How to Survive as a terminally-ill Dragon

Chapter 9. The Flowing Sands of Time (1)

“Dimensional Year 3090, February 14th”

I prepared nutritious snacks for Lois who refused to eat baby food.

When I went to his room with the snacks, I found Lois had fallen asleep.

Upon closer inspection, it didn’t seem like a typical slumber but rather the onset of the first sleep period.

It was endearing to see him asleep on top of the book he had been reading, but my concern was that he had not consumed enough elixir before entering the sleep period.

However, there was nothing I could do now but hope that he would wake up safely.

Sleep well, my son.

“Dimensional Year 3090, February 18th”

It’s been five days since Lois fell asleep.

When I went to check on him, I found that his bed had collapsed.

A large shock like this could have a detrimental impact on a hatchling in its sleep period.

Rushing over in alarm, I was relieved to find Lois unharmed.

After laying him down, I examined the cause of the bed’s collapse.

One of the bed’s legs, made from the strongest Pharotin wood, had broken.

Could the bed have been destroyed by something or someone?

I looked around, but there was no sign of intrusion.

That meant the broken bed was a mere accident.

But for some reason… my heart won’t stop pounding.

Why do I have this ominous feeling?

“Dimensional Year 3100, February 14th”

Today marks the 10th year since Lois fell asleep.

My anxiety when the bed first broke was not unfounded.

Numerous incidents have occurred around Lois during the past ten years.

Incidents that seem as though someone wishes for Lois’s death…

Yet, bizarrely, they leave no trace, making them hard to believe.

Who would scheme to harm Lois?

And how could they approach him without my detecting them?

The thought of my son being in danger has put me on high alert.

Whatever entity threatens my son…

I will not… I will not let them be.

If they dare to leave even a small scratch on Lois’s tender scales… they will regret ever breathing!

I swear it!

“Dimensional Year 3110, February 14th”

Strange incidents continue to take place around Lois.

Who could it be…?

Damn them… they’ll pay!

I will find them!

“Dimensional Year 3120, February 14th”

Thirty years have now passed since my son fell asleep.

I still have not identified those who aim to harm Lois.

Instead, I have mobilized every method at my disposal to create safety measures around him.

It has reduced my own lifespan a bit, but that’s nothing compared to Lois’s safety.

I must find the ones targeting him as soon as possible…

I am growing impatient.

“Dimensional Year 3130, February 14th”

Forty years have elapsed since Lois began his sleep.

I have continued to ponder the events occurring around Lois.

What does the villain gain by targeting my child?

What could they possibly obtain by killing such a young child?

Yet, I still can’t fathom their intentions.

The powerlessness of not being able to identify the entity threatening my son’s life… it suffocates and enrages me.

Damn it.

Rustle rustle.

Genelocer’s hand hesitated as it turned the pages of the diary.

Remembering those desperate moments revived the same dreadful feelings.

Even now, the thought of Lois being in danger makes my heart race and anger rise.

“Whew…”

Genelocer took a small breath to calm his emotions and turned the page again.

“Dimensional Year 3150, February 14th”

Sixty years have passed since Lois fell asleep.

4,102 times.

That’s the number of unexplained assassination attempts on Lois over the past 60 years.

That averages about 68 per year, or one attempt every five days.

At first, I suspected external interference.

But could that really be?

The world has forgotten about the dragon race, only a few other races even know of our existence.

Cooling my overwrought mind, I looked back over the past carefully.

And I came to a conclusion.

All the phenomena around Lois might just be the products of ‘chance’.

Otherwise, there was no explanation.

What being could evade the vigilance of a dragon to harm a hatchling?

In this age, only another dragon could, but our kin, who value hatchlings, would not commit such acts.

Unable to reach a conclusion myself, I consulted my father.

After pondering my story, my father said,

‘A genius often faces the trials of fate. Not just now, but hardships and trials will continuously befall that child in the future, just as they did the first Dragon King…’

Hearing my father’s words, I could not help but feel stunned.

Could it really be so?

Is fate trying to claim my child because his talent is too great?

Indeed, Lois’s talent was enough to draw the envy of the heavens.

Could it be that fate wants to take him for that reason?!

Impossible!

Whether it’s gods, demons, or fate itself!

Nothing shall harm our child.

I will protect our son!

“Dimensional Year 3170, February 20th”

Eighty years have passed since Lois fell asleep, yet fate still seems to envy the child and has not ceased its attempts.

I have not left my son’s side for a moment, not knowing when an unforeseen situation may arise.

Today, a thought occurred to me.

Lois, who sought knowledge faster than any child and refused food and sleep before his sleep period…

Perhaps he was already aware of his own predicament?

They say hatchlings have an excellent instinct for sensing danger.

Could it be that Lois’s seemingly petulant behavior before sleeping was actually a protective instinct to safeguard himself?

Have I been scolding him for resisting when he was actually trying to protect himself?

If so…

I am too ashamed to face my young son.

“Dimensional Year 3180, February 14th”

Today marks the 90th year since Lois fell asleep.

I have watched over him without a moment’s break.

And just yesterday, Lois began to stir in his sleep.

It’s a sign that his sleep period is nearing its end.

If things continue this way, he may awaken within 10 to 20 years.

I hope he wakes soon and smiles at me once again.

“Dimensional Year 3189, December 22nd”

Lois’s 100th birthday is fast approaching.

It will also be the first birthday he truly celebrates since birth.

Unable to leave the lair myself, I had a friend arrange for a gift I had thought of for Lois long ago.

And just a while ago, I received word that Lois’s gift will arrive tomorrow.

I hope he will be pleased with the gift.

“Dimensional Year 3190, January 1st”

Lois woke up precisely on his 100th birthday.

His confused look from just waking up is too cute for words.

He still seems unable to believe that he has been through his first sleep period.

Of course… it’s understandable.

It feels like he closed his eyes for a moment, yet 100 years have passed—I felt the same when it happened to me.

I waited for my son to fully wake up before presenting him with the gift I had prepared.

Still in a daze, Lois set the gift aside without unwrapping it.

I wish he had opened it right away…

I’m so curious to see his reaction to the gift!

It’s exciting!

“Dimensional Year 3190, January 5th”

…I got scolded by Lois.

He asked why I gave him such a gift.

But why?

It was surely the most desired gift among hatchlings his age.

I need to analyze why Lois was upset.

* * *

Thump.

The baby book that had been flipping rapidly came to a close.

Storing the finished diary on the shelf, Genelocer opened a drawer on his desk and took out a new notebook.

It was blank, yet the thick leather already bore its purpose.

“Lois’s Baby Book 2”

And just like it, many notebooks resembling the baby book were piled up in Genelocer’s drawer.

“Today, our son was as adorable as ever!”

Humming a tune gently, Genelocer finished his day by writing down notes about Lois in the baby book.

* * *

To the left of the Great Plain’s Fang.

A sharp tooth that seemed to pierce the sky, surrounded by both large and small mountains, with lush undergrowth below.

From a distance, the pointed prominence and its green surroundings looked like a green tooth, leading people to call it the ‘Greenfang Range’.

For ages, the Greenfang Range was known for its rich elemental energy, frequently visited by other races and hermits seeking to train.

A race that had long made their homes there.

Dwellings created by hermits.

Even monsters living by the laws of nature.

The Greenfang Range embraced a spectrum of beings who freely traveled its reaches, benefiting from nature’s gifts.

However, there was one place even they avoided entering.

A high peak near the Great Plain’s Fang.

The area was rich in elemental energy, but strictly off-limits.

A plateau resembling a molar had come to be called forbidden ground.

And it was in this very forbidden place that a child was practicing with a wooden sword.

Pale skin shimmering, white hair glistening, and eyes as deep a purple as precious gems.

The child seemed to be around 4-5 years old.

Yet, the child’s beauty was extraordinary for his tender age.

“Ha!”

With a cute shout, the child brought the wooden sword down in a vertical slash.

Whoosh – Bang!

The air tore with a ferocity that belied the wielder’s youth.

After a long session of sword practice, the child slowly lowered his weapon and caught his breath.

Suddenly, a white towel flew towards the child.

“Master, your towel has arrived!”

Remarkably, the towel itself spoke.

Even more astonishing was the child’s nonchalant acceptance.

“Very well.”

Taking the towel nonchalantly, the child pretended to wipe non-existent sweat.

As he held the towel, a small figure about 20 cm tall appeared from beneath it.

Long golden hair rippling, a beautiful face with compactly arranged features set in pale skin, and wings as translucent as those of a dragonfly.

It was the spitting image of a fairy from countless tales.

Indeed, the being that had delivered the towel was a fairy, albeit one dressed peculiarly in a maid’s attire.

The child, now a 110-year-old Lois, looked curiously at the fairy who had brought him the towel.

“Hmm…”

Noticing Lois’s gaze, the fairy tilted her head.

“Why do you question, Master?”

“…Can’t you stop calling me that?”

“But Master, you are the Master!”

A crooked smile formed on Lois’s lips at the fairy’s response.

An expression far too mature for a child.

“Do you want to go back home?”

“Lois, show mercy as befits the noble dragon race.”

The fairy immediately switched her stance, groveling at the veiled threat from Lois.

Lois couldn’t help but chuckle.

‘Has it already been 10 years?’

Lois’s memory drifted back to a time 10 years ago, as if meeting a pin in the flow of time.