Chapter 18: Chapter 18: The Dragon Awakening Ceremony Begins!

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The Awakening Ceremony was a special event for all children who reached my age. It allowed them to absorb energy from a unique artifact and awaken dormant abilities ahead of time—abilities that would otherwise emerge much later or not at all. That made it incredibly important. For dragon children who had not yet naturally attained their true dragon forms, the ritual held even greater significance.

Although my parents said I had transformed into some kind of dragon before, I don’t believe that was my true form. It seemed more like a temporary result of overflowing with Fantasium. My real dragon form, whatever it might be, had to be majestic and beautiful. I refused to accept anything else!

Today’s awakenings included Surtr’s grandchildren, me, and three other children I hadn’t seen before or interacted with.

But I recognized them. Even after five years, my memories from my previous life remained sharp and usable.

Two of them had appeared in the game as well, I simply had never seen their younger versions until now.

One was a pink-haired girl with wooden scales, a wooden tail, and wooden wings. Her mother, also pink-haired, stood beside her. She belonged to the VPI.

What was the VPI exactly? From what I had gathered, it was a massive organization operating under this kingdom. Its purpose was to develop technology, contain dangerous Entities and Grievances, and now that the apocalypse caused by the Dimensional Labyrinth had ended, focus on environmental restoration and creating new technologies to improve everyday life.

Still, many contained entities remained in its depths, and I had heard there were over a hundred floors to explore.

I wondered what strange creatures I might encounter down there.

Anyway, aside from that pink-haired girl, who I was fairly certain was Erika, the Nature Spirit Dragon girl and childhood friend of my game character, there was another girl.

She had long dark purple hair, gloomy red eyes, a single black horn on her left side, and dark purple-and-black scales.

Hydra had just brought her here through a teleportation portal. She and Hydra acted somewhat close, as did Selene.

Wait, I recognized her now. She was Nyx! The Phantom Dragon Girl who had been my friend... the one obsessed with fashion and making clothes for me.

She looked so young, just like Erika. Seeing them both right now stirred deep nostalgia. I wondered if they would ever want to befriend me naturally, without my title forcing the connection.

I already have plenty of friends. Maybe the right thing was to let them be for now? Hmm... I’d think about that later.

Aside from those two familiar faces, a couple of strangers were present as well.

A dragon boy with clear white skin and long blonde hair stared at me for a moment and waved his hand in a friendly way.

He had beautiful golden horns and wore mostly white robes bearing the symbol of the Holy Dragon Mother’s Church. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

I wondered who he was.

Then there was the tallest child, a boy with dark brown skin and rugged, rocky scales covering his arms. He had large horns too.

Oh—wait, I knew him!

He was my older cousin, the Mountain Dragon Prince, Gigante. Amethyst had brought him along recently.

As we all gathered around the large Magic Formation Ritual at the center of the area, a glowing green crystal spread spiritual roots through the ground and branches into the sky.

It shone brightly. We waited in silence as the blue sky began to shift, spinning and darkening into a starry night.

From those rapidly spinning stars, a distortion in space formed, a gate leading somewhere else.

Two figures stepped through.

The most striking was the tallest, most beautiful, and most radiant. The second figure looked like an ordinary old man.

Clear blue skin, long white hair, sharp golden horns, gentle yellow eyes, and a warm, motherly smile. She wore a long white-and-gold dress.

Angelic feathered wings extended from her back, and her tail was covered in the same white feathers, giving her a majestic appearance.

She radiated an aura of bright holy radiance that even made my Harmony react.

Mongrel hid behind me, trembling under her gaze.

"E-Eeek! A monster! A true monster has shown up—who is she?!"

He hadn’t reacted that way to Surtr or Triton, but now, facing this beautiful giantess, he shook in genuine fear for his life.

This beautiful giantess... yes, I knew who she was.

"Hello, everyone, and thank you for coming today to the Dragon Awakening Ceremony," she said in a benevolent, beautiful, motherly voice. "I am the Funder of Frostbane, first daughter of the Divine Dragon King, also known as the Holy Dragon Mother, Benladra Drakeheart Yggdrasil. Today we gather to witness our beloved children finally awaken their Dragon Hearts. This is a special and very important ritual for all, so I expect great— Ah!"

The moment she saw me with her bright eyes, she stopped mid-sentence.

"You must be...! Elizabeth, right? And my son and my... daughter-in-law!"

She had been so composed in her speech, yet she broke character completely.

"I cannot pretend I don’t know you anymore. I am so happy to see you all again!"

She ran toward us without warning, causing a huge commotion as her footsteps made the entire island tremble.

She was our ten-meter-tall Holy Dragon Mother.

"My son! My granddaughter!"

My grandmother.

"Agh! M-Mother, wait—what about your speech?!" my father panicked as she lifted us both with her hands and hugged us tightly.

"Hehehe, I am so sorry, but I couldn’t resist. I don’t care anymore," she said with a warm chuckle, kissing my father’s face. "It has been years! I miss you, Louis! My beloved son!"

"I am not a child anymore!" my father protested, struggling to break free.

I knew exactly who she was—I had designed her, after all.

She was my father’s greatest motivation in his backstory. Once gravely ill from a powerful soul-consuming curse left by a Grievance, she had lain dormant for years.

In some timelines, my father failed to save her. Ultimately, though, he succeeded, and with her help, he pushed back the Grievances, Entities, and the Dimensional Labyrinth even further.

Since her awakening, she had become a pivotal figure in his story. Even now, in "that future," she remained an important guardian of the country. Though she had stepped down from her throne, many still called her Queen Benladra.

She was humanity’s savior, the first dragon from Yggdrasil to arrive on Earth. She had severely weakened herself to avoid negatively affecting this world by sealing most of her true divinity, only to unseal it upon awakening from her slumber to aid her son.

The founder of the first kingdom after the Dimensional Labyrinth’s Apocalypse, she was a figure of immense prestige, fame, strength, and influence across the entire planet.

"Grandma!!!" I cried happily, hugging her face.

"Oh my! Elizabeth! I am so happy to finally see you!" Tears streamed down her beautiful face. "Uwaaahhh! I am so happy to see youuuuu! You’re so cute! You’re everything I ever dreamed of! You even have both your parents’ hair color and eyes and everything?! How is that possible? You’re the most perfect little princess in the world!"

"Hahaha!" I laughed. "T-Thanks!"

"Hello, Queen Benladra," my mother said from below. "I-I have been trying my best to be a queen as good as you were, but I always feel I’m not enough... nonetheless, thank you for lending me the throne."

"Mirai!!!" my grandmother cried joyfully. She grabbed my mother with her long tail and rubbed her against her face. "My cute little daughter-in-law, I am so happy to see you again—Ah, oops! Y-You’re pregnant again?!"

"Y-Yeah, I forgot to tell you," my mother said. "Well, now you know."

"I am so happy!" my grandmother sobbed. "Uooohh... my cute family keeps growing...!"

"Ahem..."

Suddenly, an ordinary-looking old man with long black hair, a short beard, glasses, and a lab coat stepped forward. "Benladra, please... um, I am also happy to see everyone, but... everyone’s watching."

"Ah, Gustaf, dear, that doesn’t matter!" my grandmother laughed. "Right, everyone? Hahahaha! There’s nothing more blissful than being with your family! Hahaha!"

Her laughter echoed everywhere, making the very world tremble before her incredible might. Everyone, even Surtr and Triton, fell silent and nodded, some laughing genuinely, others awkwardly and forcefully.

It was... quite a sight.

I suppose this was the true privilege of the truly strong: they could do whatever they wanted. No need for formalities, manners, or restraint.

Luckily, Grandma was a truly kindhearted and good person.

"Benladra..." the old man sighed.

After she finally set us down, she turned to him.

"I’m sorry, dear. I might have gotten a little too excited," she laughed. "But everything’s fine, right?"

"I suppose it’s time we return to the ceremony," he said. "Ah, right... hello, Elizabeth. It’s nice to see you for the first time... you... you remind me a lot of your father when he was your age."

"Hm?" I tilted my head. "Ah! You’re my grandpa?!"

"Yes, he’s your grandfather," my father confirmed.

"I’m Gustaf. It’s nice to finally meet you," Grandpa said. "I sure stick out like a sore thumb here, being just an ordinary human. I can’t blame you if you thought I was someone unimportant, haha."

"No, no, I’m glad to see you, Grandad!" I said. "Grandma too! I’m glad you’re finally back... Will you be staying?"

"We’ll stay for as long as possible now," Grandma nodded. "No more space traveling!"

"Well, if you hadn’t stopped at every single planet with life you found, we would have gotten here faster, honey," Grandpa said.

"B-But we had to! Some people were struggling and starving!" Grandma protested.

"Anyway, shall we resume the ritual?" he asked.

"Oh, right! Yes, yes," she nodded, standing tall once more. "Alright, everyone—let’s begin the Awakening Ceremony!"

"Grandma, can you let the other dragons awaken first?" I asked. "I’ll go last."

"Are you sure?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. I nodded firmly. "Okay then! Princess Elizabeth, my dear granddaughter, has decided to allow the other dragons to awaken before her. Now, let’s begin."

The first was Erika. She looked nervous and waved to her mama from afar.

She stepped into the ritual circle. Divine runes activated, and a pillar of divine light surged into the sky.

"Waaahh!"

As the light absorbed her, she cried out in pain... a sight that was a little gruesome to witness. But the ritual helped dragon children awaken their Dragon Hearts and mana circuits faster.

Sometimes hybrids like us took too long to awaken a true dragon form, which could make it impossible to visit other Fantasy Worlds with higher Fantasium density in their atmospheres.

Visiting those worlds was essential, both to meet our extended families and to grow stronger.

RUMBLE!

Suddenly, little Erika began sprouting wood from her skin. She transformed into a giant, thirty-meter-tall tree glowing with spiritual light.

Everyone stared in awe as she radiated bright spiritual energy. Slowly, the tree reshaped into a dragon.

"ROOOAAARRRR!"

She roared mightily, revealing her true form as a Nature Spirit Dragon—and not just any, but an Yggdragon, the strongest subspecies of Nature Dragons.

"Well done, Erika!" her mother celebrated.

Erika smiled, collapsing her wooden body into pieces and returning to her normal form.

"Mama, I did it!" she said happily, feeling stronger and more confident as she hugged her dear mother.

At the same time, a mysterious power appeared before her.

"By now you must have awakened the Andromeda System," my grandmother said in a gentle, guiding voice. "Can you see it, my child?"

"I can!" Erika nodded.

I noticed it too, a strange blue holographic window hovered beside her, displaying numbers and words.

Wait a second.

That was the game system?!

Andromeda System...?

"Excellent. With this, you’re ready to enter the bigger leagues," my grandmother said. "Now, next!"

The other dragons awakened one after another, each one properly and impressively.

Gigante transformed into a giant, intimidating Mountain Dragon resembling a walking, small mountain.

Nyx, just as I remembered, became a Phantasmal Dragon—lean, slender, and tall, with dark blue scales and long silvery-white hair.

The mysterious blonde boy turned out to be a relative of our family, named Holdra. He awakened as a glorious dragon shimmering with golden scales.

Surtr’s grandchildren awakened next. Mirtra, Mirtr’s daughter, became a beautiful fire dragon with a slender, lean build and very long blazing wings bearing eye-shaped patterns, specialized for flight.

Sudiatre, Suadiartr’s son, became a much bulkier fire dragon resembling a blazing turtle covered in sharp crystal spikes.

The remaining dragons also awakened their true forms one by one.

The anticipation grew with every awakening, each one surprising in its own way.

Until finally, it was my turn.

There had been so many expectations placed on me, but I had asked to go last so the other children could have their moment to shine.

"Do your best," my mom said, kissing my cheek.

"Back then, when I did this ritual, I was unable to awaken at all," my father sighed, looking sorrowful. "I disappointed my family and... above all, I became deeply resentful toward myself. Don’t be like me, Elizabeth. I know you have immense talent, but in the off chance you cannot transform... that’s fine too, you know? Dragon or not, you’re my daughter and... I love you just the way you are."

"Dad..." Tears streamed from my eyes as I nodded. "Thanks! I love you too!"

I hugged him tightly alongside Mom. When I finally felt ready, I walked toward the stage—surrounded by so many people. Some I had never seen before, but also my friends and family.

"Do your best!" Guinevere cheered from afar. "You can do it, Eli!"

Her father and mother stood beside her, nodding and smiling at me.

"You can do it!"

"Good luck!"

The twins, Haruo and Misaki, cheered loudly. Even their father raised his arms while the empress facepalmed in embarrassment.

Drakda, Amethyst, Surtr, Triton, Yudra, Kate, Hydra, Selene, my grandma Benladra—under the gaze of all these powerful dragons, I felt incredibly nervous.

If I disappointed them...

Ah, I see.

So that dreadful fear of letting down so many great people at once... that must be what my father went through at the beginning of his life.

I gripped my fists tightly and stepped into the formation.

"Begin the Awakening Ceremony!"

My grandmother spoke, and the formation activated. Glowing divine runes surged and surrounded my body, merging with me.

A pillar of light shot upward, piercing the sky as the light continuously fused with me, attempting to awaken something primal within.

But unlike the others, I didn’t feel any pain.

Harmony and Chaos reacted slightly. So did my Spiral of Eternity—and even the Paragon for a moment.

"Eh?"

In an instant, I found myself floating in the middle of a familiar limbo—the same one I had seen before.

Separated solely by white and black light, I looked around in confusion and intrigue.

"Where is this?"

As I scanned the void, I noticed two enormous figures rising—one from the eternal white expanse, the other from the endless black nothingness.

They were barely discernible, but they were immense.

And very different from one another.

"Choose."

They spoke in the same voice. I fell silent for a moment.

What did they mean by "choose"?

Who were they?

"W-What?"

"Choose."

I blinked, stunned.

"Excuse me... who are you?"

Silence followed, then the black silhouette spoke.

"We are the ones that represent your dual aspects."

"I am Harmony."

"I am Chaos."

"Now choose."

"...!"

I slowly realized what this meant.

I could choose which form I wanted to take?!

Wait—so I had two dragon forms? Or was this something completely different?

I thought for a moment and looked at the white silhouette.

I supposed that one would fit better, right? My dad was a white dragon too.

"I choose Harmony... for now."

FLASH!

Bright white light consumed my body. I closed my eyes.

...

"Oh wow!"

"Incredible!"

"She’s big!"

"P-Princess Elizabeth’s dragon form!"

"Is she awake? Her eyes are closed."

"Maybe she fell asleep?"

"Unlike the rest, she didn’t even cry!"

"A-Amazing—she exudes so much divine power!"

So noisy.

Slowly, I opened my eyes to find everyone celebrating.

For some reason, everyone had become really small—even Surtr, Triton, and Grandma now looked smaller than me.

Wait... what?

"Eh?"

I looked around, then down at my hands. They were enormous, with long fingers and long golden claws... shimmering white scales covered them.

"Ooohh!"

I looked behind me and realized I was on all fours. I had a super long tail ending in a golden spear-like tip. Sword-like golden spikes ran along my spine.

And I was... shimmering white, so bright the sunlight reflected dazzlingly off my body.

"I’m huge!"

I screamed in disbelief. I noticed long white hair cascading from my head and neck. When I looked at my chest, there was...

A huge golden eye!

"Woah?!"

I couldn’t see through it for some reason, and it didn’t blink. It was a strange feature—perhaps it had another purpose.

Also—I had four wings!

"Nice!"

I slowly spread them open. White feathers drifted down, revealing how enormous they were.

"Mama! Papa! I did it!"

As I celebrated, my father was crying on the floor for some reason. My mother nodded at me and smiled, hugging him.

"Papa?"

"I’m so happy for you, Elizabeth... I’m so glad you did it..."

I smiled, feeling his emotions even more strongly than before.

The eye in my chest glowed with a mysterious light.

Through it, I could see into his heart, and I saw the memory that had shaped his life for so long.

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