Chapter 27: Prime-Dimensional Gate
Dragons calendar: 1,001,100 M.A, Georgios (April) 25th
The spring was in full bloom on the continent of Lifianest, which was the place the Dragon King's Lair was built.
The spring is like a divine artist, sprinkling flowers in colors that bewitch butterflies, coloring fresh leaves of the spring's new coat with beautiful shades of green.
If only one looked up, they'd have realized how he paints the sunset and sunrise in various warm colors each and every day to tell how different a sky can be, how the blue sky was rivaling the ocean with its vibrant hue.
If they looked down, they'd have realized how he had decorated the world with his tears of hard work in the name of morning dew, how he had asked spring fairies to make the seeds of hope spout.
His duty is to banish the slumbering winter's cold breath and replace it with the breeze that appears when he moves his brush around. He has to wake up lakes and rivers and tell them the stories of his most perfect masterpiece; the land of colors. He has to sing with the bird twitters, paint the coats of animals that had woken up from his lovely nagging.
That was what spring is.
Lively as a cheerful artist.
Although replicated, this spring was also present on the moon, in a certain palace, inside a certain room that had been transformed into a vast training ground with the help of magic.
[Ding!]
[You've been leveled up!]
[You rank has been upgraded to F- > F]
[Your Holy power stat has upgrade to F- > F]
[You've been leveled up!]
[You rank has been upgraded to F > F+]
[Your Holy power stat has upgrade to F > F+]
A familiar sound and a semi-transparent screen announced its presence. But the little girl who was swinging a sword had no particular reaction.
She spun around, repeatedly performing fast horizontal strikes.
Her long sword was no more, in the place of her blade was a whip made of flat blades. Over 10 meters long, it appeared as if it was making more than five circles around her as she spun around.
Her vivid yellow diamond eyes shone brilliantly, as if she was deep in a dream. A dream so beautiful that it made her reluctant to wake up.
Unbeknown to her, her body was slowly getting wrapped in a thin layer of Basic Sword Aura that shone in not the sky-blue that all warriors possess, but the multi colors of a faceted angel aura quartz.
Due to her Sub-authority;
Basic Sword Aura was something that every warrior has until they update it into True Aura gaining their Unique color in their 6th tire. It was a type of energy fueled by Mana. According to rules, one has to become a weapon master to obtain a unique color.
But Kyriaki, who had broken many laws, didn't care the moment she realized her situation.
Why would she?
She already had made a contract with The Will of the World anyway.
The multicolored Sword Aura embraced her like a dancer's veil, fluttering blissfully like it has its own will.
She didn't know how her sword was vibrating with her heart, as if resonating with her emotions and imagination all at once.
She didn't know her Basic Sword Aura was creating an illusion of a grand piano above her in beautiful neon lights, shaping it with tiny Aura pollen like carefully putting pieces of a puzzle together.
She certainly didn't know her sword was emitting a melody so sorrowful, so tragic it made those watching her instinctively tear up.
A beautiful piano melody… a masterpiece even classic musicians would fall in love with.
She was like a woman who had lost her love in the hands of a cruel world, had been dragged into the deepest pit of hell one could find on earth and had finally broken down.
Her sorrow... It was lonely as if she wanted to find warmth in this cold feeling.
Her silence…it was soft as if she wanted to reattach her broken soul somehow.
Her unjust…It was painful as if her heart was being squished by an iron hand.
She was a tragic pianist, broken and lost. Pouring her emotions on the keyboard of a grand piano like this was her last performance before her soul shattered to pieces beyond repair.
Ah…how beautifully heart-breaking the melody was.
Only Endymion and Elysium, who were watching, could understand.
They felt all those emotions as if they were the one feeling that tragedy.
"...If I was the one facing that sword. I would have pause, feeling that sorrow, feeling that loneliness and unjust. I'm sure it would have felt like an iron hand was actually squishing my heart, unknown voices whispering how broken I must be in silence." His yellow diamond eyes never left his daughter's side as Elysium whispered softly. His voice trembled slightly at the end, proving everything he said was true.
"Yes. It seems to be infused with Mind attribute and Sound control magic of Wind Attribute. The sword is vibrating to the rhythm she is imagining in her head, making those sounds. And the sound is fused with Mind Attribute magic that secretly misleads and confuses your emotions using Sword Aura as a medium. Similar to the principles of a siren's song." Endymion nodded.
"Right now, she is spreading her Sword Aura everywhere, so the impact is less destructive. But if she was unleashing that sword art on a person, her Sword Aura would prioritize that target and without any doubts all those sounds and emotions would be directed at them. It's enough to take down a 4th tire Medium-level Sword Expert in an instant." He then added without hesitation.
Elysium exhaled a deep breath and clutched his heart slightly, then in a low voice as if he didn't want his voice to tremble anymore, he said; "We are dragons. We are immune to Mind magic, father."
"That's the terrifying part. It seems to be the mind attribute, but it's not entirely made of just that. There's something mysterious mixed in it, an energy I find quite troublesome to fathom."
"...This…what should I say in a time like this?"
"Truly terrifying." Endymion replied. Although his voice was calm, his facial expression was far from it.
"...She's making a weapon art on her own before advancing to the 7th tire."
"Don't forget about her Sword Aura. Although it's still Basic Sword Aura, the color has changed as if she had claimed it as her own."
"...She has a personal color before she advanced to the 6th tire."
"True."
"...And it has a mysterious energy mixed in, capable of affecting dragons; the strongest and wisdom-filled race in the universe."
"That is correct"
"...I've given birth to a monster."
"I told you she was a monster." Endymion and Elysium both said in unison.
A second passed. Then, the corners of their lips twitched.
"She's our monster." Elysium finally gave up, smiling proudly.
"You are really hopeless." Endymion shook his head, his lips still twitching as if he was a broken robot.
"You are no different, father."
"Well, that's indeed true."
Both of them chuckled softly, as if it couldn't be helped. But soon, their laughter froze as if they were hit by a boulder on the top of their heads. Their beautiful golden eyes widened in utter befuddlement.
"Ria!!!" Elysium screamed as if his heart was breaking before vanishing into thin air. Leaving behind sparks of an already fading arcane magic circle.
He appeared right next to Kyriaki, who was staggering with crying bloody tears, and tightly held her so that she wouldn't fall. Her nostrils, mouth, ears and all of her finger nails were leaking golden blood as if she had obtained another ring.
But Elysium knew, it wasn't for that reason that she was bleeding this heavily.
"For the sake of Thanasios—" he couldn't help but curse under his breath.
"...Dad?" Kyriaki looked up, She appeared to be finally free from her trance.
The whip-sword immediately gathered into a longsword like it was made new. Her face twisted in pain, her body slightly trembled as she let the sword get sucked into her smartwatch inventory.
For a dragon, this kind of pain was rare. Nevertheless, she appeared to be enduring it surprisingly well.
Elysium felt her passive skill
He swore inwardly to the universe for only giving a cheap healing skill to frail hatchlings instead of fully granting the maximum output of the skill from the beginning.
"You made a weapon art way above your current level. Your body cannot perform this kind of weapon art yet, if you keep this up, your core might crack." Endymion landed right next to them softly while unfolding his huge dragon wings on the back. His tone was as if he was some kind of a Chinese martial artist advising his disciple of the way of the sword.
"Ah!" Kyriaki's brilliant golden eyes grew large. She then started at the empty air as if calculating something in her mind.
Elysium sighed with a troubled look.
"Ria, this isn't time for you to check your system. I'm begging you, please have some rest."
"Ah, I can't do that! Tomorrow is the day the Prime-dimensional gate change occurs, and we'll be going on a field trip to observe the situation! Not to mention, the crimson moon is coming up too."
Despite her strong rejection, she was forced to relax in her room with the promise of letting her go on the field trip. But Elysium made sure to warn Kyriaki that further training or studies were firmly forbidden.
In just ten minutes, she was laying on her unnecessarily large bed, covered with thick blankets. She didn't understand why she had to mimic humans even in her sleep, it's not like she could ever get cold, but she faithfully followed Elysium's command so as not to get a ban on her field trip.
'Now that the storm has passed…' Kyriaki summoned her system.
[Ding] [Ding!] [Ding!!] Notifications poured like an unpredictable and heavy autumn rain.
[You've completed the Whip-Sword Art: First Form: First technique (100% completed)]
[Would you like to name your Whip-sword art?]
A soft giggle escaped her mouth without her realizing it.
'No, but I'd like to name my technique.'
[Understood. Please continue with your name]
'Hmmm…I thought a lot about it. In the end, only lame names come to my mind.'
[Then would you like me to—]
"No!" Kyriaki hastily glared at the screen, forgetting she actually said it out loud.
Noticing her own shift, she then cleared her throat, calming her facial muscles.
'Even if it's lame, even if I would go down in history for being a dragon with bad naming skills, I'll do whatever I want.' She firmly communicates with the System in her mind.
[... please continue with your name, Host]
A faint smile naturally bloomed on her adorable face upon the system's resigned tone.
'Last Melody Of The Weeping Piano.'
[Ding!]
[Do you want to name your Whip-sword Art technique as "Last Melody Of The Weeping Piano"?
Yes/No]
'Yes'
[Loading]
[Your Whip-Sword Technique has been registered]
[Whip-Sword Art: First Form: Last Melody Of The Weeping Piano]
Kyriaki nodded in satisfaction. Although long and a bit cringe, the name fit her masterpiece really well.
'Show me my Element merging process too.'
[Ding!]
[Element merging process
Light: 100%
Darkness: 07%
Fire: 01%
Water: 14%
Earth: 01%
Wind: 11%
Metal: 01%
Magma: 01%
Ice: 01%
Wood: 03%
Lightning: 01%
Mind: 66%
Space: 35%
Time: 70%]
'Only four elements had merged by a preferable percentage, rest is still low in adaptation. Why is it so slow? Should I eat more Elixirs?'
[You must always be patient, Host]
'Oh shut up, I wasn't talking to you.'
[...]
[Host, your personality is—]
'Show me my status window.'
[...]
'And don't complain, this is the only way to take my petty revenge from you.'
[...At least you know it's petty]
[Ding!]
[Status window
Name: Kyriaki Elpis Eleftherios
Race: Dragon(Hatchling) Sub race: Arch dragon
Age: 100 years
Core Rank: F+
Job(s): Beginner Mage(Low)
Title(s): The crown princess of dragons
Attribute(s): Light, Darkness, Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Magma, Ice, Metal, Wood,Lightning, Mind, Space, Time.
Abnormality: Stigma of chaos (caution)
Authority: Link to the omniverse
Strength: B
Defence: B+
Agility: B+
Sense: B+
Vitality: A
Mana: ∞
Holy power: F+
Intelligent: S+
Charm: S
Skills:
Unique
Passive
Active
Warrior imprint
Mage imprint
Without the help of a grimoire, Kyriaki was able to learn three more spells.
And the skill
Although it wasn't useful to her, it might come in handy when doing team missions, was what Kyriaki thought.
"Good. I'm ready for the day of the Crimson moon." Kyriaki mumbled to herself in a low tone.
∆ ∆ ∆
Gates.
What are gates?
Those are portals that connect five planes together. Those gates have been put into two categories by the dragons.
The most common dimensional rift gates were divided into 11 ranks by the color and the power of the portal. They are temporary gates that have limitations and restrictions for people that can go through one.
For example a Grey color gate of G rank could only be crossed by those with that rank Limitation. Whether they were monsters, angels or humans, the species doesn't matter.
And once you find the Dimensional crystal that tore open the space and broke it, the gate will naturally close.
The second category of this type is just one single gate, located in a very secretive and a hard-to reach place. The origin of this gate was unknown, as some dragons guess it was naturally formed while the creation of the planet was in the process.
Anyhow, the gate was out of the will of Mitherr-ge's control, leaving the dragons as the gatekeepers of this troublesome task of controlling it. As even before God's war, this was the duty dragons had to fulfil.
The gate was usually called the "Prime-Dimensional Gate", located on the moon. A permanent gate that could be crossed by any rank at any time.
It has the power to occasionally change its destination and summon the crimson moon where waves of hostile monsters and races of all types were mind controlled to attack the Primal Plane.
Only dragons were immune to the mind control of this gate.
At this time, the Prime-Dimensional Gate was connected to the Cosmic plane for over five hundred years. When the crimson moon is summoned every four years at a random date, Divine Beasts of the Cosmic plane emerge from the gate in a frenzy of bloodlust.
As not even Angels were immune to the power of the gate, occasional visits from mind-controlled Angels of Cosmic Plane were also inevitable.
On the night of crimson, all existing gates on the planet get influenced by the Aura of the Prime-Dimensional Gate, allowing gate outbursts.
Hence in a sense, the Prime-Dimensional Gate was an unrootable headache to Dragons.
In fact, this unrootable problem was the reason Dragons developed a device that could predict the changes of the gate destination and the accurate date of the crimson moon summoning. It also accurately detects the presence of living beings from the other side.
According to the device, the destination of the Prime-Dimensional Gate was supposed to change on the day of 1,001,100 M.A, Georgios (April) 26th in the dragon calendar.
"Ohhhh~ It's flickering!! It's flickering!!!" Kyrios jumped up and down while holding Kyriaki's hand. His tone suggested that he was truly happy and excited.
Kyriaki let him hold her hand without saying much. If she refuses, he might get hurt. And hurting a little child, especially when he was her brother, was not appropriate for her dignity.
Her yellow diamond eyes turned to the gate from a far away instead.
The gate was made of pure Dimension crystals, which boasted a beautiful space cherry color. However unlike common Dimension crystals that had a space violet hue and were easy to break, those strange crystals were so strong it withstood the dragon breath of the most strongest dragon in the history.
Simply put, they were unbreakable, just like divine diamonds.
Kyriaki observed the gate thoughtfully with an indifferent expression. The unimpressive shaped gate that looked like an arched door appeared incredibly large.
Kyriaki thought she could fit four ancient dragons at once there. The crimson red veil that prevented them from seeing the other side looked like a broken tv screen, flickering in an uncanny manner.
She then glanced around as she lost interest in the Prime-Dimensional Gate. All students of EESOP were there inside a safety barrier that also helped Dark Elves to breathe freely. And between them and the gate were dozens of dragons in their true forms as well as so many military spaceships carrying warrior elves, ready to take actions at any moment.
'It's not like Avxngexs endgame. Why are you acting like it's war?' Kyriaki, who knew the future, couldn't help but laugh inwardly.
"It's changing!" Euclid next to her mumbled softly. Yet his excitement could hardly be hidden in those whispers.
Kyriaki sharply turned her head, looking at the gate without changing her expression.
The Prime-Dimensional Gate flickering like an error had occurred, leaking a crimson red aura. The ground vibrated as if foretelling an earthquake. Everyone held their breath, eager to witness an event that they had only read in books.
The gravitation around the gate seemed to become high as their bodies turned a bit heavier than usual. This went on for about ten minutes without a rest. But no one complained. Analysing this uncanny object was far beyond their knowledge.
After what felt like an hour, every little movement stopped like it was all an illusion. Except for truly experienced people, everyone else looked puzzled.
Just as they were about to open their mouths, a low sound that felt like millions of bees buzzing together speared through the area. A second later the ground began to shake violently.
Some surprised exclamations came from among the students. But etiquette and discipline were not the topics their minds were focused on. The sound got louder and louder, the violent shaking got stronger.
Unable to stand up on their two feet, some young elves flopped on their butt, hitting the ground with painful cries.
And then, without a warning, everything froze.
Or does the word "Desist" best fit the situation?
At first no one had any idea. They glanced at the gate with even more bewildered expressions. The gate flickered once again and the dark crimson aura vanished like it caught in an imaginary wind.
Everything turned to normal as if it all was a nasty lie told by a mischievous teenager.
—Report—
"Reporting, Your Majesty! We calculated a 6.94 magnitude upheaval."
—How about the changed direction? Was it a new place in the Cosmic plane or a whole new plane?—
—Your Majesty, permission to speak—
—Speak—
—Our results show that the plane it opened was the Void Plane—
—Any abnormal behavior?—
"None."
—Good. Continue with the report—
"Your majesty, the scale of sound waves this time was—"
But the experienced dragons and the dark elves were different.
They calmly recorded every little detail happened in that few minutes. And Elysium was discussing the recorded information with his close aides.
The students watched them from afar, their gazes filled with awe.
"...but something feels strange." When Euclid voiced his concerns, Sirius next to him nodded like a broken doll.
"... usually when a gate changes, at least a few people or monsters cross it to the primal plane."
But there was no sign of any living creature coming from the other side. The first one to realize it was not the children but the adults on the front line. They seemed to be shaken by the sudden variability too. Mummers grew as unanswered questions formed in their heads.
—I-I feel a presence!— Just then, a dragon holding a device that looked like a radar stepped forward.
—Just one?—
—Yes, 2 kilometers from the gate. That's the only living creature our radars can detect—
—Hmmm— Endymion glanced at the crimson gate.
Endymion wasn't there to offer advice. He had long since dumped all his responsibilities to Elysium. In times like this, everyone and everything depends on Elysium's sole decision.
—It seems like a higher ranking monster's territory. It'll be easier for us if that's the case. There won't be any lesser monsters sneaking out as long as it stays there. We should investigate first. If my prediction becomes true, don't kill it for the time being. And make sure to increase the guards stationed here, we should increase Dragon gate keepers too. For now, summon the Ancient Dragon Council and the house heads—
A quick command followed.
The day of the crimson moon is coming, before that happens, it is better to form a strategy.
After all, Although dragons were revved as the strongest, they still have eyes on the side of their heads, which implies that there's always something out there that's powerful enough to threaten dragons.
∆ ∆ ∆