Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 62: Thank You

’Thank you,’ a woman’s voice rampaged in my head, muffling the screams of pain that rolled through my entire body.

Transforming into a Nature Dragon hadn’t been the best call. It had been a desperate measure when the dragon leaped at me, but it did things to me. Things I still couldn’t understand.

There was a connection. It didn’t last long, yet long enough to feel the Mother Dragon’s emotions. Oh, and she was crazy. Not just a little, but like a shit ton. Worse even, I understood her insanity. After all she went through, I would have felt the same. I too would feel like burning the Zetrian Empire to the ground.

But why did I feel all that? Her emotions and the like. It didn’t make any sense.

The only thing that made sense was the pain when Shift ended. I was already surprised with how long the transformation lasted, but that did not make the pain any more bearable. If anything, it got worse.

I was forced back into my main form. Then the real pain started. Every corner of my body felt like it was being torn apart simultaneously. I was shredded, put together, and then shredded again. Topped by the sensation of getting burned from the inside out before waves of cold passed through me until I felt like I was going to freeze to death, I certainly didn’t feel all that great.

Fortunately, the pain didn’t last that long. It felt like days passed, but only a second might have passed as something dissolved on my lips.

Warmth filled my heart. It was hot but not unbearable, and it soothed the pain. The warmth reached every corner and increased in temperature until it felt like my body was on fire, yet it still didn’t hurt. If anything, the pain of forcing a transformation into a 2nd Tier Nature Dragon decreased. It faded and my senses returned to me — albeit slowly.

’You fulfilled your promise. Now leave, Cursed Child. Leave before I change my mind.’

My eyes snapped open to the Nature Dragon rising into the sky. She released flames in all directions, transforming into the monstrosity she was. Her flames were deadly, merciless, yet they no longer spread out toward me.

What a poor soul, I couldn’t help but think as I watched the Nature Dragon fall into a frenzy, the loss of her child consuming her sanity once more.

My heart was still hammering in my chest. The turn of events was a lot, to put into simple terms. My body should have been a mess after forcefully shifting into the Nature Dragon when I didn’t even have the energy to transform into the Lesser Wisp, yet it was brimming with energy.

And it was all owed to the dragon. She’d placed something in my mouth that carried unfathomable power. Enough to rid me of my pain and empower me. It would, I had no doubt about that, be temporary and last no longer than a few minutes, maybe an hour if I was lucky.

Hence, it was high time to leave.

Just as I thought about leaving, chaos erupted around me once more. The sound of ancient trees cracking and bursting apart reached Camp Ashborn and overshadowed the screams, shouts, and even the dragon’s roar.

The Eserian split open, and a towering figure wreathed in vines and moss emerged. The figure resembled a knight wearing heavy-plated armor, only that it was covered in all kinds of natural substances and plants. And it was massive. Even from a distance, I could see it clearly. It was a towering figure the size of the Nature Dragon, if not greater.

Eserian?

Either this was the Eserian forest’s call for vengeance — a display of its wrath to show both the Nature Dragon and the humans of the Zetrian Empire that it was done playing — or this was the very host, the owner of the forest itself.

Fern told me a bit about the Eserian and that it was alive, but I always thought there had to be some sort of sentient being in charge. For all I knew, the Eserian could be a mutated treant, one born in the heart of the forest and connected to it all.

Regardless, it was charging at the camp, and it looked angry.

"That’s it. I am so out of here," I cursed and scrambled to my feet.

Looking right where the duffel bag should have been, I found something else instead. A verdant scale the size of my head lay on the ground in its stead.

The Nature Dragon must have taken it. That was fine with me. I picked up the verdant scale and squeezed it into my pouch, only for it to rip wherever the scale’s edges passed.

How do you have such sharp scales? I grumbled as the ground shook. The screams grew even louder, and so did the noise of combat. Glancing back, flames consumed Camp Ashborn. It was terrifying, yet there was no fear.

My heart stirred rather than twisting in anxiety. The sight of true power was so...so mesmerizing!

The average human soldier was not strong enough to fight the Nature Dragon, nor were the Captains. However, it looked like there were even stronger humans in the camp. Humans strong enough to summon a typhoon and shroud the sky in dark clouds. Lightning bolts surged through the dark clouds and rained down, striking the Nature Dragon, which let out a pained roar for the first time.

That, too, was mesmerizing, but it was just as troubling. After all, the clash of multiple powerhouses promised even more destruction than a simple massacre could. Fortunately, they weren’t fighting in a highly populated area, although I doubted that it helped the soldiers in any way.

"In the Nether!" Using Shift, I turned into a Terro Sparrow. A moment later, I was out of Camp Ashborn, making my way back to the Eserian.

The grove was waiting for me, so were Fern’s arms.

Shit, I really need a tight hug. I snickered inwardly, knowing damn well that my lips would have curled up into a shit-eating grin if not for my current form.