What Is This?
Perdikion continued.
"Outdoor class is enough for today. You've seen firsthand how much power your clan's innate attribute wields. Keep that in mind when you use your own power later."
"My power..."
He'd grown quite skilled at handling basic mana and casting spells, but wielding his innate attribute was an ability he hadn't tried yet.
Perdikion added, as if offering a footnote, to the imugi staring blankly at his own hand.
"You're a Black Dragon hatchling who mainly handles darkness, so night classes would help. We'll do it once we get permission from Lady Christina."
"Got it, bro."
The thought of gaining various powers to grow stronger lifted his mood, and unconsciously, the imugi wagged his tail lightly.
Seeing that, Perdikion chuckled softly.
'To think I got comforted by a little kid like this.'
But surprisingly, it felt good. Refreshing, even.
Perdikion spoke in a lighter tone, as if shaking something off.
"Your guardian, Christina, is an outstanding Elder of the Gold Clan. She was even once considered for Dragon Lord candidacy. That's why... my father always compared her to me."
He shrugged and gazed up at the clear sky.
"Looking back, I was jealous of Lady Christina. Not only did she earn my father's recognition as an Elder, but she perfectly fulfilled her duty as a balancer, aiding other races devastated by the great war."
'Hmm, compared to Christina.'
The imugi pondered for a moment before speaking.
"You could be an awesome Elder too, bro."
"Eh. You don't know how incredible Christina is."
'I have a rough idea.'
Even now, without fully digesting the Transmission magic, he could feel her lofty stature. He could guess it would be awe-inspiring if he knew the full extent.
But he couldn't explain that now, so he shifted topics.
"You can do it. You just showed me."
"Me?"
The imugi nodded and continued.
"You know there are moments when affection shines through, no matter the form. That'll definitely help when ruling your lair's inhabitants."
"Help how?"
A denying voice rose from within, and Perdikion furrowed his brow.
Undeterred, the imugi pressed on.
"Protecting lives is important, but so is safeguarding hearts. The capacity to cherish and remember those who live with love—that's the virtue an Elder needs."
Everyone sets their life's direction and purpose.
Perdikion's was his father's approval, but he'd relentlessly sacrificed himself for it.
His early-discovered talents lay buried, and his grief over his mother's loss festered untreated.
"Not sure if my lair folk want that... but yeah. Healing the heart—never thought of it that way."
"Your song had that power."
The imugi's eyes sparkled.
"So, bro, teach me that song."
Perdikion scratched the back of his head sheepishly and nodded.
"Not a big deal. I'll teach you."
"Thanks, bro."
Hearing the imugi's thanks, Perdikion cleared his throat and began the song.
As expected, the wind swirled unnaturally, drawn by the melody.
"To the place where the wind blows."
"Remember me, trapped in stopped time."
The breeze gently tousled his hair, flowing along the path of mana woven by the song.
When the song ended, the gathered wind scattered softly.
"Now, you try."
He'd never properly learned to sing, but he figured he knew enough to enjoy it casually, so he gave it a shot right away.
But before he finished the first verse, Perdikion frowned and waved his hand dismissively.
"How do you sing it like a block of wood? It's so flat."
Luckily, the imugi wasn't tone-deaf. But what he'd sung couldn't be called a Word of Power.
"You have to feel the place where the wind truly blows, the you standing in that fixed moment of memory. You have to genuinely feel it!"
"?"
'What the heck does that mean?'
Perdikion grimaced, as if annoyed at having to explain, facing the imugi's baffled expression.
"The song has to pull you in completely."
"So, how do you get completely pulled in?"
"Just express it honestly, as it is?"
The imugi felt a vein throb in the back of his neck.
He pressed his furrowed brow with his index finger to smooth it out.
'This is why geniuses are exhausting.'
Born with talent, they couldn't explain the process.
But he couldn't rush it either.
'Stay calm. It's the authority to move heaven and earth with words—natural it wouldn't come easily.'
After the fruitless lesson ended, the imugi sent Perdikion off and returned to his room, lost in thought alone.
Reviewing the information transmitted from Christina, he stumbled upon one relatively easy-to-grasp Word Magic: the contract magic sworn on a dragon's name.
The mirage-like info in his mind offered only fragments, but pondering it revealed its ruthless essence.
'A contract via name, but at its core, it's probably pledging one's very existence as collateral.'
If nothing else, a magic where he bore the failure risk himself wasn't something he could use carefree.
'Come to think of it, Perdikion definitely...'
The imugi recalled Perdikion's words from the lesson when Baekya's True Name came up.
—It means you can forge a great fate outside the script.
—Transmission magic is a prime example.
—It's not just injecting knowledge. It's magic that engraves part of the caster's life.
'Fate, part of life, contract collateralizing my existence.'
Like water flowing, Christina's words from when he'd asked about Perdikion's song surfaced.
—That magic is born from 'fervent wish'—the 'meaning' you understand most perfectly in life.
Overlapping with Perdikion's recent words.
—You have to genuinely feel it!
"...!"
He froze.
The imugi's pupils dilated with realization.
He didn't even notice his lips twitching into a smile at the conclusion.
'Power to move heaven and earth, fulfill wishes, even twist fate.'
All beings have innate fates.
Some born with silver spoons, others with dirt.
And some change theirs.
The first thing those people do is 'fervent wish'.
Engraving 'meaning' toward a new fate.
'Right. The song was just a tool to manifest that wish into reality.'
The imugi's red eyes gleamed fiercely.
'The real core is unwavering belief that the unrealized becomes real, without a shred of doubt. Not mana—what's needed is my soul.'
The pinnacle magic where high-rank beings manifest fervent wishes into reality through words.
Far more powerful than standard magic.
Capable of infinite results depending on the wielder.
* Effects cancel or amplify based on rank disparity.
* The caster's 'Word of Power' is generated from their lived fate.
New info appended to the existing. His new insight into Word Magic must have lifted some restrictions.
But it didn't end there.
A new list on Word Magic appeared in sequence.
▶ Resurrection (Revive)
"...?"
The moment he saw the usable Word of Power, the imugi froze like a statue.
'Resurrection? Revive what?'
A mix of bursting frustration and absurdity surged, and he clenched his fist unwittingly.
No matter how he thought, it made no sense.
'Did I wish for something to come back to life?'
With his rank built up now, it was even more baffling.
Even genius Perdikion had grown up hearing Word Magic as lullabies, blessed with innate talent.
Yet this hatchling, reborn here less than half a year ago, had somehow acquired it?
'Was there something I desperately wished to resurrect?'
He'd never had parents, family, or even a lover.
No way— he was about to nail that shut when he reconsidered.
'If I wished for it enough to forge a Word of Power. When would that have been?'
No target? Then timing.
Shifting perspective, one possibility immediately stood out.
'When I failed ascension on the brink of death.'
The day he'd died, one year shy of ascension.
When he'd craved life most fiercely.
'No way... the one I wanted to save was myself?'
Face hardening at his realization, the imugi stood darkly, staring into space.
How much time passed?
"Pii..."
Baekya chirped faintly and fluttered over, landing on the imugi's heavy shoulder.
Tilt.
The white chick cocked its head to the right.
"Pii! Piit."
Baekya flapped lightly and rubbed its beak and cheek against the imugi's.
Normally he'd brush it off casually, but the soft fluff and warmth against his cold cheek felt good, so he let it be.
Only then could the imugi breathe properly.
"...It's nothing. Don't worry."
'Yeah. This life I gained from desperate longing. Even if not as an imugi, it's the new life I wanted.'
He scratched the bridge of Baekya's beak with his index finger; pleased, the bird trilled happily.
'I was resurrected. Not as the ominous black imugi.'
His calm gaze flickered with red aura.
'But as a Black Dragon hatchling of the darkness-wielding clan.'
While Rune rested in the cradle with Baekya, Christina visited.
"Baby, how's your body feeling?"
"I'm fine. Why?"
Christina examined Rune's face, confirmed nothing amiss, and continued gently.
"I wondered if something happened. Your expression looked off. I heard you parted with Perdikion after learning a song... but it didn't feel that simple."
She set the tray of soft castella and milk on the table.
"Can you tell me what happened?"