(Author: If you have heard of my pen name, then you know I wrote a lot of experimental stories. This is a side project while writing my main story: Chronicles of the Tiger Immortal. This story will have random releases as I am back in college and is not my main story. Oh, since this is the first chapter, if you have written a story on this site before, I am unable to preview how long it is as I write it. I hope it is long enough to display my work to you well. Enjoy.)
-------------Prologue: Failed Ascension-----------
Lightning fell from the sky as a black dragon appeared from a volcano as it erupted. It was as if heaven and earth were locked in combat, the land shaking as the sky rained and roared with lightning. The black dragon used to be a snake magical beast. After a thousand years, the snake had poisoned and devoured enough magical beasts to evolve into a serpentine-bodied dragon! Its emerald scales became a brilliant black and it had four legs, deer horns, and a full set of teeth.
It used to cultivate a poisonous magical beast method that soon became a poison and lava cultivation method as the snake became a dragon egg and hatched in a volcano! It rarely used its poison as it grew up in the volcano. It remembered its first true test as flying magical beasts had tried to kill it. Even though it had no wings, the dragon was able to fly and kill its natural enemy from when it was once a snake!
Life was great. It could fly, still poisoned foes with its teeth, and could breath fire and swim in lava. Humans were many miles away from its volcano home, too busy with expanding their human nations and establishing trade routes. After six hundred years, the dragon made a breakthrough and hibernated, preparing its body for when it would finally ascend into the Immortal Realm.
However, its one hundred year hibernation brought unexpected consequences. No longer detecting the dragon, the humans began to spread through nation through its land rich with minerals and rare, powerful magical beasts that used to live in peace under the dragon's influence. Soon two opposing armies finally met and sought to takeover the volcano, the last place of conquest.
As the two armies fought, the dragon awoke, the volcano causing the ground the quake as it emerged. However, it was incomparably weak to its state before the hibernation. Many tribulations from the Heavens, lightning from the Immortal Realm, fell onto the dragon. It was the dragon's final test to change from a creature of the Mortal Realm to a creature permitted in the Immortal Realm, the land of its dream since its first birth as a snake.
Its seventeen hundred years of life were for this one moment. Fighting to survive from four-legged beasts and birds as a snake. Being reborn as a black lava dragon. Fighting countless human experts and magical beasts to establish a safe territory for it to prepare. Finally, all its struggles would be paid off. Finally, it would attain its two-life long dream!
However, fate was too cruel to the dragon. It body could not sustain so much lightning in its weakened state and it fell onto the battlefield of the two armies. It wanted to flee and try again, once it fully recovered. Alas, the lure of killing such a powerful beast, and attaining its magical beast core, was too great for the human armies to ignore. it could only watch as it was cruelly finished off, its injuries beyond severe from the lightning. Before it died, it saw a human woman with a crown on its head.
The dragon had seen humans before. The dragon supposed the human was a ruler of sorts. Its husband was busy fighting another male wearing a crown, no doubt the ruler of the enemy nation. The dragon let out a roar and columns of lava erupted from the ground. Chaos ensued as the enemy ruler was killed as a column of lava appeared below him.
The dragon discarded its mortal body and sent its magical beast core, into the female faster than lightning. As its spirit flew, it watched its own body sink into the depths of the lava. It was unable to burn and would be buried in the heart of the planet. The dragon spirit refused to die. Even if it had to become the race that killed it, it would do anything to become an immortal. It was only pained that it had to restart from the very beginning. Even though a tribulation lightning fell on the human female, the dragon spirit absorbed the lightning, feeling itself tear apart as it protected its only ticket to avoid death.
Eight months later, a child was born. It had brilliant black hair people assumed to come from the mother. Its eyes were purple in color and some could swear it looked like acid or poison. However, the baby had no defects but one: it was tested with no affinity for fire attribute techniques. It might have an element in the future, but it did not have the element of the ruling family. After seven years as a human, the dragon would finally be able to walk the path to immortality once more.
----------------Chapter 1: The Dragon Mark--------------------
A lone boy sat in front of a pool near a large, marble palace. He had brilliant black hair, as if one could see open space upon gazing for too long. The boy was currently gazing at his own reflection, as if a sage in deep thought. This boy was originally a black dragon that sought to enter the Heavens and emerge in the Immortal Realm. However, fate was cruel and it was reduced to become a human fetus in a female human to avoid death.
Seven years. That was the length of time that passed for the dragon. It was also the limit for when the human body could finally begin cultivation, if one had the talent for it. Especially certain geniuses, those rare few whose cultivations were either exceedingly fast, had an element attribute, or both. However, the former black dragon did not have the affinity it once had: fire. It knew because of the special method of its human family. No longer could it burn its enemies into ash. Besides researching about human nations, and learning how to grow up as a human, it would stare at the pool and sadly remember what it once had been and the many struggles it had. It was truly a tragedy to know all its past efforts were in vain. Even when it had been reborn as a dragon, it still had some strength.
"Fourth Prince Elgar! There you are," a maid cried as she appeared from behind him. "Come, the empress is calling you and your siblings.
Elgar did not resist the pull of the maid as he sadly gazed back at the pool. The maid was not disturbed to see the sad gaze of the prince. Many maids and servants had seen his actions before. No one knew, not even the imperial family, what the cause of the fourth prince's grief was. Elgar was the eighth child of the emperor, and one of two children out of eleven that were born between the emperor and empress.
Each of the children was a number before their imperial title, referring to the order they were born, according to gender. Elgar was the eighth child, but fourth son of the emperor. His true brother, the other son born under the empress, was First Prince Edward. Edward was the first son, but third child. However, he would become the rightful emperor in the future.
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The emperor's name was Durin Firetail, emperor of the Ash Fall Empire. According to the empire's history, the Firetail clan had an ancestor that used to be a phoenix magical beast that chose to be reborn as a human instead of ascending to the Immortal Realm. The ancient ancestor created the Ash Fall Empire, calling it that due to its supreme control over fire above any natural human. Most of its lineage, no matter how distant, were able to use fire attribute techniques.
The emperor had one empress and three concubines. His wife, Rebecca, gave birth to the first and eighth child. Their names were Edward and Elgar. The emperor's first concubine, Minako, gave birth to the first, second, and eleventh child. All of them were daughters and was the only concubine that supported the empress as the empress protected her from the others who gave birth to sons. Minako's three daughters were Misa, Elena, and Hinako.
The second concubine was also the leader of one of two factions against Rebecca. The second concubine was Clara, who gave birth to the fourth, sixth, seventh and ninth child. The fourth child was the second prince while the sixth child was the third prince. The names of Clara's children were Gerald, Ian, Sarah, and Hailey. Ian and Sarah were twins.
The third concubine, Eunji, was the most ambitious and gave birth to the fifth and tenth child, the tenth child being the fifth and last son. She was also the leader of the second faction against Rebecca making her son, Crown Prince Edward, the next emperor. Her children were Jiyeon and Jin.
Naturally, the empire was divided into three factions over who should become the next emperor. All the daughters were also tools to gain favor with other nations and powerful clans and sects, being able to be married off to form marital ties. Only Ian, Hinako, Hailey, and Elgar did not care for political intrigue. Ian wanted to become a general, Elgar didn't care, and both Hailey and Hinako were too young to be married off.
Elgar stared silently as the maid pulled him into the throne room, the ten siblings, empress, and three concubines all sitting at the aisles while the emperor sat on his throne. Elgar sighed as the maid hurriedly bowed and left, taking his place next to his human mother and older brother.
"Ah, my eleven children," the emperor said with pride. "It is good to see you all. Ian, Sarah, and Elgar; you were all born on the same week, two of you born by the same mother nearly at the same time. You three are all seven years old. Soon, you will have your attribute test to see if you have other gifts besides fire. Misa, Elena, Edward, Gerald, and Jiyeon; you four will be returning to your respective academies and sects soon. Do not disappoint me."
"Yes, Imperial Father," the eight children bowed.
"Good, good. I certainly hope one of the three seven year olds is gifted with the hammer, like my great grandfather. My other children use swords, axes, daggers, or spears," the emperor sighed.
"When will we start learning martial arts? I want to hurry up and join the army to be the best general," Ian asked.
"Third Prince Ian," one of the ministers in the court whispered, a member of the second concubine's faction.
"After the attribute test, impatient rascal," the emperor laughed. "Elgar, tell me, what makes the attribute test so important?"
"It determines whether one can use the very elements alongside their martial arts, besides basic nature energy. However, it does not consider other factors outside the elements of nature," Elgar answered, thinking about his poison he could still utilize.
"Very good," the emperor said. "Of all my children, you are the only one without fire attribute affinity. Hopefully, you have an affinity for something else. It is best to learn a cultivation method based on your attribute. Those methods are much faster and superior to other methods.
"Sarah, listen. You have affinity for the fire attribute, like your twin brother. Ian, you and Sarah will be tested for other affinities but you are already geniuses. I hope all three of you are mentally prepared for tomorrow's attribute test. You three are dismissed," the emperor said, the three siblings leaving as the emperor turned his attention to his wives and other children.
"Finally, the attribute test. I can finally fight back against that bully, Gerald," Ian cursed as he left the throne room.
"We have the same mother a Gerald," Sarah said, staring at her elder twin.
"But mother loves him and barely thinks about me!" Ian shouted as the trio appeared at the courtyard. "It's hard being the second son of a concubine. I am discarded as there is no chance for me to be the emperor. I mean, even Little Jin is being groomed to be the emperor by the third concubine."
"I'm sure Fourth Prince Elgar doesn't feel that way," Sarah said, calling him that as he is the son of the empress and not a concubine. The direct children of the emperor and empress, Edward and Elgar, had titles higher than the three concubines and their nine siblings.
"I don't really care," Elgar shrugged. "I just want to train in martial arts and become an immortal."
"I agree with the Fourth Prince about the martial arts. I can't wait to learn. I'll train so hard, mother will prefer me over Gerald if I defeat him. Even now, some of the ministers support me, among mom's faction, as Gerald's an ass."
"Language!" Sarah said, Ian shrugging as he bowed his head to Elgar and left for his room.
"Human politics. In my world, the strong devour the weak and the weak serve them. Simple and effective. I'd probably be a tyrant if I became emperor, if I ever cared to be," Elgar sighed as he entered his room. "After seven years, my torn magical beast core has appeared. Although its more of a mark than a core. Must be my human anatomy."
On Elgar's chest, a dragon mark had formed in the image of a black dragon. After it formed, Elgar could feel immense energy in his body. He didn't know what it was but he did learn that he could use poison once more. Naturally, his body would also be immune to poison. However, he learned he was no longer immune to burns as he held his hand over a candle wick once before. He really had no affinity for the fire attribute arts.
"Even though I am human, I still have draconic strength and my snake poison. Since I have the spirit of a dragon, I can still shape shift into the form of a black dragon. After all, my fetus was made by my spirit and magical beast core, not through human mating. However, I have insufficient nature energy. I have to become much stronger if I want to return my body into my old form, even if for a brief time. It seems my true form is beyond me, for now," Elgar sighed as he hoped the next day would arrive so he could begin his cultivation.