Einvaldskonungr unfurled his immense wings as he slowly emerged from the depths of his lair, his eyes blazing with anger. Smoke curled lazily from his nostrils, mingling with the heat haze that surrounded him. Each step sent tremors through the stone beneath his taloned feet. As the red dragon strode forward, his roar reverberated through the valley below, a proclamation to any who dared to challenge his sovereignty.

With a beat of his wings, Einvaldskonungr launched himself into the sky, the fiery glow of his scales casting a crimson shadow over the land below. It was as if even the air was agitated by his presence. The air around the red dragon shimmered as his mere presence was enough to create a heat mirage. Through my familiar’s senses, I could smell the odor of sulfur that accompanied the red dragon. Its beaked snout vented smoke continuously.

Two large white horns curled backward on his head while smaller horns adorned his chin, cheeks, jaw, his nose, and in small rows above his brow. He had frills that grew around his ears that ran down his neck and spine, from just behind the head to the end of his tail. Einvaldskonungr was over a hundred feet in length with wings just as large. It could swallow me and not even notice. I almost peed myself even though I wasn’t in his presence. As for Alsvartr, since she had provided me with such a glorious sight, I would never bring up the yellow puddle that grew below her feet in the future.

My first intention had been to simply have Alsvartr wait and watch the red dragon’s lair to see who would raid it. However, I shrugged and changed my mind. It really didn’t matter who ended up coming to loot the dragon’s lair. Instead, I told my familiar to start following Einvaldskonungr. Unfortunately, dragons were much faster than bats, so she slowly lost sight of the red dragon.

Of course, that wasn’t a big problem since I could already tell that the dragon was headed toward Baron Réttr’s castle. Apparently, the red dragon intended on making the humans pay first. Afterall, if they hadn’t scattered the kobold’s minions, the green kobolds wouldn’t have been able to take the kobolds’ wealth.

What made it even easier for my familiar to follow the red dragon was the devastation that marked his path. Einvaldskonungr stopped and destroyed every single small village he saw along his way to the baron’s castle. By the time Alsvartr arrived, she was greeted by burning huts and wailing villagers. This continued until my familiar reached the castle.

Before her lay the human city, now in ruins. Great plumes of smoke billowed skyward, mingling with the cries of the wounded and the dying. Rage, hotter than the flames that consumed the city, had clearly surged within the dragon's heart. Humans, with their insatiable greed and hunger for conquest, had sent his minions fleeing. More importantly, they made it possible for his gold and gems to be stolen.

With a deafening roar that split the heavens, Einvaldskonungr launched himself from the battlements into the air. His wings fanned the flames he had created. As soon as he saw another group of survivors rally together, he descended upon them. A hail of arrows and spears greeted him. Most of the weapons were too weak to inflict any harm, but a few managed to pierce his scales. What surprised me the most was that there were no spells being cast. Apparently, the spellcasters had fled or had already fallen.

Flames erupted from the red dragon’s jaws, engulfing the defenders in a searing inferno. Buildings crumbled under his claws while smoke choked the defenders. In the chaos of battle, amidst the flames and the cries of terror, Einvaldskonungr finally found himself face to face with a group of heavily armored knights who had dared to defy him. Their armor gleamed in the firelight as they rallied around one particular knight dressed in extravagant armor.

The knights raised their weapons defiantly, but to the dragon, were nothing more than insignificant ants, unworthy of his mercy. Needless to say, they fell. To their credit, they did inflict several injuries upon Einvaldskonungr. Obviously, they had been armed with magic weapons. Unfortunately for them, it wasn’t enough.

I watched through my familiar’s eyes as the red dragon finally calmed down and started peeling off the knights’ armor before popping the bodies into his mouth. Soon, all of the dead bodies, still steaming from the heat, were devoured. While there were some survivors, the dragon just watched them. He apparently enjoyed watching them crawl among the flames with their bleeding skin burned black. Their wails of agony and screams of pain were mood music for his feast.

I was amazed. I couldn’t imagine just how much the red dragon could eat. Even horses were swallowed down. I was amazed that there were any animals anywhere near a dragon’s lair. Then again, dragons usually only had to eat so much when they exerted themselves. At other times, they would sleep in their lairs, resting and conserving energy.

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Soon, the red dragon grew annoyed with one particular injury. The roar he let out as he pulled a ballista bolt from his side almost made my familiar pee herself again. Then the red dragon launched himself into the air, his blood dripping onto the ground, burning whatever it fell upon. I was actually surprised by how badly the humans had been able to injure Einvaldskonungr. I made a mental note that whenever I destroyed a human village in the future, I would avoid the ballista.

I really would have thought that the red dragon wouldn’t leave any survivors. However, just because the red dragon was going to pass up on free experience didn’t mean that I was going to do so. Maybe he wanted the tale of his rage and the destruction of the baron’s city to spread.

Then again, almost all of the survivors were heavily injured. Many of them would have died soon anyway. Even those that survived would be scarred or crippled for the rest of their life unless they were able to afford to pay a high-level cleric to heal their injuries. Of course, it could be that he just considered the humans to be ants who were no longer worth his time.

Despite how the red dragon felt, I had other ideas. In the safety of my cave city, I rubbed my hands together as I saw how many soldiers were struggling to survive. Although I knew the soldiers hadn’t been the ones who decided to invade my old tribe, I was still upset. In fact, I realized this was an opportunity for me. I quickly ordered my familiar to be kind to these poor misguided souls and put them out of their misery.

I was almost afraid that we would not receive any experience since the soldiers posed almost no threat. However, for the next hour, my experience points started to accumulate quickly as Alsvartr finished off over dozens of knights, guards, and other soldiers. After the battlefield was cleared of survivors, I had her search the castle ruins in case any survivors were buried among the rubble. After the last survivor died, I heard the ding of a notification.

ACHIEVEMENT - DEATH’S HEIR. You have only been alive for a few months, but ever since you hatched, you have brought death to countless creatures. Your deeds have been acknowledged by deities of the Pantheon of Darkness. Because of this, you are seen as a potential candidate to inherit the Divine Spark of Death.

ACHIEVEMENT - DEMIGOD. You possess Faith Points from fanatical believers who worship you as a god and have been acknowledged by deities from the Pantheon of Darkness. Because you have met the minimum threshold, the System has kindled the Divine Spark of Death within your soul.

WARNING: You must fan the flames of the Divine Spark that has ignited in your soul by infusing a Divine Focus with Faith before creating a Divine Body. If you fail to nourish the Divine Spark with Faith, or fail to create a Divine Body, your soul will be consumed.

Suddenly, my breath was taken away. It started with a throbbing headache. Then my chest tightened. My body started to ache. Even my bones felt sore. It was as if every bone in my body was under immense pressure. My scales started to crack before falling to the ground. New scales formed as overwhelming energy surged into my body. It was as if my body was holding back an ocean of energy. I could feel the divine spark of death surging through my veins like liquid fire.

It felt like I was going to explode. Every muscle convulsed as pain coursed through me. I could feel my body struggling to contain the divine energy. The energy threatened to tear me apart. I only had a moment of clarity between screams. It was at one of these times that I sensed something happening to Alsvartr as well. I could only hope that she survived.

Blue eldritch sigils started to glow all over my body. The shadows around me started to dance with newfound life. They whispered ancient secrets and unveiled truths darker than the abyss itself. Visions of past lives and forgotten realms flashed through my mind. Voices whispered to me in languages long extinct as memories flooded into my mind.

I saw the fragile mortality of all living things. Mortals were fleeting and fragile, like petals caught in a storm. I saw babies being born. Then I watched them grow up before finally succumbing to age, disease, or violent death. I witnessed the ebb and flow of souls. My consciousness was dragged deeper into the hidden corners of existence where the veil between realms grew thin.

I found myself in the land of death that was shrouded in eternal twilight. A desolate landscape of shattered rocks and swirling mists greeted my eyes. Barren plains stretched as far as I could see. The skeletal remains of ancient trees emphasized how desolate the landscape was. However, there was movement in the mists. Rivers of blackened water wandered on the edges of the land. Their surfaces hid dark secrets in their depths.

In this realm, time seemed frozen. Even sound was swallowed by the oppressive stillness. In this landscape, a towering tree captivated my eyes. It also chilled my soul. A giant ash tree stood at the edge of my perception. However, it was larger than the tallest skyscraper I had ever seen.

Its branches were adorned with dead brittle leaves that rustled mournfully in the faintest breeze. It was the first sound I had heard since arriving. I wondered if it was Yggdrasil. The thought sent a shiver down my spine. However, my attention was attracted by what was growing out of the tree.

A single twig had managed to survive. It defied an unwelcoming world. Its tiny leaves had already begun to sprout. It was a vibrant green against a backdrop of desolation and despair. It whispered of hope and resilience. I realized that life would always struggle in the face of death.

I understood the inevitability of death. However, I also knew that in every ending, a new beginning was possible. With a final surge of an exhausted will, I embraced the divine spark within. I shed the last vestiges of mortality as I ascended to become a demigod of twilight and death.