Chapter 28: Chapter 28: So Obvious, Yet So Subtle

“And so, that’s how it goes,” said Adeline on the ‘phone’, which happened to be a communication device powered by mana that could also transmit picture. As promised, she contacted Ulster when she was able to and intended to tell him about the delay, but someone beat her to it. Zenithia told the pince-nez wearing werewolf about the whole ordeal and he was understandably upset, but he couldn’t do anything while himself was also recovering. He was assured that Adeline would come through, and it calmed him somewhat. It was only after the red-furred werewolf told him the whole story did he manage to breathe easy.

“But to think that Zenithia happens to be one of the light dragons…and was also the one preventing more damage to Pol Hain…. I must give her thanks for her sacrifice, though I’m still conflicted about it.”

“Honestly, me too,” said Adeline. “She lied to me about her origin. Even after trusting her in the end, I still have this feeling that Zen’s keeping more secrets. Tell me, Ul. Do you think…do you think it’s wise to keep her around? She is a light dragon, after all. It is true that she lost most of her powers, but that doesn’t mean she is incapable of destruction.”

“Well, she did break the news of the situation in Dracokin and told me what she is, so…I say keep an eye on her, Addy. She did give you a chance for glory, after all. You struck the killing blow. You should be proud of that.”

Adeline chuckled. “I should have asked for a fencing lesson. Swinging a light sword down can hardly be considered glorious feat.”

“Quite humble for a noble born,” said Ulster with a chuckle. “Oh, I also want to let you know that Jim arrived this morning. There’s…nothing new. For all three of us.”

“I see,” said Adeline with a slight pause. “No news, then.”

“Keep your hope up, Adeline. I know they’re still alive. Just take a good rest, okay?”

Adeline nodded and said, “Talk to you later, Ulster. Bye.” Then disconnected the line to Pol Hain. She was distraught of all the different ordeals she faced, including the one where she risked her life to kill the light dragon. While it was her idea, she found how stupid it was and silently vowed not to risk her life like that again, unless it was the only way.

But for now, she shouldn’t try and learn her enemies when she still need to learn about the only dragon that knew the whole thing: Zenithia. Now that the truth was out, Adeline could not see the dragon as an innocent hatchling or a harmless dragonet. Zenithia was far from being harmless, even after she claimed that she had sacrificed most of her powers to prevent total destruction of Pol Hain.

So, as she regained the strength to walk, she sought after the white dragon. Zenithia, however, was already waiting for her near the exit. The small white dragon had anticipated questions, and so she waited after some self-care.

“You have questions,” said Zenithia as she stretched her wings. “But are you prepared for the answers?”

“After skirting so close to death’s door? I bloody well am prepared. But are you prepared?”

“For what?”

“From what I gather in the brief time of the revelation and my critical condition, I know you right now is too weak to do anything against the light dragons. Tell me the whole truth, and I am prepared for a compromise. Try and dump more lies, I will not trust you, even if it is unwise. We will find a way to deal with them, with or without you.”

“Are you sure about that? We are not beings of pure magic. Whatever knowledge you have is insufficient against us. That term ‘light dragon’ is nothing more than what you can describe of us: dragons made of light with light-based magic. What we are…is more than dragons.”

“Which is why it depends on you, Zen. I know you don’t want to mislead us. Whether you trust us or not, we are your best chance against them. With the pillars of light disrupting this land and Ternor involved with an invasion from hell itself, I need one chance. One bloody chance that we can deal with our situation here. I don’t want to die without a fight.”

Zenithia looked at Adeline’s determined expression and knew that the werewolf was serious. She really wanted to deal with the light dragons, or at least die trying. Zenithia needed her determination, and the white dragon found it. She never felt so satisfied in a very long time.

“Then, I will try to answer your questions as honestly as possible,” said Zenithia. “For it seems you really know what you are doing, after all.”

“Glad we can understand each other.” Adeline walked to the nearby couch. “So, let’s start with the basics. Who are you?”

“My name is Zenithia, and I am a white dragon. That much you know. Yet, I am also a light dragon; a name you chose to call me. The Aspect of Draconic Death calls my kind Light Bane, which is not wrong, either. We are banes of your existence in the form of light, long regarded as the element of purity and hope. The irony of us being a dread doesn’t escape me. For you, our light is a danger; the herald of the end times.”

“So, you are light-based life forms?”

“We are light-based dragon life forms. Despite light’s malleability, our form is still draconic. In this world, where dragons are as common as humans, we fit in very well. Albino dragons are rare, but never non-existent. Dragons with light-based magic, however, never existed. I have stumbled upon worlds where light-based powers existed, along with the dragons or draconic beings utilizing them. Those lights are inferior compared to ours.”

“Other worlds? You mean there are more worlds out there?”

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“The stream of time has infinite possible outcomes and triggers. There is always a start, and there is always the end. However, the path to that end is never one straight road. Choices made in this reality can be different from the other reality, and those choices are infinite. This also results in finding the prime reality difficult, or even downright impossible. Traveling between realities are also impossible unless one manages to find a way to do so. Us, being extradimensional creatures, live in the void that borders each reality. Consider the void as a train station, and the realities as train platforms. I think that is the best analogy in regards of your current technological level. Well, except...the platforms are infinite.”

“And you used that knowledge to conquer other worlds.”

“It is the unfortunate truth. And no, we do not conquer. We destroy. Light dragons do not need to rule over one reality. We simply…eat them. With realities being infinite and new realities created after every choice, we simply eat that reality, starting from one point of time and space we decide to be the easiest to conquer."

"And what do you consider a conquerable reality?"

"A reality created by a series of wrong decisions, a reality nearing the end of its time, or a reality at the start of their journey. We light dragons do not consider one reality a 'sacred timeline', though some might consider it so. For them, we are parasites threatening the reality they so coveted, not realizing that they have variants. Like I said, there are more branches than you might think possible. Infinite possibilities."

“Doesn’t look like it goes well in this reality,” remarked Adeline. “I don’t think they anticipate you to betray them.”

“They anticipated mine, but only after they were caught off-guard by another. Like I said, reality is infinite. There will always be a light dragon that becomes too comfortable with a reality and decided to save it. It isn’t always a problem, considering that one reality over an infinite won’t exactly matter. If the reality is too troublesome, we simply leave it alone. But, irony doesn’t make it simple. Irony is what makes things unpredictable, and it still applies to us.

“Despite the infinite source of food, we are finite. We cannot reproduce by simple, biological means, and we can only do so…when we are cut off from the Thread. When we lose our connection to the Source, we are no longer immortal.”

“I see. So, the irony is, to reproduce, you must be a regular dragon. But can’t you simply return to the Source with your offspring?”

Zenithia chuckled dryly. “What do you think?”

“Oh.” Adeline did not need a concrete answer. Zenithia’s implication was enough for her.

“Which is why any light dragons severing themselves from the Thread is one step closer to our kind’s extinction. Light dragons cannot die by any means. Even Shawar, the dragon we slain, did not die. He returned to the Source and be ‘reborn’, with all the knowledge and wisdom intact. He will simply choose a different name. The best I could do with most of my powers was to give you a chance to slay him, because without it, he is going to win.”

“So…it is a lost cause, then,” said Adeline, feeling dejected. “We clearly do not have the means to cut their Threads, and I don’t even know if we are considered troublesome for them. Even worst, now that you told me of your kind's problem...it doesn't feel right fighting against a species close to extinction.”

"Many of us have embraced that eventuality," said Zenithia, trying to comfort Adeline the best way she could. "But every living being, even extradimensional ones, wants to survive. I cannot blame them. In fact, I pity their inability to adapt."

"But even so, what can we do?"

“One way is for a light dragon to help them. Another…is to seal off this reality from them.”

“Is that even possible?”

“Only when you are within a reality construct called Altered Reality State. Light dragons can access this reality construct. Inside it, we can alter reality as we wish, but only within that construct. Altering reality, no matter how limited it is, disrupts the normal flow of reality like ripples, creating waves of destruction. I think you are familiar with it.”

“The pillar of lights. Wait. So why are there so many pillars of lights, then? And why are they…why are they creating those monsters?”

“Why do you think I am stuck in this form?”

Adeline came to a conclusion that also made her respect Zenithia even more and understood why it would be harder for the light dragon to explain without causing a headache or outright insanity for the weak-minded.

“That was all you? You prevented those light dragons from crossing out of the Altered Reality State?”

“It's not hard once you know the wavelength and spectrum they use. However, the struggle took most of my strength, reducing me to this form. It will take countless years to return me to full strength. In the end, I am but one light dragon. I wasn’t alone in this regard, but unfortunately, I lost contact with them.”

“Dear me….”

“Now, you see why I can’t tell anyone about this. Those who are in grief or simply untrustworthy in nature will either dismiss it or respond with violence, or just simply lost their minds upon realizing how insignificant they are. Someone with a god complex, for example, will just despair upon realizing that they are nothing more than a ‘god’ of one reality.”

“But you are telling me all this, expecting me to accept it all. Why?”

“You asked your questions, and I told you the answers you can understand. You may tell all you know to anyone to let them prepare. However, I won’t simply tell all that without knowing that you aren’t just going to dismiss it or blaming me for everything that is wrong.”

“I…see. I think I got more information than I anticipated. But still…what’s next? We know the threat your kind poses, but that still doesn’t change the fact that we are doomed. You are in no condition to fight, and even with all the dragon riders in our disposal, we are still severely outmatched.”

“Not entirely. Remember what Avila said to us back in Pol Hain. ‘Find the answer in Qeveriyt. Learn the answer to your current predicament.’ She is clearly linked to the dragons of this Earth, and she knows Qeveriyt exists.”

“But it is a legend, right? Legends are just a way to understand…oh, my.”

“Why don’t we start finding about the fabled city’s existence? Then again, maybe we shouldn’t try too hard.”

“Start with the stories, right? We might be able to find a clue with a different perspective. Detective work isn’t what I’m good at, but maybe Ulster—”

“No, not something that complicated, no. Maybe the answer already presents itself. It is something so obvious, yet also so subtle, that the owner can’t even understand it because of a mental block.”

“Isn’t being cryptic Avila’s thing? Now, that doesn’t give your previous answers any merits.”

“How about if I tell you the answer lies in Azureath? Is that believable enough for you?”

“Better than…wait. Azureath?”

“See what I mean? How about you ask her about it? I can tell she doesn’t like me for being responsible in putting you, Hans, and Keeshar into a coma and for being the same race with a dragon that threatened the end of your reality. She might not like it, but I am the only one who knows what we're dealing with bar Avila.”

Adeline nodded, yet still wasn’t sure how Azureath fit into the whole situation. She was an exile that had been away from the Main continent for so long she couldn’t be involved in anything so recent.

But like Zenithia said, she might not even know about it herself. It wouldn’t hurt to ask her, though Adeline did not expect anything helpful if the azure dragon did not know.

It was so obvious, yet so subtle, after all.