CHAPTER 526: DRAGON AWAKENING

Explosions. Fire. Destruction. Screams of anguish, cries of despair.

Those are the noises that keep ringing in his head, over and over. It is so overwhelming to the point that he has already forgotten the majority of his memories. The only memories he has are the memories of the war that keep replaying in his head. Even his name is a distant memory for him. However, despite not remembering everything, the only thing that keeps ringing in his head is the promise he was trying to keep.

"Protect the World Tree."

These words may sound distant and foreign to him, but the weight of those words keeps ringing in his head. They might be something he has heard in the past, but one thing is for sure, and that is the fact that this order is important, much more important than his life.

However, he failed when the nameless enemy whom he was fighting, the person who is now something of a distant memory for him and caused him to be impaled by the World Tree. As soon as he got stuck there, the World Tree itself continued to supply him with healing while also dying due to his blood. He is technically unkillable due to his ability to remain alive even when suffering from danger or suffering from fatal damage, but that doesn’t mean the World Tree recognizes whether he is able to survive a damage or not. He is healed continuously while still bleeding due to the spear.

The spear...yes, the spear...

"The Spear!" he opened his eyes, catching his breath as he looked around his surroundings.

He quickly checks his chest that should have a gaping hole due to the spear piercing through his body...and yet that hole is nowhere to be seen, only a scar.

"What? How did this happen?"

He pinched his cheek a few times, thinking he was just dreaming, and he was hallucinating that the spear is gone and his wound had healed. However, his pinch stings and the wound remains the same as before. And the spear that once protruded from his chest is also gone.

Not only that but his surroundings have changed. He is now seeing the sky that he have no longer been seeing for a long time already. Clear and full of stars, something that has been impossible for him this whole time.

But why is he seeing the sky now all of a sudden? What caused all of this and isn’t his previous location currently near the world tree? Where is he now? All he could see is the barren expanse of the surroundings without a sign of plant life or anything remarkable to say the least and a cave opening with plenty of monster carcasses scattered around the entrance.

"What is going on? Where am I?"

He tried standing up only to realize his body seems to be not on its optimal form. He couldn’t even stand up or anything at all. What’s worse, he is like paralyzed of some sort due to something he couldn’t explain. Was it fatigue? Or is it just his body doing something he has no idea about?

Still, he couldn’t just remain there and continue being clueless. He forced himself to stand up, trying his best to keep his legs from giving up. Despite many things that seems to prevent him from doing so, his willpower to push through is enough to deal with what is happening and allow him to stand properly...albeit a bit wobbly.

He started walking, only to stumble and fall. Yet he didn’t stop and stand back up again. It was like he was relearning how to walk again despite the fact that he has no injuries that would render him unable to walk.

He didn’t give in and continue to stand up, balancing himself to stop himself from even falling over and over.

Perhaps, due to perseverance, it seems that his legs had finally decided to work with him and work with him this time as he started walking again. It was a slow walk, one step at a time and something that he continue doing so, while also strengthening his body, making sure he won’t topple over and restart his efforts once more.

Soon, his legs stands firm, ready to tackle his situation again. He looked over at the cave and one thing he saw there are none other tha the Pixies, still busy cleaning up and hauling all the carcasses of the Worms that attacked the world tree. Currently being supervised by the Elder Pixie, the pixies were doing a steady job at keeping their surroundings clean while also getting rid of the bodies while not getting those carcasses rot and cause more contamination to the soil.

Every move they make are all in the eyes of the dragon knight. He is clueless to what is going on and the only beings near him are the flying small creatures hauling big things out of the cave and putting them in pile.

As he was heading continuously to the cave, the Pixies already spotted him from a distance. He is slowly approaching the place, causing a bit of worry and panic to the many. After learninfmg that the Dragon Knight’s blood is what causing the contamination of the World Tree, many are eager to keep their eye out of the dragon who almost destroyed two world trees together.

The Dragon Knight continue walking towards the cave, still struggling but no longer in a bad situation. He is making sure to reach there and ask the little people on what is happening and how he reached there in the first place without knowing that the pixies are also keeping their eye over him who remained clueless to what was going on.

It didn’t take long before he finally arrived. Pained due to the wounds he have suffered but ready to continue the work, yet thrilled to know what is happening.

There, the pixies that were busy working were almost gone and the only pixies that seems to remain are those who are ready to fight again to defend their cave and the Elder who knows what to do next. These pixies are ready to attack again in case things would suddenly go south.

"Excuse me...may I ask a question?" The Dragon Knight asked, still cautious but ready to find answers to his questions.

"Ask away, young man. What can we do for you?" the Elder decided to play oblivious to ensure the Dragon Knight does not freak out immediately. He also needed to do so to ensure that the dragon knight does not suspect a thing.

"Where am I? And how did I reach this place? I remember that I was supposed to be underground with a tree..."

The others gulped as they looked at the Dragon Knight with vigilance. They didn’t want him to suddenly flare up and cause havoc all over the place due to something. They are also waiting what their Elder will answer.

"You are in what we call the Land of the dead, young man. It is a place where plants and trees don’t grow and monsters are close to none due to the inhospitable environment everyone knows. You must be new her for you to not know the current situation?" The Elder played it safe and made it so the dragon knight would think he was some foreigner in a foreign land.

"I...I don’t know..."the Dragon Knight lowered his guard and his eyebrow creased. He ruffled his face and hair in confusion. "I really don’t know."

"I see. Then, be sure to hydrate yourself. Drink some water and keep your mind calm and at ease. Thinking things excessively would just hurt your brain. Hey boys, bring him the water he needs. Lots of water, enough for him to drink," the Elder comforted the Dragon Knight while also ordering his men to get the water the Dragon Knight needed.

"Are you sure?" the Dragon Knight seems to be taken aback.

"Don’t worry, the water is just something that we are offering for you. Considering that the place is very dead to the point that not a single thing grows here, it is a wonder that we still get to drink clean water here. Go and drink. That will clear up your mind up a bit."

"T-thanks."

The pixies arrived carrying a cup full of fresh water and hand it over to the Dragon Knight who decided to drink the cup slowly. As soon as the water dips through his lips, his eyes lit up and he sips through the whole cup and emptied it as soon as possible like he was about to be losing more if he didn’t do so. He then realized that even though he is not feeling the same urge of thirst, his throat, his body and his whole system is screaming for it.

He is thirsty and in need for water.

"May I have some more water?"

The Elder Pixie nodded and glance at the Dragon Knight who is still staring at the empty cup on his hands. He might be the main cause of the problem they are having right now, but that doesn’t mean he is the main villain and the main reason for why the situation with the World Tree has worsen. After all, the Dragon Knight is just another victim.