My Dragon King System-Chapter 337: Prisoners To Solitude Pt.2

Lilith stared at her son after that nod, seemingly unable to find words. Asahel then turned back toward the avatar and said,

"We have stayed away from the souls of the living and kept to ourselves, exactly as you commanded. Why then does the remains of my father bring you here now?."

"I’ll be taking it away," the avatar stated simply.

Asahel’s energy exploded outward in a violent flare and his six wings burst from his back, spreading wide. Power crackled around him like lightning, and the temperature spiked so suddenly that frost patterns on the windows instantly sublimated into steam.

"No!" The word left his mouth.

The avatar looked at him with absolutely no emotion, not even annoyance.

"I will make quick work of you, half-angel," it said flatly.

The avatar raised one hand, extending it toward Asahel.

"Please!"

Lilith threw herself between them, with her arms spread wide as if her body could somehow shield her son from the Dragon God’s power.

"I beg you," she said in a broken voice. "Just take what you want. But don’t take him from me too. Please. Please, I’m begging you."

The avatar’s attention shifted toward her. Its expression remained empty, but it paused.

Lilith kept her arms extended, blocking their path. Then she turned back toward her son, and tears were streaming down her face now.

"Do you want me to be alone again?" she asked. "Let him do what he came for, Asahel. Please. I can’t... I can’t be alone again."

There was desperation in her words.

Lilith had spent thousands of years imprisoned at the edge of the universe. Alone and Isolated, with nothing but her own thoughts for company.

The madness that had crept in during those millennia had never fully left.

The last three years in this snowy dimension had been bearable only because Asahel was with her.

Asides the fact that the last three years had left some parts of her broken, if her son died now, she knew, with absolute certainty that she wouldn’t survive psychologically.

The isolation would shatter what remained of her sanity.

Asahel stared at his mother’s tear-streaked face.

"This is all I have left of him," he said quietly, though whether he was speaking to her or to Aiden wasn’t clear. His hand moved to his chest, as if touching the fragment hidden within. "All that remains of my father. You would take even that?"

But then his eyes met Lilith’s again, and something in him broke. She was begging him not to force her into solitude again.

How could he refuse her?

Asahel’s rising energy fell silently and his wings folded back against his body as his shoulders slumped in defeat.

"Take it," he whispered.

The avatar didn’t hesitate. It recognized the submission immediately and with his hand still extended, he exerted his will.

A glowing white blob of energy pulled free from Asahel’s chest, floating through the air toward the avatar’s palm.

The moment it made contact, it vanished.

Unlike Ambrose, who’d needed a specially reconstructed body to contain even a portion of Samael’s consciousness, Asahel hadn’t required any modifications.

As a divine being, his nature was already compatible with transcendence fragments.

Additionally, the fragment had evolved him further over the past three years. He was stronger now than he’d been during the war.

But still nowhere near strong enough to challenge Aiden.

The avatar examined Asahel briefly, confirming the extraction was complete. Then it turned toward the entrance of the mansion.

It reached the doorway, then paused and looked back.

"I will remind you of this just once," the avatar began. "You are both still alive by my benevolence. Nothing more. But all of that can change—"

It snapped its fingers.

"—with a snap."

Blood immediately began streaming from Asahel’s eyes. More poured from his nose and ran down his face.

He staggered, as though about to fall.

Before anyone could react further, space warped around the avatar’s form and it disappeared.

"Asahel!"

Lilith rushed to her son’s side as his knees hit the floor. She caught him before he could fall completely, supporting his weight as blood continued flowing from his face.

Aiden had used just a fraction of his destruction authority to create microscopic tears in Asahel’s brain. Not enough to kill or cause permanent damage, but more than enough to cause pain and bleeding.

It was a warning. A reminder of exactly how fragile their continued existence was.

Asahel’s hands clenched into fists as frustration radiated from him, at his own helplessness.

"It’s alright," Lilith whispered, pressing her hands against his face to try stopping the flow of blood.

Her magic activated, weaving healing through his body. "It’s alright. You’re still here. That’s all that matters."

——

Back in the Pocket Dimension, precisely within Aiden’s home realm, the group was now at some distance from the massive castle.

As they drew closer, the true scale of the structure became apparent. The castle was enormous, easily the size of a small city with countless spires reaching toward the skies.

Its architecture was a blend of elegance and power, and the gates stood a figure.

He appeared humanoid at first glance, but the details quickly revealed his true nature. Dark scales covered portions of his exposed skin, and small horns curved back from his temples.

His eyes were reptilian, with vertical slits for pupils that glowed amber. He wore formal attire, but his tail extended from beneath the coat.

He was a dragonkin. Half-human, half-dragon

The moment he spotted the approaching group, his posture straightened and his voice rang out with commanding authority.

"Everyone to your positions! Our King and his family has returned!"

The response was immediate and spectacular as the dragons that had been through the sky suddenly changed directions.

Most of them dived toward the castle. Some landed on rooftops. Others took positions along the pathway leading to the main entrance, forming two parallel lines on either side.

Each dragon was massive, easily fifty feet long or more with scales in every color imaginable.