VOOOOOM!
That feeling enveloped all of his other senses.
For a moment, when the draconic aura was released, it pushed down on his lineage and made him see black. Within the dark world, it was only him and the dragon the aura was taken from. They stared each other in the eye, and the difference in power immediately became clear to August.
This was a being he couldn't touch.
That fear crept into his heart for the first time ever, and it did mess with his senses. When the trial first started, he was almost one of the first people to kneel.
However, he felt a small vibration in his chest.
It spread, reaching the tips of his extremities and flowing up into his brain.
'Dad…?'
Well, not quite. The feeling did originate from the artifact Damien gave him to temporarily hide his lineage away from the world, but that wasn't what spread through his body.
Rather, that first vibration was Damien's artifact attempting to silence August's Azure Dragon aura that was threatening to burst forth to suppress anyone and everyone.
It didn't succeed.
August's blood rushed and roared. It was awakened by the threat to its nobility, and it refused to go back to sleep until that unworthy peasant was shown the difference between heaven and earth.
The Azure Dragon was a mighty dragon. Those of their species were never cowardly, never willing to back down, and always looking for a fight to prove their worth.
They were the rulers of the seas, the rulers of all water in existence. At their beck and call was a force that many couldn't even hope to comprehend.
Naturally, the Azure Dragon who created this power, Qinglong, was a domineering man in his youth.
And August was being pushed to act the same.
His bloodline screamed in his ears, urging him to turn this entire testing facility to dust. It ordered him to subjugate the dragons around him and establish his rule.
However, August refused.
'That isn't my way.'
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He respected his ancestor, but they were different people. He was willing to use those traits to his advantage when he needed to, but he would never be ruled by them.
He stared into that dragon's soul, the one who tried to suppress him.
And though he didn't choose to release his aura, though he reigned in the bloodline that was threatening to go wild, he didn't stand down.
'This is not a battle of power.'
If his bloodline believed he could tear this place down with his own power, then strength wasn't the key to passing this trial.
'Instead…is it potential that you want to see?'
The dragon didn't answer him. He was, after all, a mere projection created in August's mind to replicate the dragon who created it.
But August was sure of his thoughts.
He was sweating. Feeling an aura this majestic was still difficult for someone of his level, but he straightened his knees and his back, staring directly at the pressurized chamber that the aura originated from.
August controlled his Azure Dragon lineage, letting it flow through his body smoothly and under his fine-tuning. That was the solution he needed to find.
The instant he managed to achieve a level of dominance over his own lineage, the one he was facing faded into the background as if it never existed.
The rest was easy work.
August watched the people around him intently and made sure to match his exertion level to theirs, at least in appearance.
He couldn't make the judges too suspicious. That was something Damien had warned him about countless times, and even if he hadn't, August wasn't the type to crave unnecessary attention.
'Ancestor almost died too many times because he showed off his power without consideration.'
Their differing personalities allowed August to see not only the good, but also the bad parts of his ancestor.
While it seemed like this went against Qinglong's attention, that wasn't the case.
Rather, wasn't the exact reason he left behind his memories to make sure that his descendants would see his errors and learn from his mistakes?
August's acting was top-notch. Thirty minutes went by, and an hour passed soon after.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})Most others had already dropped out, including the boy who was in front of him.
Only he and another girl remained.
'She…isn't she the one I cut in front of?'
It was a wild coincidence.
The brown-haired girl was obviously an earth dragon. If it wasn't because of her hair color, then it was because of the stance she took to withstand the incoming aura.
Her legs were at shoulder-width and her knees were slightly bent, giving her a level of stability that August didn't have when he was standing straight.
'Oh…?'
She wasn't using mana, but her stance itself seemed to do something special.
'Is it because she's using a stance that coincides with her element?'
If earth was stubborn and stable, then water was flexible and adaptable.
'If I changed my stance…'
August decided to try it. He calmed his lineage down so it couldn't help him resist the pressure, and he aimed for a more fluid stance that allowed him to meld into the aura and redirect its energy elsewhere.
'Da- I mean, woah!'
August felt the opposing lineage in its full glory for the first time. It was heavy, mountainous almost. It felt like a peak that was impossible to climb, urging people to give up the notion before even trying.
However, August was not perturbed. He was going to try regardless of what it said.
It took a second for him to adapt, since he'd stopped using the easiest solution, but he managed to find his groove soon enough.
He didn't move much, but he made slight adjustments when he needed to, and he circulated his mana to change the way his body reacted to the force.
And just as he managed to get a grasp of it…
Clap!
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})A single clap resounded from the suspended balcony, and the pressurized doors slammed shut.
The remaining aura in the facility gradually diminished, allowing August and the brown-haired girl to relax.
"Melania Achen, August Void…congratulations! You are the only two who will move on to the next test!"
Rakon's voice echoed in their ears, causing them to look at each other.
August grinned.
"Congratulations," he said.
"You too," Melania responded, somewhat coldly.
"Harsh…" August whispered under his breath, shrugging his shoulders.
Well, for now, they were competitors, so it made sense.
'More importantly…'
August watched as a corner of the training facility changed. Two massive chunks of stone rose from the ground, evidently for the "next test" that the instructor had mentioned.
His eyes narrowed in response.
'So it's going to be boring.'
He could already tell. Until he entered the actual heir wars, he wouldn't find anything interesting.
'They're underestimating us.'
Because they weren't from the Holy Clans…? Because they were commoners…?
'Bullshit.'
August was aware of his privilege. He knew that his talent was also provided by a Holy lineage, but that didn't change his stance.
'All dragons deserve a chance at excellence.'
Their species was one that was proud and great.
And even if his own advantages were provided by lineage, he wanted to find a way.
A way for all dragons to reach the same heights that he could.
