Chapter 49: Turritopsis dohrnii and tardigrade genes
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After nearly three long months, he finally decided to return home.
The ocean breeze struck his face as the island's silhouette emerged through the mist.
It had been a difficult journey—longer and harsher than expected—but he had used the time wisely.
During his underwater voyage, he continued harvesting marine genes, carefully selecting only what could advance his capabilities.
And he found them.
Two genes he had long been searching for:
[Turritopsis dohrnii gene acquired: Reverse Growth – Level 1 (0/10)]
[Tardigrade gene acquired: Cryptobiological Survival – Level 1 (0/10)]
The first came from Turritopsis dohrnii, the so-called Immortal jellyfish.
This creature possessed a rare biological ability: under extreme stress or injury, it could revert from its mature stage back to a juvenile polyp.
In essence, it could restart its life cycle.
Rejuvenation through cellular regression.
It reminded him of Mothra—the Queen of Monsters—who also underwent cycles of rebirth and resurrection.
There was something poetic and powerful in that.
He pushed the Turritopsis gene to its limit.
[Reverse Growth LV5 has evolved into Nirvana Rebirth – Level 1 (0/1000). When life force reaches critical limits, it automatically triggers cellular reconstitution and rebirth from a juvenile state.]
It wasn't just a second chance. It was evolution—a safeguard against death itself.
The second gene came from the unkillable survivors of Earth: Tardigrades.
Microscopic but ancient, they had been around since the Cambrian period—surviving ice ages, meteor strikes, volcanic winters.
These so-called "water bears" could endure extreme cold, boiling heat, radiation, pressure, and even the vacuum of space.
Through cryptobiosis, they can enter a suspended state, drying themselves out to become virtually indestructible until rehydration.
To Miraluz, it was not just resilience. It was armor against the universe itself.
[Cryptobiological Survival LV5 has evolved into Extreme Cryptobiosis – Level 1 (0/1000), cellular structure becomes five times more resistant to heat, pressure, radiation, and lack of oxygen. Near-total stasis can be maintained until revival conditions are met.]
Between these two advanced genes, Miraluz hadn't just become harder to kill—he had become something close to immortal.
Still, they were defensive gifts—no increase in raw power or combat skills, at least not directly.
But survivability was its kind of weapon.
He hovered beneath the waves, staring up at the approaching coastline.
"Finally," he muttered, his deep voice rippling through the water.
In a sudden burst, Miraluz surged from the ocean.
A massive eruption of seawater followed him, exploding into the sky.
His towering dragon-like form broke the surface with force, wings spreading wide as torrents of water cascaded down them like a waterfall.
Sunlight caught the droplets, turning them to diamonds.
The roar of displaced air and water echoed over Isla Nublar's cliffs.
The island greeted him with dense jungle mist, soaring peaks, and the distant roars.
It hadn't changed much since he left.
But Miraluz had.
He landed heavily on a rocky outcrop overlooking the jungle, folding his wings behind him as steam rose from his body.
His sharp eyes scanned the terrain below. He wasn't here to stay.
There were unfinished battles. Secrets still buried. Creatures he hadn't yet faced.
And something darker was stirring.
He could feel it—like a storm building far out at sea.
Miraluz's claws clenched.
"Let's see what's changed," he said to himself.
And with a mighty leap, he dove back into the island interior—toward the beating heart of Isla Nublar.
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At the same time, deep within the jungles of Isla Nublar...
A thunderous roar of crashing water and wind echoed across the land, reaching even the most remote corners of the island.
The ground trembled faintly. Trees swayed.
Birds scattered into the sky in panicked flocks.
The ancient reptiles of Nublar stirred.
From the towering sauropods to the stealthy raptors, every creature froze.
Eyes turned skyward. Tension crackled through the underbrush.
They remembered this sound.
Within moments, the leaders of the Jurassic Alliance rallied, converging on the southern coastal cliffs where the noise had erupted.
Among them was Gray—a towering, steel-gray Indominus, second-in-command of the alliance and a fierce tactician.
She led a diverse procession: flying pterosaurs circled above, thundering stegosaurs marched in tight ranks, and armored ceratopsians brought up the rear.
All of them shared one thought.
"Was it another human incursion? Another threat from beyond the sea?"
But when they arrived, ready for battle, their hardened expressions softened.
Standing tall and shining beneath the sun's golden rays was a figure they knew too well.
The Dragon King had returned.
Miraluz's presence was unmistakable.
But he had changed.
In just three months, his appearance had become more commanding—his scales denser, his wings broader, his aura heavier, more ancient, more... divine.
His breath crackled with restrained energy, and even the wind shifted around him like a loyal subject.
For a moment, none dared to move.
Then Gray let out a roar that shattered the silence—a long, booming call of welcome and triumph.
The others joined in, hundreds of voices rising in a symphony of thunderous greetings.
Winged beasts cried out from above, ground-shakers roared from below.
Their cries rolled across the cliffs like a tide, echoing off the trees and mountains.
Miraluz hovered in the air, smiling faintly.
He was never sentimental, but something about this welcome stirred him.
From the skies, he observed the changes.
The dinosaurs of the Jurassic Alliance had grown.
Significantly.
Every species had bulked up, their musculature denser, their scales stronger.
Most had increased in size, at least ten meters longer in body or wingspan.
Their footsteps sounded heavier, their movements more deliberate.
They had not been idle in his absence.
Miraluz exhaled slowly, his breath steaming in the cool air above the cliff.
"They've grown stronger… wiser," he whispered to himself.
"Good. They'll need to be."
He descended, his wings folding back as he landed gracefully in the southern port.
The assembled dinosaurs made way instinctively, bowing their heads.
Not out of fear, but respect.
Gray stepped forward from the crowd.
Her amber eyes gleamed with instinctual recognition, and with a low, resonant rumble, she dipped her head.
It was a gesture of submission and welcome.
Miraluz nodded slowly in return.
"It's good to be back."