Chapter 9 : Rise and Fall?

After a long day, I stepped into the shower, letting the warm droplets wash away the exhaustion from the photoshoot and the shift at the café. Today had been hectic. The water felt like a blessing as I let it soothe my sore muscles. Once I finished, I dressed and sat on the couch, drying my hair with a towel in one hand, my phone in the other. Without expecting much, I found myself tapping on the World Creator app—a habit I had recently developed.

To my surprise, new notifications popped up on the screen, catching me off guard.

"The World Tree has risen to the level of a divine being, and due to her influence, a new race has emerged."

"Due to the influence of the World Tree, the race of High Elves has emerged."

The notifications made my heart race with excitement. High Elves? If I remembered correctly from all those fantasy stories, elves were known for their beauty, wisdom, and strong connection to nature. High Elves, though, were considered royalty among elves—noble, graceful, and incredibly powerful.

Curiosity took over, and I quickly switched to the area where the World Tree stood. The screen revealed a vast forest, and in its center towered a massive tree, its sheer size and height dwarfing the others around it. The scene was almost breathtaking.

Near the World Tree, a group of strikingly beautiful men and women gathered. However, one woman stood out among them. She had long, wavy silver hair that cascaded down her back and silver eyes that gleamed with an ethereal glow. Her perfect figure, emphasized by her large bust and slender waist, was completed by the noticeable length of her pointed ears. She was the epitome of elegance, blending seamlessly with the natural world around her. The High Elves moved about with smiles, their connection to the forest clear in every graceful movement. Watching them filled me with a strange sense of satisfaction.

A thought suddenly struck me—was now the right time to begin developing civilization in Soleria?

My mind filled with thoughts, I didn't even notice when sleep took over, my body slumping against the soft cushions of the couch. Too tired to move, I drifted off right there, my phone still in my hand sleep took over, pulling me into a deep, dreamless slumber.

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A few days passed by in a blur. My routine was simple—working at the café, chatting with Aoi during her visits, and exchanging messages with Haruka and Yuki about how well the photoshoot was received. Life had settled into a steady rhythm, and I found comfort in the peace of my daily routine.

One afternoon, while on break at the café, I enjoyed the quiet moment alone. Sakura-san had stepped out for a few errands, leaving the café empty. I stretched out, savoring the calm, until my phone buzzed incessantly, snapping me out of my reverie.

"What the…?"

The screen lit up with one notification after another from the app, faster than I'd ever seen. Something big was happening. I unlocked my phone and stared at the flashing notifications. The final alert made my heart skip a beat.

"Story Event in Progress."

A story event? I hadn't triggered anything. My pulse quickened as I tapped on the notification. The screen shifted, and what I saw made my blood run cold.

A towering black dragon stood menacingly in front of Satori. They were both in their dragon forms—Satori with several other dragons behind her, and the black dragon flanked by a smaller group of its own. The atmosphere between them was thick with tension.

I recognized the black dragon immediately. It was the second primordial dragon born in Soleria. But something was wrong. The energy radiating from it wasn't normal—it was dark, twisted, almost like the miasma from before. The black dragon wasn't just powerful; it was corrupted.

Before I could even process what was happening, the battle began.

Satori and the black dragon lunged at each other with terrifying speed, their massive forms clashing in mid-air. The dragons behind them followed suit, and soon the entire scene was chaos. Fire, lightning, and dark energy erupted with each strike, shaking the earth beneath them. Satori fought with unmatched grace, each attack precise and devastating, but the black dragon was relentless, its corrupted power fueling every move.

The fight felt like it lasted for hours, but in the end, Satori emerged victorious. The black dragon collapsed in a heap, defeated. But just as I thought it was over, a thick, dark miasma erupted from its body, twisting and writhing through the air like a living entity. The dragon let out a final, haunting scream before disappearing into the darkness, taking its followers with it.

The battlefield grew still, but Satori didn't look triumphant. Instead, she gazed at where the black dragon had vanished, a look of deep sadness and uncertainty clouding her silver eyes.

I wanted to reach out, to see more, but just then, my phone died. The screen went black, leaving me frozen in place.

"No…!" I scrambled to grab my charger, cursing under my breath. Why now, of all times?

As my phone rebooted, I could only sit there, my mind spinning with what I'd just witnessed. The corruption had spread deeper than I thought. But even though I had influence in the world, interfering in certain story events was still not possible—yet.

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The rest of the day passed without anything significant happening. Work, idle chatter, and the usual routine. But when I finally got home, the first thing I did was collapse onto the couch and grab my phone, eager to see if any new developments had occurred in the world of Soleria and after what happened previously.

As soon as I opened the app, a new notification popped up.

[An: Share your thoughts on this chapter! I focused on the importance of story events and laid the groundwork for future developments. Hope you're enjoying the story so far! And feel free to ask any questions regarding the story.]