A New World

The stone is cold. Frozen, almost. A thin layer of ice covers it as we walk through the crevice of the mountain, a rarely traveled path.

"You know," Kundra says, breaking the silence, "I've walked this path more with you than I have in my whole life."

I glance at him. "When did you get your wings?"

He exhales, his breath curling in the cold air. "I was born with them ?"

His gaze drifts back to me, lingering for a moment. A small sigh escapes him. "I don't know why you can't use yours."

I follow his eyes to my back. Unlike his, there are no wings. I wonder if they're hidden beneath my skin, waiting for something.

Ryllie interjects, casual and talkative as always, while Eghiss remains quiet. Out of all of them, I think Eghiss is the strangest. She's quiet now, but when we first met, she was different. Confident.

Ryllie starts to shake—but not from the cold.

She wants to fly.

But Kundra keeps walking.

I sigh. "Fine. I'll let you carry me."

Her face lights up with a wide grin, and my own turns red as she lifts me into her arms. My legs dangle slightly over her forearms as her wings beat against the air, kicking up dust and loose debris.

"You're small," she mutters.

"I'm only ten," I say with a smile.

As she flies higher and higher, a new world opens up above the clouds. Dragons soar past, each heading toward a different destination. Below us, the continent stretches vast and endless. The sixteen mountains that divide its two halves look small from here. The forests and chaos below shrink into specks.

I look down from her arms.

I am not scared. I am not unsure.

I am calm.

It is a pleasant feeling. A part of me wants to experience this freedom. But another part hesitates, tied down by memories that are not mine—human memories. I am split between them.

And yet, I know.

I have made my decision.

I will hold them. Lock them away.

I won't let them hinder me in this world.

I was reincarnated.

I was a dragon with the memories of a human.

No.

I couldn't look at it like that. It wasn't true. The life I lived before—it wasn't something I could ignore. I wanted to know more. I wanted to regain what was lost. Why it happened. How I died.

As we slowly descend toward the forest, the world below sharpens. It is well-kept, dotted with apple trees and other greenery. A small cub scurries away at the sight of us, as if we are a plane coming in to land.

Ryllie's eyes glow. Her mouth waters as she watches the cub. She nearly drops me.

A small smile forms. "Sorry," she mutters.

Kundra and Eghiss descend after her. In a small crevice within the forest, there is a patch of grass with flowers and three stones.

Kundra looks at me. "You're too weak to hunt with us."

I scowl. "I could—"

"You can't," he cuts in. "Cultivate while we're gone."

I try to sit down, but before I can, Ryllie yells, "That's my rock!"

Territorial as ever.

She darts off into the trees and comes back dragging another large stone, almost the size of her body. Satisfied, she flops onto it.

I sigh and settle down. My mind drifts.

Will I die again?

The thought lingers—but I push it away.

The others spread their wings. "We'll be back," Kundra says.

Then, they take off, leaving me behind.

Cultivating was simple.

Absorbing Var felt good—pure energy flowing into me, filling every part of my body. It was like stretching after a long rest, like drinking cold water on a hot day.

But I knew that would change.

Advancing in rank was painful. The higher you climbed, the more unbearable it became. I wondered if that was why killing was the opposite.

So far, this feeling was good. Too good.

Did people go insane from this? Chasing it over and over, craving that rush again and again?

I thought back to my old world.

Killing didn't feel good.

More memories surfaced. A girl.

We were on a plane together. I could feel it—we were close. But how? Why?

The memory sharpened as I absorbed more Var. I could almost hear her voice.

She turned to me, lips parting—

"I will …"

Pain.

A sharp, tearing pain ripped through me, cutting the memory apart.

I gasped, clutching my chest as Var pulsed wildly inside me, unstable, shifting, trying to settle. I forced it under control, but I could see it now, flowing through me like spiraling bubbles in water.

Was it because of my Law? Was that why it hurt so much?

Then, I saw it.

A small bird perched on a nearby tree.

Dark markings curled along its wings, strange patterns twisting like ink.

I reached out with my Var. It moved unnaturally, spiraling around the bird, wrapping it in an invisible grasp.

The bird screamed.

Its cries were sharp, filled with terror—then silence.

A small orb floated in the air.

A strange, tingling sensation washed over me, drowning out the pain for a moment. But it didn't last.

The pain was still there.

Worse than before.

I clutched my chest as my vision swam.

For a brief moment, I saw a throne.

A second of unbearable agony.

Then—stillness.

The pain faded.

And when I opened my mouth, my voice echoed unnaturally.

I sit back on the stone, trying to collect my thoughts.

The trees around me seem purer, the woods filled with new sounds I hadn't noticed before. I had advanced to the next rank—though I wasn't sure what I was now.

The world felt different.

More vibrant. More beautiful.

But I had changed, too. In ways I couldn't see.

I focus inward, looking at my core.

My pearl is the same deep purple, the same shape, the same brightness.

And yet—it's bigger.

More energy. More power.

Like I had leveled up.