Chapter 2: I… I Am Your Mother

Primordial, formless darkness.

As Li Lan’s consciousness slowly returned, the darkness reclaimed his field of vision.

Realizing he still couldn’t see a thing, Li Lan felt a surge of irritation, but he soon froze in confusion.

‘Who… am I again?’

A profound sense of absurdity washed over him.

‘How could I possibly forget who I am? I must have gone stupid from staying in this hellhole for too long… Think, I have to be able to remember.’

A name surfaced in his mind.

Ignis.

His name was Ignis.

And he was… a dragon.

—

Villanelle followed closely behind the guard, walking through the corridor known as the “Dragon Throat” with a heart full of trepidation.

The passageway was somewhat cramped, with flickering green torches set into niches in the stone walls. The light wavered, casting grotesque, twisted shadows against the rock.

When Villanelle reached the end of the corridor, the space suddenly opened up.

Before her lay a vast circular hall. Large doors, some open and some sealed, could be seen in four directions, and people wearing various uniforms hurried to and fro.

The guard led her to a door where the words “Dragon Egg Incubation Site” were particularly prominent.

“My Lord, the person has arrived.” The guard squeezed a flattering smile onto his face and bowed to a balding man leaning against the doorframe.

The man looked to be about 40 years old. His face was oily, and he wore glasses thick as bottle-bottoms. His uniform robe looked like it hadn’t been tended to in days.

Even so, the guard didn’t dare be disrespectful, because this disheveled man was the Incubation Room Manager, Agrippa Schroder.

“Let’s go.” Agrippa ignored the guard, nodded to Villanelle, and turned to walk inside.

Villanelle bit her lip, her heart pounding wildly.

‘Deep breaths… don’t be nervous.’

Inside the incubation site, doors forged from Magic Alloy lined both sides. Fully armed members of the Dragon Cliff Guard and researchers in lab uniforms stood watch.

“Number 114… found it.” Agrippa’s expression remained unchanged as he urged her forward nonchalantly. “Go in.”

He was busy. After recording the experimental data for this project, he had to continue preparing for another large-scale experiment.

Standing before the incubation room labeled “114,” Villanelle’s legs began to tremble uncontrollably as the heavy door panel was slowly pulled open.

For the first time, she felt death’s proximity. All the mental preparation she had done previously vanished in an instant.

She wanted to run, to freeze time forever at this very moment.

But she couldn’t.

“Stop wasting fucking time, girl!” Another gruff voice rang out, startling Villanelle. “Get in there and feed the dragon, then get the hell out when you’re done!”

“You’re too loud, Mr. Gracchus,” Agrippa said calmly. “Please remain silent. Experiments require a quiet atmosphere.”

The Dragon Cliff Guard Captain, Brutus Gracchus, was famous for his temper and bore a long scar across his chin.

Before Villanelle could react, Brutus shoved her inside, sending her sprawling onto the floor of the incubation room.

The metal door groaned shut behind her, cutting off the sounds from outside.

Inside the room, the heating rune sets were active to facilitate the hatching process, yet she still felt cold to her core.

*Crack… clack…*

Villanelle scrambled to her feet, rubbing her sore elbow. Her gaze landed on the incubation pedestal in the center of the room.

The black dragon egg sitting on the platform already had several cracks running across its shell.

As the minutes ticked by, the cracks expanded across the entire shell until, finally, it shattered.

Ignis poked his head out, nudged the eggshells aside, and brushed off the small fragments stuck to his face. The bright lights made it difficult for him to open his eyes.

‘Where the hell am I… and why does everything feel so weird?’

He raised a claw to shield his eyes.

After a moment of dazed confusion, Ignis’s consciousness cleared, and he suddenly realized something was very wrong.

‘What kind of creature am I?!’

He had wings and couldn’t speak—was he no longer even human?

Ignis’s eyes quickly adjusted to the light, and he hurriedly brought his hand to his face to examine it closely.

‘Claws?’

As the realization hit, memories of his time in the dark void flooded back.

His name was Ignis… and he was a Black Dragon.

‘Then where is this?’

Ignis looked up and noticed the girl in the room.

Villanelle swallowed hard. She set her staff gently on the ground and reached out a trembling hand toward the hatchling that was staring intently at her. Forcing a smile, she said:

“Hello. I… I am your mother…”

It was said that a newborn dragon would view the first creature it saw as its parent.

She hoped it was true.

She didn’t dare cast a Calming Spell to soothe the hatchling. Dragons, as powerful magical beings, were exceptionally sensitive to fluctuations in the surrounding mana.

Casting a spell recklessly might trigger the dragon’s self-defense instincts.

Ignis’s eyes widened.

First, the girl wasn’t speaking Chinese or English, yet he could understand her perfectly. Second…

‘She’s definitely not the commander.’

‘Well, well. A little girl mama, huh?’

He wasn’t some kind of weirdo; he just missed his own childhood. Whenever he saw the clear, innocent eyes of a child, he was reminded of his younger self, which was why he had a soft spot for kids.

Therefore, Ignis felt he was a very compassionate person.

Since “Mom”—the girl—had spoken first, he figured he should respond.

Ignis took a moment to feel his body.

A new heart was beating powerfully within his chest, and his frame contained an unprecedented level of strength.

In his past life, his health had been poor and his physical stamina was abysmal. He hadn’t felt this energetic in a very long time.

Ignis stood up from the pile of eggshells and tried flapping the wings attached to his forearms.

They were wet and seemingly useless for flight at the moment.

It made sense. Even though dragons were depicted as overpowered in various stories, flying immediately after birth would be an exaggeration.

Ignis craned his neck to look down from the pedestal, then gave a light hop with his hind legs, landing steadily on the floor.

He wasn’t quite used to this new body yet, so he waddled as he walked, looking quite ridiculous.

Seeing the hatchling stumbling toward her, Villanelle froze in place, her heart filled with anxiety.

‘Did… did it work? Has it accepted me?’

‘It won’t bite me, will it?’

Ignis wobbled over to Villanelle, silently complaining about his new body, before stopping and looking up.

The eyes of the human and the dragon met in the air.

“Can… can I touch you?” Villanelle tried her best to make her expression look friendlier.

Ignis nodded firmly.

“You can understand me?” Villanelle’s face lit up with surprise.

‘I thought you were assuming I could understand you since you were already talking to me.’

Ignis grumbled inwardly and nodded again.

Villanelle relaxed instantly. She bent down and gently placed her small hand on his head.

It was hard, warm, and a bit damp.

That was Villanelle’s first impression.

“Then, can I hold you?” she asked tentatively.

Ignis rolled his eyes.

‘What’s the point in asking? Just hug me if you want. You’re acting like I’m going to eat you.’

He shifted his weight to his hind legs, stood upright, and extended his two small foreclaws toward the girl standing right in front of him.

The girl began to laugh happily.

It was a genuine, joyful laugh—the kind she hadn’t experienced in many years.