Dragon's Awakening: The Duke's Son Is Changing The Plot-Chapter 378 - 377 - “That’s the spirit, son.”

For a long while, there was silence.

The kind that carried tension, confusion, and the faint ringing echo of embarrassment thick enough to choke on.

Raven sat perfectly still, eyes half-lidded, brain running like a glitching engine. ’How do I even explain this?’

He couldn’t just say, "Oh, my supposedly dead mom possessed you, and I hugged her through your body."

No. That was not the kind of sentence you said to your sister.

Even if it was, would she even believe it?

His mind spun through potential responses like a gambler shuffling bad cards.

’You misunderstood? Too vague.’

’It’s not what it looks like? That’s what every criminal says before the cuffs go on.’

’Your body was housing Mother’s soul?—Yeah, no. Straight ticket to trauma-ville.’

He kept thinking, but it wasn’t that easy, as his head was never empty, not since Omni was bound to him.

"You know, boss," the sword began, and Raven could almost imagine a thug-like guy picking his ears while speaking. "I’m dying to see how you dig yourself outta this grave. I’d help, but comedy gold like this doesn’t happen twice."

Raven’s eyebrow twitched. ’You’re supposed to be a weapon, not a commentator.’

Omni remained unperturbed. "Hey, I’m both. I cut enemies and destroy reputations. Multi-purpose, baby."

Raven groaned inwardly, but before he could tell the sword to shut up, Valeria exhaled softly.

Then, she spoke, and when she did, her tone was calm—far too serene for comfort.

"Raven... I understand."

’Ah, man...’ Raven almost held his head as soon as he heard those words.

Because that was never a good start—especially not in situations like this, where she clearly didn’t understand shit.

Raven felt like he should stop her as soon as possible, but Valeria was quick to continue, her red eyes locked with his, firm and glimmering with conflicted resolve.

"I know that you love me," she sighed. "And believe me... I love you too."

Raven, however, blinked. "Wait—What?"

His expression froze—somewhere between disbelief, horror, and the kind of soul-leaving confusion that made philosophers quit their jobs.

If someone had painted him right then, it would’ve been titled "Existential Panic in Real Time."

His face looked like—

A chicken that discovered its egg hatched into a dragon.

A teacher who realized that the "quiet kid" just summoned a demon during roll call.

Or maybe a monk who opened his eyes mid-meditation and saw his temple on fire.

Basically, he wasn’t sure whether to scream, laugh, or file a complaint to the universe’s management.

All he could do was stare at Valeria.

"But," she continued quickly, pressing a hand to her chest, "we can’t, Raven. No matter how much we care for each other... we’re brother and sister. That kind of love—it isn’t right."

’No. Please. Not this conversation,’ Raven’s mind screamed.

And of course, how could Omni stay silent?

"Ohhhh, nooo way. She thinks—" The sword choked on its laughter. "Oh, this is beautiful."

Valeria’s voice, on the other hand, grew softer and emotional, like she was reciting a tragedy. "I’ve already come to terms with it, Raven. You should too. We can’t be together like... like that. You have to move on. I know it’s hard, but—"

Raven sat frozen, mouth slightly open. ’What the hell is she talking about?!’

Meanwhile, Omni was losing it.

"Ayo, she thinks you—" if the sword had a human body, it would be rolling on the ground by now. "AHAHA—oh gods, my nonexistent ribs! This is the best day of my immortal life!"

Raven clenched his jaw, eyes twitching. He tried to interject, "Valeria, it’s not—"

But she just shook her head, cutting him off gently with a sigh that somehow made it worse. "I’m not blaming you, Raven. You’re young. People make mistakes at this age."

Raven let out a long breath, feeling his soul leave his body.

"Besides..." Valeria went on, her tone full of saintly pity, "It’s me—your sister. So, I’ll let it slide this once. But let’s... not do it again."

For a second, the universe froze. Then, a vein popped on Raven’s temple.

"That’s it!" he snapped, shooting to his feet. "I didn’t do anything for fuck’s sake!"

Valeria blinked, startled, as Raven threw his hands up. "You came into my room while sleepwalking! You lay down beside me like it was the most natural thing in the world! When I tried to wake you up, you hugged me like a damn teddy bear!"

"Ohhh," Omni whistled between his chuckles. "You finally came up with an excuse?"

"Shut up, Omni!" Raven barked before continuing his rant. "When I finally got away, trying to catch a damn breather—you wake up and start throwing accusations like I’m some creep?! Are you insane?!"

The room went silent again.

Valeria just stood there—eyes wide, lips parted, completely red from ear to ear.

Her mind retraced everything as realization hit her like a freight train.

There was no pain, no marks on her body, nor any soreness. She felt nothing she was supposed to feel after what she thought had happened...

Except embarrassment. An ungodly, unbearable amount of embarrassment.

"Uh-oh. Realization.exe has loaded," Omni laughed, while Valeria’s voice came out barely above a whisper.

"S-So... you didn’t...?"

Raven gave her the flattest stare imaginable. "No."

Her face went nuclear red. "O-Oh."

The sword tattoo on Raven’s hand trembled. "Hah! She’s rebooting! Look at that buffering expression!"

Valeria’s hands shot to her face, covering it. "I—uh—I... Oh gods—!"

"Don’t—" Raven started, already predicting her next move, but Valeria wasn’t even listening anymore.

"I—uh—need to go!" She blurted, spinning around.

And then she ran. Straight out the door, her steps echoed down the hallway like retreating thunder.

Raven sat back down, rubbing his temples in disbelief. "I can’t believe that just happened."

"Congrats, boss," Omni’s grinning voice echoed through Raven’s head. "You just lived through every anime protagonist’s worst nightmare."

Raven groaned. "If you ever bring this up again—"

"—You’ll what? Cry on me?"

Raven glared down at the tattoo, but a faint smirk pulled at his lips. "You’re lucky that you are indestructible."

"Always nice to be appreciated," Omni chortled. "Now, where were we? Oh, right—swindling gods and breaking economies."

Outside, Valeria’s footsteps echoed as she rushed at the fastest speed an embarrassed girl could run.

...................................

Meanwhile, Argon, who was walking away from Raven’s chamber, suddenly recalled something.

"Ah... right," he muttered, rubbing his beard. "I forgot to tell him about the damn party."

He turned around, heading back toward the corridor with his usual unhurried pace.

The halls of the fortress were quiet, illuminated by the soft flicker of mana lamps lining the stone walls.

It was peaceful—or at least it was supposed to be.

Because that peace was shattered the very next second when a blur of red and white came hurtling around the corner.

Valeria.

She was sprinting like her life depended on it, face flushed red as molten iron, eyes wide and unfocused.

Argon blinked. "Valeria?"

She froze for half a second, saw him, and somehow increased her speed.

"Wait—What’s happening?"

But she was already gone, bolting past him and vanishing down the corridor in a gust of wind and shame.

Argon stood there for a good few seconds, blinking at the space she’d just occupied.

Then, he let out a tired sigh and muttered to himself, "If I had to guess, either Raven said something stupid... or Valeria did."

He pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "Probably both."

With that, he resumed his trek toward Raven’s chamber, stopping at the door and knocking twice.

"Come in," came Raven’s voice, low and weary.

Argon pushed the door open.

The moment he stepped in, he found Raven sprawled on the bed, one arm over his face, sighing like it was his new hobby.

"...You look like someone who just realized life’s a prank," Argon said dryly. "Should I come back later, or are you planning to sigh your soul out today?"

Raven peeked through his fingers, groaning. "Please don’t start, old man."

Argon smirked and crossed his arms. "Judging by Valeria running past me like she’d been chased by a ghost, I’d say something... interesting happened."

Raven froze, then sighed again. "Don’t ask."

Argon chuckled, his expression turning smug. "That bad, huh?"

Raven shifted, sitting up with a defeated look. "Just... please. Spare me. My brain’s already been fried once today."

"I’ll take that as confirmation."

"Father."

"Fine, fine," the man said, raising his hands in mock surrender. "No teasing. For now."

Raven narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "For now?"

"I’m a father. Teasing my kids is part of the job description."

Raven rubbed his temples. "Of course it is."

Argon let out a short laugh before clearing his throat. "Anyway, I didn’t come here to watch your emotional collapse. I came to remind you—there’s a party tonight."

Raven blinked. "A party?"

"Yes. Hosted in your honor, no less."

Raven groaned. "You’ve got to be kidding me."

"Not at all. The delegates of the three kingdoms will be attending too. They’ll want to see the ’star of Velmoria,’ as they’re calling you now."

Raven slumped back against his pillow. "Great. Exactly what I needed—nobles, fake smiles, and way too much perfume."

Argon grinned. "Come on, it won’t be that bad. All you have to do is stand there, look heroic, and pretend you’re enjoying yourself. Should be easy for someone who’s fought eldritch horrors."

Raven gave him a flat look. "I’d rather fight another black dragon."

"Good spirit!" Argon beamed, ignoring the sarcasm.

Raven exhaled again. "Even if I say no, the girls will drag me there anyway. Selena, Clara, Siris, and Lia love parties. Graye, too, probably. Alex will follow because of the food. And Nibbles—"

"—will find a way to cause chaos regardless," Argon finished for him, smiling.

"Exactly," Raven muttered. "So yeah, looks like I’m doomed either way."

Argon chuckled, patting his shoulder as he turned to leave. "That’s the spirit, son. Accept your fate with dignity."

As he walked out, he added over his shoulder, "Oh, and maybe... whatever happened with Valeria? Try not to make it worse before the party starts."

Raven threw his pillow at the door. "Get out!"

The door closed with a laugh echoing down the hall, leaving Raven groaning into his sheets.

"Gods, just... end me now."

Omni’s voice hummed with amusement from his hand. "Boss, I think you’re mixing up your wishlists again."

Raven muttered into the pillow, muffled and despairing, "Shut up, Omni..."

He wanted to know if this was also one of the trials he had to face, or if this was what he got for trying to think about scamming the gods.

If it were, then he would now scam them good.

He had to make it worth all the trouble he had just gone through and the ones that he would.