"Rawh, Pride. I figured it all out. But it's impossible for you to fight my latest evolution. I'mma Timeless Dragon. Roar of Time~ rawah! Rawr."

"Are you making up a new name to get out of your brag about being perfect?"

"No! Actually, I liked that evolution better, believe it or not. At least I had a solid form."

"What? Are you non-existent now?"

"No, no. I'm a mass of blobby goo. Like my mind was already."

"Dear god. How can THAT mess be a dragon? No offense."

"None taken. And, I don't know. But I'm definitely still a member of our species."

"What does any of that have to do with being timeless?"

"I guess my form is incoherent? I can pick my appearance as I please and it sticks."

"I'd imagine it does stick."

"Hur hur, lookat me, I'm a funneh Pride."

"FIIIIIGHT MEEEEEE!"

"Rokay, but you'll regret it."

"Bah, I'm too proud to regret."

"Fair."

I try experimenting with changing other properties of my body besides my form.

Unlike every other time I've tried, it works.

Wait. Does that mean whenever I create a time paradox, like the one where I gifted myself Pure Evil, my form becomes less coherent in the timespan before I create the paradox?

I'm not even a little tempted to try that. If I became permeable goo from one paradox, more would...

Probably destroy the universe!

Why do all my abilities come back to that?

Aitos, you were the first to figure me out. I'm absolutely an Apocalypse Dragon.

"Never mind, Pride. I probably created a time paradox, which somehow made me into disgusting goo. At least now I can reform my body. We can totally fight. Don't you worry, though, I'll come up with something way more annoying to fight than an intellectual mud bog."

"Oh good. Here I was, worried that Dracosect was the most lethal weapon in our family. Why don't you make yourself into a time paradox and yeet me forward in time to where I have a one million loss streak?"

Hraw! I made Pride say 'yeet.'

"Great idea! I'll think about it."

...

"I can't tell if you're joking, my god."

I'll let that stew. Hreh.

I decide on a draconic form based on the one I had after recovering from being an Annihilation Maw. Simple and functional.

Wait, simple and functional? I'mma dragon!

"Rawr!"

Since my form isn't fixed anymore, I'll add a whole bunch of cool features like I did for Dracosect.

I like his ripsaw blades, so I'll do the same. I'll also make my claws of variable length, but any length rather than two sizes. And of course, the light-bending metamaterial.

I'm copying him now, nuh-ruh!

I don't need his Mana rockets. My whole body can already do that. I've realized the spatial anchor my wings used to use, reh. It's everywhere. I don't need my wings or talent to fly. I Will it so, and I move.

Hrr. Wait. I don't feel the spatial anchor.

I Will myself to the left a few hundred meters without using transference. It works.

I try running my hand through my own chest. It slides through without turning into goo.

...

Wow, Pride. You're doomed to a million match losing streak. Dracosect may be untouchable, but I can simply Will myself to exist somewhere else or not at all.

Is that what it means to be timeless? Hrrmh.

"Remember your comment about Dracosect? I'm untouchable. Now you can only attack my body if I allow it."

"Chronovoid, god damnit! I'll defeat you somehow!"

He swore in my name. That's hilarious!

Rokay, I gotta stop taunting him.

I'll alter my coloration to be a little bit more translucent white, except with shiny black accents lining my form. Like my Chronometric and Chronovoid Temples! Now I match my most favored colors: the extremes of the electromagnetic spectrum.

Meaning, they're not just the white and black of human-visible light, roh no. I'll have the same coloration in any spectrum. Other creatures might walk under a UV or party light and change color, but I won't change in the slightest. This'll create a mystical aura of flawlessness. Or just be kinda creepy, I dunno. Sounds fun regardless.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

As for my teeth, horns, spikes, and claws, I'll make those super-polished yet completely clear. Like the purest gemstone. They can't be seen but they should warp light around them. Reah, it's showy, like my gem dragon form. But I'm okay with being showy. Roh, plus my wing membranes should also be clear like before, but now they'll be polished and shiny too.

That's all I really care for. I'm not going for the impressive level of detail and magnificence Dracosect came up with. I can't match his fervency for being a Paragon of our species.

I will myself back over to the group of gods.

"I've decided to let you three live. Now, why are the rest of you prostrating?"

The information broker speaks.

"Scared."

"Reah, I'd imagine you would be after seeing that. For your information, I'm much more powerful than that fragment of myself. I also ate that fragment; he can't hurt any of you anymore. I don't have any desire to torture you, nor harm you. Please don't feel compelled to prostrate toward me."

She looks up at me with surprise.

"You... Ate yourself?"

"Basically, yes! Apparently I'm the God of Time's reincarnation, and he was the God of Time. So I ate him. Problem solved. No more torture."

Rokay, technically I stabbed him with an Origin thread, rer, tentacle, and therefore subordinated him, but still.

"I guess we don't have much choice but to accept that explanation, absurd though it is."

No, no you don't. Not like I'll say so, though.

She stands.

"Thanks for— saving us. Uh, from yourself. Care for some info?"

"You still owe me the second half of my purchase, after the news and gossip."

"I'm surprised you remember that."

"Ahra. You wanted more dragon treasures."

"Are you really a dragon?"

"Rawr."

"Is that a yes?"

"RAWR!"

"Okay, okay. You're a dragon."

"I'mma dragon! Rawr! Rawrar! Rarwaarar!"

I flail around like a fool. I'm really happy to have a solid body! Especially a draconic one.

"How in the world are you so strong? You act like an idiot half the time."

She covers her mouth.

Roh, you forget fear so quickly!

I walk up to her menacingly.

I slowly push my snout against her face.

"Wanna know?"

"No, I, I'm s—"

"I'MMA DRAGON!!!"

I dance around like a nut.

"RAWR! Rawr! RARWAR! RawR!"

She looks at me like I'm totally insane.

You don't get it because you're not a dragon.

Sucks to be you!

Rawh hraw hraw!

...

...

Eventually, I collect myself and turn back to face her.

"Rokay, rokay. Rah, it's good to get the stress out. Now, what was the second part of the info you had?"

She snaps back into 'broker mode.'

People think I'm weird. Is THAT normal?

"Right. We're collected into towns and cities. Every town has one info broker and no leader, though I'm the unofficial leader here. Every city has at least three info brokers and at minimum a Rank three leader. There's incursions of chaos dispersers which pop up from time to time, as well as the chaos fissures, which are semi-permanent. The newest chaos fissure appeared roughly three hundred kilometers to the northwest."

She shifts gears, seemingly.

"The dominant species of gods are humans and insects, while the elves are in a distant third. The dragon gods are actually the most powerful group. However, they've been sealed by a combined coalition of other gods. The sins and virtues are neutral due to Greed being ridiculously powerful for his Rank; they didn't want to fight him if he sided with the Dragon Gods. Pride too, but he wasn't as much of a threat. It was speculated Greed could kill most of them in a one versus group battle. That said, the sins and virtues aren't particularly strong amongst the gods overall."

"I presume you're giving me these extra tidbits because I'mma super-powerful dragon? Rawr?"

"Normal for strong clients, yes."

I shake my Timeless Dragon head.

"I'mma dragon who abhors unfair exchanges. I'll make them if something else is traded such as life or limb, but in this case I harmed you. If only psychologically. State your price. Rawr."

She looks downcast at my comment. Why?

"Ahm, what kind of inscriptions can you make?"

I show her my list by using an inscription.

"WHAT THE HELL?! Are you— oh, God of Time."

"No, Chronovoid. I'm timeless."

"I'm afraid to ask the difference."

"Good! That means you're praising my power. I'll answer you."

She looks at me like I'm nuts again.

"The God of Time had limitations on what he could do with his time spells, seeing as he died. I can Will myself to become stronger in the past and I'll become stronger right now. I'm much better at time travel than him."

Her jaw drops.

"Doesn't that mean you're invincible?"

"My status says my weakness is that I'm 'Inviolable.' Odd weakness, right?"

He jaw drops further.

So much for info broker mode. Dragons being mind-breakingly impressive has defeated yyyyooouuuu!

"Isn't that a step above invincibility?"

"I truly love such wonderful praises. I'mma dragon, after all. Rawr! Thanks!"

She doesn't know how to continue that line of discussion. It's written all over her face.

"I, uh. I'd like the Mana Recombination and Cleanliness inscription. What else do you want to know?"

I materialize both instantly. Then I realize this is what Temp meant when he said he made himself, and thus me, smarter. I didn't even bother to inscribe those; I impressed an inscription into a slab at the same moment I made said slab.

I next look at my inscription list. It's mostly inscriptions I've personally invented.

Thousands of inscriptions.

Grid Spatial Reconfiguration, which can set multiple spatial parameters in fixed blocs while using only one inscription. Depinning, unpins fixated array sigils by rebuilding them from scratch in situ— it's an improved variant of Sigil Detonation Isolation which fixes the sigil, but it can still disconnect the sigil if the fix fails. Variable Mana Restriction, a vastly simplified way to generate a rapid-pulse Mana source for use in an array.

Now that I actually look at the list? I'm basically a god of inscription. I hadn't realized!

Rahwa, if this is the same benefit Temp got, then he's one scary smart inscription. Seems I'm the one churning out new inscriptions left and right, though. I'm not sure whether he got this level of benefit. Speaking of which, the Improvement and Corruption Dissolution (Temp) inscriptions aren't on my offered inscriptions because they're ridiculously overpowered.

Roh, and I have Temp inscribed on myself. My body is a temple! Hrew Hrew.

"That it is, my god! You've surpassed me, an inscription, in mastery of inscriptions! I'm so proud to be your benefactor!"

"Reh? Since when can you read my thoughts?"

"We're pretty much one and the same, my god. Ever since you became a Perfect Dragon, I got dragged into your Origin. We were already connected, but I guess I'm part of you now!"

I check my Origin. He's right. His inscription is bound to its surface. His whole inscription. Including the one in my temple. I thought my Origin integrated... Everything... Rah.

"Well, nice to have you. I'm sealing my thoughts, though, sorry. You have plenty of people to talk to in the, rhem, other temples. Alright?"

"Of course, my god!"

I seal my thoughts from his purview. Maybe it's a bit one-sided, but I do have a few secrets which need keeping. Like my speculations about the fate talent. Ragh. I'll know when I see the Chaos Fissures up close.

She's still standing and staring at me.

"Is that it?"

"No, I was asking if you had more questions?"

"I'mma dragon. I'll conquer with raw power until it either makes sense or it's all a pile of rubble. Either way, I win! Rawr. Thanks for your help, though."

"Ahg."

She puts her head in her hands, turns, and walks back to her destroyed house.

Roh, is that why she wanted money despite being terrified?

I Will the town and landscape to revert to an undestroyed state. I don't know what to do about the Origin Crystal, but I'm not going to eat it, so I'll ignore it.

She sees the whole town reassemble. Then, her head snaps to look at something.

Her house.

image [https://timjames.net/data/acd/images/171.png]

...

She's momentarily stunned, but then she turns back around.

She waves, grinning.

"Thank you— so much!"

Raww. Why is that so cute?

She must really like her house.

The other gods get up and likewise begin to mosey back into town.

Roh no you don't.