The Star Dou Great Forest was silent, though silence here was never peace. From the deepest groves to the highest canopy, spirit beasts pressed low to the ground, shivering beneath the aftershock of power.
The roar of the Dragon God still lingered in their blood.
In the center of the forest, a vast clearing opened like a wound in the sea of trees. The earth here was blackened from the weight of countless centuries of spirit energy, thick enough that even the air shimmered faintly.
One by one, shadows emerged from the treeline.
A titanic ape with muscles like mountains, each step shaking the ground. A graceful rabbit with golden fur, her eyes sharp with intelligence. A serpent coiled around the clearing's edge, scales glistening like black ice. A tiger with dark stripes and a mane of fire.
They came in pairs, in groups, until the clearing was filled.
The Ten Great Beasts.
The strongest kings of the Star Dou Great Forest.
And at the center of them all, towering above like a mountain of scales and claws, stood Di Tian. The Beast God. His black body shimmered faintly with golden light, his golden eyes scanning the gathering with predatory calm.
The air crackled with tension.
"It has been thousands of years," the Fire Tiger rumbled, his mane flickering. "But we all felt it, didn't we? That roar. The Dragon God has stirred."
The Sky-Blue Bull Python coiled tighter, his massive head swaying slightly. "Not stirred," he corrected, his voice deep and slow. "Reawakened."
The beasts murmured low, their voices overlapping like distant thunder.
But the Titan Giant Ape slammed his fist into the ground, silencing them all. The earth cracked beneath the blow.
"Say it plainly," he growled. "The Dragon God lives again."
A hush fell. The words carried too much weight to be spoken lightly.
From the shadows at the edge of the clearing, a soft, almost melodic voice spoke.
"Not lives," she said. "But breathes through another."
Every head bowed instinctively, even Di Tian lowering his gaze.
Silver light rippled across the clearing as Gu Yuena stepped forward. Her silver hair cascaded like flowing mercury, her violet eyes glowing faintly. She looked fragile, almost delicate, but every beast present knew better.
She was the Silver Dragon King. The other half of the Dragon God's soul. Their queen.
Gu Yuena stood lightly upon the air, her feet never touching the ground. Her gaze swept over the gathered beasts.
"What you felt," she said softly, "was no illusion. The Dragon God's will has found a vessel. A human child."
The words twisted through the clearing like a blade.
The Dark-Gold Dreadclaw Bear snarled instantly, his claws tearing furrows into the earth. "A human?! Blasphemy! How can our king—our god—return through those vile creatures?"
His fury echoed in the murmurs of several other beasts, their hatred of humans unhidden.
But Di Tian's roar silenced them, his golden eyes burning. "And yet it is true. The aura we felt was not false. The Dragon God has chosen, whether we approve or not."
The Scarlet King—the Red King Tiger, his stripes glowing faintly—stepped forward, voice low but sharp. "If the Dragon God rises through a human, what does that mean for us? Do we kneel to him still, or do we tear him down before he grows?"
The words hung heavy, dangerous.
Many beasts growled in agreement. Hatred of humans was carved into their bones. To them, humans were predators, hunters, thieves who stole spirit rings and spirit bones, who turned their kin into fuel for power.
But Gu Yuena lifted a hand, and silver light washed over the clearing, silencing all dissent.
"You speak foolishly." Her voice was soft, but colder than ice. "The Dragon God is not merely a king. He is our creator. He is the blood that flows in your veins. If he rises again, even through a human shell, you will bow."
Her eyes gleamed violet. "Or you will be erased."
The clearing fell silent. Even the Dark-Gold Bear lowered his head, though his growl rumbled deep in his throat.
The Titan Ape grinned, his voice booming. "Let him rise, then! Let the Dragon God return! Haven't we waited long enough, rotting under the shadow of the Divine Realm?"
The Sky-Blue Bull Python nodded slowly, his massive coils shifting. "We remember well. The gods shattered him. Split him. Took half his soul, banished the rest. We have lived beneath their tyranny ever since. If the Dragon God walks again, he is our hope of freedom."
Gu Yuena's gaze softened slightly at those words. She remembered too well. The betrayal. The agony. The fall.
Her fingers curled at her side. The Divine Realm had stolen everything. Without the Dragon God's return, the beasts could never hope to overthrow them.
Di Tian's deep voice rumbled again. "But we must tread carefully. A human child cannot yet bear the full weight of the Dragon God's blood. If he loses control, the gods will sense it. They will descend."
Fear rippled through the beasts at those words. The Divine Realm was distant, but their power was eternal. Should they notice the stirrings of their ancient enemy, they would crush the vessel without hesitation.
The Scarlet King growled. "Then what do we do? Protect him? Nurture him? He is human—will he not turn his blade on us, like all the rest?"
Gu Yuena's gaze turned distant, her silver hair rippling faintly in the wind.
"He is a child," she said. "Untouched by the cruelty of his kind. The Dragon God's will flows in him. He may grow to be more than human, more than beast. If he reaches godhood, the balance will shift."
Her lips curved faintly, though it was not a smile. "And then, perhaps, the Divine Realm will finally tremble."
The words filled the clearing with heat. The beasts shifted, their roars low but eager, like wolves scenting blood.
The Titan Ape slammed his chest, laughing loud and wild. "Then we guard him! Let the humans think him theirs. We will watch from the shadows until he is strong enough to shake the heavens!"
The Sky-Blue Bull Python rumbled low in agreement. "Yes. To strike him down now would be to destroy our only chance."
The Dark-Gold Bear growled still, but his claws lowered. Even his hatred could not deny the truth.
Di Tian lifted his head, his golden eyes burning. "Then it is decided. The Dragon God's vessel lives. From this day forward, he is under our protection. Any beast who dares harm him will be torn apart."
His roar split the night, echoed by the cries of the Ten Great Beasts.
Gu Yuena watched them, her expression unreadable. She alone understood the truth.
The child was not just the Dragon God's vessel. He was the bridge between halves—between her and the part that was lost.
Her hand brushed faintly against her chest, where a silver light pulsed deep within.
"Oscar…" she whispered softly, though no one heard. "Will you truly bring him back? Or will you break, like the rest?"
The beasts howled to the heavens, their cries shaking the forest, carrying their hope and defiance into the sky.
And far away, in Spirit City, a boy sat calmly with a pearl in his hand, unaware that the fate of beast and man alike now rested on his shoulders.