Having moved on from the lifeless body of the first mother dragon, the reincarnation spell's power floated above the vast Dragon Plane. Adam put in a lot of effort to hide its energy vibes.
The Dragon Plane followed its own set of rules. Back in the mage realm, Adam had never witnessed natural landmarks as grand as the Neltharion mountains. The Mage Tower was undoubtedly remarkable, but it was crafted by humans. Adam pondered whether the grandness came from the sheer size of the main creatures that lived in these worlds.
After traveling for a long while and across vast distances, Adam met another mother dragon.
What followed was very much like his previous experience. But this round was even simpler. He scribbled a bit of external information, which lowered the mother dragon's natural defense slightly. This second mother dragon's energy seemed less potent than the one before. The reincarnation spell wrapped up this recording in no time.
As he continued with the invasion, absorbing knowledge, and making records, a thought struck Adam. Apart from the core knowledge of the reincarnation, whose workings were still a mystery to him, its outer form was primarily about trickery. It tricked the origin, tricked the parent body, and in the end, tricked oneself.
If the external data matches the local creature's, then the illusion is perfect.
Within the vast Neltharion mountains, the mother dragons who chose this moment to come back and lay their eggs one after another experienced nightmares they couldn't shake off.
Each dragon dreamt a distinct dream, but there was a common theme: these dreams mirrored their most terrifying fears and always ended in their demise.
It was a good thing that dragons were more than just creatures led by basic instincts, simply following mating seasons. If not, in just about two weeks, maybe the Frost Dragon lineage would've been wiped out.
But this didn't stop the male dragons from getting very, very angry. Males from every corner of the world flew to the Neltharion mountains, eager to confront and destroy the evil being who had taken their 'partners' and 'young ones.'
Such a reaction was predictable. Dragons didn't have babies on their own. Where female dragons existed, there were males too. Though they weren't always very close due to their species' nature, and even though laying eggs was usually done alone, the pain of losing a loved one and their young was unbearable.
The Frost Dragons were also known as the Ice Titans. Born with the might to command the icy elements, when these ice beings unleashed their power in rage, the Dragon Plane was thrown into an unexpected winter.
The Dragon Plane wasn't home to just dragons. Many other creatures, both strong and not so strong, resided there. Some leaned on the dragons for survival, while others were adversaries. Yet now, even as the abrupt winter threatened the lives of countless beings, nobody dared to even slightly hinder the march of the angry Frost Dragons.
Adam had managed an incredible feat -- he stole the essence of the last known mother dragon in the region. Mirroring the act of a cuckoo bird that takes over another bird's nest, he infiltrated the dragon egg. Through the power of the spell, he activated the residual energy within the expired mother dragon and was reborn.
Pop.
Upon his rebirth, Adam landed on the ground with a distinct sound. Being a relic from a higher being, the egg was far sturdier than any domestic bird's egg. Its descent crushed a frost-covered rock beneath, displaying its immense strength.
The dragon egg, however, did not remain still. It wobbled, clearly disoriented from the abrupt release of its occupant. The swaying increased until the egg rolled down a cave's gentle slope, coming to a halt, wedged against a rock near the entrance.
Inside the cave, Adam was engaged in a fierce battle against over two hundred spiritual viruses clinging to his soul. Offsprings of transcendent entities, like the dragon egg, held tremendous power, often surpassing that of novice creatures. To draw a parallel, the combined might of these two hundred dragon spirits could potentially overshadow the spirits of two hundred thousand humans. Yet, they were no match for Adam, who steadily eradicated these soul-invading parasites.
Roar! Roar!
The serenity was suddenly broken by thunderous roars, soon followed by the rumblings of avalanches. The cave housing Adam bore the brunt of nature's fury as accumulated snow from years past cascaded down, burying the entrance.
This mere physical disturbance couldn't damage the dragon egg, but for Adam, the resident, it was unsettling. The dragon roars carried a distinct power. Infused with this energy, the nascent dragon spirit mounted a vigorous counter-offensive. While this wasn't particularly challenging for Adam, he detected these dragon spirits sending out signals at a unique frequency.
Dragons have their own method of communication! Realizing this, Adam was alarmed. Detection by a mature dragon might not result in immediate death, but the associated risks were immense. Exposure would make him a target, not just for the dragons but potentially for the full wrath of the Plane.
Quick thinking led Adam to use telekinesis, blocking the signals sent out by the dragon spirits. He then, despite the inherent dangers, channeled his magic to pronounce the key syllable of the Reincarnation Spell once again.
Thud.
To further complicate the dynamic, Adam imbued the dragon spirits with raw energy, bolstering their strength.
"Such is the nature of exploration missions; danger lurks everywhere. I must place my trust in the Mage Plane system now."
With that, Adam withdrew deep into the cave, letting the dragon spirits duel among themselves for the dominance of existence.
Moments after Adam's hasty retreat, a formidable congregation of over two hundred dragons rapidly approached the cave's vicinity. The swirling snow storm overhead was instantaneously dispersed. The thick blanket of snow barricading the cave entrance was violently ejected in all directions, its icy shards gouging deep craters into the dark rocky terrain.
In the silent aftermath, amidst the watchful eyes of hundreds of Frost Dragons, the last unscathed dragon egg sat innocently.
"Why do the other dragons lay dead and their eggs shattered, yet this one remains untouched?" A peculiar, rhythmic dragon language echoed. A commanding Frost Dragon named Angeles advanced, its enormous claw reaching out to inspect the curious egg.
"Stay your hand, Angeles! This is Jenny's lair, and within this egg resides my offspring!" A defensive voice rang out. Another Frost Dragon named Okov, zoomed into the scene. With a majestic flap of his wings, he shoved Angeles aside and then, using an enigmatic power, levitated the egg protectively beside him.
Taken aback, Angeles thudded to the ground. Enraged, he bellowed, "Okov, you're treading on dangerous territory!" With wings spread wide, he rocketed upwards and, with a deep inhalation, let out a roar so deafening it threatened to split the skies. Gathering his energy, he expelled a concentrated beam of pure white fury aimed straight at his adversary.
Okov, unfazed, summoned his innate defensive powers. A luminescent barrier emanated around him, safeguarding both the dragon and the egg from Angeles' furious attack.
The surrounding dragons merely observed, seemingly nonchalant. Such confrontations, after all, were a familiar sight among their ranks. However, given the circumstances, they understood now wasn't the opportune moment to merely stand by and watch."
