Chapter 43: Time Magic Circle

In reality, the time Kei spent with that little black dragon was very long if you measured it one way, but incredibly short if you measured it another.

Just three days after Kei began using his magic to care for the dragon egg, fine cracks appeared on its surface.

At first, Kei thought he was seeing things.

He crouched in front of the egg, reaching out to gently touch the cold black shell. A sliver of silver light seeped through the cracks, then a series of crackling sounds rang out in the quiet dragon nest.

"Don’t rush..."

Kei immediately pulled his hand back, afraid that his actions might hurt the child inside.

But the egg continued to crack open.

After a while, the black shell burst apart. Among the shell fragments glittering like gemstones, a tiny baby dragon slowly crawled out.

It had soft black scales, wings that couldn’t quite unfold yet, and four stubby legs trembling as they braced against the ground. Its round little head lifted up, revealing clear golden eyes.

Kei stared at it blankly, and the baby dragon stared back at him. In just that single moment, Kei’s heart melted.

"So adorable..."

Kei carefully picked it up and placed it in his palm. That tiny body wasn’t fully warm yet, but it obediently curled up in his hands, occasionally letting out soft little cries.

Kei had no idea what a newborn dragon was supposed to eat. He tried offering it some cooked monster meat, but the little dragon just sniffed at it and turned its head away.

Then Kei tried using his magic.

The moment a strand of silver magic appeared between his fingers, the baby dragon’s golden eyes lit up. It opened its mouth and swallowed the strand of magic, its two small wings happily fluttering behind it.

"You like eating my magic that much?"

Kei was a bit surprised.

The baby dragon couldn’t answer. It just clung tightly to Kei’s finger, continually looking up at him with an expectant gaze.

And so, from that day on, Kei began carefully caring for it with his magic.

Every time the little dragon got hungry, it would crawl over to Kei’s side and nuzzle its head against his hand. Every time it ate its fill, it would curl up by Kei’s feet and fall fast asleep, its tiny tail wrapped around his ankle as if afraid he might leave.

Kei gradually grew accustomed to its presence.

He got used to the faint noises in the dragon nest, to opening his eyes and seeing those golden eyes watching him intently, to the tiny body that always tried to crawl after him whenever he stood up.

Perhaps that period of time truly was very long.

But perhaps, it was also as fleeting as a dream.

One day, Kei decided to go outside to find some more interesting food for the baby dragon. He had tried almost everything he could find in the dragon nest, but the little dragon seemed to only like his magic the most.

If things continued like this, Kei was worried the child would become a picky eater, and might even grow into a timid dragon that didn’t dare to hunt.

He set the baby dragon down in its nest after the little one had fallen into a deep sleep, stood up, and walked toward the exit.

However, the moment Kei stepped past the boundary of the dragon nest, an invisible resistance suddenly appeared, and his body was pushed back.

Kei stumbled back a few steps, almost falling to the ground.

"What is this?"

He frowned and tried to move forward again.

Still no use.

An invisible wall blocked Kei’s path. It had no shape, and it made no sound, but it was so solid that even his magic couldn’t pass through it.

Kei immediately panicked.

He raised his hand and drew a magic circle in midair, activating an appraisal spell. Lines of text formed by magic instantly appeared before his eyes, stacking together into a complex structure.

After looking closely, Kei’s expression gradually turned grim.

Beneath the dragon nest was a massive magic circle.

No one knew when it had been inscribed. Ancient lines spread across the ground, extending all the way beyond the dragon nest. The symbols had already been activated, a faint glow covering the entire area.

Kei stared at them, his voice dry as he spoke:

"This is... a time magic circle?"

He immediately turned his head to look outside.

A leaf was falling midair.It stopped just a few handbreadths above the ground, without trembling, without falling further.

Beneath the tree, a bird spreading its wings to take flight was also frozen mid-motion. The feathers on its wings stood still as if turned into lifeless objects.

Even the breeze blowing through had completely vanished.

Time outside had stopped.

Kei stood still for a long while, then slowly raised his hand to check his own body. Magic power still flowed, his heart still beat, and his thoughts and actions continued as normal.

But Kei’s lifespan had been halted.

He could sense it through his magic power. His body was still alive, yet it was not moving toward the future; it would not age, would not change, and could not leave this place.

Inside the dragon’s nest, time operated for only one being.

The newly hatched black dragon.

Kei looked toward the little one lying in the nest. The dragon hatchling had no idea it had become the sole center of the magic formation. It simply raised its head, stared at Kei in confusion, and then slowly crawled toward him with great effort.

Kei remained silent for a long time. The plan to go find more interesting food had completely fallen apart.

He sighed and reluctantly turned back inside the dragon’s nest.

The dragon hatchling immediately perked up. It tried to walk over, but its four legs weren’t strong enough to support its small body. After a few steps, it stumbled and fell, and Kei quickly reached out to catch it.

"Easy now."

The dragon hatchling curled up in Kei’s arms, its golden eyes staring at him without blinking.

That gaze was clear, innocent, and full of trust, just like it was looking at its own dragon mother.

Kei didn’t know why he thought that. He only knew he couldn’t leave this little one alone in a time-sealed dragon’s nest, and there was nothing else he could do besides take care of this dragon while trapped here.

He sat down, letting the dragon hatchling curl up in his lap.

"Alright. I’m staying here with you today, I’m not going anywhere."

The dragon hatchling let out a soft cry, then buried its head into Kei’s palm.

Outside the dragon’s nest, the leaf still hung motionless in midair. The bird remained frozen beneath the tree. A vast world had been completely frozen, leaving only the small life inside the nest to quietly grow day by day.

As for Kei, before he even realized it, he had become the entire world of the black dragon.