Volume 2, Chapter 6: The Sovereign's Embrace – The Birth of the Nine-Colored Star
The mindscape of the Dragon Ancestor was falling apart. The heavy grey fog of grief that filled the air began to shake and glow with a strange, intense light. On one side stood the Ancestor, a towering figure with a swirling nebula where his face should be, carrying the weight of endless sorrow. On the other side was Lakan Diwa, standing firm like an unshakable pillar, helping Gu Yuena hold onto her own soul.
The Ancestor realized something important. As long as Lakan's presence stayed connected to Gu Yuena's mind, the deep madness of grief could not fully take control. To him, this was a serious insult — an outsider interfering with what he believed was the sacred suffering of the entire Dragon Clan.
With a roar that didn't just make sound but struck straight at the idea of existence itself, the Ancestor created a final mental attack. He formed a spear made of pure, concentrated loss and pain, then thrust it toward Lakan, trying to force the Sovereign's spirit out of the mindscape.
Lakan didn't flinch. He stayed calm and used his ability to see many possible futures at once. He didn't block the attack with a blade. Instead, he simply spoke with absolute authority.
"Your past has no right to control her future," Lakan's voice rang out clearly.
But the Ancestor had one last trick. Instead of continuing the fight inside the mind, he poured every last bit of the Dragon God's power into Gu Yuena's physical body before her mind was ready to handle it.
Outside the mindscape, the other God-Kings watched in shock as Gu Yuena's body began to change in a terrifying way. Her silver-and-gold aura exploded outward violently.
A massive pillar of nine-colored light shot up into the dark indigo sky, breaking through the ceiling of the valley. From that light emerged something ancient and overwhelming — the True Dragon God Form.
She had become a colossal dragon with nine-colored scales that hurt the eyes of even the God-Kings just to look at. But there was no wisdom or control in her eyes anymore. Only a swirling, empty rage.
The Dragon God Form of Gu Yuena opened her mouth and unleashed a Breath of Primal Elements. It wasn't normal fire or ice. It was a beam of pure breaking down — a force that could tear apart anything it touched.
Ji Dong and Lie Yan quickly combined their powers to create a protective shield of Yin-Yang energy, but the nine-colored breath ate through it like acid through thin paper. They were forced to fall back, their clothes scorched by the overwhelming power.
Bibi Dong tried to use her Abyss power to hold the dragon down, but the Dragon God Form simply existed with too much raw strength. The dragon swung its massive tail, creating a powerful vacuum that threatened to suck the air out of the entire valley.
"She's too strong right now!" Qian Renxue shouted, her twelve wings beating hard to stay steady in the chaotic energy. "Her power has grown massively, but she has completely lost control!"
Back inside the mindscape, the violent rampage in the real world created a strong feedback. It yanked Lakan's consciousness back into his body. He staggered for a brief moment, then his eyes snapped open. He saw his wives, Ji Dong, and Lie Yan being pushed back by the raging nine-colored dragon that Gu Yuena had become.
Lakan didn't waste any time. He knew that if he didn't step in, Gu Yuena would burn out her own soul by using more power than her body could handle.
"Forgive me for this, Yuena," Lakan whispered. "I need to hold you down for a little while so you can come back to yourself."
He stepped forward into the air and, for the first time since becoming a full God, released his True Phoenix God Form — Ang Bathalang Adarna, the Adarna of Creation.
The change wasn't a sudden explosion. It unfolded naturally and beautifully.
His human skin seemed to melt away, revealing feathers made of solidified law that shimmered with all seven hues like liquid diamond. Behind his head, the Ten Phoenix Kings appeared as ten majestic heads of living, colorful fire. His body grew larger. In this higher dimension, size was something he could choose. He expanded until his wings covered the entire Dragon Valley like a protective sky. His long tail became flowing ribbons of light that gently stitched together the broken spaces caused by Gu Yuena's rampage.
In his full Adarna form, Lakan swooped down. He didn't attack to hurt her. Instead, he used his long tail of infinite light to carefully wrap around the nine-colored dragon. It looked like a gentle weaver trying to calm a raging star with silk.
The mindless Dragon God Gu Yuena roared and bit at Lakan's neck with the force of a thousand suns. But Lakan didn't feel pain. His eyes — twin pulsars of creation and stability — locked onto hers. His liquid-diamond feathers simply reflected and scattered her nine-colored energy harmlessly away.
"Gu Yuena!" Lakan's ten heads spoke together in a powerful chorus. "Come back to yourself! The Ancestor's grief is just a lie! Your own heart is the only truth you need!"
He wrapped his massive wings around her, holding the raging nine-colored dragon firmly against the ground of the valley. He held her with both the tenderness of someone who cared and the unbreakable strength of a Sovereign, keeping her wild power contained safely inside his own field.
Inside the protection of Lakan's wings, the violent struggling slowly calmed down. The connection between them was now stable. Gu Yuena was finally truly alone inside her own mind. Lakan had done everything he could — he had protected both her and the world. Now, all he could do was believe in her strength.
Deep inside her mind, everything was dark. But in that darkness, Gu Yuena heard the clear echo of Lakan's ten voices calling to her.
She stood up straight. The painful vision of the dying Prince was still there. The Ancestor still loomed over her. But this time, she no longer felt the urge to break down. She looked at the Ancestor not as a frightened daughter, but as someone who had grown stronger.
"You think this grief can destroy me," Gu Yuena said, her voice steady and clear. "But you're wrong. You failed, and you believe I will fail too."
She walked straight toward the towering nebula figure. With every step she took, the nine-colored light around her became clearer and brighter.
"I won't reject your grief, Ancestor," she continued, reaching out her hand. "I will take it. I will carry the screams of all our people and turn them into the foundation of a better world — a world where those screams never have to happen again. I will turn your madness into my compassion."
She reached into the Ancestor's chest. Her hand didn't meet flesh. It met a swirling storm of endless pain and memory. She grasped the Dragon God's Divine Heart.
As she pulled it out, the Ancestor didn't roar in anger. For a brief moment, the nebula cleared, revealing a pair of very old, very tired eyes. In them was not rage, but a quiet look of relief.
Outside, Lakan felt the shift immediately. The raging nine-colored dragon beneath his wings suddenly went still. The violent, destructive energy softened and turned into a warm, steady rhythm that matched perfectly with his own Phoenix Heart.
Lakan slowly opened his wings and returned to his human form. His robes fluttered gently in the now-calm air.
Gu Yuena stood in the center of the valley. She was no longer a mindless beast. She had returned to her human shape, but her hair now flowed like a permanent cascade of nine-colored silk. Floating above her palm was the Dragon God's Divine Heart, beating calmly in perfect harmony with the world around it.
She looked at Lakan, her eyes filled with a deep wisdom that made her seem older than time itself.
"I am here, Lakan," she said. Her voice now carried nine beautiful tones at once.
The Dragon Valley, once a place of grey death and bones, began to change. From the crushed bone-dust on the ground, small nine-colored flowers started to bloom. The giant rib cages of the ancient dragons glowed with a soft, peaceful white light. They were no longer just remains of the dead — they had become pillars of a new sanctuary.
The Dragon God Ancestor's ghost didn't disappear. He remained seated on his throne, his form now calm and stable, quietly watching the new Sovereign take her rightful place.
Lakan smiled, that familiar confident and slightly playful expression returning to his face.
"Welcome back, Your Majesty," he said warmly. "I think we have a Federation to build together."
End of Volume 2, Chapter 6