The Affinity For Darkness

Chapter 3: The Black Dragon

In a dark cave so silent you could hear the water as it dripped from off the ceiling off the cave and into the water below. One of the water fell from the ceiling and landed right in Jason's face which made him wake up immediately.

"Aaaaaaaaah!'' he screamed at the top of his lungs and cried in despair as he remembered everything that happened. His legs were missing, his eyes were slashed making him blind and the pain was unbearable.

"Why—did this have to happen to me?...What did I do to deserve this?" he questioned himself.

He continued to cry with tears and blood flowed from his eyes. Suddenly, he heard a growling sound and footsteps coming closer to him. It was a pack of gray demonic wolves with red eyes horns that protruded from their shoulders.

"W-who is there?" Jason asked with a shuddering voice.

He heard the growling sounds of the wolves and crawled with his hands as fast as he could. Jason cried and tried to escape as fast as he could but the wolves kept getting closer and closer. Jason found that he had hit a dead end and was stuck.

"Pl-please don't kill me!" he begged as tears flowed from his tightly shut eyes.

He begged and begged but the wolves didn't possess intelligence to respond. They came arms length away from him when suddenly the wolves started panicking. Something down inside the dark depths of the cave that scared them and they ran away whining like dogs.

'What's this cold air and where it's coming from, whatever it is I'm getting goosebumps. If the creatures from earlier are afraid of it then it's more powerful...whatever it is, it's better to be eaten by what's in there than up there,' he thought to himself.

Jason started to crawl towards the direction towards the cold wind. His arms were numbed and his palms and chest were cut against the sharp stones on the ground. Even under the intense pain of missing legs and eyes his newfound will to survive this hell and go home overwhelmed his sense of fear. The floor beneath him gave away and he fell into the dark abyss below once again.

'Huh!'

After some time he woke up without opening his eyes. As usual—he couldn't see but he was lying amongst a pile of rubble. Jason rolled over on his back and continued to cry.

Suddenly, a deep voice called out to him, "Why are you crying human?" It questioned him.

"W-who goes there?" Jason asked in bewilderment. Jason was looking around but it sounded like the voice was coming from behind and above him.

"Hahahahah Hahahahaha, I've been expecting your arrival boy. Tell me your name?"

"Why should I tell you? So you can mock me?...If you're going to kill me, go ahead and do it...I've already lost," he accepted fate.

"Hahahahaha, I don't sense the fear of death but in your heart do you want to die boy?"

"I don't want to die, I want to live and go home," He answered in a low voice, recalling his past life,then he looked up, "Who are you anyways?"

"Can't you see me? I'm behind you boy."

"No I can't. As you can see I'm blind," Jason explained and the voice was silent for a while.

"I see...so you're blind so I'll bestow sight unto you," It declared.

"I don't want anything from you," Jason rejected, "I don't trust you."

"Hahahahaha," It laughed joyfully, "So you don't trust me,that's a good thing boy."

Something in the darkness reached out and touched Jason on the forehead. Suddenly Jason felt his conscience expanding outside of his body and little by little things became clear to him. He was shocked to see that he could see with his eyes closed.

'What's happeni—I can see things more clearly now. Things that even the human eyes can't see,' He thought to himself as he was mesmerized.

Jason could see black and lime green mist in the air all around him and It was also mixed in with a rainbow colored mist.

"I've bestowed upon you a skill called「Magic Perception 」It allows you to sense Magicles in the air around you," the voice explained.

"Huh? aaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" Jason screamed as he looked at what was standing before him.

Before him was a dragon standing at over 300 ft. Its head was broad in same with a pointed chin and rock‐hard face. Its scale is jet black and lime green claws, Wing Webs, Teeth. There was lime green protrusions from its Neck, Shoulders and abdomen and a lime green symmetrical pattern running from under its neck to its underbelly and to the tip of its tail. The dragon that stood on all four legs looked at Jason who continued to shudder. The dragon spread out its large black wings that were so large it could hide the light of the sun and the moon and it flapped them twice.

"...Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Indura, The Black Dragon of Darkness," Indura introduced. He roared loudly before Jason who was still at a loss for words and after roaring, it lowered its head closer to Jason. "Tell me your name?" he asked.

Jason looked into the eyes of the dragon and gulped. "J-J-J-Jason Yeager, My name is Jason Yeager," he stuttered.

"Jason Yeager, tell me what are you doing here?!" Indura asked.

"I thought you knew?" Jason asked but the dragon didn't answer.

It seems Indura wasn't happy with that response so Jason told him the whole truth. After a long and painful explanation Jason wiped his tears away.

"I see...So you were summoned to this world against your will and not betrayed by the one you loved but by your classmates," Indura said as he pondered on the matter.

"Yeah, now I lost my eyes and my leg," Jason said as he broke down in tears again and he sniffled, "...I hate my life, I hate everything."

"Fret not child for everything that has happened must have happened for a reason. The affinity for darkness is extremely rare, so rare I'm the only person who possesses it. So it is not a curse but rather a blessing."

"You are the last? What are you doing down here?" Jason asked and before Indura responded it looked up in the air and started to recall the matter.

"It was 3000 years ago when I still roamed the earth. I was known as the Black Dragon of Darkness so feared that even the Demon Queen herself never hoped to cross my path, I dominated the world and feared nothing. Anyways my ego led me to burning down an entire human city and a human called King Arthur the wielder of the Holy Sword Excalibur managed to defeat me and sealed me down here for 3000 years," Indura explained.

"3000 years? That long?"

"Indeed, I can't move and get out of this place because my soul is sealed within this barrier and not only that my Magicles and my lifeforce are depleting day by day," Indura informed.

"Magicles?"

"Magicles are magical particles in the air all around us. It is where monsters get our energy from and we cannot live without it. However, that doesn't apply to humans as they will die or become mutated and become Demi humans once exposed to too much magicles," Indura explained.

"I see..." Jason understood, then he looked around at the mist surrounding him, "So that's why the air is so thick with it but why am I not affected."

"Perhaps it has to do with your affinity for Darkness," Indura concluded.

"I see but still being down here for 3000 years must be rough."

"It is but when I sensed you falling into my cave I knew you would be the one so I purposely led you here. Darkness attracts Darkness after all..."

"I see..."

There was a deep silence between the two of them once again.

"Tell me Jason. What do you seek?" Indura asked out of curiosity.

Jason pondered on what he wanted. All his life he has been doing what others told him to all because he's too soft and a coward. However this time things have changed him and standing face to face the world's most powerful being is proof of that.

"I want power, The power that will change my destiny, The Ultimate Power," he responded.

After hearing Jason's response Indura bursted into laughter, " hahahahaha. An excellent response and are you willing to give up your humanity for that power?"

"I don't care about if I have given up my humanity, just give me the power...Give it to me!" Jason shouted his demand, he shouted with tears running from his eyes.

"Excellent," Indura said with a satisfied tone of voice, "That is the response I've been wanting to hear. I'll give you that power but first I'll like to tell you something, if you want to return to your world there is a way to do—"

"Really?" Jason interrupted, "If there is,tell me."

"There is a key in this world that unlocks the Chambers of Wishes. However, the key has been separated into 13 pieces and scattered across the world. If you find missing pieces of the key and reassemble them you can have your wish granted but the journey will not be easy. What lies ahead is a path filled with many trials and tribulations. That is I will give you all my power I possess," Indura explained.

Jason was shocked when he heard this but he continued to listen.

"The power of darkness consumes all and makes the strength your own, I like to call it「Gluttony」," Indura added.

"So if I kill someone stronger than me I can make their strength mine?" he asked.

"Yes. The end of my time is near, I can feel it. I've been alive for far too long. I wish to rest now. Jason Yeager I would like to ask a favor."

"What is it?"

For years I've watched humans and other races live happily until their lifespan ends and pass on their knowledge to their children and their children. I never had that and don't know what it is. For the first time I felt like I'm less superior to them. So Jason Yeager, would you be my son?" Indura requested.

Jason was surprised that the dragon of darkness would make such a request. For some reason Jason felt at peace because he never had a father. He was always living alone with his mother and older sister and deep in his heart it felt like this was the right thing to do.

"Of course, Father," Jason accepted.

"Thank you, I shall also leave you with a new name on your journey, Hm? The young human with the heart of an angel who ended up falling from grace. I shall grant you the name Lucifer named after the fallen angel. Take care my son,'' Indura said his goodbye.

Indura's flesh liquefied and merged with its blood. The black liquid swam up to Jason and flowed under him. Suddenly the floor gave out beneath him and he fell into a pitch black water. Jason felt something going through his body and it caused pain that was more intense than what he had endured before. His skin started to peel off and his bones broke apart. Jason fell unconscious in the pitch black water.