Epic of Ice Dragon: Reborn As An Ice Dragon With A System

Chapter 2430: The Beginning Of The End [11]

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Drake’s arms wrapped around Hel’s hips as he gazed up into her striking red eyes.

"Thank you for everything you’ve done so far, Hel... I doubt I could have managed this alone. I’m truly grateful for your love too. I’ve been through so much, and no matter how hard I try to appear strong..."

"I know," Hel murmured softly. "We all suffer. We all feel. We all endure pain. As the ruler of a Realm of the Dead, I understand this deeply, my dear king."

"You do...?"

"Of course. Millions of souls seek my guidance, yearning for love, for peace—something to ease their torment. They suffer endlessly, unable to pass on. Accumulated trauma and resentment cloud their judgment, filling their souls with darkness—Nether. This is what transforms souls into ghosts, specters, or allows them to possess corpses, creating skeletons and zombies."

"I see... I never realized there was so much more to this world. But... do you know what the Afterlife truly is?"

"Oblivion."

"What?!"

"A Realm beyond time and space. There, the eternal watcher of creation—the architect—guides souls to their next lives."

"You mean... him?"

"Who else?"

"So you know him?! Can you speak with him now?"

"No. He remains a mystery to me. He only communicates when he chooses. You’ve received his blessings, and it seems, despite everything, he still cares deeply for this world."

"I suppose I’ll learn more when I confront Oberon again."

"He knows far more than we do... But whatever you hear from him, Drake, do not let his thoughts and ideals corrupt you. Whatever twisted him in the past was unnatural."

Drake wanted to press further, but he held back. Hel was here to help him train and master his abilities, not unravel every cosmic secret.

"All right. I think I’m ready."

After meditating in the comfort of Hel’s embrace, Drake felt prepared.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes... I’m still a little anxious, so I should just do it. Thank you, Hel."

"I’ll guide you every step of the way, as I have with all the other trials."

"All right..."

Drake stepped forward, then noticed Hel looking down.

Her pale face held a faint flush.

She shook her head with a sigh, her expression turning somber again.

"Hel..."

"Hm?"

"..."

Drake returned to her side and hugged her once more.

"Ah..."

Hel blushed deeper, her eyes shining brighter. Drake’s warmth—something no Death Dragon could ever possess—filled her with quiet joy.

And comfort.

"My king... why?"

"I know you’re carrying burdens too. I’m not the only one who needs a hug sometimes."

"Ahh... I’m not a child... You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve lived over a million years."

"And even after all that time, you’re still a person, just like me. You said it yourself—you feel emotions, you suffer, and... you can smile too, right?"

Drake gently caressed her face. Hel’s cheeks warmed further as she met his golden eyes.

A soft smile touched her lips.

"Hm... You’re right, my king. Thank you for... reminding me."

She glanced down in embarrassment. Drake realized what he was doing and looked away too, cheeks heating.

"...So anyway! I’m going now, okay?"

"Good luck..."

Hel smiled faintly, biting her lip as she watched Drake enter his next challenge.

She had always believed herself above such feelings.

Yet spending a year with this young Dragon King had reignited a passion she thought long extinguished.

She watched over Drake through his trial as he arrived in the world of the Celestial Fortune Law.

It was a Law born from Fortune and Deus powers, condensed into this Ring. The realm was one of endless light, clouds, and vast skies, filled with hundreds of challenges across cloudy landscapes.

Drake faced immediate demands: defeat massive Cloud Beasts and Heavenly Spirits using only Fortune to manipulate probability.

It was grueling. He failed countless times, reset to the beginning each time. Hel encouraged him constantly, offering precise guidance and tips.

Drake pressed onward, his conviction unbreakable, his determination unyielding. Hel had never witnessed such resolve—a man who refused to surrender, even after dozens, hundreds, or thousands of failures.

Finally, on his 350th attempt, Drake began to grasp the power. What had taken Fortune hundreds of years to comprehend and thousands to master, he started to sense.

He could see them.

Golden threads everywhere—the Golden Threads of Fate. Through Fortune, he could manipulate them, however slightly.

Seeing them was incredibly difficult. Touching and interacting with them was even harder. What Fortune did instinctively required Drake’s full, manual focus.

But within this realm, his mind expanded. He divided his consciousness across his soul avatar, creating multiple "brains" to think more effectively.

This was a technique he had never considered before—splitting his mind into several to complement one another.

He had experimented with Split Souls, but this was contained entirely within himself.

Split Minds.

He had once tried something similar, creating a mind for each head, but it had been imperfect.

Now, after mastering Split Souls, the techniques complemented and evolved together.

Challenges once impossible under his limitations twisted in his favor as he manipulated the golden threads.

He advanced through the white heavens until he faced the final trial: defeating a Celestial Cloud Guardian. He altered the probability of being paralyzed by its attacks while increasing the chance of his own strikes landing.

Afterward, he rested deeply. This time, he and Hel shared more about their lives. Drake learned fragments of her birth and long existence, little by little.

"So you’re the eldest of all your sisters? I had no idea..." Drake said, amazed.

"Indeed. Our mother laid my egg first," Hel recalled, a distant warmth in her voice. "My sisters were feisty from the moment they hatched. Being a few years older, I helped Mother care for them."

"So you had no father?" Drake asked.

"No. Mother laid our eggs without needing a mate," Hel explained. "The rumors about her and Ymir are false, by the way. They were siblings—nothing more."

"A-Ah, okay..." Drake hadn’t asked for that detail, but it clearly bothered Hel. "How... how was my mother when she was younger?"