The dragon's final words lingered in my mind.
A child's first step...
Prime Instinct...
One of the greatest techniques ever created...
Reduced to nothing more than that.
I slowly exhaled.
For the first time since awakening Seraphim, I understood why the gap between the two techniques felt impossible to bridge.
They had never belonged on the same path.
One was born from necessity.
The other...
From existence itself.
The dragon quietly observed my expression before speaking again.
"Do you understand now?"
I nodded faintly.
"A little."
He chuckled.
"A little is already more than most will ever comprehend."
Silence returned.
Then—
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"But the birth of Prime Instinct..."
"...was not the end of the story."
"It was merely the beginning."
I remained silent.
The dragon slowly lowered his head.
"History has a habit of repeating itself."
"Civilizations are no different."
"They chase power."
"They envy perfection."
"They refuse limitation."
His voice became quieter.
"And eventually..."
"Someone always asks the same question."
His silver-purple eyes met mine.
"What if..."
"...instead of learning Seraphim..."
"...we create someone capable of using it?"
My pupils contracted.
The dragon nodded.
"They failed to understand."
"Seraphim was never something that could be inherited."
"It could not be stolen."
"It could not be forced."
"It could not be replicated."
"So..."
"They chose another path."
"A forbidden path."
His voice carried unmistakable disappointment.
"They sought to imitate the impossible."
"They broke laws that should never have been touched."
"They manipulated concepts they barely understood."
"They reached beyond their place."
The hidden dimension became unnaturally still.
"And eventually..."
"They succeeded."
I frowned.
"They created the first artificial Pure One."
The words settled heavily between us.
"It possessed overwhelming Authority."
"It radiated absolute dominance."
"It inspired fear simply by existing."
"It commanded the obedience of weaker beings."
"It was powerful."
"Terrifyingly powerful."
The dragon paused.
Then shook his head.
"But it was incomplete."
I listened without interruption.
"Others followed."
"The process improved."
"More appeared."
"Then more."
"They were hailed as miracles."
"As blessings."
"As the dawn of a new era."
His gaze darkened.
"For a time..."
"They truly believed they had surpassed nature."
A bitter smile appeared.
"They were wrong."
"They had copied the appearance."
"But never the essence."
The dragon slowly raised one massive claw.
"Power."
One claw unfolded.
"Authority."
A second.
"Dominance."
A third.
"Suppression."
The fourth.
"They inherited these."
"They wore them like beautiful robes."
His claw slowly closed.
"But beneath those robes..."
"There was nothing."
"No origin."
"No completeness."
"No truth."
"They resembled the First Pure One..."
"...without understanding what made Him who He was."
My heartbeat slowed.
"The First Pure One..."
I repeated quietly.
The dragon's expression changed.
Respect.
Not admiration.
Not fear.
Something deeper.
The kind of reverence reserved for something beyond words.
"There has only ever been one."
His voice became softer.
"He walked a path no other being could walk."
"He stood where no other could stand."
"He was not merely powerful."
"He was..."
The dragon paused.
As though searching for words that did not exist.
"...the Origin."
Silence.
"He possessed no equal."
"No rival."
"No predecessor."
"No successor."
The hidden world itself seemed to become quieter.
"The artificial Pure Ones believed they could replace Him."
"They believed that enough power..."
"...would eventually make them genuine."
The dragon closed his eyes.
"They were mistaken."
"When one mistakes imitation for truth..."
"...arrogance inevitably follows."
His voice became heavy.
"They demanded worship."
"They declared themselves superior."
"They sought dominion."
"They desired to rule."
"They believed all existence should kneel."
The hidden space trembled faintly.
"Wars followed."
"Worlds burned."
"Countless civilizations disappeared."
"The balance of the Universe faltered."
My expression hardened.
"So the Aeons intervened."
The dragon nodded.
"They had no choice."
"They restored balance."
"They ended the wars."
"They sealed the survivors."
"They were cast into Neraphyx."
"A prison..."
"...that slowly became their home."
"They were forbidden from returning."
I slowly absorbed everything.
"So they remained there..."
"...waiting."
The dragon smiled faintly.
"They never abandoned their ambition."
"They still seek the same impossible dream."
"To become..."
"...the One True Sovereign."
Silence returned.
Then—
I asked the question that had lingered in my mind from the very beginning.
"If there has only ever been one..."
"...why did they acknowledge me?"
The dragon became unusually quiet.
For the first time...
He did not answer immediately.
Instead—
He studied me.
Carefully.
His silver-purple eyes seemed to pierce far beyond flesh.
Far beyond soul.
As though observing something hidden even from me.
Then—
He smiled.
A knowing smile.
"I wondered..."
"...when you would ask."
My expression remained calm.
But inwardly—
Every instinct focused upon him.
The dragon spoke slowly.
"You are unlike them."
"You do not resemble the artificial Pure Ones."
"You do not feel like them."
"You do not exist like them."
His voice lowered.
"When I first sensed you..."
"I thought I was mistaken."
"When I sensed you again..."
"I questioned my own memories."
"When I finally saw you..."
"...I understood."
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Your existence carries something..."
"...that should have disappeared long ago."
My breathing became quieter.
The dragon continued.
"I cannot see all of it."
"Something is obscuring my vision."
"Someone..."
"...placed a veil over your destiny."
His words caused my heart to skip.
The Beast Blood System.
Without realizing it—
My hand clenched.
The dragon noticed.
A faint smile appeared.
"So..."
"You've noticed it as well."
He knew.
Not everything.
But enough.
Enough to realize something protected me.
Enough to realize my existence had been hidden.
His expression became serious once more.
"Whatever guides your path..."
"It is not ordinary."
"It suppresses."
"It conceals."
"It protects."
Then—
His eyes softened.
"It also restrains."
My pupils narrowed.
He could sense that much?
The dragon slowly shook his head.
"I cannot explain it."
"Not yet."
"The time has not come."
He turned his gaze upward.
Beyond the hidden shadow-space.
Beyond the Realm.
Beyond even the heavens.
"When the veil finally falls..."
"...you will discover the truth yourself."
Silence.
The dragon looked at me one final time.
"There has only ever been one True Pure One."
"One Origin."
"One Beginning."
His silver-purple eyes shone brighter than before.
Then—
He smiled.
Not with mockery.
Not with pity.
But with genuine curiosity.
"Which is why..."
A long silence followed.
Every word seemed to carry the weight of countless ages.
"...you were never supposed to exist."
BOOM—
The sentence echoed through my soul.
Not because of power.
But because something deep within me...
Resonated.
As if a forgotten fragment buried inside my very existence...
Had heard those words before.
And remembered.