Chapter 6: Essence Core Ritual

Location - Throne Room of The Ancient Dragon God of Navalon.

Narrator: "Khaos's silver egg had been sitting atop the next dragon god's massive golden throne for the past two millennia, and after his developmental stage, his first evolution was nearly finished."

"Unbeknownst to him or the citizens of Navalon, his birth would be the day Princess Nova was celebrating her ascendance to adulthood. One could be led to believe their fates were intertwined somehow, but that wasn't the entire truth."

"In reality, it was likely nothing but a forced destiny."

"Of course, this particular series of events wasn't definite, but at the same time, it wasn't coincidental either. Those who defy the will and laws of the cosmos and its guardians are recognized by only two names. The bringers of change and the defiant ones. Their stories and outcomes in life are direct examples of that statement."

"However, those with defiance in their souls seemed to have been blessed by fate. After all, she was helpful to those who acknowledged her existence but held enough willpower to try and resist her grasp."

**

Location: Khaos' Soul Realm

'Master will soon awaken. I may need to draw out his potential sooner than expected. It could have a few adverse effects, but if not, he might not exist for long,' thought Leviathan, as he continued teaching Eos to tap into his chaotic essence using different spiritual, physical, and mental training methods.

'I need to unleash my potential as well. I've never needed to, but things will be different now.' Since Leviathan's race did not need evolution, he never did. Still, with each passing century, he grew curious about the infinite abyss of power he may be able to awaken one day. 

So, Leviathan started experimenting with his chaotic essence and began to wonder if he'd be able to acquire a transformation skill that would allow him to shape-shift into different forms of physical or spiritual matter.

'It seems Master Leviathan may have concerns about me keeping up,' thought Eos, using his extraordinary intuition to discern the situation. However, his judgment of approaching others in conversation still needed some work.

Eos started training with one of Leviathan's clones because his natural body was fused with Khaos' essence core and could never leave, or they would destroy everything around them.

"I don't feel like I've lost any energy. I guess this transformation is permanent, but I still need time to grasp my new abilities." Said Eos as he looked down at his palms before squeezing them into fists. He felt quite pleased with his first Dragonoid form, and even though Leviathan called him a lizardman or half-breed on several different occasions, he never took offense to it and only used it as fuel to grow stronger.

Leviathan chose to resort to shaming tactics to bring out Eos' potential, and it was starting to work. Although his growth was slow initially, he gained a new transformation after training for over a millennia

'Master Leviathan, so this is what you meant. I'll never doubt Master Khaos any longer. You both have already proved yourselves worthy of being my masters.' thought Eos as he looked down at his body.

Eos was shocked by what he felt. The new chaotic essence running through his veins caused him to drop to his knees in disbelief. It was a scene unbefitting of his arrogant and egotistical nature.

Eos' scales turned into golden skin, his eyes also changed colors, turning purple, and in exchange for losing some of his draconic features, he acquired an ability called 'Shadow Manipulation' —a powerful world rank ability that is only limited by the user's creativity with the element of shadows.

Eos knew he would need to grow much stronger despite his new form, so he started meditating. Reaching his peak was inevitable, but he needed to learn how to tame his chaos energy. Because unlike his creator, he would never be able to become an embodiment of chaos, even if he had a lifetime of a trillion years.

The silence in the soul dimension overwhelmed them, but Leviathan and Eos started to adapt to each other's presence. It was clear their bond was far beyond anything they shared with Khaos. And although that seemed to be the case, they didn't come to think of him any differently. In fact, they'd started to grow impatient from waiting so long for his awakening.

Eos then used his new telepathic skill, 'Silent Telepathy,' to ask Leviathan a question that had been on his mind for a few days. 'Leviathan,' he said without moving or changing his breathing patterns.

'Yeah?' asked Leviathan, curious what his pupil had to say.

'You know… I've been thinking. And there's still something about my creation that doesn't quite add up,' said Eos sternly.

'And what would that be?' Leviathan asked calmly.

'Well, I've wondered why Lord Khaos' evolution wasn't synchronized with mine. We were born at the same time. We both have the same energy and elements, which makes us twins or something, right?'

"GAHAHAHAHA!" Leviathan burst out in laughter and nearly lost his concentration, even though he could be considered a veteran of controlling spiritual energy.

Eos didn't respond and was only confused by his master's laughter.

Leviathan then sighed, 'Wait… you were serious? Dammit, kid. Lord Khaos is not of this realm, nor do we share any similarities. Honestly though, have you no shame? Master Khaos is your creator. I'm guessing you don't understand how complex it is to create a sentient entity capable of super-intelligence without even being conscious to refine your work. His power will be unrivaled one day, and his intelligence is vast already. These are the facts you somehow keep forgetting for some reason.'

Eos was shocked at Levithan's lack of confidence in his strength and decided to voice his opinion. 'I know I'm a mere insect compared to his majesty, but you possess the same bloodline. So why do you treat him like an ancient?' he asked with a neutral expression, though Leviathan could notice the defiance in his tone.

'Ancient? No… You'd never understand. Khaos is an entity whose very existence defies the will of all that lives. You cannot fathom how strong he will be in the future. And I bet you couldn't even begin to imagine how painful it's been for me to keep his power contained these last two centuries, while expending so much energy training you.' Leviathan spoke with a slight irritation in his voice, far from the calm and composed demeanor he always had.

'My apologies, master Leviathan. I'm only concerned about your condition, that's all,' said Eos as he slightly bowed his head to the ground while apologizing for his audacity.

'It's fine. I don't know how much longer I can go on like this. If not for my race, I would've already been dead. If we don't find a way to release his power safely, I'll be forced to give my energy to you both prematurely, and you know we can't have that. Though I will admit, that would be quite an end to our history, huh?' Levithan's telepathic voice wasn't laced with sadness or self-pity, only the harsh truth and reality.

Eos had heard his story around two decades ago and came to profoundly respect his master's will to live after what happened. However, he didn't have any words to say in a moment like this, so he closed his eyes and continued to meditate in absolute silence.

Location- Navalon's Ancient Mausoleum

"Hmm…" Nautica Undine of the ancient water dragon clan analyzed the 12 ancient relics of the dragon continent of Navalon.

"It seems like the relics are responding to your presence now, Princess Nova. Please choose any weapon of your liking," said Nautica, bowing her head to the royal family as did the remaining elderly lords, before they took their leave and started setting up essence summoning circles to use ancient draconic sigils.

Sigil's go by many names, such as runes, magic formations, essence circles, incantations, etc., but they are all the same and can be used by beings of all species, not just dragons. 

They are used as a bridge or a link that exists between the physical or material realms and the astral or spiritual realms. 

With the help of twenty draconic mages and the seven elder dragons they were able to send a message through the veil of existence, or heaven, where only the angels and heavenly host reside, and then to hell, where only demons, devils, and fallen angels dwell.

As Princess Nova stepped into the entrance of the Mausoleum, she started to feel the different elemental energies coming from the 12 dragon relics of Navalon.

Nova wasn't nervous about undergoing the essence awakening ceremony since she knew this day was bound to come. However, she still had her desires in mind and was anxious to learn how to achieve them.

Princess Nova has wanted to explore the planet underneath them since she was young. She even told her family several times that she wanted to form an exploration and rescue group to search for her people one day. However, being the only daughter of the royal family, they always told her the same story or just another excuse, in her opinion.

They would always tell her that since the renegades had left Navalon of their own accord, they should not interfere, whether they were living peacefully or miserable. It always upset her, but she understood their meaning and why they thought that way. However, it went against the innocent nature within her soul, which wanted to reach out to them with only the purest intentions.

The Lightmourne Royal Family, who were supposed to be bringers of light, left their people in the dark because they were too prideful to explore the world beneath them.

The Dragon king of Navalon, Novex Lightmourne, was standing next to the Queen and his wife, Novelia Lightmoure, who had both of her sons by her side, Prince Night Lightmourne and Prince Nolan Lightmourne, who were known to be geniuses in their own right.

The entire Lightmourne family had white hair, though Nova had blue eyes like her mother. Night and Nolan had silver eyes and resembled their dad, who looked relatively young for his older age.

"What's that essence?" asked Nolan as his face turned sour.

"I don't know… but such an intimidating essence is abnormal in Navalon," said Night as white plasma-like energy surrounded his body, alerting his parents and siblings.

Night Lightmourne was the eldest child of the Lightmourne family and the first known wielder of Navalon's 12 dragon relics. Solblaze was the sword he wielded and was made from the fang of the Dragon God of The Sun, who was known to be one of the only dragons who preferred using a human-hybrid form in combat, much like his successor.

"N-no way…" Queen Novelia mumbled as she fell to her knees because of her heightened sensitivity to dragon essence.

The elders and some dragon noble elites also had incredible senses and soon felt the energy coming from Khaos' silver egg toward the next dragon god's throne room.

"All of you, calm down," said Novex in a stern voice, and so they did, almost as if their emotions and short-term memory were tampered with.

The ceremony continued as if nothing had ever happened, and the elders stayed to guide Princess Nova through her awakening to essence. Still, she couldn't help hearing the murmurs and assumptions that seemingly echoed off the walls of the Sacred Temple of Navalon and were directed toward her.

With such negativity surrounding her, she nearly lost concentration. However, with one of her newfound skills, 'Lumiere's Blessing of Purity & Serenity,' she could cleanse herself from all the negative energy until her essence core formed and resembled some unknown white flower.

Princess Nova then got up from the waterfall and approached the entrance to the Mausoleum with a neutral expression, walking into the treasury without hesitation.

With an unwavering gaze and confident strides, the princess of Navalon immediately spotted a white bow with intricate golden designs. As she looked closer, she noticed that they resembled ancient murals of her ancestors.

Soon, a voice started to whisper to Princess Nova as if trying to communicate with her soul's voice. The words were incomprehensible, but as she concentrated energy around her essence core and listened closely, nearly driving herself mad from the intense concentration needed, she finally started to understand some of what the entity said.

"W-who are you? What?! You're joking, right? The Dragon Goddess of Light? Oh?! L-Lumiere Lightmourne! I see... If that's true, then I have no choice. Yes… I understand. I accept your dragon mark as proof of my loyalty and devotion. If I ever become unworthy of being your wielder, then on the great name of the Lightmourne family, I should be exiled and looked down upon as an outsider for the rest of my adulthood." said Princess Nova. She didn't know that she was talking out loud. She had attracted the attention of all the elders and the Royal family, who wondered if the relic could speak or if the princess was going insane because of her solitary lifestyle.

"I did it... finally," said Princess Nova; her point of view was gratitude toward Lumiere.

Even though Lumiere was her ancestor, Nova never expected her to be inside the relic. So when she started to hear her voice, she thought she folded under the pressure of her powerful family, the seven elders and the nobles of Navalon.

"Congratulations, Princess Nova of the Light clan! You have now become the wielder of Luminous Arc... A bow of light made from Lumiere Lightmourne's horn and imbued with her essence." The voice of the multiverse spoke, and everyone connected to the Royal family heard its majestic declaration.

'The Dragon Goddess, Lumiere... I won't let your blessing be in vain. I'll save our people and seek redemption to restore our clan's honor. I won't give up on them like everyone else. Even our mother and father called them renegades and dismissed their plea for help. Tsk... They should be ashamed to call themselves royalty!' thought Princess Nova as her face turned back to being neutral, and not even the elders noticed her sudden display of emotion.

The Princess of Navalon knew that the dragon gods blessed her, but with no social life, living life above the clouds of mortals, away from monsters and safe from demons, it was a little too peaceful, though that was a good thing. She had always thought so anyway.

The atmosphere only grew heavier as time passed. What seemed like a ceremony on track to only last a few hours ended up lasting several days.

The elders were a little agitated after being forced to fast for three days without food or bathing. All dragons took this seriously, since health and hygiene were essential to Navalon's citizens, they wouldn't tolerate any dragon in the noble or royal district looking subpar.

After finishing her awakening, the seven elders were dumbfounded at what they saw. The princess's pure energy was starting to develop in ways they never even thought possible, and the declaration from the voice of the multiverse left them all speechless for hours after hearing it.

Everyone started to think they were going insane, but royals and nobles, one after another, kept repeating the declaration as if it were nothing but the absolute truth. 

However, some still couldn't believe the ancient dragon gods' souls could be trapped inside mere relics. What a twist of fate it was. The mighty deities their ancestors worshipped centuries ago were attached to the same relics they had thought useless for so long. That would still remain true, if not for proven testimonies from the two eldest prodigies of the Lightmourne royal family who awakened two of them and now wielded the ancient dragon gods' power as their own.

The more they thought about it for hours, goosebumps and all, the more it made sense to them, at least to some of the more cautious or calculative royal and noble dragons.

This was only a minor event compared to what would soon come. The same silence they started to enjoy, thinking about the voice of the Zadus and its declaration, would quickly become a nightmare they'd never forget, no matter their age or class.

Every citizen would tell their descendants of this tragic day.

The day Navalon fell…