"So, Gerisel. You want to become a dr—"

"YEEEEEEEEE!!!!"

"Is— is that a ye—"

"YEEEEEEEES!!!"

My god certainly does pick motivated ones. Like me, she shall be a fine addition to his hoard.

"I know you're excited. However, I must warn you of our requirements before you may evolve. Since my god changed our fate, the process has become irreversible. You cannot go back to being another species after becoming a dragon."

"SO WHAT?! PLEEEEEESE!"

"No, no. Important matters must have informed consent. Calm yourself."

She instantly gains a stern look.

Woah! I like her attitude! It's inspiring.

In fact— I, Dracosect, am inspired to redouble my efforts for my god's glory. I must discover how my god splits himself into so many parts.

"I'm going to explain the basics. Then, if you find yourself unsure, I will show the sermon my god bestowed upon us dragons to help you make the decision. You should, of course, watch it anyway."

"Is it different from what I saw in my mind?"

"Indeed. That was an explanation of the responsibilities he bestowed upon all dragons. He expects more from those of us under his direct care. However, we also receive more rewards than your typical dragon. A week ago, I— was a mere insect. Now, I am his Draconic Paragon. All I had to do was prove myself worthy of his immense familial love."

"You're an inspiration to all dragons, Dracosect. My species hasn't changed, but I still feel that inspiration within my being. I am incredibly honored to that your grand self is personally guiding me toward my new future."

Oh, such potent praise! Moreover, from someone in my former position! Only my god's praise could make me any prouder than I feel right now.

"Thank you. The key points are as follows. As a dragon, you'll be under my god's direct control. He gives us free Will, but if you were ever to commit a crime—"

"Which CANNOT happen. I don't care about the consequences of an impossibility!"

Is she already a dragon? My god isn't fooling me, is he? We do prank each other sometimes.

"Aha, moving on. Second, you can choose your form and colors as you wish—"

Her eyes light up even brighter.

Huh, is that possible for a human? Her eyes shining like that? Now I'm even less sure this woman is human.

"— but my gold Paragon Halo is protected and cannot be chosen. In fact, my god has decreed that mimicking the design with any color is disallowed. The reason is that being bestowed with a Paragon Halo further enriches a dragon's already enviable fate. Ahh, I'm so proud to be his Paragon."

"You should be! And I absolutely MUST earn one for myself!"

She slams her chest with her fists.

*tud*

Aiming for the stars already, hmm? My god can eat those, if they get in your way. No, he would before they did.

"Finally, until you graduate to the Chronovoid Temple, you should remain within this Chronometric Temple unless escorted. I'm sure you can see out there; we dragons can become quite large."

I point with my index claw at one enormous toe claw of Pride, who's currently waiting for me to come back to the arena. Don't worry Pride— it'll soon be 166 to 0.

"My god has done much to protect you, so he will not tolerate those who intentionally or carelessly cause harm. That said, he will also not fault others if you put yourself in harm's way. Even by accident. He's very fair and impartial."

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She's ignoring me. She's instead staring reverently at my Paragon Halo. I feel invigorated by such immense veneration, both from my god and from my charge.

"Do you understand the dangers?"

"I'll be out there TOMORROW. Let's do this."

Hmm, that would be faster than me. I really must redouble my efforts. No, quadruple! Yes.

"Then imagine the desig—"

I'm blasted by the image of a glossy neon green dragon. She's chosen a form roughly reminiscent of mine and my god's sleeker forms, rather than a typical bulkily armored dragon. It's a bit thinner in some places, but her weapons are there.

image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/173.png]

Temp can convey thoughts and memories using my god's power, as my god has allowed him this privilege. However, he must learn to moderate the intensity... Quite a bit.

I examine her choices.

She's picked white wing membranes, horns, spikes, and claws. Each uses a reflective metamaterial like myself and my god. She particularly wants her to use her teeth as a sort of cage to help direct her plasmic breath. They'll interlock with her scales, but they should also sit outside her maw. Meaning, they'll be much larger than a typical dragon's teeth.

Also, it appears she was impressed with my arena victories, since my god did not have this white metamaterial when last she saw him. Mimicry is the sincerest form of flattery, and I greatly enjoy flattery.

I note she's nearly copied my spikes and horns. I'm starting to see why my god made me his Draconic Paragon; I'm always awed by his prescient thinking.

I try to stand prouder, but realize that my incredible self is already standing perfectly straight.

Aha, excellent! I'm carrying myself as I should.

Next, her tail splits down its core into nine sections. It stays together normally, but each section can splay out to attack from different angles. Each split of the tail is fully lined with a set of staggered blades, all of which reverse rather than retract.

Only at each tail section's tip do they merge into a single row of spikes. These eight rows then meet to form a spearhead, no doubt trading dexterity for raw force. Similarly to the tail sections' many blades, each of these blades can switch their tooth directions as well.

Internally, the nine tail sections can be locked together such that they won't slide when moved in unison. If she so chooses, she can split off only one section of the tail while keeping the other eight locked together.

I examine her spine. Like me, she realizes there's space for more on our backs.

She's picked a set of rectangular Mana-driven laser cannons. Both are covered in hundreds of small cube-shaped inset lenses. Despite their position, three rows are facing out, but there's also a fourth row facing inward.

These can focus fire in any direction— including through her own body!

Not satisfied by our powerful plasmic dragonbreath, eh? Good! We dragons should never be satisfied! Dragons also don't feel pain, but she couldn't possibly know this detail, which means her choice is astonishing. I know not how she formed such a design, but even I feel awe at the potential ferocity of her lasers. It could outstrip our plasmic dragonbreath, since the speed of light is so much faster.

Then, I notice the trick. The reason for the gloss on her green scales is to further amplify the power of light-based attacks. The green under this glossy lens can also become white as desired. It, too, is a metamaterial. Almost her whole body will be weaponized for light attacks! Very impressive!

Her eyes possess an atypical shielded pupil, designed to physically limit her pupils' light intake to a bearable maximum intensity. They're a neon purple backdrop with white slitted pupils. The white, of course, is due to the shielding, but it looks quite good. I may copy this design for myself.

Finally, her last change is biological. She wants to become male. I make a request to Temp so I may check her memories.

...

Alright, HE wasn't trying to gain extra power. There isn't much of a difference between our two primary sexes, as all dragons are built for extreme strength. Moreover, Temp can erase the remaining differences entirely, such as by adding muscle mass and scale density, or removing the same to become female.

Still, after Martissa, my god has required that we ensure our converts' decisionmaking is proper and sensible. We dragons must treasure ourselves by displaying our selves, not by seeking to sate our insecurities through our form.

I can see why my god was concerned about someone formerly named 'Deception.' As it turns out, Martissa simply wanted to honor her deceased owner: a female elf. The pinecone look is a reflection of her master's love for nature. My god facepalmed after he had realized he'd flippantly dismissed her beloved memory as a mere chew toy.

But, with such noble sentiments, I must wonder what made Martissa so carelessly vicious.

She wasn't intentionally murdering those around her; he was unable to think clearly. In short, she was crazy. Losing her sin body seems to have helped, but. Hm. Not entirely.

Ah, I've lost focus.

Gerisel—. Oh, he wants to be called Geritel.

Geritel's been hiding his true self from other humans for his entire life.

I feel sad that he's suffered through this, but as my god has said, sheer power washes away silly trifles like 'opinion.' Nobody cares about the sex characteristics of a giant monster.

I nod my dragon head.

No longer shall he suffer.

"Your choices are excellent. I'm honored you found some inspiration within my form."

"Dracosect, you're our Paragon. Don't be surprised if our entire species shifts its form to follow your lead."

I open my eyes wide. 'Our' Paragon, 'our' species. And, the entire dragon species? I knew the weight I held on my shoulders, but—

"Dracosect! I wanna start! I'm about to explooooode with excitement. I don't know if I can stay calm! I want to ROAR as a dragon! RIGHT NOW!"

Wow, he's demanding from the Paragon— from me! I should... Uphold my god's dignity. I should teach him a lesson in respect.

"Then, after your evolution, would you—"

"Arena match?! YOU'RE ON!"

Ah. He's too excited to conceal his taunt.

A fellow battle brother, perhaps?

I smile with a toothy grin.

"Then we'll start."