With a low roar, Keosius slowly opened his eyes. His head felt somewhat muddled; much information had flooded into his mind while he slept, and he had yet to properly digest it.
"I must have slept for a long time this time."
His scales were covered in a thick layer of dust.
Keosius shook his massive head and lightly flexed his wings. His long-unused bones cracked crisply, sending ashes swirling around him.
"I look more imposing this time. Not bad."
Keosius gazed at the enormous glass mirror that had long been prepared in the underground palace and nodded in satisfaction.
Perhaps because he had deeply excavated the power of his bloodline, Keosius was now far more mature than an ordinary Red Dragon. His enormous body was fully fifteen meters long, and his proportions were nearly identical to those of an adult Red Dragon. None of a young dragon's immaturity remained.
The two thick horns sweeping back from Keosius's head had grown longer, their surfaces an aged, yellowed bone-white. Several rows of smaller horns extended across his crown, while the horns on his cheeks and jaw had become more pronounced, making his massive head look even more ferocious.
The Red Dragon's golden pupils had faded slightly—a sign of advancing age. It was said that the eyes of the oldest Red Dragons resembled spheres of lava.
The bright crimson scales covering his body had deepened to a darker red. Their glossy patterns had been replaced by smooth, matte surfaces, though the edges of the scales still bore a faint golden hue due to the Metal Scales.
The Red Dragon's wings had also grown broader, with the rear edges of the wing membranes connecting to his body behind his hind legs and beneath his tail. Pale blue fringes had appeared along those trailing