Jason brought a hand to his head and cursed.
"What the fuck happened?"
’Finally, you’re awake. I thought you were dead for a moment there. I don’t know exactly what dragged you forward, but it was something far stronger than your current Qi Ranking. You shouldn’t use your Qi for a while since your soul was almost split in half from that pull.’
Esdath spoke up from Jason’s mind with a worried tone in his voice, and Jason just grunted in response. Jason put his hand on th ground to sit up, and he felt his hand touch some smooth rocks, but Jason didn’t pay much attention to it since he was still trying to get himself back. Jason had never felt something so powerful in his fucking life! Jason knew that he wasn’t a pushover in terms of mental power, and it would take some serious power to drag him so easily, so whatever was responsible for pulling on his Qi must’ve been stupidly strong! Jason grunted as he felt an intense headache slam into his skull and he sat up and ran a hand through his hair as he forced the headache to calm down, before he finally opened his eyes! But once Jason saw where he was, he felt his face scrunch up in confusion!
’I’m no longer in the shadows.’
[The user’s physical body is still within the shadows, but the user’s current surrounding is an alternate reality which can only be visited by a projected consciousness.]
This message ran through Jason’s mind, and he felt his guard immediately go up as his gaze sharpened! Jason was sitting inside a rocky cave with a ceiling that was so high up that it was almost completely covered in shadows! This was an Alternate Dimension? How the hell did Jason get in here? And what was this insane power! There was an oppressive power in the air that made it feel like Jason was surrounded by the densest mana! Jason didn’t know how to describe the power pressing down on him at that moment, but it was obvious that this wasn’t just some regular cave! There was something in here, and its power could be felt everywhere in the cave! But no matter how much Jason tried to trace the source, there was no way he could isolate it since it was everywhere!
A deep, rumbling voice suddenly echoed from behind Jason!
[I suppose I might’ve used too much power back there. It’s been a long time since I had to actually use my powers for anything, so I must’ve overcompensated. But in a way, my use of such force is a compliment to your mental strength, so I hope you aren’t annoyed by my actions.]
Jason had already bolted to his feet the moment he heard the voice coming from behind him, and Jason turned around sharply to see who it was! But nothing in his life could have prepared Jason for what he saw behind him! It was a Dragon! A Dragon with red and gold scales and a nasty set of scars that ran across its body like twin blades of lightning! But it was the sheer size of the Dragon that really shocked Jason! The beast was so incomprehensibly enormous that Jason knew that a single step from it would be enough to lay waste to an entire city on Earth! The platform that Jason was standing on was actually a small cliff that was positioned right in front of the Dragon’s face, so Jason had a good view of the Dragon’s terrifying head from where he stood! The Dragon was lying on its belly with its head raised high enough to look at Jason, but even in such a relaxed position, Jason couldn’t help but feel like he was an ant standing in front of a fucking giant! How the fuck did he manage to end up in front of a monster like this without any warning!
Jason immediately began to call on his Legion members to get ready for any sort of attack, and Jason was shocked when he didn’t feel them! What the hell? None of his Legion members were connected to him at all! Jason’s mind suddenly went back to the message he had gotten from the system, and Jason cursed as he realised that he was really no longer in the real world! Jason could feel his Legion subordinates even if he was on other worlds, so the fact that he couldn’t feel them now must only mean he wasn’t in the Physical world at all! Jason’s hands squeezed into fists as he glared up at the large Dragon in front of him! There was no way Jason could defeat something that possessed this much power on his own! But that didn’t mean he couldn’t put up a fight! If he is attacked, Jason only needs to focus on dodging while trying to figure out a way to escape!
[You seem to be on guard. Is that my fault? Maybe this projection isn’t the best way to establish a relationship between you and me. Here, I’m sure this will be much better.]
A bright light suddenly shone across the cave, and Jason put his hand up to his face to try to block it out! This only lasted for a few seconds, and Jason slowly opened his eyes when he saw the light dimming. The large Dragon was still sitting in front of Jason, but now it was no longer moving, and it almost looked like some sort of statue rather than a living being. Instead, a few feet away from Jason, a man stood with his hands behind him. The man was wearing an outfit that was similar to the traditional Radagan robes that Jason had been given to wear during the Radagan festival a few weeks ago, but these robes were far more regal and they were embroidered with red and gold threads that matched perfectly with the black fabric! The man was so tall that he stood a full head over Jason! He had red and gold scales running down his cheeks and around his neck, just like the dragonborn. His mature face made him appear like he was in his forties, and he had a full head of white hair that came down to his shoulders like a lion’s mane. But it was his eyes that drew Jason in! The look in the man’s eyes was very similar to the one Jason had always seen in his father’s eyes! There was deep wisdom in those eyes and a kindness that could only be acquired by someone who knew that they were far stronger than anyone they faced! Those were the eyes of someone who had lived long enough to see everything the world had to offer and more! Jason took in a shallow breath and sighed calmly as he heard the man speak.
[This form should be more approachable, I hope. I haven’t spoken to anyone other than my Priestess for quite some time now, so I have no idea how to relate to unreligious creatures. Tell me, your name is Jason Marc of Earth, is it not?]
Jason’s eyes narrowed and the dragon smiled.
[You do not need to be so guarded. I have watched your actions through the eyes of my Priestess, and I have also seen what you did for my people. I feel a great gratitude towards you, so I would never harm you. I simply wish for us to converse. I am sure by now you already know who I am.]
"You are Rumunaga."
Jason answered without a shred of doubt, and Rumunaga smiled.