Back in the royal capital, Sora and Ace exhaustedly laid on the floor staring in the sky.
“…..Say Ace.”
“What?”
“How did our lives end up like this?”
“I want to know that myself. I've spent a week stuck in a room fighting some weird guy, with a hairy middle age man.”
“This isn't right. I mean your teenage years are supposed to be the best days of your life dammit! It's the period when you're suppose to mess around and be free! Find a girlfriend have some puppy love and party with friends! So why….”
He sat up and pointed in front of him.
“So why do I have sky dive 20,000 ft off a floating disk and plummet towards the earth?!”
He pointed at Aeon who was sitting on a lawn chair and reading a newspaper.
Aeon spoke to them without looking away from the paper.
“I told you. This is to train your Mana control. You two waste to much magic when fighting. This will fix that.”
“How will falling to our deaths fix that?!”
Ace shouted.
“It's possible to maneuver through the air using only a small amount of the magic in your body.”
He pointed at them and a crest appeared on their foreheads.
“That seal will make you unable to use majority of your power.”
He moved his finger and they started floating towards him.
“If you want to land safely, you need to gain precise control over the little magic you have and do something. Otherwise, you'll turn into modern art on the ground.”
He ignored Ace and Sora's shout and dropped them of the disc, and towards the earth.
He then turned the page.
“Good luck.”
Meanwhile, Miko was experiencing a similar treatment from his teacher.
“Hot! Hot! Hot!”
He screamed as he desperately flew out of the lava.
“Hmm. He can now get out without my help, so its best to say he's slowly grasping it.”
Said Momo as she looked at Miko rolling on the ground.
“His skin isn’t melting either. There are burns but not what you would expect from falling in lava. That means that he's now able to use Qi to create a shield around his body. Although, its still not that strong yet.”
She mumbled something and snapped her fingers.
Miko's burning body then returned to normal.
“Damn, that was hot.”
He said as he got up.
“By the way. Why are you always mumbling something?”
He asked.
“Hm? Oh, I was just casting a spell.”
“Spell. Now that I think about. You always mumble something before using magic. Could it be that you've been using spells all this time?”
Momo nodded.
“I prefer spells over normal combat magic.”
“But isn't it more troublesome to use spells? I mean there are some really long chants that you need to say before using them right?”
Momo nodded.
“In order to use a spell you need to chant its incantations while concentrating on manipulating mana. Because of that spells are pretty time consuming and a lot of people tend to not have the talent or patience to use them.”
“Hmm….But most of the things you've done with magic since we came here has always been instantaneous. If spells takes up a lot of time, how do you explain that?”
“Oh, that's because I'm always using [Enchanted Speech].”
“[Enchanted Speech]? What's that?”
Miko said with a confused expression.
Momo smiled and answered.
“[Enchanted Speech] is when you embed magic into your everyday conversations. This way when you want to cast a spell almost instantly. You just need to draw the spell words from the words that you've already spoken and immediately recreate the needed Incantation for the spell.”
“How does that work?”
Miko asked while still a bit confused.
“Hmm…I was planning to teach you it later on, but I guess telling you method from now won't hurt.”
She stretched her hand out and an image of a head appeared in her hand.
“First you'll need to create a storage container in a part of your brain. But not a physical one of course. Just an intangible container that won't affect your brain functions.”
The head suddenly became transparent and the brain was visible. Miko could see something in the shape of box appearing next to the brain.
“You then need to embed magic in every word you say. This process is difficult to explain so I'll teach it later on.”
The mouth moved and glowing words came from the mouth.
“The storage container will then store those magic embedded words until they are needed again. The amount of words it can store and how long it can store them for depends on the user’s skills.”
The glowing words then flew into to the container where they were stored.
“After that, the only thing you need to do is to draw the words you need to complete the chant from the container, and you'll be able to instantly cast the spell.”
The words rapidly flew out of the container and disappeared. After that an apple appeared out of nowhere.
“So what if there are words in the incantation you need but you don't have the stored in the container?”
Miko asked.
“At that time you manual fill in the blanks yourself. However, this is hardest thing to do. You'll need to know the order of the words in the incarnation, where the missing words needs to go, and perfectly time when to fill-in the missing words while you use up the stored words. A single mistake will lead to failure.”
Momo mumbled again and the head disappeared.
“Whenever you see me mumbling, it means that I'm manually filling the missing words I need for a spell.”
“That's pretty amazing. To be able to pull off such a complex procedure in an instant.”
Said Miko with an impressed tone.
“Well it is troublesome at times, but I know over a thousand spells for almost any situation. So [Enchanted Speech] is a great asset to me. Besides, Spells are more powerful than combat magic; so it isn't like I lose anything.”
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Miko currently didn't possess a single spell, but he read that they were more flexible and more powerful than combat magic. So he naturally welcomed Momo teaching him some.
While he was thinking that, he saw a shadowy figure appear out of nowhere.
“My Lady. Young Master. I apologize for interrupting your training activities.”.
The one who appeared was a servant.
Now that he has been informed about the different assassination techniques of the Mors clan, Miko now knew that he had used [Stealth-Camouflage] to hide his presence and approached them.
He probably was here for a while, but waited for the best opportunity to speak so that he wouldn't disturb them when they're busy.
“I don't mind. What is it?”
Said Momo.
“Master Raven has asked for an audience with the Young Master.”
“Raven?”
“He's the First Elder of Primus Branch. He's also the one responsible for the protection of the branch.”
Said Momo.
“Then he's…..”
“That's rights he's the Proxy of our guardian beast Ušumgallu, as well as her biological son.”
“What? Her son? Then he's Tiamat's grandson?”
Momo nodded.
‘You didn't tell me you had other descendants different from the Dragna Clan.’
(What did you expect? I'm the Primordial Chaos. I literally gave birth to more beings than I can count.)
Tiamat answered.
(I gave birth to the first race of dragons, the first race of mermen, the first race of bull-men(Minotaur), the first race of scorpion-men, the hydras, etc. I have many descendants out there. It's just that the Dragna Clan are my favorite.)
‘I forgot that you've been around.’
(Hey! Don't treat me like I'm a loose woman!)
Miko ignored Tiamat's roar and turned to the servant.
“So what does Raven wants with me?”
“I'm sorry. I wasn't informed. I was only told to have Lady Momo bring you to him.”
The servant answered.
“So what are you going to do?”
Momo asked with a smile on her face.
Miko had a feeling that she already had an idea what this was about.
“I guess I'll go meet him. It's not like there's nothing to lose if I go.”
“Then I'll tell the master that you're on the way.”
Saying so the servant disappeared.
“Alright. Let's ride Huan!”
Momo said rather excitedly.
After Momo called for Huan, the two flew on her to the southern end of Xia, more than 500 miles away from the palace.
When they finally arrived, they were standing in front of a place that could only be called a fortress.
It was incredibly tall, was surrounded by walls, and had a lot gargoyle looking statues around it.
“There aren't any guards.”
Said Miko after taking a look around.
“Raven can see almost everything that happens in the Primus world if he wants to. If you add that and the fact that he's a powerful demon dragon, there isn't really a need for guards.”
Momo said as she walked up to the gate.
“Uncle Raven! I brought Miko like you asked!”
“Didn't you say that he can see everything in this world? Is there really a need to announce our arrival?”
“Uncle Raven likes it when you do that. Besides it's courtesy to announce your arrival when visiting someone.”
*Creak*
As Momo finished saying those words, Miko saw the gates open by themselves.
“Looks like we can go in.”
Momo entered the fortress with a smile. Miko on the other hand could feel like he was being watched from afar.
He walked in a cautious manner.
When entered the fortress the gates closed on their own. He looked around and saw a lot of statues of a goddess, they were Tiamat.
(Oh? These things are still here?)
Tiamat spoke in his head.
(These statues have been here from when I used to stay here.)
“You used to stay here?”
(Yup. This was my private residence in this world until I gave it to Gallu.)
“Hmm.”
Miko immediately ignored the statues’ existence and caught up with Momo.
The fortress was quite extravagant, but Miko didn't pay it any mind as he followed Momo.
They soon arrived in front of a tall door.
Momo was about to open it, but Miko did before she could.
“I don't really feel like taking my sweet time.”
Saying so he walked into the room.
There he saw a large round table that was made of gold.
Sitting there were two persons.
One had azure hair that was neatly combed back. He was dressed in an expensive looking suit and an unlit cigar in his hand.
Beside him was Nero who had his head down on the table like he was sleeping.
“...Don't mind him. He's been here for three days complaining about his wife neglect over endless amount of liquor.”
Said Raven.
Miko looked around and saw a huge pile of liquor bottles in the corner of the room.
“Kimiko is denying him from playing around with any women until she says so. For someone with dragon blood that's basically hell. Well, you'll understand when you reach puberty.”
A certain someone once said that dragons were lustful creatures. This statement was backed up with the countless stories of dragons snatching up beautiful women and taking them back to their lair.
They argued that this was because dragons loved beautiful things and there was nothing more beautiful than a woman.
Coincidentally enough, this statement was true in this world.
Nero was part dragon. So it was in his nature to seek beautiful women. But with his wife around he can't do that.
“He decided to just sleep until her anger subsided. It's been four days now.”
“To be honest I don't really care.”
Even though this was only the second time Miko has met his grandfather, he wasn't excited to meet him here.
In fact, it just made him more skeptic towards the reason he was called here.
“I appreciate it if you get to the point.”
Raven smiled when he heard that.
“I guess you're right. Then since she just got here too we can begin.”
It was then Miko felt someone's presence behind him.
He turned and saw a woman standing there.
She was tall, beautiful, had azure and gold hair, golden dragon eyes, a single sharp fang peeking out her mouth.
“Let me introduce her. This is my mother, the Great Dragon Ušumgallu.”
“…….”
Gallu silently stared at Miko while Raven introduced her.
‘W-What the hell is this feeling?’
As for Miko, the moment he and Gallu looked eyes he was swept over by a strange emotion.
It was a feeling of attraction, but not in a sexual way. It was close to the feeling you get when you're reunited with a close relative you've haven’t seen for a years.
Miko didn't quite understand the feeling, but he understood one thing.
He felt like Ušumgallu belonged at his side.
“Sniff.”
It was then that Gallu suddenly walked up to him and sniffed him.
Strangely enough, Miko didn't distance himself like he normally would. He allowed her smell him until she was satisfied. And then-
“….You smell just like her.”
Tears started falling from Gallu’s eyes.
“I-Its been so long since I've smelled my mother. I'm so happy.”
She spoke with her voice choking up.
“…….”
Seeing her like that, Miko-
“……?”
He silently stretched his hand out. This caused Gallu and everyone else to be surprised.
Miko ignored their surprise and continued to hold his hand out.
“….Could it be?”
Gallu seemed as if she remembered something when she stared at his hand.
She slowly bent her knees and stomped down to around Miko's height.
It was then that Miko placed his hand on her head.
This caused Gallu’s body to flinched. A scene from her memories began playing in her head.
It was the scene of her mother being surrounded by her siblings and her keeping her distance out of consideration.
Even so her mother made her way towards and place her hand on her head with a smile.
This memory caused Gallu to see Tiamat's image overlap Miko's.
“Mother….”
She cried harder than before.
“For someone called the Great Dragon, you sure are a crybaby.”
Miko said with a smile.
He himself didn't know why he said what he said and did what he did. He just felt like he needed to do them.
It could be Tiamat's feelings somehow flowing into him, or it could be his own. He didn't know, but he didn't really care either.
He felt desire to console the woman in front of him, so he did it. The him of from a few months ago wouldn't have carry out this desire, but him now won't hesitate to do it.
If someone had a problem with it, he'll just chop them into a million pieces and be on his way.
“Looks like we didn't make a mistake, Mother.”
Said Raven.
Hearing her son’s tender voice, Gallu stood up and nodded.
“Yes.”
She then looked at Miko with gentle eyes.
“You're probably wondering the reason we called you here.”
Miko nodded. Honestly, he didn't care anymore.
“It was to meet the person who was chosen by my mother, and make a pledge to them.”
“Pledge?”
Gallu nodded while Raven walked up in front of Miko.
“A pledge to be your power like we were for my mother.”
The two of them then got on their knees and kneeled before Miko.
“?!”
This shocked Miko, and excited Momo.
“We wish to become your Apostles, Miko.”
Said Raven.
“Apostles? Just because I'm Tiamat's proxy? Isn't that too hasty. You don't even know me.”
Ušumgallu shook her head.
“You are the person my mother has chosen. I don't need anymore reason than that. Even if I had doubts, they've been erased after meeting you in person.”
Ušumgallu looked at him with passionate eyes.
“You give off the same feeling as my mother. When I look at you it makes me remember my wonderful memories with her. I don't know what your goal is, but if it's something you and my mother are working towards then I'll gladly help you.”
“My mother really likes you. Other than Augustus they're only five other humans that she's respected.”
Said Raven.
“That's more than enough for me. So I have no reason not to pledge my loyalty to you.”
Hearing their passionate words made Miko feel awkward.
(Oh. Even I didn't expect this. Looks like Gallu loved me more than I thought. Even though we haven't met in thousands of years.)
Tiamat spoke with a happy tone in his head.
(Take it. Accept them as your Apostle Miko. They'll be the greatest allies you could ever have.)
Miko looked down on the kneeling before him.
“If the time were to ever come when I became the enemy of the Dragna Clan, what would you do?”
“We would take your side of course.”
An immediate response.
Miko unknowingly smiled when heard it.
“Okay. I'll accept you as my Apostle. But on one condition.”
“Speak it and we’ll do it.”
Raven responded.
“Accept me as your Apostle as well.”
“?!”
Miko's words shocked everyone in the room. They didn't expect him to ask to be their Apostle in return.
“I won't lie. I'm doing this to gain power. If I remember correctly you gain a special power when you become an Apostle, right?”
They nodded.
“But you need to be completely loyal to the proxy and their God.”
Said Raven.
“That isn't a problem. I now believe that loyalty is a two way process. If I recognized someone as loyal to me then I'll show that person the same level of loyalty. In other words, I will never betray a person who I consider a friend or family ever again as long as I live.”
Miko said with pure confidence.
There were no lies in his words. Miko no longer wished to discard his love ones. And to achieve this he rid himself of his last remaining humanity.
To Miko to be human is to give up things to ensure your survival. Since that was the case, then his humanity wasnt needed.
This meant two things.
One, Miko was now more protective towards his love ones.
Two, Miko was a complete monster to everyone else.
Because of this, the current Miko was far more dangerous than ever before.
But he himself had yet to realize it.
“If that's the case, then there shouldn't be a problem.”
Ušumgallu said with a smile.
She then put on a serious expression and spoke.
“I, Ušumgallu and my Proxy hereby swear on my holy name that we will forever swear loyalty to Tiamat and her Proxy. We will become their shield, their sword, their friend, their family. We will walk with them through the storm and through paradise alike. May our souls be shattered if what we spoke was filled with falsehood; but if our words are true, grant us the blessing of our masters.”
A light shot out from Miko's chest and hit Raven and Ušumgallu. A crest of a dragon emerging from the sea appeared on their foreheads.
It shone brightly before disappearing moments later.
“The ceremony to become an Apostle has been completed.”
Momo said from the side.
“What they just did was different from a normal Apostle contract.”
“Different? How?”
Miko asked.
“Normally the Apostle ceremony is done by a mortal. Even if the mortal is a proxy, only they would swear loyalty and become an apostle. But what they did was the extreme version where both the god and proxy swore loyalty. This Apostle contract display absolute loyalty which will grant the Apostle a bigger blessing than normal. Of course not many Higher Beings are willing to swear loyalty to another so this type of contract is barely used.”
“Oh?”
Miko looked at the still kneeling Raven and Ušumgallu. They were smiling.
‘So they're provoking me, huh.’
(They're basically saying that we can't match them in loyalty. It pisses me off being looked down upon by my own daughter and grandson.)
‘Then what are you going to do?’
Miko smiled provokingly.
(Isn't that obvious?)
Tiamat smiled fearless in her room at the Summit Of The Gods.
“I have no problem swearing loyalty towards my own flesh and blood!”
She then began to recite the ceremonial words.
“I, Tiamat and my Proxy hereby swear on my holy name that we will forever swear loyalty to Ušumgallu and her Proxy. We will become their shield, their sword, their friend, their family. We will walk with them through the storm and through paradise alike. May our souls be shattered if what we spoke was filled with falsehood; but if our words are true, grant us the blessings of our masters.”
Back in the Primus World a light shot from Raven and hit Miko and Tiamat who was far away.
The crest of a lion-faced dragon appeared on their foreheads and shone brilliantly before fading away.
“With this you are all each other's Apostles.”
Momo said with a smile.
“Congratulations!”
A few hours later Miko and Momo left and returned to their training. Gallu left shortly after and returned to the Dragna Stone in the lake in the outside world.
Raven sat silently in his seat smoking a cigar.
“Looks like everything went fine.”
It was at this time that Nero lifted his head off the table.
“You were awake?”
Raven asked.
Nero shook his head.
“Nope, I was truly asleep.”
He wasn't lying. Nero was definitely asleep for the last couple days.
“I figured out that every went well from your aura. It's quite happy.”
“While you can't blame me. My mother smiled for the first time in years.”
“Oh? I wished I could've seen that.”
“She even broke down and cried.”
Nero eyes widen when he heard that.
“Looks like she missed her mother more than I originally thought.”
He had an amused expression on his face.
“Well, everyone misses her. She was a fun person. Especially when she's around Augustus.”
Said Raven.
“It might wouldn’t be a stretch to say that Augustus influenced her personality so much that she became the female version of him.”
“Yeah. I think so too.”
A gentle look appeared in Nero's eyes.
However it instantly disappeared.
“My end goal is to surpass my grandfather, revisit the Summit Of The Gods, and force my way to where ‘It’ is residing and force ‘It’ to bring back those days from 10,000 years ago.”
“Then you can't afford to die here can you?”
Raven said with a mischievous smile.
“Of course. Krow and his lackeys aren't enough to stop my ambitions.”
A dangerous glint was in Nero's eyes.
“But they're more than enough to pass the time.”