Chapter 219: Awakening of the Progenitor
The news reached the Celestial Dragon Empire in less than a day.
A whole legion had vanished. Not defeated, not scattered, not retreating. Vanished.
The report was brought before the Grand Palace in the Celestial Capital, where towers of white jade and golden dragons stretched into the heavens. The throne hall was filled with nobles, generals, and elders.
A messenger, pale and trembling, fell to his knees before the Celestial Dragon Emperor himself.
"Your Majesty... the Fourth Dragoon Legion... has been... erased."
The hall erupted into chaos.
"Impossible!"
"The Fourth Legion are veterans of three wars!"
"Who dares to touch the descendants of Her Majesty Tiamat’s line?"
"This must be rebellion from one of the outer provinces!"
The Emperor’s voice cut through the storm like thunder.
"Silence!"
The nobles froze. His golden draconic eyes burned with rage, his aura shaking the marble pillars of the hall.
"Explain."
The messenger stammered, sweat pouring down his face. "A... a man. A single man appeared in the village where the girl resided. He wielded shadows... His power suppressed even wyverns with dragon blood. None could resist him. None survived. He declared before witnesses that the girl is under his protection."
Gasps spread like wildfire.
"A man? Just one man?"
"Suppress dragon blood? That is not possible... not unless—"
"Could it be an ancient sovereign?"
The Emperor’s clawed fingers dug into his throne. For the first time in centuries, genuine caution flickered in his gaze.
"To swallow an entire legion... to bind wyverns by sheer will..." He muttered, his teeth grinding. "Who is he?"
The messenger bowed low, trembling. "H-He gave no name, Your Majesty... but the villagers call him... Protector."
The title lingered in the air, heavy with meaning.
One of the elders snarled, his beard trembling with rage. "Protector? Of whom? Do they dare imply he protects her from us? From the Empire itself?"
Another elder’s face grew pale. "Could he be an ancient remnant of the World? Or... a survivor from the Fallen Empire’s bloodline?"
The chamber descended into whispers again, some fearful, some furious.
The Emperor stood, his draconic aura surging outward like a tidal wave.
"Enough. Summon the High Council. Double the watch on all border worlds. Send word to every legion. This so-called Protector has made his first move. I will know who he is, and when I find him—"
His voice dropped into a low growl that made even the nobles kneel.
"—I will tear his soul apart."
---
Meanwhile, outside the capital, the news spread among the common folk faster than fire on dry grass.
A whole legion gone. The Empire, shaken. And whispers carried a name.
"The Protector."
-
The little town still buzzed with rumors of the mysterious "Protector" who wiped out a legion. But inside the modest house of Lilya’s poor parents, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Lilya sat cross-legged on a woven mat, her breathing shallow, her small hands trembling. Her eyes, usually bright, were filled with uncertainty.
"Mister.. I-Igaris... what if I cannot do it? My parents... they say I am just a cursed child. Even the villagers whispered it when I was born. I don’t feel like a dragon. I don’t feel like anything."
Her voice cracked, and her frail body seemed so far removed from the future Dragon Queen she was destined to become.
Igaris placed a steady hand on her shoulder, his eyes calm, his voice warm and firm.
"Lilya... inside you flows the oldest blood of your kind. The Progenitor. Even the Celestial Empire worships your lineage, though they themselves are only fragments of what you truly are. Do not mistake slumber for weakness. Your blood is simply waiting for the right call."
Her golden eyes widened slightly, and she swallowed hard. "But how... how do I call it?"
"Through pain," Igaris said quietly. "Through courage. Through remembering who you are, not what others told you."
He extended his hand, and shadows gathered around his palm, coiling into a sphere of pure energy. His Space-Time domain bent slightly, stabilizing the house from the violent force.
"Place your hand on it. I will guide you. You may feel fear, but I will not let you fall."
Lilya hesitated only a second before pressing her trembling palm against the sphere.
The effect was immediate.
Her small body convulsed as streams of ancient power tore through her veins, unlocking gates that had long been sealed. Golden light surged from her skin, her heartbeat echoing like thunder in the small house.
"Ahhh—!" She cried out, but Igaris’s hand steadied her, channeling his energy to keep her alive.
From outside, villagers gasped as the skies above the town split apart, revealing a colossal phantom of a primordial dragon. Its scales shimmered with colors beyond mortal sight, its roar shaking the land for miles.
The poor parents stumbled into the room, horrified and awed.
"My daughter...! What is happening to her?" her mother cried.
"She is going to die, isn’t she? Please, stop this!" her father begged, clutching the doorframe.
Igaris turned his gaze to them, calm yet unyielding.
"Do not fear. She is not dying. She is becoming what she was always meant to be. The world may see her as weak now, but soon... even Empires will bow."
At that moment, Lilya’s small frame glowed like molten gold. Her eyes turned into twin slits of draconic majesty. Sharp, iridescent horns pushed from her temples, and scales like starlit gems rippled along her arms.
Then—BOOM!
A shockwave blasted outward, shattering the windows, rippling through the town. Villagers fell to their knees in fear as the phantom dragon above Lilya merged into her body.
Her cry turned into a roar, primal and commanding.
When the light finally dimmed, she was no longer the frail little girl. Though still young, her aura carried the weight of eternity, the undeniable mark of the Dragon Progenitor.
Breathing heavily, Lilya looked up at Igaris, tears in her glowing eyes.
"I... I felt it. I am not cursed... I am a dragon."
Igaris knelt and wiped the tears from her cheek. His voice softened.
"No. You are not just a dragon, Lilya. You are the beginning of them all. Never forget that. And one day... even the Celestial Dragon Empire will tremble when they see you."
Her parents, though trembling, fell to their knees in awe, realizing the truth. Their daughter was no cursed child. She was the very progenitor their Empire claimed to descend from.
---
The first sunrise after Lilya’s awakening was unlike any other. The entire town was silent, too afraid to even gossip about what they had witnessed. But for Lilya, the day began with a quiet determination in her heart.
On the grassy hill behind the village, Igaris stood tall, arms crossed, as Lilya struggled to hold her stance. Golden draconic scales flickered across her skin, appearing and disappearing as if her body was unsure of how much power to release.
"Steady your breath," Igaris instructed. His tone was calm but firm. "Do not fight the bloodline. Let it flow, then command it."
Lilya clenched her fists, her small frame trembling. "It... it feels like fire burning me from the inside. I can’t control it."
Igaris stepped closer, his presence enveloping her like a fortress. "You can. The fire you feel is not meant to destroy you, but to remind you that you are alive. The Progenitor bloodline is not a cage. It is freedom. Let it move with you."
Closing her eyes, Lilya tried again. She inhaled deeply, remembering his words. Slowly, the golden scales began to stabilize across her arms, forming symmetrical patterns. A faint glow shimmered from her eyes, more controlled this time.
"That’s it," Igaris nodded. "Now, focus it. Summon your wings."
Her body shook, and with a cry, golden light burst from her back. Two magnificent wings spread open, their edges shining like molten crystal. For the first time, Lilya hovered above the grass, her hair dancing in the wind.
Her parents watched from the edge of the hill, their mouths wide open.
"She... she’s flying..." her mother whispered in awe.
"Our Lilya... the cursed child... she is no cursed child at all," her father muttered, his eyes filling with tears.
Villagers who had secretly followed stood frozen, their faces pale as they witnessed a child summon wings of a god. Some knelt, some trembled, others whispered in reverence.
"Is that... the Progenitor’s blessing?"
"She is divine...! The Dragon Mother reborn!"
But while the villagers drowned in shock, Igaris was only focused on Lilya.
"Good," he said firmly. "But power uncontrolled is more dangerous than weakness. Try to descend gently. Do not let the wings consume your body."
Lilya grit her teeth, her small hands trembling as she struggled to land. For a moment, her energy spiraled out of control, golden fire scorching the ground. But Igaris flicked his finger, redirecting the energy harmlessly into the sky.
"Again," he said calmly.
Panting, Lilya nodded and tried once more. This time, she landed clumsily but safe, her golden wings retracting back into her body.
Collapsing to her knees, she looked up at him with tired but determined eyes. "Did... did I do well?"
A rare smile touched Igaris’s lips. He crouched, placing a hand on her head. "You did more than well. You are beginning to walk the path that only the strongest can walk. The path of the Dragon Queen."
Her small lips curved into a smile despite her exhaustion.
That night, the villagers celebrated quietly, bringing food and gifts to Lilya’s home, though they no longer dared call her by name. Instead, whispers spread through the town.
"The Progenitor walks among us."
"The girl is chosen. Protected by the mysterious man."
"She will bring change to the world."
And under the starlit sky, Igaris silently watched her sleep, her draconic aura pulsing faintly. His mind drifted to the past timeline, where they met as enemies before destiny twisted into love.
"This time," he whispered softly to himself, "I will make sure you grow without fear. I will make sure no one chains you."