Tiamat POV:

  My feet burned and ached as rubble shifted beneath them, the jagged path cutting through towering mountains split by glowing veins of magma. Bckened stone breathed heat into the air, ash drifting from their summits like falling snow, while the ground trembled faintly with every step I took.

  And yet, at the same time, it was cold.

  Snow mixed with the dark ash, forming a mushy gray mass that clung to pnts and stones alike, swallowing any trace of color.

  I gnced to the side, staring into the vast sky above the clouds. They y beneath me like a fluffy carpet of wool, yered far below an undisturbed sea of stars.

  "Woah, this is amazing-guys, do you see that?"

  I turned back, ready to point it out to my teammates.

  Only to be met by cold wind.

  And silence.

  I grimaced, looking down the lifeless path behind me-the pce where people should have been.

  Right.

  I'd forgotten.

  They had kicked me from the party ages ago and turned back without another word.

  "Whatever. I'll explore these mountains alone."

  I muttered, turning forward again and continuing upward along the thin, winding trail.

  They were dispensable anyway. I had no need for teammates who gave up halfway up.

  But soon enough, the blizzard worsened, and the first stage of the Cold debuff kicked in.

  I knew it wouldn't be long before hypothermia followed.

  Reluctantly, I started searching for shelter-and found a cave carved into the rock nearby.

  "Yeah... this should work for now."

  I murmured, grazing my hand along the rough, icy stone as wheat-blond strands of my hair slipped into my vision.

  "Who goes there?"

  A powerful female voice roared through the darkness, followed by a gust of wind and a crackle of sparks.

  In an instant, warmth flooded the cave. A faint light flickered behind long, sharp teeth.

  I stumbled and fell backward onto my ass, scrambling away on weak legs.

  "A-a dragon? P-please, I didn't know this cave was already occupied!"

  I apologized frantically and tried to run-but her long, red-scaled tail snapped shut in front of me, blocking the exit.

  "Hold it..."

  She exhaled, the heat in the cave rising even further. Sweat ran down my forehead as I turned to face her again.

  "Please, spare me, great dragon!"

  I dropped to my knees, begging.

  "Ugh, get a grip. I don't pn on killing you," she said, annoyed. "What would I even gain from that?"

  Her tail nudged me closer, red scales gleaming as yellow eyes bore into me.

  "Tell me," she continued, curiosity repcing hostility,

  "what brings you here?"

  Her tone wasn't threatening.

  It sounded more like someone who hadn't spoken to another soul in a long time.

  I swallowed hard and answered in a hoarse voice.

  "Well... I came here to explore the mountains. I really like hiking."

  I was met with a slow, smoky breath.

  I scratched the back of my head and looked away, suddenly finding the cave wall very interesting.

  "...And maybe," I muttered, my cheeks warming despite myself, "I just wanted to get a cool title too."

  "A title?"

  The dragon tilted her head, then slowly lowered it to the stone floor with a heavy thud.

  "What do you mean by that?"

  "It's not that deep," I said quickly, words spilling out as they always did when I got nervous.

  "It's just like a status thing? Proof you're strong. I had hoped to maybe find one up here in the mountains or something."

  I kept talking, barely noticing how my fear was fading.

  "You see, there are already two Great Titles in the world. They're insanely broken-like, completely unfair levels of strong. Everyone talks about them. I'd honestly do anything to get power like that too."

  For a moment, the cave was quiet.

  Then the dragon rose.

  Fmes churned in her throat, heat rippling through the darkness as she spread her wings. My body locked up, instinct screaming at me to run.

  "Everything," she growled,

  "for power... you say?"

  Fire bsted upward, smashing into the ceiling. The stone glowed red-hot, sparks raining down around us.

  I flinched-then froze.

  Not because of the fire she spew.

  But because I finally saw her fully.

  Torn wings.

  One leg gone.

  Scales cracked and shattered, deep gashes carved into her hide.

  She wasn't threatening me.

  She was dying.

  "I have a deal to propose," she said, trying to sound proud but failing miserably.

  As she shifted, she revealed a rge crimson egg resting behind her.

  "I am going to become a mother soon," she continued, her voice quieter now.

  "But as you can see... I am nearing my end."

  My chest tightened. I pressed a hand against it, fighting the sting behind my eyes.

  "I want to see my child grow," she said. "But to do that... I need a new vessel."

  I stumbled back a step.

  "A-A new body?"

  "Do not misunderstand," she said quickly. "I will not take yours. I only ask that you become my Carrier."

  "...your Carrier?" I whispered.

  She didn't answer with words.

  She tore her own heart from her chest without any hesitation not making a single sound in the gruesome process.

  Blood spttered across the stone as she let the massive, still-beating heart, slide from her sharp cw into my shaking hands. Heat poured into my palms, each pulse heavy and powerful.

  "You are my only hope," she said weakly.

  "If you consume my heart, my soul will take shelter within you. You will grant me refuge... and I will grant you our power."

  The heart thumped.

  "You will lose part of your humanity," she warned.

  "But you will become something more. Half dragon. Able to wield our magic."

  I looked from her eyes... down to the heart... and back again.

  The entire situation practically screamed Grant Title.

  I bit into it without hesitation.

  The taste was overwhelming-iron, smoke, something ancient and burning. My teeth sank into flesh tougher than it looked, heat flooding through my body with every bite, while blood dripped from the corners of my mouth.

  The dragon screamed. Not in rage but in final, long awaited, release.

  Her body dissolved into embers, colpsing inward as the st of her essence poured into me. When the heart was gone, so was she.

  Silence filled the cave.

  Only the egg remained.

  Then the system chimed the same familiar melody as always.

  "System Notification, Congratutions.

  You have obtained the Grand Title: Dragonmancer"

  My mana bar didn't drain.

  It shattered.

  "Mana converted to Draconic Energy

  Normal spellcasting disabled"

  Heat surged beneath my skin as I felt my body physically change muscles tearing and rearranging.

  "Tough Scales - 30% resistance to elemental damage

  Draconic Mutation - You are now a Draconic Human

  Flight unlocked upon manifestation"

  After the painful procedure was done, I cowered on the ground, my tears mixing with the blood soaked into the stone.

  "I feel sick..."

  I muttered, nausea and dizziness crashing over me like I was stuck on a boat riding a brutal wave.

  The world tilted.

  My stomach churned.

  Then the dragon's voice rang out again.

  It pulled me back to my feet.

  "Now... you should be able to hear me."