I delved deeper into Celestgrove alone.
The further I walked, the heavier the mana became. It no longer felt like simple energy flowing through the air. It felt solid. Every breath grew difficult as immense pressure wrapped around my body from all directions.
I gritted my teeth.
A warm sensation trickled beneath my nose.
Blood.
Small crimson droplets fell onto the forest floor.
Yet—
I still felt nothing.
No spirit.
No response.
Nothing.
My eyes darkened slightly as I continued walking deeper, farther than any other student had dared to go. Even the atmosphere here had changed. The trees were larger, twisted unnaturally, while the mana itself shimmered visibly like mist drifting through the forest.
A strange sense of acceptance slowly surfaced within me.
The actual Rio had been born talentless.
Weak.
A broken existence mocked by everyone despite possessing an extraordinary mana core.
But that had changed.
After inheriting this body, everything had changed.
I now possessed a SSS-rank mana core.
Every affinity.
Fire.
Water.
Ice.
Lightning.
Darkness.
Light.
Even Space itself.
So why—
why was nothing answering me?
"…Haah… fuck it."
I walked deeper.
The pressure instantly multiplied.
Blood dripped from my ears now, warm streaks sliding down my neck as my vision blurred violently. My body screamed at me to stop.
But I refused.
One more step.
Then another.
Until finally—
my knees hit the ground.
THUD.
I collapsed forward, barely catching myself.
"This… is it…"
My breathing became ragged.
The mana pressure here was monstrous.
Absolute.
Even moving a finger felt impossible now.
This was my limit.
The true limit of my current body.
Blood stained the grass beneath me as I closed my eyes one final time.
And reached outward.
Please…
Anything.
Silence answered.
Then—
the world shifted.
The crushing pressure vanished instantly.
The pain disappeared.
The forest disappeared.
My eyes opened slowly.
And I froze.
I stood beneath an endless sky of silver stars.
No—
not stars.
Eyes.
Countless enormous eyes stared down from the heavens themselves, blinking slowly within the infinite darkness. The ground beneath me resembled a vast ocean made of shattered mirrors while pale mist drifted endlessly across its surface.
The world felt wrong.
Ancient.
Like reality itself had been peeled away.
A low sound echoed somewhere far beyond comprehension.
Not a roar.
Not a voice.
But something in between.
The mirrored ocean rippled.
And something enormous moved beneath it.
My breath stopped.
For the first time since arriving in this world—
Absolute fear crawled through every part of me.
Then—
Two enormous eyes had opened within the endless mirrored ocean, both radiating golden light. Their pupils were narrow slits, cold and ancient, staring directly into me as if peeling apart my very existence.
I couldn't even think properly while gazing at them.
What creature… was I looking at?
The Spirit World possessed a clear hierarchy.
At the very top stood the Spirit Kings, beings said to possess absolute authority over entire domains of existence.
Below them were the Monarchs, legendary spirits capable of reshaping battlefields and civilizations alike.
Then came the high-ranked spirits.
The mid-ranked.
The weak.
So what—
what exactly was I looking at?
A Spirit King?
A Monarch?
No…
Something about this presence felt even more incomprehensible than that.
Soon the entire mirrored ocean began to shift violently.
Massive waves rose endlessly as the thing beneath them moved. The world trembled from that single motion alone. Space distorted around its body while the heavens themselves seemed to darken instinctively.
Then—
the waves split apart.
And it stood.
A Dragon.
No—
calling it merely a dragon felt almost disrespectful.
The dragons of Aetherion, the same creatures humanity feared as calamities, would be nothing more than insects before this being.
Its body eclipsed the heavens themselves.
Endless black scales covered its colossal form, each scale reflecting galaxies within them as though entire universes had been trapped inside its flesh. Golden markings pulsed faintly across its body like divine laws carved directly into existence.
Its wings stretched infinitely into the darkness.
Its mere breath caused the mirrored ocean beneath it to fracture endlessly.
And those cold golden eyes—
those slit-like eyes—
remained fixed entirely on me.
I was already on my knees.
Not by choice.
My body simply could not remain standing before something like this.
Was I… standing before a god?
My mind couldn't even begin to comprehend the creature before me. Every instinct screamed danger. Not the danger of death.
Something far worse.
Like my very existence could be erased by a single thought from this being.
The dragon lowered its massive head slowly.
The movement alone shook the entire world.
Then—
it spoke.
Not with words.
But directly into my soul.
And the moment it did—
blood exploded from my mouth.
[A mortal… in my domain?]
The voice echoed directly into my soul.
Not spoken.
Not heard.
It simply existed.
And the moment those words reached me—
pain erupted through my body.
Blood streamed from my eyes instantly. My ears burst open as warm crimson ran down my neck. Agony tore through my skull as though my mind itself was being ripped apart simply from perceiving the creature before me.
I coughed violently, blood splattering across the mirrored ocean beneath my knees.
The raw power contained within its voice was incomprehensible.
Every syllable carried enough force to crush lesser beings into nothingness.
The dragon's colossal golden eyes narrowed slightly.
Not with anger.
Curiosity.
The endless darkness around us trembled faintly as it observed me.
Its presence alone eclipsed everything I had ever encountered.
Aurelia.
Leon.
Nyxtharion.
Even the pressure of Space itself.
None of it compared.
I tried to speak.
Failed.
My throat refused to move beneath that overwhelming existence.
The dragon tilted its head slightly.
The movement caused entire constellations drifting behind it to distort.
[Strange.]
Blood continued dripping from my face as my vision blurred violently.
Yet somehow—
I was still alive.
The dragon seemed to notice that as well.
Those golden slit-like pupils focused deeper onto me, as though seeing something hidden beneath my flesh.
Then—
the world itself grew quieter.
The countless eyes in the heavens slowly blinked shut one by one.
The dragon leaned closer.
And for the first time—
its expression changed slightly.
[You carry the scent of the Outer Void!?.]
My pupils shrank.
Outer… Void?
The dragon's gaze deepened further.
[And yet… you are still mortal.]
The mirrored ocean beneath me cracked endlessly under the pressure radiating from its body.
I could barely breathe anymore.
Every instinct screamed at me to flee.
But I couldn't move.
Because despite the terror consuming me—
another emotion surfaced within me.
Awe.
Absolute awe.
The dragon stared at me silently for a long moment.
Then—
its massive eyes narrowed faintly.
Almost thoughtfully.
The Dragon slowly expanded its wings.
And the world bent around them.
The endless stars surrounding its colossal body distorted violently as though space itself could not endure its existence. Galaxies twisted. The mirrored ocean beneath us shattered endlessly from the pressure alone.
Then—
it spoke.
This time its voice was no longer calm.
It thundered across existence itself.
[Speak what are you?, mortal.]
The galaxy trembled.
[You stand before Astravax — The Dragon of Eternal Stars.]
My eyes widened instantly.
Astravax?
My mind froze.
Astravax possessed many names throughout history.
The Dragon of Chaos.
The Dragon of Destruction.
The Devourer of Constellations.
Unlike the gods, Astravax had never ascended to true divinity.
Because he despised them.
Yet despite that—
the Dragon of Eternal Stars possessed power equal to theirs.
A being feared even by the heavens themselves.
And I…
I was standing before him?
How?
The dragon rumbled lowly.
The pressure engulfing my body multiplied instantly.
CRACK.
I slammed against the mirrored ocean beneath me, unable to even remain on my knees anymore. My bones screamed under the overwhelming force crushing down upon me from every direction.
The dragon slowly opened its mouth.
And the world shook.
Stars dimmed.
The endless ocean collapsed inward.
My vision blurred violently.
Blood poured endlessly from my body now.
Was I… going to die?
My consciousness faded rapidly as the pressure consumed me completely.
Closing my eyes—
I finally let go.
Everything.
The fear.
The resistance.
The desperation.
In the endless sea of stars—
something answered.
A voice echoed.
Not ancient.
Not monstrous.
Cold.
Mechanical.
[Unknown Entity: ███-ÆON]
[Access Granted: VΔLΞN]
[Divinity Detected: Ω-Class]
[System Override Authorized]
My fading consciousness trembled.
Then—
another voice followed.
The world froze.
Astravax's massive golden eyes widened for the first time.
And then—
Astravax froze.
For the first time in countless millennia, the Dragon of Eternal Stars felt something it had long forgotten.
Fear.
The endless sea of stars trembled violently as the dragon stared at the figure before it. Those ancient slit-like pupils contracted while countless galaxies bent around its colossal body.
[Y-you are—]
Before the dragon could finish—
light erupted.
Not ordinary light.
Divine radiance.
Endless golden brilliance devoured the entire realm as Rio's body slowly rose into the air. His flesh transformed completely, every inch of him becoming radiant gold as though forged directly from divinity itself.
The mirrored ocean beneath him shattered apart.
The heavens screamed.
Stars dimmed instinctively before that overwhelming presence.
Long strands of radiant light drifted behind him like divine flames while ancient runes manifested across his body, glowing brighter than suns themselves.
And then—
He opened His eyes.
Cold.
Absolute.
Beyond mortal understanding.
The world itself acknowledged His existence.
A name echoed throughout the cosmos.
[Synchronization: 100%]
[Authority Recognized.]
[Authority Confirmed.]
[Returning ownership to the original bearer.]
[The Crown of Eternity Greets it's Master]
[Welcome back—███-ÆON.]
Astravax's enormous body trembled.
The Dragon of Chaos—
the being feared by gods—
took a step back.
Impossible.
That existence should not have been here.
Not in this era.
Not in this universe.
Not ever again.
Then ███-ÆON raised a single hand.
The motion alone caused reality to distort endlessly around Him.
When He spoke—
the heavens knelt.
"Divine Edict: Kneel."
BOOOOOOM.
An invisible force descended instantly upon Astravax.
The Dragon of Eternal Stars crashed onto one knee violently, the impact shattering galaxies in the distance. The mirrored ocean beneath him exploded apart while the endless stars dimmed under the overwhelming authority pressing against existence itself.
Astravax roared furiously.
The roar annihilated entire constellations.
Purple runes ignited across the dragon's colossal body as chaotic energy gathered within its jaws.
Then—
destruction descended.
A beam of dark-golden annihilation erupted from Astravax's mouth, tearing through the cosmos itself. Space collapsed wherever the beam passed while the sea of stars evaporated completely.
Yet ███-ÆON remained unmoving.
The beam stopped inches before Him.
Then split apart.
As though reality itself refused to allow harm near His existence.
Astravax's pupils shrank further.
███-ÆON's radiant golden eyes gazed downward emotionlessly.
"Divine Edict: Heavenbinding Chains."
The heavens ruptured open.
Gigantic golden chains descended from beyond existence, each one covered in divine scriptures older than time itself. They wrapped around Astravax instantly, binding its wings, limbs, and throat completely.
The Dragon of Chaos exploded with power.
Its roar shook worlds.
Entire stars collapsed as Astravax struggled violently against the chains. Several snapped instantly beneath the dragon's monstrous strength.
Then Astravax lunged forward.
Its claws descended toward ███-ÆON with enough force to destroy dimensions.
███-ÆON merely lifted one finger.
The claws stopped.
Frozen.
Unable to move further.
The surrounding cosmos cracked endlessly beneath the pressure between them.
Then—
He spoke once more.
And the universe fell silent.
"Judgment."
A sword appeared above the heavens.
No—
not a sword.
A concept.
The embodiment of absolute ending itself.
Its mere presence caused existence to reject it instinctively.
Astravax looked upward.
And fear consumed the dragon completely.
For the first time since its birth—
the Dragon of Eternal Stars understood death.
True death.
Erasure.
███-ÆON looked upon the dragon without emotion.
"Kneel."
The sword descended slightly lower.
"Serve the child before you."
The chains tightened.
The stars dimmed.
"Or vanish alongside eternity."
Silence fell across existence.
Astravax trembled.
Then slowly—
the Dragon of Chaos lowered its head completely.
[...I surrender.]
The heavens calmed.
The sword vanished.
The chains loosened.
And the world shattered apart.
CRACK.
The sea of stars collapsed inward while the divine radiance surrounding ███-ÆON slowly faded away.
His golden form dissolved.
The ancient runes disappeared.
____