Dragonkins.

Beings of unrivaled mana created by the naturally disasterous event of a monster spawning. Everything on Peolynca was born from mana and earth, and to them we return once we die. Elves, elementals, and dragons, all originated from this singular phenomenon, evolving through the millennia into what we see today.

That voice… it was undoubtedly Mother’s. I was surprised at first when I found a large bubble of mana, forming wobbly images of Mother and, presumably, her memories on its surface. Just like with my situation, it was clear that whoever was doing this was purposely targeting our souls, extracting information from them, plus I also knew they were trying to drain it of power from the feeling I had before.

Mother, trapped inside this place was in danger, so after making sure there wasn't any sorta traps, I delved into the bubble, only to realize her voice was getting louder. She wasn’t using [Telepathy], no, she wasn’t talking directly to me. It seemed more like she was narrating her own dreams.

Sadly, in this swirling ice mist, I couldn’t really see anything. Everything was just like a haze with nothing visible. I was wandering around, following after Mother’s voice, despite how futile it seemed. It came from every direction, so I ended up merely walking around aimlessly.

From mana, the dragonkins became one of the apex predators of this world. In the skies, the dragons reigned free while on the land the drakes terraformed their land to their needs. On the surface of the oceans, the adamantoises created more and more lands for the weaker beings to live on, while in the depths the leviathans battled in lonesome supremacy against their kin for territory.

The land, the sea, the sky; everywhere you went, you would find a true dragonkin or perhaps one of lesser ones. It was truly the age of dragonkins back before my birth.

However, that was when we noticed the birth of elves.

Born from mana and earth just like us, they took on a familiar form of the beings already in existence in this world. While we inherited the forms of the many reptiles of this world, the elves took on the presence of the faefolk.

Fairies and elementals; from them, the first elves were born. Strangely, unlike us, the elves became seapient and intelligent before most dragons. They were gifted with this perk, almost as if a god had created them. Through them, we observed the first beginnings of a proper society.

We dragonkins are territorial beings. At best, our only communities were our nests and families. The bond between parent and child was strong, even back then. However, even we couldn’t fathom what the elves would do with their intelligence, and many of us only ridiculed them. Still, they were like a skorr running around us, so we left them in peace to foster, aside from one of two belligerent feral dragons.

For some reason, Mother had turned into a historian. Why exactly was I listening to a history class right now? No, a history documentation narrated by her. Sure, it was interesting to learn about how the elves were created, but why exactly would that matter? It was like learning from biology classes humans descended from apes — not really something I would use in my everyday life.

There were conflicts, yes, but what wasn’t one in those years? My parents told me wars between elves and dragonkins usually revolved around a single dragonkin. It was obvious the elves would find our existence a threat to theirs. However, over the many years, some societies flourished as they made peace with our kind, even turning some of the dragonkin into the elves' guardians.

We were worshipped like gods by them.

Due to the circumstance of their birth, the elves already knew how to use fae magic, communing with the faefolk to cast spells. The first faemancers and mages. However, from our relationship, the elves evolved their knowledge even further. The birth of wild magic, or as we called it today, custom spells.

Over the years, however, something strange did happen. Some elves were born without their racial features like sharp ears and high magical potency. These were the first humans.

Ironically, humans were treated back then just as badly as humans treat beastmen today. To the elves, the born humans were mutants and weaklings. They couldn’t easily bond with an elemental like them, and acted strange. The humans were more curious and true to their feelings.

I heard the elves thought of them as the curse of some god, a being created from their sins. However, in that age, everything was a god, really. We dragons, the elemental kings, and some even imagined an invisible being in the sky; anything could become a god to them, and due to this, some attributed random occurrences to a god’s punishment.

This reasoning became even more pronounced as more and more humans appeared. It wasn’t normal to the ancient dragons. They didn’t understand how something like this could happen, but it did. It felt almost like the mana in this world was purposely creating a new race similar to the elves, almost like a monster spawning, but different.

Just like us dragonkins, entire races could be created by this event. It just felt weird they had to be born from the elves. The bond between an elf and human would create a half-elf, confusing the remaining elves even further, to the point many communities exiled their human children.

Over the millennia, this history blurred as many documents of this event faded due to age. Even the ancient dragons I asked about these times weren’t sure of every detail. Strange, as they could share this information with the elves of today, but many couldn’t be bothered. Even I only just remembered something this insignificant…

Then again, it wouldn’t matter now. The elves and humans were as racially different as an elf and a dwarf, despite being both born through the elementals. Even humans and beastmen have started to drift apart. Still, one thing they all had in common was the way they were born from mana and earth. Even the grimgarians could be considered as such.

I honestly wondered why Mother was thinking of these things. Did it matter so much to her how these races were created and how they were interlinked with each other? It never felt like Mother really cared about this.

However, maybe she just kept this to herself? If I remembered correctly, my uncle, Mother’s brother, was married to an elven woman, and through them, the Nordor clan of dragonewts was created. Yorshka and Priscilla were dragonewts of this clan. Mother cared for her family quite a bit, so maybe that was— What?

I stopped walking forward, noticing the world around me changing as the mist cleared up, morphing along with the ground underneath me. Once it all cleared up, I saw two humongous, godzilla-sized beings in front of me. They were both dragons, silver dragons, in fact. Both were looking up, watching two silver dragons literally ascending to the sky through a beam of light.

[“Father! Mother! Noooooo! Please!”]

[“No, no, no, no, don’t leave us! Please!”]

A female and male, both crying out to the two disappearing in the clouds.

[“Nooo! Emperor Kargryxmor, why?! Why our parents?!”] That was Mother’s voice. She was screaming from the top of her lungs, sounding like she was weeping.

It all happened that day. The Black Tyrant of the Skies ruled over all dragons in his Empire of Kargryx. However, after the War of the Demons, it all changed when the ancient dragons of yore followed their emperor’s apotheosis. They were to make way for the new generation, but to the many battle-scarred dragons around our age? We only thought of this as a tragedy.

I had heard from Mother how much the Demon Wars took from the dragons, how they were in the frontlines more often than not, and that was how so many died. I looked up again, now also noticing other dragons being pulled up to the skies, as if this was judgement day or something. The mountains and beautiful vista of this place were elevated even further by this incandescent sight.

However, at the same time, I would understand what this was, at the end of the day — the day of their parent’s passing. Mother’s father should have fought bravely during the war, and it seemed like he survived till the end. If I were in her shoes, I would be thrilled to see my parents returning from war unharmed… only for my happiness to vanish as they still had to “die.”

Many dragonkins lost their parents or older siblings on this day. ‘What an honor,’ right? However, all I could see was my parents being dragged away from me without anything I could do. How could Aurena do this to us? How could the Emperor do this to us?

Eventually, Odlesstrus and I accepted their passing, realizing they still looked down on us from the heavens. I still had hoped they were with us. I had to, as I believed they wouldn’t abandon us completely. Still, neither my brother nor I could ever hear their voices ever again. To me, they were ‘dead.’

Sadly, this event also left a power vacuum in our Empire. Who would be the new emperor? A war of succession began between Kargryxmor’s children, all striving to reach for the crown to make their father proud.

From what I heard from Eltharion, many weren’t too keen to fight, but were dragged into the battle through their maternal clans anyways. Many wanted to become the right-hand clan underneath Clan Kargryxmor. Because of this chance, their siblings or their clans couldn’t allow such an opportunity to pass.

Eltharion himself was expected to fight his siblings, as he was heir apparent. He needed to fight, slay his family, and unify Kargryx for his father’s legacy. It was tragic, even more if you considered this happened not long after the Demon Wars ended.

The Civil War of Kargryx’s Succession.

My brother and I were neutral. We supported no one, as I determined it was the best course of action. Unlike the dragons fighting during this time, we were still considered pretty young compared to them. There was a thousand-year difference between Eltharion and me, for example.

Without the ancient dragons to guide them, many of these ‘youngsters’ became belligerent and thirsted for power. Without my parents, I couldn’t muster the strength to fight back. I felt weak in front of all them, as I was just a newly evolved S rank back then.

Sadly, in this war, there was no way for us to stay out of the conflict. Eventually, a clan came over, aiming to recruit us. We accepted under threat. We were the only Nordor dragons, after all. We couldn’t reject their demands, risking making them into our enemies at that point.

I knew they came for me, as Odlesstrus was only A rank back then. Even if I was a new S rank, I still was an S rank. The more they recruited, the better their chances were. For my brother, I would fight and survive, as that was all I could do.

[“Mellox— Grraaaaaak!”]

[“I’m sorry! I’M SORRY!”]

I had to slay former friends. For this was war. Even those who wanted to stay neutral were dragged into battle, forced by their new masters to fight. Friends battled friends, family slew family. It was the bloodiest part of our history.

… Mother did not tell me this. I just witnessed her flying in the sky, killing those she once considered friends. She saw the friends she made during this war getting burned and ripped apart by her enemies, some of which were even her old friends from before the war. Whose side was she supposed to fight on? Although, at the end of the day, she could only think of her brother.

In all the blood raining down on me, I could only see her tears. The rage she felt for this tragedy, the sadness she experienced as she wished for the ancient dragons back, and the grudge she had for Kramps for not listening to her prayers.

However, none of her feelings mattered. In her wake, Mother gazed at those she froze, staring at their cold dead eyes. Mother sure was a force back then, but it seemed she showed little to no joy in surviving for this long. To me, survival was winning, but during a war like this was it actually winning if you killed your countrymen as a result? For Mother, the answer was obvious to see from the pain and rage in Mother’s eyes.

This was why she despised wars and Kramps.

I… could understand from the sight I was watching. Dragons ripping each other apart, others burned or torn asunder by magic and dragon breaths, while some were crushed by the strength of mountain-sized drakes. This was carnage. This was hell. This was…

… war.

Senseless violence… performed as sacrifices for the goals of those above. The ones fighting limb and limb would never fully reap the rewards from this conflict, as many were traumatized by the fighting. Mother was strong, but even she only considered herself a foot soldier.

So… what was I then? I fought for Aurena to fulfill my deal with her to return to my parents. I couldn’t give it up as I wanted to meet them again to apologize for being an idiot daughter. After what I had learned, my conviction just became stronger. Still, wasn’t I just another puppet to end this war for Aurena? Sure, I knew this already, but it felt harder to swallow after seeing what a real war was like.

Was this what I was leading up to? Sure, instead of a civil war, we would be fighting the “enemy,” at least, that was what I thought. However, how much did I know about the demonkins? How much had Aurena told me about them? Was I just a puppet? If you thought about it, I was lacking information, and only through knowledge you could move forward with agency.

In this case, I sorely lacked a real idea on wars. I couldn’t fathom seeing a civil war like this, even if I had watched movies about them. The reality inside a movie wasn’t as intense as watching a dragonkin’s corpse rotting alone on the ground. The fields of dead dragonkins. The roars of battle filled with both blood rush and agony.

I felt ignorant.

“KrrrrrrrrrrrrrrruaaAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Then, just as Mother told me once, he turned the war around.

My father, Eltharion Kargryxmor.

He was a jet-black bipedal dragon with four wings just like Kramps, however Father’s face looked more tame and peaceful in comparison. Kramps had this strict and bossy look when I visited him in his divine realm, but Father looked… almost sad.

Father wasn’t a dragon who focused primarily on magic or dragon breaths, but used his scale manipulation and other racial abilities to create weapons. Swords, spears, hammers, anything he thought could change the tides of battle. This was his advantage of being a bipedal dragon. At least, that was what Mother was narrating.

— he swooped through, cleaving enemies with his scale blades as if they were trees. It honestly is funny to see how there is even a dragoon cult reserved only for his fighting style. Ironic even, since Eltharion began to despise wars after all this ended.

… The oldest brother had to kill all his younger siblings. I could never do that to Odlesstrus. His will was firm, and that is why he deserves to be called emperor.

To take the life of family… the two eldest siblings stood before each other.

Father and his brother… the second eldest of the Kargryxmor siblings. Flying in the clouds, they glared at each other. Mother could only watch as the civil war looked like it was almost about to end… and the memory showed only that — victory. There was no battle, just the results.

Eltharion left the battlefield for a year, heartbroken from this battle. His siblings who survived up until now didn’t falter though, believing this was a grace period they needed to take advantage of. They had to get stronger and grow their might before he returned.

At the same time, I took advantage of this chaos and sneaked out with my brother. Funnily enough, the others did the same. My ‘sisters’ appeared before him.

The six Empresses of Kargryx followed after our future Emperor.

Dragons were captivated by strength. After seeing that, I could understand why Mother would willingly follow him. There was no stronger dragon than Father right now, but unlike the females who cowered from his strength, these six dragonesses walked behind him.

Gyadiosa Bellamsa Jormangra

Gaistrus Mianaxt Goldduragon

Forminaxtrass Azura Leviretus

Virrflax Kainena Arviosa

Yuilengreill Huanlong Gueillxar

Melloxtressa Wisperia Nordor

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Those were the full names of the six Dragon Empresses of Kargryx.

And as if it was fate, all of them were entranced by him at that moment. They didn’t leave him in the one year he needed to rest, as with the death of his brother by his hand, he gained enough levels to evolve into the next stage.

SS rank. The first SS rank of the newest generation after the Origin Gods’ descent.

While he rested, it wasn’t all rose and sunshine amongst the future Empresses. Gyadriosa, a flying mutant leviathan, wanted Father all for herself, even challenging the next eldest Giastrus, a mountain drake. Forminaxtrass, a lichdragon, wanted everyone to be calm, but even she understood if she wanted her partner, she had to fight against the others.

Virrflax, a feathered dragon with the appearance of a bird, and Yuilengreill, Neill’s mother and as such a kirin, were frightened by the sheer pressure of these three, trying their best to appease Eltharion in their way. On the other hand, Mother and my uncle could only watch as all of this unfolded… but to my surprise, Mother was the one to take the first move.

[“Your Majesty, is it really alright to wait this long? You have already evolved.”]

Father changed a bit after his evolving, but didn’t grow much in size. He still could tower over a skyscraper and crush a human like an ant, but outside of his glowing scales and another pair of wings, he still looked pretty much the same. Possibly, he didn’t get a good evolution and just continued down his evolution path, as I did during my time in Belzac.

[“… I understand, but I need this power. I must reach the strength of Father before I can do anything. For that, I have to control my battle frenzy in this new form. I need to practice… and then I will end it all.”]

[“… I understand, then, trust in us to protect you. We six will be all your need, so rest easy.”]

[“Thank you… Melloxtressa.”]

…

It was romantic. Mother taking the first step towards the heartbroken prince… It felt like a fairy tale or some romance story. Unfortunately, it reminded me of something worse.

Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! H-How could you?! Father is a bloody harem protagonist?! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I was born from that?!

Mother! How could you do this to me?! How could you possibly fall in love with a blood harem MC?! This sucks! My existence sucks! Ooooooooh, this whole dragon thing sucks! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! CRINGE!

I couldn’t control myself. The moment that thought came to mind, I couldn’t help but fall to the ground and squirm around from the sight of Mother and the other Empresses falling in love with this-this—

“PERVERT! Argh! Unfaithful, lover’s boy! Disgusting! Dragon Father? More like Casanova trash!”

Pff! But suddenly, somebody cackled and it wasn’t me.

Hmm?

I turned around, but couldn’t hear it anymore. Was it part of Mother’s memories? Why would she suddenly laugh then, when everything had been pretty sad or tragic? Then again, it could also be… Yup, this might be her only happy memory during this entire war. Her brother was safe and here she also met her future husband.

No wonder.

Thankfully, Mother seemed to have skipped that memory but did show me how at the end of this one-year period, Mother made a vow with the other Empresses. All of them managed to get over their antagonism with each other, but they still made a deal with how they would be called once they proposed to Eltharion.

In other words, an argument over who would marry him first, as everybody wanted to be called “First Empress.” Unfortunately, only one could become the first, and to not cause a fight between them, they all decided to just go down the list.

[“Okay, it’s obvious I should be first since I’m the oldest!”] Gyadiosa began, but that was quickly shot down by the others.

[“Nonsense! I was stronger than you, so I should be the first!”] Gaistrus argued.

[“And? Who cares, I care for Eltharion the most! I shall be the first empress!”] Forminaxtrass glared at the others.

… As I said, my Father was disgusting. How could he do this to these six women? Does he have no shame? Harem protagonists… honestly.

In any case, the rest of the memories from here began to cheer up due to Father’s presence on the battlefield as a SS rank, however, due to his one year hermitage, his number of siblings had reduced to two.

Eltharion looked… happy, but at the same time sad at how everything went. He was mournful about what happened to his brother and didn’t want to feel like a kinslayer, but sadly, the situation wouldn’t allow him to live with his claws clean. His last two siblings were far too gone at this point, and any attempts for peace were long gone.

Eltharion blamed himself for this. His inaction meant he now had the strength to end it all here, but it also meant his family was exterminated. Thus, to bring about the peace he desired, he slew his last two siblings, then punished those who fanned the flames of wars in their greed, and also established a more strict governance of the Empire.

Mother had left a lot of this out when she explained our history to me. Even Yorshka missed out on a ton of these details, so watching all of this first-hand felt pretty surreal. Mother’s narration was pretty biased, but the sight she showed me wasn't. It felt like… somebody throwing cold water at me to face reality.

Strangely, after the empire began to stabilize with my father’s coronation, the memories began to fast forward a bit. My uncle falling in love with an elf and establishing a dragonewt clan in Loatryx, Mother’s training in the [Dungeon of Infinite Feasts] to become SS rank, her oath to become the strongest before fighting Father, and then the eventual battle against him.

Dragon courtship was determined through strength where both male and female had to prove themselves to the other. While both could be attracted to each other through physical features like humans, at the end of the day, both could only be sure the other was a worthy mate through power.

Suffice to say, Mother and Father were both two SS rank, and while Mother was only a new one, they still fought tooth and nail until Father came out as the winner. Still, this was enough to prove to Father her will, and Mother got her wish to marry the strongest dragon in existence for the strongest hatchling.

Mother also got back in touch with the other empresses. Due to all the time she spent training, Mother had lost contact with them, but it seems that they got along pretty well, although Mother still felt they became strangers over the years.

All of these memories came to me in a sorta Powerpoint manner — a bunch of slides with small videos. Then again, considering what the demonkins were planning, maybe this place was only choosing selective memories to break her like what they did to my other self and parallel minds? Torment your mind while draining your soul in the background.

What a nasty attack.

[“Thank goodness!”]

I opened my eyes when I heard Mother’s voice again, snapping it around until I noticed my surroundings having turned sparkly. Wherever I looked, I could see the shining of diamonds embedded in the walls of this gigantic cavern, almost as large as the cave Mother made in my subspace.

Going closer, I touched them, noticing they weren't diamonds but actually scales. Very thick and cold to the touch scales, mind you. That was then I realized this wasn’t just any cavern, it had to be the cave where Mother lived before she met me. Which meant, that voice—

[“Grow strong, alright? Grow as strong as your father. Grow so strong the world can’t hurt you, okay? However, don’t worry when somebody bullies you. Mama will take care of you. I will make sure you will grow strong. That’s what your Mama is here for you.”]

— came from over there.

Mother, in her dragon form. She was coddling a rather small egg despite her size. I could only gulp as I recognized its shape and form… that egg was the one I was born from.

I couldn’t think of a name. In fact, I couldn’t think of anything else outside of the fact I finally was having a child. After so many years, I would finally become a mother.

Mother’s voice.

My brother, the other empresses, and a few of my underlings came to celebrate with me. Eltharion stayed behind at his home, wanting to give me some space, but I knew he did it because he wasn’t in the right mind. The older a dragon gets, the less stable one's mind and soul becomes. That was why ancient dragons must slumber.

However, I couldn’t think of sleeping. My hatchling would soon be born. I wouldn’t be alone anymore. My family could finally grow!

She lost her parents, she lost her friends, and her brother had made his own life after he found his wife. It seemed like Mother was feeling lonely, despite her having Father and the other empresses. The look she gave my egg made me feel like she was looking at me. A mother’s love sure was something, huh?

However, if we got to this point, then the next memory should be— Woah?!

Out of nowhere, my body began to move forward. I snapped around, only to see Mother’s tail pushing me. I didn’t know these illusion could influence somebody else’s body?!

[“This isn’t an illusion anymore, dear.”]

Huh?!

[“So there is no need anymore for me to watch those thoughts again. The pain should be left behind, for I have you — my dear daughter.”]

“Woah?!” The next thing I knew, Mother’s gigantic face rubbed against my entire body. My egg in her hands disappeared, vanishing into thin air as it transitioned into caressing me. “M-Mother?! You’re awake?!”

[“The moment you entered the bubble. Thank you, but you sure took your time, dear. I had to experience losing your egg ten times before you finally came, hiehie. What a nasty power our enemy has,”] Mother giggled as mana mist was exuded from her body, changing her back into her dragonewt form before she gave me a thick hug.

“Ehehe, i-is that so?” I grimaced nervously at the sound of ten repeats. “S-Sorry about that, I had some problem on my own to deal with.”

“No, don’t apologize! Why, I don’t know why, but you seem more… mature. I think that fits you well. Yes, you seem a bit more mature than before, although maybe it’s just the presence you’re exuding.” Mother smiled before releasing me from her embrace. “So, how was it? It sure was a boon for you to watch all of that.”

“Your memories? Wait, you controlled all of that?”

“This space is influenced by your soul. I realized that when I woke up and questioned what happened to me. During the time I needed to figure things out, I also saw you… and strangely, the space distorted and it began showing you, well, my memories…” I was surprised to hear that part, figuring maybe that was the reason why when I entered the bubble everything was just mist. “In the process, I thought it might be good for you to finally learn a bit more about myself. Telepathy would be overloading your brain, but this was fantastic for the visuals… and well, it just all happened.”

Mother…

“Still, hehehe, how funny it even worked afterwards. Sure made me nostalgic for my past. This thing shows your inner wants all to invoke one feeling from you —”

““Envy,”” we both answered simultaneously.

Just with my other self and longing for our parents and friends. Even with me inside disrupting the influences, it still shows you what you want to see.

“If that is the case, then shouldn’t it be easy for you, my dear?” I raised a brow, not understanding what Mother was saying. “This trap was created by the demonkins to trap you, but, this is still a dimensional breach. That means, a space-time magic. Unless the demonkins had a void-touched, this is probably the works of the Edjurl gods. If the Edjurl gods are supporting them this much, then it has to be on the wish of a prince of sin. The Prince of Envy, to be exact, I think.”

I looked at her with suspicion. “… You think? Hey, Mother, didn’t you say you didn’t care about this war? Why do you know this much?”

“Hmm? Dear, I lived through the Demon Wars. I know enough about our enemies to make an educated guess, alright? It’s critical thinking.” Mother raised her head up, looking proud of her ability almost to the point she wanted to be praised. “Hiehie, then, if this is the work of the Prince of Envy, then shouldn’t you be able to do that?”

“… Right, I can usurp this power of his. Just like what I did unconsciously back in my illusion.” I nodded. I could still feel my blessings on myself, and my ability to usurp has already showed its effect prior. “Huh. but how are we supposed to get out of here, then? Mother, I didn’t explore, but it honestly seemed like the depths of the abyss outside. Creepy, dark, and it looked endless. No clear exit in sight.”

“Ooooh, in that case, then you don’t have to worry. We’ll just make it ourselves~” She leaned her head forward, looking at me impishly. “We just have to find whoever it is who did this to us, no? Then force them to free us~ No System, you noticed? Well, I can still sense mana even without my skills, and I know where that wretch is.”

I could technically see the two sources with my [Mana Eyes] as it apparently was an innate ability of my body. Still, if I were to confront them, having Mother with me would be best.

“You’re willing to help me— Oh wait, right, I already crossed that line, huh?” I remembered how Mother had to save me from entering this place in the first place. “Guess it can’t be helped then.”

“Oh, you meant that? Well, in the end, I still failed to protect you, no?” I widened my eyes in confusion. “Well, I tried to help you free yourself from getting sucked into that dimension breach, but lo and behold, you jumped right back into the portal to save me. Not like I helped you out at all when all of that happened, right? So, if you ask me, I didn’t manage to save you. So, the deal between us is still up if you ask me.”

“… Really? So, does that mean you won’t drag me to Miononbolax?”

“If you hadn’t jumped into the portal and had saved me afterwards, I would have considered the deal broken. However… even I am not that terrible of a mother to ignore what you did to me, Hestia… Besides, didn’t you call me something when you jumped in for me~” She grinned, staring at me with lovey-dovey eyes.

“U-Uh, I did?”

She nodded. “I think you finally called me ‘Mama,’ again.”

“…” I felt like my head would explode any moment now. The heat was accumulating. “Haaaa…”

“I need to get out of here. If you want, you can usurp the powers of this demonkin prince, but I’ll make sure you will stay safe, but for a single price.” I gulped when her eyes stared at me like an imp’s. “I can’t forgive you for calling my husband those words, Hestia~ Even if you are his daughter and have all the right to~ So…”

Shit, she heard me call Father that?! But, it’s true! The dude is a harem protagonist! See the light, Mother! See the truth of your husband! He has six wives!

“You have to call me ‘Mama,’ once again~”

“…”

Even in this empty void of a world, Mother wouldn’t stop teasing me.

----------------------------------------

“Now, watch~ Watch as your puny powers get usurped by my blessed. Watch her bring down your world and experience the true terror of who the one you call ‘Aurena’s dog!’”

“Krrrgh!”

The unknown Edjurl god pulled the demonkin Prince of Envy’s head up, forcing his eyes open as he stared at the ball of mana in the distance. A creation he made with [Original Sin: Jaldaboath]. A brilliant ability to look into the souls of his enemies while also sucking it dry of lifeforce.

The Prince of Envy had the chance to be the first demonkin to learn of Klea’Hatma’s survival, one of the demons who invaded Peolynca. Such news would rock the kingdom of Bole’Taria. To rescue their ancestor from the clutches of the enemy would have warranted an entire army. And now, this piece of infomration now belonged to the prince …

… if only he could have relished it. If only the price for this information wasn’t an encounter with this unknown god. To stare into the soul of Hestia had only invited a greater being to stare into his.

This act of hostility deserved the heaviest penalty.

“KRUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

“Urk!”

“Shie shie shie shie! It’s happening! Yes, Hestia! Usurp his powers! Use the power of Envy against this maggot! Sow chaos, sow disaster! Sow the seeds of change and entertain my master! Bring him joy!” The god pulled the prince up and restricted his movement with his mana. Now unable to move or talk, pinned to this ethereal cross, the god smiled deviously before vanishing into thin air. “Embrace it well, demonkin~ May you enjoy my blessing. Your soul and your sight!”

His seed was already inside the prince’s soul. All that was needed now was a trigger.

“Kuhhhhhhhaaaa!”

With the sound of water exploding, the ball of mana meant to trap Melloxtressa burst open. From the remnants of the rain, a dragon rose out. Her scales were black like the deepest ridges of this place. Her form twisted from the otherworldly mana inside this realm, corrupting her visage and form.

This was what the demonkin saw.

“There.” A woman’s voice resounded from the distance, commanding the dragon as it crawled forward along with eight legs. The woman herself, though, also started to have her form distorted, turning into a giant of a woman.

The fear of spiders came into full display here as the weird, eldritch dragon lunged its long legs forward, roaring out with its slime-like maw wide open. The Prince of Envy saw this and jerked back at its freakish pace.

If this had happened on Peolynca while the Prince was fully alert, he would have seen through the illusion and engaged Hestia in a normal fashion. However, in this place, where the Edjurl’s control was the highest, it was just unlucky for the demonkin to meet one favoring Hestia. The unknown god’s mana and influence had already infected his soul.

The seed of madness had met its trigger. The usurper had arrived, and a vision of his downfall would now plague him for eternity.

“KuuuAAAAAHHHHH!

“GaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

Unconsciously, the Prince’s arms transformed with [Original Sin: Demiurge] into those of a [Ridge Climbing Clawreaver]. A monster only found in the precarious mountains of Bole’Taria, this beast had long claws made to extend and swipe at unexpected mountaineers and prey. In other words, the demonkin Prince of Envy was a so-called “blue mage” with this demonic ability.

Take on the powers of others by transforming themselves into them, that was its essence. For example, if the Prince were to transform into Hestia, he could possibly use her abilities … if it were possible in the first place due to Hestia’s uncontrollable usurpation powers.

Out of fear, the prince fought back through instincts alone, using more and more of his various forms to prevent Hestia from coming closer. However, as a result, his visage of the pope of the Church of Aurena vanished as a consequence. He returned to his proper appearance … that of a ghoulish man with mismatched features and limbs, all assorted in a way without rhyme or reason.

A consequence of overusing [Original Sin: Demiurge] was the fact that eventually over the years, even a Prince of Envy would forget what he actually looked like. Just like the demonkin of envy Hestia fought in Griffonpeak, this new form was nothing more than a collection of all the beings and people he had copied.

But even then…

“Are you trying to harm my daughter even further?”

Melloxtressa was fully immersed in the situation, finding the demonkin’s screams of terror quite amusing. Although not a sadist, she was instead fueled by anger for endangering her daughter. This fury just turned into schadenfreude. In the eyes of the demonkin, though, this titanic woman was casting a curse on him, binding him with ancient words to a torment beyond his imagination.

“KuuuuuAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

[“oPeN THe poRTal!!!”] Even her telepathic messages were discombobulating to read. All to heighten up the fear factor to the extreme as Melloxtressa explained to Hestia.

Torment—that was all. Since Hestia couldn’t use System spells here to open up a door nor did Melloxtressa have her subspace runes, this was the only way. Find the perpetrator and make him open the way out.

Torture him not with pain, but with fear unimaginable. To the dragons, all they could see was an easily frightened man, but to the demonkin, all he could see was an illusion.

… An illusion of the greatest fear in his heart—being rejected by the Edjurl gods and reliving the fear of “Aurena’s dogs” hounding him until he couldn’t run, hide, or sneak anymore. The beasts he saw in Hestia and Melloxtressa were his accumulated nightmares becoming real from the Edjurl god’s ruinous powers.

A trickster’s deceit was the truth to the gullible and weak.

This is too easy?! Why is he only flailing around while T-Posing?! Hestia did not know her secret benefactor had already assured everything would work out.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! Free ME!!!” Upon command, the bindings were loosened and the prince could finally move again. Without even retaliating, the demonkin threw an item on the ground, causing the air to rupture apart. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

In it he jumped.

“Hestia!”

[“Got it!”] With her Mother, the two followed right behind their enemy.

Pushed forward by a strange watery sensation, the pair traversed through this dusk without an idea of where they would land. They waited as long as it lasted, and the moment the light at the end of the tunnel appeared, they were spit out of it into the sight of a medieval room made from fairnite.

Unfortunately, due to the force of it, they were ejected right out of the window, into the skies of Peolynca once again. The Divine System returned to Hestia. The girl wanted to celebrate, but her battle instinct instantly returned to her as she snapped her head around. The Prince of Envy was right in front of her—this was the opportunity to expose or to kill him!

As she readied a flame breath, the cowering body of the demonkin twitched as he howled like a madman, filling the entire area with noise. Before Hestia could do anything, Melloxtressa instantly grabbed her daughter and beat her wings. Her scales instantly flew out, covering the mother-daughter duo in light-reflecting scales. Invisible, she zoomed out of the area without a second delay, preventing anybody from witnessing the duo blasting out of the building’s window.

“Mother?!” Hestia's quivering eyes expressed her shock and confusion, wondering what her Mother was doing, only to see what was behind them through the gaps of her mother’s scale veil.

A large church city as white as the wings of Aurena. The largest religious city of the Church of Aurena—Aureolis. Through the portal, they ended up right in the room of the pope.

Melloxtressa, having sensed something was up the moment they returned to Peolynca, flew right away, making sure nobody would know the dragon duo were here in the first place. Without breaking a sweat, she then used wind magic to protect her daughter before flying forward at mach speed after casting a grey magic circle.

“Wait, are you—That’s [Haste]!”

Correct, because of this accident, Melloxtressa had become what was known as a “void-touched.” Just like Hestia, she had met the requirement to cast [Space-Time Magic].

With this new-found skill, Melloxtressa made sure they fled the scene. Even if Hestia could destroy the Prince here, it would take too long for her to do so, when confusion could cause a terrible misunderstanding. Due to their agreement, she couldn’t help with her daughter’s battle, but she could guide her.

Knowing exactly where her daughter wanted to be at this moment, what her highest priority was, she made this decision. However, the moment they appeared in Elyonda, they were introduced not to the city they had gotten to know for over two weeks now, but a battlefield.

Two days had passed since they were taken.