"Potential has a shelf life."

― Margaret Atwood, CAT'S EYE.

"Hahahaha!"

Ven's world spun, vision filled with a mosaic of color as he spiraled through the air. The king's heavy silver tail coiled back into place as he reared up on his back legs. He turned a confused gaze to Ven, who still cackled, even as he slammed into the ground.

"Why are you laughing?" The dragon scratched himself behind the ear and squinted at Ven. "I've been tossing you around like a bag of vegetables..."

"That's true..." Ven lifted his head from the ground and smiled up at the king. "But look at me!" He swept his hands up and down his body. "You've shredded my robe, but I've taken no damage at all!" The tribulation's energy had done more than he'd thought.

"Hmmmm..." The transformed king leaned in for a closer look. "You do seem alright, maybe I should stop playing around?"

"Give it your best shot," Ven shrugged as he dusted himself off. He couldn't quite follow the king's movements, but his attacks felt like a light massage. "I haven't even called on my cultivation yet."

"Hmph," The King barked. "Don't get cocky, I've only used the power of my body to attack you..." His eyes flashed. "Let's see how you deal with an energy attack!" The dragon took a massive breath. Air rushed in a vortex, swallowed by the king, and packed into his lungs.

Ven grinned. I still can't force my aura out... It wasn't like before, when someone held it in place with their power. This is a mental block... A suppression that acted on his subconscious. It planted a seed of fear, one that kept him from a committed battle with the Dragon King.

The King's inhalation ended and silence dominated the field. He gave Ven a sharkish grin, aimed straight at the smaller man's face. The dragon's neck bulged, a knot that rippled up until it sat just behind the king's throat. As the King's fangs parted, Ven was blinded.

He stood under the light of a thousand silver moons, hands raised to catch the blow. The skin on his fingers pealed in the heat. His bones popped, cooked in seconds by the strange, weightless radiation. He doesn't care if I die... Ven ground his teeth and summoned the power of his cores. It surged through him, a save that healed his body and shielded him from harm.

"That hurt..." Ven flexed his hands as the light faded away. "What kind of dragon are you, exactly?" That breath attack wasn't fire or ice. It attacked his cells, like an X-ray...

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"The Dragon God is an Astral Dragon, born to fly between the stars!" The King declared proudly. "My children and I all share his bloodline." He peered closer at Vendak. "Your body is remarkable, it's the first time I've felt envy for someone other than my father."

"Astral dragons, huh..." Ven shrugged. "Well, you're not the only one that can spew light around." He braced his feet and dragged energy from his cores. This feels different from last time... The power glided, smooth and responsive to his will. It was night and day. He compressed the energy in his throat and lined himself up with the king's bulky form.

"Try not to die, ok?" A muffled snort sounded from the shadows and Ven grinned. "This is only my third time using this attack, and I can't control it very well!"

"Bwhahahah!" The King pounded his scaled chest. "I'm ready when you are!"

The power reached its limit, far beyond what he'd compressed before. His body hummed, but no cracks formed on his skin. "Looks like I can fire this thing with backlash now..." Ven shook off his distracted thoughts and focused. His mouth opened. Nothing happened, he didn't exhale. Ven stood, face aimed at the king, expectation alive in his heart.

"What..."

A thin line, no wider than a finger, appeared in the air. It connected Ven and the King before it carried on to the horizon. The wind blew as the light vanished, as if it had never existed. A fine trail of sand that flowed towards the silent king.

"Interesting..." Ven closed his mouth and peered up at the king. "That's not the same at all," The first two beams had been more like a dragon's breath, but this... Ven didn't know what the energy in his cores was, but that attack was dangerous.

"Interesting indeed!" The king scoffed. "That attack could have killed me, if it hit my core!" His form shrank down until he resembled an old man once more. "It was a good battle, but we should stop it here, I think..." He glanced at the cauterized hole in his shoulder, which remained unhealed after his transformation.

"Sounds good to me," Ven nodded. "We should head to where that feast is supposed to be, I'm starving!"

"Bwahaha!" The king slapped Ven on the shoulder. "Agreed, battle is best followed by food!" He dragged Ven toward the castle, one step enough to return them to the garden. "Huan should have gotten everything ready by now, let's make our way to the dining hall."

"Alright," Ven shook his head and followed behind. Speed was his greatest weakness now. He had no idea how fast the king was, but it was beyond him. If they hadn't been trading blows, like for like, then Ven would have never been able to line up his attack.

"Don't look so depressed!" The king's hand slammed into Ven's back like a hammer. "You did more damage to me than I did to you, even if I had to stand there and let you hit me!"

"Gee, thanks..." Ven rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't have any books on mental control would you?" Ven asked. "I'd like to stop broadcasting my thoughts to everyone..."

"Bwahaha! Feel free to poke around the library after we eat." The King grinned. "But don't take any more of the stonework or I'll shake it out of your pockets and give you a beating!"

"Fine..." Ven sighed. "But that stone is delicious, you need to give me the recipe!"

"It's NOT food!" The king shouted as a vein pulsed on his brow. "It's a spirit stone, and making them requires a formation."

"A formation?"

"Yes..." The king rubbed his forehead. "Using runes made of their energy, a cultivator can craft all kinds of things."

"Like Ooulin's seals..." Ven murmured, a light in his eyes.

"Exactly." The King nodded. "To make spirit stone you set up a formation that gathers cosmic energy," He raised a hand and made a pinching motion. "Then one that compresses that energy into stones."

"Can you show me how?" Ven forced the words past the drool in his mouth. "If I could make these at home..." He may never leave.

"The library has all kinds of books," The king waved casually and a small token appeared in his hand. "Take this, it grants you access to all levels of the Royal Libray." He tossed the small, rectangular coin into Ven's hands. "Just don't damage anything..."

"Of course, of course!" Ven cradled the small coin like his child, a twisted smile on his face. "A deal is a deal!" He reached out and gasped at the king's hand. "There, we shook on it." Ven put the coin in his pouch. "Now let's find the food!"