Chapter 23: The Otaku Faces the Trial (And Bud Evolves)
The chamber was vast—larger than should have been possible. The ceiling disappeared into darkness above. The walls stretched endlessly in every direction, covered in murals that told a story older than any civilization in this world.
Dragons. Hundreds of them. Battles. Victories. A parent dragon, massive beyond comprehension, looking down at something small—a whelp, curled and waiting.
Then the parent departing. Leaving the whelp behind.
Kaelen's mental voice was barely a whisper. "The legends... they said an ancient dragon was sealed here. But this... this tells a different story."
Meliodas didn't respond. His eyes were fixed on the center of the chamber.
A crystal floated there—pulsing with inner light, larger than a person, yet somehow delicate. Within it, something curled. A dragon. But not the massive beast of legend. This one was young. A whelp, no larger than a horse, preserved in crystalline slumber.
Bud pulsed—longing, recognition, grief. Mother. Gone. Left me.
"Left you?" Meliodas thought.
Not me. Him. Her. The whelp. Feels its memories. Its pain.
Kaelen stepped forward, mesmerized. "It's beautiful. And sad. All those legends, and it was just... left alone."
The ground beneath them rumbled.
Both of them froze.
From the crystal, light erupted—not gently, but violently. It coalesced in the air before them, taking shape. Wings. Claws. Eyes that burned with ancient fire.
A dragon. Not the whelp—something else. A projection, made of light and memory, but solid enough to kill.
"WHO DARES ENTER THE SANCTUM OF THE LEFT BEHIND?"
The voice shook the chamber. Kaelen stumbled back, magic flaring defensively.
Meliodas drew his swords. {Observation Haki} extended, reading the projection. It wasn't the whelp. It was something else—a guardian. A trial ?
"Meliodas!" Kaelen's mental voice was panicked. "What is that?!"
"A test," he sent back. "Stay back. This one's mine."
The projection's eyes focused on him. "YOU CARRY A FRAGMENT OF THE ANCIENT LINE. STATE YOUR PURPOSE."
Meliodas glanced at Bud. The creature pulsed—fear, hope, determination.
"Tell it," he thought. "Tell it why we're here."
Bud pulsed again—louder, clearer, directed at the projection.
Come for core. Come for memories. Come to carry on.
The projection was silent for a long moment.
Then it spoke again, softer now. "The whelp's essence is not a gift to be taken. It is an inheritance to be earned. You seek to consume its core? Then you must prove yourself worthy."
"How?" Meliodas asked aloud.
"By facing me. Not as I am now—a mere guardian—but as the whelp's protector. I will fight with its strength, its speed, its desperation. If you fall, you were never worthy. If you win..." The projection's eyes flickered to Bud. "...the core is yours."
"The whelp's core will begin the inheritance. Your companion will transform. It will feel what the whelp felt—the loneliness, the fear, the love. If it cannot bear it, the transformation will fail."
Bud pulsed—determination. Can bear. Must bear.
Meliodas looked at his friend. "You sure?"
Bud pulsed—yes.
Meliodas turned back to the projection. "Then let's do this."
---
THE TRIAL BEGINS
The dragon lunged.
Meliodas moved—{Rush} activating instantly, time slowing to a crawl. In the frozen moment, he saw everything. The claws, aimed at his chest. The tail, sweeping low to trip him. The jaws, ready to snap.
He dodged.
{Rush ended}.
The projection's claws passed through empty air. It roared in frustration.
But it was fast. Faster than anything Meliodas had faced. Faster than vampires, faster than demons, faster than the titans outside.
It spun, tail sweeping—Meliodas jumped, {Chitin Slayer} carrying him into the air, small wings gliding him over the attack.
He landed, swords ready.
"It's fast," he thought. "Really fast."
{Observation Haki} tracked its next move. Left claw, right claw, then a blast of energy from its mouth.
He dodged the claws. The energy blast—
{Rush activated.}
Five seconds. He threw himself sideways, feeling the heat of the blast singe his clothes.
{Rush ended}.
The projection was already moving again. Relentless.
---
Meanwhile — Bud's Transformation
The crystal touched Bud.
And the world dissolved.
Bud found itself... elsewhere. Not in the chamber. Not anywhere physical.
It was inside memory.
It saw a sky of impossible colors. Felt wind beneath wings that weren't its own. Heard a voice—deep, warm, ancient.
"Little one. You are my greatest joy."
A parent dragon. Massive, beautiful, looking down at a tiny whelp curled at its feet.
The whelp—young, playful, innocent—chirped with happiness.
"I must go soon," the parent continued, sadness creeping into its voice. "There is a realm beyond this one. A place where I can become more. Where I must become more. The dangers coming require it."
The whelp chirped—confusion, fear.
"I cannot take you. You are too young. The journey would destroy you." The parent's massive head lowered, nuzzling the whelp. "But I will leave something behind. A part of me. A core with my memories, my essence. When you are ready, you can consume it. Carry me with you."
The whelp pulsed—understanding, grief, love.
"Grow strong, little one. Become what you were meant to be. And if you can't, find someone worthy... share this gift with them."
The parent began to glow.
Bud felt the whelp's emotions as its own—the tearing grief as the parent departed, the years of loneliness that followed, the slow fading of hope, the final acceptance that it would never be strong enough to follow.
Years later....stillness. The whelp curled around the core its parent had left, waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
For someone to find it.
For someone worthy.
Bud pulsed—grief, understanding, determination.
I will carry you, it thought. I will become what you could not.
The whelp's essence wrapped around it like an embrace.
And Bud began to change.
---
Meliodas had no idea what was happening to Bud. He couldn't afford to look.
The projection was relentless. Every dodge, every parry, every counter—it adapted. Learned. Pushed harder.
{Rampage} would help—but he had to land hits first. And so far, he'd only dodged.
The projection lunged again. This time, Meliodas didn't dodge.
He met it head-on.
{Reflection} flashed as he parried a claw, the force of the impact shuddering up his arm. {Rampage} ticked up—one hit.
He spun, {Moonsing} in its greatsword form, slashing at the projection's side. The blade passed through—not solid, but the projection still flinched. Two hits.
The dragon roared, blasting energy. Meliodas raised {Reflection}—the sword's property activated, the energy reflecting back. The projection was hit by its own attack. Three hits.
Meliodas grinned. "Now we're talking."
---
The fight intensified.
Meliodas pushed harder, faster, using everything he had. {Rampage} climbed with every hit. His strength grew. His speed increased.
Four hits. Five. Six.
The projection adapted. It started feinting, using its tail to block, its wings to create distance.
Seven hits. Eight.
Meliodas's muscles burned. {Regeneration} worked overtime, healing small wounds as they appeared. {Leech Ring} siphoning energy with every strike.
Nine hits. Ten.
The projection roared—not in anger, but in something like approval.
"YOU FIGHT WELL, LITTLE SPARK. BUT IS THIS ALL?"
It exploded with light.
Meliodas was thrown back, crashing against a pillar. He gasped, struggling to rise.
The projection had changed. It was smaller now, more focused, more intense. The whelp's true fighting style—desperation. The terror of being left alone. The rage of abandonment.
This was the real trial.
---
BUD'S TRANSFORMATION — CONTINUED
Inside the cocoon of light, Bud felt the whelp's memories flooding through it.
Not just the grief. Not just the loneliness.
The joy. The playfulness. The way sunlight felt on young scales. The thrill of first flight. The warmth of a parent's presence.
The whelp hadn't just been sad. It had been alive. Fully, completely alive. It had loved and laughed and dreamed.
And in its final moments, curled around the core, it had hoped.
"Someone will come," it had whispered. "Someone worthy. Someone who will carry me."
Bud pulsed—acceptance, love, gratitude.
I am here, it thought. I am worthy. I will carry you.
The whelp's essence smiled.
And the transformation accelerated.
---
Meliodas stood slowly, wiping blood from his lip.
"Okay," he muttered. "You want desperation? I'll give you desperation."
He recalled in the system {Reflection} and {Moonsing}.
Kaelen's mental voice screamed. "What are you doing?!"
Meliodas didn't answer.
He raised his hand.
And called upon the sun.
{SUN FRUIT — (Buffed)}
Light exploded from him—not the gentle glow of his usual constructs, but raw, unfiltered solar energy. The chamber blazed with it. The projection recoiled, hissing.
Meliodas's theme song swelled—heroic, defiant, perfectly timed.
"You want to test me?" he shouted. "Then test THIS!"
He launched forward, not with swords, but with fists wreathed in sunlight. {Rampage} was still active—eleven hits, twelve, thirteen. Each strike landed with the force of a small a bull
The projection fought back, but it was slowing. Meliodas was too fast, too strong, too determined.
Fourteen hits. Fifteen. Sixteen.
The projection stumbled.
Meliodas didn't let up. He couldn't. If he stopped, he'd lose. If he slowed, he might die.
Seventeen. Eighteen. Nineteen.
The projection raised a claw for one final attack.
Meliodas met it with a punch wreathed in sunlight.
Twenty hits.
{Rampage} peaked.
The projection shattered into light.
---
Meliodas stood in the center of the chamber, breathing hard, body screaming with exhaustion. {Regeneration} worked frantically to keep up. {Second Wind} pulsed, ready to activate if needed.
But he was still standing.
The light from the shattered projection coalesced again—not into a dragon this time, but into a form. A young woman, sad-eyed, with wings folded behind her.
"You have passed the trial, little spark."
Meliodas gasped for air. "Bud... is Bud okay?"
The woman smiled—warm, approving. "Your companion has endured its own trial. The whelp's memories are not easy to bear. But it did not break."
She gestured.
Behind Meliodas, where Bud had been, light still blazed. But it was fading now, revealing something new.
Bud was gone.
In its place floated an egg—crystalline, pulsing with inner light, larger than Meliodas himself. Within it, something moved. Something growing. Something becoming.
Kaelen's mental voice was awed. "What... what happened to it?"
Meliodas stared at the egg. At his friend, transformed.
"It's becoming," he whispered. "It's finally evolving."
The woman nodded. "The whelp's essence has merged with your companion. When the egg hatches, a new dragon will emerge—one that carries the memories, the lineage, the hope of the one left behind."
From the egg, a pulse—sleepy, content, grateful.
Bud was still there. Still aware. Still him.
Meliodas smiled, tears in his eyes. "You did it, buddy."
Another pulse—joy.
---
The woman began to fade. "My purpose is fulfilled. The whelp's inheritance has passed to one worthy. Guard it well, little spark. The path ahead is long."
"Wait—" Meliodas stepped forward. "The one who ascended... the parent. Where did it go?"
The woman paused. "To a realm beyond this one. A place of greater power, greater danger. If your companion carries its lineage... then perhaps, one day, you will follow."
She smiled one last time.
"But that is a journey for another day."
She vanished.
The chamber fell silent.
Meliodas turned to the egg—to Bud—and placed a hand on its warm surface.
---
The prince hadn't moved since the fight ended. He stood frozen, staring at Meliodas with wide eyes.
The light. The power. The way Meliodas had fought—not with the crude magic of common adventurers, but with something primal. Something ancient.
'He walked into this forbidden forest without injuries'. Kaelen thought. 'He fought a dragon's guardian and won. He carries power that bends light itself.'
His mind raced through every possibility.
He can't be ordinary. No ordinary person survives here. No ordinary person fights like that.
An adventurer from another continent? But he's too young. Too young to have gained such power through experience alone.
A noble's child, then. But what noble family produces warriors like this?
Then the realization hit him.
The Nine Great Fairies, king of their element.
Every child in every kingdom knew the stories. The nine primordial beings who governed the fundamental forces of existence:
Wind — The Whisper Queen, who speaks in breezes and screams in gales.
Fire — The Ember King, whose temper fuels volcanoes.
Water — The Tidal Matriarch, patient as the deepest ocean.
Lightning — The Storm Prince, wild and unpredictable.
Earth — The Mountain Father, immovable and eternal.
Light — The Dawn Maiden, first to greet the sun.
Darkness — The Twilight Lady, last to say goodbye.
Time — The Eternal Watcher, who sees all moments at once.
Space — The Boundless Dancer, who weaves the fabric of reality.
Their names were known only to those with great power—kings, archmages, ancient beings. Common folk only knew their elements and their legends.
And sometimes, rarely, one of them would bless a child. Grant them a fragment of their power. Make them something more than human.
Kaelen stared at Meliodas's back.
The light. The sun. The way it answered his call.
The Dawn Maiden. The Fairy of Light.
He's Blessed.
His breath caught.
A Blessed of one of the Nine. Standing here. In front of me.
And he fought for his friend like... like...
Kaelen didn't have words for what he felt. Awe. Admiration. Something deeper.
This was no ordinary adventurer. This was someone touched by divinity. Someone who could change the world.
Someone Kaelen wanted to learn from.
---
Meliodas turned, still catching his breath. "You okay?"
Kaelen dropped to one knee.
Meliodas blinked. "Uh... what are you doing?"
"Please," Kaelen sent through telepathy, his mental voice trembling with emotion. "I know what you are now. You cannot hide it from me."
"I'm not hiding anything—"
"The light. The power. You are Blessed by one of the Nine. The Dawn Maiden, if I had to guess."
Meliodas stared at him. "The what now?"
"You do not need to pretend. I understand. Such things are kept secret for good reason." Kaelen bowed his head. "I have nothing. No kingdom. No family. No future. But I have my magic, my wits, and my determination."
"Kaelen, seriously, get up—"
"Please. Take me as your disciple. Teach me. Let me follow you."
Meliodas's brain short-circuited.
"I... what? No. No, I can't—I'm not—I don't know anything about being a teacher—"
"You know how to fight. How to survive. How to care for others when the world wants them dead." Kaelen looked up, eyes shining. "That is enough."
Meliodas opened his mouth. Closed it. Opened it again.
The egg pulsed—amusement. Bud was enjoying this.
"Bud, don't laugh at me."
Another pulse—definitely laughter.
Kaelen remained on one knee, waiting.
Meliodas sighed. "Get up. Please. We'll... we'll talk about this. Later. When we're not in a dragon tomb with a cosmic egg."
Kaelen rose, but his expression hadn't changed. If anything, he looked more determined.
"I will prove myself worthy," he sent. "You will see."
Meliodas rubbed his temples. "Great. Another one. Just what I needed."
The egg pulsed—fondness, amusement, and something like pride.
Bud approved.
---
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[QUEST COMPLETE: THE WHELP'S INHERITANCE]
Bud has successfully absorbed the whelp's core.
Transformation in progress...
Estimated time until hatching: Unknown
New abilities will manifest upon emergence.
Bond with Bud has deepened.
Reward: 30 Hero Shards
[NEW TOTAL: 75 HERO SHARDS]
[NEW ALLY STATUS: KAELEN — DISCIPLE (PENDING)]
The prince has recognized you as something beyond ordinary.
He believes you are Blessed by the Fairy of Light.
He wants to become your disciple.
This misunderstanding may prove useful—or complicated.
---
Meliodas read the notification and sighed again.
"Of course. Because my life wasn't complicated enough."
Kaelen stood nearby, watching him with an expression of pure admiration.
The egg pulsed—amusement.
"Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up." Meliodas hefted the egg carefully. "Let's get out of here before something else decides to test us."
They walked toward the exit, Kaelen following a step behind—not as an equal anymore, but as a student following a master.
Meliodas pretended not to notice.
The egg pulsed—warmth, love, and the faintest hint of told you so.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 23]