Villain Awakening: Rising to the Strongest Dragon God-Chapter 48: Divine Agony

Auryn’s eyes were encroached by piercing divine light while energy flooded his body.

His veins glowed gold. Visible through his shirt. His jaw clenched and teeth ground together, audible even at Lyra’s distance.

Merely ten minutes in and his body convulsed. His breathing was jagged but his hands remained in place. It held on for dear life.

Lyra’s hands clenched on the rock beneath her. Everything in her wanted to move, to stop this, but she’d promised not to interfere. She felt a tiny fraction of his pain from their bond.

This is what power costs him. He knew and did it anyway...

Tears flowed involuntarily from her cheeks. She didn’t even realize her state.

Within Auryn, his primal instinct roared

TAKE IT ALL. CONSUME. EVERY DROP. MINE.

The instincts tugged at Auryn’s intellect. He would rather leave just enough for the springs that were now his to stay relevant going forward.

But his instincts waged war on reason. The internal war of instincts and intellect went on for a few more minutes as Auryn’s grip began to loosen with the golden veins reaching all the way to his eyes.

The golden veins took over his whole body before fading, leaving just the crystal.

The crystal remained in the pit. It was still alive and pulsing faintly.

Auryn in a quick snap, let go of the crystal and collapsed backwards. Hands stretched like an angel’s wings on the dirt.

Behind them, chaos erupted among the miners. One dropped to his knees. "Dragon God’s chosen"

Another stumbled backward, hand raised in a warding gesture. "Cursed,the land cursed him"

A third stood frozen, eyes wide, unable to look away. Their voices overlapped. They were stuck between fear, awe and confusion.

Borin’s voice cracked through their opinions like a whip.

"Enough!" he commanded.

In the next minute, silence fell immediately even as the dwarf’s hand rested on his axe hilt.

He spoke with a tone that invited reverence.

"Your lord just claimed Dragon God’s blessing. You’ll show respect or you’ll walk back to Aurelia without pay or your heads ."

The miners stilled. Some knelt. Some backed away and stayed quiet but all of them watched.

Auryn felt their fear. He didn’t mind afterall fear meant control. Fear meant they wouldn’t question what came next.

But something else stirred beneath that satisfaction. Something he couldn’t name. Like two parts of himself pulling in opposite directions.

Lyra moved immediately. She crossed the distance and knelt beside him. Her hand found his shoulder.

"Auryn?"

He didn’t pull away. Allowing her touch to ground his mind and body. "I’m... fine."

Her hand squeezed once on his fingers. "You’re not. But you will be."

He sat back slowly and looked at his arms. He was waiting for the changes unaware it had happened.

The arrow scar from Castor’s attack gone like it never existed. His skin was smooth as a baby’s.

Other scars from training, his battles since awakening and transformation all disappeared.

Lyra’s eyes caught what he had missed. She traced his chest where the arrow wound had been. Her touch, light as a feather.

"It’s gone," she said completely amazed.

Auryn noticed immediately. He looked at his arms and the scars from his transformation weren’t there anymore.

He also noticed something else.

"Tsk"

"Even till now, you stay with me Cinderfang"

Auryn pulled his dagger from his belt and made a cut on his palm.

The cut was deep and precise with blood welling up. Then suddenly, the wound closed up just as quick as it opened. Flesh knit together in what Auryn estimated to be less than five seconds.

The warning surfaced in his mind. To consume is to trust one’s tears.

He’d consumed. Trusted the Dragon God’s gift. And the pain had been worth it.

To hoard is to know pain. But he hadn’t hoarded. He’d left the crystal intact.

He chose strategy over greed.

So that part doesn’t apply. Right? Auryn tried making sense of the system’s insistent ramblings.

By this time, his skin returned to normal leaving just the scars that were left whenever he wielded the dragon killer.

Cinderfang’s scars wasn’t just on his body but his soul as well.

Lyra watched, fascinated instead of afraid.

"That’s... impossible," she bit on her words as they were barely audible.

"Dragon God’s gift." He exhaled. "Not impossible. Just costly."

Lyra looked at the crystal still glowing in the pit. "You didn’t take all of it."

"Didn’t need to." He spoke trying to stand up.

"Because of the springs?"

"Yes. Its potency has been reduced. So we’ll restrict access. Charge at a premium. Afterall scarcity sells."

Lyra stared at him and something shifted in her expression. The feeling hung in her chest like a new born. It was soul-soul understanding.

"You were in agony. And you still thought about economics?"

A small smile appeared on Auryn’s exhausted face. "Always."

Her hand remained on his shoulder. A worried and yet look of admiration lingered in her eyes. She nodded slightly.

"You’re something else"

Auryn’s mind raced at her touch. They weren’t necessarily private but the bond they shared seemed to ignore this.

She stayed and watched over me. Didn’t look away, didn’t interfere just here. Still here. Keeping me tethered . Maybe... maybe this is real..

Just as her eyes spoke so did Lyra’s mind.

He chose strategy over instinct. Even in pain. That’s not the dragon. That’s him. Whoever he is now. I want to know this person.

Just as the couple had their moment. The miners above the hole were having a flurry of mixed reactions.

Auryn stood and Lyra’s hand fell away, but she rose with him.

Borin slid down and approached. "You alright, lad?"

"Better than ever,"

Borin studied him. "Your eyes are brighter. Skin looks... younger."

Lyra circled Auryn slowly, examining him again with curiosity.

"Your scars are gone. All of them."

"Healing factor. Rank 4."

She stopped in front of him and met his eyes. "What else changed?"

He paused. She was asking directly this time and he thought to honour the Promise.

"I don’t know yet," he said without batting an eye.

Lyra nodded and accepted this. "Tell me when you do."

"As you wish"

Auryn answered as he turned back to the springs. The crystal still pulsed faintly in the pit.

Steam rose thicker now, curling in patterns that almost looked deliberate.

The bathers had returned to the pools. Life continued. They didn’t know what he’d taken nor what remained.

Lyra’s hand found his and squeezed once. Her eyes still on him. Still trying to get a sense of fulfilment.

"Ready?" she asked.

He looked east, toward Ashen Grove. The sky was darkening, but not just from sunset. The clouds that gathered there felt unnatural.

"We move now. Before I change my mind."

She didn’t ask what he meant. Just mounted her horse.

Borin approached, torches already distributed among the miners. "Night digging, lad. You’re certain?"

"The bones won’t wait for daylight."

The dwarf’s smiled as his ability to lead. Something about Auryn’s tone. It wasn’t fear but urgency.

They rode east as darkness fell.

Behind them, the springs glowed faintly gold. Ahead, the dead forest swallowed them whole.

And deep beneath Ashen Grove, something stirred. Not with welcome.

But with rage..