff is applied to you. The debuff makes it so master's growth does not get affected by a system's stat points. Even if the Dragon Hearted skill somehow affected your falna, your stats will give no boost whatsoever. The only reliable power up method for master to grow stronger is to use the Dragon Hearted skill. All power gained through it is going to be stored in the skill itself. Only the system can give you details of the powers stored inside of it}
Good. That makes it easier to keep a secret. Another thing, Ariel's been bugging me after I noticed the "(variant)" part. What does it mean?
{The Ariel master has is easier to control and mold to your desires at the cost of being weaker than the winds master's mother wields}
Also, can I hide my abilities from others' detection?
{Possible. That is only applicable if the ability is gained through systems other than the one being used to inspect it comes from}
Thank you for the answers. For now, hide all manner of ability I may gain without the falna.
{Acknowledged}
"I want to make clear of a few things, so don't interrupt me, I hate being interrupted" The sheer amounts of frustration leaking off my voice at the last part made sure they knew well to not cut my talk mid-sentence with no good reason. I was, more often than not, interrupted mid-sentence in my past life. And to make matters worse, nobody returned to continue the conversations I had with them. I just hate being ignored when I'm talking. And guess what, when I try to interrupt a conversation, for an important reason or not, I'm viewed as a rude person. WHO IS F RUDE NOW?! HUH?! SO IT'S OKAY TO INTERRUPT ME BUT IT'S NOT OKAY FOR ME TO INTERRUPT ANYONE?! YOU F HYPOCRITES!
Now, where were we.
"First, no training or mention of it until I reach the age of 10 at the earliest. After that, no dungeon diving for me till two years of training has passed at least. For that reason, I'm not taking my dragon form unless absolutely necessary, hopefully that doesn't happen. For my human form, I will train in using different lengths of far eastern swords. For my dragon form, I will try inventing and controlling my own magic" I was talking to all of them when I suddenly turned to uncle Welf. He seemed to sense the importance I attach to this as he becomes focused solely on what I'm gonna say next. "As for the talk about your daughter, uncle Welf, I won't deny the girl without knowing her. Once she becomes of legal age of marriage, and if she herself wanted me, I will give her a chance" He had a soft, tender smile after hearing that.
"By the way, what's her name?" Now that I think about it, I never asked her name of him. Is it gonna be one o...
"Eucleia, that's her name. She is the cutest daughter I could ever ask for" He sounded like he was a proud father. He probably will be, if she is anything like the Eucleia I read about.
(AN: Eucleia, one of Hephaestus' daughters with Aglaia/Aglaea, said to be the female personification of glory and good repute. Source: Wikipedia.
Sadly, nothing of her personality or history was mentioned. As such, I will have the limited knowledge of "personification of glory and good repute" and my imagination to work with)
"There is still something. Why are you readily accepting the fact that you have been reborn as a child?" She sounded genuinely curious this time, no spite no bad feeling whatsoever.
"It has always been a dream of mine, couple that with the last 4 months where I thought over it, I can see myself accepting this after all of that time to think about it" Sigh, I will get you still.
She most likely has got enough after that, as she no longer asked me anything. We went about our daily life after this. Viva la being an irresponsible child. I did what every other child my age did most of the time, eat and sleep most of the day.
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Later that day, I inquired on why they were becoming restless at the sight of me zapping Lil'E. What they told me turned out to be a concerning matter. My eyes became vertical slits, my body flared with sparks of red electricity, and they thought that I became a monster completely after roaring like one. It was a weak roar, but I guess it still counts as a monster's roar.
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End of Chapter.
Hello there, good fellows. I hope you have had a good day today.
There are a few things you should be informed of.
First, I've decided on the worlds' order. They will be in an auxiliary of their own. Their order is final, as changing the order will mess my plans for them.
Also, I originally wanted Nephelont to pair with Riveria as his first wife. Noticing a very big problem with this, I rectified it. I'm gonna make some comedic scenarios involving Riveria, instead of being in a relationship with Nephelont.
For the upload schedule, It is going to be uncertain. The only solid thing I can give you is that I will only update during either Saturday or Sunday. If I didn't upload a new chapter, I ask you to be patient and wait for next weak.
One last thing before the replies on your comments.
I will take my time with the chapters. As I'm studying the English language still, I lack the much needed vocabulary. Mostly the words noting emotions and states of being, including slangs that don't exist in a dictionary. I will go find a dictionary and do every coming chapter a few times over until I read something I'm satisfied with. The chapters that have already been written will stay as they are till I feel confident enough to edit them and add more details. Interludes are going to be randomly uploaded whenever they are finished, mind you.
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Now for the comments and replies:
Comments from fanfiction . net:
From dariuscrawford482, he suggested three worlds:
Akame ga Kill: I'm sorry. This one doesn't appeal to me for personal reasons. I can't wright about it and be biased, that will ruin that part of the story.
Eminence in Shadow: I'm gonna try my best to have Nephelont there without ruining the comedic and epic action atmospheres of the story.
Mushoku Tensei: I will see the novels then decide on it.
There were also suggestions from Webnovel readers:
Rising of the Shield Hero: It is there, Nephelont will go there.
Final Fantasy: I won't wright about this out of spite for one of my friends. He always, always, folds us when he uses Sepheroth in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I'm sorry for those who may have wanted it.
High School DxD: Whether or not I write about this one, it will be announced later.