When the dragon appeared, he bowed before Lilith and said respectfully:
"I am sorry to face the devil in person. Now, I feel that I have had past lives as rats or slugs. Great dragons like me can sense that."
Lilith smiled, asserting her superiority.
"I see. We will give you some time with Erasa, tell her everything she wants to know."
The dragon replied confidently:
"She will know all she wants, you can count on me."
Then he turned to Erasa:
"Climb on my back, little one!"
Erasa hesitated, not fully trusting the dragon. She looked at Lilith and GAaron to make sure it was safe. Both nodded at the same time. Smiling, she climbed onto the dragon's immense back. He immediately took off, reaching a dizzying height in an instant, then began a conversation.
"Erasa, is that your name?" asked the dragon.
"Uh… yes!" she replied.
"Nice to meet you, Erasa, daughter of the devil. I am Arlonge, master dragon, son of Orlongue, the dragon god. You don't have to fear me, I mean you no harm."
Erasa, somewhat reassured:
"Ah… okay, I trust you. You said dragon god, do dragons have a god?"
Arlonge explained:
"Yes, it's a stroke of luck that I could exist, because dragon gods normally do not reproduce. Orlongue managed to conceive me nonetheless."
"How did he do it? Did he find a female dragon?" asked Erasa.
"Hehehe, no. He created me with his traits and powers. I am much weaker than him, but he remains a revered god, especially in the regions where he lived, even if that's no longer the case today."
Erasa inquired:
"Where is your father now?"
Arlonge replied:
"Daughter of the devil, where does your father live?"
"In hell."
"Hell is specific to demons and the devil. Dragons belong to the world of myths. But my father mysteriously disappeared from this world."
Erasa confided:
"In my world, I saw dragons and was able to eliminate some. How did they get there, since the world of myths is supposed to belong to them?"
Arlonge answered:
"They are probably summoned beings."
"Summoned?"
"Yes. I have never known humans capable of rising to the higher spiritual planes to normally come seek an existential axis of beings here. Yet, I am 20 million years old. They can summon beings from the higher world by spells given to them by gods."
Erasa was surprised:
"Gods? Boaz is in contact with gods?"
Arlonge confirmed:
"Yes, quaternary gods, omnipotent, or even omnigods, rank 1, and one of rank 2. They can rise above the higher spiritual planes and interfere with worlds at levels greater than simple existential axes that Boaz cannot see. Thanks to them, Boaz can summon mythical beings stronger than himself, but they leave him free will."
Erasa asked:
"And Boaz, what level is he compared to them?"
Arlonge laughed softly:
"Very low, I would even say nonexistent. They are so far above him that they have manipulated him for a long time without him being able to react."
Erasa, discouraged, lay back on Arlonge's back:
"That demoralizes me… Entities superior to a sorcerer I lost to? I want to really die…"
Erasa sat up and asked:
"Arlonge, how do you fit into Boaz's story?"
Arlonge answered:
"There was a time when I was also a being summoned by Boaz. He wanted a powerful but controllable dragon."
Erasa insisted:
"And then?"
Arlonge explained:
"I was the ideal candidate because Boaz had three advantages over me: the immortality of the gods, their protection, and he possessed at the same time with me what was most precious to me."
Intrigued, Erasa asked:
"What was most precious to you?"
"A little goblin!" replied Arlonge.
Erasa smiled:
"So you're not a solitary dragon?"
Arlonge recounted:
"There was a time, but this little goblin lived near my territory. I hunted her, but she always came back. So small, so fragile, so cute, I didn't want to hurt her. So, I decided to ignore her. Then she began bringing me delicious little meals. At first, I didn't eat them, but every day she removed what I hadn't touched and brought new ones, hoping I would taste at least once. At one point, I saw her despair, but she didn't give up. I finally tasted, and she was very happy."
Erasa was surprised:
"Why did she want so much to get close to you?"
Arlonge replied:
"She felt lonely. Being a goblin here isn't easy. Goblins devour and massacre other creatures, but she didn't want to be like the others. She told me that with me, she thought she could live happily and peacefully forever. I must not hide from you that at first I thought she just wanted dragon protection, but no, she wanted much more."
Erasa reflected:
"Poor little one. It's like with demons, people always think we're bad, but everyone has their own personality."
Arlonge added:
"Demons here are often arrogant, most I've known, even outside this world, are like that. You're the first demon I've seen so kind."
When Erasa blushed and looked away, she asked,
"Are there humans here?"
Arlonge replied,
"Yes and no, but creatures close to humans, like fairies, ogres, goblins, dryads, some demons... Humans here are often summoned from other worlds or immigrants."
Suddenly, the dragon made a detour and landed heavily under a tree. The ground trembled under his power. Intrigued, Erasa asked,
"Arlonge, why?"
The dragon, sad, looked at the ground:
"It's her..."
Erasa saw a tombstone marked "Zemira."
"Is that the little goblin?"
"Yes, she was killed when I was summoned into the world of existence."
"By Boaz?"
"No, by one of the gods who manipulates Boaz, Gilead."
Shocked, Erasa said,
"What? But you were loyal to Boaz, why did that god do that?"
Arlonge explained,
"He hates goblins; he thinks they resemble ogres and that all ugly beings don't deserve to exist. He drew a sword and stabbed Zemira repeatedly so her death would be slow and painful. I could do nothing; I was sealed by another god. Boaz didn't want this to happen either, but he couldn't do anything. Erasa, the scene of Zemira's death... I wasn't ready. Hearing her screams, her calls for help, she kept shouting 'save me Arlonge, please help me,' she was soaked in her blood."
Indignant, Erasa said,
"I can't believe a god did that. We demons are always called cruel!"
Arlonge confided,
"When I was freed from my seal, I returned to this world with Zemira's lifeless body. Thinking about her death, I cried for the first time in my life, tears of sadness and disappointment. She wanted a beautiful life by my side, and now she's dead... Erasa, don't we deserve to live in peace just because we are who we are?"
Erasa asked,
"Why didn't you try to resurrect her?"
Arlonge replied,
"I don't have the power. We Chaos dragons can't resurrect, only take lives."
Understanding, Erasa climbed down from the dragon's back. She approached the grave, placed her hand on it, and her purple aura seemed to burn the stone.
"I don't understand..."
"What?"
"I ordered this body to come back to life, but nothing happens. Normally, she should rise from the grave, but nothing."
At that moment, Lilith appeared, surprising Arlonge and Erasa.
The dragon bowed, which Lilith hated.
"Arlonge, stand up and stop bowing, I hate that."
He sat and replied,
"Uh... understood."
Erasa asked,
"Mother, what are you doing here?"
Lilith answered,
"I am everywhere and nowhere at once, nothing escapes me. Do you know why you couldn't resurrect Zemira?"
Erasa shook her head.
Lilith snapped her fingers, and Zemira's intact body appeared, rising from the grave. She came back to life automatically. She fell to the ground, looked around, and saw Erasa, Lilith, and Arlonge. Seeing Arlonge, she smiled with tears of joy in her eyes, stood up, and ran to hug him. Arlonge, embarrassed, played serious in front of Erasa and Lilith.
"Arlonge... you're here, I'm so happy, I missed you so much."
He blushed,
"Uh... yeah... it's okay... no need to be so enthusiastic... um... um..."
Erasa smiled, knowing Arlonge was happy.
Lilith declared,
"Arlonge, I think we'll leave you two alone to enjoy your reunion. I still have something to show Erasa!"
Arlonge nodded,
"Okay, understood!"
Lilith took Erasa's hand, and they disappeared instantly. Arlonge held Zemira gently in his dragon arms.
"Rooooh, I missed you so much... hahahaha, I promise no one will hurt you again," he said, stroking Zemira.
"Hahaha... Arlonge, you're tickling me!" she replied.
Intrigued, Erasa asked Lilith,
"Mom, where are we?"
Lilith answered calmly,
"We are traveling inside Boaz's consciousness to explore his past."
Surprised, Erasa exclaimed,
"What? Really? And why? I have nothing to do with Boaz!"
Lilith cut her off firmly,
"Be quiet. You will finally understand who your true enemies are."
Erasa watched Lilith, intrigued, wondering what she meant.
Suddenly, they were transported to a distant past, 50 million years ago. Life seemed much harsher than today.
Erasa asked, eyes wide open,
"Mom, where exactly are we?"
Lilith replied,
"At a time when even you did not exist yet. It is the day of Boaz's birth."
Erasa, perplexed, asked,
"Boaz is older than me? How is that possible? I thought humans didn't live more than 200 years..."