As soon as Steve inserted the locket into the throne, a blinding flash of purple light burst out of it.
"Ah....!" Steve immediately shielded his eyes with his arm, the light so intense it felt like it was cutting through his skin.
Then… silence.
The light faded.
Floating above the throne was a glowing, round orb pure white, smooth, almost breathing with a soft hum.
Steve stared, mesmerized.
The orb drifted toward him slowly, as if it had a mind of its own. Before he could say anything, it gently touched his chest then flew straight into his body.
"W-What? Where did it go?" he gasped, placing a hand over his chest. "It's... inside me?"
But nothing happened.
No explosion. No pain. No transformation.
Only silence.
Steve's eyes then moved toward the table beside the throne. On it, the plate filled with thick, red liquid glistened under the dim glow more like blood than water.
He hesitated for a second.
Then said, "I don't know why... but I think I have to drink this."
Without overthinking, he picked up the plate. The scent was metallic, ancient.
He shut his eyes and drank it all in one go.
The taste was bitter, almost alive. Like something waking up inside him.
He dropped the plate. It clattered and rolled across the floor.
Suddenly, Steve's feet lifted off the ground.
He floated.
His body began to glow, veins illuminated beneath his skin. His eyes snapped open....
they were turning into a deep glowing purple, swirling with streaks of blue like a galaxy trapped inside his gaze.
His hair danced with the rising energy around him.
Steve was no longer just Steve.
From all around him, the air began to tremble not with wind, but with something deeper.
A presence. A force. A voice.
"You have successfully become the vessel of mine."
Steve stepped back instinctively, eyes darting across the glowing chamber. "What…? Who said that? Where's that voice coming from?!"
The sound wasn't from any direction. It was everywhere and nowhere, like it lived in the space between moments.
"I am Nygeris."
Steve froze.
"…Nygeris? You mean… the Nygeris? The ancient god of dragons? The one who vanished before even history was written?"
A pause. Then:
"Yes, that one. Though I didn't vanish I slept. Until now."
Steve looked around wildly, still half-expecting a giant figure to emerge from the shadows. "Why can't I see you? Where are you?!"
The voice now had a touch of irritation… and amusement.
"You fool. I'm inside you now. Talking directly into your thoughts. You drank my blood. You unlocked my seal. That means you're my vessel. Ugh… what kind of reckless, dramatic human did my power end up with this time?"
Steve blinked. "Wait… this time?"
Nygeris chuckled darkly.
"Oh, don't worry. We'll get to that… eventually."
Steve's mind was racing.
Everything.the throne, the blood, the voice was real. If Nygeris was real, then…
"Wait…" Steve said slowly, eyes wide with realization. "If the legends are true… then that means you had a dragon. Not just any dragon… the most powerful one in existence."
There was a long pause. Then, Nygeris laughed.
Not mockingly proudly.
"Ahh… now you're finally asking the right questions.Yes. I had a dragon.The last of the Primordial Wyrms. The beast whose breath melted mountains and whose wings blackened the skies."
Steve's heart pounded.
"Can I… see him?"
Nygeris snorted.
"Hah. Brave… but foolish.You don't have enough power to summon him yet let alone control him.But… I suppose you can have a glimpse. Call his name. Vaelyx!
Steve hesitated. Then whispered:
"Vaelyx."