SIDE STORY - CLOSING ACT

As the last tear fell onto the roots of the albino oak and a flash of light inundated the cave, the limiting curse had been dispelled. Immediately afterward, the human-form dragon was gone. In his place, stood the majestic Black Dragon King in all his glory!

Within the cave, the black dragon examined his body with blazing eyes, sensing the strength 'He' had long lost flowing back into him. His talons were sharp and deadly, his scales were unblemished and whole, and the horns growing from his forehead and back of his head were more resplendent than any crown.

In his chest, 'He' felt Dragonfire surging and flaring like never before as his Long-Huo gem shone like the sun. Undoubtedly, 'He' had achieved a second, unimaginable zenith.

And, just as undoubtedly... 'He' felt underwhelmed.

Any other dragonkin might have felt excitement at such boundless, newfound might, but not him. 'He' merely looked back at the withered Albino Oak. Instinctively, 'He' could now understand something, as if something Higher than logic was tugging at him and pointing the way. Following that strange tug of Karma, 'He' stepped through the mouth of the ravine, basking in the sunlight that happily danced atop his scales.

With a last, loving glance backwards, 'He' spread his wings and flew.

The Black Dragon King raised his gargantuan head and flew upwards, above the clouds and beyond the firmament. He travelled many worlds and the boundaries between them, and finally He stepped back on the True Earth. Above it, grand and unforgettable, the True Heaven.

'He' made his way up, soon reaching the end of the ordinary sky. Beyond the canopy was the original Heaven, and the Heavenly Realm from where, together with his close vassals under him, the Jade Emperor overlooked the countless lands.

And then, with a determined gait, 'He' intruded inside.

The subjects of the Heavenly Realm in the True Heaven were tending to the fixed lights that glimmered in the sky, wiping away the imperfections from the celestial sphere, rearing the nine suns around their orbits, and lovingly taking care of the ten bright moons that would soon take their place.

To them, who had looked after the celestial bodies for countless years, they were treasures more precious than any jewel.

Among them, the biggest and most adored of them all was the Purple Moon.

As such, they could not believe their eyes when they saw it vanish mysteriously, a gargantuan black dragon fleeing hurriedly in its place.

Soon, alarms were sounded, and chaos ensued. The armies of Heaven, made up of hundreds of thousands of capable heavenly soldiers, rushed to catch up, but the Black Dragon King was unstoppable. A formless, bright, warm power enveloped the battlefield. By the time the dragon successfully escaped and a crazed pursuit began, many Generals of Heaven were puzzled to find that not a single individual in their troops had been harmed.

Legend has it, even across the countless worlds, not one drop of blood was spilt in combat that day.

With the endless army in tow, the black dragon sped towards the dark ravine as fast as he could. Just days later, with a resounding crash, 'He' landed in its depths.

There, 'He' once again laid his eyes upon the withered Albino Oak. The entrance of the dark cave was indeed to never allow light to pass through, nor could the poor albino oak be brought away as it would crumble into dust from the stress.

However, as 'He' passed by the mouth of the cavern, he revealed a moon magically kept in his grasp, its purple glow bathing everything in its gentle light. The rich moonlight inundated the withered tree at the end of the deep gorge, illuminating her with the mesmerizing purple moonlight that She would have to endlessly strive to afford in life.

With that alone, the dead albino oak showed signs of recovery: as of then, the oak's consciousness had yet to be completely wiped away. Naturally, She would not be awakening anytime soon. Possibly, not even in many eras.

However, unmistakably, bright spots of light had started gathering all over its withered branches: small sprouts had blossomed. The sprouts were followed by a blooming sea of radiant and pristine flowers. They quickly blossomed, and with them spread a vibrant scent of spring. Those flowers eventually turned into abnormally large acorns and they fell on the ground, gently carried on the way down by a light breeze.

Carefully, the Black Dragon gathered the acorns and caressed them gently before placing them back down by their mother's side.

Then, 'He' walked outside the cave: there, flying in the air, 'He' saw the armies of heavens, in such large numbers they were blotting out the sky and filled the land to the horizon.

The familiar, unpleasant setting roused some unwelcome memories.

However, even then, the Dragon could still smile brightly.

'He' slammed his chest resolutely, spitting out his Long-Huo Gem, the Dragonfire source within the body of all Dragons and their kin.

Pride and joy of his whole race, not even sparing it a glance, 'He', or rather now he, clenched his fist and reduced it into powder.

Amidst the soldiers who were shocked and horrified at the scene, one, in particular, stepped forward. And as he walked, his very existence skyrocketed.

'He' thus removed his disguise as a common foot soldier and revealed his status as the Highest.

Seeing the Jade Emperor's unmistakable figure, even the stirring, incensed Heavenly Soldiers stayed their hands. The dragon that had discarded his Long-Huo Gem watched with a smile as a wave of the Highest's sleeve was enough to send them all back even after weeks of arduous travel across worlds.

As only the Black Dragon King and the Heavenly Lord remained, the latter looked down at him from the sky.

'He' confirmed it then. The black dragon below him had been reborn anew.

"Finally, the Little Dragon smiles," mused the Jade Emperor.

It was only just then that the Highest had realized that the brightness blinding him had not been an incandescent Long-Huo gem, nor its incomparable Dragonflame. Instead, it had been a dazzling heart, and to his knowledge, there wasn't a single sun in the Heavenly Realm and across the countless Heavens that could compare to it.

"That moon, though you might have shrunk it now, is bigger, more lustrous, more radiant than any other. Even though it's not quite your match, I hope you'll consider it an acceptable gift, from Me, to you. To the both of you... Brightfolk."

"I shall be watching your actions, and the ones of your descendants after you, with expectations, little dragon. No... you are 'Little' no longer. Their smile, Her smile, has helped you grow. May you be called Xiao Long henceforth... but may it be so that, from now on, your surname will carry a much greater meaning. Not Xiao of a young, impulsive 'youth' that has lost his way; it shall be the Xiao of that one 'smile' instead."

"May you disseminate peace, Dragon of the Bright Smile, Xiao Long."

And with those words, 'He' departed, leaving Xiao Long behind.

Back in the Heavenly Realm, seeing as how the Purple Moon was lost forever, the residents of the True Heaven could only tend to the remaining nine even more lovingly. Before long, the memory of a sky with ten moons started feeling like some distant, hazy dream.

Many years later, a Purple Moon that had been magically shrunk shone in the depths of a ravine. Basking in its light, coiled around a glowing albino oak, a pitch-black, yet incomparably bright, dragon watched with a smile as the acorns hatched, cracking like eggs. From within, out came crawling tiny, black dragons. They did not have a Long-Huo Gem within their bodies, but instead carried with them the scent of the oncoming spring, their tiny bodies surrounded by a bright purple glow. Their healthy vigor was only second to their kindness to the world, and devotion to each other.

The Dragon of the Bright Smile sighed with feeling, reminiscing about the many people that had changed his life, from one of conflict to one of peace.

This unique existence had once been a 'He', recognized as a fearsome warrior, the It of a loathsome calamity, and eventually even a 'He' higher and greater than any Dragon before.

Ultimately, however, he had left that self behind on that day, long ago. Now, although many called him the Bright King, he was rather looking forward to telling Her about the meaning behind Xiao Long.

Xiao Long raised his black talons, sharp and lustrous, not a single blemish to be seen. An immaculate night, unstained by blood.

For dragonkin like the former him who revered combat, this would have been a source of great shame. To Xiao Long, this was his new Pride.

For many years now, and even more to come, he hoped, he strived to never have to use them again. Only like so would he ever feel pristine and clean enough to dare link them together with Her sets of healthy, white branches.

In his weary yet pleased heart were his subjects, waving at him and encouraging him on. The Brightfolk that locked arms with them smiled to this day. And albeit begrudgingly, crowds after crowds of people are finally passing on into a better world after seeing him strive day after day to help the new settlers of the lands he had once torn asunder. An effort that would last for years to come, and once done, he'd move on onto as many worlds beyond them as he could find. Strangely enough, today especially they seemed to be sparing him some rest.

As he looked at the albino oak, in his thoughts was a white-robed woman, one that even when She would grow old, sickly, and withered, in his eyes couldn't possibly appear any more beautiful.

In his eyes were the cubs he would be watching grow in the close future. And as they grew, he would be sure to tell them the tale of a silly Black Dragon, of his loyal followers, of the people so bright they changed them and eventually even him, and of an odd albino oak that brightened his life when all had darkened. He swore for that tale to be passed on, to never allow their memories to fade.

Until the day people forgot, they would be living. And until the day he died, he would remember, not allowing them to be forgotten.

And all that while, they would never be remembered as anything other than suns.

As he patiently waited, the albino oak seemed to jolt awake and the branches slowly but surely began to emanate a pale light as they wrapped around the dragon's claws, as if two hands were interlocking fingers. Soon, the sudden glow faded, and the branches slowly unraveled from the black talons, regaining their original state.

The Bright King showed a hint of dissatisfaction but soon chuckled heartily: this had been happening regularly for the past few years now, but undoubtedly, the interval between each episode would grow shorter, and the duration of the glow longer.

Soon, they would even get to walk together as humans when the many moons aligned.

It was just by a slight bit, but this assured him that someday, far off in the future, She would completely awaken.

And he would wait for her until then. He gazed at the dragon cubs on the ground: they were his children, their children.

Xiao Long, the Bright, Black Dragon smiled at the Albino Oak lovingly.

And patiently, he waited for her to smile back.

A tale of incomparable loss, of warmth amidst despair, and a promise of remembrance forevermore.

And a wish; for moonlight when stuck in pitch-black, for sunshine if ever lost or broken.

I hope so, verily, for a Bright world.

BLACK TALONS, WHITE BRANCHES, AND A PURPLE MOON - The end