“First, you must understand the fundamental races that comprise the universe,” Nerthus stated. “Humans are one. Obviously. But there are also elves, dwarves, gnomes, goblins, kysar, and elementals, with each race having various branches. For instance, elves have three main variants – wood elves, dark elves, and high elves. Each of the other races have at least as many varieties who have followed different evolutionary paths.”

“Okay,” Elijah said. “When you say races, I’m guessing you’re not talking about ethnicity.”

“I am not. Though most races can reproduce with one another, creating even more diversity, each is fundamentally different from the other.”

“Gotcha. Lots of interbreeding. A bunch of half-elves and demignomes running around. Not really my thing, but someone has to be into that kind of thing, right?” Elijah asked. Nerthus just looked at him like he’d gone a little crazy. “Sorry. This is the second longest conversation we’ve had, and like I said before, it’s kind of gotten to me.”

“Right.”

Elijah apologized again, then said, “Carry on.”

Nerthus continued to explain the shape of the universe and its inhabitants, once again pointing out the difference between devourers and preservers, though Elijah got the feeling that neither group was exactly codified. They were just labels that probably meant different things to different people.

He also talked about how there were thousands of worlds, adding, “The older they are, the more connected to the world tree they are. That makes the overall Ethera in those worlds thicker and the denizens more powerful on average.”

“And I’m guessing the world tree is where the System comes from?”

“No. Though it is dependent on the World Tree to spread, the System is not of the World Tree. Instead, it is the result of multiple Transcendents working together,” Nerthus answered. “They worked for eons until, at last, they created the System.”

“Oh. Why?”

“To help people resist the Voxx, of course,” Nerthus said. “But I digress. You wish to know of dragons. They are what’s known as an elder race. There aren’t many, and even the youngest among them is capable of feats few of the fundamental races can match. To those of us following a nature path, they are as gods.”

That certainly explained Nerthus’s reaction.

Elijah asked, “So, what does it mean that I have a Dragon Core? And why do I feel so much better, now? It’s like I got twenty or thirty percent stronger in the blink of an eye.”

Indeed, during his testing, he’d tested his attributes by lifting progressively heavy rocks, which was where he’d gotten his estimate. It wasn’t exactly scientific, but he felt confident in the assessment.

“You passed the first threshold,” said Nerthus.

Elijah rolled his eyes. “You say that like it’s supposed to mean something to me. Come on, man. I have no idea what any of this stuff means,” he groaned.

“It is the System’s way of measuring your overall cultivation,” he said. “There are nine stages, starting with Cultivator and ending with Supremacy. It is the first half of Godhood.”

“Wait – are you saying I can become a god?”

“Indeed. How do you think the originators gathered enough power to create the System? Of course, they went far beyond our current measurements, but –”

“I can become a god, though? Like, you’re not screwing with me, are you?”

“Yes. Though, I caution you that such a journey will take you millennia. However, with a Dragon Core, if you progress that far, you will be one of the more powerful deities,” Nerthus said.

“In plain terms, what does core cultivation do?”

“It increases the density and quality of your stored Ethera, making your spells, abilities, and techniques more powerful. Different types of cores represent differing degrees of improvement. For instance, if you were to have cultivated a nature core and reached the seed stage, you would have experienced a five or six percent increase in the power of your spells. Higher stages result in larger increases, though I can’t speak to anything after the sapling stage.”

“Uh…are you sure about those numbers?”

“Quite. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just that…well, I can’t say that this is the case for everything, but my Essence spells – they increase my attributes by set amounts – all experienced a bigger increase than what you’re describing.”

“Oh? That should be expected, with a Dragon Core. They are some of the most powerful beings in the universe, after all. How large of an increase did those abilities experience? Ten percent? Fifteen?”

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“Um…higher. A lot higher.”

“Thirty?”

Elijah gestured for the tree spirit to keep going. Nerthus went pale – quite a feat, considering that he was made of tree bark – and Elijah took pity on him. He said, “Double.”

“D-double?”

“Yeah. For those spells, at least. I can’t tell for sure with the others, though.”

“That’s not…that isn’t possible.”

“You’ve said that a couple of times already. I don’t think you really know what that word means.” Nerthus looked like he was on the verge of having a seizure, so Elijah changed the subject, “So, you said dragons are only one of the elder races, right? What are the other ones?”

Nerthus shook his head, muttering to himself, but after a few seconds, he looked up and answered, “Demons are one. Angels are another. And mechaniques, though they are exceedingly rare.”

“Demons?” Elijah said. Then, he held his hands up to his head with his index fingers pointing skyward. “Like, horns, forked tails, and cloven hooves?”

“Indeed,” Nerthus answered. “They are the sworn enemies of angels, though they rarely come into actual conflict. Long ago, they reached an agreement to remain on their respective sides of the universe. If they hadn’t, there’s every chance that nothing would have survived the ensuing war. Mechaniques, by comparison, are a race of awakened golems. No one knows how they reached that stage, and any attempts to replicate the feat have met with failure. There are a handful of other elder races that have died out as well.”

“That’s…a lot to take in.” The idea that angels and demons were real had been more of a surprise than seeing gnomes and dwarves. “So, is there a reason why some of our religious stories and myths mention these elder races? Or the foundational races, come to that.”

“Before the planet’s integration, it would have been incredibly difficult for them to reach your planet. However, difficult does not mean impossible. Likely, this planet has been visited sometime in the past, which is the source of your myths, legends, and religions.”

Elijah shook his head. If the rest of the world knew that, then there were probably some religions that would experience quite a bit of upheaval. The only thing that made it any more palatable was that the way Nerthus described deities was more like Greek gods, rather than any of the omnipotent monotheistic versions. The first was frightening, but the second was far more so. The idea that a flawed being could reach that level of power was one of the most horrifying things Elijah could imagine.

“What does this mean for me, though?” he asked.

“Druids are already rare,” Nerthus said. “But a druid with a dragon core? If there is another one in the entire universe, I would be shocked. You must keep this to yourself. Otherwise, the Grove will be in danger.”

“Why?”

“Some will see it as an obstacle to overcome,” Nerthus said. “Strength invites challenge. However, dragons have their own enemies. We have spoken of this, but you must understand that the most extreme devourers can and will attempt to harvest anything they can find that will increase their power. That was why the young dragon was trapped. That is why you must be careful. Even if only your core is of the dragon, it is still valuable in the extreme.”

Elijah sighed. “Understood,” he said, thinking that it sounded like more trouble than it was worth. However, he only needed to remember the challenges he’d faced so far to recognize the necessity to gather as much Strength as he could. That included his Dragon Core, regardless of the problems that came with it.

“Alright, I only have a couple more questions,” Elijah said. Indeed, he’d been compiling them since the very beginning, and now that Nerthus was willing to explain some things, he intended to take full advantage. “You’ve mentioned that the World Tree let you connect with Sara’s mother. How?”

“The World Tree connects everything. You merely need to know how to tap into it. Your spell, Ancestral Circle, does this.”

“I really don’t understand.”

“You don’t need to,” Nerthus said. “And I haven’t the time to explain it in the sort of depth understanding would require.”

“Alright. No need to get snippy,” Elijah said. “And I see you’re getting a bit antsy to get back in your tree, so I’ve only got one more question.”

Nerthus sighed, “Very well.”

“Why aren’t we being inundated by powerful beings?” Elijah asked. “Those gnomes had some Strength, but the fact that, after less than two years, I could kill them like that suggests that they weren’t very powerful. But that doesn’t make sense. How come there aren’t stronger people here taking over the world?”

“Two reasons. First, there’s no reason to,” Nerthus stated. “This world may one day be valuable, but for now, getting here and taking over is far more trouble than it’s worth. That may change in the future, but for now, only the people who want to escape their old lives would come here. Second, the low density of ambient Ethera is uncomfortable for anyone above a certain level or cultivation threshold.”

“What about Sara? How was she trapped?”

“She is a child, and, according to her mother, she was reckless. For someone with the right skills, that is all that’s necessary. Let that be a lesson to you, Protector of the Grove. No matter how strong you become, a moment of inattention is all it will take to bring you low.”

“That’s a cheery thought.”

“You must excuse me,” Nerthus said. “I have stayed far longer than I should. If the Ethera levels continue to rise, I should soon be capable of leaving the tree permanently. However, I should point out that I will never be able to leave the Grove.”

“Oh. That sucks.”

Nerthus cocked his head to the side, then said, “No. Not really. This is a great thing, tending a druid’s Grove. At heart, I am still a tree, and trees were never meant to roam. Goodbye, for now.”

“Yeah. See you later, Nerthus.”

With that, the tree spirit retreated to the ancestral tree, laid his hand on the trunk, and then merged with it. The process was a bit of a mind bender, but Elijah had seen it often enough that it didn’t really seem that odd to him anymore.

“What a weird world…”

After that, Elijah stood, grabbed the pack that had been discarded when he’d returned to the Grove, and headed back to his tree house, where he intended to get started on sewing his new clothing. Halfway up the stairs, he stopped mid-step as he felt something he had hoped he would never feel.

Someone had landed on his island.

No. Not just one person. A veritable army of gnomes, goblins, and dwarves had invaded his Domain. He could feel them all so thoroughly that it almost felt like he was standing right there beside them.

Ten.

Twenty.

Thirty.

The numbers didn’t stop climbing until he reached fifty, all having been carried ashore by a small fleet of rowboats.

Elijah was vaguely aware that one of them was shouting orders, but his Domain didn’t extend to interpretation of sound. It didn’t matter, though. Even as they spread out, he hopped down the steps and checked his enhancements. They were all still active.

With that confirmed, he was ready to defend his Domain, and he quickly shifted into the Shape of the Predator. Once he’d taken on his new form, he set off across the island he knew so well.