Chapter 8: Memories of The Everlasting One & The Fall of Navalon

[Leviathan]: 'Lord Khaos. You've completed your first evolution. To check your stats and abilities, say status.'

"Huh…" Khaos finally woke up when he heard Leviathan's voice. "Oh... so I finally finished evolving," he yawned, stretching out his massive 100-meter body.

"Hmm…" Khaos then tried to open his eyes while still disoriented. His draconic pupils were actively dilating, attempting to adapt to the egg's darkness, and eventually did so with relative ease.

Soon after, Khaos' vision started coming to him as he blinked a few times and finally revealed his mesmerizing golden-yellow eyes. He soon found that his egg had grown in size to contain his body and was emanating dense chaos energy.

'Status.' Said Khaos, using his telepathic voice.

Suddenly, an ethereal-like gray screen with his personal information and abilities appeared before him.

[Name]: Khaos

[Race]: Dragon & Pre-Existential Primordial Entity

[Age]: Unknown???

[Stage of Evolution]: Living Deity

[Bloodline/Lineage Potential]: Dragon God & Omnipotent Sovereign

[Height + Weight] Dragon form: 100-Meters (328 ft) & 84,000 Tons (185,188,300 lbs), Hybrid Form: 1.91 meters (6'3 ft) & 99.79 Kg (220 lbs)

[Blessings]: Blessing Of Asherah

[Curses]: Curse of All That Thrives

[Titles]: [The Empty], [Lineage Embodiment], [Dragon God Candidate], [Omnipotent Sovereign Candidate]

[Energy Type]: Foundation, Augmentation, Unification, Precognitive, Adaptive

[Essence Signature Output (ESO)] (Element+ Physical Strength + Energy x Lineage Potential): Dragon Form= 30 Billion & Hybrid Form= 30 Million

[Strength]: Dragon Form= Multi-Continental + Meteor Level & Hybrid Form= Large Country

[Speed]: Dragon Form= Mach 10 (7,672 MPH) & Hybrid Form= 5x FTL (Faster Than Light)

[Durability]: Dragon Form= Multi-Continental + Meteor Level & Hybrid Form= Large Country

[Immunity]: Unrefined

[Attack Potential]: Dragon Form= Star Level & Hybrid Form= Planetary Level

[Stamina]: Nigh-Infinite

[Charm/Intelligence]: Unknown

{Tier???}: Voice of All Languages-???

{Tier:???}: Absolute Telepathy-???

{Tier:???}: Telekinesis-???

{Tier:???}: Ki Energy-???

{Tier:???}: One-Everlasting- ???

{Tier:???}: Victim Of Chaos - ???

{Tier???}: All-Creation- ???

{World Skill}: All-Consuming Void Barrier: A gray barrier shaped like an infinity symbol. This barrier will never bend or shatter. Activation is not required. While not sentient, this ability possesses a will of its own and will protect you when sensing imminent danger.

{World Skill}: Negation Breath- Grants you the ability to release a breath of chaos energy on command. It will negate all elements in its path if charged to the maximum. However, if released instantly or with little energy, it will only target the element most dangerous to your life. This ability cannot negate elements infused with superior energy output.

{Unique Skill}: Chaos Dragon Scales- Grants you the ability to infuse your scales with chaos energy. This energy can negate all magic elements and physical damage until the user runs out of energy and willpower. This ability cannot negate elements infused with superior energy output.

Energy Consumption: Infusing the scales with chaos energy requires a continuous expenditure of the user's energy. Prolonged use can lead to rapid depletion of energy reserves. Willpower Dependency: The strength and duration of the negation effect are also tied to the user's willpower. A decline in mental fortitude or focus can weaken the scales' defensive properties.

{Unique Skill}: Desolation- Grants you the ability to create a dimension of darkness and nightmares, depriving anything within of all their senses. This ability won't affect entities with superior energy output.

Escape Mechanisms: Entities with strong willpower or specific abilities related to teleportation, dimensional travel, or mental fortitude may find ways to escape or mitigate the effects of Desolation. Environmental Influence: Certain environments or objects with innate light or energy properties may diminish the darkness and nightmare-inducing effects within the dimension. Energy Supremacy: The ability's effectiveness is negated if the entities within the dimension possess superior energy output compared to the user. Such entities can resist or break free from the sensory deprivation effects. Energy Drain: Maintaining the dimension of Desolation requires a substantial and continuous expenditure of the user's energy. Prolonged use can lead to rapid exhaustion, limiting the duration of the dimension. Activation and Focus: Creating and sustaining the dimension demands significant concentration. Any disruption to the user's focus can weaken or collapse the dimension.

{World Skill}: Oblivion Nova- Grants you the ability to create a concentrated beam of destruction energy that can erase the target's body and soul. Erasure depends upon your will and energy's superiority or inferiority to hostile life forms.

Energy Superiority: The destructive potential of the Oblivion Nova beam is directly proportional to the user's energy level and willpower. The beam's effect will be diminished or nullified if the target possesses more energy or a stronger will. Energy Consumption: Activating Oblivion Nova consumes a lot of energy. Excessive use can lead to severe exhaustion, leaving the user vulnerable. Focus and Precision: Maintaining and directing the beam requires intense concentration and precision. Any lapse in focus can weaken the beam or cause it to miss the target. Resistance Factors: Certain beings or entities with powerful protective enchantments, innate resilience, or soul-based defenses may resist or mitigate the effects of Oblivion Nova.

{World Skill}: Shadow Manipulation- The ability to control and manipulate shadows, both your own and those of others. This skill allows the user to alter the shape, size, and density of shadows and animate them to perform various tasks.

Light Dependency: The effectiveness of Shadow Manipulation is directly influenced by the availability and intensity of light sources. The ability is severely limited or rendered ineffective in total darkness or extremely dim environments. Energy Consumption: Prolonged or extensive use of Shadow Manipulation drains the user's energy. The more complex or significant the manipulation, the greater the energy cost, potentially leading to fatigue. Concentration Requirement: Maintaining control over manipulated shadows requires significant mental focus. Distractions or loss of concentration can cause the shadows to revert to their natural state. Shadow Resistance: Certain materials or surfaces may resist shadow manipulation, such as highly reflective or brightly lit surfaces that minimize shadow presence.

{Tranformations}: Adolescent Dragon Form, Hybrid Adolescent Dragon Form

{Elements}: Chaos Element, Destruction Element, Shadow Element, Dark Element, Fire Element, Water Element, Earth Element, Wind Element.

'I'm a dragon adolescent and Primordial entity with all five energy types, but why is my age unknown? It seems I've already reached the living deity stage of evolution. Also, I have eight elements and four titles. Two of them label me as a candidate, which probably means there are others like me. I suppose they're aware of their lineage potential as well.' Khaos smirked slightly as his jaw muscles twitched, trying to adjust to the new facial movement.

'My world skills match their descriptions perfectly.' Khaos glanced down at the one weakness he was born with.

"The curse of all that thrives." Khaos's draconic vocal cords caused him to be born with an intense and primal voice. He looked down at his body; he had the same gray scales that represent chaos energy. But before he could get comfortable, his draconic senses picked up on a faint essence signature coming from his soul dimension.

'It's too early…' a voice echoed inside his head. It sounded like a whisper, almost impossible to understand.

Then, a few memories started returning to Khaos with vivid clarity.

Memories that would soon be forgotten started flashing through Khaos's mind, causing a jarring pain within his soul.

Khaos began to remember vague recollections of neglect, mistreatment, and torture at the hands of the two people who had brought him into the world in his past life.

Masanori Takuma, Khaos's past reincarnation, was crucified on a stake of eternal dark flames.

Since birth, he had lived in filth, surrounded by the foul smell of fornication, stale urine, excrement, and the decaying corpses of humans, monsters, and demons since developing consciousness as a human being.

Masanori Takuma was always alone. He never felt the nurturing energy of his mother or the discipline and guidance through hardships that his father is responsible for giving. His elder siblings couldn't care less about his well-being, as they barely remembered he was alive. And everyone else within the Masanori Noble family didn't even know he existed.

Takuma had parents and siblings who despised him since birth.

It would drive most to turn away and walk the path of death.

Yet, he could do nothing in his current state.

Takuma's parents seemed to have ingrained deep trauma into his psyche using numerous manipulation tactics such as verbal, physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.

After years of enduring agonizing torture, he adapted and started becoming numb to the pain.

After noticing this, his parents took away any stimuli that may have been keeping him sane before starving him for weeks on end while sending their maids and butlers to his domain for unpredictable torture sessions.

Masanori Takuma, who hadn't even reached the pubescent age, did not care for power, a harem of beautiful women, or excessive wealth.

His curious nature only yearned for adventure and exploration.

However, he would never experience that as a forsaken human of the Masanori Royal family.

Masanori Sanako and Masanori Takashi weren't good parents to the elder siblings, Masanori Luna and Masanori Takeo.

Still, they were treated far better than Takuma in all aspects of life.

While the elder siblings of the Masanori Royal family were frequently invited to ceremonies, gatherings, and adventuring quests, Takuma lived his entire life inside the Dungeon of Sin, underneath the Kingdom of Darkness, Kuromori.

Takuma's parents and the kingdom's scientists would frequently experiment on his body and soul without consent.

They would spend hours injecting Takuma's pineal gland and spinal cord with dark energy and the blood of powerful monsters and demons in the hopes of forcefully drawing out the dark element from his DNA and soul structure.

However, it never worked, no matter how persistent they were.

For years, Takuma had been mocked and humiliated by the worst criminals, monsters, and demons in the kingdom of darkness hidden deep within a massive forest closest to the portal of the demon world.

In the dungeon of sin, he was repeatedly beaten and starved by both male and female inmates.

Numerous prisoners even defiled his body before they castrated him without reason.

Of course, since he possesses light energy, he would be healed every time whether he wanted to be or not.

However, each time he survived, one of his emotions would slowly wither away.

This kind of treatment was all Masanori Takuma knew.

He never experienced the world or formed any morals and had no knowledge of religion or politics.

Takuma never had the chance to make a friend or feel the love of family.

The kid barely cared to remember his name as it served no purpose in such a miserable existence.

As a forsaken human, he was considered worse than a slave to most species on planet Zadus.

Luna and Takeo, too, detested their younger brother. Because, unlike them, their parents, and everyone else in the kingdom of Kuromori, Takuma was born with the element of light instead of darkness.

Everything wrong in Takuma's life could be attributed to that single fact.

It may seem cruel, but this was the sacred rule they had lived by for centuries.

Since he was of royal blood, his punishment only worsened.

Things would've been different for Takuma if only he had been born with light and darkness.

If such a thing had occurred, he would've been hailed as true royalty and a Demi-god amongst mortals instead of living as a forsaken human and being ostracized by society.

Takuma knew there was no lesson to learn from this experience.

It was just a sick and twisted way for his parents to take out their frustration under the guise of punishment.

Per the rule that stated, those who lack darkness inside their hearts must experience such horrific acts that even their soul, which consists of pure cosmic energy, becomes darkness incarnate.

"Takashi. That boy's soul is quite stubborn. I doubt he'll awaken anytime soon. He definitely hates us, but we've used so many resources to help him awaken it." Sanako's lips slightly parted as she smiled eerily. Her blonde hair swayed before her face as she sat on her husband's lap. Then, she looked up at him with uncanny violet eyes, gauging his response.

"There's one more thing we can try. If it doesn't work, then nothing will. Takuma is simply too pure for this world. It's not a bad thing, necessarily. But I will never accept a child born without the dark element as my own." Takashi narrowed his silver eyes that were hidden behind his long white hair. He lifted Sanako and sat her on the ground before vanishing into a dark portal, leaving her with an expression impossible to read.

Takashi's black combat boots echoed throughout the entrance to the dungeon of sin.

As Takashi slowly opened the colossal obsidian door, his aura of darkness immediately stood on full alert.

No matter how often he visited, it always gave him chills.

Even he, the king of Kuromori, had trouble enduring the oppressive aura in the dungeon of sin, a place that may be worse than hell itself.

Takashi enclosed himself inside a barrier that could block out the five natural senses and braced himself for the horror he was about to witness.

When Takashi infused the massive onyx door with his dark energy, it instantly collapsed on itself and became a dark portal.

Booming footsteps echoed throughout the dungeon as Takashi reached Takuma's domain.

The inhabitants of the dungeon felt Takashi's presence, and as they turned to gaze at him, it felt as if an entity with an endless number of eyes was looking directly at his soul.

Takashi looked at them in disgust as he concentrated his energy on his forearm, creating a sword of darkness.

With a wave of Takashi's hand, millions of beings that resembled one parasitic entity were cut in half by a wave of dark energy extending outward in all directions, disintegrating anything it touched.

Sweat dripped down Takashi's face as he fell to one knee.

The sudden dizziness affected his balance and senses.

Then came the waves of nausea.

The paranoia had finally set in.

His eyes scanned the dungeon thoroughly, not neglecting a single detail.

Around him, the deafening cries of tortured souls and the faint whispers of regrets lingered behind in the suffocating atmosphere.

Takashi could also feel the presence of demons trying to tamper with his soul and consciousness in an attempt to possess his body.

There were beings of all races, young and old, being tortured by each other in the cruelest methods possible.

They were trapped inside an endless cycle of hallucinations at every waking hour.

After all, for the wicked, rest was not needed. And the lives of the criminals inside the dungeon were of no concern to the Masnori family.

Takashi released all his energy to combat the pressure restricting him from reaching Takuma's domain. He could finally breathe again, and his pounding heartbeat returned to an average pace.

Takashi felt the energy of Takuma as soon as he entered his domain.

And how could he not?

Light energy can never be extinguished.

Whether he interfered or not, darkness would never be able to overtake his son.

However, none of that mattered to him.

Takashi manipulated the dark flames that restrained Masanori Takuma, freeing him for only the seventh time in his existence.

Only this time, he was finally being taken outside the dungeon of sin.

Takuma looked visibly frail as he had never been able to engage in physical activity or have proper nutrition.

However, Takuma had the will to live.

An unshakable willpower that kept him in one piece after the harrowing years spent inside the dungeon.

Compared to what he went through, this was paradise.

So, he adapted quickly when he felt the air and energy of the outside world for the first time.

Takuma has never spoken to anybody in his entire life. His parents assumed he was mute.

So, Takashi knew that he wouldn't question his intentions.

They both remained silent the entire time, not once making eye contact as he led Takuma into the obsidian carriage.

The two dark horse and rhino-like creatures that pulled the carriage had a superior sense of direction.

It helped guide them to the middle of the forest when they were tasked to drop off human sacrifices for the lower demons of hell.

The kingdom did this at least once every full moon in exchange for abundant dark energy and knowledge of war.

Takuma's family abandoned him for reasons they never explained. Although, he assumed it was due to their failure to draw out his dark element.

If Takuma deemed useless, and they had grown bored of tormenting him, then he understood why they were getting rid of him, but now, he had no emotions to show.

Masanori Takuma gazed at the sky and then the sun, which rose from behind the massive trees that seemed to stretch on forever, his face resembling a blank canvas.

Usually, when forsaken are exiled, they are sent away with a weapon, enough food to last a month, and a small sum of gold.

However, with the luck Takuma possessed, he was left in the most dangerous forest of Zadus as a mere 10-year-old with only a rusted katana and enough food to last a week, even though his appetite was non-existent.

Fortunately for Takuma, a distant alien being sensed his energy and decided to choose him as its soul companion, meaning their bond would span many lifetimes.

The legendary egg was made of an unknown element and was coated in light energy, which allowed it to travel through the galaxy at light speed. And after a year, it finally reached the atmosphere of planet Zadus. This being is the first Kaiju to exist on their planet.

The malnourished white-haired boy Takuma and his 9-head, galaxy-scaled companion, whom he had named Anarashi, grew stronger by feeding off the energy of prey monsters killed by Kuromori's alpha predators.

At 18 and 5000 years by human standards, Masanori Takuma and Anarashi had grown strong enough to kill hordes of lower demons from hell with a mere thought.

That was until one day, exhausted and desperate after fighting and killing a mighty demonic dragon named Vennoch, they stumbled onto a remote village in the middle of nowhere, where they suddenly collapsed when reaching the outer walls.

Luckily, a mysterious figure found them near death and decided it would be worthwhile to tend to their wounds and take them in until they were able to travel again.

Once Takuma had woken up from his 7-month coma, every instinct in his being told him not to trust the figure standing in front of him, who was dressed in a black trench coat and wore a black top hat with long black dreadlocks covering his face which appeared to be made of shadows.

Takuma knew that when you hid your appearance, you weren't doing it for no reason.

However, the mysterious figure only asked for one thing. It was not currency or enslavement. He only wanted to strengthen Takuma with something he discovered in the ruins of an ancient civilization.

Takuma agreed to his offer and was injected with a foreign substance that fell from space.

The capricious being said that the substance is called Archangel Grace, but had no idea how much it would alter his DNA and soul structure.

Still, Takuma didn't question anything, as he had already considered the risks it could come with.

He knew he'd end up dying soon anyway, as he was far too weak to survive after such a battle, so he decided to seize the opportunity to grow stronger.

To Takuma's surprise, the abilities he had gained through the bluish-white energy made him a universal threat, and he seemed to be no longer human.

Takuma had gained portal creation, immortality, super strength, absolute immunity, photokinesis, omnipotent telekinesis, absolute telepathy, supernatural senses, mastery over hand-to-hand combat, master swordsmanship, angelic exorcism, atom manipulation, reality manipulation, energy manipulation, archangel healing, true invulnerability, molecular combustion, teleportation, infinite regeneration, and nigh-omnipotence.

As Takuma woke up outside the village's walls, the 200-meter kaiju, Anarashi, seemed to be protecting him by curling around his body.

Takuma soon realized he had changed significantly.

Besides the white armor that he couldn't remove, he felt even more emotionless, more than usual.

The years that followed were filled with loneliness as the people in the village avoided socializing with Takuma whenever possible.

For decades, his soul companion, Anarashi, was never granted permission to enter under any circumstances.

Takuma and Anarashi seemed to understand as was far too large to remain in the village, so he spent most of his time flying or sleeping in the mountains.

Time flashed before Takuma's eyes, and he soon realized he had lived for several centuries.

He was forced to watch everything around him slowly die off from war, disease, starvation, suicide, and natural causes.

Takuma would heal as many people, animals, and plants as he could, but he couldn't help them all, so he watched over them in their last days as their bodies and souls withered away to nothing.

Yet somehow, due to the effects of the Archangel grace, he had stopped aging. And when it came to dangerous threats, he always managed to survive. Only to see new faces come along and meet the same fate as their predecessors.

Eventually, he was exiled by the new generation of leaders.

After centuries of war and fulfilling his debt to the village, which had become a sprawling metropolis, countless other warriors and healers had taken over his responsibility.

Masanori Takuma, nicknamed Everlasting Zero, was free to move on from the place that made him who he was.

After being exiled, he traveled the world and focused solely on surviving each passing moment with his soul companion, Anarashi.

On his native planet, survival and progress were the only things the beings inhabiting it cared about, so there wasn't time to sulk or search for pity.

Every second of the day became precious.

Each breath taken was sacred.

Life was worth living for most, even though many had been forced to kill for survival.

For Masanori Takuma, it changed his soul in ways that couldn't be fixed with close relationships or loving bonds. His soul was damaged beyond repair, but one thing remained true.

The vow to himself to never be helpless like he once was. It made an imprint on his soul, and even now, he knew he would never let himself suffer such a torturous life again.

With intense emotion, Khaos's egg started to crack, but its durability proved otherworldly.

Khaos's energy was so powerful that the entire continent of Navalon began to shift for the first time above the clouds of Serenity.

The windows of the Royal Dragon Castle all shattered simultaneously as a massive tsunami-like wave of gray energy erupted from the Dragon God's Throne Room, causing danger sirens to alert the entire population of Navalon.

"Citizens of Navalon! The essence signature you are feeling is at ten billion and rising! Evacuate immediately! I repeat! All citizens of Navalon! Please evacuate immediately! Seek out your loved ones and pray to the ancients!"

The Royal Family and the seven elders of the Royal Dragon Council immediately gathered outside the castle's walls.

They didn't waste any time when they were finally together as their dragon form's booming footsteps echoed throughout the giant castle's corridors before reaching the throne room.

When they arrived at the dragon god's throne room, they could only watch in anticipation as they heard an alien frequency echo throughout the Dragon continent of Navalon.

As they tried to find the source, a second wave of gray energy poured forth from the cracks formed by the colossal gray egg's shell breaking apart.

All seven elders, including King Novex, the elder of the ancient light dragon clan, couldn't even form coherent words as sweat dripped down their faces while witnessing the aura of a draconic deity.

As if responding on cue, the entire continent slowly descended, which seemed impossible.

But moments later, all traces of gravity disappeared entirely as it went into free fall.

This wasn't natural, nor was it normal under ordinary circumstances whatsoever.

After a few minutes, dozens of dragons had either fainted or grasped onto whatever they could to brace themselves for the impact.

A few brave souls attempted to fly away before falling unconscious in midair and plummeting to their deaths.

Many had died instantaneously due to broken necks or crushed spines. But most succumbed to internal injuries caused by blunt force traumas sustained through impacts against sharp and solid objects below.

Eventually, the massive continent finally stopped and hovered there motionless while hundreds of dragons fell around it, eventually crashing into the planet's surface, creating large craters.

Soon, the continent of Navalon dropped onto the planet's surface, causing earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and avalanches. It also triggered the movement of tectonic plates, increased volcanic activity, and raised sea levels throughout the world of Serenity.

However, unlike the experiences in Serenity's past due to the previous calamities brought about by gods or demons, nothing like that would come close to comparing to what followed.

The sky became grey, and thick clouds of chaos energy obscured visibility beyond ten feet in every direction.

Violet lightning struck across the globe simultaneously, sending shockwaves rippling along fault lines.

Thunder boomed relentlessly, shaking buildings off foundations and shattering windows filled with divine cymatics, as they couldn't withstand such immense forces.

The rain felt like acid, and the winds were so strong that many sigil or rune-enhanced structures collapsed outright, only to crumble further beneath the weight of more debris.

A great silence settled upon all life forms across the entire planet.

Perhaps because the dark and ominous night suddenly turned into day once the skies cleared, they assumed the worst had already occurred.

However, this did serve its purpose – everyone knew that a divine being had been born.

Whether it was the ogre tribe of the borderlands or the humans of the 7 virtuous kingdoms, everyone knows that they must either prepare to welcome them or kill them.

Now, it was a race against time.

Meanwhile, amidst the chaos and confusion, creatures near the cause of such a catastrophic event slowly emerged from their safe havens to see what had transpired.

The two tribes closest to the location Navalon had landed were the wyvern tribe, a dragon sub-species with many different elements, and the Dragonborn tribes, which consisted of four leaders, all masters of each natural element.

They were enemies for the longest time, but could a new threat make them work together as allies?

Will old grudges remain between both races forever?

Or will they bow down to the god of all dragons?