In order to improve the quality of the story, from now on I'll be posting three times a week: on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I hope I can count on the colboration of all of you who have followed me so far!

  - So... you mean I can do anything now that you've shared some of your power with me?

  *Don't exaggerate! It would take an inexperienced draconic like you years to understand a fraction of my true potential! My powers haven't reached their peak yet, I haven't had much time to explore them.

  - So you're a limited dragon?

  *OF COURSE NOT, YOU FOOL! I'M ONE OF THE OLDEST DRAGONS EVER TO FLY THE SKIES OF THIS WORLD! I'm just warning you not to do anything stupid... Now my life is in your hands!

  - Okay, okay, no need to shout... But you're right.

  *Huh?

  - As you said yourself, your life is in my hands. I just wanted to understand the extent of your powers to avoid making mistakes. I also don't want to act recklessly.

  *Hmph... At least you still have a shred of sense. Listen, girl. Now that we have a contract, you have part of my powers and attributes. But how far you can go with them... that's up to you. As a heroine, your potential can reach an extremely high level.

  - A higher level than yours?

  *Don't exaggerate. But I can't give you a definitive answer either. It will depend on how much you develop. But understand one thing.

  - What?

  *This world will test you in countless ways. If you want advice from someone strong... follow your heart. Don't hesitate to do whatever it takes to reach your goal. Right and wrong are irrelevant concepts when it comes to getting where you want to go.

  - Thanks for the advice.

  *Hmph. Just don't dare do anything crazy... Heh.

  He ughs, but there's something mencholy in his voice.

  *I don't have much time... I don't know when I'll wake up again. You're on your own now. Good luck... human. Or rather... Satouma.

  - Hey... Syphus-san?

  Suddenly, I realize that I'm completely alone. Even if I call out to him, I know there'll be no answer. I think he's forcing himself not to rest... He's been waiting for me all this time.

  I feel like there was still something he wanted to tell me, but because of his condition, he couldn't. Now I'm on my own. Now I'm on my own.

  I can feel his presence, faint and distant. This connection of origin is strange... A moment ago, he was by my side, but now he seems so far away. Still, I know he's here somehow. When I said I would fall into a deep sleep, I didn't imagine it would be so literal.

  - Have a good rest, Syphus...

  I put my hand to my chest in a symbolic gesture. He may not be here physically, but I hope he recovers soon... I also hope to feel it when he does. But it might take a while. And to be honest, I don't even know what I would do if he woke up now. I guess that's something I'll have to figure out over time.

  Now that I'm carrying part of his powers, I can feel the full extent of this cave. Finding a way out will be easier...

  However, the corrosion spreads over a rge part of the environment. And there are other life forms here. Hostiles. That could be dangerous...

  If Syphus were conscious, he would probably tell me what to do. But now, it's up to me to figure out how to use these new abilities.

  As much as I want to get out of here, this cave will be the perfect training ground.

  Today, officially, is the day of my rebirth in this world!

  ***

  According to Syphus, it's been almost twelve days since I fell unconscious.

  The moment I woke up, I had a brief conversation with him before his inevitable sleep consumed him. And what did I do next? I ended up resting for a while too.

  At first, I didn't know if he would still be able to hear me, so, just in case, I preferred to remain silent. I thought it would be a gesture of respect for his rest. Besides, I would also benefit from this moment of rest. Even though I used my magic to heal myself, I still feel like it wasn't enough. So I ended up lying down right here to reflect a little...

  But I had to settle down on my side, since I now have a tail!

  [...]

  That's when I noticed a subtle change around me. Something seemed different, and if Syphus were awake, he'd probably say something like: “My presence is impossible to ignore around here.”

  Even without him saying anything, it was undeniable that his influence on the environment had become less evident. It was as if an area illuminated by the sun was suddenly covered by the shadow of something immense, causing the heat to gradually disappear. The corrosion around the pce where he was also beginning to lose its intensity, although it hadn't completely disappeared yet.

  This aroused my curiosity, especially about his infamous abyssal magic.

  From the name alone, the first thing that came to mind was a literal abyss, but that wouldn't make sense... unless he possessed the ability to create something simir. No, that would be unlikely... or just unusual, since I still don't fully understand the scope of his powers.

  Another possibility would be a dark aspect intrinsic to his magic. His powers seem to be naturally linked to darkness, which would expin his corrosive potential. From the story he told me about his past, his weakness is light magic. In a desote environment like this, he would not only have an advantage, but total freedom to manifest his powers without restriction - which, in fact, he did.

  But in the end, these are all just theories. The truth is that, at that moment, I was considering the possibility of using his powers.

  Talking about it is easy... The problem is that I have no idea how to do it. My healing magic, for example, came about completely spontaneously, as a response to the need of the moment.

  In fact, now that I think about it, my healing magic seems to be stronger than before. When I used it to regain my senses, its intensity was much greater than usual.

  Shinin~~

  Wow, it's much stronger than before! And the color has changed too!

  What was once a radiant emerald green has now become a completely dull purple. But despite this change, I can sense that its property has also altered.

  What started out as a simple experiment has turned into something much more sting. I can now manipute it freely all over my body. I thought that only my hands would serve as catalysts for this magic, but I was wrong. In the end, it all comes down to mental conditioning, which makes total sense, since all it takes is my mind to concentrate this power.

  Vaku