"Now, little human, what does Aura have in store for you? The person who left you here, in this sordid and inhospitable place, is certainly not around, so it's very unlikely they intend to return. This place is very dangerous, and judging by your condition, you should have died some time ago."

As he said this, the dragon in human form took the trouble to get close enough and began to lean towards me. He also made sure to soften his expression to avoid scaring the child in front of him even more—me, in this case...

Should I be grateful for that? Honestly, I’m not even thinking straight after the sequence of events that just unfolded in the last few minutes. But I have to admit, he's right. Him speaking like a human is apparently far less stressful for me than when he's in dragon form.

And I was right when I thought this forest was ominous. Even he, who is a dragon, thinks this place is dangerous. Damn inhospitable forests. Was I put here to die quickly, as he claimed, or was I simply abandoned with no consideration?

"This Lord will give you a chance, little human. Perhaps Aura had good intentions in bringing us together here..." Saying this, he lifted me up to eye level and smiled, holding me right in front of him.

"Curiosity and wisdom are fundamental and irreplaceable pillars for our race, and since you’ve shown a keen innate curiosity, This Lord will also test your innate wisdom. If you pass the test, I will help you as best I can and will not leave you at the mercy of unfavorable circumstances. Are you ready?"

What the hell does he expect me to answer? I can barely control my head to nod; the most I can do at this moment is groan and move my eyes with tremendous effort.

“Hahaha, then, little human, let’s proceed with your test…” Laughing as if excited about what was about to happen, the dragon literally let go of me.

I closed my eyes immediately as I felt the fall. I expected the impact to be painful and almost fatal for my current body, but after a few seconds of feeling the same thing, I realized, for some reason, I hadn’t hit the ground.

I mustered up the courage to open my eyes and observe what had happened, and to my surprise...

Ziiiiinnnnngggg

Okay... I can believe I’m hallucinating, but wouldn't it be too strange to hallucinate about something like a green and red nebula? Did the fall affect my mind, or is what I’m seeing in front of me the 'test' the dragon was talking about?

And it’s so bright and vivid, even more real than the simulations or photos I've seen. With all these details and unique aspects, even its movements make it seem alive...

An incredible cloud of cosmic dust with exuberant colors that somehow feels like a living being. I have the impression that if I extend my arm, I could touch it—it’s so real. It's beautiful, magnificent, and dazzling. Incredible.

Wwwwoooowwww, it's changing color.

Now it’s yellow, with some shades of pink. Oh, it's changing again.

------------------------------

After hours spent exploring and discovering various things about this place, I found several things that may or may not be part of the test, some more interesting than others.

I still have no idea what the goal of this test is, but this place seems to function as a kind of system that represents emotions in colors... That’s the name I gave it, though I have no idea if it’s the best term for it.

What I mean is that, after several experiments, I discovered that the colors of this nebula change according to my feelings and emotions. From green for calm to red for anger. I’m not sure if there are limits to the colors, but I think the types of emotions are limited due to my current state. It's possible to see various types of colors in smaller amounts, but they’re inert and don’t react to the emotions I can simulate.

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It’s possible that all emotions can be represented, but I can't simulate more than the basic ones.

Moreover, this hallucination—or dream, if I can call this place that—prevents me from simulating any complex emotions like jealousy or disgust. And the stronger an emotion, the more vivid and turbulent the nebula becomes. It's like some kind of kaleidoscope of emotions, but I’ll continue to call it a nebula for obvious reasons.

Another thing I discovered is that in this plane, I have no physical form. I'm just a small glow in the middle of the nebula, like a star. But I’m definitely the only star, which is a good sign, because it means no one is spying on me.

The last thing I discovered, and probably the most interesting, is that I can slightly control the nebula's movements. But it requires an enormous effort, and I have the impression that this isn’t something a baby should be doing.

I know I'm not really a baby—maybe that’s why I can do this—but still, it felt similar to holding ice with bare hands. I had to stop, or I might face consequences I’m not sure I can handle right now.

Also, the first time I tried to move the nebula, I had a strong headache after barely managing to control it. It felt like my head was splitting, and I groaned in pain for several minutes.

But the question that’s been stuck in my mind since I got here is: how does this test work?

I have no idea what the dragon wants, I don’t know what I should do, and I have no idea how to leave this place... Moreover, I have no means to keep track of time here, so hours or even days could have passed since I entered this state.

_________

Meanwhile, the dragon in human form stood patiently, with perfect posture, observing the human baby before him.

No emotion could be seen on his expression, and his eyes barely glowed with interest as they captured every movement the unconscious baby made, floating just a meter off the ground.

Since the test began, about 15 minutes had passed, but for a test of such caliber applied to such an immature creature, this was far from a long time. Even in more developed creatures, like lunar elves, unconscious wisdom tests are exhausting and complex.

As a test specifically designed to gauge emotional wisdom and associative intellect, the key to breaking the induced trance lies in associating emotions with the smoke and achieving a rate of more than 70% absolute calm.

Normally, this would be nearly impossible for any creature, but the test is not highly demanding in this context, so only the strongest emotions are counted. Thus, even if there are other turbulent emotions, it's possible to hide them with calm and persistence.

Unfortunately, if the subject lacks aptitude for associative intellect and emotional wisdom, both at the same time but not necessarily in equal amounts, it’s almost impossible to pass this test.

The recommended waiting period ranges from 6 to 10 hours, depending on the subject. However, in this case, where a human baby is being tested, the dragon intends to let the test continue for only 30 minutes.

But while waiting, he doesn’t just watch the unconscious baby, trying to guess how he's handling the test. With his eyes, the dragon can observe the subtle manipulation of the smoke by the baby.

"What a beautiful day to stumble upon such a surprise..." the dragon said, speaking for the first time since the test began.

And despite showing no outward emotion, his words carried a genuine tone of surprise and interest in what he was observing. The small creature, which he thought he had encountered purely by chance, turned out to be something truly remarkable.

Soon, however, he could no longer contain his emotions, and his expression visibly shifted to surprise. He broke his perfect posture, stepped closer, and began to closely observe every movement and expression of the baby, while also marveling at the colors of the smoke starting to merge into just one...

"By Aura... A human with such capacity at this age..."

He barely finished expressing his surprise when he was forced to step back to better observe the spectacle reaching its peak.

The smoke began to turn green rapidly, as if green paint were being poured over all the other colors. Quickly, 40% of the smoke became green, but it didn't stop there. Soon, green overtook 50% of the smoke...

55%... 60%... 65... 70%...

"He did it... Hahaha... He did it." The joy in his voice was palpable, and his eyes gleamed with interest and surprise...

But he was forced to calm his excitement and look at the baby, who, despite breaking the minimum threshold to end the trance, was still unconscious. He realized that it wasn’t over yet, as the smoke continued turning greener and greener.

75%... 85%... 90%... 92%... 93%... 94%... 95%...

Then... When the total conversion rate of the smoke reached 96% green, signaling that the baby had reached an almost complete state of calm, the progress halted and stopped...

Craaaack Trimmm

It was at that moment that the sound of glass breaking echoed, and the baby began to awaken.