What is the mind?
Well, the normal answer consists of the fact that our mind is our consciousness, but although correct, this answer is incomplete.
For a transcendent being like Rex Draco, the mind was one of the pillars that supported his existence. You see, a being's existence is possible thanks to three factors, those being body, mind and soul.
The body is the physical form of the being, as well as the most visible and comprehensible of the three. The soul was the origin of emotions, mana, aura and the life force needed to keep the body alive. On the other hand, the mind houses logic, reason and instinct as well as regulating emotions.
The mind's most important function, besides giving someone a sense of self, is to serve as a bridge between the body and the soul. Sending the emotions from the soul to the physical representation of the mind, the brain. And sending whatever information the body gather for the soul to store.
Normally, the information can be stored in the brain, but important memories like first experiences or traumas are also stored in the soul.
So what happens when all three of them are disconnected, like what happened with Rex Draco?
The physical representation of the mind, the brain, was completely dead, so while Rex Draco was still alive, he was basically brain-dead.
The soul had been separated from the mind, so it could no longer send emotions to both the body and the mind. Having been sent to an enclosed world, the soul most likely tried to find a new vessel.
The mind, on the other hand, did not have many changes. For starters, the mind was logic, reason and instinct. It doesn't have a body to worry about, nor does it have emotions, so it was nothing to worry about, since without the other it couldn't do anything and wouldn't try to.
Theoretically.
Rex Draco was the first being to ever have the three pillars of his existence completely separated. So the mind's state was only a theory.
However, there was a loophole in the theory, which was, the possibility that the mind had the instinct to pursue linking both the body and the soul.
As it turned out, such a possibility was a reality.
Finding itself isolated from both the body and the soul, Rex Draco's mind followed its instinct to link them together again, aided by the cold guidance of logic and reason.
The mind didn't have many tools at hand, other than mana.
Mana was originated by mixing soul energy with natural energy, and it was guided by the mind, unlike aura, which was created through the mix of soul energy and physical energy, being guided unconsciously like some muscles.
Thankfully, for the connection that the body and the mind had, a.k.a., the brain, there was mana to access.
Skillfully manipulating the mana that had unconsciously flowed from the brain to the mind, it started to work.
Slowly, but surely, the work was getting done. How slow? How could it know? The mind is not a chronometer.
But, it was slow, very slow, until it succeeded.
One day, in the deep abyss, the eyes of Rex Draco snapped open. It was not very long until the pain of the pillars nailing to the ground struck him.
'A lot of pain, it seems that I was nailed to the ground with these magic nails. Judging by my body, a few centuries have already passed, it's whatever.'
Without the soul to transmit emotions, pain was nothing but a sharper feeling of touch that alerted the mind to danger.
'It feels a lot clearer, for a long time, my soul had been corrupted, fueling me with negative emotions.'
It really put things in perspective, without emotions to disrupt his thoughts, Rex Draco slowly rewatched his own actions.
'I don't feel guilty, but I can understand that what I did was morally wrong. I just find it curious how I have never done a good thing, as if I were incapable of doing so.'
This did raise a good point. One thing was being unable to choose the right path, the other was not having that path to walk on from the beginning. So it was strange for Rex Draco to be in such a situation.
He did have a conjecture, however.
'Is it demonic power, perhaps?'
If divine power was the favor of the gods, then demonic power was the hatred or disgust of the gods. Being a demonic dragon, it was obvious that Rex Draco was naturally full of demonic power.
'Demonic power does have morally corrupting capabilities, but does that apply to someone who possesses it? It surely does, I can feel the corruption in my body trying to reach something. But what?'
After a little thinking, Rex Draco reached his answer.
Emotions.
The corruption was trying to reach his emotions to influence his mind. However, currently, Rex Draco does not possess any emotions due to a lack of a soul.
Thanks to that, Rex Draco could now think more clearly without moral intervention.
'Well, firstly, I need to get rid of these restraints, they are really bothering me.'
Slowly, he made the little mana and aura in his body flow towards the chains, so he could ignite them and consequentially break free.
The pillars of light were much more difficult to shake off, but it was not impossible. Unlike mana and aura, demonic power inhabited his body, so his amounts of demonic power were still at their peak.
A purple hue surged from his body and steadily flowed towards the pillars of light.
The pillars being slowly turned to purple before turning to black and eroding into dust, freeing Rex Draco. For starters, these restraints themselves were pretty easy to destroy, it was the separation of his pillars of existence that was truly a problem.
'I suppose that if I felt emotions right now, I would be really pissed off by that woman, weirdly, I never really liked her, like an unquestionable amount of hatred that was unjustified. Well, she did blast my back with the strongest spell I've ever seen in my life.'
Slowly raising his heavy body, Rex Draco looked around, trying to understand where he was.
It was the same place he and Gideon were fighting before he got sealed, the depths of a really deep hole they themselves had created during their clash.
Without the pillars of light, the hole was shrouded in a deep darkness, the only source of light being the bright red eyes of the King of Dragons.
'So what now?'
Rex Draco didn't really know what to do now, he didn't really wanted to get out of the place he was right now, not until he regained his soul to replenish the mana and aura reserves he lacked.
The problem was the fact that his soul was very far away, not in a sense of distance, like there were several boundaries between them.
'Should I just sleep like I used to? Problems get easier when you sleep, right? Yes, they do, it's when you wake up that they get hard again.'
After a little thinking, he decided to force his way into the place where his soul was.
There were thousands of barriers before reaching the soul, so Rex Draco decided to only damage the barriers enough, so his senses could reach the next barrier, like a piercing attack.
After, whatever the time he had spent was, he felt like he had reached halfway and it was getting tiring.
'This is getting out of hand, I need to find a way to speed up the process.'
"There is no need for that, Rex Draco"
"!!!"
Right below him was a woman he recognized well.
Black hair like the night and amethyst eyes that made the living dazed, she was the Witch Astra, currently known as The Sage.
"You are that witch, Astra."
Rex Draco spoke with an incredible hoarse voice.
"That is correct, King of Dragons."
"What did you mean by what you said, witch?"
"Exactly what I meant, there is no need for you to try to break into the world now resides, rather I will give it to you."
"Huh? It seems we are not on the same page, Witch Astra."
"It's simple. I have a price."
Astra looked up, staring right into the eyes of Rex Draco.
"Are you interested in hearing it?"