Rowan discovered the heart suddenly became very resistant, as if the dragon was pouring every bit of energy and life force into the organ to reinforce it.
Rowan frowned; he had no time to waste on being subtle, even though he was currently performing many actions at the same time, and he could technically spend the ten minutes he had left on each task, he could never let himself such slight wriggle room.
With a pained grunt Rowan exploded both his legs and a greater part of his torso, leaving only his right arm, his head, and part of his chest.
The wave of power it created was enough to empower his technique to the extent that it was able to tear through the heart of the dragon, and its chest exploded to reveal the finger bone, around it was the remaining portion of Vraeger's heart that clung to it, like bloody tentacles.
The dragon gasped in shock and pain, yet his eyes were still cold, even in its end, it would never give up. "Don't you…dare take my heart. It's my birthright."
Rowan did not reply, he simply manifested a blade by his side, and he sent it towards the strings of the dragon's heart holding the finger bone, and he sliced through it.
He had to really push his power through the blade for him to cut through the gristle, and all through his grisly task the dragon growled and cursed at him too weak to retaliate. Vraegar gave a long angry roar that sapped the last of its strength and it laid down to die.
Soon the finger bone floated by his side, it was white with streaks of black veins around it, Rowan could clearly see the features of the baby and it resembled him, down to the tiny fingers and toes. It curled around itself as if it was sleeping.
His Knowledge Well began to analyze it, but he could instantly sense the power of the Scion of Darkness bloodline inside of it, he turned around and was about to call on the Astrolabe to convey him back to his main body when the dragon weakly said, "wait… father!"
A smile quickly flashed through Rowan's face, but Vraegar was unable to see it. When Rowan turned, his visage was stern and his eyes filled with apathy, "Is there something you want, animal?"
Vraegar's look of despondency transformed into anger and he shouted with every bit of power left in his broken body, "I am not an 'it', but a 'he!' I am Vraegar, your firstborn, taken from your flesh as surely as a fruit is taken from a tree, and you would leave me here to die?"
Rowan's eyes began to blaze with a bloody flame as if he was at the end of his patience, "I have no time for your childish tantrum, and you are not worthy of my recognition, what you are to me, was nothing but power stolen. Now it has returned back to my hands."
"Yet I have earned that power, father. For all my brothers and sisters, I alone proved to be the best, I plotted, and I fought until I was the only one left! I deserve life!"
"You deserve nothing! You say you are of my seed, and yet here you are begging for your life, fleeing when you're overpowered is normal, but you are at the peak of the third circle while your enemy is at the second! For the mere fact that not only did you not lose, you ran in despair is an affront to my blood! As if that is not enough, at the last moments of your pathetic existence, you… beg. How can you have the face to speak before me without shame and tell me you deserve my power!"
Vraegar eyes widened, his eyes were becoming dim with the indication of death that drew ever closer to him, and then the hint of aggression came back as his Empyrean nature fought for him, "If I'm such a lousy son, it is because I had no one to teach me! I am three months old! All I have I took for myself, you left no memories for me, no inheritance, nothing. How dare you accuse me of my failure when you gave me nothing!"
"Death, I see, clouds your memories' child. You are nothing but power stolen. Yet even with my blood in you, what is the result?"
Rowan turned to leave, but a weak voice spoke, "then let me prove my worth under your nurturing, father. Give me a chance to live up to your expectations, to prove to you that I'm worthy to hold your blood, and I swear on my name from this moment until the stars burn to ash, that I shall never bow before any enemy again. Let me regain my honor before your sight."
Rowan's eyes went cold, "Choose your next words wisely because know this to be the truth, if you let down my blood, and do not live to the standards of the honor given you, then you shall wish with every single part of your body and soul that you should have died here. For even in death, your torture will never end. Look into my eyes, child and know this to be true!"
Vraeger's weak gaze turned to Rowans and then, like a moth to a flame, he saw a glimpse of the monster that was his father, he would never forget this sight for as long as he lived, for how could he? He had stared into the abyss, and the abyss not only stared back, it came to dwell on his soul.
Vraegar saw a body of space vast beyond imagining, he had never seen the true scale of the universe before, or he would have recognized this space he was seeing was a million times more massive than any universe.
This entire space was dead, and above it a grim monstrosity with countless arms and eyes and massive tentacles that stretched forth over all creation.
The monstrosity presided over the countless dead universes, beneath his feet were countless thrones, countless worlds and countless powers who bowed in worship and behind him was an unfathomable number of creatures that shone so bright they put every light since the birth of the universe to shame, and together they hailed him, and their voices shattered all things….
