After feeling the countless sparks of overwhelming power scattered across the Cardinal World, Varvatos had found himself standing atop a high ridge within the Jura Forest, his crimson eyes scanning the unseen layers of the world.
He stood there in silence, arms crossed, letting the winds whisper secrets into his ears.
The magical density of the world pulsed like a heartbeat beneath his feet. For a moment, Varvatos closed his eyes and extended his perception—not with brute force, but with meticulous finesse. A technique honed over centuries in his previous life.
What he found… surprised him.
"…So many," he murmured, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.
Powerful beings—creatures and entities that rivaled or even exceeded some of the High Nobles and Divine-class entities from his previous world—littered the land. Their energy signatures varied wildly: fiery, chaotic, serene, sharp, lightless.
And some… were ancient.
"This world is much more interesting than I thought," he said to himself, amused. "It seems I won't be bored after all."
But then—his smirk faded.
There was another power.
Not distant like the others—but near.
He turned toward the south-east, where the forest thickened into ancient territory. A dense, heavy aura lingered there, saturated with time and isolation. And though it had long faded from the awareness of the surface world, Varvatos felt it clearly.
He took a single step forward, and vanished from the ridge.
The deeper he ventured into the ancient forest, the quieter it became. The birds no longer chirped. The insects had retreated. Even the trees themselves seemed to lean away from the path ahead.
After walking for some time, he came across a secluded cliff face veiled by vines and moss. Behind it, half-buried in the earth, was a massive cavern entrance, its mouth wide and dark like a beast lying in wait.
The trace of the mysterious power grew stronger.
"It's coming from in there," Varvatos said under his breath, placing his hand lightly on the cold stone wall as he entered.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere changed. The air grew heavier. Thick with residual magicules. His breath condensed even though the air wasn't cold.
It was the weight of isolation.
He walked for what felt like an hour—through winding paths, descending deeper and deeper into the earth. The walls occasionally shimmered with ancient enchantments, and the magicules around him surged with unnatural density.
Then, as he stepped into a long, wide corridor… a voice echoed through his mind.
"Come closer… human."
Varvatos froze, just for a moment.
That voice hadn't entered his ears—it had entered his consciousness.
He narrowed his eyes, alert.
"That wasn't telepathy… it was something deeper," he muttered, continuing forward.
Step by step, the voice grew stronger—not louder, but more present. Until he reached a massive stone chamber with a ceiling high enough to fit a small mountain.
At the center was a mural of energy, swirling and layered like a cocoon of crystalline light. And within it, curled and slumbering, was a dragon of majestic size and presence.
Its scales were a deep, radiant azure blue, glimmering with condensed magical force. Its wings were folded, yet the sheer size of them would have blanketed the room.
Eyes closed. Breathing steady.
But the aura that radiated from it was unmistakable.
Varvatos stepped forward.
The dragon's massive golden eyes slowly opened, glowing like twin suns piercing through centuries of stillness. For a moment, silence reigned in the cavern, the air heavy with anticipation.
Then—
"Haha… haha… HAHAHA!"
The laugh echoed through the chamber like thunder rumbling across the mountains.
"Welcome, human! It is an honor for you to stand in front of the one and only… Storm Dragon Veldora!"
The declaration boomed with theatrical pride. His wings flexed slightly, causing sparks of magic to dance through the runes of his prison.
Varvatos raised a brow, then chuckled softly, folding his arms across his chest.
"Heh… this is a very interesting dragon," he murmured to himself, amused by the eccentric entrance.
Veldora leaned in a little, his sharp gaze narrowing as he studied the stranger.
"Wait a moment… you're not human, are you?" His tone shifted slightly—less playful, more curious. "Your energy… your species… I've never seen specs like yours. So, what are you?"
Varvatos met the dragon's gaze with calm confidence. A faint smirk tugged at his lips.
"I am Varvatos," he said. "An Astralborn Sovereign."
Veldora blinked, visibly puzzled. He tilted his massive head slightly, then murmured aloud, almost to himself:
"Astralborn Sovereign…? Never heard of that." He scratched his chin with a clawed hand, scales clinking softly. "Is that some kind of rare monster species? A spirit variant? Hmm…"
Varvatos chuckled again, lightly shaking his head.
"Not quite. It's a unique species. One that doesn't belong to this world. As far as I know… I'm probably the only one of my kind."
"Oooh, mysterious!" Veldora exclaimed, clearly intrigued. "Now that is something I haven't heard in a long time. A whole new species, huh? You've got my attention, Varvatos!"
The Astralborn stepped further into the room, his eyes drifting across the shimmering energy that wrapped around Veldora like a shimmering cage. Runes hummed softly with ancient power, woven with divine structure and sealing authority.
"You seem to be in quite the prison," Varvatos observed, eyes glowing faintly as he scanned the magic. "A high-grade sealing enchantment, bound by divine interference… Tell me, Veldora, what's your story?"
The dragon let out a low grunt, shifting his massive body slightly in the cocoon of light.
"Hmph. Story, huh? Well, it's not exactly my proudest moment…"
He exhaled, crackling lightning flickering around his nostrils.
"I might've gone on a little… rampage." He smirked. "Flattened a few cities, maybe scared a few kingdoms into hiding. Nothing too dramatic. But then—this so-called 'Hero' shows up. Small, unassuming, but she had that look in her eyes."
He growled slightly, his pride still wounded.
"I didn't take her seriously. Figured I'd roast her and be done with it. But she pulled out some absurd sealing magic—divine class stuff. Next thing I know, bam! Locked away in here like some kind of artifact!"
He looked away for a second, grumbling.
"It's been over 100 years now. No company. No fights. Just boredom and echoing silence." His eyes met Varvatos' once again. "You're the first person I've seen… the first being I've felt since the day I was sealed."
Varvatos nodded slowly, taking it all in.
"Quite the tale," he said. "And a careless mistake… for someone as powerful as you."
Veldora let out an indignant snort. "I was caught off guard!"
"Still," Varvatos added, his gaze turning thoughtful, "your energy is strong, and your will hasn't faded. That's impressive. Most would have gone mad after centuries alone."
The Storm Dragon grinned. "I am the Storm Dragon, after all. This much is nothing."
For a moment, they both stood in silence—dragon and sovereign, each from different worlds, each bound by power and fate. But in that silence, a strange sense of camaraderie began to form.