[Dragon King Regis POV] Year 5, Day 205 (far-away continent)
Regis activated his magic, pushing unreal amounts into it—enough to alter the fabric of the world itself.
| WORLD RULES ALTER: SPATIAL SHIFT |
Space folded, reality changed, and the throne room vanished as the three of them shifted elsewhere.
Next moment, he and his two new servants were in a completely different location—a valley in the middle of mountains, massive, ancient, protected, and hidden.
A massive ancient forcefield covered it like a dome, a barrier providing protection beyond comprehension. Even Regis himself would struggle breaking through from the outside—perfect defense and impenetrable protection.
On the sides of the forcefield, many dragons were visible—bound, drained continuously and forever, powering the massive forcefield. Eternal batteries and living power sources, suffering engines.
[Fools who challenged me through the ages, fools who fought me and lost. Now they can be batteries, powering this place and protecting my most precious treasures, valued possessions, and family. Eternity of endless service, suffering, and purpose.]
[One does not get to be Dragon King by showing mercy to enemies. One does not maintain power through forgiveness or rule through kindness. Only through strength, cruelty, and absolute dominance. Forever and always, no exceptions.]
High above in the sky, dragons flew, protecting from aerial approach—guard duty and security patrol with professional defense.
[Those among my many servants who want to prove themselves worthy, guarding this place in shifts while demonstrating loyalty, showing dedication, and earning privileges. Professional service and proper devotion. Smart thinking.]
Regis shifted and took his human form—or well, in his case, a proud wolfman. Beastkin form, anthropomorphic wolf. Impressive, intimidating, and aesthetic.
[Took this image from a chieftain of a wolf tribe. Found his look nice to have—professional, commanding, and perfect alpha presence. Perfect form for interacting with servants who find my full dragon form too overwhelming, terrifying, and divine.]
[After that, I killed him and his entire tribe. Standard procedure—dragons usually do it. Nobody likes having someone as your clone walking around. Nobody wants duplicates or copies. Original only, exclusive only, unique only. So the tribe had to go, all of them. Professional elimination and proper copyright enforcement. Standard dragon practice.]
He indicated for the girls to follow and walked toward the valley center where simple wooden houses were located along with hot spring baths in multiple pools where hot water rose from the ground, from ley lines below, from geothermal power. Perfect relaxation, ultimate comfort, and divine pleasure.
[Not many people live in this valley. Twenty-one before, now twenty-three with Luna and Nova. All who I’ve given immortality to. Not by merchant gold water or extending life using personal powers like dragons usually do. I own their souls—they’re part of me. They live until I live and die when I die.]
While getting closer to the valley center, an incubus in a dark butler uniform ran toward him with professional efficiency.
He stopped and bowed in perfect form. “Master, it’s so nice to see you back. Everyone’s been waiting for you.”
Regis just shrugged him off casually. “Sebas, no need to be that official. At least not when nobody who matters is in the area. Family only. Relax and be yourself.”
Sebas watched the two girls following him with surprise similar to the dragon offspring before—same shock, confusion, and disbelief.
“Master, are they? Did you really take new human followers after all this time? Empire did run strong when you made it last time.”
[Empire? Oh right, the Empire was still around back then. Last time I took human servants, the Empire was in its prime—strong, powerful, good times. That was a long time ago, very long. Before Paradise fell and everything changed. Millennia ago. Time blurs when you’re immortal, but servants remember. Sebas remembers. Important to them, just historical to me.]
Regis answered honestly with uncertainty. “Yes. Not even sure why myself. Just felt right—impulse, instinct, something. No particular reason or plan. So I named them, claimed them, and brought them here.”
He looked at the girls. “Luna and Nova, go with Sebas. Get settled in.”
He turned to Sebas directly. “Do the thing.”
Sebas bowed, understanding immediately. “Yes, Master. Luna and Nova, please follow.”
The girls followed obediently and excitedly—new home, new master, new life. Ultimate dream achieved and childhood fantasy realized.
Regis went straight to the largest hot spring without hesitation.
He jumped in with a big splash, willing his clothing off mid-jump—magic made disrobing instant.
[Hot springs are the best. The ley line connection makes them perfect—better than hoards, better than power, better than ruling. Simple pleasure. That’s what actually matters.]
Soon all the girls who lived here joined him—family, real family, his family.
They swarmed around him, massaging and competing for his attention, eager to please.
They also talked about what had happened since he last visited—a month ago probably, maybe longer. Time was uncertain since he wasn’t tracking carefully, just making regular visits whenever he felt like it, wanted comfort, or needed family.
“Well, not much happens here,” one said cheerfully. “Biggest news is the cow had a calf—beautiful, healthy, and strong. Everyone’s excited.”
Another added eagerly. “And the dogs know new tricks! We can show you later! They’re really impressive—everyone worked hard teaching them!”
[Nice simple life. Not like my everyday one where one word can decide the fate of billions, where one decision affects continents, and where one action changes history. Here? Just cows having calves and dogs learning tricks. Simple, peaceful, and real. Everything that matters, everything worth protecting, and everything worth hiding from the world.]
Regis found it funny and ironic.
[This dome covering the valley is only visible one way. From inside you can see out, from outside you can’t see in. Perfect hiding—nobody even knows the valley exists or suspects.]
[Most people think protections like this guard world-changing treasures—reality-breaking artifacts, divine weapons, ultimate power. Something worth dying for. They’d be disappointed.]
[Actually, I use all this power to protect the one thing that matters. Ant servants. Family? Not sure how to word it or what to call them. Servants is too cold, family too warm, possessions too cruel. Something between, something undefined, something precious. Only a handful have ever visited this place—several of my closest offspring, the most loyal ones, and a few peers. All promised to take what’s under here to their graves.]
[Would be nice having peer-level friend who enjoys hot springs. Could visit each other. Exchange families. Real friendship. Companionship between equals. Would be interesting. Would be good.]
[Selyra doesn’t count. I still have near nightmares about how her pet goblin looked at my family with his horny eyes last time they were here. Good that Selyra understood the problem, gave him a lecture, and left in a hurry to avoid more incidents. She’s a peer, yes, but bringing that goblin here again? Never.]
[There are so few in the world I can call equals, and none of them share this interest. They don’t appreciate simple pleasures or value family over power. They chase strength, territory, and hoards instead—standard dragon priorities that I abandoned long ago. So I’m alone in what actually matters. Sad, but that’s reality.]
Some time later, Sebas returned with Luna and Nova with professional timing—task completed.
Regis scanned the girls again with a deeper scan for complete analysis and thorough examination.
[Nice. Sebas got what needed to be done. Was a bit worried since last time was so long ago—so much time that I almost forgot procedures. But perfect execution and expected quality.]
Both girls were now neutered—any fun later would be safe and any enjoyment without complications. Pregnancy impossible, children impossible, complications impossible.
[Sebas may look like a simple butler, appearing as a servant and acting as a subordinate. But he’s actually an archmage-level healer, a master of medical magic and expert of biological manipulation. Professional, skilled, and irreplaceable.]
[All the girls here are neutered as standard procedure. Pregnancy would kill them since mortal bodies can’t handle my babies—even a fraction of that power would be fatal. Prevention is necessary and better than losing them to pregnancy.]
Regis scanned Luna and Nova’s minds, reading their surface thoughts.
[They want me. Really want me. Already thinking about my wolfman form—dreaming, fantasizing, eager. Artemis prepared them well. A century of training made them perfect for this. Worth the wait apparently.]
Everyone joined in the large hot spring together—one happy family.
As everyone here had shared so many stories with him—daily life, simple events, animal updates, everything—Regis decided to share something in return. Fair exchange between family members. Something interesting from the outside world.
“I heard an interesting story recently. That idiot offspring of mine who got his singing siren killed by not giving her elixir and then cried openly about it.” He felt mild satisfaction remembering. “Well, it seems someone killed him. Good for them—I was a bit worried he might show up again after his five-hundred-year exile punishment ended.”
He continued. “But that’s not the actual story. He kept a pink dragon as part of his hoard. When they opened the hoard to claim it after his death, most was stolen and the pink dragon’s cage was empty.”
Pause for effect. “Little sneaky pink dragon stole it all and escaped. And nobody knows how to find her because she smashed her soul.”
Nova asked, trying to understand. “What does this pink dragon thing mean you all talked about? Why is pink significant?”
Regis answered patiently. “Pink dragons are the weakest among true dragons—some call them defective or flawed. Genetic issue, magical deficiency, power problem. But they’re extremely beautiful, the most aesthetically perfect among dragons. Everyone agrees on that.”
He continued. “So power-focused dragons usually force them into harems—collect them, display them, own them as trophy wives and status symbols. This pink dragon probably didn’t like being owned, displayed, and powerless.”
Nova asked again, more invested. “Smashed soul? True dragons can do that? Hide from oracles?”
Regis confirmed. “Yes, but we pay a heavy price. Mortals would just die instantly. But a true dragon loses roughly ninety percent of their strength—power, magic, vitality, maybe even immortality temporarily, though that comes back eventually. Perhaps over the next few thousand years some returns when the soul heals and essence rebuilds. But still a massive loss and terrible price. So almost nobody does it unless really desperate with no other option left.”
Nova’s expression softened, clearly invested in the story now. “So there’s someone somewhere who promised to protect this pink dragon? Or was she just desperate to escape?”
Regis considered that, then offered his theory. “She probably ran to whoever killed my idiot offspring. This pink dragon was quite a skilled oracle, you see. Several of my more useful offsprings tried to buy her, but the idiot never sold—kind of a waste, her skills would have been much more useful elsewhere.”
He continued with his reasoning. “So using her oracle skills, she definitely saw or knew who killed him. Then probably ran to them for protection, taking most of the hoard as tribute.”
Luna asked carefully, “You’re not mad about your offspring’s death and his valuables now in someone else’s hands?”
Regis shrugged casually. “He was an idiot. Not much of a loss—if anything, he was more of a liability than an asset. But it will all come out sooner or later. Many are looking for the pink dragon and that hoard. Greed is a powerful motivator, and I have no doubt that someone will eventually find them.”
He smiled coldly. “Then I can decide how to handle it. I could do nothing. Or I could use the fact that this someone killed my offspring to demand more or less anything from them. Leverage is leverage, after all.”
Regis looked at everyone in the hot springs—comfortable, content, and safe together.
“But girls, enough talking.” He opened his arms. “We have all eternity to talk. Stories can wait—comfort and family first.”
He paused, considering the new additions. “Come here, Luna and Nova. I’m curious how you two perform after being trained by Central’s best courtesans according to your memories. Let’s see if it was worth it.”
Luna and Nova approached eagerly—dreams coming true, fantasy realized, and childhood wish achieved after a century of waiting and preparation.
Several hours later, Regis was able to confirm the girls were indeed very well prepared and eager.
So he asked casually, “So girls, how did you like your last few hours of mortal life?”
The girls watched him with confusion, but happiness clearly radiating from them. “Last few hours of mortal life?”
He explained patiently. “Yes. If you die right now, it’s the end—permanent, final, gone forever. But those at my level can offer something beyond that. I can take possession of your souls and bind them to myself. After that, losing a body becomes just an inconvenience rather than death. It takes some time and effort to find and adapt to a new body, but you don’t cease to exist. About half of those in this valley have had their bodies wrecked at some point and came back.”
He waited for more questions or feedback, but none came—clearly too overwhelming for them. They’d been taught about dragons sharing their power to extend ant lifespans over a thousand years, but they’d had no idea about this level of binding.
So he asked directly. “Do you want true immortality?”
Both nodded without hesitation.
[It went much easier than last time—no half-day philosophical conversations. They’re well prepared to accept even the strangest dragon things.]
He concentrated on his magic, targeted the two of them, and activated.
| WORLD RULES ALTER: SOUL SEPARATION |
Both bodies dropped, and he felt screaming inside him—it happened every time. Panic from the body being separated from the soul and losing all sensory feed.
So he calmed them gently. “Easy, girls. I’m sharing my eyes and ears with you so it won’t be that scary.”
As soon as he connected his senses to their souls, they calmed down and focused on their old bodies now lying there.
He explained more. “Sebas will beef those bodies up a bit, replacing some parts from the dragons chained here—batteries don’t need all their components anyway. This way your bodies won’t break as easily. You’ll love the updates, I promise. Once it’s done, I’ll connect your souls back. Until then, just wait.”
Then he remembered something. “Oh, and if you want to have any fun with Sebas later, it’s fine.”
This finally got the girls to speak. Luna asked, quite shocked, “We are yours and…?”
He understood the confusion. “You all belong to me—Sebas, you, Nova. So there’s no difference. Plus, Sebas knows all my preferences and will teach you both. He can help you learn. And from what I hear from the other girls, he’s quite good at it—incubus and everything.”
[I’ll give them some peace now so they can think and discuss. In time they’ll understand—endless flow of time changes perspectives.]
He walked out far from the houses and transformed back into his dragon form.
Once he reached the border of the dome, he passed through it to the other side where eleven dragons were chained to the ground, bound and drained like those inside.
The girls, seeing through his eyes, asked about this strange display. «What are those dragons bound here?»
He explained, knowing it was important for them to understand the rules. “Those dragons broke the most holy rule among true dragons: never let ants ride or command you. You see those empty cages in front of some of them? Those once contained the riders who are long dust now—only the cages remain.”
Then he added something lighter. “But if you want an amusement ride someday, I can give you one. It’s fine to carry ants as long as they’re just baggage—like carrying a puppy from one room to another.”
Finally, he arrived in front of an azure dragon with silver-white wings. He often wondered how this dragon had kept sane after twenty thousand years—or well, she clearly wasn’t sane, but all the other dragons here had long become vegetables.
The azure dragon started struggling harder against her chains the moment she noticed him, trying to break them in a pointless task.
He paused the draining. “What do you want? You’ve been more agitated this past week.”
The azure dragon glared at him with pure hatred. “The Chain that killed my master has bound to another.”
He found this information interesting. Hate was a special kind of power to feel something like that all the way here.
[So even Paradise’s destruction didn’t destroy that damned artifact. And now someone found it and managed to bind it?]
He asked, “What do you want from me?”
The azure dragon answered. “Allow me to have my revenge—to kill the new owner and destroy the Chain.”
[The Chain can’t be destroyed, but explaining that won’t change anything. Twenty thousand years chained and she’s still coherent enough to want revenge. The others became vegetables in a few centuries, but she held on. That kind of persistence deserves recognition—she’s earned her shot at revenge.]
He grabbed the chains and pulled with force. There was no key or lock—they were welded in place to keep dragons imprisoned forever. After a few moments, the chains broke and freed the azure dragon.
He said coldly, “Go get your revenge. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you myself.”
The azure dragon took a few steps as if remembering how to walk, stretched out her wings, and flew off. Not very fast at first, but slowly gaining distance and speed.
[What a waste. She had such promise, but she broke the one rule that matters. Twenty thousand years of suffering for one mistake.]
He looked up at the dragons keeping guard high above. Releasing one of the prisoners had gotten everyone’s attention.
He indicated for a gray dragon with a streamlined body to come down. He’d heard good things about this one—time to reward him personally with a task.
He spoke clearly. “Follow that azure dragon. If she causes problems in other dragons’ territories or with the Syndicate, kill her immediately. Otherwise, let her find her target and fight without interference. If she wins her revenge, kill her after. If she loses, she’s dead anyway—just record who owns the Chain. Do not attempt to claim the Chain yourself. It’s a dangerous mental weapon that can affect even dragons.”
The gray dragon responded. “This one understands. Will follow the prisoner, kill her if she causes issues or survives, and report everything back.”
He approved with a nod. “Good. Go.”
He watched the gray dragon disappear in pursuit of the azure. Somewhere out there, someone had the Chain and didn’t know a twenty-thousand-year-old vendetta was coming for them.
Not his problem. Not yet, anyway.
He turned and walked back toward home. His family waited—twenty-three souls bound to him now, immortal and his forever.
Paradise continued.
