In the vast world of Mortal Desolate, this island wasn’t anything special, just a dime a dozen, but there was something particularly odd about it that was difficult to put into words.

In the far distance, flocks of frightened avians were dotting the vast sky, frantically trying to escape the chaos coming from the Arcane Mountain. Even though the battle was very far away, flashes of light could still be seen on the horizon. Thankfully, this region had yet to be affected so it was a suitable place to be used as shelter.

Their appearance created a loud disturbance to this otherwise peaceful environment.

As the large number of them began to approach the peculiar island, they surprisingly flew past it without any consideration.

While the island was on the smaller end of the spectrum, given its vibrant ecosystem and lively vegetation, it should’ve been viewed as an ideal area to reside, and yet, the flocks of avians decided to strangely ignore it.

It was almost like the island was invisible.

They continued on their journey to find a suitable habitat, however, there was a small minority that astonishingly ended up landing on the island. It wasn’t on purpose, of course, but by total accident.

There were simply too many of these monstrous birds that were migrating to find a new home. They were like a swarm of locusts, flying both high and low across the wide space. As a result, some of the ones closer to the surface of the ocean suddenly found themselves in a predicament as their paths were suddenly blocked by towering pillars that had emerged out of nowhere.

In their panic, they tried to avoid the obstacles as best as they could, but unfortunately, with everything happening so abruptly, the handful of birds that were caught in this situation weren’t able to react in time and one by one, ended up face planting onto the barks of those pillars.

Squawk!

The birds cried out in pain before falling to the ground.

Luckily, this small injury was nothing to them so they were able to quickly recover. They scanned their surroundings after getting up while at the same time wondering where all the trees came from. They were sure nothing was in front of them a second ago.

These birds were simple-minded creatures. They didn’t dwell on the question for long before becoming curious about their surroundings. After spending some time surveying the area, they happily chirped in unison after seeing how rich the locale was.

This could be their new home, they thought.

They begin stumbling forward in hopes of finding an appropriate place to build their nests and it didn’t take long for them to come across the mysterious cave. The group looked to one another before jerking their heads inquisitively.

Just as they were about to head in and explore, a mind-numbering growl came from deep within the earth.

It was just barely audible and yet, it was enough for the birds to freeze and tremble in fear. This fear stemmed not just from the immense difference in strength but also in lineage. The blood in their body boiled with inferiority and they prostrated themselves like they were in the presence of god, lowering their heads deep into the ground, quivering and not daring to let out a single sound.

They knew that they had made a mistake by coming here and in front of this great being, their lives were no longer in their hands.

They obediently waited.

…

The silence was palpable.

After what seemed like an eternity, a soft growl sounded and relieved the birds of their anxiety.

They were allowed to leave.

They squawked in gratitude before hurriedly flapping their wings to depart.

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As the birds took flight, they committed the island to their memories so they would never make the blunder of coming to this forbidden place again. One of them wasn’t assured and wanted to take another look, but when it turned back, the island was no longer there, only the endless ocean was in its place.

Their departure was met with silence, as insignificant as their arrival.

With the avians gone, peace returned to this region, and although the island had seemingly disappeared, it was still there wandering the currents of the water. Unless one was truly capable, one could forget about sensing its presence but even for the Great Ancestor of the Arcane Mountain, it was questionable whether he could even do that, let alone other people.

The tranquility didn’t last long. The intrusion of the monstrous birds had fully awakened the existence slumbering deep within the isolated land.

Another growl resounded after some time, it was no longer as gentle as before but filled with irritation.

The grounds shook and the waves crashed in response. Then, a husky voice came from the darkness.

“What’s happening…? So much destruction. Why has the world undergone such major upheaval?”

“Even that geezer has taken action.”

“It hadn’t felt that long ago since I’d been waken up by that couple, a little more than half a year, maybe. How exactly did the situation in Mortal Desolate escalate to this point in such little time?”

The owner of the voice pondered.

“Wait, that scent, that familiar scent… oh how could I ever forget it.”

“One of the three deserters…”

“The traitorous Graha!” The voice snarled in anger.

“So they’re back, no wonder the world is in such disarray.”

“But…” there was hesitation in the voice. “Why have they returned already? It’s too soon. This was not what she had foretold. The inheritor of the Void Dragon isn’t ready. Last I checked, she hadn’t even reached Ninefalls yet and therefore hadn’t completed her first awakening. With the way she is now, her strength would be negligible in this war.”

“This must be those two outsider’s fault, their appearance has caused the future to change. I knew this would happen. Alas, there was nothing I could do at the time, they were just too strong. One of them completely suppressed me in bloodline and the other gave off the same unfathomable feeling as she did.

“Grrr, If this was the Upper World, why would I ever need to fear those juniors? I would’ve taught them both a lesson, especially that black-robed brat, he dared to crack a joke at me back then. Hmph!”

The being continued to childishly grumble to himself before remembering the situation the Mortal Desolate World was in.

“What should I do? Should I help? No, no, I can’t. I promised her I’d watch over this place after she saved my life. If I leave and something happens here, then the only way out for the people of this world would be lost.”

…

“With the circumstances the way they are, it’s not looking too good. That geezer most likely won’t be able to hold the Graha back this time, but if those dismal fools think they’ve won, then I pity them. This is her home world, did they think that just because she was gone they could do whatever they wanted?”

“Ridiculous!”

“I’ll wait and see just how all of you will die.”

“Traitorous Graha, after abandoning us in the realm of death, you have made an enemy of someone who shares the same potential as your Progenitor. Hehe, your kind will suffer this time.”

After the being finished speaking, it quietly fell back into slumber, but occasionally, it would wake to check on the Mortal Desolate World.