After returning to his residence, William had dinner with Silver and Gon.
The atmosphere was light.
As if nothing had happened in the Duel Pavilion.
Gon left afterward, making exaggerated promises about becoming "the strongest shield of Brother William."
William didn't comment.
Promises were cheap.
After the doors closed, he unrolled the scroll.
Fire Dragon Scroll.
Silver was still chewing on roasted duck as she spoke.
"That's the cultivation technique of our Drake Clan."
Thanks to inherited memories, William could read it smoothly.
He began with the first stanza.
Cultivation Ladders
Mortal Foundation Realm
— Flesh Tempering
— Blood Circulation
Awakened Realm
— Qi Condensation
— Meridian Opening
Blood Manifestation Realm
— Blood Manifestation
— Blood Refinement
William flipped the page.
Blank.
"That's it?" he asked calmly.
Silver nodded. "That's only the first scroll. Once you reach the Blood Manifestation Realm, the clan rewards you with the second."
She swallowed her food and added,
"Actually… if someone awakens their bloodline, there's no need to cultivate the first realm. Most princes begin directly from the Awakened Realm."
William didn't hesitate.
"No."
Silver blinked.
"Listen carefully," he said quietly. "Never choose the shortcut."
He tapped the scroll.
"I will begin from Mortal Foundation."
Silver immediately straightened.
"Then I'll start from the beginning too!"
She didn't even question him.
William looked at her for a moment.
Obedient.
Or blindly loyal.
Either way, dangerous qualities in politics.
Suddenly—
A low chuckle echoed inside his mind.
"Kek…"
The dragon's voice was lazy, amused.
"As if you can start from the Second Realm, little mouse."
William's fingers tightened slightly.
"Don't forget," the dragon continued, "you are a cripple."
The word was slow. Cruel.
"Your meridians are twisted. Your internal organs unstable. Your bloodline sealed."
"If you forcefully cultivate Qi, you'll collapse."
Silence filled the room.
"Only by pushing the Mortal Foundation Realm to its extreme… and consuming the Dragon Fate Pill… can you rebuild your foundation."
William's eyes turned cold.
He hated the dragon.
But he hated being powerless more.
If what it said was true—
Then the so-called princes who skipped the first realm were building towers on sand.
He inhaled slowly.
Then another thought surfaced.
This dragon.
It was knowledgeable.
Proud.
And far too comfortable inside his pendant.
Unacceptable.
A weapon without leash becomes a master.
He needed control.
One method surfaced in his mind.
Beast Contract.
He turned to Silver.
"I need a favor."
Silver instantly moved closer.
"What is it?"
"Where can I obtain a high-grade Beast Contract Spirit Talisman?"
He paused.
"One strong enough to bind a dragon."
Inside the pendant—
The dragon laughed.
"Kek… you want to bind me?"
Its tone was mocking.
"Go ahead. I'm curious."
But beneath the arrogance—
There was a flicker of something else.
Interest.
Silver tilted her head, thinking hard.
Then her eyes lit up.
"I remember Father acquiring one!"
William's gaze sharpened.
"How do I get it?"
Silver puffed her chest confidently.
"If Brother wants it, Silver will get it from Daddy!"
Before he could stop her—
She hugged him tightly and ran out of the residence.
The doors slammed shut.
William stood alone.
Inside the pendant—
The dragon's laughter echoed slowly.
"Little mouse…"
"Let's see who binds whom."
William's expression didn't change.
But his voice dropped several degrees.
"You called me a cripple."
A pause.
"What do you mean my bloodline is sealed?"
The dragon exhaled lazily, as if amused by a child asking about the sky.
"You think that drop of my Essence Blood replaced yours?"
A faint scoff.
"Naïve."
"What awakened today… was my favor."
Silence thickened.
"Your inherited bloodline," the dragon continued, voice low and ancient, "remains sealed."
William's pupils contracted slightly.
"Sealed… by what?"
The dragon snorted.
"Something older than this kingdom."
A beat.
"And far more deliberate."
That word lingered.
Deliberate.
Not accident.
Not fate.
Intention.
William did not ask further.
Information offered too easily is bait.
Instead, he rose quietly and stepped out into the night.
The air was cool.
The palace gardens were silent.
He walked alone across trimmed grass and lay down beneath the open sky.
Above him—
Unfamiliar stars.
Constellations he did not recognize.
Different heavens.
Different laws.
"Where am I exactly…" he murmured.
The wind answered with nothing.
Then a name surfaced from memory.
"Darren."
His mentor.
The man who shattered his bones to rebuild his reflexes.
The man who said—
Emotion is a liability.
William gave a faint smile.
"You wouldn't believe where I ended up."
Another face replaced that memory.
Softer.
Warmer.
Agnes.
Her trembling fingers gripping his sleeve.
Her steady voice despite the chaos.
…You're too good for this world.
…If there's another life…
His chest tightened.
The sound of the gunshot replayed.
Sharp.
Final.
William closed his eyes.
"Agnes…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"If fate exists…"
A long pause.
"Then you're somewhere in this world too."
The night wind brushed across the grass.
"I'll find you."
The stars above remained indifferent.
Cold.
Distant.
Unmoved by mortal vows.
William did not sleep immediately.
He lay there, breathing evenly, thoughts sinking deeper.
A sealed bloodline.
A dragon inside his body.
A throne soaked in politics.
And somewhere—
Perhaps—
A girl reborn into a different sky.
When sleep finally claimed him—
His breathing was steady.
But beneath that calm—
Something had already begun to change.