"So that arrogant woman abandoned you to die. And yet you entertained me quite a bit, Landerbern's seed."
Tiamat's voice, strangely both feminine and domineering, blessed Areth's ears. It was as captivating as her towering figure, her body far more voluptuous than even that of most goddesses, and the scales that adorned her skin.
But now that Areth had been stripped of the Moon Goddess's power, he was being crushed beneath the divine aura radiating from her. The skulls scattered across the ground dug painfully into his body. At last, Tiamat noticed this and restrained her aura.
"Ah, I forgot. You are an ordinary mortal now."
Finally able to breathe, Areth coughed and lifted his head to look at Tiamat.
Her hair was flame-red, like it had erupted from the most furious volcanoes. Black and yellow scales covered parts of her body, and her eyes were vertical slits of molten gold. Of course, her entire body was not covered in scales. Her hands, feet, and more intimate regions were scaled. Because of this, she resembled a woman wearing an audacious dress made of living scales.
"Goddess Tiamat. It is an honor to stand in your presence."
As he spoke, Areth tried to straighten himself while still on his knees. His body, crushed beneath the skulls, resisted the effort, but he managed to bow his head in respect. A thin streak of blood still lingered at the corner of his lips, yet his voice did not tremble.
Tiamat's golden eyes narrowed.
Her gaze studied Areth like a hunter examining a strange animal it had just captured. Then a slow smile appeared on her lips.
"There's no need to pretend to be someone you're not, mortal. I'm not that Moon bitch."
Areth's lips curved slightly, though he himself could not tell whether it was a smile or simply a reflection of pain. Tiamat's words burned through the air like the fiery breath of a dragon goddess, insolent, provocative, and strangely inviting.
"Then… what do you want from me, Goddess?" Areth asked, his voice still hoarse but steady.
Tiamat chuckled.
Then her golden eyes continued to examine him, this time from closer range, as if trying to read every secret beneath his skin. Her long scaled tail swayed slightly, sweeping bones aside across the ground.
"As a matter of fact, you caused quite a commotion up there. That bitch who elevated you as her champion proudly made the other gods watch you. Ah, I will never forget that expression. Especially when you kill your mother. I'll have that face turned into a painting and hang it in my bedroom."
The goddess of ambition, conquest, and dragons seemed thoroughly entertained as she said this. She stepped closer to Areth and circled him once.
"I haven't seen a man like you in a long time. That's why I decided to save you, mortal. Be proud. Someone like me went through all this trouble for you."
Areth sighed inwardly.
For a god like her, saving him would have been trivial. She could have killed him and revived him again if she wished. Yet she acted as if it had required tremendous effort. Still, he chose to keep his thoughts to himself. Aside from witnessing Tiamat's power numerous times in the novel, he had read repeatedly about just how powerful she truly was.
Even when she had been mortal, she had conquered the world, a cunning, intelligent, and extraordinarily brilliant woman. Beyond that, she was the only person in history to unite all dragon clans under a single banner. With her current power, she was as strong as the Moon Goddess herself.
And he also knew that a goddess like her admired ambition.
"I'm glad I caught your attention. I was quite afraid it would amount to nothing..."
A brief glint flashed in Tiamat's golden eyes.
"So you're claiming you deliberately provoked Lunareth and planned all of this?"
She stopped directly in front of him. Her golden eyes examined him closely now. Not like a hunter.
Like a collector.
"Why would you take such a risk?"
For a moment, Areth's gaze drifted to the ground. Then he raised his head again. Their golden eyes met once more. A faint smile formed at the corner of his lips.
"Because although I respect and admire the Moon Goddess, I have always found her methods flawed. Frankly, I find your teachings far more… interesting."
Tiamat's gaze remained fixed on him for several seconds.
Then… she laughed.
But this laugh was different from her earlier playful chuckles. It carried a deeper, sharper, more threatening resonance. Her laugh combined the dominance of a warlord with the charm of an attractive noblewoman. She wiped away a tear that had formed from laughing.
"Ah… no one has entertained me like this in a long time. You really are a strange man, but in a funny way..." She said, then she gripped Areth's chin and forced him to meet her gaze."Tell me your name, mortal, and become my disciple so that I may bless you. I cannot allow that moon bitch to harm you again."
Areth slowly inhaled.
Then he spoke.
"Areth."
His voice was calm. Neither trembling nor overly soft.
"My name is Areth."
Tiamat's golden eyes focused on him again.
"Areth…"
She rolled the name in her mouth.
As if tasting it.
"An interesting name."
She tilted her head slightly.
"And quite fitting for a rather audacious man."
She observed him for a while longer. Then a small smirk formed at the corner of her lips.
"Kneel, Areth."
Areth did not hesitate.
With a heavy sound, he knelt upon the ground made of skulls and broken bones. Sharp fragments pierced his knees, yet not the slightest expression of pain appeared on his face. He lowered his head. His back was still soaked in blood, his shoulders trembling from exhaustion, and yet there was a strange dignity in his posture.
As though he were kneeling before a throne rather than an executioner.
Tiamat watched him silently for several seconds. Her golden eyes narrowed. Many mortals had knelt before her. Those who cried in fear, those who trembled, those who begged… some had even thrown themselves flat on the ground.
But this man was different.
Areth's bow did not resemble a slave's submission.
A thin smile appeared on Tiamat's lips. She approached him with long strides. Her scaled feet crunched across the bones as she moved. Then she stopped in front of him. Silence lingered for a moment. Then the goddess raised her hand.
Her fingers touched Areth's chin. Cold scales and warm power met his skin at the same time. She lifted his head slightly. Areth was forced to look into her eyes.
Golden eyes.
Deep.
Greedy.
Eyes that carried an unquenchable desire for conquest.
"Do not avert your gaze," Tiamat said softly, though her tone carried command. "My disciples are not cowards."
Areth held her gaze.
Then the smile on Tiamat's face grew slightly wider.
"Yes…" she murmured. "You truly are interesting."
She placed her hand on Areth's chest.
Directly over his heart.
Black and red lights began to rise between her fingers. It felt as though an ancient power beneath the earth had awakened. Sparks of energy, shimmering like dragon scales, flowed from Tiamat's arm into Areth's body.
Areth's breath caught.
This was not a spell.
This was raw divine power.
Something exploded within his heart. An invisible fire began coursing through his veins. First through his chest, then his shoulders, then spreading through his entire body. The inside of his bones burned. But it was not searing pain.
It was more like… a transformation.
Areth clenched his teeth. His body trembled, yet he did not rise from where he knelt. Tiamat noticed.
"Most mortals would be screaming by now. You are only trembling. Maybe you'll be more useful than I thought, who knows," she said, increasing the energy flowing into Areth's body.
Then she pressed her hand down a little harder.
The power suddenly multiplied.
For a brief moment, Areth's eyes turned completely golden.
The wounds on his back began to hiss. The blood evaporated. Thin black lines formed beneath his skin. Those lines spread upward from his chest to his neck like veins.
Tiamat spoke.
Her voice now echoed throughout every corner of the cavern.
"I am Tiamat."
"Goddess of ambition."
"Goddess of conquest."
"Mother of dragons."
She raised her hand. The burning energy on Areth's chest began to shape itself like a eye. A mark resembling a dragon's eye.
"And you are Areth!" the goddess said. "From this moment onward, you are my disciple and an extension of my will."
The seal was completed. Then suddenly, light exploded outward. Areth's body tensed. His breath stopped. Then everything abruptly fell silent. Areth slowly inhaled.
His chest rose and fell heavily. Then he lifted his head. When he opened his eyes, there was something else inside them now. Something heavier. Darker. More greedy.
Tiamat stepped back a few paces and looked him up and down. Then she smiled with satisfaction.
"Hmm... For now, this should be enough. Do not worry, no god will directly try to harm you. Though I cannot protect you from their disciples or, if you are unlucky, their champions. Before I kick you out, do you have anything you want to ask, Areth?"
Areth remained silent for several seconds.
The seal burning on his chest pulsed slowly like a heartbeat. With every beat, a warm power flowed through his veins, sinking deep into his bones. Yet his face revealed nothing of this change. He simply tilted his head slightly.
Tiamat was not impatient. She crossed her arms beneath her chest, her tail swaying slowly behind her. Her golden eyes watched Areth.
At last, Areth spoke.
"What do I need to do to become your champion?"