Rise of the Devourer

Book 3: Chapter 44 — Wyvern Cliffs Pt. 14

It happened in an instant. Vion had felt Noah’s aura, felt its weight. It was similar to her, similar to Zax in many ways, but not truly like her. It was weaker, false, a facsimile. Then, something had changed.

She felt a shudder run up her spine, and when she looked in front of her, she no longer saw Noah standing in front of her.

[Devourer - ???]

A deep white glow permeated out of the demonic creature’s eyes as it stood in front of her. It was unlike anything else she’d ever felt before. She knew what this was. She’d been made to learn.

She was afraid.

You’ve felt the aura of the [Devourer].

Terror floods your body.

Run. Run as fast as you can. Run before it can catch you.

Affliction level: IV

The creature stood, so still, and unmoving, like it meant her no harm. It didn't even seem to focus on her, and yet, she felt her body shivering and shaking. She didn’t know what he had done, she didn’t understand what ability or power this was, but in that moment, she knew one thing to be true.

That thing was going to kill her.

The creature looked at her, almost as if curious, like it was pleased to see her there. Then it smiled and every sense of notion vanished from Vion. Power flooded her body as she began to run.

Before she could even move much further, the creature teleported in front of her, claws brandishing as void lightning swirled around it. It slashes and the world seemed to be cut for a moment, before the abyss itself shrieked from the gaps as the blast knocked her backward.

Vion turned, she felt her mana soaring through her, heat blasting everywhere as lava began to rise from her body. She let the lava soar, creating a blast towards the creature as she began to rush away. The creature teleported once more, appearing in front of her.

She froze. The monster stood right there. Noah’s face was inches away from her, yet it was the eyes, she saw the creature, its eyes, the way its outline shifted and she knew it wasn’t him anymore.

And then, a thought even more terrible than that came to her.

What if… that was Noah.

She didn’t have the time to think. The creature’s pressed a palm against her, and she felt herself being blasted back in a shockwave, crashing into a row of trees as she took them down with her.

Vion pulled herself up, coughing blood as the creature stood in the distance, simply watching her. Her arms shook as she clenched dirt. Then, a new emotion rose from inside of her.

Anger.

She was not going to die like this. She was NOT going to be kicked around. She was not a weakling, she was not some frail princess who didn’t know any better.

She was a dragon.

Vion roared, as she felt a surge of power rise from within her. She let it, let the power rise, but she did not relinquish control. Her instincts, the instincts she’d buried so deep underneath came out in full force, and they refused to buckle down.

If she was going to die, she would take her enemies down with her.

[Dragon Soul] has awakened.

[Class: Magma Mancer] temporarily removed.

Race temporarily changed to [Juvenile Magma Dragon]

And yet, just as she did, she felt it, felt the aura vanish as the monster she’d been fighting disappeared.

The change was so abrupt, so sudden, Vion felt her anger snap off, as her mind reeled. She stared, looking ahead and found Noah seated on the ground, clutching his chest. She tried to walk ahead, but she stumbled.

She looks down at herself, and realizes she is still in her dragon form. Not just for that inexplicable moment, no she is truly just here.

A strange well of feelings bud from within Vion, and for a moment it almost felt as if the magic holding her together would snap, but she pushed it back, kept it in place. She walked, reorienting herself.

She was large now, so much larger, she had four legs, and wings and a tail, and her body was so vastly different, and yet, it felt more natural than anything had ever felt in her entire life. She moved, one step at a time, walking up to Noah who simply sat there, dazed.

The man snapped out of his daze as she approached, and after a moment, he smiled as he looked up at her, a proud expression on his face.

“You did it!” Noah exclaimed.

***

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Noah grinned happily as he regarded Vion, now standing in her dragon form. He pulled himself to his feet, reorienting himself from the experience he’d had. The memories felt like they were already being pushed away by his mind, like he was trying to forget it all, but he held onto them.

Now wasn’t the time. Now wasn’t the time to understand exactly what he’d done. He would do it later. But he knew, he knew that he would have to confront this. He’d run from this for long enough.

Hopefully Zax would have an answer for him.

Vion looked down at Noah, opening her mouth to speak. Lava dripped forth, burning the ground next to her as she did, a rumbling growling being the only thing that came out.

Noah reached out with his device, telepathically talking to her.

“It’s probably better to talk like this, till you get used to your new form.”

“Yes. Yes… you’re right,” Vion said, lowering her head to be at eye level with him. Noah put a hand on her face. “But I did it Noah. I… I did it. I’m a dragon now,” Vion said, the large dragon rumbling.

Noah’s skin burned where he touched her, her aura so hot it was almost unbearable, even for him, but he kept his composure.

“You did it,” he replied.

Vion closed her eyes, letting the moment sink in.

“You know what? I had always wanted to fly. Ever since I was a kid, I’d wanted to fly. Now… now it’s time to do that. Hop on,” Vion said, brushing Noah closer.

“Are you sure?” he asked, uncertain. “You just gained your form. I saw you stumble there with walking, maybe don’t rush it?”

“No, no it has to be now. I have a feeling, just trust me,” Vion said, and Noah gave in. Walking closer, he climbed up the magma dragon’s back, feeling the heat from her skin rising through her body.

Vion turned, her eyes towards the skies. She spread her wings out, letting the heat seep out in the world, as magic began to gather into them.

“Alright. Here, goes nothing,” she said and began to run.

The dragon moved like a boulder running and the heat inside her melted the world around her. Noah felt the shaking and the jumps as Vion rushed ahead before leaping into the skies as she spread her wings.

He watched, ready to jump off or teleport in case things went wrong, and for a moment the dragon seemed like she would fall right back down, crashing into the trees. Then, a surge of magic flowed through her body, heat rising from beneath her.

Vion flapped her wings once, then twice, and before they knew it, they were in the skies.

“Oh my god, I’m flying!” Vion exclaimed, wings flapping as she continued to rise up in the air. Noah watched in fascination as the world slowly began to move away from her.

Birds flew away, letting out calls. Any creatures who saw her in the sky either froze or ducked away as Vion moved through the skies, moving higher and higher.

Noah watched from her back, taking in the sights as she felt the dragon rumbling underneath her in joy.

“I’ve… been here before. On the back of other wyverns and creatures. This place had always felt oddly comfortable. And yet, I always knew there had been something missing. Now… now I understand it. It is so different. To be this free, untethered to the ground, to move as I wish through the skies. I feel like… I’m free of the chains I was given at birth,” Vion said, and for a moment Noah wondered if the droplets of magma he saw were tears in the dragon’s eyes.

The two flew in the skies for a few minutes, before Vion landed back on ground. Noah stepped off of the dragon’s back, and a second later, he saw the creature’s body shift and flash, glowing as it shrank, eventually settling down into the form of a woman.

Noah felt surprised when Vion walked up to him and wrapped him in a hug.

He froze, unsure of what to do, before simply letting the woman settle there, as he put a hand on her back.

“Thank you, Noah,” she whispered.

“Don’t mention it,” Noah replied, as Vion stepped back.

Noah had to avert his eyes a moment later..

Vion stood there, as naked as the day of her birth. The princess huffed and harummed after a moment, realizing what the transformation had done as well, before she looked up at Noah.

“Oh, is that a blush I see on your face?” Vion asked, moving closer.

Noah stammered, before coughing as he composed himself as he looked back at Vion. Her red hair somehow seemed even more like fire than it had done before.

“Honestly, I’ve seen enough women naked by this point. Even before arriving to this world. And we also had this wonderful thing called the internet—”

Vion chuckled at his words, making Noah pause. “Alright fine,” she said, and with a flick of her wrist, clothes appeared in her hand. “Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to not be standing around naked.”

“Right, of course,” Noah said, before turning around as the princess put on some clothes again. A second later, he switched off Abyssal Awareness as well, the constant stream of information from all around him vanishing, leaving him with just his own senses.

“I’m decent now,” Vion said and Noah turned around, switching the ability back on. He hadn’t realized how used to he had gotten with that ability at some point.

Vion stood there, one hand on her waist and a grin on her lips, excluding the confidence he’d first seen when he’d met her. But unlike then, this did not feel like a false pretense anymore.

“I have to ask you though… what the hell had you done there? Was that some ability? It said Devourer when I looked at you, and… you did not feel like yourself anymore,” Vion asked.

“Yeah… it’s similar to your dragon thing, except I can’t really control mine either, I think,” Noah said, not sure how to answer the woman. “It’s not an ability I like to use very often.”

Vion gave him a nod. “I think I understand. It… for a second I had felt genuine fear, and if you hadn’t transformed back on your own… I would’ve likely tried to kill you.”

Both of them stood there in silence for a moment.

“Anyway, this was good. What do you say about making this a regular thing? My mornings are free so we could come here to train,” Noah asked.

He hadn’t looked at his notifications, but he knew he’d leveled up at least once, and his abilities had risen in levels a bunch of times.

“Sure, sounds good. I need some practice controlling my transformation anyway. And using my abilities without transforming,” Vion said.

“Sweet. Same time tomorrow?” Noah asked.

“Sounds like a plan,” Vion replied.

Noah grinned at her. “You got it.”