The Return of the Betrayed Heir

5

Alex had turned six years old, now a confident young boy. Despite his tender age, his physical body had developed remarkably well. He trained continuously in the training hall using a wooden sword. The soldiers observing him whispered among themselves that he would undoubtedly become a formidable dragon warrior in the future. The youngest child of the Dragonblood house showed immense promise, and no one understood how this was possible—except for Alex himself and his dragon, Tessarion.

Tessarion opened his mouth and yawned lazily as usual, while cold beads of sweat dripped from Alex's body. For a six-year-old child, his muscles were exceptionally well-balanced and developed. 

"You sleep all day; a little training would do you good too," Alex said.

Tessarion opened his ash-gray eyes and then closed them again. "I am still a young dragon, so there is no need to overexert myself. Since I haven't received mana training yet, there's no reason to strain my body."

Alex picked up a towel from the side and wiped the sweat from his forehead, then sat down to rest. "Right before I begin mana training, I must get my body into the best possible condition. That way, my physical vessel will accept and integrate the mana much better."

Superior mana control was one of the greatest advantages of a well-conditioned body—a truth Alex had experienced firsthand in his previous life. Therefore, he desperately needed a powerful physical foundation. He possessed the most valuable bloodline and body available, a vessel men would kill to acquire.

"Shall we go for a walk in the forest?" Tessarion asked.

Alex stood up, put on his shirt followed by his jacket, strapped a short sword suited to his height around his waist, and stepped out of the room. Tessarion exited through the dedicated dragon door of the training hall. As soon as Alex stepped outside, his golden dragon descended right beside him.

Alex walked toward the forest located directly behind the dragon manor, while Tessarion took to the sky, following his steps from above.

"How does it feel to fly?" Alex teased playfully.

"Don't speak as if you don't know! You know better than I do," Tessarion retorted.

Alex smiled. "Yes, but teasing you is fun. Besides, you are the only one who knows my memories, and that brings me a sense of relief. It feels good to have someone I can speak to freely."

Alex could feel the warmth of Tessarion's happiness. As they ventured deeper into the heart of the forest, he began noticing flora and trees he had never seen before. Kneeling down, Alex examined a strange flower with color-shifting leaves on the ground.

"Alright, I've never seen this before... not even in my past life," Alex whispered.

Tessarion landed right beside him. "You're right. I didn't even know a place like this existed in our forest."

"Neither did I..." Alex stood up and walked forward slowly, eager to explore this undiscovered domain.

The forest was filled with diverse trees and strange plants, yet there wasn't a single living creature in sight—no animals, no insects. There was only a colossal, ancient tree standing further ahead. The tree emitted a strange energy that Alex could instantly feel, creating a deep sense of unease within him.

As they approached the tree, Tessarion hesitated at first, but ultimately followed Alex's lead.

"This tree is very strange."

Tessarion nodded in agreement. "Let's get out of here. I have a bad feeling about this."

Alex extended his hand to touch the bark of the tree. Suddenly, the bark split open and sucked them both inside!

"Alex!!"

"Tessarion!!"

Tossed helplessly, the two began spiraling left and right inside a violet wormhole. Even though they were right next to each other, they could neither see nor hear one another. As they drifted through the violet wormhole, a brilliant white light began shining at the end of the tunnel.

Gleaming rays of light flashed before Alex's eyes, and all the memories of his past life began playing once again in rapid succession.

"What is happening..?"

Finally, the light extinguished completely, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness. Alex turned around to inspect his environment, but Tessarion, who had been beside him, was now completely gone. Trapped in the middle of an endless void, a terrifying female shriek echoed through the space. Alex tightly clamped his hands over his ears and shut his eyes, but it was useless—the sound was so deafening that blood began trickling from his ears.

After several agonizing minutes, the noise ceased. When Alex opened his eyes, he found himself inside a subterranean cave. Inside was a small, beautifully blue pond filled with glowing white particles.

"What you see there is Asura water."

Startled by the voice behind him, Alex instantly drew his sword and spun around, pointing the blade directly at the speaker's throat. However, his jaw dropped in utter shock at the sight before him.

Standing there was a tall, well-built, middle-aged man. His long white hair was tied back in a neat ponytail. But what was truly extraordinary was the large, purple third eye positioned right in the center of his forehead.

"Your reflexes are impressive. Merely hearing my voice, you accurately pinpointed my location and targeted my neck," the man remarked with a mild smile.

Despite his shock, Alex maintained his composure. He tried to assess the entity before him: Was it a demon? A monster? It fit neither description. If it were a monster, it wouldn't be capable of speech; if it were a demon, Alex would have immediately sensed its demonic energy or its repulsive stench.

Alex narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?"

"My name is Osiris. I am an Asura."

"An Asura?" Alex questioned.

Osiris smiled faintly, fine lines forming on his face as his third eye shifted to scan the surroundings. "I belong to a race hailing from a very distant realm."

Alex lowered his sword. "Asura? I have never heard of such a thing before."

Clasping his hands behind his back, Osiris explained, "That is natural, for I come from another dimension. It is only expected that humans like you know nothing of us."

"Why are you here? And why did you bring me to this place?"

Osiris walked toward a stone seat and gestured to the opposite one. "Would you like to sit?"

Alex accepted the invitation and sat down. Once seated opposite Osiris, he resumed his questions.

"As far as I remember, I was dragged here after a white light appeared. When I opened my eyes, I was in this cave... Are you unable to leave this place?"

Osiris looked at him with his third eye. "I can leave, but I have lost almost all of my power, so I cannot return home."

Severely worn down by his circumstances, Osiris conveyed his sorrow through his posture.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Alex asked.

Osiris smiled gently. "No, I will continue to heal over time. It will take a long while, but I am replenishing my mana day by day."

Alex surveyed the cave. There wasn't much inside—just a section dedicated to fruit-bearing trees and the pool of Asura water, along with two seats, a table, and sword marks carved into the stone walls. 'It's clear he doesn't spend his days merely sitting around,' Alex thought.

Osiris turned his gaze back to Alex. "Now then, let us return to you. How did you arrive here?"

"Honestly, I am in a similar position," Alex replied. "I was simply exploring the forest behind our manor with my dragon, and..."

Alex froze like a statue as the sudden realization hit him. 'Damn it... I forgot about Tessarion!'

Osiris raised a finger, and Tessarion instantly materialized right before them. Disoriented, Tessarion looked at Alex, who offered a sheepish smile and a small wave. However, upon spotting Osiris, the dragon immediately bared his fangs and let out a fierce roar.

"Alex, step back! I'll handle him," Tessarion communicated mentally, sensing the immense power radiating from the figure. "Even if I can't defeat him, I can create an opening for you to escape!"

"Wait, this guy is out of our league," Alex replied mentally. "If he wanted to kill us, he would have done so already."

Osiris observed them thoughtfully. "A unique dragon and his unique rider. Despite your young age, you possess great strength, yet you use no mana. This is pure physical power."

"I am still too young to use mana," Alex answered. "Our family strictly forbids us from using any technique before learning our own ancestral mana formula."

Osiris looked at Alex intently and asked, "Alex Dragonblood... do you wish to become stronger than you were in your past life?"

Alex's eyes widened in shock, and he swallowed hard. He had believed that the secret of his past life was known only to himself and Tessarion—yet now, a third entity knew the truth.