Chapter 2: The temple

"Before you go, allow me to reward you for all of the trouble you've gone through. I hope that by the time we meet again, we can look back on your adventures over a cup of tea."

Where... am I?

I take a look at my surroundings

Wait. Does this mean I'm finally free?

I can feel a smug smile spread across my face.

Heh. Heeheeheehee-- HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Crack, crack...

I Did It!!! I finally did it!! HAHAHA!!!

Crack, crack, crack...

Eh?

...What's that sound?

I look up to see the pillars supporting the building slowly beginning to crack.

...Ahem. I guess that's enough excitement for one day...

Where even is this? ...When even is this?

There are still many questions left unanswered.

I look around the room to get a better understanding of my surroundings.

Hmm...

Judging by the architecture of this place, it seems to be a temple but... where are all the people?

Every temple has attendants, so there should be someone here... right?

Oh well, there isn't any point dwelling on it now.

I have to focus and get out of here as soon as possible.

But first, I need to do something about this body of mine.

I started by gathering the mana around me, feeling it encompass every part of my body. From there, I slowly steadied my breath and imagined the form I wanted to take...

Taking on a human-like appearance takes both precision and accuracy. If I lose concentration even for a second, my transformation would become disfigured, and I would have to start all over again...

It took some time, but I finally managed to create something suitable for both combat and everyday uses.

Alright, let's begin...!

<Fourth Grade Magic [Full Body Transformation]...!>

...Mm~Mm~!

Not bad... not bad at all...

Although, it's still far from when I created Elrick-- he was a masterpiece.

My new body's appearance is that of a young man around his early twenties. His hair is a jet black color and tied in a ponytail, followed by yellow eyes to compliment them...

I based his clothing on scholars of noble families...and also added glasses to match his appearance.

With this, I can finally leave this place for good.

But where should I go?

The world has changed and nothing like how I remembered. I wonder if Medea still remembers me after all this time. Even if we were to meet up again, what would she think of me? ...Will she even think of me as a friend?

Argh, forget this! I'll just explore this place some more before leaving.

< Innate Ability [Dragon Sense]...!>

Hmm... what's this?

I notice a surge of magical energy surrounding the temple.

Wait a minute... isn't this spirit magic?!

I thought spirits despised humans. Then again, it appears times have changed.

...Suddenly, I felt a strange burning sensation coming from my body... to be more specific, my heart.

It feels warm... calming even... but what is it?

...Could it be the reward that Celestia mentioned?

Although it feels nice, I can feel that something is... off about it...

This presence and magical signature... It's almost like... the Demon Lord.

...It's been an hour now and I still find it hard to imagine...

My mother; the sole reason for my existence almost killed me!!

She is the goddess of light and creation, while the Demon Lord is a being of pure darkness...

Did she not put two and two together!!

...Heavy sigh

Then again, I didn't die so I suppose I should be grateful...

Now that I've learned everything that I could about this place, I should get going soon...

After thinking about what I should do, I finally came to the conclusion that I need to find Medea...

She is the only one that can help me find out what has changed over the past five hundred years.

I remember Celestia telling me about going to the Solace Institute of Magic, but how will I enter Isera?

From what I can gather from my memories, I need a permit... but getting one is the biggest problem. ... Maybe I should create one using magic.

No, that wouldn't work.

Especially since it's been soo long that I've ever seen one. They could have changed how they look for all I know.

...I should probably just get going.

But using my wings probably gather attention, so...

<Fifth Grade Magic [Flight] ...! >

By simultaneously controlling the airflow throughout my body, I can easily lift myself into the air.

Flight does drain mana at an incredibly fast rate for normal creatures, but as a dragon, it shouldn't be much of a probably to on for at least a couple of hours.

Next destination, Isera!