Book 14: Chapter 59
I heard phoenixes could be reborn in the flames of nirvana. You could say that happened with me in the dragon’s blood. At most, it would only be considered reconstructing my body, because I didn’t actually die. I never knew dragons could be revived, since that was the ability of phoenixes according to my knowledge. The lifespan of a dragon might be long, but it was just a dead mountain once it died.
The flame started from within as it did before, leaving just indiscernible residue behind. I never thought I’d see Dragon Mom before me again. She sat to the side, looking at her own last remains with surprise written all over her face. She didn’t have any wounds on her. Thanks to her scales, she had proper clothing on, but my scales were my skin, so… I had no means of creating clothes from them. Fortunately, I had Ying’s cloak. I had to make do with it; it wasn’t cold, but it was embarrassing.
Noticing me, Dragon Mom stood up. The panic and tinge of fear in her gaze became pleasant surprise and delight. She walked up to me and clasped my face. She caressed my face, but she was no longer touching my skin. Though there was a degree of suppleness to the scales – thanks to my flesh underneath – my skin was no longer as soft as it once was. I could hear the sound of friction from scales rubbing. In a shaky voice, she said, “My Son, thou have my blood now…Thou… Thou are now a dragon…”
“Mom… What… what exactly happened to you…?” I inquired.
I definitely wasn’t hallucinating. Absolutely not. I could feel Mom’s touch and warmth. She was definitely real. The dragon looked at my shocked expression. What surprised me was that she wasn’t happy that she received a second life. To the contrary, she showed great sorrow in her eyes when she heard my question. She answered, “It’s gone.”
“What is…?” The random response from her left me totally baffled.
“Why isn’t she happy after obtaining a second life? Also, why does she look as though she lost something? Wait, could she now be incapable of transforming into her dragon form? Is that pile of residue what she lost?” I wondered.
Dragon Mom was on the verge of shedding tears. I took in a deep breath. I should comfort her when she was feeling despondent. It wasn’t tragic she couldn’t transform into a dragon. After all, she was still very pretty in her human form. It was fine. Moreover, she could come with me to the North in her human form. I might not have any means of bringing a dragon back. She could freely fly about in the vast desert, but the Imperial Palace in the North wasn’t so spacious.
“It’s all right, Mom. It’s all right. It’s fine. Even if you can’t transform into a dragon, you are still pretty. You’re very pretty regardless if we’re talking about an elf or a human’s perspective. Hence, you don’t need to worry. I’ll protect you from now on even if you can’t transform into a dragon!”