Chapter 227: Ignisia the Elder Dragon (6)

Ignisia was curious to see what would happen. It was exceedingly rare for this many catalysts to be used in a single magic circle. In fact, even Ignisia, who was herself an Elder Dragon, could not recall ever witnessing anything quite like this. One could say it had never happened before. Naturally, her curiosity about the outcome was inevitable.

However, there was something odd in the way the Wandering Merchant spoke. Their tone hinted at a kind of certainty, as if they already foresaw that the result would be warped, twisted, or outright ruined. Ignisia, however, did not let herself be bothered by this.

“I’ve calculated everything down to the last detail,” she said, brushing off any concern with confidence. “There won’t be any problems. Let’s begin.”

Ketal nodded. “Very well. What do I need to do?”

“First, go sit in the center of the magic circle.”

“Understood.”

Without hesitation, Ketal walked to the middle of the circle and sat down cross-legged, his posture perfectly composed.

Ignisia tilted her head with mild curiosity. “Isn’t that uncomfortable?”

“I get asked that all the time,” Ketal replied calmly. “I’m fine.”

“If you say so,” Ignisia said, accepting his answer. “Then let’s get started.”

She drew a deep breath, and a rare seriousness settled in her eyes.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about how to actually get these into you,” she admitted.

What lay before her was far too massive—each catalyst, in both quantity and quality, was beyond what could be managed through any normal means.

“So I’m going to keep it simple,” she said. Then, uttering a word in the ancient Dragon Tongue, “

Accelerate.

”

Ignisia cast her spell, and in that moment, the many catalysts suspended in the air above the magic circle began to move. They started spinning around the circle at an incredible speed, blurring as they whipped about in perfectly synchronized motion.

Once more, Ignisia spoke the word. “

Accelerate.

”

The already-blurring catalysts accelerated even further, revolving so quickly that their individual forms began to break down. Ketal’s eyes glittered with interest.

“So this is your method,” he murmured.

“Did you figure it out already?” Ignisia asked, glancing at him.

“It’s like a particle accelerator,” Ketal observed.

She was trapping the catalysts within a set space, then spinning them faster and faster, forcing them to collide and intermingle. As their kinetic energy rose, their forms destabilized, breaking apart and merging into something new. This was how she would fuse them into a single, colossal catalyst. It was a feat that would have required the most advanced scientific technology in any other world—but here, in Ignisia’s hands, it was the domain of dragons and magic.

“You understand quickly,” Ignisia said, a hint of admiration in her voice. “Most people can’t even grasp the concept. But you’re exactly right. I’m going to fuse everything together, and then infuse that power into your body. Normally, even a dragon would be torn apart by the attempt, but I doubt you’ll have any trouble.”

“Of course,” Ketal replied, as if it were only natural.

Ignisia smiled, and once again invoked her magic. “

Accelerate.

”

A shrill, resonant hum filled the chamber as the circle accelerated. The catalysts spun faster and faster, until even their colors blurred into streaks of light. The entire process was nearly impossible to follow with the naked eye.

“

Accelerate.

”

Again, the magic surged.

“

Accelerate.

”

And again. The speed was now beyond what any physical object should have been able to withstand. The very air in the room seemed to grow hot, trembling with the energy being unleashed. Space itself began to warp, the circle distorting as the accelerating catalysts threatened to unravel the boundary between reality and magic.

“

Mmm.

” A grumble escaped Ignisia. Even for her, the intensity of the power was difficult to handle. She turned to the Wandering Merchant and said, “Wandering Merchant, I’ll need your help now.”

“What a pain...,” the Merchant murmured.

“It’s your quest to help him handle Myst, isn’t it? At least handle the aftermath,” Ignisia pressed.

“

Ugh...

” Grumbling, the Wandering Merchant moved to adjust a device. With a click, the boundary of the chamber sealed off the outside world. They were now completely isolated within.

Finally, a deafening sound filled the room as the catalysts were fully fused. A ring of swirling, rainbow-colored light now surrounded the magic circle, spinning so quickly that it appeared almost solid, a barrier of pure, controlled Myst, breathtaking in both beauty and terror.

Ketal stared, entranced, at the wall of power encircling him.

“All right, Ketal. Brace yourself.” Ignisia exhaled softly. She spoke another word in Dragon Tongue. “

Embody.

”

At her command, the barrier of energy lunged toward Ketal. It flowed along the ground and through the air, then plunged directly into his body. A faint groan escaped Ketal as the force hit him—a force of such magnitude and density that even he, with all his strength, felt its weight.

The power pressed in from all sides, trying to take root within him. It was almost overwhelming, yet Ketal responded not with resistance, but with a broad, welcoming smile. He opened himself up fully, as if greeting an old friend.

Come,

he thought.

You belong to me.

A deep, rumbling vibration filled the chamber as the Myst began pouring into Ketal’s body, as if being drawn into a black hole. Ignisia, who had been observing the entire process, couldn’t help but gasp in awe.

“He’s really doing it,” she breathed.

Even she would have been destroyed by power of this density. The process of infusing Myst in this way was closer to an attack than a blessing. However, Ketal was taking in every last drop, not only enduring the force but seeming to embrace it without a hint of strain.

Ignisia had run the calculations and believed it was possible, but to see it with her own eyes was something else.

“As long as it keeps going like this, we shouldn’t have any issues,” she said.

The Myst was stabilizing inside Ketal, with no sign of rejection or danger. He seemed perfectly able to withstand the force. As Ignisia began to relax, convinced that the ritual was going as planned, a new voice interjected.

“Are you sure about that?” The Wandering Merchant’s voice was quietly skeptical.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Is something wrong?” Ignisia asked them.

“Everything’s wrong...”

“What are you talking about? Everything looks perfect from here. The theory is flawless.”

“The theory is fine, but you’re missing the point...” Even as the Myst poured into Ketal’s body, the Wandering Merchant continued in a detached voice. ”Ketal is not just anyone. He is a being from the Demon Realms... one of the Oldest Ones. You have no idea what it really means to be called an Oldest One.

Ignisia’s face clouded in confusion, not understanding what the Merchant was saying. Then, suddenly, something did go wrong.

“Wait, what’s happening?” Ignisia stammered.

The fused Myst, which had been flowing smoothly into Ketal, began to fracture. A sharp, splintering sound rang out as the Myst hesitated and started to seep out again, as if it no longer wished to be absorbed into Ketal’s body.

Ignisia immediately acted, her voice ringing out in Dragon Tongue. “

Embody.

”

With the full authority of an Elder Dragon, she forced a command on the escaping Myst, willing it to remain within Ketal. This was no ordinary spell, but the magic of Dragon Tongue—a power capable of twisting and rewriting the laws of the world itself. She had given the command; the Myst should have had no choice but to obey.

However, it did not go as she planned. The Myst continued to slip away, resisting even her will.

“Why isn’t it working?” she said, her brow furrowed in frustration. It felt as if the world itself was defying her command, as though existence had gained its own will and was now resisting her magic.

Ignisia tried again, and again, layering her commands for more strength.“

Embody, Embody!

”

Each command should have been strong enough to shake the very foundation of reality, but even this was not enough. The Myst refused to listen. Panic began to creep into Ignisia’s eyes.

“That’s what I expected... this is impossible,” the Wandering Merchant said quietly, as if confirming some long-held suspicion. The Oldest Ones were not truly of this world at all. “You and your kind can never truly become one with us, and we can never become one with you. It might look like Ketal wishes to join your world, but it’s not possible...

The Myst began breaking free from Ignisia’s control, moments away from escaping entirely.

“Hold on,” Ignisia muttered as she turned to the Wandering Merchant, trying to understand.“Wait, did you know this was impossible from the start?”

“More or less. But the quest will still be completed...,” the Merchant said as they looked at Ketal with a strange detachment. “It’s not completely impossible. Even if he can’t absorb everything, he’ll still be able to retain a fragment, and that will be enough to handle Myst, at least in part.”

However, those remnants would be insignificant, hardly worth mentioning. They wouldn’t affect Ketal in any meaningful way. Still, the requirements for the quest would be met, and that was enough for the Wandering Merchant.

Perhaps out of stubbornness, Ignisia tried even harder to force the Myst into Ketal, but it was useless. Eventually, she was forced to stop, lowering her hand in defeat. The Wandering Merchant simply waited, watching as the ritual drew to its anticlimactic end.

Suddenly, the Wandering Merchant noticed something odd. The Myst, which had been struggling to escape, suddenly began to flow back into Ketal—slowly, but steadily.

“What’s going on...?” the Merchant said, glancing at Ignisia, but it was clear she was just as surprised. “Is this your doing?”

“I was about to give up,” Ignisia said honestly. “I have no idea why it’s happening. Did the Myst change its mind or something?”

“Hm...?”

At that moment, they both realized something profound was happening. The very world itself was warping around Ketal, as if the rules of reality were being rewritten in his presence.

“Uh...,” Ignisia murmured, lowering her hand completely. She stopped trying to control the Myst, expecting it to immediately flee the moment it gained its freedom. However, it didn’t. Instead, the Myst remained bound to Ketal, unable to escape.

You’re mine now,

Ketal thought, his lips curling into a fierce grin.

Even as the Myst resisted, he could feel it—its instinct to retreat, to tear itself free from his body and escape. It pushed against him, wild and untamed, straining to flee. However, Ketal held firm. He refused to let it go. This power was his, and he would make it submit.

This was his Myst—his and no one else’s. It belonged to him, now and for all time. The very thought of it trying to escape was an insult, something he could not tolerate. It had no right to resist.

You belong to me. There is no escape,

Ketal thought.

“Enough. Get in,” Ketal growled aloud.

The Myst, sensing his unyielding will, began to pour back into him.

“What is this...?”

“Uh... Uh...”

Ignisia and the Wandering Merchant could only stare in astonishment at the spectacle before them. A single, overwhelming will was pressing down upon the world, distorting and twisting the very laws of reality. Ketal’s presence alone was enough to shatter the order of things.

𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

A shrill, ringing sound filled the room as the Myst recognized that escape was impossible. Its strategy changed. Now, instead of trying to flee, it charged headlong into Ketal, battering against his body from the inside, attempting to tear him apart from within.

However, Ketal welcomed the onslaught.

Run wild,

he thought.

Do as you will, I’ll accept every last bit of you. But in exchange, you are mine.

A violent storm raged within Ketal’s body. The Myst rampaged like a living thing, ripping at his flesh and soul. However, he withstood it all, enduring the agony and chaos, embracing every fragment of power.

At last, it ended.

A gentle wind settled over the chamber as the magic circle’s light faded. Even the remnants of the Myst, those that had tried to escape, were now consumed by Ketal’s body.

A strange, guttural cry echoed through the room, like the disgruntled whimper of a beast. However, in truth, there was no one present except the three of them. Ignisia thought she must be imagining things. Someone of her caliber was not prone to mere hallucinations, yet she could find no other explanation.

The cry lasted only a moment, then disappeared. Ketal remained seated in silence, his eyes closed.

A long stillness stretched out before Ignisia finally spoke, her voice quiet and uncertain. “Ketal?”

Ketal opened his eyes, a slow, triumphant smile spreading across his lips. Then, without warning, he burst into laughter. “Hahaha! Hahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!”

“

Eek

!” Ignisia yelped in surprise.

“What in the world...” the Wandering Merchant muttered.

Ketal’s laughter shook the entire chamber. The force behind it was so great that both Ignisia and the Wandering Merchant instinctively put up barriers, only to feel those defenses tremble against the pressure.

The Wandering Merchant doubted their own senses. There was Myst in Ketal’s laughter, a quality that should not have been possible. They whispered to themselves, filled with disbelief and questions. “How is this possible...?”

However, Ketal ignored them completely, his body still quivering with the rush of power. He could feel the strength that filled every inch of his being. The overwhelming power of Myst, which he had possessed but never been able to wield until now.

At this moment, for the first time, Ketal could command the power of Myst.