Chapter 13 The Shadow Dragon’s Inheritance (2)

Finally working up the nerve, Alexander reached out and grabbed the prismatic band.

The moment he touched it, he braced himself for some sort of trap, but nothing happened.

'Wariness is not a bad trait to have, but it is misplaced here. I've already failed to take over your body. There are no other tricks at my disposal to do anything to you.' Tharildron said to assure Alexander.

"If that's true, why are you still trying to help me? You've already tried to deceive me once. How do I know you won't do it again?"

'My reasoning is simple. My failed attempt has left me tethered to you like a symbiote. If you perish, so will I. It is in my best interest to assist you to avoid that unwanted possibility.'

While Alexander was not an expert on reading others, there was a definite sense of resignation in Tharildron's voice. Perhaps, for the moment, trusting it would not be a bad idea.

Casting away the last of his hesitation, Alexander took the dimensional cache and slid it over his arm.

"Whoa!"

He was surprised when it suddenly shrunk and tightened around his wrist.

Thankfully, he did not panic too much. He had been caught off guard, but when he thought about it, this was not too uncommon a feature for accessory type relics. He had heard of rings, bracelets, and necklaces that would all adjust their sizes to their wearers.

No longer wanting to waver or be berated by the dragon sharing a space in his head, Alexander channeled his magic power into the dimensional cache.

At first, he heightened his focus to control the energy flowing into it, but soon found that there was no need to be so cautious.

The prismatic band affixed to his wrist greedily absorbed all of the magic power he sent towards it and showed no signs of stopping soon.

Feeling for the first time that he did not need to hold back, Alexander unleashed his magic power without restraint. For the first time, he was able to get a good feel for his own innate energy as the magic tool he currently had equipped could handle everything he sent to it.

'It's amazing. By this point, everything else I've used would have exploded or broken.' Alexander thought, feeling giddy at no longer needing to constrain himself.

Eventually, the dimensional cache was filled with enough magic power to activate.

It glowed brightly for a moment, before Alexander felt a list of information deposited directly into his brain.

Had he not already had the consciousness of a dragon connected to his mind, he likely would have been thoroughly shocked. But receiving instructions on how to activate the dimensional cache, and a catalog of items sealed with it, was nothing compared to what happened to him earlier.

"Wow, this thing is not just any relic. I'm pretty sure that it would be considered a national treasure." Alexander mused while staring at the magic tool with an elated expression.

This was his first time encountering a device that could store other items within it. He had not even heard whispers about such a thing.

'It certainly is a useful and rare tool, but not something so valuable. Most individuals in prominent positions had one, even if they weren't at the same level of quality as mine. I can remember there being several hundred in circulation.'

Tharildron's comment certainly piqued Alexander's interest. Not much was known about the era six centuries ago. However, from what he had heard the shadow dragon say, it was likely that Tharildron had been alive since even before that time.

Unfortunately, his new 'companion' told him that now was not the time to worry about the past.

Alexander was then instructed to take out two items held within the dimensional cache that would be necessary to restore his ability to walk.

Except, while he did retrieve the items that Tharildron wanted him to, he also pulled out another one that had caught his interest more than any other.

"What the?!"

The instant he activated the dimensional cache, a massive dark hole appeared in front of him.

A second later, the items he had designated came out of the portal and dropped in front of him.

His attention was naturally drawn to the largest of the items, which was a pair of pitch-black several meters long and wide gauntlets crafted out of umbral steel.

They were also so large that Alexander could have easily gone inside them and used them for shelter. Something almost unbelievable considering the metal they were constructed with was impossibly rare. To the point Alexander had only read a short description of it in a book on metallurgy his family owned.

The next item was a large ornate tome, bigger than any book Alexander had seen before. Its cover was made from the finest black leather, and its pages were all high-quality parchment.

Finally, the last item was the one he had personally been interested in. Of the three, it was the least striking, only appearing to be a normal golden ring. Nevertheless, it was in actuality a very powerful enhancement magic tool similar to the pendant his mother had given him, but far stronger.

'I should have known you would be attracted to that ring. But pay it no mind for now. Focus on the gauntlets first, and once you have them equipped, move to the tome.' Tharildron directed.

"How the hell am I supposed to wear those? Each one is several times larger than I am. I'd need to be a giant to put them on."

'Of course, they are not sized for you, these gauntlets are my personal weapons. However, they are imbued with a magic called Soul Seeing. They will take whatever form is most suitable for their wielder. All you need to do is fill them with magic power to mark them as your own.'

Once again, Alexander was astounded by the absurdity of the items that belonged to Tharildron and were now in his possession. Not a single one would look out of place within a king's treasury.

Doing as he was told, Alexander dragged himself over to the enormous gauntlets, and placed a hand on each of them.

Just as with the dimensional cache, he did not need to be concerned with breaking the gauntlets. Their quality was such that they could handle everything that Alexander sent into them.

After both gauntlets were fully filled with his magic power, their shape began to change. It was a mesmerizing sight, and Alexander could not peel his eyes away from the transformation.

Within only a couple of minutes, the two massive weapons sized for a dragon had shrunk down into a pair of twin daggers.

Each one's blade was around thirty centimeters in length, close to the longest a blade that was considered a dagger could be.

"I figured that they would be swords."

Alexander was a bit confused to see that the weapon that supposedly suited him most was daggers.

The only formal training he had received was in the sword. His instructor, who was also his uncle, had only taught him a few basic techniques to use with daggers for situations where he had lost his primary weapon.

When he picked them up, the metal was cold to the touch, but he could not deny that they felt good in his hands.

'Now, open the tome page five. There you will find a shadow magic spell that can restore your mobility.' Tharildron instructed.

"I know we just discussed the fact that I don't have any affinities for magic. Even with the correct magic tool, I can't use shadow magic."

Alexander was understandably confused by Tharildron's instruction. The shadow dragon was the one that had only recently explained the mutation that left him without the organ that defined a person's magical aptitudes.

'Yes, it is true that you were born without the necessary organ, but consuming my blood has changed your body. Dragons are not like humans. Magic permeates our entire beings. With my blood being a part of you, the magic that was at my disposal is now yours as well.'