'We still need to make sure what kind of shapeshifting you have.' The Great Protector stated, snapping Ragnar out of his shock.
"Okay, how do we do this?" Ragnar asked, looking at his hands. He wouldn't lie, he was greedy for a power like evolution. "Should I try changing my hands into something else?" He asked, his hands morphing into dragon claws, shifting back and forth.
'First, you need to learn to use your shapeshifting to adapt to the environment like a normal Makluan.' The Great Protector turned her head towards the lake, signaling Ragnar to get in. 'Undo your transformation as a human and come with me.'
Ragnar glanced around the shore before stripping down in front of the Great Protector, transforming into his true form, the Golden Dragon.
The Great Protector nodded her head in approval. She liked him better in his dragon form than as a human, showcasing his true race, one of her own. 'Come, child. From now on, we shall begin the real lesson.' She dove into the lake, disappearing into the depths.
Ragnar shook his head, flapping his wings and taking to the sky. He roared, plunging into the water, his wings closing with a powerful force, propelling him downwards. His dragon eyes pierced the darkness as he followed The Great Protector to the lakebed.
'Now, let your body adapt to the water. Relax your mind, let your instinct take over.' The Great Protector advised, circling silently around Ragnar.
'I can feel it,' Ragnar replied through telepathy, sensing his body relaxing and changing. Then... water rushed into his nose. 'I'm not feeling it! I'm not feeling it!' he shouted repeatedly, waving his claws in panic.
The Great Protector encased him in a wind sphere, providing breathable air.
"Haa...haaaa~" Ragnar turned back into a human, taking deep breaths, spitting water from his mouth. "Is there an easy way to do this?" he asked hopefully.
'No, child. There's no easy way to achieve success.' The Great Protector patiently comforted Ragnar before canceling the wind sphere. 'Again.'
Ragnar took a deep breath, holding it as he transformed into a dragon, allowing the water to envelop him. He closed his eyes, patiently waiting for his body to adapt, but no matter what he did, it didn't happen.
'Again.'
'Again.'
'Again.'
'Again.'
"Ahck," Ragnar knelt down on the lakebed, vomiting the water he had swallowed.
It was the fifth time the Great Protector had saved him from drowning, but his shapeshifting still wasn't working. Even when he tried to control it himself, nothing happened.
Outside the wind sphere, The Great Protector observed him with narrowed eyes, disappointment radiating from her.
In those five tries, she had figured out what was wrong with Ragnar, and it made her furious. He had forgotten what he truly was, a dragon, a Makluan.
'Again! But this time, I won't help you,' The Great Protector said with a cold, hardened tone.
"How about we stop for today?" Ragnar asked softly, looking up. He could sense the Great Protector was in a bad mood, and he had had enough near-death experiences for one day.
He felt the only improvement he got in this training was his ability to hold his breath for a little longer than usual.
The Great Protector ignored him, the wind sphere dissolving into nothingness.
Ragnar sighed, holding his breath once more before transforming into a dragon, closing his eyes as he floated in the water. Minutes passed, but no changes, no adaptation occurred.
As Ragnar ran out of air, he frowned, opening his eyes to see The Great Protector circling around him, doing nothing.
'She was serious about that!' Ragnar's eyes widened in disbelief. He tried to swim back to the surface, but the water pulled him back down. 'What are you doing?!' he asked incredulously, looking at the Great Protector in front of him.
'You have forgotten what you truly are, child,' The Great Protector said softly, her eyes hardening. 'You still think you're a human. That's why your body isn't adapting. You're subconsciously stopping it yourself.'
'It's time to stop, child,' The Great Protector's voice rumbled in his mind, her words carrying a weight of both authority and concern.
'You'll never be a human again. You are, and you will always be, one of us.' The Great Protector eyes, usually shimmering with a kind warmth, now held a fierce intensity, demanding he confront the truth, to accept his true nature so his body could unlock its full potential.
Ragnar's eyes widened, his movements froze for a moment. If it was another time, and someone else had told him that, he might have cursed them, ignored their words. But the seriousness in the Great Protector's voice made him realize the truth.
Ragnar had always thought of himself as human, from his past life and his current one. He was human first, even his parents were human. He subconsciously considered his dragon form as just one of his powers.
'But that wasn't the truth. I stopped being human the first time I turned into a dragon.' Ragnar thought bitterly, closing his eyes. Whether he wanted it or not, he needed to accept it. He was different from his parents, different from his friends.
He was not human, but a Dragon.
Then, Ragnar opened his jaw, allowing the water to fill his mouth, accepting who he truly was. He let himself drown, floating in the water, relaxing.
And then, in that moment, he felt his body changing.
Ragnar opened his eyes, now shining with a golden light, his body adapting on its own, allowing him to breathe underwater. Excitement filled his eyes as he began to swim towards the surface with incredible speed, not noticing his body was still changing, morphing into something meant for underwater.
'You did it, child,' The Great Protector said with relief, her eyes flickering with anticipation. A normal Makluan's shapeshifting adaptation would have allowed them to stay underwater for a long period of time.
But Ragnar's changes were different. He could now live perfectly underwater. The Great Protector watched, her eyes widening, 'As if evolving.' She needed to see if his changes were permanent.
After his exhilarating swim, Ragnar surfaced, swimming in front of the Great Protector. 'What now?' he asked, unable to hide the excitement in his voice. He felt like Aquaman from the DC universe.
'Now, you need to go back and feel the changes in your body,' The Great Protector said before rushing towards the surface.
Ragnar followed close behind. If the Great Protector hadn't controlled the water to boost herself upwards, Ragnar would have already caught up to her.
Ragnar reached the shore, shaking off the water, focusing on the changes in his body.
'How is it, child?' The Great Protector asked, narrowing her eyes. From her perspective, Ragnar's body was transforming back to normal. 'Is it because whatever he's transforming into is not meant for land?' she wondered.
'I felt my body changing back to normal, but I feel I can still breathe underwater,' Ragnar replied, opening his eyes and walking to the edge of the shore. He put his head completely underwater for a few minutes. 'It's fine,' he said, pulling his head back up.
The Great Protector nodded her head in approval. It seemed Ragnar's body had fully adapted and evolved, allowing him to live underwater. 'We still need to train your adaptation. Follow me.' The Great Protector then flew into the sky.
Ragnar flapped his wings, a joyous roar erupting from his throat. The feeling of accomplishment, of finally understanding and embracing his true nature, was exhilarating.
He couldn't wait to see what the future held, completely unaware that the Great Protector was leading him towards one of the most dangerous places in the Ta Lo realm, an active volcano.
•-----•-----•-----•-----•
While Ragnar was immersed in his training, the members of the chat group went about their daily lives.
[Shitori Sona]: So you're going to finish your last mission today?
Sona stood on the rooftop of a school, arms crossed, her gaze fixed on Issei Hyoudou in the distance. "Pervert," she muttered, her eyes flashing with a cold glint as she pushed her glasses up her nose. She was still deciding how to handle him.
"Are you going to take out his Sacred Gear So~Tan?" Serafall asked, tilting her head. She knew Sona had been given the opportunity by the system to remove a Sacred Gear from its host after helping her deal with the vampires.
Although Serafall knew the Boosted Gear was a powerful Longinus, she wouldn't let a pervert join her sister's peerage.
"No, the Boosted Gear is too troublesome to use. It would alert other factions, making them think we've found a way to steal Sacred Gears from their wielders." Sona shook her head, explaining her reasoning. Her eyes flashed as she considered the Sacred Gears she had in mind, but she needed to ask Ragnar for more information.
"As for him," she said with disgust, "let's leave him to Rias." A magic circle spread from her feet, ready to teleport her to her friend.
"Let me do it!" Serafall grabbed Sona's arm, stopping the teleportation magic. "I can't let my sister lose out just yet, can I?" she said, winking at Sona before teleporting back to the Underworld, planning to blackmail or rather, negotiate with Sirzechs.
Sona sighed, grateful for a sister like Serafall she could trust and rely on. But then she heard a scream.
"Kyaaahh!"
Sona's eyes flashed in disgust as she saw Issei being slapped in the face. She shook her head, disappearing from the rooftop before she could see more perverted scenes.
[Viking Champion]: Yeah, if the people of Berk hadn't been so hesitant, I would have finished it with Skadi already.
Astrid sighed as she looked at the villagers, teen agers in the same age as her, trying to get closer to the dragons wanting to become something like her, a dragon rider.
After Astrid's stunt, an unnatural peace fell over Berk.
Though the Vikings saw the dragons weren't attacking, they remained wary and skeptical, especially of the huge black dragon with white spikes.
Even though they knew it belonged to Astrid, or was supposedly a friend. They feared what it could do if it attacked.
"Ah!" Hiccup shouted in distress as a Monstrous Nightmare snapped at his clothes, its teeth grazing his back.
"Nice work, Hiccup, That's the right way to ride a dragon!" Snotlout said bursting out of laughter along with the twins.
The Monstrous Nightmare, however, didn't seem interested in Hiccup. It let go of his clothes, its gaze shifting to Snotlout.
Snotlout took a nervous gulp, his smile vanishing as he stepped back. "On second thought, I don't think I'm suitable for riding a dragon." He turned, ready to run, but the Monstrous Nightmare once again bit the back of his clothes.
"Oh, Odin! Please spare my life!" Snotlout prayed clasping his hands together, closing his eyes as he swayed in the air.
Astrid watched the scene unfold, a chuckle escaping her lips. Her amusement, however, was short-lived.
A shout rang out from behind her, making Astrid lower her head. "Astrid! Help them!"
Astrid slowly turned her head and saw her mother, her face etched with a mixture of exasperation and concern, standing with her father, with Chief Stoick, and the Village Elder Gothi.
Astrid sighed helplessly as she stood up from the Night Fury walking towards her friends.
"Pick me!" Ruffnut shouted, her arm waving in the air, only to be knocked to the ground by her brother.
"Pick us! We're born to be dragon riders!" Tuffnut said, punching the air with excitement.
"I…I think I could do it too," Fishlegs said shyly, confident in his dragon knowledge.
"I'm better than you, so she should teach me first!" Ruffnut shouted, tackling her brother to the ground.
"Get away from me!" "No, you get away!"
"You get away and take your hands o–What?" Tuffnut, whose head was being pushed into the ground by his sister, opened his mouth wide. He looked up, his eyes widening in confusion.
Astrid wasn't walking towards them, but towards Hiccup.
"Hey, can you stand?" Astrid asked, kicking Hiccup's feet gently, a slight smirk playing on her lips.
"Huh?" Hiccup, who was rubbing his back from the fall, looked up at her in daze.
"I said, can you stand up?" Astrid said, sighing, her expression softening.
"Yeah, yeah, I can!" Hiccup said, his voice was a bit shaky. He hurriedly pushed himself off the ground, smiling at Astrid sheepishly.
"Come on, then. We better get started." Astrid said, shaking her head as she turned and started walking towards the Night Fury.
"Me? I can't do–" Hiccup pointed to himself, a look of doubt clouding his face. Before he could protest further, Astrid gave him a gentle shove, sending him stumbling forward.
Hiccup froze, his eyes widened, realizing he was now standing before the Night Fury as it opened its eyes, looking at him.
"Of course it's you," Astrid said, a smirk playing on her lips. She stood behind him, crossing her arms, a sense of satisfaction washing over her. 'After all,' she thought, 'it's your fate.'
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A/N: If you guys got any good names for The Great Protector, please do tell.
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