[Note: Read up to Chapter - 79 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]
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Name: Mysterious Dragon Egg
Grade: SSS
Hatching Condition: Blood Pact
Description: Inspired by the magical dragon girl from a certain anime series, this creature can wield powerful magic even in her youth, possesses immense physical strength, and, upon maturity, holds the potential to destroy the world.
Aris stared at the glowing description in front of him, a deeply confused expression settling across his face.
A certain anime series? Dragon girl?
What on earth was going on with the tone of this system reward?
Why had the style suddenly gone from ancient magical artefacts and legendary handbooks to sounding like a dodgy fanfic?
And another thing—dragons live for centuries. Proper long-lived magical beasts.
If it takes a hundred-odd years for this one to grow up, he'd be long gone before it was even halfway there.
What kind of reward is that supposed to be?
Still... Aris sighed. No point overthinking it now.
Hatching it came first.
Let's be honest, having a pet dragon—especially one bound by a blood pact—was pretty badass.
From this day forth, he'd be a wizard with a dragon.
He read over the instructions and got on with it—pierced his fingertip (again), and let a drop of blood fall onto the smooth, glowing surface of the egg.
Merlin's beard, this finger-pricking was becoming a habit.
Surely the system could come up with a less painful way to bond with things?
Still grumbling in his head, Aris watched the egg with quiet anticipation.
As the drop of blood touched the shell, a radiant glow wrapped around the egg like a blanket of golden light.
Crack.
A sharp sound echoed out. The dragon egg pulsed once with power, and from it erupted a dazzling light. A strange glowing rune spun through the air before settling and burning itself gently into Aris's upper arm.
It didn't hurt—not really—but it tingled in a weird, magical way.
The rune glowed a soft red and looked like a six-pointed star—sort of like a hexagram drawn in ancient ink—but the edges shimmered with fine patterns, like the scales of a dragon etched around its corners.
Aris blinked, utterly gobsmacked.
He'd never seen this sort of rune before. Not in any textbook. Not even in Merlin's manual.
What have I just signed up for…?
Its function was somewhat similar to a blood alliance as known in the wizarding world, but with some very clear differences.
Once the blood pact was sealed, the dragon egg would hatch into Aris's most loyal companion—bonded through life and death, with an innate, unspoken understanding between them.
Snap!
Crack!
With each passing second, more and more fractures appeared across the surface of the egg.
And then—at last—a tiny head poked through the shell.
The little creature was absolutely adorable. Its body was a deep, dark red, with two tiny bumps on its head where horns were just beginning to form. Its face was round, its eyes huge and glinting with light, and when it opened its mouth, a flicker of magical light burst out like tiny sparks.
"Wraaah~"
The newborn dragon let out a soft, whimpering cry the moment it saw Aris.
Then, without hesitation, it gobbled up the remaining fragments of its shell in just a few chomps.
The moment it finished, its body glowed faintly, as if the magic from the shell had powered it up. It gave a delighted wiggle, then leapt off the table and latched onto Aris's robes, clinging to him like a baby Niffler on a gold coin.
"You cheeky little thing—already trying to do a runner?" Aris chuckled, catching the tiny dragon in his hands.
He couldn't help but smile. The little red dragon was honestly adorable—easily giving Luna a run for her money in the cute department.
Aris gently stroked its head and murmured, "I think I'll call you… Iris. How's that sound?"
The baby dragon purred in response, pressing its warm head against his chest.
A perfect start to a magical partnership.
Aris didn't quite know why, but a memory from a Japanese anime he'd watched in his past life suddenly flashed through his mind—something about a 5000-year-old dark dragon that could transform into a girl with red hair, and it had been absolutely adorable.
That was it. The name from that anime felt perfect for the little red dragon in front of him.
"Wraaah~"
The baby dragon seemed to take a real shine to the name. It squinted contentedly and rubbed against Aris's palm, letting out another sweet little squeak that sounded a bit like a cooing toddler.
Just as Aris began wondering where he was supposed to keep a dragon of all things, the system chimed in right on cue.
[Pet system has been activated. Pet space now available!]
Brilliant, Aris thought. That sorted that problem.
He had been worried that keeping a dragon with him in plain sight might be a bit… well, too flashy and not exactly legal. But of course, the system had him covered. A neat, one-stop solution as always.
"Alright, little one. Time for a kip," he said with a grin. "Off you pop."
With a gentle wave, Aris summoned the red dragon back into the newly unlocked pet space, then opened the pet panel with interest.
Pet Name: Iris
Grade: SSS
Growth Stage: Infant (Newborn)
Magic Strength: C-Level
Skills Unlocked: Breath (incomplete), Dragon Language Magic (locked)
Looking over the little red dragon's stats, Aris couldn't help but let out a low whistle.
"She's only just hatched… and already has C-level magic power?"
He smacked his lips in disbelief.
"That's mad. Her magical talent's absolutely bonkers—might even be more terrifying than Merlin's."
He shook his head with a wry smile.
"It's true what they say… dragons'll put anyone to shame."
Thank Merlin, she was on his side. If Iris had been some enemy's pet, even with all of Merlin's talents backing him, Aris reckoned he'd have been in proper trouble.
He took a deep breath and closed the pet panel.
The sheer shock of what Iris was capable of had rattled him enough to wipe out any thought of sleep.
Giving up on rest entirely, he sat back up, grabbed the Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) from the bedside table, and cracked it open once more.
"Looks like I'll be pulling an all-nighter," he muttered, eyes already scanning the next incantation.
Tonight was clearly going to be a long one.
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The next morning, bright and early.
Aris shuffled out of his room looking half-dead, with a proper pair of panda eyes.
He'd barely caught two hours of kip, but he hadn't forgotten—today was important.
Not about the wand, mind you.
There was no way Ollivander had finished it already—it'd only been a day.
No, today was about the Barton family.
Aris splashed his face with cold water, hoping it'd wake him up a bit.
Just as he started to feel more human, a knock sounded at the door.
"Young Master, are you awake?"
Henry's voice came through, as punctual as ever.
"Come in," Aris said, voice steady, his expression turning serious.
The door opened, and in walked Henry—neatly dressed as always. Goatee trimmed, bowler hat on, posture impeccable, and that same respectful look in his eyes.
"Morning, Uncle Henry. Is everything sorted?"
"Good morning, Young Master."
Henry gave a polite bow and handed over a sheepskin-bound folder.
"As per your instructions, this contains the full list of all living members of the Barton family, along with a rundown of everyone who's made moves against the Shafiq estate in recent years."
"It includes their names, allegiances, and a bit of background."
He hesitated slightly.
"Time's been short, I'll admit. Some of the details are still being pieced together, but I wanted to get this to you first thing. I hope that's alright?"
Aris nodded, satisfied.
"It's fine. This'll do for a start."
He knew he'd asked a lot in very little time. But this was key—he needed to know exactly who stood with the Shafiq family, and who had their hands out.
It was rather thoughtful of Henry to pull all that together in just a day.
As for the finer details, Aris didn't mind waiting a bit longer.
"Uncle Henry, I also asked you to look into the members of the Barton family. Got any thoughts on that?" Aris asked, eyes sharp.
"Not at all, young master!" Henry replied without hesitation.
"The loyalty of the Barton family doesn't shift with the wind. Whatever you want to know, you'll get—no secrets between us!"
His expression turned dead serious, like he'd happily rip his heart out and lay it on the table to prove a point.
"Appreciate it. You've done well," Aris said, giving a faint smile.
Just then, the door to Luna's room creaked open.
She stepped out in her pyjamas, still half-asleep, rubbing her eyes with a quiet yawn.
"Mornin', brother," she mumbled groggily.
"Morning, Luna."
Aris couldn't help but smile at the sight.
Seeing their warm exchange, Henry quietly let himself out, closing the door behind him.
As he walked away, a sense of pride swelled in his chest.
"Brilliant, absolutely brilliant," he thought to himself.
"Such poise at his age... no doubt the Shafiq family'll rise again with this young master at the helm."
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Drop power Powerstonessssssssss!
[Note: Read up to Chapter - 79 on P patron at: p-atreon.com/Knockturn_Alley]