Chapter 195: Chapter 195 - Danger!
Theo couldn’t move.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, yet not a single muscle obeyed.
Just the air itself felt heavy enough to crush him into the ground.
Yet, he remained standing on a small rock platform perfectly.
’Impossible.’
Theo couldn’t describe what he was witnessing.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Lightning flickered all around him.
Some beams were a pure yellow color, others completely different.
They danced through the cloudless sky effortlessly.
At first, he thought a vast, yellow mountain stood in front of him.
Only then, the ’mountain’ blinked.
Two colossal golden eyes slowly opened in the distance, each one so vast that entire cities could have fit inside their pupils.
Only then did Theo realize that what he’d mistaken for cliffs and peaks were merely the scales on the creature’s face.
Its head alone stretched far behind the horizon, disappearing out of sight on both sides.
He couldn’t even begin to estimate its true size.
’That... can’t be real.’
Theo’s throat went dry.
But deep inside, he already knew the answer.
It was very real.
And it was directly looking at him.
Suddenly, a system window popped up right in front of him.
[Protective barriers are stable.]
[Host has successfully been transported.]
Theo swallowed hard.
He couldn’t even tell if his body was feeling fear or if it had already accepted whatever outcome would happen.
’So... this is a primordial being?’ he thought, barely able to process everything.
[WARNING!]
[Host is advised to avoid provoking the entity.]
[Note: If it sincerely wishes to kill you, there is nothing the system can do.]
His breathing slowed almost to a halt.
’Nothing you can do?’
He didn’t even know how to respond.
His gaze slowly dropped to the massive creature.
But even after several seconds, it did not move.
It simply watched him.
Yet somehow, that was even more terrifying.
Then, without the dragon opening its mouth, a voice echoed through the entire realm.
It wasn’t loud.
Yet it seemed to come from every direction at once, vibrating through the air, the platform, and even Theo’s bones.
"So..."
The single word sounded hoarse and almost ancient.
’’You are the little one who has inherited my bloodline.’’
Theo couldn’t respond.
His very being was trembling so hard, he felt like he might vanish from existence.
’’Weak.’’
The entire realm trembled as countless arcs of electricity burst across the sky.
BOOM!
A massive lightning bolt paused right in front of him, blocked by an invisible force.
Theo instinctively flinched.
’’Pathetically weak.’’
The golden dragon’s gaze slowly moved away from him.
CRACKLE!
Theo’s eyes went wide as he stared at the sky.
Thousands, no... millions or even billions of lightning bolts danced through the sky, splitting the heavens apart.
Only then did Theo see the large, star-filled void behind the being.
"###, are you sure?" the dragon’s voice echoed coldly. "Even the demigods would be a better fit than this... vermin."
Seconds ticked by in silence.
Each second felt like a year to Theo.
Then, the dragon slowly exhaled.
RUMBLE.
The sound alone shook the platform beneath his feet.
Theo glanced down, his heart pounding.
Only then did he realize he was actually floating in the middle of the air on a single stone platform.
Far, far below him, he spotted green lands, surrounded by constantly flickering lightning.
’Where... is this?’
But, instead of searching for an answer, his attention was slowly drawn to the lightning.
His eyes slowly went wide as he took in every single bolt.
There was something in them.
Something that felt completely different compared to his own lightning.
Theo’s breathing caught for a moment.
’They’re... alive?’
No, that wasn’t quite it.
It just felt different, like his lightning was a mere imitation.
He couldn’t even sense any mana.
It simply was... lightning.
Theo remained completely still.
The more he observed the countless bolts dancing through the heavens, the more his understanding seemed to unravel.
Just then, the dragon’s voice rang out again.
"This wretch is a stain upon my bloodline."
"Take that pathetic vermin back, or his soul will be obliterated."
Theo barely had time to respond.
DING! DING! DING!
Several system windows popped up in front of him.
[Transporting host now...]
The dragon’s colossal pupils narrowed.
’’Hmph.’’
Theo’s instincts screamed at him.
He could feel it.
Staying here for a second longer meant it’d be his last.
[3...]
The world around him began to distort.
[2...]
An endless amount of lightning began to gather around him, blurring into beautiful streaks.
CRACK!
The stone platform beneath his feet cracked apart into countless fragments of light.
[1...]
Theo’s heart pounded rapidly.
From the corner of his eye, a single flicker of white lightning shot through the barrier.
[Transporting now!]
The white lightning barely touched his body.
A strange sensation ran through him while his body slowly started to disappear.
Theo instinctively looked down at his own hands.
Tiny strands of white lightning danced across his skin for the briefest moment before disappearing beneath the surface.
His eyes went wide.
Just before his vision dissolved, Theo took one more glance at the thunder dragon.
POP!
Everything around him vanished.
Theo felt a violent pull on his body, and everything around him dissolved into blinding white.
For a brief moment, he felt neither fear nor pain.
It was as though his consciousness had detached from his body, drifting through an endless sea of white.
WHOOSH!
Light suddenly entered his eyes again.
Theo staggered back.
His legs crashed against his couch, sitting him down on it.
The white light slowly faded from his eyes, replaced by familiar walls in a completely dark room.
’I’m... back?’
Theo’s eyes went wide, his hand on his chest.
Just then, a sudden voice entered his ears.
’’What the fuck was that?’’
Theo’s head snapped back immediately.
His hand shot up, ready to punch the source of the noise.
Halfway through the motion, he suddenly paused.
Standing just a few feet away was Owen, a tray of food still balanced awkwardly in his hands.
’’Yo?’’
