Chapter 189: To the East Sea
"Father," Ao Guang said, "your awakening changes everything. The political structure of the realms, our relationships with other dimensions, the very balance of power across—"
"Will be addressed in time," the Dragon Emperor interrupted gently. "But first, I wish to complete my conversation with young Grim."
All attention turned back to Grim, who still felt oddly empty without the Dragon Emperor’s mana flowing through him. "What else do you need to know?"
"Tell me about your experience in the void space," the Dragon Emperor said. "When you were dying, where did your consciousness go?"
Grim hesitated, remembering the white expanse and his conversation with the mysterious figure. "I spoke with someone. He claimed to be guiding me, helping me access power I didn’t know I possessed."
"Describe him."
"Tall, scarred, white hair. He looked... familiar. Like he could be related to me." Grim paused. "He said powerful souls don’t just disappear when their bodies die."
The Dragon Emperor nodded slowly. "Caius. Yes, that makes sense. Your great-grandfather was too strong to simply fade into nothing. But if he’s manifesting as a guiding presence, it means his connection to this reality is stronger than it should be."
"He mentioned Axem," Grim said carefully. "Called him my ancestor, said they had been friends once."
"Friends," the Dragon Emperor repeated, his expression growing distant again. "Yes, I believe that’s true. But the nature of that friendship, the reason it ended..." He shook his massive head in frustration. "The memories slip away every time I try to grasp them."
"There’s something else," Grim said. "When I was in that space, I could see mana flowing through everything. Including myself. I had five different types of mana in my body."