Beneath the shattered dome, the steel framework pierced through the lead-gray sky, propping up the teetering ruins.
Standing at the fractured edge of the botanical garden, Yvette sank into a long silence, contemplating the possible scenario until the sound of hurried footsteps broke the stillness.
She heard Abella urgently saying from behind, “Master, it seems the Day of End has arrived!”
Yvette nodded. Both she and Abella lacked a nest to receive the goddess’s will, but by paying attention to the agitated reactions of the lower-level aberrations, they could roughly guess the situation.
“Should we participate, Master?” Abella tentatively inquired.
“What do you think?” Yvette retorted.
“I… I think this should be a good opportunity to serve the goddess…” Abella hesitated, her gaze quickly sweeping over Yvette’s calm profile. “But I’m still not in great shape…”
For her, if her master could catch the goddess’s attention during the Day of End and be promoted to a lord, she would naturally rise alongside her, becoming a leader with her master’s blessing.
However, on the other hand, her current strength was far from its peak, and without any pressure, she lacked enthusiasm.
So the best outcome for her would be to continue lounging in Water Tower Nation, letting her master go off to the new world’s frontlines to achieve great things… ah, um, to gain merit and slay enemies.If her master were to die at the hands of the strong in the new world, she wouldn’t mind, but if her master actually accomplished something and earned the goddess’s favor, she might benefit as well.
In summary —
Better to hope for her master to succeed than to push herself!
“Then we won’t go,” Yvette shook her head, seemingly considerate of Abella’s condition. In truth, she had been worried that all high-level aberrations would be forced to go, and then her role as a leader would be compromised. Knowing they could opt-out was a relief.
A few minutes later, a low, booming howl rushed closer. Yvette lowered her gaze and saw the massive black silhouette of Dugrabi launch into the sky, landing steadily on an adjacent crumbling wall, with Ice Rain riding on its back.
“Good-hearted lady, did you see? The aurora! The aurora has appeared!” Ice Rain jumped down from the back of the black dragon, her face filled with anxiety. Over the years, she had come to understand that Dugrabi was an otherworldly being from the realm of the aurora, so she quickly comprehended the current situation.
Yvette nodded, then looked at Dugrabi, noting its expression that fused excitement with sorrow and sadness. Suddenly, she shook her head, saying, “I don’t recommend you go back right now.”
Dugrabi paused slightly, taken aback.
Yvette sighed, “You must have sensed it too. This aurora came too abruptly, far exceeding the usual scale; it signals the arrival of the ‘Day of End.’ If you return now, you might face a battlefield sweeping across the world. At your current level, you cannot influence the situation. It’s better to stay here; at least it’s safer.”
“The Day of End?!” Dugrabi’s vertical pupils constricted suddenly. It had become excited merely from witnessing the aurora, completely oblivious to the underlying oddity.
If this were true, then returning now likely wouldn’t lead it to the sunny, blue waters of its beloved homeland, but rather to a vast expanse strewn with corpses, a hell on earth!
Yvette made no further comments, simply watching it quietly, awaiting its decision.
Under the dim sky, the dark blue aurora seemed to come alive, slowly flowing down, staining Dugrabi’s eyes with a mysterious and eerie dusk.
After a full minute, Dugrabi raised its head and spoke softly, “Teacher, I’m sorry, but… I still hope to go back. I cannot just watch like this.”
Yvette wasn’t surprised by its response; she understood Dugrabi’s character, and her previous persuasion was merely from the perspective of a teacher’s responsibility.
She smiled gently and reminded, “Be safe.”
“Okay, Teacher,” Dugrabi nodded vigorously.
Time was urgent, and no one knew how long this unusual aurora would last. Yvette didn’t say anything more, falling silent.
Dugrabi then turned to Ice Rain, hearing her, on the verge of tears, say, “Wuwuwu… Dugrabi, you’re really leaving… Will we see each other again…?”
“There’s no such thing as a feast that does not disperse.” Dugrabi felt a bit awkward; it usually treated Ice Rain rudely, often teasing her for being slow-witted, but now it was unexpectedly sad to depart, and gently consoled, “But in at most a few hundred years, I’ll definitely come back. You should live until then, right? We will meet again, it’s a promise.”
“……” Ice Rain sniffled, wide-eyed, wondering if she could really live that long.
Then Dugrabi cast a glance at Abella, its attitude completely different this time. It snorted derisively, saying, “Oh, maid, you’re here too? The important second disciple of your master, the future legendary Dragon King, is leaving. Do you have anything to say?”
“Get lost! Also, get ready to die; the goddess is about to turn you and your old man into raw dragon sashimi.” Abella scoffed.
“Pah! Dream on!” Dugrabi fumed.
Ice Rain was momentarily stunned, realizing the two were actually opposing sides in the Day of End—one being an upright dragon from another world and the other a villainous aberration from its own world. No wonder their dialogue was completely different from what she had imagined.
It was all so tense; anyone who didn’t know would think this wasn’t a farewell but rather a fight looming.
Having exchanged their words, it was finally time to depart; after all, Dugrabi felt anxious about the possibility of its hometown being attacked.
Yet before leaving, it leaned its head close to Yvette’s ear, whispering in a voice almost like a mosquito, a long and odd melodic sequence, then said, “Teacher… please remember this, it’s the only thing I can give you.”
“This is… your true name as a dragon?” Yvette exclaimed, surprised.
“Yeah.” Dugrabi nodded seriously, anxious, “You must not tell anyone.”
The true name of a dragon was the greatest secret of each dragon clan, known only to the closest of kin, such as parents. Generally, no one would speak of it. The name “Dugrabi,” on the other hand, was akin to a common name, more in line with traditional nomenclature.
Before becoming a Dragon King, a true name held little relevance, more like a cultural custom.
Only after passing the Dragon King trial did the true name become significant — because the ritual magic for the ascension to Dragon King included inscribing the true name beneath the dragon statue. At that point, the true name would serve as both a source of power and a fatal weakness.
Should a Dragon King wantonly abuse their power and incite internal strife, the Dragon Kings could collectively appeal to the dragon statue, stripping that specific Dragon King of their status, reverting them to their original form.
“I won’t tell anyone,” Yvette promised solemnly.
She believed that Dugrabi would certainly become a Dragon King, so the significance of this long true name would be immense.
Essentially, it was entrusting her with its life.
“I believe in you, Teacher.” Dugrabi nodded.
After sharing this enormous future secret, it wasted no time. Grabbing the three magical tomes, it flew toward the nearest rift in the sky.
At that moment, countless rifts spread through the skies above the submerged city and further among the distant mountains, resembling scars in the firmament, densely tearing through. The extraordinary quantity indicated that this aurora was evidently manually triggered, even altering the number of accompanying rifts, much like rain falling from an apocalypse.
Standing at the rift’s entrance, for the final time, Dugrabi turned back, shouting toward Yvette, “Teacher — I will become legendary, just like my sister — !!”
After speaking, seeing Yvette nodding from afar, it released a few excited roars toward the sky and then soared into the rift, disappearing from sight.