Reborn Financier-Chapter 32 - 31: A New Beginning

Deep in the forest, where men are eaten by beasts and beasts by plants, a place where both old and young are not spared, where gender is just another factor, and humans are seen as food, lies a child. A child covered in wounds, both major and minor, with a body engulfed in burns and cuts, missing both a leg and an arm. Yet, even with the extent of injuries, the child still holds on to life, unconscious but still breathing. His heart still beats, circulating both blood and mana.

The tall trees that stood unshaken even by the storm were now reduced to coal, and the grasses that once stood were now embers, burnt to nothingness. This was due to the presence of a huge beast, feared by all, at the top of the food chain, hated by all races except the elves and dwarves.

Humans and demons, who had been fighting for millennia, were united in their hatred for this beast, and even the gods were no different. This beast, flying high in the sky, large like an airplane, was a dragon, specifically an Ancient Dragon.

Ancient Dragons were known to monitor the world, having as little involvement as possible. They were mythical creatures, and many didn’t even believe they existed due to how rarely they were seen. Most times, they were seen at most twice in a century, and often even less.

Due to the powerful involvement of the gods the previous night, the black Ancient Dragon named Kuro left his cave, which was the closest to the spot but hidden by a wide range of advanced magic, to check the spot attacked by the gods.

Moving through the sky with speeds surpassing the speed of sound, Kuro gazed at the destroyed ecosystem filled with a high concentration of divine mana.

One might expect divine mana to have a good effect on nature, but in this case, it was wrong. The mana was highly concentrated over a small land, making it more of a poison than a blessing.

Kuro, the black dragon, was about to leave after a while, but perhaps due to the good deeds Kaidën had done in his past life, the dragon took note of the helpless child, whose heart still beat despite the dangerous environment. Out of curiosity, Kuro decided to save the young child who seemed on the brink of death.

To save the child quickly, Kuro decided to convert the high concentration of divine mana into the child. "If he survives, maybe things would be interesting, but if he doesn’t, I guess that’s his luck," Kuro said as he transferred the divine mana into the motionless child.

Kaidën, the child who was almost lifeless, unconscious, and motionless, started to scream loudly as the divine mana passed through his body, moving through his circulatory system from his heart to arteries, veins, and capillaries. Even his nerves were not spared. The divine mana moved through his body like a foreign invader, ripping every cell it came into contact with and replacing itself instead.

The pain was so overwhelming that Kaidën’s screams became silent. His heart stopped beating, and his body became motionless. "Looks like that’s his fate," Kuro sighed, turning his back in an attempt to leave. But unexpectedly, Kaidën’s eyes and veins glowed bright yellow, and his heart started beating again, this time faster, at about 85 beats per second instead of the normal 72 beats per second.

Kuro smiled, saying, "What a greedy child we have here. I wanted to save him with the divine mana, but who would have expected him to absorb it?" He smirked, "Looks like I’ll be taking him with me before we have a major disaster, as before." Kuro placed Kaidën on his back before leaving for his lair.

****

Kaidën’s eyelids fluttered open. A dim golden light warmed the ceiling above him—glowing from veins of rare gemstones embedded in smooth, polished stone. The room around him shimmered with majesty, its walls humming with mana so dense it pulsed like a heartbeat. It was unlike anything he’d seen before. Not even the Everwood royal palace could compare.

"Where... am I?" Kaidën murmured, wincing as a sharp pain stabbed through his skull. He clutched his temples, his breath ragged. "Why does my head feel like it’s splitting open? What happened? The queen... David... Elizabeth... Are they safe?"

"Still worrying about others when you can barely sit upright."

The voice came from the doorway—deep, smooth.

A tall man who seemed in his late 30’s stepped in. His form was humanoid, but the shadows around him seemed to bend in unnatural ways. His long hair shimmered like polished obsidian, and his eyes... were like twin voids, holding memories older than the stars. A faint smirk curved his lips.

"What an interesting little creature you are," the man said with a low chuckle. "Even now, your thoughts are with the lives of others."

Kaidën’s instincts screamed. He didn’t know how he was alive, but he knew danger when he felt it. He immediately sat up, forcing himself into a defensive posture despite the agony lancing through every limb.

"Who are you?" he snapped, eyes narrowing beneath his blindfold. "Where am I?" "You’re hurt," the man said calmly. "You should rest. I’m not your enemy." "That’s exactly what an enemy would say."

The stranger chuckled again and walked deeper into the room. The ground trembled faintly beneath each step—not from weight, but from presence.

"I am Kuro," he said simply. "A dragon. An Ancient one, to be exact."

Kaidën froze.

"...Wait." He hesitated, voice low with disbelief. "You mean Kuro the Disaster Dragon? The Ancient Dragon who wiped out half of humanity 100,000 years ago? The same dragon who slew the Demon God 40,000 years ago? Who... burned the Sky Temples and devoured the priests of the gods?"

"I know, I know," Kuro waved a hand lazily, "I’ve done a few questionable things."

Kaidën’s voice hardened. "You murdered the God of Light 5,000 years ago!" "I said I’ve changed, damn it!" Kuro snapped, grumbling like a bitter old man.

There was a pause.

Then... Kaidën laughed. Quietly at first, but it grew. A soft, bitter chuckle under his breath.

"Guess I owe my life to history’s most hated dragon," he said. "What are the odds?"

"Well," Kuro smirked, "I was going to leave you there. But I saw something in you. Or maybe I was just bored."

Kaidën’s smile faded as he remembered. The divine mana. The burning. The agony.

"What did you do to me?" he asked slowly.

"I saved you," Kuro said. "Your body was broken. Your organs were shutting down. You were moments from death. So I took a gamble—I converted the divine mana saturating the area into a form your body could absorb... and shoved it into you."

"You what?!" Kaidën coughed, eyes wide.

"You’re alive, aren’t you?" Kuro shrugged. "Though now your body has absorbed more divine mana than any mortal has ever held. If you don’t learn to control it, you’ll blow up a kingdom just by sneezing."

Kaidën stared down at his hand. Pale veins glowed beneath his skin, and the mana flowed through them like liquid starlight. It thrummed through his bones. Through his soul.

It was no longer just power.

It was him.

Kuro’s eyes flicked to Kaidën’s face. "By the way... why the blindfold? That thing should’ve been vaporized during the infusion. But it’s still on. Is it enchanted?"

Kaidën touched the cloth gently, fingers tracing its edges.

"No, it’s not an artifact. Just a little magic woven in... to make sure it stays on." His voice softened. "It’s... a family tradition. I’m not supposed to remove it for at least three years."

Kuro raised a brow. "Huh. Interesting tradition. Weird. But interesting."

He turned to leave, pausing at the doorway. "Anyway, you should eat. You’ve been unconscious for three days. Meet me in the dining hall when you’re ready."

He stepped out, then paused as Kaidën spoke.

"Thank you... for saving me."

Kuro glanced back, the corner of his mouth lifting. "Don’t worry about it. Let’s just say I’m curious how this turns out."

Then he was gone.

Silence returned to the chamber.

Kaidën remained seated on the edge of the bed, his breath still unsteady. He stared at his hands—at the mana coursing through his veins like fire and moonlight.

His eyes narrowed behind the blindfold.

"So this is divine mana," he whispered. "It as already solved the problem of mana capacity. But if I master this, if I can shape it—then I can reach the 9th or even 10th Circle and maybe I can surpass even the gods."

He clenched his fist.

"And when that day comes... they’ll all pay." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

****

Back at the castle...

Edward stood alone now at the balcony. The fire on the horizon grew brighter. Masvel had fallen, his family is no where to be found, and he is attacked at every angle

The silence said enough.

Tears rolled down his cheek—but he didn’t wipe them away. Behind him, the throne room echoed with the silence of a dying kingdom.

And far away... the Horsen Empire marched on.

To Be Continued...