"Congratulations, child of Draconic. You have passed the trial."
A strong, imposing, and authoritative voice echoed inside Orion's head.
Orion stiffened.
His heart nearly stopped. Nervousness crept up his spine—he was just a tiny step away from pissing his pants.
"W-Wh… who ish—who is it?"
He couldn't even form a proper sentence.
"Oh… silly me. Where are my manners?"
The voice suddenly shifted.
Gone was the overwhelming authority—replaced by a sultry, seductive female tone that sent shivers down his spine.
It was dangerously alluring.
So alluring that he got hard at the absolute worst possible moment, completely ignoring his situation.
Orion's face burned red as he fought to control himself.
"Ha ha ha~"
The female voice laughed openly, clearly amused by his reaction.
He clenched his fists. He didn't like being laughed at.
"Excuse me," Orion snapped, forcing some confidence into his voice. "But could you please explain what the hell is going on?"
"Oh? Why so impatient?" the voice replied coyly.
"I was just having a little fun."
The voice sighed dramatically.
"I haven't spoken to anyone in… gods know how many millennia."
The loneliness in her voice was so thick, so desperate, that Orion felt an almost irrational urge to comfort her.
To do anything to ease it.
'Focus, Orion. Focus. Focus. Focus!'
He mentally slapped himself.
'Use the brain up top, not the one down below!'
"Ha ha ha ha~"
Her laughter rang out again—pure, melodic, mesmerizing.
"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I really was just having fun."
"… Alright," Orion said, rubbing his temples.
"But how are you inside my head? And could you please get out of there and talk properly?"
"Very well," she replied.
"But let's talk somewhere more appropriate. I can't remain inside your mind much longer without harming you."
"… Are you ready?" she asked again
"Ready for what exactly?" Orion snapped, losing patience.
She didn't answer.
Instead, golden light shimmered into existence before him.
"You just have to touch it."
Orion hesitated.
Normally, there was no way in hell he'd touch some mysterious glowing thing just because a strange voice told him to.
That was how horror stories started.
But right now?
He had no other option.
With a resigned sigh, he reached out the golden light.
The moment his fingers made contact—
The world twisted. He vanished from where he stood and was teleported away without warning.
"God damn it—god fucking damn it… my head—ahh!"
Orion clutched his skull, pain exploding through his head after being teleported.
When he looked up, he froze. He had been teleported into an entirely different chamber—again.
But this chamber was nothing like the others.
First—the sheer size.
The walls and ceiling stretched endlessly, disappearing into darkness even beyond the reach of countless torches.
Which raised another question.
How the hell are these torches still burning?
Massive pillars carved like dragons surrounded a colossal podium at the center of the chamber. An ancient pressure weighed down on him, so suffocating it made him feel like he didn't even have the right to stand there.
"Where the fuck am I now…?" Orion muttered.
"Hello? Anyone here?" he shouted
"Welcome, child of draconic."
The voice echoed again—far stronger this time.
Orion's knees buckled.
He fell to the ground, kneeling.
"Agh—! Shut up… please…" he begged.
"Oops~ my bad."
That's it.
My ears are bleeding and that's all you have to say?
"This is my first interaction with anyone in ages," she said sheepishly.
"I may have gotten a little overexcited."
"Just wait here. I'll be right back."
Then silence filled the chamber once again.
"… And she's gone. Great."
Orion slumped against the podium stairs, exhausted.
Then—
Red mist flooded the space above the podium.
From within the mist, a woman emerged.
She was tall, her presence commanding the space effortlessly. Long hair cascaded down her back like liquid fire, and her skin glowed faintly, as if kissed by embers.
Her features were impossibly beautiful—refined, sharp, and undeniably draconic in their perfection.
And her body— Curves that felt unfair, powerful and alluring.
Orion's mouth hung open.
His mind shut down completely.
He didn't even notice his little brother rising to its full glory.
"Oh my~," she said teasingly.
"You're a very healthy young man, aren't you?"
"Huh?"
Orion followed her gaze downward.
"… Shit."
He immediately tried to cover himself.
"You shouldn't behave like that in front of a maiden, you know," she said, all of a sudden acting shy.
Orion cringed at her behavior.
"You know, I've been in life-and-death situations so many times—I'm always hot" he blurted out in his defense.
"And, you're just too beautiful!"
"Oh? Is that so?" She said smugly.
"Well, I suppose that can't be helped. I am quite pretty." She flicked her hair dramatically.
Orion stared.
The shamelessness was unreal.
He sighed and forced himself to focus on his questions.
"Anyway," he said firmly, "can you tell me what the fuck is happening to me?"
Her expression shifted.
A throne materialized above the podium, and she sat upon it gracefully.
'Way too hot.
Dangerously hot.' he thought to himself
"What would you like to know?" she asked, her voice now deep and commanding.
Orion took a breath.
"Do you know how I ended up here?"
She tapped a finger against her chin, looking as though she were thinking hard.
"Not really. You just appeared out of nowhere." She shrugged.
… Incredibly helpful, thanks.
"Does this 'draconic' thing have anything to do with you?" Orion asked.
"I was human a few hours ago."
She looked at him like he was an idiot.
"Ha ha ha… did you hit your head on something?"
"Yes. Several times," Orion snapped.
"Well, that explains it," she said cheerfully.
"And to answer your question—you were already draconic when you arrived."
'So she doesn't know I reincarnated… good.'
He didn't know how people would react to this information. What if they saw him as some kind of alien and tried to do experiments on him?
"Well then… about that trial you mentioned earlier… does passing it mean I get to leave this hellhole?"
Orion didn't understand why, but there was unmistakable sadness in her eyes.
"You did pass my trial," she said softly.
"But that doesn't mean you can leave."
Orion shoulder slumped....but his eyes soon lit up in possibilities
"Then what did I get for passing it?"
She leaned forward, locking eyes with him.
"Rejoice, child of draconic," she declared.
"You are worthy enough to receive a fragment of my soul."
"Huh…?" Her announcement was so sudden and outrageous that he went into momentary shock.
"Sorry," he said slowly, "but you're going to have to explain that better."
"It's exactly what it sounds like," she said smugly.
"You get part of my soul. Simple."
"… And why would you give that away?"
"Don't you need it to survive?"
She smiled.
"But I'm already dead, silly… you're standing in my grave. Didn't you know that before entering the dungeon? Or am I not as famous as I hoped?"
Her voice was still sweet and teasing, but Orion was more shocked than he had ever been in his life.
Orion's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
This was scarier than the Ravager.
'She… she's a… ghost,' his mind settled on that assumption.
"Did you just think of something rude?" she pouted.
Orion quickly went on the defensive, fear gripping his heart.
"N–No, how could I think anything rude about you? You are a perfect existence."
"Relax, you don't have to be scared" she sighed.
"And I'm not a ghost."
"I am a fragment of the soul of the Great Red Dragon." She puffed her chest proudly while she said that.
She flicked her hair again.
Orion stared.
The shamelessness was legendary.
"So… does that mean I will basically get you?" he asked with a smirk, regaining some of his confidence by her smile and careless behavior.
He realized then that she wasn't going to hurt him.
"Oh?" she leaned closer. "You're quite an eager little boy, aren't you?"
"You shouldn't talk like that to your elders," she added, pretending to be angry.
Weren't you the one who proclaimed yourself a maiden just a moment ago? And now suddenly you are an elder? That's what he wanted to say—but he knew better than to push his luck.
"I'm sorry, but you're too pretty to be considered an elder," he said, genuinely complimenting her.
"Ohhh, did you fall in love with me already?" she said, slipping into her teasing habit.
This time, Orion really wanted to retaliate.
"Excuse me, but I'm only seventeen, and you, on the other hand, are a millennia-old ancient being, so…"
He thought he had won. But he would soon realize just how inexperienced he truly was when it came to women.
Before he knew it, he found himself flying across the chamber, crashing hard against the wall.