[Five years?] I repeated, my mouth opening and closing. The air tasted weird.
It wasn't my fault, I was so stupefied, the time in the void felt like days, at most weeks. Not years, and much less five. What next? Asleep for a hundred years? Wake up and see all my vassals dead.
That wasn't even the most concerning part, what of Diana? The connection between us still held on firmly, so she was clearly alive. But would she think I abandoned her?
A dragon's sleep was more dangerous than I thought. Or was it our nature that made it more dangerous?
I kept a stoic appearance, as not to alarm the loyal retainer.
[Ah. No wonder I felt so refreshed.] Tiamat, unceremoniously stretched, her bones clicking into place.
A satisfied expression on her face as she let out some flames.
Hathor cleared his throat. "Yes, my Liege, five years." He waved his hand as if to display their surroundings. "And as the great lords see, much has been accomplished."
My eyes followed his hand, the eyesight of a dragon coming in handy. Small primitive villages littered around the base of the statue. Straw roofs, a flourishing market. Humans? No, the many creatures in human forms, talking and smiling. Selling fish, bartering for items that were crudely carved.
Five years? I wanted to rub my head in anguish. In reality, for a dragon, that time wasn't much, but it wasn't so much me that I was worried about, but rather the mortals around us.
"I hope the great lords didn't mind; I saw the interest you had in being king and borrowed concepts from the humans." He pounded his chest proudly, his head raised high, with a dumb grin on his face.
Did the lousy mutt expect praise?
[These people?] I asked, my eyes narrowed slightly. Even if his pack was this numerous, which it wasn't, there was no way they all obtained the ability to transform.
"You mean our citizens?" He nodded to himself, "News of the defeat, of that usurper, spread far, and word traveled quickly that this area was ruled by a true dragon." He paused for a second. Before tightening the luxurious robe around his body.
"May I be so presumptuous as to show you around my lord?"
So, I nodded, and we followed him to this big building that resembled a cathedral, except half of it was built in white material, and the other black
The combined wings of two dragons cleared the landing of rubble, and the imprint of the gust of wind remained in the bright, lush grass.
"This is the great hall" His eyes curved up, as a smile came undone on his face, his canine poking out, as he touched the marble. He looked unbelievably proud, as if he made the hall himself.
"I was here every step of the way, when they were making this temple in the great lord's honor."
Which it seems he did.
"This hall is filled with people worshiping the great lords, and the hymns they sing in worship reach even the ears of Dragonfall." Quite bold, to name a city Dragonfall, of a dragon kingdom...
"Ah, that's the city in which the False Dragon died." He touched his chin as he pressed his ear to the two differently colored doors.
His foot anxiously tapped the floor as he waited for what I could only assume were the songs to be sung.
He smacked his forehead, a red spot where he had hit himself.
"How could I forget, today is the day when the lords triumphed against the false dragon."
He shook his head and chided himself.
"Here it is written," He spoke with a cheery expression, as he traced the intricate letters carved on the wall. Dragon tongue.
Albeit a rudimentary form of it, clearly written by a non-dragon.
"So today is the rest day of worship, it is the only day in the week when the shrine maidens do not worship your visages." He bowed, his lips threatening to break out into a smile as he talked about worship.
Shrine Maidens? I almost wanted to ask, but the reminder of the shrine Maidens along the cave that praised the False Mir came to mind.
So is the deer clan a part of whatever this budding nation is?
I wouldn't have the chance to ask the question, as he started to ramble about how devout our worshipers were.
He led us through the chambers and showed us the primitive design of the temple. Although calling it primitive would be disingenuous, it was a work of art for something done by creatures who don't inherently worship gods.
Something caught my eye.
"Who is that?" I pointed at a mural, with a blonde woman with glasses who eerily resembled Diana's teacher. She had blonde hair, neatly flowing down her shoulders, a mage's hat on her head, which was black. She had platinum rimmed round glasses, and had blue eyes, which reminded me of the endless ocean. A smile that could turn anyone into a fan was on her face, the corners of her lips curving gently, as her cheeks creased. Her hands were neatly folded on her lap; she was wearing a dark robe accented by platinum lines.
The striking resemblance made my blood run cold, or it would have if I weren't a dragon.
His face scrunched up, and he slightly recoiled. With a tilted head, and a cocked eyebrow he spoke slowly. "My lord, that is the First Apostle Lady Kaede."
"Is it not to your liking?" His eyebrows furrowed, and his lip twitched. The silver orbs in his eyes were darkening.
"I told those damned maidens to get the proportions exact" He angrily muttered as he bit his lip.
[No, it is fine.] As if a flip was switched, his expression brightened, and a faint smile returned on his face.
An Apostle? Oh, right, I mildly recalled the prompt of appointing a first apostle.
[And who is that?] My eyes made their way to another mural, this time on the other side.
It was a woman, her hands firmly placed around a skull on her black and purple Victorian dress, the frills sat perfectly. A seductive smile was on her face; her purple lips curved in a way that would draw anyone in. Her eyes were as dark as night, and her skin was as pale as snow. Her hair, an absence of light. Around her eyes was a shade of purple that fit her snugly.
She was as beautiful as the night sky. It was a weird way to put it, but I felt it fit her perfectly.
"Lady Nyx, the First Apostle of Lady Tiamat." He spoke as if reminiscing about a dream.
"Or as the Malum calls her, the First Head of Night."
I turned to look at Tiamat, whose round eyes widened.
[Brother, look, that's the ant whom I blessed.] Her lips curved, almost impossibly. While her blue scale, which now faintly glowed, erupted in light.
[So, the dream was real.] Her tail began to wag rapidly. Luckily, nothing was behind her. Her head turned towards me.
And then she stopped, her eyes narrowing slightly.
[You asked me...] She tilted her head as she spoke slowly.
[You knew.] It was like the gears in her head all shifted into place, and it clicked. Her dragon mouth opened to speak.
[You knew it wasn't a dream.] Her tone was almost accusatory.
[How?] She lowered her head like a predator.
I merely looked at Hathor, who was enjoying the mural of the defeat of the Wolf and False Dragon.
She nodded, albeit with a sneer. Her cheeks puffed up as she turned away from me.
The action slightly irked me, but I brought it upon myself, yet it wasn't like I didn't tell her because I didn't trust her. It was something I thought wasn't important. That was silly of me. There was undeniable proof it was real. That meant that, each time we go into that space, every one of our actions can impact reality.
I moved closer to her, and she, in turn, moved further.
However, I was faster. So, I leaned really close and spoke.
[I also dreamt.] I whispered in her ear. She stepped back and shivered, her head turning towards me as she looked at me suspiciously, before nodding. Her head was still tilted, her eyes relaxed slightly, but she was still glaring at me.
Unfortunately for her, to me, her fierce look just looked adorable.
It almost made me want to stop and pinch her cheeks.
Yet I composed myself and elaborated.
[It was an assumption.] That was frankly the truth, although I began to realize it at the end, for the majority of the time, I thought that realm was a figment of my imagination.
[Five.] Her lips twitched. As she seriously spoke, her voice was without a quiver.
I looked at her in confusion
[Five head pats when I choose.] She looked triumphantly at me. Her chest puffed out as she looked at me.
I inwardly sighed in relief. A warm smile appeared on my face.
[Yes.] I stroked her head. [That one was free.]
After a while of showing us around the temple, we made our way to a room, solely dedicated to our worship, two statues, one of me and the other of my sister. Side by side.
A bright spark was at the center of my statue, and it seemed like Hathor couldn't see it. Why do I say that? The light it emitted was so bright it was almost blinding, and Hathor merely continued to talk about how the room was made and who managed it.
The clump of light beckoned me closer, whispering in my ears. Its aura was warm and comforting. It gave off the scent of a hearth.
"I praise the great lord of salvation, the true lord of Fire and light who slayed the false deity."
"Thank the lord for the great harvest."
"My lord, that protects us, I praise you."
"For you, the Shining Sun, weaver of thunder."
Faith in its embryonic form, and five years' worth of it. I unconsciously smiled as I collected it, the faith wrapped around me and seeped into me, gathering around my divine core.
It felt as if I were being hugged by a hundred hands.
[You have leveled up x5]
I then instructed my sister to do the same with hers.
[You mean the ball of darkness?] She looked at me with wide eyes and then nodded.
We then followed Hathor out of the Temple and flew above the clouds.
With my dragon eyesight, I saw what seemed to be a Deer man about to beat a wolf child, before he could even land a hand on the small child, a group of Deer and wolf men in silver uniform came and detained him.
We descended upon the town, and the citizens gathered around us, their eyes in wonder and worship as they kneeled.
"The great Lords have descended." They spoke with fanaticism.
"Our Lord is here."
"A god walking in the Mortal realm."
What had this mutt been teaching them? My lips unconsciously curved upwards. He should continue to do so.
He took us around and showed us what the people in the city did. Those in line with Earth magic handled the crops. He explained that various tribes and pacifist clans heard it was safe to live in the city. They gathered and became important workers who took up the mundane work around the city.
While the stronger warriors came to pledge allegiance to a dragon who killed a god. They took up the rougher work and handled the military and police work. Of course, they mingled, and some peaceful races joined the military and vice versa.
I checked the faction tab in the status, and it enabled the members of my faction to grow faster. Now, most of the citizens could transform into humanoid form.
Which was not required.
It was Hathor who was strangely obsessed with Aesthetics and unity. Just like how the temple was divided in two, one half mine and the other hers.
The human form was the only one where they mostly looked similar.
Slowly, we absorbed the tribes and clans around us and slowly grew into what could be a barbaric society.
Yet it was only barbaric in its primacy, as Hathor expertly studied human laws, from the various pack members whom he sent out to be summoned, and he adapted them to fit the residents who inhabited these cities.
It was pretty good for a five-year-old 'nation' comprised of what the otherworld called summons.
He took us around, and finally we made our way to the castle, which was built for my sister and me. Niles and his wife were said to be working on something in there.
<><><><><><><><><><
Diana was idly twirling a pen in her thumb. Which was odd for someone who just faced a god two weeks ago.
The stingy academy didn't even give her a rest, just access to the vault as if her team were in first place.
But that wasn't even the worst part, despite their best attempt to sweep the situation under the rug, their teacher couldn't help but feel out of place.
For the seventh day in a row, their raving lunatic of a teacher continued to teach about and praise Bahamut.
Yes, the Dragon Hater and the Bahamut denier became a fanatic. If that wasn't enough to make her want to pull her hair.
The fact that the Archduchy of Grog fell, and no information was being given, was concerning enough.
Normally, Diana would not have cared, but the death of the Archduke marked the beginning of the beta. In mere months, players would arrive, and the continent would be plunged into war.
But her crazed teacher would only talk about Bahamut.
"They say his divine realm is in the realm of beginnings, where thousands of different races come together to worship his great name." Miss Kaede pushed up her glasses, her hand extended outward.
"Do you see this?" Her hand conjured up some yellow lightning. "This is holy lightning, proof of his divine existence, My lord in heaven." She nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, Yes, our lord is great." The crazed princess chimed in, her eyes practically hearts, as bits of drool escaped her lips, as she tightly clutched her notebook. "And so handsome too." She didn't forget to add.
"See, she gets it." They both heartily laughed.
A brave soul attempted to stop this lunacy. Diana lamented his loss.
"Teacher, please, this is the Seventh day in a row, please talk about the fall of the Archduke." A blue-haired youth pleaded with both hands. If she remembered correctly, he was the heir to a kingdom near the Sea.
Miss Kaede's eyes narrowed dangerously, as she shook her head, with her lips pressed together so tightly, her lips looked like a thin line.
"We will talk about—" Mana fluttered around her desk, and a letter appeared. Her right eye twitched as she grabbed it and tore the wax seal off.
Her eyes glinted as she read the letter, her face changing from an annoyed look to a bright one before looking annoyed again.
"You!" She snarled, pointing a crooked finger at the blue-haired prince. "You did this!" It was illogical to blame the person who just asked a question as the culprit behind the letter.
Unfortunately, he interrupted her at a bad time.
"Whatever," She shrugged, as she sat down. Her fanatic expression disappeared as she slouched back on the chair. Her familiar lazy expression returned.
"I hope you all enjoy the 17-page quiz about Bahamut." She spoke out of spite and twisted her chair to face the board. The wooden peg scraped against the floor. The loud screech made Diana grimace.
"The principal has so kindly asked me to relay this current information." She spoke with gritted teeth.
"Which is a shame for all of you, because you won't be able to learn about the Lord." She whispered under her breath.
Miss Kaede traced the board, magic letters revealing themselves as her finger glided along.
"The King of Lions has fallen ill; the Archduchy has collapsed." She sighed and turned once more, her expressive features dulled.
Mana fluttered around her fingertips and formed an image of a king. He held a great sword, and his beard and hair resembled the mane of a lion.
"The Sword Master, the King of Knights and Lions, has fallen Ill."
"This isn't a politics or a history class, so I won't bother explaining what this means for the future.
"Along with the King falling ill, the Archduke has died during a hunting trip from an accident after meeting the King," She did air quotes with her fingers. A bored expression on her face as if she weren't talking about a calamity.
"The Knights controlled by the prince—oops." She touched her lips as if her tongue slipped, yet her eyes remained firm as she continued to talk, "I mean the city guard has declared an investigation on the matter of the Archduke's death, and they have confidently expressed their belief that there had been no foul play."
"All students belonging to the Kingdom of Lions have been granted leave and are expected to mourn the Archduke, while school is partly suspended to ensure that the students can still safely learn in the Academy." She clapped her hands.
"Dismissed." The air seemed to stand still as the mountain load of information was dropped. For Diana, this was merely the start of a timer that told her when the beta would begin.
But for her classmates, a very real kingdom that some of them belonged to would now be in a succession war. In this war, neutrality was not an option.
"Well, what are you all waiting for? Scamper off." Her voice cut through the silence as they were dismissed.