I took a deep breath and steeled my resolve before making my way toward my grandmother. She did not move from her place. Her eyes glanced at the sky with a gaze full of emotions.

It was easier to read her mood now that she was in her human form. I hesitantly approached and laid down next to her. Countless thoughts ran through my mind as I wished to comfort her. Still, they all died down once they reached my mouth.

She had just lost her brother, for good this time. I did not know what sort of relationship she had with him. Seeing her laying down with an absent gaze on her face, however, gave me a general idea. A sigh escaped my mouth as I simply lay there alongside her.

"So you've finally made a friend?" She asked with a gentle smile on her face.

Her sudden question caught me off guard, and I dumbly nodded. "Yes. Her name is Breta."

"I see. The daughter of the Goddess of light, and the God of peace."

Surprised, I turned to stare at my grandmother before asking, "You know her?"

A smirk made its way across her face as she replied, "Why are you so surprised?"

"It's just that, as far as I know, she was stuck in the astral plane for a very long time."

With a shrug, grandmother spoke, "I know her father."

"The God of peace?" Surprised, I asked.

"Yes. Though her mother doesn't really like me. The last time I recall seeing the lass, on the other hand, was when she was still a child."

"I see." I nodded in understanding.

Silence once again descended, as we both enjoyed the gentle breeze. "Grandma?"

"Yes, child."

"How's Essie doing?"

Hearing my question, a wide grin stretched across her face before she replied, "Oh, that little one is going to be dangerous, Aether. You'd best work hard if you don't want her to catch up."

I smiled and nodded. Happy to hear that she was doing well. Immy and Sidus were still nowhere to be found, and neither was Ynos. The floating mountain was strangely empty without them. As I lay there next to my grandmother, my mind wandered off to the past.

After a while, I stood up and stretched my limbs. Grandma had her eyes closed, but I knew that she was awake. "Grandma, I want to visit the mortal lands."

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She turned her head and eyed me with curiosity, evident in her gaze. "Where did that come from, so suddenly?"

"Not suddenly. I've been thinking about it for a while. I want to see everything, I want to visit every place. See what the other races have to offer — If I am expected to join the fight against the shades, then I want to see, for what are we risking our lives for? And for what countless dragons have lost theirs for."

Grandma remained silent after hearing my answer. After a while, she simply nodded. "Well, you are smart enough to take care of yourself. Besides, there is not much that can hurt you in the mortal lands. Though, you do remember that you are feared by almost everyone over there, right?"

Scratching my head, I nodded with an awkward smile on my face. "Yes, that I remember."

"Well, if you insist on going then stop by the Piya kingdom."

Hearing that familiar name caused me to pause as I stared at my grandmother with confusion, evident on my face. "But I already destroyed the Piya kingdom?"

Nodding, she continued. "Yes, but the faith in the temple of the Dragon God has soared. They built their headquarters in a mountain near the old capital."

"Wait, I remember you telling me about this. Don't they call me the harbinger of death or something?"

A laugh escaped my grandmother's mouth as she nodded. "Yes, you are the messenger of the Dragon King himself!" She said while raising her hands in the air for dramatic effect.

Shaking my head, I asked, "And how is that going to help me?"

"Well, the temple can work as a temporary home for you while you explore the mortal plane. You can also use your identity as the messenger of the dragon king to traverse the plane unbothered."

My eyes lit up at that, as I nodded in understanding. "Still, isn't it strange how fast this new faith has risen?" I asked.

"Oh, smart. As expected of my grandson. You are correct in finding it strange. Usually, the sovereigns of the mortal lands would do everything in their powers to crush this new religion before it would spread. No matter what happened, they would find a way to suppress it since it's not good for them. But they were unlucky this time since we used our Divine chosen ones."

Curious since this was the first time I heard of such a thing, I asked. "Divine chosen? What's that?"

"Simply put, you can think of them as our agents in the mortal realm. It's thanks to their help that we can keep tabs on the mortals and act fast should a threat arise."

"Oh, how come I never heard of them before?"

With a smirk, grandma answered, "Well, you have now."

"Hmm, are they like mortals?"

Standing up, a yawn escaped grandma's mouth before she answered, "Humans, Elves, Demons, Beastmen. The Divine chosen can be of any race. Most mortals are unaware of their existence. It has been a while since they last worked out of the shadows. Now, they simply blend in with the rest, while gathering information, swaying the public's opinion on certain matters when needed. And carrying out assassinations should the need arise."

"Oh, so it's thanks to them that the temple of the Dragon God was able to rise so quickly?" I asked to which grandma answered, "Correct."

"Forgive me if I'm being presumptuous, but I have to ask. Why now?"

"Are you asking why did we decide to push through with the whole idea of the temple of the Dragon God?" I simply nodded at her question.

"Simple, we carried a vote. Most decided that with your actions, it was a good time to go for it."

Her answer left much to be desired. I knew that she was omitting a lot of details, but I was in no position to question her or question why the dragons decided to suddenly interfere in the matters of the mortals. And so I responded with a nod.

"I understand."