Void Evolution System

Blue light cascaded from the heavens and graced the ground below.

Far, far away, in the distant seas of Arulion, waves crashed into each other and rose to create tsunamis that charged towards the land beyond.

HONG!

HONG!

HONG!

The heavens rang bells again. It could be regarded by others as a continuation of the phenomenon that had started a bit earlier, but that simply wasn't true.

The unveiling of Damien's dragon form flustered the heavens. That was the main reason for its reaction to him.

When it came to August, the heavens weren't flustered at all. They weren't surprised by his transformation. Rather, they celebrated the event that should've taken place several thousand years ago.

August was, at first, perturbed by his transformation. He'd kept his human form for four years now and had become more than just used to it. He was comfortable as a human, so when his skin flipped and revealed deep blue scales that covered his entire body, when his form elongated and a tail appeared behind his back, when his aura transformed and his horns grew into their true appearance, he wasn't just feeling discomfort.

For a moment, it felt wrong, like this wasn't who he was meant to be.

But that was when he looked into the sky and saw his father.

Their scales were different, as were their auras, but there he was. He flew through the sky with such dominance that all of August's doubts disappeared without a trace.

'That's my dad.'

The immense pride he felt drowned the insecurities in his heart.

Not just the pride he had in his father, but the pride he had in dragons as a whole.

August embraced his natural form. For the first time, he viewed his gifts as gifts, not curses.

And that…that was exactly what the heavens wanted from him.

VOOOOOOOM!

August's body was filled with mana like he'd never experienced before.

He was always enamored by the energy. The way it flowed so freely yet strictly dictated all things was fascinating, and the fact that it responded to him so openly and honestly made him feel a connection to it that only his relationship with Damien could rival.

He thought his bond with mana was the best it could ever be already, but that was just a product of his naivety.

Dragons were something like apostles of mana. The energy always favored their kind, and those who were able to make use of that favor were the ones who established dragons as scholars and sages.

The environment itself responded to August's presence. The ambient mana chose him as its liege, swirling around him in a whirlpool of respect and submission.

A ten-foot-long baby dragon was revealed to the world. His scales shimmered in the sunlight, and his eyes reflected the clarity of an arctic reservoir. The regality in his aura was unmistakable, and though they were only invited to aid in the child's awakening, the sixteen ancestral dragons currently present felt the need to overstay their welcome.

But could it really be called that?

They were awestruck by Damien's aura. That caused them to stop what they were doing and stare mindlessly.

August was on an entirely different level.

If Damien was respected for his power…

…then August was revered for his inborn status.

ROOOOOOOOAR!

He let out a roar instinctively. It didn't have the extreme power of the roars these other dragons had emitted, but it stirred something deep in the souls of those who heard it.

Even Damien, who wasn't a dragon at his core, felt that call.

The sixteen ancestral dragons came down from the sky, prostrating themselves on the ground with their heads bowed to the child they encircled.

'This is…'

August's eyes widened in shock. He looked up at Damien as if to ask what he was supposed to do, but Damien just smiled and shrugged his massive draconic shoulders.

August smiled too.

Right.

'I just need to do whatever I want.'

He was a child who knew his desires well and knew how to differentiate the good from the bad. Perhaps it was disrespectful to ignore the display of these ancestors, but…

'...I really want to fly with Dad.'

It was the chance of a lifetime. August never thought he'd be able to do it, and now that he could, he really couldn't wait.

WHOOSH!

He flapped his wings once. He wasn't used to having them, but controlling this form came instinctively.

WHOOOOOSH!

He flapped his wings again. Then again, and again.

His body rose from the ground, and as the wind grazed past his face, he angled himself upward and launched into the sky.

ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!

It was a far more powerful roar than the one he released before. If it had to be translated into a language humans could understand, then…

'WOOOOOOHOOOOO!"

August was ecstatic. He was doing flips and rolls in the air before he even reached Damien's altitude. When he finally did, he circled his father several times out of pure joy.

Damien's smile never faded.

'It's a little hard to move, isn't it?'

If there was one major qualm he had with his current form, it was that his eye position and the structure of his head made it difficult for him to turn and watch as August did his laps.

Still, there was nothing more rewarding than seeing the pure and unadulterated emotion on that little boy's face as his spirits reached an all-time high.

"How about that?" Damien said, laughing all the way.

"I told you dragons were awesome, didn't I?"

"Yeah! This is awesome!"

August was just speaking to speak, really. He was too overwhelmed to properly formulate his words. He just wanted to respond to his dad no matter what.

It wasn't about dragons anymore.

This happiness stemmed from all of his wishes being fulfilled.

His dad didn't lie to him. He didn't say anything just for the sake of cheering him up.

He really wasn't a monster. He really wasn't alone.

The fact that everything he dreamed about was in front of him now was more valuable than any confidence he gained from all of Damien's efforts.

"Dad, Dad! Let's go flying!"

The size difference between them was monstrous. Compared to the hundreds of kilometers that Damien's currently shrunken form filled, August was just a speck of dust.

But did that matter?

Since his son wanted to fly with him, he would happily oblige.

"Come up!"

August pushed his little wings as hard as he could in response to his father's words, taking position above his back.

Once Damien was sure that August was there, he covered him in a slight film of mana for one specific purpose.

"Three…"

He pulled his legs in to maximize his aerodynamics.

"Two…"

He charged his mana for a perfect launch.

"One…"

After one last check to make sure everything was good…

"Let's go!"

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

Mana raged, the sound barrier broke, and Damien and August became blips on the horizon.

This was a future Godbeast's first flight in his dragon form.

Since Damien was the one supervising it…

…he had to make it more memorable than anything else.

That was his one and only goal.