He wasn't in a rush to follow that suggestion. To play it safe, he decided to land two kiloters away from it.
(Why did you land here? You need to be closer,) It insisted.
Asher shook his head. "I'll return if I don't find anything,"
He cast a spell to create a small stone table, but before he could place the dragon core on it, Pantheon started protesting.
(Bring with you. I can detect the core, and it will be much faster.)
He paused, pretending to consider, but in his mind, the seed of doubt had already taken root. Only a fool would fall for this trick.
"Just wait here." he added.
(Stop!)
"'Why are you so insistent on coming with ? Is there sothing more here than just the core?'
Pantheon hesitated, and that only confird Asher's suspicion.
"Is it the body?" he asked, breaking the silence.
Still no response, so he pressed on with the question that was bothering him all this ti.
"I've been wondering why you only talk to and not Julius. Now it makes sense. It's because you can't communicate with the locals in this world,"
He recalled how the sa thing happened to the humans who got transported here. It seed he was the only exception to this rule.
"And there's no l, is there?" he pressed on, aiming to rattle Pantheon further.
(No... You are mistaken. This — ) It finally answered.
"Don't lie to . If you keep this up, I'll destroy your will,"
The dragon remained silent.
"Do you really want to test ?" His voice turned colder, and a magic formula began to form around his hand.
At first, it didn't worry much because no spell could override the power of a dragon's language—it was practically god-tier.
But then, suddenly, it felt threatened. The language Asher was using was made by Index, and it was in no way inferior.
(How is this possible?)
"Funny hearing that from an ancient dragon like yourself. Did you forget? Nothing is really impossible with magic."
"So, back to the topic—are you going to tell the truth, or do you want to destroy you?"
(You can't kill . You need if you want to get out of this world)
Asher's face turned more serious. As much as he hated being lied to, he still had no idea how to destroy the restrictions.
"Let's negotiate. We both have things we want to achieve here. I'm the only one who can talk to you, so you're stuck with . Also, the chance of you finding soone like is really low."
The dragon couldn't help but feel depressed at the thought of being stuck in this form any longer.
(Tell your conditions.)
"I'm willing to give you that body if you can assure that you can destroy whatever is restricting my portal so I can leave this world."
(I promise)
"A promise isn't enough. How about you sign a temporary contract with ?" he suggested.
During his free ti in Julius' personal library, Asher had co across this particular spell and was impressed by its versatility. Inspired, he created a more powerful version.
But because the dragon soul was still very powerful, it couldn't be enslaved forcefully. He needed it to willingly surrender.
(You want to submit to you?) It let out a scoff, displeased by the re idea of it.
An ancient dragon was akin to a god, capable of traveling between worlds, and not even the strongest attack could harm its skin.
If not for an accident that happened countless years ago in this world, it wouldn't even be forced into this state.
"You don't have a choice. Either you cooperate, or I bury you sowhere in this world where no one can find you. I can go on with my life, but you'll be stuck forever."
Pantheon's silence stretched, but this ti it wasn't out of anger—it was the weight of realization sinking in. It was clear that Asher ant every word.
(Fine,) it growled, its voice thick with reluctant submission.
(I will cooperate... for now. But know this, traveler—should the opportunity arise, I will not hesitate to reclaim what is mine.)
Asher gave a satisfied nod, though his expression remained unchanged.
"We have an understanding, then. How about this: for the next twenty years, you will serve , and after that, you will be free? I also promise not to hurt you during those years"
(Twenty Years?)
"You're basically immortal. Twenty years is nothing. You'll have all of eternity after that."
Pantheon snorted, (One year.)
"Eighteen years," Asher countered.
(Three years!)
"Fifteen years,"
(Five years!) Continue your adventure at My Virtual Library Empire
"Twelve years,"
(Eight!)
"Alright, let's close the deal at ten years. That's my final offer," he gave an ultimatum.
The dragon considered the offer carefully. A decade wasn't much for soone of its age, but the idea of serving an inferior being—even temporarily—was a bitter pill to swallow.
(Deal , I will serve you for ten whole years ,)
Asher smiled inwardly. That was actually the real ti fra he wanted; he just doubled it to give the impression that was forced compromised.
In those ten years, he would grow much stronger, and not even an ancient dragon would be able to threaten him.
Just as he was about to cast the spell to make it official, the core in his hand suddenly flashed.
Surprised, he tried to throw it down, but it was stuck in his palm.
(Don't worry, this is normal when a dragon acknowledges its master,)
Instinctively, both parties felt the pull to finalize their pact. Without words, they both ntally created the contract, each imprinting clauses that bound them to the deal.
Surprisingly, he was able to understand the dragon language right away, a perk he did not anticipated. It was as if the bond had unlocked a new level of comprehension, making the ancient tongue clear in his mind.
While the sudden fluency caught him off guard, he was relieved. At least this way, he could be sure not to be taken advantage of.
Asher's mind processed the terms quickly—he would gain the dragon's loyalty for the next ten years.
In exchange, Pantheon's freedom was assured after the term.
However, he made sure to add a clause, ensuring that any attempt at betrayal would have dire consequences for the dragon's very soul.
Similarly, Pantheon's own clause emphasized that Asher could never hurt it intentionally.
As soon as the pact was finalized, a burning sensation surged through his right hand. It spread from his palm to his fingertips, like fire coursing through his very veins.
Then, a black tattoo appeared on the back of his hand. It was shaped like an intricate dragon head with sharp, symtrical horns and piercing eye.
"So it's done?" he asked.
(Yes, now you just need to put my core back into my body, and even after I claim it back, I will still be bound to you,)
"Okay," Asher nodded. There was no need to worry, because Pantheon could no longer lie to him.
Plus, with a dragon servant, his chances of returning and rescuing Index had just increased.
'I'm coming ho... Just wait a little longer,' he clenched his fist in excitent.
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