Chapter 2.5 — Passed Time

Dragons, the masters of the Divine Realm.

Dragons were beings born from clusters of vague magical forces that gathered and eventually formed a shape.

A single dragon, harboring immense magical power, could indeed be considered a divine entity. Such concentration of magical power, sufficient to give birth to a dragon, was rare, making the natural occurrence of dragons almost nonexistent. The mere possibility of their spontaneous existence was often dismissed as a joke.

It was also rare for a ‘dragon egg,’ a magical core that prevented the dispersal of magical power, to form. Those who could create such a magical shell were held in the highest esteem.

Therefore, the birth of a new dragon in this world was an exceedingly rare phenomenon.

However, one day, a young dragon woke up as if by a miracle, without anyone’s assistance. In the deepest parts of the divine realm, a foreign magical force gathered and awakened a consciousness.

Seeing the faint light of dawn for the first time, the young dragon had only one thought.

This isn’t right.

This isn’t where I’m supposed to be.

Feeling alone in a strange world. The discomfort awakened its aggression first. Soon, the young dragon began to destroy everything in sight.

Roaming the vast nature of the divine realm, acting on whims, there was no one who could stop the young dragon. Not even those dragons that had awakened earlier could stand against it. Its formidable magical power never led to defeat, and the future always seemed to side with it.

The young dragon thought.

This world is strange but pathetically weak. Then, I shall make everything bow before me. I can do it. It’s possible for me.

But one day, even the arrogant young dragon faced a devastating defeat.

The reason was simple.

The other being possessed more powerful magic and was more deeply loved by the future than the young dragon.

“This is the first time I have ever seen such a rampage. Do you think this world belongs to you?”

The young conqueror, unable to believe what was happening, was brought to his knees, and the powerful dragon spoke.

Struggling to look up while his head was pressed to the ground, the young dragon saw her.

A female dragon.

Hair as dark blue as the edge of the earth. Eyes that held the sun itself. Her expression was so indifferent it seemed the embodiment of arrogance itself.

“Remember this. I am Lord Kiscrios of the Divine Realm.”

The formidable dragon proclaimed herself as the Lord of the Divine Realm.

The young dragon gritted his teeth.

An entity I cannot defeat.

Not yet.

For the first time, the young dragon tasted defeat and felt a fierce hostility towards his own kind. When the young dragon who was pinned to the ground chose temporary submission, Lord Kiscrios raised a hand. A powerful force of magic shot straight from her fingertips and pierced his forehead.

“Kuuuhkk…!”

“…Let’s see.”

After the stiff magic had passed through, a pain akin to his skull cracking followed.

It seemed the dragon who declared herself Lord intended not to spare him. Anticipating his end, the young dragon closed his eyes. Yet, when the pain ceased, darkness did not envelop his vision. Instead, a familiar scene unfolded before him.

A place of nothingness.

Wandering through that darkness, he encountered the faint light of dawn.

It was the memory of what the young dragon, aimlessly drifting without a self, had first seen upon opening his eyes.

“Hah…!”

“The light of dawn. It doesn’t suit you at all.”

Lord Kiscrios seemed to have seen the same thing.

Separately, the young dragon struggled to regain his composure for a while. The memories forcibly dredged up by Lord Kiscrios left a deep internal wound. Birth was the other side of death. Though he was prepared for death, experiencing it mentally, even while physically unscathed, was unwelcome.

And…

‘What was that power just now?’

What he had thought was a fleeting glimpse remained as a distant afterimage. After wandering for ages, the young dragon finally heard a word that could define him.

“Light of Dawn, Naskandeolux. That is your name.”

Even after tasting defeat, the young dragon held its head high.

“Am I to serve you then?”

“No need for that. But, you mustn’t rampage as you please.”

“Why should I?”

“You’ll understand in time.”

He didn’t understand. This being had no right to rule over him. Someday, he would tear her throat out. Naskandeolux gritted his teeth.

“Follow me. I’ll give you a duty.”

Yet, to sharpen a sword, one must momentarily bow the head. Naskandeolux quietly followed Lord Kiscrios.

‘Just for a moment. If I just bow my head for a moment…’

Suddenly, the Lord walking ahead turned around and swung her foot.

“Kuohk…!”

“I can see right through you. Obey genuinely.”

“Ku-ugh. Cough. Cough…!”

Naskandeolux, having just received a strong blow to the stomach, coughed several times. He thought he had lured her to let down her guard, but it was he who had been careless. A single kick seemed to have broken several bones.

“Go get healed.”

At that moment, Naskandeolux had no choice but to admit his lack of strength.

“…Yes, Lord.”

❖

From that day on, Naskandeolux began to stay by the side of Lord Kiscrios, who had given him her name.

Lord Kiscrios was a peculiar being.

After the initial show of force, the Lord didn’t use violence again. It seemed she believed there was no need since she had already secured his obedience.

Instead, the Lord began teaching him various things.

Though it was closer to testing than teaching, nothing was too challenging for Naskandeolux.

Sometimes, the Lord sent him to solve rifts with nothing but his bare hands or commanded him to repel devilkins that had infiltrated the divine realm. None of it was difficult.

The toughest trial for Naskandeolux was when the Lord would transfer some strange magic to him and then simply make him sleep for days. When he was locked in a cell and forced to do nothing but sleep for over a month, Naskandeolux thought this might be a form of torture to ensure his complete submission.

Until one day, an unforgettable vivid dream came.

It didn’t take long for him to understand that all of this was training for a successor.

Naskandeolux, with his sharp intuition, quickly realized this was no ordinary dream. Like the dragon of dawn, Kiscrios, Naskandeolux, too, began to awaken the power of dawn within him.

“Lord, I’ve had a premonition.”

Upon receiving the report of the young dawn, the Lord simply nodded. There was neither an attitude of ‘it was about time’ nor one of satisfaction from meeting expectations.

Compared to the highly excited Naskandeolux, Lord Kiscrios appeared utterly indifferent to it all.

“The power of dawn allows one to see events that will unfold in the future.”

“Yes.”

“You won’t be able to control it until you get used to it. You must distinguish whether it’s merely a dream or a premonition, and you must not use it for personal matters. You should not believe in a premonition just because you want to believe in it.”

The last piece of advice was baffling. A premonition is a premonition. Is there a question of belief or not believing?

“Refine it as soon as you can.”

“Yes.”

“What was your first premonition of dawn about?”

“…It was of a dragon at twilight, resembling the sunset.”

A small dragon. Really tiny.

This dragon seemed ill, its face flushed red, unable to rise from its bed. Its forehead was drenched in sweat. And the Lord, who always seemed so indifferent towards him, looked down at this dragon with concern.

“Lord, is that your daughter?”

“Did it seem so?”

Lord Kiscrios smirked lightly.

“The dragon of twilight, Chryselua. So, the power of dawn has shown you the being you must protect.”

Dawn and twilight. The names seemed almost paired together.

Though Chryselua appeared somewhat frail in the dream, if Lord Kiscrios had chosen and was keeping her, there must surely be similarities with him.

‘She intends to set multiple successors against each other.’

For the first time since its birth, the young dawn, who had only known destruction, looked forward to meeting a peer who could understand him while also feeling a sense of rivalry.

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