A Blessing In Disguise

Chapter 4: 

Immediately, Ethan woke up. His head throbbed as if someone had used a hammer on it.

He slowly stood up from the altar-like platform.

"Where am I?" Ethan muttered to himself, and the next moment, his memories gradually flooded his empty brain.

"Was it a success?" Ethan wondered aloud as he checked his body, and he noticed how light and toned his body had become; it felt as though he had gone through an evolution.

Ethan swept his gaze around the hall, trying to find the ancient dragon. After looking for some seconds, he called out, "Ancestor."

There was no answer, so he called out once more.

"Ancestor."

This time, a voice interrupted him, and it wasn't just any voice because it sounded in his head.

"I am inside you now," Rowena said aloud in his head.

"What? how?" A look of surprise crossed Ethan's face.

"It is my remaining consciousness; it would guide you on how to master your powers, and by the way, you now have a tattoo on your back," Rowena voiced out.

"Can you please lower your voice a little bit because it sounded like you were screaming in there?" Ethan asked, covering his ears with his hands.

After the ear-piercing sound stopped, he tried tilting his head backward, and, indeed, there was a red dragon tattoo covering his back. The tattoo was drawn with red ink with a few black ink spots.

If one looks closer, they will notice how alive the tattoo looked, as it looked like it was about to jump out.

"What is the reason for the tattoo?" Ethan asked with a furrowed brow.

"It will enhance your body's strength and help you transform. It practically wields your power, and it is permanent."

"What if I get wounded on my back?" Ethan asked.

"It will automatically heal," said Rowena.

"Wow, it's cool. The days are not too far away again. I will soon serve my revenge," Ethan said, with a determined look.

"Hold on to your horse, kid; even though you have my power, you are still vulnerable. I would advise you to groom and hone your skills first, or you will still get your ass kicked." Rowena spoke as if he were a father cautioning his child.

"Oh, I almost forgot. When I get back, I'll find some time to train. For now, I need to find some dragon eggs."

"So, how do I get out of here?" Ethan asked.

"That is not an issue for now. First, I would like to show you something. Why don't you venture deeper into the cave? I have a surprise for you."

"OK, you're the boss." Ethan strolled deeper into the hall, which was dimly lit with fire torches on the sides.

After some time, he stopped at a flat wall.

"What now?"

"Place your hands on the wall."

Ethan placed his hands on the wall, and after some seconds, "I think nothing is happening—" The wall abruptly trembled, as if it was about to fall into pieces, and parted in two.

Ethan cautiously placed one of his feet inside before he walked in, but he froze at the sight in front of him.

"WOW!" was the only word that came out of his mouth.

The strange room he had entered had heaps of gold coins and various types of armor and weapons made out of beast crystal; it looked like a kingdom's treasure, but the difference was that these were all advanced weapons.

[AN. There are 6 tiers of mutated beast crystals. First is the basic, ultra, advanced, intimidate, demi-god, and strongest being, the God tier. The god-tier weapons are extremely rare and only four are known to exist: those of humans, vampires, the demon race, and the dragon race. It is 10 times as powerful as a nuclear weapon.]

The hall had various types of swords, blades, firearms, armor, chest pieces, leg pieces, etc. that were all made out of beast crystal. Surprisingly, there were even pieces of jewelry like bracelets and rings.

"Wait, you own all this?" Ethan asked in an excited tone.

"What do you think? Am not the first king for nothing." Rowena said proudly, and Ethan felt the piercing pain in his head again.

"So I can take all this?" Ethan asked heartily.

"Yes and no," Rowena's voice reverberated.

"What do you mean by yes and no?" Ethan's smile quickly disappeared, and his face darkened.

"I can't give you all this because you're not strong enough. If any of the other races saw you with these weapons, what do you think they would do? They will probably hunt you, assassinate you, and take all your weapons, so you understand." Rowena replied.

"I understand, but I still can't comprehend the purpose of your bringing me here if I can't even take anything," Ethan said aloud.

"I did not say you would not receive anything. You can take 3 weapons for now. I will gift you the rest when you are stronger.

Rowena voiced out after a moment.

"Okay," Ethan said without hesitation. He didn't want the ancient dragon to change his mind now. He walked around the hall, staring at all the cool stuff that was neatly arranged on metal shelves.

He stopped at a sword that seemed to be attached to the ground of the cave. The sword hilt was black and red with the familiar dragon's eye etched in the middle.

"Can you give me a description of this blade?" Ethan asked.

"Sure, this sword, as you can see, is in the Demi-god tier. It can change mass and size at will. It also recognizes its own, and it also has the skill to release and manipulate flame."

Ethan's eyes glinted in amazement.

"Okay, I want this sword," Ethan said excitedly.

"Just pull it out," Rowena instructed.

Ethan pulled the sword, and it came out swiftly.

"How do I handle it?" Ethan asked.

"It is connected to you." So just think of any size you want it to take." Rowena spoke up.

Ethan thought about the sword, changing its size and shape. The sword transformed and became as large as the size of an adult male.

"Cool is even lighter," Ethan exclaimed.

"That is because you're the owner of the sword. it will appear heavy to others," Rowena answered back.

"Ok, why don't you try throwing the sword?"

"Why?" Ethan was confused.

"Just do it," Rowena retorted.

He threw the sword like a spear, piercing the wall.

"Now extend your hands, calling it back."

He did as commanded, and the sword freed itself and came back to him.

Ethan was very impressed with the sword. "There is one more skill I would like to test, but for now, I would keep it in my spatial ring." He thought as he strode deeper into the long hall. After he walked for a while, he saw huge wired eggs.

"What are these?" Ethan asked curiously.

"These are dragon eggs. I assumed you were here for this. You can have it without going through any hardship." Rowena answered back.

Maybe his being thrown off that cliff was a blessing in disguise, but it was also a two-edged sword. What if he died?'

"Thanks." Ethan placed the eggs in his spatial ring.

He continued his walk but stopped when he heard Rowena's voice, "Take that mask."

***