thefictionvixens Chapter 33 Dragon Eyes
Chapter 33 Dragon Eyes
The reshaping has begun.
Arthur felt his heart deforming, literally deforming.
The ventricles are thickening, the heart walls are hardening, and the rhythm of the heartbeat has changed from the human "thump-thump-thump" to a heavier, slower, and more oppressive rhythm.
Like a pulse emanating from the depths of the earth, each beat pumps a surge of scorching dragon energy throughout the body.
That dragon power was no longer an external force that he needed to deliberately guide; it belonged to him.
The last wisp of dragon essence's whiskers reached its proper place.
The web of vines slowly dissipated; Morgan did not remove the spell, for the spell itself had fulfilled its purpose.
The silvery-white threads and deep purple petals, condensed from magic, completely merged into the river the moment the dragon's essence entered the waterway.
At the same time, it lost its light and turned into fine magical dust, which fell on Arthur's skin and felt slightly cool.
The silver film of Avalon also quietly faded away. Melly withdrew her hand. The essence of the lake water in the pottery jar had been completely consumed, leaving only a very faint layer of silver light at the bottom of the jar.
Arthur opened his eyes.
His emerald green eyes turned gold.
It's Dragon Eye.
The pupils are vertical, and the irises gleam with a fiery, molten gold-like radiance.
But there was no wild madness in those vertical pupils, only a calm and profound gaze that transcended human vision.
He saw something he had never seen before.
Magic is no longer something you can sense, but something you can see.
Countless fine, hair-like magical light patterns flowed through the air.
The icy blue mist emanating from Morgan, the lingering silver light of Avalon on Mary's fingertips.
The ancient earth veins lingering in the tower's stone walls, and the faint green life force released by the plants growing in the courtyard outside the window.
Every kind of magic has its own color, its own temperature, and its own direction of flow.
He could even see what those magical powers "wanted" to do.
Morgan's remaining magic in the petal ashes is slowly returning to her body; it is the intention of "returning".
The silver light at Meryl's fingertips was fading, an intention to "leave".
The ancient magic within the ley lines remained still, an intention to "sleep".
"Arthur".
Morgan's voice pulled him back to his senses.
She remained kneeling opposite him, her long, silvery-white hair scattered on the floor, her face as pale as paper, the sweat on her forehead dried, leaving only faint traces of salt frost.
Her magic was greatly depleted; Arthur could see that almost half of her magic was gone.
The remaining magic is slowly flowing back from the limbs to the heart, an intention of "self-recovery".
"Your eyes," she said, her voice unusually weak.
Arthur blinked, and the golden dragon eyes slowly faded, his irises changing from molten gold to amber, and then from amber to turquoise.
His vertical pupils returned to their round shape, but he knew that the ability to "see" had not disappeared.
It simply sank deep into his consciousness, waiting to be awakened again.
Morgan swayed slightly, and Arthur reached out to support her shoulder.
Her shoulders were narrow and cool, like a leaf that had just fallen from the winter fog in his palm.
"I'm fine," she said, but didn't push his hand away. "I've just used up my magic; a night's rest will do the trick."
Mary stood up from the edge of the formation and walked over to Arthur.
Her amethyst-like eyes scrutinized his face, then she reached out a finger and poked his chest, at the location of his heart.
"Your heartbeat has changed," she said. "The human rhythm is 'thump-thump-thump,' but yours is 'thump-thump-thump-thump.'"
"...One beat too many?"
"One beat too many." Meryl withdrew her finger, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"The rhythm of a dragon is that each heartbeat has one more syllable than that of a human."
That extra beat is the sound of the dragon's power being regenerated in your heart.
Starting today, your magic reserves are three times what they were before, and your regeneration speed is twice as fast.
Moreover, your Dragon Eyes can see through the essence of magic, its flow, attributes, temperature, and even the 'intention' of magic itself.
This is an extremely rare ability.
She took a step back, put her hands behind her back, and resumed her usual nonchalant demeanor.
"However, what you need most right now is sleep. The Dragon's Heart has just awakened, and your body needs time to adapt to that heart that has 'beated an extra beat'."
Go back to your room and get a good night's sleep.
Arthur looked down at his chest, and through his skin and ribs, he could feel the Dragon's Heart pounding heavily and powerfully.
Thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~.
Each jump brought him a sense of fulfillment he had never experienced before.
It is a kind of "complete" fulfillment.
It's like an organ that has been missing since he was born has finally been filled tonight, more than ten years later.
He stood up and hung the sword in the stone and the sword in the lake back on his waist.
The light from the two holy swords continued to flow quietly, but Arthur could sense that their rhythm had changed.
The blue and white starlight of the Sword in the Stone was pulsating in sync with his Dragon Force River, while the golden radiance of the Sword in the Lake was breathing in sync with his Dragon Heart.
It's not the sword that drives him, nor him that drives the sword; it's "synchronization."
His Dragon Force River, Dragon Furnace, and two holy swords all breathe in unison.
He walked to the door, stopped, and turned around.
Morgan remained seated, her long, silvery-white hair spread across the black stone slabs like a snowflake falling in the dead of night.
Meryl stood beside him, holding the empty earthenware jar in her hand, her amethyst-like eyes looking at him.
"Morgan, Meryl."
Both of them looked at him at the same time.
"Thanks."
Morgan turned his face away. "You're welcome. I just don't want Mordred's father to die."
Mary burst out laughing.
"You really are... a prime example of saying one thing and meaning another."
Morgan glared at her, but didn't argue.
Arthur smiled, pushed open the door, and stepped into the night.
Outside the tower, the sky had transitioned from a deep indigo to the deepest pre-dawn inky blue.
The stars are disappearing one by one, and a faint gray-white line is faintly visible on the eastern horizon.
The courtyard was silent; even the frog was asleep.
Arthur walked through the courtyard back to his room, leaned against the bed, and lay down, his right hand pressed against his chest, where the Dragon's Heart was pounding heavily and powerfully.
Thump~ thump~ thump~ thump~, each heartbeat had an extra beat compared to yesterday, and that extra beat was the sound of Long Li being reborn in his heart.
He closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he will use this fully awakened Dragon's Heart to once again wield the twin swords.
He allowed the newly born dragon power and the power of the holy sword to fully synchronize within the depths of his bones, transforming them into his instincts.
Then, he was going to do what he had always been doing.
Changing those "destined" tragedies, one after another.
The first hint of gray is quietly spreading across the sky outside the window.