Chapter 28: Is Corruption and Decay Truly the Fate of All Those Who Possess Power?

  Primer, seated atop the divine throne at the peak of his heavenly palace, had his eyes closed, drifting in a state of semi-slumber.

  He was exhausted and weary, but not with the kind of ordinary fatigue one might expect. His tiredness was not of the body, but of the spirit and soul.

  Unfortunately, with each passing year, the pain in his soul deepened, gradually stripping him of his humanity.

  Now, human emotions felt distant and intangible to him, as if they were no longer real. His outlook on the world had changed drastically from what it once was, and he now possessed a wisdom that only disheartened and subdued him, making him doubt the covenants and promises he had once sworn to uphold.

  But does knowledge create limitation?

  Was building an ideal world even possible?

  Or were those merely the hollow dreams of a naive youth?

  I don't know... I am confused and fearful of what lies ahead.

  Will I become a monster like Isys?

  Will I lose the ability to understand human emotions altogether?

  My soul is deteriorating at an alarming rate, being worn down and then hastily healed by my Core...

  But can restoration ever return something to its original quality?

  No... for anything that is repaired is never truly the same as when it was first made.

  Each time something within me breaks, a piece of my emotions vanishes temporarily, rendering me unable to understand myself.

  Time is running out—I can feel it.

  If I don't find a way to prevent this disaster, I will inevitably become a creature that feels neither joy nor sorrow, let alone empathy or humanity.

  When Primer's condition finally stabilized and calmness once again washed over him, he rose slowly from the throne and soared into the cloudy sky.

  He flew faster than the speed of light and descended into the vast forests located in the west of the continent.

  As his cloak danced wildly in the wind, the startled birds took flight, screeching in terror.

  The once vibrant and noisy forest had now fallen into an eerie silence, as if offering loyalty and submission to its creator through its stillness.

  Without commenting on the change, Primer strode forward until he reached a tree he had planted ten thousand years ago.

  A tree he had named the "Lantern of Life."

  The Lantern of Life was a special species of tree, but this one differed greatly from all the others.

  Primer had given it a tiny piece of himself—a fragment we would recognize as part of his consciousness.

  He had done this merely to experiment and better understand his powers, but the results were astounding.

  The tree grew at an unnatural speed, extending its dominion over a vast area of the forest, causing nearby trees to wither and die as they were deprived of sunlight.

  What had once been a tiny sapling, smaller than Primer’s waist, now had a canopy two kilometers wide and a height of four hundred meters.

  How ironic...

  I planted this tree when it was nothing more than a small sprout, giving it a name symbolizing vitality and hope,

  yet it has grown into a tyrant, snuffing out the growth and advancement of others.

  Is corruption and decay truly the fate of all those who wield power?

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  Will I eventually suffer the same destiny?

  Will I one day become a heartless being, indifferent to the lives of others?

  I don't know... but I pray that day never comes.

  Primer cut six branches from the Lantern of Life and brought them back to his island.

  Then, in the blink of an eye, he traveled south and captured six upright jungle monkeys, plunging them into a deep slumber before bringing them as well to the island, placing them beside the branches and preparing a magical Core for each.

  But something still seemed to be missing...

  After some thought, Primer decided to gather twelve of the most beautiful and finest flowers in his world.

  Then, he began the process of creation using magic.

  He grafted the branches onto the unfortunate monkeys, mutating their existence into monstrous forms, then fused the flowers with them,

  and finally, merged the Cores with their beings.

  After an hour, he had created entities of unmatched beauty—at least by human standards.

  They resembled humans, with two arms and two legs,

  but their sharp, pointed ears set them apart.

  Aside from that, and their breathtaking beauty, there was no visible difference between them and humans.

  They were elves—or at least something close to it—for surely there were fundamental differences between the two.

  Their appearances suggested the age of twelve-year-old children,

  but Primer had crafted their essence for longevity and near-complete immunity to disease and poison.

  Thus, their age could not be judged by appearance alone.

  Indeed, they had not even lived a single hour yet, and so, much like the dragons before them, they existed in a peculiar state of nascent existence.

  Primer raised his hand and snapped his fingers once.

  Suddenly, their eyelids fluttered open, and all six of them awoke, gazing around in confusion.

  It was as if they had awakened from an eternal sleep, unaware of anything, making it nearly impossible to grasp their mental state or thoughts.

  They stared blankly and emotionlessly at the palace before them, then turned to face their creator.

  Primer lifted his hand once again and, just like when the dragons first awakened, infused them with a fragment of his knowledge—teaching them language, recognition of other beings, and survival skills in the world.

  But the burden of such knowledge was heavy, and their minds could not handle the vast influx all at once.

  Thus, Primer sent them into a deep evolutionary sleep to protect their fragile consciousness.

  After they had all fallen asleep, he carried each to separate rooms, laying them gently on luxurious beds and covering them with soft blankets.

  He tenderly caressed their silky hair and cast a spell to grant them sweet, gentle dreams, causing soft, innocent smiles to bloom on their faces.

  Seeing those tender smiles on the lips of his beautiful, delicate children, Primer, too, smiled inwardly,

  his heart throbbing unnaturally with happiness for his children's joy.

  "May these innocent, delicate smiles never vanish from your faces...

  May your smiles never serve to hide your inner pain...

  May you never smile at the suffering or humiliation of others...

  And may you never lose the hope your smiles carry, my dear children..."

  ---

  Meanwhile, the dragons, now awakened from their evolutionary slumber, had undergone dramatic changes.

  Their auras had intensified so much that their presence could be felt from a kilometer away.

  They decided to hunt and test their powers as a group, but suddenly, Rizayres spoke:

  "Sisters, brothers, while you were experiencing your evolutionary dreams, I went hunting to test my strength."

  He recounted the story of his battle with the goat and the tiger,

  then, with a serious gaze and tone, he continued:

  "We are still weak and lacking.

  Our current power stems only from our bodies and the potent blood coursing through our veins.

  Aside from our fiery breath, claws, and jaws, we possess no true weapons for battle.

  Look at my hands!

  In that fight, I was injured and grounded by a half-dead goat!

  This is unacceptable!

  How can dragons—noble, majestic beings handcrafted by our Creator—be humiliated by creatures as insignificant as a goat?"

  Ajiris burst out laughing, mocking Rizayres loudly:

  "My dear little brother, your defeat was due to your ignorance and pride, not weakness in strength!

  Why should a dignified dragon like us even bother fighting such lowly creatures?"

  Rizayres frowned and replied:

  "If you wish to rule the skies, then go challenge the Emperor of the Sky!

  Did you not see that massive, flaming bird?

  Are you so lost in delusion that you think you can defeat a phoenix?

  Our fire breath is useless against them, and our bodies are smaller by comparison!"

  Buhaires sneered:

  "Hmph, brother, your thinking is old and futile.

  Our previous selves are no longer comparable to what we are now!

  How could six evolved dragons not overcome a single bird?

  We will defeat it and become the most powerful force to ever rule the skies of this realm! Hahaha..."

  Argonis frowned, opposing his brothers’ rash decisions:

  "Buhaires, Ajiris, we are still ignorant of our enemy's true power!

  Moreover, Rizayres is right: we are not yet invincible.

  Blind trust in something we don't fully understand is a dangerous risk that could cost us our lives!"

  Just then, Roanis, with her usual excitement, chimed in:

  "Sister, what are you saying?

  Surely our brothers know something that makes them so confident, right?"

  Roanis gazed at her brothers with innocent, questioning eyes, awaiting their answer.

  But the brothers... they looked uncertainly at each other, unable to find a response.

  "Right?..."

  At last, Buhaires answered hesitantly, and thus, the dragons’ doubts about their own strength became clear to everyone.

  "Where is Safyris?"

  Rizayres suddenly realized that Safyris had been absent throughout the discussion.

  Everyone noticed her absence and looked around in confusion, but before anyone could speak, Roanis giggled and said:

  "Oh, she’s in her cave, preparing herself to advance to the next level!"

  Upon hearing this unexpected reply, everyone’s eyes widened slightly, finding themselves at a loss for words.

  Thus, the flame of competition for advancement and strength blazed brightly in all their hearts.