Draconic King of Shadows-Chapter 74: The Explosion’s Aftermath

An explosion, much larger than anything Damion had ever seen before, rocked the area, erupting from the rock behind him in all its full glory.

A strong heatwave and shockwave combo reached him instantly, lifting him off his feet and flinging him backwards.

His back slammed heavily against a wall, and he coughed out blood that evaporated immediately. However, the residual shockwave kept him pinned to the wall, unable to move as his skin was scorched by red flames in the next few seconds.

He groaned and gritted his teeth, pain and frustration ravaging his senses and causing him to desperately search for a way to escape. He spread his senses, and Shadow Walk activated again, taking him to safety.

At the same time, the flames from the explosion died down, thick black smoke filling the air, and glowing magma pools spilling over.

Damion laid at the entrance of a cave, the wall just round the corner having been the place the explosion had come from.

Thick plumes of smoke rose to the sky, distorting its earlier beauty.

He was too preoccupied with his recovery to care about Nyx at that moment, though he knew he wasn’t dead, his connection with him proved that much.

His body was scorched, but just a Superficial Second-degree Burn.

Damion took slow, deep breaths, trying to calm his racing heart as his Mana soothed his burnt skin.

The Superficial Second-degree Burn was painful, but he knew it could have been much worse.

As he lay there, he couldn’t help but think about how Shadow Walk had helped him numerous times. He was starting to rely on that skill in times of danger, but he knew he couldn’t take it for granted, he had to work on himself.

With a groan, Damion sat up, assessing his surroundings. The caves entrance was dark and quiet, except for the popping of bubbles in the magma pools. He could see the faint glows of the magma pools through the smoke-filled air, but not Nyx.

"Nyx?!" Damion called out, his voice hoarse from pain and billowing clouds of smoke.

There was no response.

Damion’s connection with Nyx told him that he was still alive, but he was worried nonetheless. He needed to find Nyx.

He stood up gingerly, careful not to strain his body too much. He was quite pathetic at the moment. He probably wouldn’t last a few exchanges before he lost if he came across a beast right now, but he moved anyway.

He stood straight, his Magitech Armor healing him already as he steeled himself and moved. However, he had only taken a few steps forward before Nyx floated out of the cave casually, his brow raised as he stared at Damion.

"You look wasted," Nyx commented, earning himself a glare from Damion.

"Why didn’t you come out in time?" Damion asked after finding a place to sit.

"I was busy containing the explosion as much as I could," he began. "If I didn’t, it would have been much more devastating than it already was."

"I see," Damion muttered. "But how are you unharmed when you were at the center of the explosion, while me, who wasn’t that close, looks like a roasted turkey?"

"Isn’t it obvious?" Nyx replied. "You’re weak."

"Couldn’t you have said it in a more acceptable way?" Damion groaned in frustration and raised his gaze to the system screen.

While he waited for his body to recuperate, he went through his status, searching for nothing in particular. As he read through though, he found something which caught his attention.

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[Name: Damion Darkblade]

[Race: Half-Breed Dragon]

[Level: 6]

[Exp: 1000/3200]

[Ability: Shadow]

__________

[Stats]

-[Strength: 37]

-[Agility: 40]

-[Constitution: 52] 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

-[Intelligence: 10]

-[HP: 300/300]

-[MP: 20/20]

-[Luck: 10]

__________

[Shadow Skills]

-[Shadow Pulse- Lvl 3]

-[Shadow Walk- Lvl 4]

-[Shadow Possession- Lvl1]

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[Dragon Skills]

-[Dragon’s Authority- Lvl 6]

-[Dragon’s Reflective Skin- Lvl 5]

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[Bond Skills]

-[Stat Share- Lvl 2]

[A Dragon and his mate are one. They have been subjected to a life of oneness by the Ancient Ones, and would forever be together.

Therefore, their Life, Strength, and Abilities would be forever merged.]

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-[Ability Sync- Lvl 2]

[A Dragon and his mate are one. They have been subjected to a life of oneness by the Ancient Ones and would forever be together.

Therefore, their Life, Strength, and Abilities would be forever merged.]

__________

"The Ancient Ones, I knew that sounded familiar," Damion mumbled under his breath before looking up.

"What do you know about the Ancient Ones, Nyx?" He asked.

Nyx floated down to his side. "Not much, I only know that they created this universe."

Damion’s heartbeat sped up all of a sudden. "This feeling," he muttered, craning his neck and looking up.

The sky was blue and clear, no signs of anything suspicious happening, yet he felt like someone was watching him... It felt unnerving.

"Why do you ask?" Nyx probed.

"One of my skills mentioned them."

"Hmm...what’s the skill?"

Damion replied Nyx, giving the description of the skill, word-for-word.

Nyx furrowed his brows after getting the information, and he fell into deep thoughts.

"I don’t think it’s a big deal," he said after five minutes. "Lord Vorgath created the System, so he probably knows what he’s doing. There’s no need to worry about anything."

Damion sighed in relief. The idea of someone who could wipe his existence with a mere thought watching him didn’t sit well with him, but since he didn’t do anything wrong, things should be fine. "Right?" Damion questioned himself, uncertainty growing within him.

He suppressed the thoughts and feelings, concentrating on his recovery instead. He tried to move his Mana through his body faster under the guidance of Nyx, and he felt his injuries heal faster.

Mana had more uses than one could think of, and realizing this, he told Nyx to teach him more about Mana manipulation.

Nyx’s eyes widened when he heard this request, and he banged his head on a wall, cursing himself. "How come I didn’t think of this?!!" He yelled, ramming his head harder into the wall.

Damion stood to the side, a single sweat rolling down his temples. ’Why is he so mad though?’ he thought.

A few minutes of banging his head finally calmed Nyx down, and they left not long after, resuming the mountain’s ascent.