The castle was something straight out of a fairy tale.
A castle that was built for dragons by a talking wolf.
Just thinking about it made chills run through my veins.
A stone wall that was ten times my height greeted my eyes.
Who did Hathor build this wall for? A Jotun?
Surprisingly enough, for a structure so huge, done in so little time, it looked alright.
Maybe that wasn't the right word; it looked oddly normal.
Which was already above my expectations, for a non-builder race, it seemed sturdy and pleasant-looking enough.
The thought made me wonder if dwarves roamed these lands, and if they did. I wouldn't mind graciously taking them under my wings.
The entrance to the castle was a giant gate, followed by a drawbridge with a flowing river surrounding the castle.
A classic moat.
How such a thing was made in five years, I could only chalk it up to magic.
The whole thing was strange considering that only animal-like creatures inhabited these lands, and most developed some way to roam the air.
Yet I wasn't one to punch a gift horse in the mouth.
"My lord." Hathor bowed, he twirled his hand forward, and there was a pleased smile on his face.
He bent at a 90-degree angle and looked up, his hair flowing over his face. He combed it back with his hand and looked expectantly at our reaction.
[Well Done.] It was a curt response, but the edges of his lips curved further.
Soon, a budding smirk was present.
He stood straight and ironed out the wrinkles on his robe with his hand. He wiped his forehead and smiled, his silver orbs twinkling.
[A castle] Her tone was dreamy. Tiamat's eyes looked around, while her blue scale glowed on her neck, like when she discovered that her apostle was real.
A hint of a smile could be seen on her dragon 'lips'.
[An abode fitting for our stature.] She managed to say, while steadying her voice and maintaining a calm facade. Her head was held high, and her chest puffed out. Her steps were light and delicate with arrogance befitting a dragon.
She wasn't entirely incorrect; this gigantic castle would do better than a lousy cave.
Although there was a slight oversight.
The Castle doors were a beautiful varnish of the wood from the forest surrounding them. That was all well and nice, but the door was not very dragon-friendly.
[Hathor.] A vein began to bulge on my forehead.
Or what felt like that.
I wasn't annoyed at the loyal mutt. Not entirely so. It was even a marvel; he managed to build a grandiose castle in five years.
That alone should be applauded.
"Yes, my lord." He asked, the same bright smile on his face, even his eyes curved upwards, as if he was very pleased with himself.
He stood, with his hands idly resting by his side.
I inhaled a deep breath, and the scent of the finely cut wood with the well-maintained stone entered my nostrils.
It wasn't unpleasant.
I wanted to pinch the bridge of my nose. He had made the castle humongous to account for our large size, but didn't include a way to enter?
Even everything else was catered more to humans than animals. That was all fine and dandy, but this was to be our home. How did he expect us to enter? I was even starting to believe the corridors wouldn't be much different.
What was so great about a human?
My lips pulled downward.
[And how do you expect us to enter this castle?] My eye twitched and narrowed. My head lowered as I stared into his silver orbs.
The air around us shifted, and an air of tension surrounded us.
"M-m-my Lord, H-a-ve you not learned polymorph?" He stammered out while loosening his collar as if it was suffocating him. Sweat began to drip on his brow, which was odd, for a being made of ice and fire.
Why was he reacting like this? It wasn't like I was going to eat him.
My gaze softened, but the annoyance persisted, maybe even intensified by his reaction.
He was smart enough to make an entrance large enough to allow us into the Great Hall, but not for our home. Smart enough to develop a budding nation, but not to make the door large enough for us to enter unimpeded.
It was fair for him to think we would have learned polymorph by now, but even if we did, who said we wanted to be in human form?
Not that I wouldn't do it, but as I found out in that void, I felt best in my original form.
[And if we had, did you think I would lessen my stature to masquerade as a human?]
Perhaps my tone was too intense.
Because what happened next was an overreaction.
His knees buckled, and he collapsed to the floor. Hathor raised his hands and slammed his head against the floor. His robe sprawled on the floor, stained with dirt.
"Forgive me, my lords." He repeated, as he slammed his head again on the floor.
I wanted to smack him myself. It's not like he insulted my non-existent mother. My sister looked at him with slight amusement, but a hint of worry seeped out.
Cute
I nodded to myself, and the mana in my dragon heart stirred. It gathered and condensed so tightly that it was almost visible to the naked eye.
Stopping him from further hitting his head.
He shook his head, tears threatening to escape from the corners of his eyes. His lower lip trembled, as his pale face became red.
"This fool insulted your majesty." He said in a tone I would only expect in a play.
He inhaled through his nostrils, and a ball of snot was retrieved.
Was there a need to be so dramatic?
"Please forgive me, my lords." He said, as if he had committed the greatest sin.
As I was about to open my mouth and say that all was forgiven.
Someone else joined in.
Her steps were barely audible, and only thanks to my great dragon instinct was I aware that a person was arriving.
I turned, and my eyes widened.
It was a woman.
Her snow-white hair and silver eyes created an alluring contrast. Her hair reached down to her waist, and she was wearing a silver hunting suit. Her hand was firmly planted on her hip, and her body was what one called a perfect hourglass.
It was something I was starting to feel about the women in this world, but she truly looked as if she was taken out of a painting.
Or personally sculpted by some god.
Could I attribute this to her mysterious maternal lineage?
The one that allowed her to learn dragon tongue so quickly.
[Luna.]
It was obvious who it was, Hathor's child.
How old was she now? I tried squinting my eyes, but all that came up was her name and a bunch of question marks.
It made my lips curve downward, but I maintained my stoic expression. Was her mother a god?
Her slender fingers traced the edge of the sheath on her shoulder. She dragged out the blade gently and placed it on her heart.
With her hand on her heart, she bowed.
"My lords"
I nodded in recognition.
She then placed it back in its sheath.
[The little puppy grew up.] It was ironic for a dragon younger than even her to say this, but I didn't bother embarrassing my sister.
Luna's head turned, and her eyes lingered on Tiamat before she moved towards her father, who looked as if he was about to cry.
Surely, she was about to help him up...
No, she bent down and snarled, the once cute wolf pup that was so affectionate with her father, now rebellious. Her lips curved violently, while her nose wrinkled.
"I told you, you old coot. That no Dragon would want human-sized doors." Her tone was so fierce that I, who was not being scolded, almost stepped back.
This was no way to demonstrate filial piety. Not that a fatherless person would know.
"Always so obsessed with the Human form." She clenched her fist; unlike me, an actual vein was bulging on her forehead.
"It's because of mother isn't it?"
Ouch.
Her frustration was palpable.
Hathor shrank back, and he looked like a hen-pecked husband. His silver eyes trembled as he received her verbal lashing.
His lips twitched as he opened his mouth to speak, but before words could come out.
"It was like this with the Temple, you wanted small doors." She waved her fist in the air." But I insisted on grand doors, and I'm glad I did." She continued.
So, I couldn't defend him on the foresight...
"Humans this, humans that, if they were so good..." She continued to scold him
My sister's eyes sparkled with amusement as she watched Luna reprimand Hathor. I, for one, was not so enthralled by family drama, so I started to think inwardly.
Polymorph...
From the observations I had made so far, I could reasonably make an educated guess, that one acquires the ability to transform at Level 20.
The problem with that was that I was currently twenty, or so my meagre math skills led me to believe.
'Status'
[Lvl.20]
But did that apply to dragons? From the fragmented knowledge I had received, a dragon learns to polymorph in adulthood, and if we were to judge my age by human standards, I was a teenager.
Which, for a young dragon, was surprisingly fast.
I could only thank the text.
Yet there wasn't really much you couldn't do with dragon knowledge. If I really wanted to I could learn polymorph ahead of time, when I would naturally be taught it in my memories.
But was there really a need?
I stared at the huge door and imagined the comfy castle inside.
Maybe.
It would be the first time I would enter a luxurious home in a long time. The thought of sleeping in a cave didn't bother me, but it wasn't as appealing either.
It wasn't like I was yearning for a comfy, feathery pillow or a spongy, soft mattress that I could sink right into.
...
Well, the dragon side of me didn't mind sleeping in a cave, and the thought of sleeping on hard metal ingots of gold sounded better.
But a bed wouldn't be so bad.
As my thoughts drifted to finally sleeping on a nice bed, the sound of a giant creature shook the floor.
It was like an earthquake had hit the realm, and this was coming from a dragon.
They were footsteps.
A middle-aged, barbar- man arrived, his hair brown and trimmed around his forehead, his eyes foggy with sparks of flames erupting every so often. He was big and packed with muscle; the only inhuman feature besides his eyes was the horns on his forehead.
If I had to give an estimate, I would say he was 6'10.
"What's all this noise then?" His voice dripped with annoyance, his wife trailing behind him. He turned his head and then noticed us. he looked up and down before speaking.
"Oh, the dragons are up."
Niles.
If it wasn't the absolute lack of manners that gave him away, it would have been the blood running through his veins.
His wife nudged him in the ribs with her elbow, causing him to curse and rub where she hit. He turned to look at her, and she, in turn glared at him. He backed down and cheekily scratched his head.
"My lords."
Now, who was the henpecked husband?
He nodded and then turned towards Luna. "Hey, cut your father some slack."
Niles began to calm down, Luna.
Leah turned towards us with a bright smile that reminded me of a warm fire. She did a curtsy bow, grabbing the edge of her dress.
"My lords." She paused, her smile brightening.
"I am happy you both look so radiant, like the Sun and the Moon."
Her eyes, which resembled a ball of fire, twinkled like the stars in the night sky.
[It is a pleasure to see you as well.] I spoke curtly. My sister pushed past me and stood in front of her, basically hovering over her.
[Soup Maker] Tiamat salivated. Her lips opening and closing, as if reminiscing about the taste.
What could have been considered insulting instead pleased Leah, who responded with the warmth befitting a mother bear.
"I have improved my recipe." She smiled gently.
Tiamat's eyes lit up, [Brother, we must learn polymorph right now.] She pleaded.
As it was something my sister personally asked for, who was I to say no?
[May I trouble you to tell me how?]
"My lord, you but need to command, but"
Leah touched her chin.
"When you blessed me with your blood, the spell came naturally to my head. I will do my best to instruct you, but how dare I teach a dragon magic?"
[No matter.]
So, she began to explain how the mana flowed and what she felt during the process.
It seemed simple enough.
I, who harnessed the essence of the sun, couldn't do a basic transformation spell?
I didn't believe it.
So, I tried, and I did.
[You have learnt lesser polymorph]
[You have used lesser polymorph]
I felt the mana in my heart stir, and warp around my body, the sensation felt similar to when I made my body larger during the usage of faith, just the other way around.
My vision became blurry, and soon I opened my eyes.
I closed my fists and opened them. Unlike in the void, my power here was merely compacted, not gone. The stifling feeling of constraint was gone, but it still felt uncomfortable in human form.
The argument that rang in the background ceased, and soon everyone gathered around and stared at me.
I noticed someone that I hadn't seen before, a small girl.
If I had to guess I'd say she was 12, Her hair was red with a blue streak, her eyes golden, and had vertical slits.
She was wearing regal clothes for a child.
Wait, where was Tiamat?
No...
As I was about to laugh at my sister. Her lips curved upwards, and her eyes creased as she pointed at me and laughed.
Dread soon sprouted in my heart.
Why was everyone staring at me? Better yet, why did Niles and Luna look so huge?