Chapter 4

When I woke up, I found myself lying on a piece of animal skin.

It took me a few seconds to adjust to the light. There was no sunlight at the bottom of the Abyss, only the glow of magical ores embedded in the rock walls.

Then I took in the full view of the dragon's lair. Gold coins were piled up; not one pile, but several, each one towering over my head.

Magical gems covered the ground, stretching from the entrance to the depths of the lair. Every step I took crunched underfoot. If I picked up any gem, I could buy half a royal city.

Ancient weapons, magical artifacts, and pieces of armor were scattered in every corner, some still stained with the blood of their former owners.

Maybe some heroes from a bygone era had come to slay the evil dragon but were killed.

Ignis was crouched in front of me. When he saw me open my eyes, his slit pupils moved. "You slept for two days," he said.

"Ugh," I grunted, pushing myself up. My back was sore.

He waved at the treasure behind him. "Yours," he said, pointing at the mountains of gold and the carpet of gems. "All of it."

"I don't need money. There aren't shops down here in the Abyss," I said.

"Then what do you need?" he asked.

He dropped to one knee, his gaze level with mine as I sat on the animal skin.

His unblinking golden-red slit eyes locked onto me. From this close, I could see tiny golden flecks spinning slowly in the depths of his pupils.

Any normal person would only want to run if they were stared down by a dragon with the power to destroy the world.

But I didn't run. There was nowhere to go. The blood pact was sealed. No matter how far I ran, he'd hunt me down to the ends of the earth.

I reached out and laid my hand over his chest. His armor was icy cold, but underneath, his body was hot.

The moment my palm touched him, cursed black mist started pouring out from the cracks in his armor, wrapping around my wrist.

"I need to survive," I said, letting the Power of Purification flow from my palm, slip through his armor, and sink into his veins. "You need it too. So let's take what we need from each other. No need to talk about ownership."

He didn't say anything and let out a low hum from his throat.

The instant the curse eased, his eyelids drooped a bit uncontrollably, and the tension in his brow melted away.

At that moment, the monster who'd rampaged across half the continent surprisingly looked tame.

"Your hand," he suddenly said.

"What?" I replied.

"Don't stop."

"Purification consumes my life. Keep it up, and I'll be dead."

"Then take my power to replenish yours."

He gripped the back of my neck, pressing his forehead against mine.

The moment our skin touched, a flood of Magical Energy poured into my veins through where our foreheads met.

I let out a muffled groan. It wasn't human Magical Energy but a dragon's power, originating from the Abyss. It was overbearing, threatening to burn and destroy everything.

It tore through my veins, crashing around inside me, making my guts feel like they were being scorched and twisted.

"Hang in there," Ignis murmured, his voice low and steady against my forehead. "Your body can take it. Survive this, and this power will be yours."

I gritted my teeth. The pain was killing me. It was ten times more agonizing than when Arthur sucked all Magical Energy from me in my previous life.

I lost track of time. It could've been minutes or hours. At last, the pain ebbed away.

I gasped for breath as I opened my eyes, staring down at my hands. A flicker of black-red flame danced at my fingertips. It was Dragon Fire.

Ignis stared at the flame and suddenly laughed.

He said, "Good. Now, there are only three people left on this continent who could kill you."

Then he paused.

"And I'm one of them," he added.