I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 469: Overwhelming Power

The casualness with which Tharaxis delivered that information was somehow more terrifying than any threat could have been.

Power so overwhelming that fundamental magical connections could be turned off through simple desire.

"Your army is fine," Tharaxis continued, as if sensing Jack’s concern. "Still on Floor Twenty-Three, where you left them. The moment you leave my domain, the connection will be restored completely. I merely wanted our conversation to proceed without distractions."

Jack processed this, adding it to the growing list of things that proved Tharaxis operated on a level beyond normal comprehension.

The dragon could suppress the Soul Link through will alone. He could drop exactly the right amount of Death Tokens for a specific binding. Not only that, he could smell contract bonds from brief exposure.

What else could Tharaxis do that he hadn’t revealed?

"If I succeed in binding Stormfang," Jack said, gesturing to the massive pile. "Those tokens are mine to use?"

"Consider them a gift," Tharaxis replied. "Payment for entertaining me with this conversation. Reminding me why I enjoyed watching Malakai build his empire." Lightning pulsed from the dragon’s eyes. "And payment in advance for what I’ll ask of you once we form our contract."

"What will you ask?" Jack pressed.

Tharaxis’s massive form coiled through storm clouds, creating patterns that made lightning strike in synchronized rhythm.

"Five things. Simple requests that serve my purposes while advancing yours."

The dragon extended one massive claw, each finger representing a different demand. "First. I want to leave this tower. I’ve been confined to Floor Fifty-Two for three centuries. The Council tolerates my presence here because I’m contained. But I’m tired of this cage, no matter how comfortable."

One claw folded down. "Second, I want to meet an old friend. Someone I haven’t seen in far too long. Someone who will be... interested to learn about your existence."

Jack’s mind raced through possibilities, but before he could voice questions, Tharaxis continued.

"Third. I want to avenge my brother. Typhon consumed the Dragon God and claimed dominion over our kind. That insult cannot stand unanswered." Lightning crackled with increased intensity. "You want to grow stronger. I want Typhon dead. Our goals align."

Another claw folded. "Fourth, I want to meet with Drakon. Have a conversation with the dark dragon who contracted with your father. Discuss matters that concern ancient creatures who remember what the world was like before mortality."

Jack’s confusion must have shown on his face, because Tharaxis’s laugh rumbled across the plateau.

"You assumed the old friend was Drakon," the dragon observed. "Understandable, but incorrect. The friend I mentioned is someone else entirely. Someone whose connection to the Council and the current state of power is... complicated."

"Who?" Jack demanded.

"Later," Tharaxis replied. "After you’ve proven you can handle truths that might reshape how you understand your own position in this world."

The dragon’s final claw remained extended. "Fifth and final. Never stop striving for power. Never settle. Never decide you have enough strength. Keep growing, keep binding, keep accumulating force until you’re strong enough to challenge the gods themselves if necessary."

Tharaxis’s golden eyes fixed on Jack with absolute focus. "That’s what I ask. Five simple requests. Five goals that align with what you already want to accomplish. In exchange, you gain access to lightning that could shatter mountains. Electrical manipulation capable of commanding storms across entire continents. Power that will make the Council hesitate before sending their assassins."

The dragon’s countless arms spread wide. "Do we have an agreement, little Soul Warden? Will you bind my child, form a contract with me, and accept the burden of carrying Demi-God in mortal flesh?"

Jack looked at the pile of Death Tokens, then at Tharaxis’s massive form coiled through storm clouds, finally toward the rock formations where Stormfang still hid, bleeding and terrified.

His mind calculated costs and benefits with ruthless efficiency. Thirty to forty years of life traded for power that could accelerate every goal he’d set.

The Council would hunt him regardless. Better to face them with overwhelming force than die weak and forgotten. And Tharaxis’s demands aligned with what Jack already planned to accomplish.

Leave the tower. Meet an old friend, whoever that was. Kill Typhon. Meet Drakon. Never stop growing stronger.

All things Jack could agree to without compromising his own goals.

"Yes," Jack said without hesitation. "We have an agreement."

Lightning exploded across the plateau as Tharaxis’s laugh boomed through the storm. "Excellent! Then let’s begin. Show me you can bind a living dragon, Soul Warden. Show me you’re worthy of what Malakai built and what you plan to surpass."

The dragon’s massive claw gestured toward the rock formations. "Stormfang awaits."

Jack walked toward the rock formations, his red eyes scanning for movement among the jagged stone.

Behind him, Tharaxis coiled through storm clouds, watching with golden eyes that crackled with constant electrical discharge.

Stormfang’s presence became obvious as Jack drew closer. The wyvern had wedged itself into a narrow gap between two massive rocks, star-bright eyes visible in the shadows, wings folded tight against its body to minimize exposure.

The hole in Stormfang’s right wing was still visible, blood dripping slowly from the wound Jack’s arrow had created.

The creature’s breathing was labored.

"Stormfang," Jack called out, his voice carrying across the plateau. "Come out. This ends one way or another."

The wyvern didn’t move.

"My child is terrified," Tharaxis observed from above, his voice sounded amused. "Understandable. You’ve proven yourself a persistent hunter. The arrow through the wing. The chase through the tree. The relentless pursuit even after Stormfang fled to my domain."

Lightning crackled along the dragon’s scales. "Terror is appropriate when facing something that refuses to stop."

Jack ignored the commentary, his focus entirely on the wyvern hiding among the rocks.

Jack reached for the Chain of Soul Warden. The artifact materialized in response to his will, black metal links glowing with red lightning as they coiled through the air.

But he didn’t strike yet. Instead, he extended his left hand and called upon his lightning affinity.

Red electrical current gathered around his fingers, not as an attack but as a lure. The lightning pulsed with controlled rhythm, creating patterns that resonated with Stormfang’s own electrical nature.

The wyvern’s eyes widened, recognition flickering in those star-bright depths.

Lightning called to lightning.

The red current flowing from Jack’s hand wasn’t just power. It was communication in a language Stormfang understood instinctively.

"You fled to Tharaxis because you recognized his strength," Jack said, his tone carrying absolute certainty.

"Knew that a Demi-God dragon with lightning affinity represented safety from whatever hunted you. But now that same dragon has given you to me."

The lightning in Jack’s hand intensified, creating arcs that connected with the ambient electrical discharge filling the plateau. "You have two choices. Fight, lose, and die. Or submit, survive, and serve something that will grow stronger than anything that could threaten you."

Stormfang hissed, the sound a mix of defiance and resignation. The wyvern knew the truth. It was wounded, exhausted, cornered in a domain controlled by its own progenitor who’d already decided its fate.

Fighting was suicide.

Fleeing was impossible.

The wyvern emerged from the rocks slowly, wings dragging against stone, body low to the ground in a posture that conveyed submission.

Blood still dripped from the damaged wing, pooling on the stone as Stormfang approached.

Jack watched the creature draw closer, his hand still extended, red lightning pulsing with controlled rhythm.

When Stormfang reached five feet away, the wyvern stopped and lowered its head. Those star-bright eyes met Jack’s red gaze, and in that moment, understanding passed between hunter and hunted.