Chapter 197 – Legacy of the Dragon Tribes 3 (1/2)
Woohyuk’s party followed behind the Elven Dragonian as they made their way to Hevnia’s tomb.
“Erdian, how did you guys get trapped here?”
“… We were fated to die anyways. However, Hevnia gave us a chance to survive.”
According to Erdian, Hevnia was a Green Dragon that had ruled over the nine Dragon tribes.
The Creator understood that the nine Dragon tribes’ members and their leaders wouldn’t be able to bring order amongst the dragons, so Hevnia, the Green Dragon, was created.
Due to her influence, the demons and other external attackers were blocked from entering into the dragon tribes’ realm. This protection from outside influences allowed the Dragon tribe members to thrive and grow in number.
And then one day…
One of the angels, who had lived in harmony with the Dragon tribes, touched the forbidden restricted knowledge, creating chaos and turmoil in the Dragon tribes’ realm.
That angels name was Kuruela.
Later on, Kuruela would be known far and wide as the originator of the first great disaster in the Eeth Continent.
To counteract Kuruela, the dragon tribes combined forces.
However, in the process of contending against Kuruela, the dragon tribe members were affected by the same darkness that consumed and overtook her. This left the tribe members in dire straits.
The dragon tribe members affected by the darkness transformed into demonic dragons and started attacking their own tribe members.
Furthermore, demons used this turbulent, chaotic period within the dragon tribe territories to exert pressure and ravage the dragon tribes’ lands.
As hope was beginning to wane, Hevnia made her fateful decision.
She would sacrifice her own life to clean up the polluted lands and seal Kuruela in another dimension.
Of course, the nine Dragon tribe leaders vehemently opposed her decision.
They believed that the Dragon tribes would have no future without her existence.
However, Hevnia stood firm on her decision, saving the fate of the nine Dragon tribes through her sacrifice.
Peace had returned to their lands once again.
While the tribes’ members were crestfallen at Hevnia’s absence, the Creator appeared and imparted Hevnia’s powers to the nine Dragon tribe leaders.
The Creator’s condition upon distributing Hevnia’s powers was that the nine Dragon tribe leaders would resolve future disasters by utilizing their newly given powers.
It was through these nine Dragon tribe leaders that Hevnia’s tomb was maintained and passed on for successive generations to maintain.
Later, this passing on of duty to successive generations was referred to as the ancient covenant.
All would have been well if the story ended like this…
However, a tragedy soon followed.
The nine Dragon tribe leaders began to oppress the hybrid Dragon race, the Dragonians.
Unfounded rumors of disease and devastation originating from Dragonians had quickly spread within the Dragon tribes.
At the time, a plausible theory that new diseases could be transferred from Dragonians to Dragons quickly gained attention, as the Dragonians were a hybrid race that could act as an intermediary for infectious diseases.
As a result, the Dragonians were slaughtered and reduced in number…
At some point, the Dragonian population numbered around three hundred or so within the Dragon dimension.
“It was then that Hevnia saved your race?”
“That’s correct. Even after her death, she looked over the Dragon dimension. She observed and took action from this place.”
The Creator arranged for Hevnia’s soul to be moved and placed in this location.
However, there was a constant need to protect this resting place, so the Dragon tribes were designated as protectors.
Little did the Dragon tribe members know about this arrangement.
It wasn’t until Adkar, the Yellow Dragon king, received the Green Dragon’s Orb from the Creator that the dragon tribe members realized why they were assigned to protect Hevnia’s tomb.
“… so those things happened. I never heard this before.”
“Of course. There’s no way for you to know of the existences and history of this dimension. Even the upper-dimension administrators have to cautiously enter this place.”
“Regardless, I’ve learned one thing. Kuruela, the originator of the first great disaster, had something to do with the infectious disease that plagued the world.”
“Hevnia would know how to reseal Kuruela. It’s probable that the legacy she’s left here has something to do with that.”
However, she probably didn’t allow just any passerby to obtain her legacy.
Proper qualifications needed to be met.
As Erdian was emphasizing this last point, the party entered into a clearing. It was a beautiful flower garden in the midst of the lush vegetation.
“Is that Hevnia’s tomb?”
“It is. She always loved blooming flowers.”
Every day, without fail, the Dragonian would visit Hevnia’s tomb and maintain the blooming flowers.
Woohyuuk nodded his head and approached a golden tombstone at the center of the garden.
The Green Dragon, Hevnia, is resting here with her blooming flowers.For those who come to this place after losing one’s wings, take the test of fate once again.
The last line of inscription was esoteric and vague.
One who has lost one’s wings and a test of fate.
One could imbue and contrive meaning from this line if needed, but one would be hard-pressed to understand the exact meaning of this line.
“Who inscribed these lines?”
“The inscriptions existed since we first came. The inscription was probably left by Hevnia’s will.”
Erdian considered the inscription to be sacred.
To him, Hevnia was like a holy, religious profound existence.
Thus, he didn’t try to complicatedly comprehend the inscription, no matter how esoteric or vague it may seem to others.
‘He probably sees this inscription like scripture from the Bible.’
If one put a ring on one’s ear, it would be an earring.
If one put a ring on one’s nose, it would be a nose ring.
Thinking that additional questioning wouldn’t bring any results, Woohyuk walked towards the tombstone and stretched his hand towards it.
Touch.
He felt as if his hands were touching the top of a calm, cold surface of water.
It was truly an incomprehensible experience.
However, he calmly proceeded to do as he was instructed by Erdian.
As he waved his hands across the golden inscriptions on the tombstone, an aurora-like brilliant light swept across his surroundings.
Afterwards, a woman with colorful hair appeared before his eyes.
It was the Green Dragon Hevnia’s soul.
[You’ve finally come, the one who has lost his wings.]
[What do you mean by one who has lost his wings? Do you mean one that is not a demon?]
[… You will come to understand at a later time, when it is time for you to face judgment and your fate.]
[Seeing that you’re not telling me, it seems you have some plans to use me like Etheria Rodinus and Alistair.]
[I do not care how you interpret it. Only the truth that you exist within this place is important.]
With a kind smile, Hevnia looked down upon Woohyuk.
He couldn’t feel any sense of evil or malevolence in her actions or words.
He breathed out a long sigh and dived into the main issue.
[I heard that there was a final trial. Let’s proceed.]
[As you wish, we shall start now.]
A black curtain surrounded the shining light that contained Woohyuk and Hevnia.
The next scene was a burning, desolate flatland.
It was a scene of the first great disaster that Boestius showed Woohyuk before.
[What do you want me to do here?]