Reincarnated

Chapter 6 - The Ancient Dragon (1)

Cain had no choice but to agree in the end. The Ancient Dragon didn’t give him any time to think about his situation as he pressed, no, threatened him that he would die.

“Now that we are settled, I have something to ask you, child.” Cain looked at the Ancient Dragon and flinched when he saw its serious expression.

“What is it?”

“Why is it that time is warping for you?”

Cain flinched once again after hearing the Ancient Dragon’s question. He had not expected that kind of question.

[It looks like the Ancient Dragon can feel your soul. Is it because it is an Ancient Dragon?]

The mechanical voice started speaking again. Kain felt scared earlier because it suddenly stopped talking, making him feel lonely.

“...”

Cain contemplated if he should tell the Ancient Dragon about his current situation.

‘It’s not like I can lie to a dragon.’

Cain thought after deciding that he still didn’t want to die. He was scared at the thought that the Ancient Dragon was only asking him this question because it wanted to test him.

“I was reincarnated into this body.”

Cain had not told the whole truth. He didn’t tell the Ancient Dragon the whole truth because the theory of it wanting to test him is, in fact, only a theory.

It was still yet to be proven. And because of that Cain was now testing the Ancient Dragon, too.

However, Cain didn’t know that the Ancient Dragon was just sincerely curious of how time warped for him.

“Is that so? But if that is the case then what is the strange energy coming from your core? I have lived tens of hundreds of years and yet this is the first time I felt that kind of energy in one's core.”

The Ancient Dragon stared at Cain’s diaphragm. The ‘core’ is something like a foundation of a being’s life. In a world where magic was like a natural occurrence and was used by people in their daily lives, the ‘core’ is similar to a person’s heart.

[Your body is half-human and half-demon. Although you might not look like any demons in this world, who have horns in their heads, you are still a child born from a demon and a human.]

The sage explained Cain’s body structure for him. Cain thought about how his father in this world had a look of disappointment as he looked at him who had no horns.

‘So, that’s it… But what is a core?’

Cain thought to himself but he heard a response to his question as the sage started to speak again.

[A core is like a person’s second heart. It is the foundation of magic inside a person’s body and it can also serve as a container for a person’s mana.]

Although the sage’s explanation was short, Cain had the gist of its general purpose. Of course, Cain preferred a brief and general explanation like that one than something long and not straight to the point.

It was because the Ancient Dragon was looking at Cain with a suspicious gaze.

“There was once a person who went against natural laws. He travelled across worlds just to learn things and gain enlightenment. That person wanted to become immortal so that he could gain more knowledge from different worlds.”

The Ancient Dragon suddenly started telling a story.

[T,this is…!]

It was at that moment when Cain heard the shocked voice of the sage in his mind. However, he couldn’t react because the Ancient Dragon continued his story.

“The people who knew that person thought of him as someone who was humble and modest. They thought of him as someone who was a restrained and content man, almost to the point of apathy. But they didn’t know that he was actually a very greedy person.”

‘I feel like I have heard this story somewhere.’

Cain thought that he had already known of the story the Ancient Dragon was telling.

“He wanted to be an immortal. As you may have known, human life is very short compared to other creatures like me. Just like what I’ve said, that person wanted to become immortal to gain an even bigger knowledge, however, at the same time, that person didn’t want to lose his gained knowledge to death.”

‘The great sage…’

Cain thought to himself, however, someone else could also hear his thoughts.

[This… this isn’t true. Master is not someone like that.]

The sage’s voice was slightly shaking as it spoke with its mechanical voice.

Cain ignored the sage and focused on the Ancient Dragon’s story.

“In the end, that person died. He couldn’t find a solution to become an immortal even with the level of knowledge he had.”

The Ancient Dragon ended his story and looked straight at Cain. He felt shivers in his whole body and was tempted to take a step back if he didn’t remember that he couldn’t run away anywhere because he was inside the Ancient Dragon’s dimensional space.

The reason why Cain suddenly had the urge to run was because of the scary expression that the Ancient Dragon had on its face.

“Now tell me, are you someone similar to that person?”

Cain’s expression became blank. First was because he wasn’t a sage. And second, because he was not looking for a way to be immortal.

‘Hell, I would have chosen to die in my former body rather than be reincarnated into this world!’

Cain wanted to shout that to the Ancient Dragon’s face but unfortunately he couldn’t because he would die if he did.

[N,no… Master is. My master is not…]

Cain’s eyebrow twitched slightly after hearing the sage’s mechanical voice still shaking.

Cain paid no attention to him. He knew that the sage’s help would be of great advantage in his situation but after hearing the sage’s voice Cain decided that he would need to solve the problem on his own.

“No, I’m not.”

He casually answered. He didn’t care anymore if he was rude or if he acted unlike his supposed age.

“Hmm. If that is so then why do I feel something different in your core? I lived my whole life in this world and haven’t felt that kind of energy so you must be a citizen from another world.”

The Ancient Dragon’s guess was correct. Cain was really from another world.

‘It looks like he was not testing me. Then, I think it would be fine to tell him my situation. That Ancient Dragon will help me greatly in the future if it doesn’t kill me. But first…’

“How did you know the great sage?”

The Ancient Dragon looked shocked after hearing Cain’s words. It didn’t expect that Cain knew of the great sage.

“How…?”

The Ancient Dragon sounded really shaken. It took a deep breath before answering Cain’s question.

“He was my friend.”

Cain noticed how the Ancient Dragon’s reply became short when it had a big mouth just earlier. He thought that he may have touched the Ancient Dragon’s sore spot.

Cain was shocked that the Ancient Dragon had known the great sage but not only that. He was even more surprised at the fact that they were friends.

‘Is that why he sounded so bitter as he told the great sage’s story?’

Cain then realised something. It was like a light bulb being switched in his mind.

“Wait. The great sage travelled through different worlds and dimensions. If that was the case then why did he die out of old age when time should have been warped for him?”

The sides of the Ancient Dragon’s lips started to twitch before curling up into a smile.

“You are definitely a sharp kid.”