Book 4: Chapter 38 |
Within the consciousness space, Noya found herself unable to fully understand the Ancestor’s decision.
“Why did you do that? Didn’t you say before that we couldn’t tell anyone about you residing in my consciousness?”
The Ancestor had once explained her reasons clearly:
First—if Noya’s family found out that there was a soul from ten thousand years ago living inside her mind, then regardless of whether that soul was good or evil, they would certainly try every possible method to drag the Ancestor out.
If that happened, then all the efforts she and Noya had made over such a long time would be completely wasted.
Second—the Ancestor feared that once this information spread, it might attract remnants of the “Ultimate Terror.” In order to ensure their master’s successful return, those remnants would spare no cost to eliminate Noya.
Because of this, for a long time, the overachiever and the Ancestor had acted in secrecy, doing everything possible to avoid being discovered by others.
And now, the Ancestor had voluntarily revealed herself to the two younger sisters. Naturally, Noya was curious about her reasoning.
“Previously, the efficiency of condensing primal power was very low. Besides your physical constitution not keeping up and the lack of the Night Spirit Crystal, there was another very important reason. Do you know what it was?” the strange auntie asked.
“Interference from the external environment.”
The Ancestor said, “Over the past few months, we condensed primal power every night after your training. That process requires absolute concentration. But at the same time, we had to constantly stay alert and avoid being discovered by others. With your focus constantly divided, the efficiency naturally suffered.”
“You understand what I mean—most of the time, those so-called ‘others’ were your two younger sisters.”
“As for the second one, I won’t say much. She’s harmlessly cute and not much of a threat.”
“The main issue is that pink-haired one. The number of times she stirs up trouble is practically higher than the number of dragon civil wars back in the day.”
Listening to the Ancestor speak so matter-of-factly, Noya scratched her forehead.
“Is it really that exaggerated?”
“You think it’s not exaggerated because most of the time, I was assisting you in condensing primal power while simultaneously keeping watch over the surroundings.”
The Ancestor seized the chance to grumble.
“Hmph. Brats are like this—just focus on condensing primal power and that’s it. As for me, there’s a lot more I have to think about.”
Noya suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is…”
“And besides…”
“And besides?”
“Although those two little dragonlings are noisy, they trust you and rely on you a lot.”
The Ancestor’s tone softened noticeably. “And of course, they care about you very much.”
Noya blinked. She recalled how, when the Ancestor had briefly “logged in” earlier, she herself had frozen for a few seconds.
And it was precisely those few seconds that almost led Mu’en and Little Guang to clash directly with that “ghost.”
Noya had no doubt that if the Ancestor’s takeover had lasted even a moment longer, they wouldn’t be sitting here calmly chatting right now.
“So telling them shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, they’re clever. At critical moments, they can even help us cover things up.”
The Ancestor added, “Like that time in the temple hall when you were peeking at your mother and got caught.”
“…That really sounds like you’re taking the opportunity to complain about me.”
The white-haired beauty smiled faintly. “Not at all.”
Noya snorted softly. “Still, you’re right. They’re clever—and they really care about me.”
As she said this, a proud smile unconsciously appeared on the little overachiever’s face.
Being relied upon by her sisters was something Noya felt deeply proud of.
“Then… what I’m about to say next, you need to listen carefully as well.”
Noya nodded seriously. “Okay.”
She exited the consciousness space.
The three little dragon girls sat down on the ground.
Little Guang still looked at Big Sis with scrutiny and suspicion in her eyes.
Mu’en, meanwhile, looked somewhat nervous.
After all, after hunting ghosts for several months, they had finally “caught” one this time—yet somehow, not entirely.
She was worried about Noya. After spending so long together with this “ghost,” would it have any negative impact on her sister’s body?
“Go on then, ghost. What do you have to confess?” Little Guang assumed the posture of interrogating a criminal.
“First of all, I am not a ghost.”
“Alright, ghost.”
“……”
“You can think of me as a soul.”
“Isn’t that still a ghost?”
“……”
Beneath the cherry blossom tree, a being who had lived for tens of thousands of years was rendered speechless by a three-year-old dragon.
Kids these days really have no manners… Noah thought bitterly.
“Little Guang, let her finish first,” Mu’en said.
“Fine. Go on.”
Noah first explained to the two little dragon girls why she had come to reside within their Big Sis’s consciousness.
She also emphasized clearly,
“My existence has no negative effect whatsoever on your sister’s body or mind. On the contrary, I can help her condense even stronger power.”
To prove her words, Noah spread her palm upward.
Immediately after, a soft milky-white glow condensed into an energy sphere, floating above her hand.
Having already learned some magic, Mu’en and Little Guang could naturally sense the profundity and wonder contained within it.
After finishing the demonstration, Noah withdrew the primal energy and continued,
“Now, what comes next is the true key point.”
“Where I came from—and why I awakened again tens of thousands of years later.”
At this, Little Guang, Mu’en, and Noya—who was listening from within the dark-golden waterways of the consciousness space—all focused intently.
This was a story that had never been recorded in any history book.
Only this “living fossil” who had crossed ten thousand years—Noah—could fully recount the unknown truth buried deep within the river of history.
“I believe you’ve all studied the origins of the Samayel Continent in school.”
“Simply put, at the dawn of creation, the world was shrouded in chaos. The progenitor of my dragon race—the Dragon God, Tiamat—used her immensely powerful primal magic to shatter the chaos, accomplishing the feat known as ‘Opening the Heavens.’”
“You can find this history in any ancient manuscript, even in school textbooks.”
“But no book has ever mentioned how Dragon God Tiamat obtained power sufficient to rival chaos itself.”
“Primal magic was indeed powerful—but under the influence of chaos, it became impure.”
“The Dragon God noticed this and tried every possible method to expel the chaos from within herself.”
“But decades passed, then centuries. The chaos continued to corrode the Dragon God’s primal magic.”
“She foresaw that if this continued, she herself would eventually fall into the abyss of chaos, never to see the light again.”
“So the Dragon God made a risky decision—”
“Since chaos had already taken root within her body and could not be expelled through normal means, then…”
“She would separate herself.”
Hearing this, even Little Guang—who read the most—looked confused.
“Separate herself? How?”
“Body, personality, consciousness, good and evil, light and darkness, order and chaos—all split into two independent entities.”
Noah continued,
“This was the final method. If she delayed any longer, Dragon God Tiamat would not even have the strength left to cast the separation spell.”
“She succeeded.”
“The chaos left her body along with the disordered personality.”
“In that moment, the supremely benevolent Dragon God descended upon the world and opened the heavens with the purest primal magic.”
Little Guang blinked, glanced at her second sister, then at her eldest.
“But the disordered personality that was separated out was actually a hidden danger, right? That’s also why Dragon God Tiamat didn’t choose this method from the start.”
“She feared she wouldn’t be able to deal with her own disordered self later on, and only used this method as a last resort.”
Hearing this analysis, Noah nodded approvingly.
“You’re very smart, pink-haired brat.”
“After completing the feat of ‘Opening the Heavens,’ the Dragon God immediately planned to deal with her disordered personality.”
“But by then, she had exhausted all her strength. She was unimaginably weak—one could even say… her days were numbered.”
“In the final years of her life, she scattered her remaining power and life sparks across the Samayel Continent. A hundred years later, they grew into what is now the dragon race.”
“And I—later known as the first Dragon King in dragon history, named after Dragon God Tiamat’s power attribute: ‘Primal.’”
“But I was not born from the Dragon God’s life sparks, nor was I the child of any tribe. So, pink-haired brat, you should already have guessed it, right?”
For once, Little Guang was solemn and serious. She nodded.
“As the counterpart to the personality representing chaos and disorder, you represent Dragon God Tiamat’s justice and order.”
“That’s right…”
Noah lifted her head, using this child’s eyes to gaze at the night sky ten thousand years later. Her thoughts drifted back to the past, her voice tinged with sorrow.
“I wanted to take the Dragon God’s place and open the heavens myself—but at that time, I was far too weak to do so.”
“So I could only watch helplessly as my creator exhausted her power, her oil burning dry, and finally fell into eternal sleep among the mountains and seas.”
“In her final moment, the Dragon God entrusted me with one last command—to protect the dragon race until the very end, for they were the continuation of her life.”
“As long as the dragon race still exists in this world, Tiamat’s spirit will never fade.”
Within the consciousness space, Noya pressed her lips together. After a brief pause, she asked softly, “Because you were born at the same time as the Dragon God’s chaotic personality, that’s why you feel your own birth was a mistake?”
“…Yes.”
The Ancestor let out a long sigh and did not dwell further on the topic, instead continuing her recollection.
“After that… the Dragon God entrusted me with another crucial task.”
Noya folded her arms, her small face serious, and spoke the task aloud for her.
“Find the dark personality that the Dragon God separated from herself.”
“…Yes.”
The Ancestor exhaled deeply and went on.
“At that time, I traveled across the entire Samayel Continent and clashed with that thing several times.”
“Each battle only made it stronger.”
“Eventually, it fed on the negative emotions of all living beings and evolved into what became known as the ‘Ultimate Terror.’”
“Our final battle lasted for months—fighting until heaven and earth were dark, until the sun and moon lost their light.”
“In the end, we both suffered grievous wounds. Neither of us had the power to kill the other.”
“But I could not betray the Dragon God’s trust. Using the last of my strength, I sealed the Ultimate Terror away.”
“After that, I slept for a thousand years. When I awakened again, my power had recovered. But at the same time…”
“The dragon civil war had already begun.”
Whoosh—
This time, Mu’en raised her hand.
“I get it! The Ultimate Terror feeds on negative emotions, and the dragon civil war became its supply station, constantly delivering power to it!”
“So you had to stop the civil war—not just to prevent the Ultimate Terror from breaking the seal, but also to fulfill your promise to Dragon God Tiamat.”
Noah scratched her nose.
“Yes. You’re clever too, messy-hair brat. It’s just that pronunciation… come on, repeat after me—Ti~a~ma~t~.”
Mu’en (..•˘_˘•..): “Ti-ti-mat!”
Noah: “Ti~a! Mat~!”
Mu’en (๑•́ ₃ •̀): “Ti-dia-mat.”
Noah: “Tiamat!!”
Mu’en ( ˘•灬•˘ ): “Pop Mart!”
“……”
Pat
Little Guang gently patted Big Sis’s shoulder.
“Old ghost, give up. Do you know why Mom and Dad gave me my nickname?”
“Why?”
“Because Second Sis can’t pronounce my real name at all!”
“So the price of twin awakening is a language disorder…?”
“Hey, don’t say that about my sister. She just pronounces ‘Aurora’ as ‘Awo-gua-gua,’ that’s all,” Noya said.
“Then turning ‘Tiamat’ into ‘Pop Mart’ is way too much, hey!”
Noya waved her hand and returned to the main topic.
“After you stopped the civil war, what happened next? The Ultimate Terror didn’t break the seal?”
“No. It didn’t accumulate enough negative power.”
The Ancestor continued,
“But war is not limited to dragons. Across the entire Samayel Continent, conflicts erupt every single day. Every day, people die because of war.”
“Hatred and desire fill every corner of this land.”
“So sooner or later, the Ultimate Terror will gather enough power to break the seal.”
“Because it’s fundamentally impossible to convince everyone not to wage war.”
“And even without war, negative emotions will still exist for countless other reasons.”
“So the Ultimate Terror’s return is only a matter of time.”
“However, the seal I set was strong enough. By my estimation, it would take around ten thousand years to break.”
“But even I couldn’t live for ten thousand years.”
“So I chose to seal myself in the Far North.”
“When the Ultimate Terror returns once more, I will awaken again, and…”
“…continue to protect the Dragon God’s descendants.”
…
Footnotes:
- juǎn wángInternet slang meaning an extreme overachiever who pushes themselves relentlessly.
- qiē hàoSlang derived from gaming; means “switching accounts,” used here to describe brief control takeover.
- guāng guǎngChildish or playful mispronunciation, used humorously to show language quirks.
- diào yú zhífǎ“Fishing-style enforcement”; metaphor for setting a trap and letting others incriminate themselves.