Chapter 13: My Race Is Dracozian
After a few more exercises, they took another break. Sam asked Koga about the dragon form he’d taken when he first looked into the mirror and Awakened.
Koga raised his eyebrows. "A transformation like that usually requires several Gates opened. The fact that you were able to achieve it with only a single, partially-opened Gate speaks volumes about your potential. You may just end up becoming one of the most powerful Dragon Warlocks ever... Some day."
"Wow..." Sam replied. "So, how do I access my numbers and see my exact Mana Power Level?"
Koga looked at Sam closely for a moment. "I sense that your current Mana Power Level is about 120, but you could be unknowingly suppressing your true power. To access it yourself, you have to look inward and focus. The numbers will appear in your mind in a form you are familiar with, usually a scroll or a book or something of that sort."
Sam closed his eyes and focused. After a moment, a grimoire appeared in his mind, bound with a dark green leather and a closed eye on the cover. Then the eye snapped open, revealing a black sclera, a glowing green iris, and a black slit pupil. The book flew open and the first page showed his numbers written in fancy ink.
Name: Samreon Qhousalar
Race: Dracozian
Class: E-Rank Dragon Warlock
Specialization: Undefined
Current Mana Power Level: 120
Max Mana Power Level: Undefined
Sam’s eyes shot open. "It says my race is Dracozian, not Feyblood Human..."
Koga raised his eyebrows. "Interesting. Dracozians were the first few generations that arose from full-blooded dragons breeding in human form, but they merged with other Feyblood Human bloodlines thousands of years ago. I didn’t think any Dracozians were still alive today."
"So, what does that mean?" Sam asked.
"It means both your parents were full-blood Dracozians," Koga replied.
"Does that mean King Lucien is not Sam’s real father?" Calista inquired. The thought sent chills down Sam’s spine.
"I have no idea who King Lucien is," Koga admitted. They explained everything that had happened, and then Koga nodded. "Ah, okay. Unless Lucien is also secretly a Dracozian, then yes, it would seem he is not your real father."
"Wait, that can’t be right," Lazula added. "Sam, you were able to open the Vault back at your castle. Which means Lucien has to be your real father."
"So maybe Lucien is a Dracozian after all," Koga said with a shrug.
Sam rubbed his temples. "This is so much to take in..." Then he remembered the dream about Queen Maeve and her turning into a dragon. He relayed that as well.
Koga’s eyes opened wide again. His reaction sent another chill down Sam’s spine.
"Queen Maeve is the archfey responsible for creating the first dragons in the world, many thousands of years ago," Koga revealed. "She was often called the Dark Mother of Monsters. She was locked away by her twin sister, Queen Krystaria, the Dawn Mother of Heroes. And now it seems she is hoping to make you her next Unseelie Knight in the hopes that you’ll set her free..."
"We read old stories about Maeve being an ancient villainess," Calista added. "But I don’t recall anything about a Dawn Mother or a Queen Krystaria. We were taught that the Dawn Archon created Azi’alaga and all life."
"The Dawn Archon is a fictionalized, male version of Krystaria invented by men who were too weak-minded to worship a female," Koga revealed. "But what’s funny is that Krystaria never wanted to be worshiped at all. She’s not a god. She’s an archfey. Flesh and blood like us all."
"How do you know so much about them?" Sam asked.
"Easy," Koga replied, then smirked. "Because I was the previous Unseelie Knight."
"WHAT?!" Sam, Calista, and Lazula all cried out in unison.
"Years ago, my home - the island of Bladegarden - was being ravaged by a curse set upon us by a snake demoness named Orochihana," Koga began explaining. "My younger sister Asuna got it the worst - she was used as the host of the demoness. Maeve came to me in my dreams and promised to give me the power to save Asuna and Bladegarden if I became her Unseelie Knight. I was young and foolish enough to say yes."
"Were you able to save them?" Sam asked.
Koga shook his head sadly. "Maeve deceived me into thinking I would have any say in what I did as her champion. She gave me a skull mask through her portal and told me to put it on to become her Unseelie Knight. Once I did, a much darker version of my personality took over. Sure, I had the power to save my home, just as promised. But I no longer had the will."
"That’s... awful," Sam replied.
Koga nodded. "It truly was. For the next five centuries, I committed horrible atrocities in my search for a way to free Maeve from her prison realm. Meanwhile, Orochihana continued to use my sister as her immortal host, and Bladegarden as her kingdom.
"Then, about twelve years ago, Maeve ordered me to torture a man’s children in front of him to get information about a hidden philosopher’s stone that might be able to free her. That was the first time she had ever asked me to harm a child. And that was the moment I finally regained control of myself, ripped off the mask, sealed it away in a chest, and sunk the chest to the bottom of the sea.
"I was free, but once more lacked the power to cleanse the demonic curse from Bladegarden, and so I never returned. Self-imposed exile. I’ve been a pirate ever since."
"Wait, twelve years ago?" Sam asked with wide eyes. "That’s when my mother was first labeled an Unseelie..."
Koga nodded. "Maeve must have set her sights on you the moment I broke free and began setting events in motion. And if she wants me to train you, then she knows I will be telling you all this."
"She must be betting that my desperation to see my mother again will lead me to join her despite knowing the cost," Sam said.
"Precisely," Koga agreed. "She’s also hoping that if you know what you are getting yourself into, that you’ll be less likely to betray her like I did. But heed my warning - it’s not worth it. For all you know, the promised meeting could be with your mother’s corpse. Maeve is a trickster, after all."
"I understand," Sam said with a nod. "I’ll worry about that when the time comes. Until then, will you still train me?"
"I will," Koga assured him.
Then Sam remembered that his Specialization and Max Mana Power Level both said ’undefined,’ and so he relayed that as well.
"You’ll choose your Specialization once you open three Gates and hit C-Rank," Koga explained. "And your Max Level may not be calculated since you only just opened your First Gate fully. Keep and eye on it as we train."
Sam nodded, then turned to the girls. "What Rank and Specialization are you two?"
"I’m B-Rank, and my Specialization is Tempest, which is just a more complex Storm Witch power set," Lazula revealed.
"I’m still E-Rank like you, Sam," Calista said. "But I’ll probably choose Healer as my Specialization once I hit C-Rank. I think that would compliment our group best."