Bloodline Struggle Deep in the Ice Plain

Dago did not know.

This force of will, which even time could not fully erase, was branded deep within the bloodline like a "genetic code." It could return at any moment.

It was beyond belief, beyond anything he understood.

According to the basic wizarding theory he had studied, soul and body should have been distinct yet united opposites. But the will of this ancient creature defied that principle.

It did not reside in the soul. Instead, fragments of its shattered consciousness were engraved deep within every cell, like ghosts lurking in the shadows of the genetic chain.

This was more than residual energy. It was a higher-order form of life information invading his body, watching as it slept.

It waited for the moment its host's mental defenses slackened. Then, through the endocrine system, it would seize control of his body in an instant, erase the individual known as "Dago," and replace him with the savage beast that had once ravaged the Ice Plain in ancient times.

This was predation based purely on the hierarchy of life. There was no warmth in it, no room for negotiation—only ruthless suppression and resistance.

"The only good news is that as long as I don't try to fuse with more of the Bloodline Crystal or use the Despair Winter Dragon's power, this will won't have anything to feed on. It won't grow stronger, and I can wear it down over time."

Driving it out completely was probably unrealistic. Dago could not abandon this bloodline power altogether. If he chose to continue down the path of Behelet, the Despair Winter Dragon, he would have to keep facing this problem.

A wizard's path was one long Equivalent Exchange with truth. To obtain extraordinary power, one had to pay the corresponding price. Whether that price was bodily