Chapter 52 Time Dragon Revert
A second later, the rippling waters of the River of Time transformed into a mirror-like surface, reflecting a scene that shocked Brian.
A Newborn Dragon was lying at the entrance of a cave, anxiously watching an dragon mother that was approaching it.
Seeing the Newborn Dragon, Brian felt an urgent sense of pleading as if it was seeking his help.
"Does it want to borrow my temporal power?"
Brian suddenly realized it.
In a moment of crisis, the Newborn Dragon had unconsciously utilized the Time Dragon Revert ability to reach out to his future self for assistance.
While this in itself would have surprised Brian, what truly left him utterly shocked was the realization that the Newborn Dragon standing before him was a Red Dragon hatchling!
A Red Dragon hatchling with fiery red scales, nascent dragon horns, and a black scale ring around his Dragon Claws' wrists!
The approaching dragon mother was a Red Dragon, twice the size of the White Dragon Mother, boasting a robust body, thick scales, and a menacing aura of fire elemental energy. She was considerably stronger than the White Dragon Mother.
Furthermore, her Dragon's Lair was not located in the Ice Cliff Dragon's Lair, nor even in the northern Ice Field.
Instead, it resided within a volcano, surrounded by black and brown rocks, with molten lava flowing slowly below and the air distorted by heat.
The only traits he shared with Brian were the platinum-colored dragon eyes and the fact that he had also pilfered a gemstone from his dragon mother.
"What is going on?"
Brian was confused.
How could he be his future self? They were not even the same species.
As the Red Dragon mother neared the cave, time seemed to stretch out, and the anxiety of the Newborn Dragon intensified. If his actions were uncovered, he would be expelled from the Dragon's Lair, and as a Newborn Dragon, he lacked any means of self-preservation.
Seeing the anxiety on its face, Brian empathized.
He had experienced that moment himself, the heart-pounding tension that he still remembered vividly.
Time was running out, Brian didn't ponder the strange situation any further and decided to help the red Newborn Dragon.
He opened his bright eyes, channeling his temporal power, instinctively infusing it into the temporal ripples.
In the red Newborn Dragon's timeline, time suddenly stopped.
Brian's temporal power manifested as a white Giant Dragon resembling him, moving against the current in the River of Time and materializing in front of the red Newborn Dragon. With a look of astonishment, the white Giant Dragon transformed into a stream of light that merged into the red Newborn Dragon's body, hastening his absorption of the magical gemstone.
At that moment, Brian saw the confusion in his eyes, the look of receiving the Time Dragon's legacy.
Despite the different appearances, birthplaces, and even species, Brian was certain that he was his past self, sharing the same soul.
Meanwhile, the scene gradually disappeared, and the surroundings returned to calm.
Brian's inner confusion remained unresolved.
This bizarre situation made him furrow his dragon brows, deep in thought.
‘In different timelines, I may not have become a White Dragon. Perhaps in another reality, there could be a gold Brian, a silver Brian... or even a legendary Time Dragon?’
Suddenly, Brian recalled the Giant Dragon phantom he had seen before.
The Giant Dragon phantom looked nothing like his current form, except for the platinum-colored dragon eyes.
Brian had once firmly believed that he would eventually transform into a form with charcoal gray scales and twelve irregular black scale rings. However, after this strange event, he was no longer so certain.
It seemed that Time Dragon Revert didn't limit its future target to Brian's current timeline.
He paced back and forth in the Dragon's Lair, deeply contemplating various possibilities.
After half an hour, Brian shook his head, his gaze clearing, and ceased his pacing, emerging from his contemplation.
‘A being's life is full of choices from birth to death, each choice a fork in the road. The branches of the River of Time are as numerous as the stars... only my current self is tangible. The future... is merely a possibility. It could materialize, or it could not, contingent upon my decisions.’
Brian was uncertain whether this concept was accurate.
Despite possessing temporal power and being favored by time, he knew very little about the vast and mysterious River of Time, only scratching the surface.
As for the completely different past self, Brian could only think of the explanation of different timelines.
In his timeline, he was a White Dragon variant, but that wasn't necessarily the case in other timelines.
Once he calmed down, Brian noticed the changes in his body.
He had shrunk slightly, a change so subtle that only his sensitivity to his size allowed him to notice. Besides that, his temporal power and magic had significantly diminished.
It was as if his body's time had reversed.
Brian was speechless.
‘So this is the cost of agreeing to the request, of power crossing timelines.’
Brian suddenly had an idea.
He took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and gazed at the River of Time.
"Let's see if I can get some compensation."
He could do Time Dragon Revert.
Brian extended invisible tendrils of temporal power with Time Dragon Revert, sending his request along the River of Time in hopes of receiving a response.
But to his disappointment, Time Dragon Revert failed as usual, unable to borrow time.
The River of Time flowed steadily without a ripple, as if nothing had happened.
Seeing this, Brian sighed and ceased the Time Dragon Revert, choosing not to expend any further temporal power.
Only the first time he used Time Dragon Revert did it succeed. Every subsequent attempt had failed, making Brian gnash his teeth in frustration, cursing his future self as a miser.
His ability was perfectly executed without error. The only reason for no response was the future self's refusal to lend.
His plan to borrow the Time Dragon Revert from his future self did not materialize, but Brian was not disappointed.
He had grown accustomed to setbacks.
He made a silent promise to himself that if his alternate self from a different timeline attempted to use Time Dragon Revert on him once more, he would only consider lending assistance in a dire life-or-death situation.
If his future self wouldn't extend help to his current self, why should his present self assist his past self?
