Chapter 126: Chapter 121: The Heir They Waited For (Part 1)
The words echoed through John’s mind.
**It wants your blood.**
Not your life.
Not your Dragon Core.
Your blood.
An uneasy silence settled over the battlefield.
Even the wind seemed to disappear.
John slowly lowered his gaze toward the black scales covering his foreleg.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
His own bloodline felt less like a blessing...
And more like a target.
---
Lythriel was the first to react.
She immediately stepped in front of John, crimson spear leveled toward Asterion.
"No."
Her voice was firm.
"If it wants him..."
"It goes through us first."
John blinked in surprise.
"Lythriel..."
She didn’t look back.
"Don’t."
"I’m serious."
Her grip tightened around her spear.
"I don’t care if it’s the strongest thing in existence."
"It isn’t taking you."
Aerion silently walked forward as well.
Without a word...
He stood beside Lythriel.
His silver blade left its sheath with a quiet metallic whisper.
Sylvara sighed softly.
"I suppose I don’t have much choice."
Dozens of magic circles bloomed around her.
One after another.
Not offensive spells.
Protective ones.
Layer upon layer of barriers began surrounding John.
The Soul Raven spread its enormous wings.
Its weakened body still trembled from corruption.
Yet it positioned itself before John without hesitation.
"I failed one Dragon King."
"I will not fail another."
John stared at them.
"...Everyone..."
---
Caelis watched the scene with a gentle smile.
"There it is."
John looked toward him.
"What?"
"The answer."
John frowned.
"I don’t understand."
Caelis tapped his staff lightly against the crystal ground.
"You asked earlier what it meant to be a Dragon King."
He looked toward the companions standing between John and the enemy.
"This."
Silence followed.
"They aren’t protecting you because you are stronger."
"They aren’t protecting you because of your blood."
"They’re protecting you because..."
"...you became someone worth protecting."
John’s heart skipped a beat.
---
He remembered his first days after reincarnating.
A frightened hatchling.
Weak.
Alone.
Every day had been a struggle to survive.
Back then...
He trusted no one.
And no one trusted him.
Now...
Without him asking.
Without him ordering.
People had willingly placed themselves between him and certain death.
Not because he demanded loyalty.
Because he had earned it.
John slowly smiled.
A small smile.
But genuine.
Maybe...
Just maybe...
He was beginning to understand what kind of king the Ancient Dragons had once followed.
---
Across the battlefield...
The False Heart watched quietly.
It observed each companion as though examining a puzzle.
Then...
It asked,
"You would die for him?"
Lythriel answered without hesitation.
"If I have to."
Aerion shrugged.
"I’ve survived this long."
"It would be embarrassing to run now."
Sylvara smiled faintly.
"I still have too many questions left unanswered."
The Soul Raven lowered its head.
"My life was given to protect hope."
"If he carries that hope..."
"...then my answer is obvious."
The False Heart remained silent.
---
Finally...
It looked toward John.
"And you?"
John met its gaze.
"What about me?"
"Would you die for them?"
John didn’t answer immediately.
Instead...
He looked at each of his companions.
Aerion.
The veteran who had quietly guided him since they met.
Lythriel.
Always loud.
Always honest.
Always rushing into danger before thinking.
Sylvara.
Gentle.
Thoughtful.
Someone who never stopped searching for answers.
The Soul Raven.
An ancient guardian who had endured unimaginable suffering.
Then...
Caelis.
The old man whose wisdom reminded John that true strength wasn’t measured only by power.
John finally spoke.
"Yes."
No hesitation.
No uncertainty.
The False Heart tilted its head.
"Even knowing they will someday die regardless?"
John nodded.
"Yes."
"They’re mortal."
"So am I."
The being frowned.
"You possess the blood of Dragon Kings."
"You will outlive kingdoms."
John smiled sadly.
"I know."
"That doesn’t make the time we share any less valuable."
---
The battlefield became quiet once more.
Caelis closed his eyes.
"...Excellent."
The old man seemed genuinely relieved.
John looked toward him.
"Why?"
"You’ve answered the final question."
John blinked.
"What question?"
Caelis smiled.
"The one every Dragon King eventually faces."
"What matters more?"
"Living forever..."
"...or making the time you’re given meaningful?"
John slowly lowered his gaze.
His previous life on Earth hadn’t been long.
Neither had been extraordinary.
Yet...
There had been people he cared about.
Memories he treasured.
Perhaps...
Length of life had never truly been the point.
---
The False Heart’s black eyes flickered.
Just once.
Then it quietly spoke.
"...I remember."
Everyone looked toward it.
"I once believed the same."
The voice had changed.
It sounded...
Lonely.
Not cold.
Not emotionless.
Simply...
Lonely.
---
A memory appeared around the battlefield.
Not because Caelis summoned it.
Not because the Soul Raven did.
The False Heart itself had unconsciously released it.
John saw a younger Asterion.
Laughing.
Children chased him through gardens beneath the World Tree.
A small dragon hatchling clung awkwardly to his robes.
The Soul Raven—still much smaller—watched from a nearby branch.
The Great Dragon King sat beneath the World Tree with several giants, sharing food while listening to the laughter around him.
The memory radiated warmth.
Peace.
Life.
Then...
It shattered.
Darkness consumed it.
The False Heart lowered its head.
"...I remember..."
"...why I wanted to save them."
Silence filled the hidden realm.
Even the corrupted champions had stopped moving.
Many stared blankly toward the fading memory.
As though they too...
Remembered.
---
Caelis quietly whispered,
"Good."
John looked at him.
"Good?"
"The False Heart isn’t remembering facts."
"It is remembering feelings."
The old man’s eyes brightened slightly.
"And feelings..."
"...cannot be erased so easily."
John followed his gaze.
For the first time...
He saw uncertainty within the endless darkness of the False Heart’s eyes.
Not weakness.
Not surrender.
Doubt.
Very small.
Very faint.
But real.
Perhaps...
The being that had spent thousands of years convinced life was only suffering...
Had just remembered that life had once been beautiful.
And perhaps...
That single memory was more powerful than any sword they could wield.
---
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