Chapter 7: In the Blink of an Eye (1)

Chomp, chomp.

Louis’s cheeks were stuffed like a squirrel munching on snacks. Genelocer watched him with delight.

Crrunch!

The blue ice crystals tasted refreshing, almost like frozen juice exploding inside his mouth.

“What’s dis? (What is this?)”

“Ramus fruits grow in the cold northern seas. They taste especially good during hot summers. There’s plenty, so eat as much as you want!”

The Ramus fruit was considered a divine elixir for those cultivating water magic, yet here it had become mere snack food for a young dragon. And that wasn’t all:

It has a chewy texture…

The stem of Heatrogen, known to greatly enhance fire attribute cultivation—

Is this cotton candy?

Sky jellyfish imbued with wind element—

This one stings!

Louis was casually consuming elixirs that ordinary beings would never encounter in their lifetime as if they were mere snacks. However, not just anyone could consume these elixirs haphazardly like Louis did. Without proper preparation, attempting to ingest various elixirs could overwhelm one’s body with energy, causing it to explode.

But Louis’s heart allowed him this indulgence: the Dragon Heart, nature’s ultimate perpetual engine capable of converting mana into elemental attributes. Even when ingesting an elixir with predetermined properties, the Dragon Heart adapts it to match its owner’s innate element, aiding the dragon’s growth accordingly. Aware of this, prospective dragon parents spend years meticulously collecting elixirs for their future offspring.

“Do you enjoy them?”

“Yes!”

“Eat plenty!”

“Okay!”

The elixirs Louis was currently enjoying were ones Genelocer and his wife had been stockpiling for their unborn child over many years. As he watched his son devour them with relish, a hint of concern crossed Genelocer’s face.

If I’d known our child would possess four attributes, I should’ve prepared more…

With multiple innate abilities, Louis required that much more energy to sustain himself. No one could predict how much nourishment Louis would need as the first dragon ever recorded to have four attributes.

My father said he’d help, but it looks like I’ll still have to venture out at some point.

Even for dragons, acquiring such elixirs wasn’t easy, but watching Louis enjoy the food so much instantly lifted Genelocer’s spirits.

By the time Louis had eaten about half of the snacks on his tray, his hands slowed down considerably.

Nod, nod.

Louis’s head started bobbing as he stuffed more snacks into his mouth, and soon, his eyes drooped halfway shut.

“Heh-heh!” Genelocer couldn’t hide his smile at how adorable Louis looked, dozing off while eating.

Clunk!

Eventually, Louis dropped what was left in his hand and fell asleep instantly. With a grin still plastered on his face, Genelocer picked up Louis and laid him gently on the bed. He placed a large knitted rabbit plushie in Louis’s arms, stroked his son’s hair one last time, and quietly exited the room.

Soon, darkness enveloped the space, leaving only Louis’s soft breathing echoing softly throughout.

While Louis slept, something strange happened in his room. A small dot appeared out of nowhere in midair. The dot slowly began to move without making any sound, forming lines that took on a distinct shape. It was like someone was drawing with an invisible pen in empty space.

After quite some time, as the lines continued to form at an extremely slow pace, what emerged was a picture of a fork. Considering how long it had taken, the result seemed rather underwhelming.

However, something even more astonishing happened next.

Sssshhh…

The small 2D drawing of a fork made from black lines suddenly transformed into a real fork.

Clunk!

The newly created fork was stuck vertically on Louis’s bedroom wall.

But it wasn’t over yet. A black dot reappeared in mid-air and began to move towards Louis’s bed where he lay asleep.

Scribble-scribble-

The black dot touched the rabbit plushie that Louis was hugging tightly as it started rapidly moving again.

Scritch-scritch-

Deeply asleep, Louis remained oblivious to the strange phenomenon unfolding around him.

”…When did I fall asleep?”

Louis sat dazedly with the white rabbit plushie in his arms. Although awake, he felt groggy and couldn’t remember anything from yesterday. He had no idea when he had fallen asleep.

He scratched his head in confusion.

“Did I nod off while eating snacks?” As Louis pondered over when he might have dozed off…

Grrumble.

His stomach loudly growled.

”…I’m hungry.”

In the midst of his growth spurt, Louis’s body constantly demanded nutrients. He placed the rabbit toy aside and got out of bed.

Just then, a loud voice rang out.

“Louis, come eat if you’re up!”

“Yes! I’ll be right there!” Louis promptly replied as hunger gnawed at him upon waking up.

As he was about to scurry out of his room, something unexpected happened.

“Yip!”

Louis felt a tug on his tail and tumbled over.

“Ack.”

He rubbed his chin after rolling around on the floor. Then, his expression froze when he saw what lay before him.

”…”

About ten centimeters from where Louis had fallen, there was a fork stuck vertically in the ground with its sharp prongs pointing upward. He picked it up, muttering incredulously:

“…Seriously? Are you trying to kill me with these ridiculous death flags?”

Had he fallen just slightly farther forward, his head would’ve been impaled by the fork. What were the odds of tripping over one’s tail and landing exactly where a fork was stuck vertically on the ground?

“What kind of logic is this?” Louis grumbled as he casually tossed away the fork. Experiencing so many near-death situations had made him somewhat numb.

He looked down at his tail.

“…What now?”

Louis felt a chill run up his spine.

A white thread was tangled around one of his scales.

Louis followed the thread with his eyes and soon realized its source.

“Yikes! Toto!”

Since Louis’s rebirth, the stuffed rabbit had served as both his punching bag and confidant. It now dangled from the bedpost. Louis rushed over to grab it. The lower half of the rabbit was missing due to loose threads unraveling.

During this ongoing ordeal, Louis found comfort by sharing his unspoken worries with Toto. With sadness, he looked at the toy that had been there for him through thick and thin.

“I’ll have to ask Dad to fix you…”

His expression softened as he moved sluggishly towards breakfast, tightly clutching one of the rabbit’s ears despite its frayed state.

A few days later…

”…How strange.”

Louis looked troubled as he reflected on his condition over the past several days. Whether it was while eating meals, reading books, snacking, or exercising his wings by strolling around their lair, Louis would suddenly lose consciousness and wake up back in bed every time.

“What’s going on…?”

Initially, Louis thought he simply needed more sleep, but after this pattern persisted for several days, he realized how serious the situation was. After much deliberation, he eventually sought answers from Genelocer.

“Dad.”

“What is it?” Wearing an apron, Genelocer had been preparing snacks for Louis when his son tugged at his pants leg.

“Dad… Something feels weird.”

The concern on Louis’s face startled Genelocer, who quickly swept his son up into his arms.

“What is it? Does my boy feel sick?”

“Well… Is this feeling sickness or not? I keep falling asleep at random times…”

“Oh!” Hearing Louis’s explanation, Genelocer relaxed and smiled reassuringly. “It’s okay; you’re not ill.”

“But then what—?”

“It just means your time has come.”

“My time?”

Louis looked utterly confused.

Genelocer kindly explained further. “Young dragons go through two dormant periods to aid their growth.”

“…”

“You randomly dozing off like this is a sign that your first hibernation period is approaching.”

“…” As he listened quietly, Louis’s complexion grew pale.

Louis stammered, “H-how long will I sleep?”

“Well, there’s no fixed time frame, but…on average, about a hundred years or so? Could be more.”

Louis’s mind went blank, filled only with shock and terror.

S-seriously?!

His jaw dropped open. Just days ago, Louis had narrowly avoided death by almost impaling his head on a fork—an incident that should have been a clear warning sign of impending doom. And now he was expected to fall asleep for a century without any preparation or defenses?

This is like leaving fish unattended around cats! It’s as good as offering my neck to a thug!

At merely two months old, Little Dragon Louis found himself facing the worst crisis in dragonkind history.

Shaken by fear and panic, Louis hurried back to his room.

“Ahh…” He bit down on the ear of a neatly mended white rabbit plushie. His tail wagged incessantly like it had its own motor.

Tak-tak-tak.

“I’m only two months old, yet my life—no, dragon life has been nothing but turmoil…”

Over the past two months, Louis’s emotional graph had repeatedly skyrocketed and plummeted sharply. The initial euphoria upon realizing he’d been reborn as a dragon crashed when he discovered that his lifespan was limited. He then wallowed for some time due to the constant death flags popping up until hope emerged with the discovery of his talent. However, this roller coaster of emotions took another nosedive now faced with a monumental crisis.

Currently, Louis’s mood chart was at its lowest point ever, descending into chaos.

“Dangerous… It’s dangerous…”

Louis kept repeating “dangerous” over and over again.

“I need a solution, I need a plan…”

His mind felt as blank as white paper. He tried to think of ways to improve his current situation but couldn’t come up with anything substantial.

Blink.

“Oh!”

Caught off guard by another wave of drowsiness, Louis jerked his head up abruptly. With hands feeling like cotton swabs, he slapped both cheeks hard.

Slap!

“W-Wake up, Louis! You’ll be dead if you fall asleep here!”

According to Genelocer’s explanation, it was impossible to predict when the first Sleep Buff would strike. At any moment, falling asleep could trigger it.

If I fall asleep here and trigger a death flag…!

The unpredictability of when he might doze off terrified Louis. Falling asleep at any moment meant dying at any moment for him. To Louis, entering the Sleep of Death was akin to pulling the oxygen mask from a patient struggling to breathe.

“I absolutely cannot let myself sleep!”

Louis resolved never to succumb to slumber. However, it wasn’t feasible to stay awake forever. According to dragon physiology, he could last several decades without sleep, but even dragons were living creatures that required rest eventually.

I’ll endure as long as possible while searching for a solution!

With this firm determination to survive, Louis began his agonizing ordeal.