Hilda was appalled by what she had just learned.

Struggling to contain herself, she demanded, “And you’re only telling me this now? And you, Moira, did you know about this too?”

Before Moira could respond, Astrid interjected, “Mom, calm down. You’ll scare Sokram. And yes, we all knew. We stayed quiet to protect you and him during your pregnancy.”

Brunhild stepped forward to explain, “You were a mess back then, Hilda. Whatever happened during that ritual left a scar on your heart and soul. We didn’t pry, but we needed to protect you and Sokram, or face Nhiria’s wrath.”

Moira added with an apologetic tone, “I was the one who advised them against telling you. Your mental state was fragile at the time, but now you’re strong enough to handle it. And look at him, he’s perfect, isn’t he?”

Hilda sighed deeply, struggling to keep the flood of emotion at bay.

She knew they were right; had she discovered this then, maybe she would’ve lost her sanity entirely, which, even without this new piece of knowledge, almost happened.

Looking at Sokram, she realized nothing had changed. He was still her youngest and beloved son.

Sokram, sensing the tension, felt a pang of guilt.

He knew his rapid development would be both a blessing and a burden for his mother, yet, for their sake, he couldn’t halt his plans.

To ease her worries, he smiled and stretched his tiny arms toward her, calling, “Mama! Hug?”

Internally, Sokram cringed, thinking, ‘How embarrassing… an ancient being like me reduced to cooing for attention.’

As Hilda’s arms enveloped him, her embrace warm and desperate, he felt even more guilty because, despite doing it out of love and care, he was still manipulating her.

Yet, that simple act brought a tear to Hilda’s eye, and she clung to him tightly, her love unwavering despite the chaos swirling around them.

As she finally calmed herself, Hilda asked, “So he’s fine? Healthy?”

Moira nodded. “Yes, he’s perfectly healthy.”

Brunhild, however, wore a serious expression. “I’ve contacted Hannah. We need her help. Our draconic legacy died with my father, and we don’t know enough about dragons anymore.”

Hearing Hannah’s name, Sokram celebrated inwardly, ‘I knew it! Thanks, Nana! I knew I could count on your pragmatic nature!’

But Hilda’s face darkened at the mention of Hannah's name.

Seeing this, Brunhild quickly added, “I know what you’re thinking, but she didn’t know what her son was planning. Who could have imagined the famous Duke of Dracony would turn out to be such a madman? Besides, she’s a Tier 10 Semi-Perfect Existence powerhouse, a level above the Exalted Existence. Her presence will only strengthen our defenses.”

Hilda took a deep breath and nodded. “And what did she say?”

“She said she would come regardless of whether we invited her,” Brunhild replied with a shrug. “Sokram is the last heir to her family name. If her son’s enemies find out about him, they will stop at nothing to kill him.”

Moira chimed in, “Not just them. There are the Elven Empire’s enemies and… your ex-husband.”

“Adulwulf wouldn’t dare harm our son,” Hilda said, shaking her head. “I’m more worried about the elves.”

Astrid spoke up, “Grandma Margiory said the Empress is quiet. She hasn’t responded to any communication attempts. Grandma thinks they’ll wait until Princess Miralyn recovers before making a move. Meriande assured us none of her people would harm you or Sokram.”

Hilda scoffed, her eyes narrowing. "Hmph. As if I'd trust the word of an elf!" Realizing her mistake, she quickly added, "I mean, a High Elf. The Snow Elves are trustworthy. Sorry, Moira." Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she glanced at her friend.

Moira smiled wryly. “I understand. But the Central Continent Elven Empire is Norwinter’s ally now. The King will do everything to appease the Empress. Having a Semi-Perfect Existence Tier 10 Dragon War Mage on our side is for the best.”

Reluctantly, Hilda conceded. “All right, we’ll welcome Hannah. Besides, she might be able to help Sokram.”

While the others planned, Sokram decided it was time for a nap, at least outwardly.

This content has been misappropriated from NovelBin; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Inwardly, he retreated to his soul realm. He knew many enemies would come after him once the world discovered his existence.

He needed to prepare quickly, even if his infant body wasn’t ready for cultivation. Instead, he focused on laying the groundwork for his power.

Six months passed like a breeze.

By his first birthday, Sokram could already walk and speak fluently. His rapid development astonished his family.

They held a small celebration, and during this event, Sokram finally reencountered Hannah.

Her presence was captivating.

With dark golden-brown skin, silvery-gray eyes, and ashen white hair, she looked no older than a woman in her mid-twenties despite being nearly eight thousand years old.

Her royal dragon blood granted her not only longevity but also unparalleled beauty.

Yet beneath her elegance lay an aura of blood and slaughter, true to the countless battles she fought and won.

Alluring as her humanoid form was, it paled in comparison to the devastation her draconic form could unleash.

Once Hannah transformed, she would be an unstoppable force of nature.

Her massive dragon form could cover several palace grounds, casting an ominous shadow over anything unfortunate enough to be caught beneath it.

The sheer magnitude of her physical power in this state was said to be enough to raze entire cities or wipe small kingdoms off the map.

When Hannah saw Sokram, her cold demeanor softened.

His resemblance to her late husband and son was uncanny, stirring old memories.

With Sokram in her arms, Hilda introduced them. “Dear, this is Hannah. She’s… your grandma.”

Sokram smiled brightly; inwardly, he rejoiced at her presence. ‘I missed you so much! You look amazing as ever. But now that you’re here, our family can hide below your wings while I strengthen my own.’

But even if his heart was full of joy, outside he maintained the theatrical performance of a child meeting a stranger, “Nice to meet you, Nana Hannah.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Sokram,” Hannah replied warmly, struggling to suppress the urge to snatch him from Hilda’s arms, such was her desire to carry him. But she was also awed by how smart he seemed.

Turning to Hilda, she said, “Brunhild told me he was developing quickly, but this… this is incredible.”

Hilda smiled shyly. “You don’t know the half of it. Yesterday morning, he asked me to teach him how to read. By the end of the day, he had finished his first book.”

“That’s remarkable, even for dragon standards,” Hannah said, her voice tinged with awe. “He may have awakened the Mind of Magi. Most dragons only awaken it much later. I didn’t until I was sixteen, and that was considered genius-level.”

“Has he shown signs of elemental control yet?” Hannah asked, noticing a faint layer of mana swirling around Sokram.

Hilda shook her head. “Not yet, though I’ve noticed the mana, too. Can you check him?”

With Hilda’s permission, Hannah picked up Sokram and scanned him with her mana.

The results left her stunned.

Barely able to remain standing, she found a seat, her mind racing.

“What is it?” Hilda asked, alarmed.

Hannah quickly cast five layers of soundproof barriers around the house, then took a deep breath before continuing, "His energy pathways are fused directly with his arterial veins. It means his Mana Heart, Aura Core, and Vital Core will all form within the same place inside his heart once he starts cultivating. It's a rare and powerful biological evolution that even ancient beings like me dream of achieving.”

The women gasped, but Hannah said more. “This fusion removes any restrictions on cultivating multiple energies simultaneously. It’s something even ancient beings like me dream of achieving. It’s one of the many prerequisites for Ascension.”

Sokram had not spent the last six months idly.

Despite the limitations of his infant body, he worked tirelessly in his soul realm, leveraging the vast knowledge from his past timeline to make groundbreaking modifications.

Each change, meticulously calculated, was designed to appear as a natural development while laying the foundation for his future power.

The first step was fusing his energy veins with his veins and arteries, creating a unified energy circulation system.

This preparation laid the groundwork for what he aimed to achieve: mastering a power far beyond what anyone in his timeline could fathom.

At this point in history, Magi, Vitha, Aura, and Chaos were the only four energies discovered so far.

While Magi, Vitha, and Aura were the more commonly cultivated energies, Chaos energy remained untamed by even the Transcendental beings in his galaxy.

Two other energies, Aether and Nether, would not be discovered until two million years in the future.

Aether, the energy of creation, present in every life form, and Nether energy, which emanated from the Endless Void surrounding the Multi-Dimensional Plane, were utterly unknown to his era.

Even beings as ancient and mighty as Nhiria and her siblings could only recognize their existence but had no means of accessing them.

But Sokram did.

In his previous timeline, he had unlocked the secret to these energies. More than that, he had discovered a way to fuse all six energies, Magi, Vitha, Aura, Chaos, Aether, and Nether, into an entirely new force of unimaginable power: Soul Force.

Cultivating Soul Force would grant him unrestricted use of all six energies and elevate him to a level beyond even Nhiria’s comprehension.

Still, such a feat required meticulous preparation, beginning with the perfect alignment of his energy pathways.

The process was anything but simple. Sokram knew that the body of an infant was malleable, which worked to his advantage, but he also understood that every change had to appear natural.

Each modification carried a risk: if Nhiria or another observer detected his tampering, his plans could unravel.

To evade suspicion, Sokram stretched what could have been a month-long process into five painstaking months.

He disguised the use of Aether energy, carefully integrating it into the changes occurring within his body to make them appear as the natural development of his hybrid body.

Yet, this was only part of his plan.

While working on his energy pathways, Sokram also forced the early awakening of his bloodlines’ gifts.

Although these gifts would have emerged naturally over time, Sokram accelerated the process to gain access to their power sooner.

Granting himself more tools to aid his development, but also pushing him to a higher Level of Existence, preparing him for the challenges he knew lay ahead.

As Hannah marveled at Sokram’s potential, she realized he was unlike any dragon or being she had ever encountered.

The room fell silent, each woman grappling with the implications of Sokram’s future.

And Sokram, with a small, knowing smile, thought to himself, ‘This is only the beginning.’