I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 532: He’s going to die Jack

Jack’s jaw clenched, his right hand curling into a fist at his side. ”Because one of the dragons inside me wants to meet him. And I need to understand why.”

The admission carried weight that transcended simple explanation.

Jack was acknowledging the entities bound within his soul, creatures whose motivations and agendas remained partially opaque even to their contractor.

Alaric studied his son’s transformed appearance for a long moment.

The blood-soaked hair, the mismatched eyes burning with elemental power, the missing hand that showed his desperate choices made under impossible pressure.

Then he nodded slowly.

”Very well. But this is... unusual. Drakon rarely agrees to meetings, even with other contracted entities.”

He stepped closer to Jack, their height difference was minima.

Both men standing over six feet, though Alaric’s broader frame made him appear more massive.

His discerning gaze met Jack’s with an intensity that held an imminent and significant undertaking.

”Close your eyes and focus inward. I’ll create the bridge between our soul spaces, but you’ll need to maintain consciousness throughout the transition. It will feel strange... like falling and rising simultaneously.”

Jack’s eyes closed, his breathing steadying as he centered his awareness. Alaric leaned forward, pressing his forehead against Jack’s in a gesture that was both intimate and ritualistic.

The world dissolved around him.

Jack’s consciousness separated from his physical form with a sensation like being pulled through water. Resistance followed by sudden release.

His eyes opened to find himself standing in a vast white space that extended infinitely in all directions.

No ground beneath his feet, yet he stood stable. No sky above, yet the white expanse created impression of limitless vertical space.

No walls or boundaries, yet the area felt enclosed rather than open.

”Where am I?”

His voice echoed strangely, as if the white space was simultaneously absorbing and amplifying sound.

”You’re inside your father’s soul.”

The voice came from behind him, a deep and raspy, carrying weight that made the white space itself seem to vibrate.

Not the smooth authority of Tharaxis or the arrogant confidence of Emberion, but something older, like hearing stone speak or experiencing gravity develop a voice.

Jack turned around to meet the voice he heard.

The dragon that sat coiled behind him was massive beyond anything Jack had expected.

Drakon’s body stretched over forty meters from snout to tail, his dark scales that made light cease to exist.

Creating the illusion of a serpent-shaped void in reality.

His height, even sitting, exceeded ten meters. His head alone was larger than Jack’s entire body, positioned high enough that Jack had to crane his neck upward to meet the dragon’s gaze properly.

Eyes like cosmic space tracked Jack with ancient intelligence that transcended simple awareness into something approaching omniscience.

Each breath Drakon took created pressure waves that made the white space ripple, reality itself straining under proximity to such concentrated power.

”Why do you want to meet me?” Drakon’s raspy voice carried genuine curiosity rather than hostility. ”And why do you have two powerful monsters inside you? Most Soul Wardens your age struggle to maintain one contract with entities of lesser classification. Yet you bind Emperor-class creatures as if their power was meant for you.”

Jack’s posture remained relaxed despite standing before something that could obliterate him with casual effort.

No fear registered in his expression. Even standing before such a creature did not make him cower.

”One of the dragons inside me wanted to meet you,” Jack replied. ”I don’t fully understand why, but when entities this powerful make requests, I’ve learned it’s usually for good reason.”

The white space rippled as new presence manifested.

Tharaxis emerged beside Jack, his full draconic form materializing.

The Dragon’s body stretched behind Jack endlessly.

”How long it’s been,” Tharaxis’s voice carried warmth that Jack had never heard from the dragon before. ”What a pleasant surprise to see my old friend again.”

Drakon’s cosmic gaze conveyed approval, his substantial form exhibiting a subtle nod of acknowledgment. ”Tharaxis. The Great Paradox himself, reduced to residing in a human vessel. How the mighty have fallen.”

Jack’s gaze shifted between the two dragons.

”Why is it important to see him?” The question was directed at Tharaxis, though Jack kept Drakon in his peripheral vision, maintaining awareness of both entities simultaneously.

”Soon, his vessel will die.”

The statement landed like a a bag of chickens thrown at his face.

Jack’s heterochromatic eyes widened, his breathing momentarily suspended as the full implication registered. His gaze immediately shifted to Drakon, seeking confirmation or denial in the ancient dragon’s countenance.

”What do you mean?” Jack’s voice carried genuine emotion for the first time since entering the soul space.

It wasn’t anger or fear, but something closer to horror at what he was hearing.

Drakon’s massive head shifted, bringing one cosmic eye into direct alignment with Jack’s position.

The ancient intelligence visible in that gaze transcended anything Jack had encountered, making even Tharaxis and Emberion’s awareness seem limited by comparison.

”I am the oldest dark dragon in existence,” Drakon’s raspy voice carried weight that made the white space tremble.

”My power exceeds what mortal vessels can safely contain. Your father understood this when we formed our contract decades ago.”

He paused, letting the implication settle before continuing.

”Alaric placed restrictions on himself. Limitations that prevented me from manifesting my full capabilities through his body. These constraints prolonged his life significantly, allowing him to survive a contract that should have killed him within years rather than decades.”

Jack’s jaw clenched, his hand curling into a fist as he processed information that rewrote his understanding of his father’s capabilities and limitations.

”But people have gotten too bold,” Drakon proceeded, his demeanor transitioning to one of disdain. ”They’ve forgotten the name Kaiser. Forgotten what it means to face someone who carries your bloodline without the restrictions that normally bind noble houses to civilized conduct.”

His eyes shone with remarkable intensity, and Jack perceived a celestial quality within them, akin to gazing upon the night sky.

”So Alaric is removing those chains. Setting an example for everyone in this world that even though your father is one of the strongest beings around, he shouldn’t be challenged lightly. He’s making a statement written in blood and ash... That Kaiser means something, that your lineage carries weight that transcends political maneuvering or Council machinations.”

Jack’s breathing had quickened despite his attempts to maintain composure.

”But there’s a cost,” Drakon’s raspy voice carried finality that made the white space feel colder. ”Removing the restrictions means Alaric is overexerting himself just by breathing. His mana leaks out of him constantly now, bleeding power he can’t fully control. Using magic drains him faster than normal recovery can compensate. And if he activates his Contractee state a couple more times...”

The dragon paused, letting silence communicate what words couldn’t soften.

”His body will break. Shatter from internal pressure that exceeds what flesh and bone can withstand. Because dark dragons of my classification were only meant to contract with divine beings or offspring of the divine. Entities whose fundamental nature can withstand power that destroys lesser vessels.”

Jack noticed the specification.

Dvine beings or offspring of the divine.

The statement resonated within his consciousness, carrying implications that he was unable to fully comprehend, and details that appeared significant yet whose meaning remained persistently unclear.

”What will you do when my father dies?” Jack’s voice exhibited a slight tremor, indicating a genuine emotional response despite his efforts to maintain composure.

Drakon’s gaze followed Jack’s countenance, and his expression softened at the scene before him.

”I will return to the night sky and wait for my next host to arrive. Dragons are eternal. We don’t die when our contractors perish. We simply... continue. Moving from vessel to vessel across centuries, accumulating experience and power with each generation.”

Jack stood silent for a long moment, processing information that fundamentally altered his understanding of his father’s situation and mortality.

Alaric wasn’t just powerful, he was dying, sacrificing his remaining lifespan to make a statement about Kaiser legacy and noble responsibility.

”That’s all I need to know.”