'To the clan that governs the darkness, the Black Dragon hatchling.'
While Imugi was resting in the cradle with Baekya, Christina visited.
"Baby, how is your body feeling?"
Christina examined Imugi's face, confirmed there was nothing wrong, and continued speaking.
"I thought something had happened. Your expression seemed unusual. I heard from Ferdikion that you were learning a song and then parted ways, but... I kept thinking it wasn't just that simple."
She placed a tray on the table, carrying soft castella and milk.
"Can you tell me what happened?"
Imugi gave her a rough explanation, excluding anything related to his past life.
Christina, who had been listening calmly, was slightly surprised to hear that Ferdikion had been crying uncontrollably.
"Ferdikion must have gone through a lot. Still, I didn't expect you to make a fellow hatchling cry like that. I've never seen a child like you before."
'I didn't mean to make him cry... Hopefully, I won't throw my pillow in shame as soon as I get home.'
Imugi couldn't bring himself to tell Christina, so he shrugged, guessing the boy's behavior.
"Through Ferdikion's song, I ended up learning a Word Magic. It was vague, and I don't think I'll be able to master it right away."
He didn't mention that he had already learned one Word Magic.
Even though it was just 'Revive,' he couldn't explain how he had learned it, so it was an inevitable choice.
'Besides, I don't really know what this power is like since I haven't used it properly yet.'
"Ferdikion said he would suggest night classes for you since you are a hatchling of the clan that governs the darkness. He thinks it would be more suitable for you, and he will come to get permission later."
"Okay. I'll talk to Ferdikion."
Feeling left out by the conversation between Imugi and Christina, Baekya subtly showed his presence.
Imugi gently scratched Baekya's head with his index and middle fingers.
"I think we made some progress. By the way, I was thinking of giving you a name."
"I thought you would take your time, but it seems you need one now."
Imugi nodded at Christina's slightly puzzled but relaxed tone.
"Yeah. Having a name will make things much easier. Plus, if I want to learn Word Magic properly, I need one."
Until now, he had intended to live as Imugi, the black dragon, but from now on, he needed to live as a Black Dragon hatchling.
"Okay. If that's what you want, I support you. Do you have any names in mind?"
"Yeah. My name is... Lune Eclipse."
"Eclipse... It means 'to obscure.' Right?"
And Eclipse means to obscure it.
"So, your main name will be 'Lune,' right?"
"Yeah. I'll use Eclipse as my middle name, a title for the clan. I think it's necessary."
As a Black Dragon elder with the power to use darkness, the name had to be meaningful, not just something thrown together. After much deliberation, he chose this name.
To remind himself that even in darkness, there is light. Lune decided to carry the moon within the darkness.
The scene of the night sky swallowing the moonlight had inspired him, and while he wasn't sure if the name was suitable, it was important that it resonated with him.
"That's a good name. From now on, I'll call you 'Lune.'"
"Thanks. I'll do my best from now on."
Lune, still a bit awkward, smiled.
The difference between having a name and not having one was stark.
At least now that he had a name, he needed to check if the Word Magic worked properly.
'I should practice on my own first. If I can get a feel for Word Magic, that would be great.'
Perhaps, if he became proficient in the only Word Magic he currently possessed, it would be easier to learn the other Word Magic embedded in the songs Ferdikion taught him.
However, the training method was a problem.
'Reviving power... How do I experiment with this?'
There were various animals and birds, as well as plants, outside the lair, but since the ability was what it was, he had to find something that was already dead or lacked vitality.
But he didn't like the idea of killing and reviving things every day, as it would mean seeing innocent lives end.
'I don't want to kill unnecessarily. Besides, it's not a good way to practice in secret.'
If he kept going out of the lair secretly, it would eventually be noticed.
He needed to reduce the frequency of his training outside the lair.
"Baby, you're thinking about something again, aren't you?"
"It's not really worrying... Just something to think about."
Christina broke his thoughts and brought the tray.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but a light snack will help. You must be getting hungry. Have this first."
Lune looked at the castella and milk Christina offered.
He then picked up a piece of castella and took a big bite.
Savoring the soft texture, the egg flavor, and the sweet scent of honey and vanilla, he swallowed and his eyes lit up.
'Suddenly, a spark in my mind... Why didn't I think of this sooner?'
He triumphantly put the castella in his mouth and chewed.
"Christina, I have a favor to ask."
Looking at her with hopeful eyes, Lune said:
"I want to learn cooking. Can you teach me?"
Christina had recently taken it up as a hobby, but it was rare for a dragon to be interested in cooking.
While some might experience it as a pastime, it was the first time a hatchling had expressed a desire to learn it properly.
"Yeah. I think it will be helpful in the future."
'If I experiment with food ingredients, I won't have to go outside! Plus, if I say I'm practicing cooking, I'll have my own practice space.'
As a bonus, he could create high-level magical dishes with various effects.
Christina was a bit surprised but agreed, saying it wasn't a difficult request.
Thus, a 'cooking lesson' before mealtime was added to their routine.
Lune stretched after a good night's sleep.
It was still early morning, but he felt completely refreshed.
Baekya, who had somehow come to his side, was snoring softly with his beak open.
'Should I take this guy with me?'
The inconvenience of taking him and the unease of leaving him behind conflicted in his mind.
After a moment's hesitation, Lune poked Baekya.
Baekya opened his eyes and yawned, flapping his wings a few times to stretch his stiff shoulders and wing joints.
'I was going to wake him up twice, and if he didn't wake up, I would leave him behind.'
He put on his artifact bracelet and transformed into a human form, which was easier to move around in compared to a hatchling.
"I'm going to a cooking lesson. Do you want to come? It's fine if you want to sleep more."
Baekya quickly got up, flapped his wings a few times, and perched on Lune's head.
Lune activated the teleportation rune to Christina's laboratory.
As the scene before his eyes changed, a neatly organized kitchen unfolded.
Arriving a step ahead of the agreed time with Christina, he looked around the kitchen and checked the room where the experimental tools were displayed.
Baekya looked around with curious eyes, occasionally letting out a sound of amazement.
Then, Imugi, holding a notebook from the desk, skimmed through its contents.
Not only the dishes he had eaten so far but also the ones he planned to experiment with were listed.
There were also undetermined dishes and spices without titles.
After skimming through the organized book, Lune put the content in his mind and returned to the kitchen.
He then opened a compartment with a spell to maintain a constant cold temperature and searched for a suitable subject for his experiment.
A bunch of dried fish caught his eye.
He picked up the dried fish.
'If the Revive Word Magic works... Can this become a fresh, lively fish again?'
It was a power that was hard to believe even when he imagined it.
Moreover, he was concerned about the clause that the effect could be nullified or enhanced depending on the 'rank.'
He had gained the Revive Word Magic ability when he had lived for 999 years and had a 'rank.'
Currently, he was a 0-year-old hatchling, so even if he had an innate rank, it couldn't compare to his past life.
'There's only one way to confirm this gap.'
Lune recalled the intense desire he felt when he died and recited:
The Revive Word Magic activated on the unknown fish.
'Oh. This is the feeling.'
Even without using any mana, the fish moved on its own, giving him the sensation of commanding the world.
'I wonder how it will turn out.'
He watched the result with eager eyes.
A strong light, filled with the energy of life, flashed once.
The dried fish regained its flesh, the scales shone, and a fresh, moist texture enveloped it.
"Is it just a fresh fish?"
Indeed. It looked very fresh and delicious, but the fish was still dead.
Faced with a result completely different from his expectations, Lune made an odd expression.
He tried the Word Magic again on several dried fish, just in case.
The results were the same.
Feeling disappointed, he slumped his shoulders when Christina warped into the kitchen.
"You're already here? Oh my."
She saw the pile of fresh fish in front of Imugi and widened her eyes, then nodded as if making a decision.
"Let's make grilled fish today."
Baekya's eyes lit up, and he wagged his tail excitedly.
Thanks to the enormous amount of fish they grilled, that day's meal included Ferdikion as a guest.
"What's with all these fish?"
The main dish that day was grilled fish.
Christina had made precise cuts on the fish, which were said to supplement high-quality mana and smooth the flow, and sprinkled purifying salt before grilling them, making the taste exquisite.
However, the accompanying dishes were fried fish, fish stew, and steamed fish.
The table was filled with nothing but fish.
Ferdikion awkwardly took his seat, looking at the dishes spread out on the giant dining table, which could easily seat twenty people.
"Today, I found some very fresh fish in the storage. It would have been a waste to store them without eating, and since Lune's first new lesson started today, I made a bit more."
Ferdikion looked at Lune, who was giving Baekya a piece of fish.
"Yeah. I decided on a name. Call me Lune."
He slid a plate of delicious-looking steamed fish in front of Ferdikion.
"Enjoy, brother. I made this."
Fortunately, Lune's cooking skills were quite good.
In his past life as Imugi, he had learned cooking by watching humans who were offered as sacrifices, so his skills were now put to use.
"What kind of lesson did you have that resulted in so many fish dishes?"
To Ferdikion's mutter, Christina replied kindly.
"A cooking lesson. This child is interested, so we decided to cook together from today!"
Ferdikion looked at Lune again and muttered, 'A hatchling who will become an elder of the clan that governs the darkness learning cooking... Well, I guess it's possible...'
Moreover, Baekya and Lune had good appetites, so they could finish all the dishes without leaving any.
Ferdikion was a bit overwhelmed by the sheer amount of fish, but he ate everything on the plate, thinking about the mana-imbued food that increased his power and that it was his younger brother's first dish.