Chapter 03: Reborn
Dragon calendar: Year: 1,001,000 M.A, Sokratis (January) 01st
Tak. Tak. Tak.
The sound of footsteps echoed through the massive hallway to a heavy and sorrowful rhythm.
The floor, gleaming like polished mirrors—reflecting those walking on the surface—and red velvet carpet woven with finest gold and crimson thread, welcomed the weight of the one who walked past giant pillars under the high ceilings in a hurry.
The man, who looked like an ant entering a palace of a human king, ignored all the dazzling luxury as he increased his speed.
His fist clenched, jaw tightly closed after he exhaled heavily once.
It appeared that he failed miserably at maintaining an expression devoid of any negative emotion. Perhaps because he was tall, his always downcast eyes had an innate sense of sadness in it.
Tak!
His footsteps stopped. He lifted his face, displaying his yellow diamond eyes full of empty and exhausted emotions.
In front of him was a massive door guarded by two olive skinned, pointy eared men in armor.
He stared at the heavily guarded door, struggling with his inner monologue of depressing thoughts while nodding to the guards on the side.
Two golden dragons, soaring their magnificent six wings and looking at each other calmly were engraved on the thick and luxurious looking door. Gems and rare metals adorned it as if it was a gate to another dimension crafted by some unknown entity with authority over space.
A huge arcane magic circle, glowing bright-orange, protected the door steadily. It was also surrounded by a few smaller magic circles in the same hue.
Snap!
The man lifted his hand elegantly and snapped once. All the magic circles reacted to his command and disappeared with few sparkles.
Creech!
The massive door swung open with an echoing creak, revealing a breathtaking sight.
A grand dome-like room with a ceiling soaring high above came to his view. A chandelier in a size even a giant would find impressive sparkled with crystals, like captured stars and rainbows.
He took a deep breath before entering the room.
"Elie!" A deep voice rang out through the massive dome-like room as soon as he set foot in.
The man—Elysium, looked straight at the person that called out his pet name.
"I greet the 48th monarch and former—" As he was about to bow, the one who called his name raised his hand in a displeased manner.
"Enough with the useless chatter, tell me what happened."
"Yes, father." Elysium nodded, his pale face regained a bit of its former colors as his tired gaze focused on his father.
Despite all things that made him distressed the past few days, the mere presence of his father seems to comfort his endless depressing thoughts.
They started walking towards the center of the dome with careful steps, as if they were in a sacred temple before an almighty God. The comfortable silence was broken by the man, which had a similar appearance to Elysium.
"What happened to him?"
As they walked, his father asked calmly, his every gesture sharp and calculated. An air of perfection hung around him as if it was part of himself from the moment of his birth.
Elysium replied with his usual exhausted and calculating voice, the kind that one would find from an overworked employee of a famous company.
"He attempted to use a self-created spell as soon as I arrived. With my quick analysis I was able to detect the foundation of the
There was a long silence before Elysium heard a small sigh. His father—Endymion, was rubbing his forehead with a troubled look on his face.
"He doesn't have neither space nor darkness attributes, there's a high chance of an outsider's mending." A small mumble escaped his lips.
Although Endymion had left the throne for 3000 years, he often found himself getting troubled by the affairs of Mitherr-ge.
"Then how about the situation on the continent of Midberest?" Endymion questioned again, taking off his hand from his jade white forehead and restoring his calm expression.
"It was reported that the tire L gate appeared there was already closed by my brother-in-law."
"Ah, it's a relief that Alexio was free at the time, otherwise humans might've found the gates and made a huge fuss by now."
This time, Elysium and Endymion both sighed in unison. Both had a look of undeniable tiredness.
"And…" Their gaze trailed off at some point, fixing on something in the middle of the dome.
A golden light gleamed on Elysium's eyes revealing slit-pupils for less than a half second before vanishing as if it never happened.
"...How are they?" His cold voice melted into something soft, something beautifully tender…something even the gods might covet as it echoed inside the dome, bringing a tiny smile to Endymion's lips as well.
In the middle of the dome, there stood a small pillar shrine, crafted by excellent marble and decorated with pure gold.
Regardless, what made the two men smile was not the craftsmanship of the shrine, but what was held by it.
What seemed to be two huge eggs, with a cell the color of golden sunset, occupied the platform in silence.
At first glance it looked like a divine relic, guarded by honorable and heroic holy knights from ancient fairytales. Two protective barriers; one with bright orange the hue of gorgeous marigolds, another with coral orange the color of dawn lilies hovered around it in silence.
"The one on the left wiggled a little." Said Endymion.
"Huh?" Elysium's eyes widened.
Light seems to fight the darkness within his empty and dull eyes with each word he absorbed from his father.
His actions were justified, for the egg Endymion pointed out was classified as a failure.
They thought it was likely to not hatch with a high probability of 80%.
Although that made him and his father very disheartening and depressed, they never gave up; continuously injecting mana and giving especial attention to the well being of the said egg.
"Hello, my children…"
His long fingers brushed against both eggs carefully. Warmth he could only find under the morning sun rays clinged to the tip of his fingers as if to remind him of the life inside those beautiful eggs. His lips, always a bit downcast, turned upward a little, giving his already gorgeous appearance a dazzling glow.
As he was about to retreat his arm, something happened.
Crack.
"Gasps!" Both Elysium and Endymion took a step back, eyes fixed on the egg they were most worried about.
Crack!
The time has come.
∆ ∆ ∆
After the golden glow ended with warmth and comfort, a wave of calmness and acceptance washed over her, as if her entire soul had been gently washed by the arms of tranquility.
The weight that had burdened her soul was miraculously lifted, replaced by a profound sense of peace, reminding her of an experience she only ever had experienced once.
It was the first time…
The first time she felt death in something that was not quite death.
The peaceful death she once experienced, the beauty of that darkness and loneliness… this moment reminded her of that kind of death.
Everywhere she looked, darkness greeted her as if they were old friends. Although for some it might feel lonely or fearsome, to her it was strangely comforting.
Time passed at snail pace as she tried to gouge her situation more clearly.
She knew for a fact that she wasn't alone.
There was a faint presence beside her.
She felt as if she was connected to someone by a thin thread, exchanging each other's emotions and thoughts as if a page on an opened book.
Although it felt strange, in truth she didn't hate it.
In her opinion, throughout her entire life, loneliness was something comforting. Yet this presence, which erases that loneliness, also felt oddly comforting to her beating heart.
Time passed more.
Slowly, deliberately; to remind her it has never abandoned her.
Be it before or after escaping The White Heaven, as a soul, she was always bound to the valuable and merciless time.
Truth to be told, she wasn't much concerned. Breaking all laws of time and escaping it entirely is impossible, even to those so called Gods.
And so, she decided to wait. Wait for something—anything to happen.
To a former prisoner of time, waiting was not an unfamiliar action. Her ability to grasp that flow of time better than anyone else told her it hasn't been a day since she was put in this darkness.
When she thought of the next step after this endless darkness let her go, something unexpected happened.
She felt her breath getting trapped inside her nasal pipe. Her blood vessels felt like they were about to burst. Something was blocking her all senses.
In a hurry, she turned to the presence next to her, only to find out that they felt the same way.
Was it death calling her?
The thought of dying never terrified her, yet for some reason, she wasn't ready to give up the second chance she got not even a day ago.
Hence in conclusion, she fought back that "something" that blocked her senses.
As she instructed the presence next to her to follow her movements, she kicked her hands and legs that had gotten short and odd shaped. She couldn't see, her vision was filled with endless darkness. But in that darkness her keen ears finally got a hang on a sound.
Crack.
For a moment, she paused her movements in bewilderment. But the sensation of something blocking her senses never ceased. Her leg bumped into something though, like iron.
Crack!
In the endless darkness, a blinding light welcomed her from the cracks she deduced to be from the iron walls around her. Her rationality fought against her saying there's no way she could crack an iron wall, but increasingly cracking walls and the light leaking pushed her rational thinking to the back of her mind.
Crack!!
Another crack, and…
Thud!
The ceiling of the "iron wall" completely cracked and fell off, revealing a dazzling dome-like ceiling, painted with beautiful illustrations of humanoid figures; with horns, wings, lizard-like eyes and tails. It reminded her of Michelangelo's Sistine chapel ceiling in her previous life. A massive chandelier, adorned with countless star-like crystals and gold greeted her vision.
She squished her eyes shut for a second, unable to face the light after a while of darkness.
"Gasps!"
A faint, surprised sound.
She immediately opened her eyes, switching to her defensive mood of the mind. The first thing her sharp eyes captured in this new world was an incomparably handsome man she deduced to be at age of 23 at most.
Long bright golden hair and beautiful golden eyes that seemed to peer into one's very being, perfect high nose and rosy lips as if sculpted by the god of sculptures and craftsmanship, all held together by the finishing touches of his strong jawline and high cheekbones. Broad shoulders and tall figure a tad bit away from reaching 2 meters tall complimented with his flawless jade skin was the picture perfect definition of a god.
Even the most excellent sculptor in the universe would've wondered who crafted this gorgeous man. If all those aspects of him are put together into one word, she would say "otherworldly". She almost doubted if he was a descendant of that mysterious entity. He was simply majestic and graceful, exuding an aura of authority. It seemed to make those around him obey, respect or fear him without his own effort.
"Ah…It's a girl!" He softly exclaimed, even his voice was textbook perfect.
His eyes, like melted high-quality yellow diamonds, glowed once in warmth, erasing his dull and lifeless emotions completely, displaying his hidden slit-pupils in the process.
Even from afar, she could tell those eyes were slowly getting watery.
His white and gold attire, similar to what a God or an elf would wear in fantasy novels, was decorated in golden robes and accessories. But what made him truly unique was the helmet-like horned crown he was wearing.
Thin golden vines adorned around his forehead and head, forming two pairs of horns; one pair long and thick, curving upwards. The other pair are a bit shorter and thin, yet still curved sideways gracefully.
It was embedded with white diamonds and sparkling yellow diamonds, appearing as if golden vines were trying to devour them. Tiny gold chains dangling on either sides of his face and horns with tiny crystals and gems in teardrop shape made a harmonious song like a fairy's laughter.
Her eyes widened. Because with all those details, she knew who he was.
Before she was sent here, the entity imbued her with memories of three individuals.
The first individual had a very close relationship with this man in front of her.
'Elysium Haris Eleftherios. 49th Monarch and The Dragon King.'
Yes, a dragon. Prideful and long-lived creatures. But most importantly, in this world they were the only race that was very rarely touched by the passage of time and human sentiment.
'But why's he here?' As she pondered alone, tilting her head, her eyes captured another otherworldly being.
If she dared to judge, she would accurately say he was at most 28 in human age, with a tall figure almost at 2 meters level.
His hair, as soft as silk and a bit paler in hue than Elysium's was breaded loosely, flowing down from one of his broad shoulders. He wore a thin golden forehead crown, shaped like Laurel leaves with emerald gems dangling, giving him a look of a forest nymph from ancient mythologies.
Long golden eyelashes surrounded his eyes as bright as amber gems. His well refined body, evidence of hard training, was revealed here and there from his loose robes and luxurious looking attire.
A beautiful jawline that looked as if it was drawn by a divine brush complimented his handsome appearance. His ancient yet graceful movements seemed to slow time itself. His warm and gentle gaze that held centuries of fairytale like stories and old secrets were directed only at her.
Frankly—she thought—even poets would find it difficult to praise his overwhelming beauty.
He too, was someone she already knew from those gifted memories.
'Endymion Fotis Eleftherios VII.'
That was his name. The former dragon king with a scarred past and a broken heart.
Then suddenly, a realization hit her.
Badum.
'No,wait. If they are here, then does that mean…'
Badum. Badum.
For the first time after millions of years, she panicked. Her gaze fell on her hands, only to find tiny claws and beautiful golden scales.
Badum. Badum. Badum.
She could feel her heart pounding as she fell out of the broken cell, which at first she identified as an iron wall.
"Oh dear… " with a short giggle, Elysium took a step forward.
His robs rustled and golden chains of his crown made a tiny bell-like sound. The aroma of vanilla, ancient magic and a brand new book opened under summer sunlight that clung to him enveloped her like a highest quality perfume.
The next minute, his arms opened like a tree that suffered in darkness reaching for the sun. And gently—Oh, so gently that even the parents of the most loved child in the world couldn't understand—He wrapped them around her, lifting her up to the air.
Tears pooled in his formerly dull and lifeless eyes. His pale ears and cheeks slowly got bright red as he observed her every movement. His pupils shook slightly as he peered into her eyes with a gaze so heartbreakingly soft that it could only be made by a mother when looking at her beloved child.
As their eyes met, she saw her reflection on his ready-to-rain eyes.
Two pairs of tiny horns, wings, a round lizard-like head and a mouth, sharp teeth and glittering soft-golden scales. And most importantly, a pair of golden eyes, as if they were crafted by pure yellow diamonds. Those were what she was made of.
'No way.' Her mouth hung open.
'Am I…a dragon?!'
Crack! Thud!
At that moment, her focus was stolen by the sudden sound.
"Chrip…chrip?." A soft, birdlike sound, not befitting of the people present there, echoed in the dome.
Her eyes, which were already widened, got more rounder.
There he was.
The pitiful and naive person who truly urged her to take an absurd mission of breaking universal laws and twisting the time—more or less.
The first individual who shared his memories with her—although he wasn't aware.
The person she promised to save just before her reincarnation.
"Chrip! (You!)" She exclaimed, but only that same bird-like chirping came out of her mouth.
"Ahahaha! Welcome to this world, little one!"
Endymion soon stepped in, taking the person she wanted to grab and shake, exclaiming; "why the hell am i here with you!" into an embrace. A gentle smile tugging his lips.
"Yes, welcome to this world, my lovely children. " A whisper so soft it felt almost broken escaped Elysium.
Plop.plop.
As she was about to exclaim again, something shocking happened once again.
Two water droplets, shaped like big pearls dropped on to the back of her paws. She lifted her head slightly.
That's when she saw. Tears with a hint of golden tint, dripped down from Elysium's eyes.
It felt… heartbreaking, lonely and sorrowful. It was clear as day that those tears were surpassed for an unimaginable amount of years.
Even while crying, he was still gorgeous, if this was painted into a portrait, she was sure it would've been world famous, secured in a museum like Mona Lisa.
"...Chirp (Unbelievable.)" She mumbled in a daze.
From the corner of her eyes, she could see even Endymion tearing up.
She simply stared at them. Silence, heavy with emotions she didn't quite understand, filled the air. No, maybe she knew what they were feeling.
Dragons live long lives, yes. But even so, time can bleed them dry.
Time can break them beyond repair.
Time can…do anything.
From the foreign memories she obtained, she kind of knew what had happened to them, what kind of pain they were carrying alone.
Endymion; the former dragon king, lost his beloved wife in the last demon war—Etrenal Eclipse, about 3000 years ago.
To dragons, who have only one companion in life and death, losing their mate; Apomero was a huge blow on the back of their head.
The fate of a dragon who lost their Apomero is usually self-destruction, because after death, as celestial spirits, they can be together again in The Celestial Plain.
Hence, usually they just waste away in their lair, painfully alone. Or commit suxcxde in hope of salvation.
Although Endymion did not pass away like that, he couldn't live normally with a broken heart. He gave up the crown right after the war ended with his victory.
Thereafter, He spent his life quietly in his lair, away from the worldly matters.
It was said that he banned his own son from approaching him. A bit pathetic, yes. But when he was informed that his daughter-in-law also passed away after laying two eggs at once, he put an end to his pathetic lifestyle and came out of his lair to help his son.
In the case of Elysium, he too was miserable in his own way.
After his mother's death, he became the youngest Dragon King at the age of 1080. It could be said that his life was more peaceful compared to his father.
He took his beloved Apomero as his Queen Consort and ruled Mitherr-ge to his best effort, just like all other Dragon Monarchs did.
For him, who was never greedy for anything more, life was perfect. Well it was perfect only until his wife laid two eggs and passed away.
Two dragon eggs at once.
It was extremely rare for a dragon to lay two eggs at once. Even laying one egg greatly exhausts the dragon mother, weakening their powers and stability of their body greatly.
After laying an egg, the dragon mother goes into a deep slumber that could last up to a thousand years. And although very rare, that slumber threatens their lives sometimes. That was also one of the reasons why dragons were reluctant to reproduce offspring.
For Queen Hestia—a Fae-dragon, which was considered the weakest type of dragon—laying two eggs and staying alive was impossible.
There were a few cases where dragons laid two eggs at once, it wasn't a foreign concept. But the unbearable fact was that just like all dragon mothers who laid two eggs passed away, Hestia too said farewell to this world.
This greatly affected Elysium's mental state. Making the former playful and cheerful dragon somewhat cold and distant, dull to the emotions.
If this was a typical fantasy novel she read somewhere on the internet, she was sure they would have wreak havoc, burning down the world for their lost love. Dramatic and unrealistic, typically overpowered lovers in fantasy novels are like that.
But maybe because this was the reality, or because the dragons are somewhat rational. While Endymion locked himself away for a few thousand years, Elysium got addicted to his work. A workaholic, in other words.
The first mistake they made after trying very hard to act rational and calculating all those years was when this moment came in the original timeline.
The first memory of the little hatchling in Endymion's arms was somewhat traumatizing for a baby, who was in the process of creating his own personality and maturing his soul.
The emotions he felt from the two adults weren't this warm and cozy. Their gazes weren't this soft and tender.
They were broken.
Because one egg didn't crack,
Because they lost another loved one,
They were consumed by grief to the point they unknowingly traumatized the little hatchling.
Thus, unlike the original timeline, when both eggs hatched safely they must've felt very relieved. And the thought of welcoming new family members to their lonely life might've made them somewhat emotional.
To her, who never had a true family she cherished, It was simply amusing to see.
It hasn't even been ten minutes since they met, but she could feel it. Those emotions, those eyes looking at her as if she was giving them salvation, as if they were slowly getting free from shackles of past agony, were completely different from the original timeline.
Endymion and Elysium gently placed the two hatchlings on the platform. She, whose height suddenly decreased to their waistline, lifted her head with a puzzled look.
"It's time for the naming ritual." Maybe sensing her puzzlement, Endymion explained kindly, flashing his signature eye-smile for the first time.
'Ah, it's blinding.'
To protect her eyes from his overly beautiful smile, her gaze shifted to Elysium. And alas, he was in a worse condition than Endymion.
Elysium was now brightly beaming as if he never cried. Feeling her gaze he nodded proudly.
"My lovely daughter and The Princess of Dragons," Elysium bent down, placing a soft kiss on her little forehead.
Then in a tender and mysterious voice he declared;
"You who will dazzle beautifully like the setting sun before dusk shall be named Kyriaki Elpis Eleftherios." His eyes shone from a lustrous golden glow, displaying his dragon pupils once again.
Kyriaki felt her pounding heart aching.
For what reason? She didn't know.
She just…felt familiar, once again.
But one thing is clear. She liked her name. So much so she felt joy for the first time in aeons.
"And my dear son and The Prince of Dragons," Elysium leaned towards the little hatchling next to her.
She already knew his name, but it wouldn't hurt to witness the naming ritual of the future Dragon King.
"You who will shine brightly like the rising sun in dawn shall be named Kyrios Ermin Eleftherios from now on." As Elysium also kissed the forehead of the little hatchling next to her, she observed them in silence, surpassing her dragon instincts to cheer loudly.
'Right, this guy right here…' She—now named Kyriaki, narrowed her eyes, looking at Kyrios who was now chirping delightfully as if the whole world had become his.
'The foolish guy who is much similar to my past life.'
Maybe because of her emotions or the intense gaze, Kyrios looked at her with the same golden eyes as hers. The only difference was that his eyes were shining with curiosity and happiness.
Kyriaki sighed.
'Well, I did promise to save this fool of a pushover if we ever meet again, but not even in my wildest dream I thought we would meet this fast.'
She shook her head and glanced at her now father and grandfather. Their eyes, filled with countless emotions yet clearly displaying the most powerful one among all; love, was fixed on them.
Yes, a love so deep that all the writers in the world would struggle to put it into words, a love that was forever blooming like a flower in the garden of a divine entity.
A love she couldn't understand.
A love she never expected.
A love she thought couldn't be hers.
But maybe… just maybe…
One day, If she was so desperate, If she was so curious;
She would make an effort to understand and claim.
A love like that.
With that thought in mind, Kyriaki sighed again; marking the first day of the former prisoner of time, receiving a brand new name for her brand new life in a brand new world.
She had unexpectedly become The Princess of Dragons and the twin sister of one of key individuals in the upcoming war.
…And someone who never existed in the original timeline.
∆ ∆ ∆
"In the infinite universe, there are only a few races that can challenge the authority of dragons."
—God of victory from dimension Gaia-4088971-GK—