The warm breeze of the Aetherium rustled through the apple tree, carrying away the heavy tension of Fainyx's confession. Master Yong stared thoughtfully at his empty coffee cup.
"So, if this world is exactly like that hardcore game you played," Yong said, leaning forward. "What is the ending? What is supposed to happen to this continent?"
Fainyx adjusted his blindfold slightly. "The main storyline doesn't begin for another nine years. It starts when the Main Character enrolls in the Royal Academy at age fifteen. Since he is currently six, just like me, the major events haven't triggered yet."
Ruth narrowed his golden eyes. "And what of my kind? Are there dragons in this 'story'?"
"Only one," Fainyx answered. "A young dragon who goes berserk during a specific arc. But otherwise, dragons never appear.
According to the lore, this world will eventually be saved by that boy. The only thing we need to do is stay out of the way and not touch anything that might change the storyline."
Yong let out a sudden bark of laughter. "Kiddo, you've already completely derailed it! You said you didn't even exist in this family in the original game, right? Plus, you've already befriended the Main Character. You are a walking, breathing anomaly."
Fainyx frowned slightly under his blindfold. "I suppose that did change things a bit."
Yong's gaze shifted to the tiny white creature currently nuzzling against Fainyx's neck. "Speaking of anomalies... what exactly is that spirit weasel on your shoulder? Did you find it wandering outside the estate?"
"No," Fainyx said, reaching up to stroke Lumi's soft fur. "Lumi was created right here. The Aetherium formed him, just like it formed the fish in the river."
Hearing its name, Lumi popped its head up and let out a happy "Kyuu!" as if officially greeting the two imposing strangers.
"Fascinating," Ruth murmured, a genuine spark of curiosity in his eyes. He slowly reached a massive finger toward the weasel, but Lumi immediately squeaked, backed away, and buried itself under Fainyx's hair, completely shy around new faces.
"This dimension is strange," Fainyx explained. "The fruits and trees from Earth appear here, alongside the flora of this world. And it expands on its own. I can feel how massive it has gotten without even exploring the borders."
Ruth looked across the endless green plains. "If someone were to live here... what would happen if the creator that is you, left the space?"
"It remains stable," Fainyx nodded. "I always leave Lumi inside. I also have absolute control over the environment. I can designate specific locations to completely stop time."
Yong nearly choked on the air. "Wait. You can stop time here!?"
"Only for non-living things in a certain area where I placed it." Fainyx clarified quickly. "I cannot use it on living beings. But I use it on corpses, harvested monster parts, and food. I stopped the flow of time inside the storeroom of my villa so that the fruits and high-quality herbs never wither or rot."
Yong rubbed his temples, letting out a long sigh. "That is the most overpowered utility skill I have ever heard of, kiddo."
"It is utterly incomprehensible," Ruth
agreed, shaking his head in bewildered awe. To think he, a legendary ancient dragon, was bearing witness to a power that defied the very laws of reality. "Fainyx, your potential is limitless. I simply must begin teaching you the highest tiers of Dragon Magic immediately."
"Hold on a second, you overgrown lizard!" Yong snapped, instantly defensive. "He is my disciple! Go find your own kid to teach!"
"I am the one who stabilized his hollow pathways!" Ruth argued fiercely, glaring at the human. "If it weren't for my medical expertise, he wouldn't be able to channel his mana safely! I have every right to instruct him!"
"Yeah, well, I taught him some magic spells!"
Fainyx let out a soft sigh, standing up and brushing the grass off his robes. "If you two are done bickering, would you like to explore the space while we walk?"
Yong immediately stood up, looking at the blindfolded boy with concern. "Do you need me to carry you, Fainyx? You can't see."
Fainyx politely refused, shaking his head. "Even with the blindfold on, I can feel the flow of mana in this space perfectly. It acts as my eyes. I know exactly where everything is."
As they began walking toward the distant forest, Yong crossed his arms, his tone shifting back to something serious.
"Fainyx, your family is falling apart out there. After seeing you cough up blood and pass out, they think you are on death's door. You need to tell them that you aren't going to die early."
Ruth nodded in solemn agreement. "That is actually the primary reason we slipped into your room tonight. The Duke is drowning in despair. If you do not give them some measure of hope, they will not leave you alone."
Fainyx stopped walking. He let out a heavy sigh, crossing his small arms. "I have been thinking about that. But I still cannot speak to them, and if I suddenly appear perfectly healthy, they will ask questions I cannot answer."
Fainyx turned his blindfolded face toward the ancient dragon. "However... I do have an idea. Ruth, what if you are the one who tells them?"
Ruth blinked, completely confused. "Me? But I am a dragon. To humans, I am a myth. How would I—"
Fainyx motioned for Ruth to lean down. He whispered his plan quietly.
Ruth's golden eyes widened with every word. A slow, highly amused grin spread across his scarred face.
"Oh... I see. That is an incredibly cunning idea, child."
Yong, who had purposely blocked his hearing to let them plot, smirked.
"Well, whatever the plan is, I'm just glad this old fossil won't have to hide in the shadows anymore. Kuhu, kuhu..."
Yong dramatically wiped away a fake tear. "I know he's just so happy to finally see the light of day! Appearing next to Fainyx without hiding..."
Ruth rolled his eyes, letting out a fiery sigh. "Fainyx, are you absolutely certain you are not considering changing masters? I can easily dispose of this one for you."
"I can hear you, you old reptile!" Yong laughed loudly.
They continued their walk, passing towering trees and crystal-clear streams. Suddenly, Fainyx stopped in his tracks.
"Something was added again," Fainyx murmured, turning his head to the left.
He changed direction, leading his two masters through a dense thicket. When they broke through the tree line, Yong and Ruth stopped in shock. Carved directly into the side of a massive, rocky hill was the gaping mouth of a cave. The stone looked ancient, weathered by time that hadn't actually passed.
"A cave, huh?" Fainyx said, stepping forward.
Yong immediately grabbed his shoulder. "Careful, kiddo. If this space randomly generates things based on your mana or the world's lore, it might be dangerous."
"It isn't," Fainyx reassured him, slipping out of Yong's grip. "I can feel it. It isn't deep, and it feels... incomplete."
They stepped into the darkness. Ruth snapped his fingers, summoning a hovering sphere of warm, golden light to illuminate the cavern.
It was massive, easily large enough to house a full-grown dragon. But as they walked deeper, the cave abruptly ended in a sheer, blank stone wall.
"It seems it hasn't fully formed," Fainyx noted, reaching out to touch the cold, flat stone. "Maybe it will open up more in the future as my mana grows."
They turned back toward the entrance. Looking around the massive, empty cavern, Ruth crossed his arms.
"Fainyx, do you mind if I examine this portal further? Perhaps... Maybe I can find some place here in this portal to establish my own dwelling?"
"Of course," Fainyx agreed
"I will construct my own lair," Ruth said proudly. "But I appreciate the territory."
As they exited the cave, Yong looked closely at his student. "Creating massive caves, a sun, a river... doesn't this place empty your mana core?"
"No," Fainyx replied. "The passive expansion draws from the ambient mana of the dimension itself. It only drains my personal core when I actively cast magic that scales to a dragon's level. That is actually why I got a fever."
Yong frowned. "How did you manage to get sick after our midnight training session?"
Fainyx hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Well... I snuck outside after you two left. I overexerted my body and used too much magic at once, which caused my pathways to violently flush out the corrupted mana. That's why I coughed up blood."
"You went outside!?" Ruth immediately began scolding him, his voice booming like thunder. "Your physical vessel is still incredibly fragile! Why in the world would you risk leaving the estate alone in the middle of the night!?"
"I wanted to see the Adventurer's Guild," Fainyx admitted plainly. "I actually registered as an adventurer while I was there."
Yong's jaw dropped. "How? The minimum age is fifteen! You have the body of a six-year-old!"
"I used an illusion spell," Fainyx explained. "I created it in the past to make myself look fifteen."
"Show me," Ruth demanded, his scholarly interest instantly overriding his anger.
Fainyx channeled his mana. A shimmering aura enveloped his small body.
In the blink of an eye, his bones appeared to stretch. He stood much taller, his silver and green-gradient hair lengthening down his back, and his facial features sharpening into those of a handsome, lean teenager. Because he was in the Aetherium, he didn't bother removibg the black mask.
Yong let out a low whistle of absolute shock. "Damn, kid. You're actually incredibly handsome when you're older. Your father is a good-looking guy, but did you get those softer features from your mother's side?"
Ruth ignored the aesthetic commentary, stepping directly into Fainyx's personal space to closely examine the magical aura. His golden eyes glowed as he analyzed the spell's structure.
"This is not a mere trick of the light," Ruth said, highly impressed. "This spell... it is remarkably similar to the Draconic Polymorph spell we just discussed, but it is heavily anchored in basic human illusion magic. How did you come up with this matrix?"
"I took the structural theories you taught me about Dragon Magic," Fainyx explained smoothly, "and overlaid them onto the framework of a standard human refraction spell. It requires absolute concentration to maintain the physical feedback, but it bypasses standard magical detection."
Ruth fired off a series of rapid, highly complex questions regarding the spell's mana consumption, time limits, and structural weaknesses. Fainyx answered every single one with flawless, terrifying precision.
Yong grinned proudly. "As expected of my student! If you can already construct layered magic like this at six years old, I bet in a year or two, you'll be able to use a true Polymorph to change into a dragon or another race entirely!"
Suddenly, Lumi, who had fallen asleep during the technical magical lecture, woke up. The weasel noticed the long, silver-and-green hair dangling near its face and immediately began batting at it playfully with its tiny paws.
Fainyx released the spell.
The tall illusion instantly shattered like glass, returning him to his frail, six-year-old body with shorter hair.
Lumi squeaked in profound confusion, swiping at the empty air where the hair used to be. The weasel looked around frantically, desperate for a toy. Its beady eyes locked onto the absolute longest hair in the vicinity: Master Ruth's majestic, waist-length silver mane.
With a determined "Kyu!", Lumi launched itself from Fainyx's shoulder, landing directly on Ruth's head. The tiny spirit immediately declared war on the ancient dragon's hair, tangling itself in the silver strands and biting playfully.
To Yong's immense amusement, the terrifying, prideful dragon didn't mind in the slightest. Ruth simply stood there, gently raising a hand to lightly poke the weasel's belly, playing along.
They eventually made their way back to the beautiful wooden villa beside the roaring waterfall.
"Did the Aetherium create this structure as well?" Ruth asked, carefully extracting a very dizzy Lumi from his hair.
"No, I built the house and shaped the waterfall myself," Fainyx said. "I practice my magic in this space. Whenever I destroy the ground with large spells, the dimension somehow perfectly repairs itself. But because I built the house and the waterfall intentionally, the space recognized them as permanent fixtures and doesn't erase them. It's just a theory, though."
Ruth spent the next hour examining the soil, the water, and the very air of the dimension. As they finally stood by the riverbank, preparing to leave, the ancient dragon looked at the blindfolded boy with a mix of reverence and awe.
"I have reached a conclusion, Fainyx," Ruth said heavily. "The reason this space repairs itself, creates life, and bends to your absolute will is quite simple. Every single grain of dirt, every drop of water, and every breath of wind in this dimension... it is entirely centered on, and constructed by, your unique mana signature. You are not just a resident of this world, child. You are its creator."