New chapter is live.
Settle in, take your time, and let’s see what waits in the dark 🖤 ✦ Aelor left his room, slipped away from the attendants meant to follow him, and went down the stairs alone.
He looked as if he were in a hurry.
Anyone who had just shoved cake into the queen’s son’s face would be.
Of course, Aelor was not afraid.
When he blew out the candles, he had heard a voice.
[Explorer System] The Explorer System has loaded successfully.
Seek out lost relics.
At first, Aelor thought it was only the aftertaste of another nightmare.
But when he opened his eyes, there had been more than Aegon’s cream-smeared attack waiting for him.
There had also been a strange panel.
[Status] Aelor Targaryen Gift: Dreamer (Gold) Bloodline: Old Valyrian Dragonlord (5%) Skills: Literature (Beginner), History (Beginner) Relics: None Assessment: “A frail child unlikely to survive past ten.
A pity, given the gift.” The panel was simple and clean.
It described his condition with unsettling precision.
Shock came first.
Confusion followed.
Then acceptance.
By the time Alicent had finished wiping the cream from his face, Aelor had gathered his thoughts and quietly rejoiced at the system’s arrival.
In three years of nightmares, he had seen many things.
Some were scraps from another impossible world.
Green iron serpents.
Steel dragons.
Towers of concrete and glass.
The word system stirred a faint impression in him.
It seemed to be a tool that helped the powerless overturn their fate.
In other words, it suited him perfectly: poor, weak, helpless, and very much in need of a miracle.
In high spirits, he could not resist giving his dear little brother Aegon a reward.
He hoped Aegon had enjoyed it.
“Explorer.
Relics…” “The system told me to seek lost relics, so I should look for something old and valuable.” Aelor reasoned it through with a seriousness that looked almost out of place on such a young face.
Before leaving his room, he had already thought of something ancient enough, and valuable enough, to qualify.
He crossed the crowded halls of the Red Keep and entered a deserted chamber where a statue of the Mother stood in solemn silence.
At the center of the hall, a round platform of stacked stone held an enormous dragon skull.
It was the skull of Balerion the Black Dread, the dragon once ridden by Aegon the Conqueror.
Balerion was a legend.
He had come with House Targaryen from Old Valyria, crossing the sea with their fleet and guarding the family through its exile.
When Aegon came of age, Balerion carried him through war after war and helped bring six of the Seven Kingdoms under Targaryen rule.
After the Conqueror’s death, Balerion was claimed by his descendants and continued to serve the blood of the dragon.
At last, when the Black Dread was already more than two hundred years old, he was claimed by Aelor’s father, Viserys.
The ancient dragon carried a young Viserys three times around King’s Landing.
It was the last time the people ever saw him fly.
Not long after, Balerion died.
He had lived beyond two centuries, at the far edge of a dragon’s lifespan, and his death was a natural one.
To honor a dragon of such unmatched glory, House Targaryen placed his skull within the Red Keep, where later generations could remember what he had been.
Aelor looked up at the vast skull and could not think of anything older or more valuable.
“Balerion,” he whispered before the platform, eyes bright with hope, “thank you for what you did for House Targaryen.
Help me once as well.” He dragged over a round stool and used it to climb onto the platform, which was too high for him to mount unaided.
He touched the savage rows of dragon teeth.
Each one was taller and thicker than he was.
Carefully, Aelor walked in through the open back of the skull and laid both small hands against the pale bone.
[Explorer System] Exploration Task Initiated.
Target: Balerion the Black Dread’s Skull The system’s sudden voice startled him.
He glanced around guiltily.
Children who climbed where they should not were always scolded.
And he was still a child, one with a secret he could not afford to expose.
Thankfully, few people came to this hall.
Aelor let out a breath.
A new panel appeared before his eyes.
[Exploration Task] Target: Balerion the Black Dread’s Skull Exploration Progress: 0.2% “What does that mean?” He drew back his hand, and the panel changed.
Exploration Progress: 0.2% (Paused) “So exploring a relic requires physical contact?” Understanding dawned.
Aelor touched the skull again.
Sure enough, the progress began to climb once more.
“I see.
Then all I have to do is wait.” He sat down, leaned against the inside of the skull, and rested.
From time to time, he tried touching the bone with his cheek or even the soles of his feet, just in case more contact helped.
His body was too weak.
A few steps were enough to leave him breathless.
The fact that he had made it all the way to Balerion’s skull today was thanks only to excitement lending him strength.
By dusk, the sun had begun to sink.
A voice rang out and startled Aelor awake.
[Explorer System] Exploration Complete.
Collect the lost relic.
Still drowsy, he saw the panel return.
Exploration Progress: 100% “It is finished.
What treasure did I get?” Aelor was alert at once.
He studied the panel, but only a few lines remained.
Then he remembered the words collect the lost relic and stood, scanning the skull around him.
A red glow the size of a small melon hovered above the closed dragon teeth.
Curious, Aelor stepped forward and slowly reached out.
Pop.
It felt as though he had touched a bubble.
The red glow burst apart into tiny crimson motes that slipped into his hand like sparks from a dying coal.
[Explorer System] Relic collected.
Scanning…
Scan complete.
Legendary Relic identified: Dragon’s Legacy.
“Legendary.
I think I found something priceless.” Aelor murmured softly.
Knowledge of a dragon scale called Dragon’s Legacy surfaced in his mind.
At a thought, the scale appeared in his palm.
It was black from edge to edge, scarred all over, and no larger than an adult’s hand.
“A dragon scale.
How do I use it?” As he turned the scale over, the words on the system panel shifted.
Blood and fire are one.
To claim a dragon’s legacy, you must first be a true dragon.
“Blood and fire are one…” A spark of understanding crossed Aelor’s face.
Everyone knew dragons belonged to flame.
Then the key to awakening it should be blood.
And not just any blood.
True dragon blood.
Aelor smiled.
He was not a dragon, but he was a trueborn Targaryen.
He held the scale in one hand and pressed the thumb of the other against its sharp edge.
He clenched his teeth.
“Do it.” With a thin scrape, the scale cut his thumb, and a thread of blood welled out.
The moment blood touched the dragon scale, red light bloomed from it.
[Reward] Blood and Fire Are One Grade: Legendary (Red) Effect: Fire Resistance +50% Assessment: “True dragons do not fear flame.
The blood of the dragon is no exception.” The scale shattered and scattered into dust on an unfelt wind.
Before Aelor could react, warmth spread beneath his skin, and color rose in his pale cheeks.
It did not hurt.
It felt like curling under blankets in winter while a hearth burned close by.
Warmth filled his body.
The feeling came quickly and vanished just as fast.
When the heat faded, his skin was smoother, and the deathly pallor in his cheeks had eased.
At the very least, he no longer looked as if he might drop dead at any moment.
He looked like a child recovering from a grave illness.
“Fire resistance.
What sort of ability is that?” Aelor walked to the edge of the platform, where dozens of candles stood in a tight ring.
He lit one candle and held his hand above the flame.
Guessing was pointless.
Testing would tell him more.
When his hand touched the fire, the first sensation was warmth.
As the seconds passed and more heat gathered, the warmth sharpened into a burn.
A drop of wax fell on his skin.
Aelor frowned slightly at the sting.
He blew out the candle.
Now he understood the use of fire resistance.
“Fire still hurts,” he said, looking at his hand.
“But the damage is limited.” ✦ ✦ ✦ Want to keep going?
I hope this chapter gave you another reason to stay with the story.
There’s still plenty ahead, and things are only starting to unfold.