Chapter 28: The Awakening of a Dragon Lord.
Deep within the Lava Chamber, Earth and Fire mana rushed toward the giant cyclone of mana which was Mark. His body constantly went through massive changes using the lava as a cocoon to evolve his form. His two forward-curving horns split into a crown of black blazing horns.
Everything about him began to change form, his muscles bulged, and his scales melted and reformed over and over again like a metal being refined. His bones snapped and healed back stronger repeatedly.
And deep in his soul, the blessing of the Void leaked its energy into Mark's body and soul nurturing his evolution slowly. But the most important ingredients to this were the scale and blood of Ddraig which nurtured his growth.
The volcano was the perfect place for the change to take place in. His body began to sink into the magma and the further down he went the hotter and purer the magma became. Not to mention the mana that he was devouring from deep in the core.
On the surface, very small quakes hit the region, but they were tiny. Mark's draining of the volcano was the right choice as he had delayed its eruption. And the beings who lived in the volcano now feared him and they let him sink deeper.
And this was just after a day and from the look of it Mark as sinking further down into the Earth's mantle. More heat and mana were there to fule his evolution, but how much would he need was the question.
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After a full month of Mark's evolution, Runeas sat down on the back of Grimnar who was patrolling the area. Though, he and Celestine were both receiving power from the pact they shared with Mark. The more he evolved the stronger they became which made them extremely lucky.
While Mark evolved they all ensured no one bothered him, not even Zeus as knowing him he would betray Mark to kill him in his weakened state. Not on their watch as they all owed Mark something. In Ares' case that was his friend down there.
Athena as he taught her daughter good skills and took care of a bad influence in Luke. As for Hestia she just wanted to help both her niece and nephew.
"Food is ready."
Everyone turned over to Hestia who was using the heat that emerged from the ground to cook them a giant meal. It was a good thing they had made this separate space as the humans would have asked questions about what was going on.
Everyone gathered around Hestia and began to serve themselves from the massive feast she had cooked for everyone. Ares and his sons began to eat a pig she had cooked over a big fire. He ripped off the leg and bit into it.
"Damn that is good. Thank Aunty."
Hestia just smiled.
"It's fine, eat. I know Runeas here would not be able to feed Mark. And he will need a big feast after his sleep."
Tick marks appeared on Runeas' face as she called her out.
"Oh, so you want to feed my man is that it? I thought you were supposed to be an eternal virgin, I guess just like your brothers you must have your limits when a dragon's aura hit's you."
Now the appeared on Hestia's face as she glared at Runeas.
"Says the Devil who just stole the meals of innocent people to keep her man fed. I may have my oath, but if I ever do marry I would make sure he would eat a real home-cooked meal every day. Could you do the same?"
Runeas looked up.
"Oh, so your oath means so little is that it? Hahahaha, guess you Greek gods can't keep a promise at all. But, I can learn to cook in time, but can you learn anything new you hag goddess."
"Says the bat who fakes being young, at least I admit I am not young."
Ares wanted to say that she does, but he did not speak only enjoying the show. Both of them kept calling out insults and yelling at the other while Ares, Phobos, Deimos and Athena just watched. Grimnar took his giant roasted monster to not have to hear them while Celestine hooked her's with her claws and flew off.
Ares finally laughed at the both of them which made them glare at him. Suddenly the ground began to shake as an earthquake had just hit the entire bounded field. Runeas perked up thinking Mark would wake up.
"Is he waking up?"
Ares his ear on the ground as he was the only one who had a direct link to Mark through his blessing.
"No, it's a message. It says, "Stop Nagging."
Ares broke out laughing at his joke, but it just got him triple-punched, by Hestia, Athena, and Runeas. He shook off the blows as he got off the ground and saw how Hestia and Runeas looked away from each other.
He thought about it and had a thought. He knew why they seemed to argue nonstop.
"I get why you can't get along. Aunty, you are jealous."
Hestia got bright red and mad.
"Shut up you brat, I am not jealous. What could I even be jealous of?"
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I think it is the fact that Runeas has someone to share her life with. I may not be the most loving and stuffing, but even we gods need someone in our lives. You swore to keep peace and marry none of the gods.
Mark is no god, and he is a dragon, and if he is not worthy of you? No one is."
Runeas started at Ares with a shocked glare.
"I thought you were just muscles."
Phobos laughed.
"You are not wrong, mom is all the brains."
Deimos nodded.
"Yeah, Dad ain't too smart. Why do you think we lost in the Trojan War? No brains to speak off, but are we any different?"
Phobos shook his head.
"Nah!"
Ares smacked his two sons on their heads as he looked away.
"Forget what I said."
Hestia looked at Runeas who gave her some advice.
"Hey, I have no control over who he adds to his harem. The issue is he is so damn picky and prideful. He would only show interest if his dragon instinct considers you worthy of him. Most men would worry if they are worthy of a woman, but not a dragon. The question for them is are you worthy of them."
Ares patted his small aunt on the shoulder.
"I bet you once he wakes up he will be more than happy to have you. The question is are you going to give up your oath, I mean we gods are not affected by that stuff much so who cares."
Hestia looked at Athena who was quietly sitting at the fire. When Athena saw her looking at her she gave her thoughts.
"You, me, and Artemis have stayed pure for many reasons. One, we are surrounded by prideful gods who would more than likely cheat on us or use us. Just look at Hera who is the worst example or Amphitere the wife of Poseidon.
We have either been hurt by men or just did not feel the gods were worthy. Even I have never truly taken a man before and all my children are the result of a magic ritual. Artemis was hurt, and we have seen the gods for what they are.
If you decide that a nongod like a dragon would be worthy of opening your heart and giving up your oath, I would not judge. Neither would Artemis."
Hestia got bright red and shook her head as steam came out of her ears.
"Why did this conversation start anyway? No more of this."
Everyone stopped talking to her as Runeas looked at Athena up and down.
'Nice tone body, nice size breasts, good hips, pretty long hair, caramel skin, and a toned rear.'
"You know Athena, Mark would like you as well."
Athena waved her off.
"I am alright, I am ok alone. And besides, the only thing I would want from a man of mine would be to save my mother. And Mark would not do that, as he would start a war with my father and possibly Olympus."
That made them all go silent. Her mother was the Titan Metis of good counsel, planning, cunning, and wisdom. A prophecy given by Prometheus said their second child would be more powerful than Zeus so he like his father swallowed her while she was pregnant with Athena.
In the end, Athena popped out of Zeus' head when Hephestus cracked his head open. Meaning that her mother was still trapped in Zeus' stomach.
Ares spat on the ground as even he found that repulsive.
"Even I can say that was beyond cruel. What different is he from Grandpa?"
Athena smiled sadly.
"You know when we trapped Zeus in the golden net I wanted my mother free. But before we could do anything he punished Poseidon and Hera harshly while I got off scot-free. I think it was his way of telling me that my mother would never be free."
She wiped away a single tear that had slipped out of her eyes, but just then a second even bigger tremor filled the separate space. They all rushed to their feet as they looked down. They looked at Ares who had a connection to Mark through his blessing.
He closed his eyes and focused on their connection. Mark was yet to wake, but he was stirring awake.
"He is waking up."
Runeas, Grimnar, and Celestine got excited at the waking of Mark. As for Mark, he had sunk deep into the mantle of the Earth. Here he had fed on fire and Earth mana on mass, and using the blessing of the Void and the energy of Ddraig's scale and blood had fed his evolution.
When Mark's eye opened, his split pupil blazed with color and his 2 giant wings spread out. Now that he was awake, Mark broke out of the cocoon of magma and mana in a frenzy. Mark turned his giant body to the surface where he began to swim up through the magma.
His giant clawed front legs kicked back while his tail and back legs propelled him forward. After rising for several minutes he felt the heat drop as he returned to the magma chamber he had nearly emptied.
Though just enough was left behind for the beings that lived here. When Mark's body pushed into the chamber they all panicked thinking their end had arrived. The few surviving ones dropped their heads in submission to Mark.
They looked kind of like a mix of flaming cat or bear monsters. The small ones were around 5 meters tall while the very biggest was 35 meters tall. He had accidentally devoured the biggest ones.
(image.)
'The hell are those Ddraig.'
[I have no idea. Never seen them.]
When Mark looked down on them they felt truly small to him. They should not unless he had grown much more prominent than he had initially thought.
"What are you?"
His voice commanded the beings here as the big one walked forward to protect the weaker of its kin. She was young, only 5 centuries old barely a juvenile for the rice. And now she was the oldest of her race.
"We no name. We serve, great eater no eat us."
Mark accepted their pledge and he would be back soon.
"From this day you serve me, stay here and recover."
The large creature bowed its rocky face which showed just how drained it was. It should be made nearly of lava, but it had almost died when Mark evolved. Once he was here, Mark willed it and he teleported out of the volcano giving the creatures relief their race did not go extinct.
As for Mark, when he appeared on the surface a tidal wave of heat, poisonous, corrosive, and acidic gasses erupted from him. Time and Gravity felt like they were under his perfect control and if he wanted he could cause pain in a being just by willing it.
Mark spread his giant wings out and gave a loud instinctive roar that left the Bounded Field. This roar was a message to dragon kind that a new Heavenly Dragon had risen. In the Underworld, a black and gold dragon raised his head excited for a new foe. Every dragon in the world heard this roar as if it was a message to them.
When Mark stopped his roar he looked down to the ground. There, Ares, Runeas, Athena, Hestia, Deimos, and Phobos were stuck staring at him. Mark tilted his head as he spoke.
"What?"
Ares yelled at him in full force.
"YOU ARE A GIANT!"
Only now did Mark realize how big he was? He had to be at least 200 meters long making him bigger than Great Red. He was now the second biggest dragon in the world just behind Midgardsormr who was 600 meters long.
Mark also noticed that he was on all 4s instead of bipedal. That was honesty fine in his mind as long as he could fight he would be fine. As for how he looked he created a giant mirror of magic to look at himself and he was shocked.
His body was covered in thick plate-like scales, muscles bulged under them and his limbs were massive. Over his chest, the blessing of Ares surged with power as his Mark got used to his form.
Though his roar had drawn the attention of another Dragon. A small black-haired girl teleported to his location trying to see the new dragon. She kept just out of sight as Mark tried to get used to walking on all 4s.
'He is bigger than Great Red.'
She did not show herself though as she just observed Mark. Even Great Red was watching him glad another one of his kin, the Red Dragons had risen to this level. As for Mark, he was just trying to not trip over his limbs.
(Images here)
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