Dawn light filtered through crystalline ruins as morning arrived after exhausting combat while night was spent resting outside chamber, pack returning to investigation site.
Draven entered central hall as Warden's Mantle was restored via overnight rest while stamina replenished, Vitality Weave having healed minor wounds completely.
Pack followed as Zor, Velnar, Sylvara, Feyra showed refreshment despite previous day's exhaustion while Lord-tier constitutions recovered swiftly.
Crystal shard samples remained exactly where left as dozens of core fragments were arranged systematically with five elemental types separated while corruption patterns stayed documented.
Genesis Codex hovered over collection as green-gold light pulsed intensely with rhythmic glow suggesting analysis complete.
Adhivar ready to speak.
Genesis Codex blazed.
Green-gold light exploded into Worldroot Dragon's manifestation as Adhivar's cosmic presence materialized partially while ethereal draconic form shimmered above artifact, ancient eyes glowing with unfathomable knowledge.
Voice resonated through chamber as cosmic, timeless weight of eons backed every word.
"Analysis complete. The findings are... significant. Disturbing. Historically unprecedented for Theia."
Pack gathered, surrounding Genesis Codex with attention absolute as Adhivar's rare physical manifestation indicated importance.
Draven stepped forward. "You've been analyzing all night. The crystal fragments—you found something?"
Adhivar's ethereal form nodded. "I did. I've analyzed the crystalline structure, traced the elemental corruption, mapped the dimensional resonance. And I detected something unmistakable—draconic essence."
Pause.
Draven's breath caught. "Draconic? You mean dragon?"
Adhivar's ancient gaze stayed steady. "Yes. These fragments, the crystal golems you destroyed, contain unmistakable dragon aura. Specifically: Crystal Dragon species. Extinct. Unrecorded in Theia's history. But undeniably present."
Revelation delivered.
Sylvara's analytical mind questioned. "Dragon? But Theia has no dragons. No records. Studied ancient history extensively, never encountered dragon documentation. Only sub-species exist."
Velnar clicked agreement. "Four hundred years alive. Never heard of dragons on Theia. Raziel is Magma Drake. Frostina is Ice Wyvern. Both draconic sub-species, not true dragons. Distinction significant."
Zor shrieked. "Storm legends mention dragons but as MYTH. Ancient tales. Stories. Not REALITY. No living evidence. No fossil records. Nothing."
Feyra's small voice followed. "Life element sensing draconic aura old. Incredibly old. Millions of years? Predating current civilization? Before Dominion? Before everything?"
Adhivar's confirmation came. "Precisely. The Crystal Dragon existed long before modern Theia. Before the current era. Before the Dominion Empire. Before the Bloomring Covenant. It existed during the First Merger."
Silence.
Sixty-five million years ago.
***
Draven's confusion was evident. "Adhivar, you've been with me for months. We've explored multiple ruins. Western, Northern, Sunken Archives, all had crystal golems. Why didn't you detect dragon aura before? Why now?"
Valid question.
Adhivar's ethereal form dimmed slightly as momentary vulnerability showed.
"I must acknowledge my limitations. When I was sealed within the Genesis Codex, when imprisoned by Fate's curse, my power was significantly diminished. My cosmic awareness compressed. Sensory capabilities restricted. I could detect planetary phenomena, analyze Theia's systems. But subtle essences? Ancient auras? Draconic signatures buried within crystalline matrices? Those were beyond my reduced perception."
Honest admission.
"I was limited. Not powerless, but limited."
Draven understood. "So you couldn't sense the dragon aura because your power was too restricted?"
Adhivar nodded. "Correct. The Genesis Codex containment was necessary for my survival. But containment equals limitation. A trade-off I accepted."
Adhivar continued. "However, the Gate opened two months ago. A dimensional breach connecting Theia to Earth. Mana draining from your planet. Catastrophic for Theia, yes. But for me? The effect has been different."
Draven's attention sharpened.
"The Gate represents dimensional thinning. Barriers weakening. Cosmic energies flowing more freely. Original Universe influences seeping through the dimensional membrane. My prison, the Genesis Codex, is relaxing. Not broken. I haven't escaped. But it's becoming less restrictive."
Power returning.
"The restoration is gradual. My abilities are recovering incrementally. One month ago, I could analyze Theia's mana systems. Now? I can detect ancient draconic auras that were previously imperceptible. Tomorrow? More. Next week? More still."
Process ongoing.
"The Gate's mana drain is destroying Theia while simultaneously liberating me. The irony isn't lost on me. Eventually, my full power will be restored. My cosmic awareness will be complete. Then I'll be a worthy opponent against Fate. Then I'll be capable of protecting the merger. Then I'll be useful beyond being a mere knowledge repository."
Gradual awakening.
Velnar's clicking was cautious. "Power limited previously. Restoring gradually. But cosmic being status unchanged? Still most powerful entity present?"
Adhivar's ethereal form stayed steady as cosmic authority remained absolute despite previous limitations.
"Yes. Even diminished, I still exceeded any planetary power. I still comprehended universal laws. I still accessed Original Universe knowledge. My limitation was sensory detection, not fundamental power. This restoration is simply expanding my awareness, recovering my full capabilities. But I never ceased being a cosmic entity. I was never reduced to Overlord-equivalent. Never mortal."
Reassurance clear.
Cosmic being.
Always.
Simply awakening further.
***
Draven returned to core question. "Crystal Dragon. You said extinct. Unrecorded. But these fragments, golems, made from dragon's body?"
Adhivar confirmed. "The hypothesis is supported by all evidence: the crystal golems were constructed from the Crystal Dragon's remains. Draconic essence woven into crystalline matrices. The body was fragmented. Pieces distributed. The constructs were animated using the dragon's inherent magic. The universal presence across all stable zones is explained—the dragon's corpse is literally everywhere."
Grim revelation.
Sylvara's horror was evident. "An entire dragon dismembered? Body parts made into guardians? Who would do that?"
Adhivar's ancient gaze darkened. "The merger architects. Desperate times breed desperate measures. The failed merger sixty-five million years ago was catastrophic. Dimensional collapse. Theia fragmenting. Earth separating. Fate's curse beginning. Resources were scarce. The dragon was dead, its corpse available. The crystalline body was perfect material. They engineered it into guardians protecting knowledge repositories. Pragmatic, yes. Horrific, yes. But pragmatic."
Ancient desperation.
Feyra whimpered. "But Epic-tier beings are immortal. You said, previously mentioned, beings above Overlord don't die naturally. What killed the dragon?"
Critical question.
Adhivar's silence was heavy. "Unknown. And therein lies the mystery. Epic-tier beings are immortal by natural law. They cannot age. Cannot sicken. Cannot die except by catastrophic force. What force killed the Crystal Dragon during the merger? I don't know. It's disturbing. It suggests the merger failure was far more violent than historical records indicate."
Death unexplained.
Velnar's analytical mind processed. "Epic-tier. Power above Overlord. But Theia cannot sustain such beings. Seven Overlords maximum, Raziel confirmed previously. Planet's dimensional stability insufficient for more."
Adhivar nodded. "Your assessment is correct. Modern Theia, in its current dimensional state, cannot support Epic-tier existence. The planetary mana infrastructure is insufficient. Dimensional integrity inadequate. Seven Overlords approach maximum capacity. A Eight might destabilize things further. Epic-tier? Impossible under current conditions."
Raziel's observation recalled as conversation with Naelvorn and Frostina showed Magma Drake speculating powers above Overlord must exist despite Theia's limitations while peak Overlord sensed ceiling but knew hierarchy continued.
Adhivar continued. "But sixty-five million years ago? That was a different Theia. The original merger was in progress. Earth and Theia were fusing. The dimensional infrastructure was temporarily doubled. Mana capacity became exponential. Planetary stability was reinforced by the dual-world foundation. Epic-tier existence was possible during the merger. The Crystal Dragon lived then. Died then. Its body remained after. The merger failed. The dragon couldn't depart. Its corpse was preserved. The architects utilized what remained."
Merger-era conditions.
Epic-tier briefly possible.
Then gone.
Draven processed revelation. "So Crystal Dragon existed during First Merger. Epic-tier being. Somehow died, cause unknown. Body remained after merger failed. Architects desperate, used dragon corpse as material. Created crystal golems as guardians. Distributed fragments across all stable zones. That's why golems universal, literally pieces of same dragon protecting all ruins."
Adhivar confirmed. "The hypothesis is accurate. The evidence supports it. The draconic aura is consistent across all samples. The five elemental corruptions match the five elemental affinities dragons naturally possess. The universal presence is explained. Guardian protocols were encoded into the crystalline structure using the dragon's inherent magic. It was the perfect solution for desperate architects lacking resources after the collapse."
Mystery partially solved.
But deeper questions remaining.
What killed Epic-tier immortal dragon?
Why did First Merger fail?
Connection between dragon's death and merger collapse?
Unanswered.
For now.
***
Zor clicked. "But WHY Southern golems corrupted? Western peaceful. Sunken Archives peaceful. Northern peaceful. Same dragon fragments. Same construction. Different behavior. WHAT CHANGED HERE?"
Sylvara added. "Corruption patterns showed dimensional wrongness. Foreign origin. Anti-life signature. If golems are dragon fragments, ancient, stable for sixty-five million years, what suddenly corrupted them now?"
Adhivar's ethereal form was thoughtful. "My hypothesis: the Gate's influence. The dimensional breach is affecting planetary systems. Stable zones that were previously preserved are now vulnerable. The protective magic is inverting. The dragon fragments are exposed to corruption for the first time in eons. These Southern ruins are closest to something. Mana drain? Dimensional thinning? There's an unknown variable specific to this location."
Partial answer.
Draven stared at crystal fragments. "Crystal Dragon. Epic-tier immortal. Died mysteriously. Body became guardians. Sixty-five million years protecting ruins. Now corrupting. Gates, dragons, ancient failures, everything connecting."
Pack silent, processing cosmic revelations.
Adhivar's presence faded. "More analysis is required. The location data search must resume. Pillar coordinates remain the objective. The dragon mystery is secondary. But it's connected. Everything is connected. The First Merger failed. We're attempting the current merger. Same patterns. Same dangers. Same fate?"
Ominous question.
Investigation continuing.
Answers incomplete.
Mysteries deepening.
Tomorrow.
Search resumes.
💖 Enjoying the story?
👉 Support me on Patreon: patreon.com/sa2quasar