Whispers of a Dead Empire

Chapter 76

Shortly after I fell asleep, gravity pulled me back. At first, I panicked, but then realized this was how it felt to fall through my inner realms. Instead of fighting it, I allowed it to happen. A heartbeat later, I came to an abrupt stop and found myself in my soul realm.

I glanced around, trying to make sense of what was happening. The haze that filled this area was thicker than before, and the sound of snoring had vanished. I mean, I didn't use my meditation skill, so I wonder what caused this to happen.

The sound of nails scratching the ground caught my attention, and my eyes shot to the location. I paused to figure out what the noise could be from. It sounded like a small creature that was scrambling across a tile floor. I kept my hands ready as I prepared myself for whatever was to come. I may be in my soul realm, but I also had to face the possibility that some sort of magic could invade it. However, much to my surprise, a small reptilian head poked out from the haze.

A pair of black eyes stared at me, and its head tilted to the side. I stared at it for a moment, shocked to see what looked to be a baby dragon inside of where my soul should be. We shared a gaze as I tried to figure out why this was a thing. I mean, I understood that my class was called the Dragon of Asteria and that I chose the dragon soul path, but I don't remember signing adoption papers.

I squatted down and tapped the floor in front of me. "Come here." I cooed out softly as I quickly thought over stuff. That would explain the snoring I heard when I was in earlier, though I highly doubt that such a loud noise could come from such a small creature.

The little dragon tilted its head as it stared at me before it stepped forward. The haze parted around it like a sea, revealing a lithe body lined with deep vibrant purple scales that hardly reflected the ambient lighting. A small crest of seven horns stretched from the back of the small head. The little dragon stepped forward before it pressed itself as low as possible. It wiggled on its haunches, and I saw a small tail-flick behind it as it was getting ready to pounce.

Ah, so this was the game that we were going to play? I tapped my finger once more and slowly dragged it back. The dragon zeroed in on my finger before it pounced. The little guy was fast, but I was faster. I quickly moved my finger away and stepped back, giving the little guy some space.

The hatchling didn't seem too thrilled at the fact that it got tricked and stepped back, giving me a look of indignation.

"What's the wrong little guy?" I asked as I squatted down once more and tapped the ground in front of me. The question is, what am I supposed to do with a dragon? However, before I could do anything, a strange presence overtook me. I felt the hairs on my head stand up straight, and my heart skipped a beat. A primal fear gripped my heart tightly as my breath caught in my throat. The surrounding air seemed to grow heavier with each passing second as if it was trying to force me to my knees.

I gasped for air as I struggled against whatever seemed to try to make me bow, at least until the sound of shoes smacking into tile resounded in my ear, and a deep sultry voice broke the silence. "Ah, you must be Calixa. I must say, you are quite the celebrity right now." The voice, though alien, was laced with an accent I immediately recognized as being British, or at least something close to it.

The air seemed to redouble in its efforts to push me to my knees, but I refused to budge. Instead, I fought against it and clenched my fist. "Who are you?" I hissed out through my teeth.

"My name is Midir. It's a pleasure to meet you." Through the haze, another being materialized. This time, a male was dressed in an extravagant back three-piece suit, topped with a glittering silver tie. His short hair was a saturated black that seemed to gulp at the light. What visible parts of his flesh I could see seemed to be the color of caramel and utterly flawless. A soft smirk crossed his face, parting his lips slightly, revealing a mouth full of pointed canines.

I stared at him, struggling against the weight of the air as it pressed down on me. "Who the fuck are you, and why are you in my soul realm?" I gritted my teeth and struggled once more as the surrounding air seemed to redouble its efforts.

Midir chuckled quietly and reached up to remove the pair of sunglasses he was wearing, revealing a set of amber-colored eyes that looked as if they came straight from a lizard. "Now, now, darling. Please don't get too hasty. I won't hurt you."

I took a deep breath, ignoring the fear that screamed at me as I struggled with the presence that was smothering me. "Then why are you here?"

Instead of answering me, the man walked over to me and bent over.

"Before I answer your questions, darling, I'm going to have to ask you to bow." His words were drawn out and playful, but under it all, I felt a hint of bloodthirst that seemed to simmer just under the surface.

"I refuse." I didn't care who or what I was standing before. But I would never bow to anyone, especially not in my realm.

"Is that so?" A serpentine tongue flickered from his mouth as the air smashed into me with even more force than I thought possible. It slammed into my back with the strength of a freight train, yet I held on with everything that I could. I mentally activated every single skill that came to mind that would help me in this situation. My legs felt as if they were about to shatter from the sheer amount of weight that was assailing me.

"Yes." I met his eyes, daring him to hit me again. I knew I wouldn't handle much more than this, but I was trying to prove a point.

"Ah, I like you already, darling." Midir snapped a pair of ring-clad fingers, and the force vanished instantaneously.

I sucked in a deep breath and caught myself as I fell forward, surprised by the sudden shift of force. I cleared my throat as I straightened up and adjusted my cloak. While I was pissed, I wouldn't risk pissing off whoever this was, especially since he was in my soul realm. "Now. Who are you?" I asked as I smoothed out the front of my cloak.

"Midir. The lord of dragons at your service" The strange man gave me a large flourish as the air around me flickered and fell away like grains of sand, revealing what looked like a regular park. Flocks of birds soared through the air, and the wind blew softly through the trees and through the fields of short grass. For once, the ambient smell of death vanished and was replaced by that of freshly cut grass. Something that I haven't smelt in so long.

I eyed the man warily as he snapped his fingers, and dozens of tree roots broke from the ground and quickly intertwined with one another, forming a skeletal outline of a bench. I stood there, watching as Midir walked over and took a seat. What did I get myself into? Why is there a man in my soul proclaiming himself as a lord of dragons here?

"Come now, little godling, we have much to discuss and very little time to do so." Midir crossed his legs and pointed at the spot next to him on the bench.

"I'll stand for now." I crossed my arms and stood across from him. It was for the best if I kept my space. At least for now, until I figured out what he wanted.

"So be it then. As for why I am here, it's simple. I came to deliver your soul summon and meet you. It's been a while since Tenith received a new godling who broke into the second tier, especially so soon, and an outworlder to boot." Midir stretched his arms out on both sides of the bench as he spoke and bobbed his foot to some unseen rhythm.

"Godling, huh? I guess that's something that I haven't really thought about." Really, I read all the menus and whatnot, but I guess it didn't really sink in until now. I mean, I don't really feel all that different.

"Ah, please don't lose that humble nature. Most beings that become gods become insufferably full of themselves. Though I guess I'm not one to speak. I am a dragon, after all." His long snake-like tongue flickered out and ran across his teeth as a wide grin crossed his face.

Those words swam through my head, as for once I actually paid it some mind. I'm a god or something akin to it. I stared down at my hands as the thoughts swirled around. Maybe I shouldn't think too far into it. Already, the thoughts of what I could do seemed to gnaw at me, telling me I could do anything that I wanted. "You say I'm a godling, yet I don't feel like one." Some doubts that had built up slipped out of my mouth as I looked inwards.

"Most don't. Besides, you are at the very bottom of the totem pole, especially on Tenith. I'm just elated to see a new face. The great game isn't as fun when you've fought the same people for eons."

I clenched my fist and tore my attention away from my hands." Great game? Also, I've always wondered, how did I get to Tenith, and how did I become a domain god?" Finally, after all this time, I could have some questions answered.

Midir gazed at me with his amber eyes before he shrugged. "I can't tell you much about where you came as I know very little. But, while I have time, you may ask some of your questions, and I'll consider answering them."

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