Magic Awakening

Two years after settling in, Jose woke up leisurely at home one day. The moment he opened his eyes, he felt a strange sensation—as if the entire world had changed.

He focused his gaze on the air, which had once been empty but now teemed with energy particles of every color: red, blue, yellow, green, black, white, gold... The fiery red particles around him were the most abundant—these were the elements in the air.

"Elemental Vision, it really is different now."

He extended his dragon claw, densely covered in fine scales, and uttered two strange syllables from his mouth.

"DANU!"

A flame rose from the center of his dragon claw. Its intensity wasn't high, but it was something he had created with his own ability.

"Magic!"

Though it was only the most basic cantrip—Ignite—it still filled Jose with excitement.

Since his transmigration, the overwhelming power of magic had left a deep impression on his heart: burning meteors falling from the sky, ice spewing from hands, flames clashing in the air as powerful beings fought, their magical collisions stirring the winds and clouds, pressing down on the young dragons so they dared not take flight...

Magic's dominance on the battlefield made him full of anticipation for his own awakening, but he never expected this day to come so quickly.

According to the growth pattern of dragons, spellcasting abilities would only gradually awaken during the adolescent stage, and he was still a full two years away from that stage.

Without a doubt, this was Jin Ke La's doing.

He then examined his body. Compared to before he fell asleep, there wasn't much change—his length was still within the range of a young dragon.

"For dragons, the awakening of spellcasting ability is a sign that the spirit has grown strong enough to control the elements. It seems Jinkela promotes the spirit more than the body. No! It could also be due to the transmigration—my spirit is stronger than that of young dragons of the same age, or perhaps both factors contributed."

Regardless of the specific reason, the fact that his spellcasting ability had awakened early was real, and Jose was overjoyed.

The early awakening of spellcasting ability was like a sluice gate opening ahead of time. From now on, he would continuously draw more and more powerful magic from the Dragon Heritage, giving him an edge in competition with dragons of the same age.

And awakening alongside his spellcasting ability was another key ability that would influence a dragon's entire life—the Familiar Contract. The Familiar Contract was the most important means for dragons to maintain their power system, bar none.

It could be said that as long as a creature signed a dragon's Familiar Contract, they became an extension of that dragon's will. Shared vision, mental connection, memory access—all were at the whim of the dragon master.

Of course, the contract was just a contract; it couldn't change the familiar's personal will. The familiar still retained independent personality and thoughts, and could even betray the dragon—though betrayal would incur the contract's backlash.

As for this minor flaw, Jose didn't take it seriously.

If a familiar truly preferred death over loyalty, then their master had failed too miserably.

"But now, am I considered an adolescent dragon or a young dragon?"

He muttered to himself, pondering the age divisions of dragons and what each age group should be doing.

Ages 0 to 3 were the hatchling stage: Newly hatched dragons, barring accidents, lived under the protection of the Dragon Mother. Following the instructions of the Dragon God of Evil—Tiamat—the Dragon Mother would care for the hatchlings until they had some survival ability, then drive her offspring out of the nest.

Ages 3 to 10 were the young dragon stage: Almost all Five-Colored Evil Dragons were expelled by the Dragon Mother during the young dragon stage. Losing their mother's protection, young dragons were easily hunted in the wild, making this stage the one with the highest mortality rate among Five-Colored Evil Dragons. Young dragons from the same nest often banded together to survive.

Ages 10 to 25 were the adolescent dragon stage: Though adolescent dragons weren't strong, they had some ability to protect themselves. The harsh experiences of the young dragon stage made them cautious. They lurked in the shadows, growing quietly, and a major event occurred during this stage—the initial emergence of magical ability.

Ages 25 to 50 were the young adult dragon stage: Dragons at this stage had more mature magical abilities and bodies, and their courage grew accordingly. They gradually expanded their range of activity and initially awakened territorial awareness. Five-Colored Evil Dragons that had been surviving in groups would part ways at some point during this stage, while good-aligned Metallic Dragons would also leave their parents to travel.

Ages 50 to 100 were the young dragon stage: Young Five-Colored Evil Dragons often had inflated confidence. They began consciously gathering familiars and claiming territory. Sometimes, they overstepped, attracting the attention of those with ill intent and getting hunted.

Ages 100 to 700 were the adult dragon stage: Adult dragons were undoubtedly at the top of the food chain. They had fixed dwellings or territories and dared to appear openly before the world. Generally, as long as they didn't go too far, no one wanted to provoke an adult dragon, because if it escaped, the consequences would be severe.

Ages 700 to 1300 were the mature dragon stage: Mature dragons reached their physical peak. Powerful dragon species (Red Dragons, Gold Dragons) typically entered the Legendary realm at this stage, becoming top-tier existences in the world. "Don't court death and you won't die" was the motto for mature dragons.

Ages 1300 to 1800 were the old dragon stage: Old dragons' bodies began to decline, but their magical mastery grew deeper. They would mate as much as possible to leave offspring. Most dragons entered the Legendary realm during the old dragon stage; if they hadn't crossed that threshold, they likely never would.

Ages 1800 and above were the very old dragon stage: Very old dragons were nearing the end of their lives. Their mating ability was lost, and their magical mastery reached its peak. How long a very old dragon could live depended on its species. The longest-lived Red Dragons and Gold Dragons could reach 3500 years, while the shortest-lived White Dragons had a maximum lifespan of 2300 years.

Like canines, dragons also had the ability to sense death. When they felt their life was nearing its end, very old dragons would begin searching for a burial site, move their accumulated wealth there, seal the entrance, and sleep eternally with their beloved treasures.

Only a very few exceptionally talented dragons could break through the limits of life and enter the ancient dragon stage, gaining a longer lifespan.

In Jose's view, the ancient dragon stage was a rank of power, not a life stage.

Theoretically, dragons could break through to the ancient dragon stage at any point in their lives. For example, the Red Nest Matriarch—Savannah—had leaped directly from the mature dragon stage to the ancient dragon level.

Ancient dragons were already the ceiling of power in the Tydanore World. By human standards, they were at the demigod level.

To advance further into the great ancient dragon stage, ancient dragons had to leave Tydanore and head to the Astral Plane or other planes with higher power ceilings.

As for the primeval dragons above great ancient dragons, the Dragon Heritage had few records. Jose only knew they rivaled True Gods.

"I wonder how far I can go," the young red dragon in the cave fell into boundless reverie.

After thinking it over, he deflated.

During his growth, "he" had often sparred with his peers Baren and the Dragon Sister. Judging by the results, the talent of this body was merely average.

Then he thought of the mysterious Starry River Square, and his confidence grew.

No matter how poor the innate talent, it couldn't stand up to having a cheat!