"Congratulations on forming your first magic circle. Unfortunately, you'll have to break it here and now!"
"What?"
Adall immediately stepped back a few paces upon hearing those words.
His gaze had become much fiercer than even during his confrontation with the shadow panther. Perhaps the strength from this first magic circle was getting to his head, but it was clear from his actions that he was not willing to comply at all.
"Calm down, kid! Didn't I tell you that I've been waiting for over 1000 years now? There must be a reason for that, right? Let's sit down and continue our discussion."
Adall hesitated for a few more moments but eventually sat down.
"Where should I start?"
Orion looked thoughtful for a moment before resuming confidently.
"Then let's start from the beginning. Let's talk about these beings called the Primordials!"
Over 1000 years ago, in this world, lived 10 supreme dragons called the Primordials. They were the guardians of this world, and as such, they each had a strength that could be described as absolute...
Assisted by their dragon descendants, they daily ensured harmony among the various races inhabiting the world of Era.
Humans, dwarves, elves, fairies, giants, and beastmen.
It was a true period of peace!
Unfortunately, this peace was not meant to last forever.
Beings from another world, led by their own Primordials, found a way to enter the world of Era to sow death and destruction.
The Primordials of Era and their dragon descendants, not having the strength to fully deal with the enemies who came in great numbers, then made a decision that would forever change the lives of those they protected.
They decided to teach them how to use mana to fight.
And so began the era of magic and aura for the races native to this world...
With the number of fighters increasing overnight on one side, the course of the war suddenly tipped in favor of the latter.
And with the death of one of the 4 Primordials leading the charge on the invaders' side, they had no choice but to retreat.
"Several things, however, were brought to light during this war. The first being, only a tiny fraction of the invaders' real forces had been deployed so far. The second was the certainty that they would return to the attack as soon as they were better prepared."
Orion paused in his story on these words and asked a very attentive and eager Adall to know the rest of what he was saying:
"What do you think, kid! How were we supposed to get out of this situation?"
"Do we need to raise a larger army?"
The answer slightly smiled the first patriarch, and he spoke again the next moment.
"You're not entirely wrong. However, with the six races still in the early stages of using magic and aura, what we really needed to defend ourselves against the invader was time, and our Primordials understood that well. They then used a magic that could even be called divine to erect an impenetrable barrier all around the world. This magic, which required the presence of at least 10 Primordials to be cast, had a very high cost, the lives of the casters. With the latter, our 10 guardians granted us a respite of 1000 years that the inhabitants of this world had to use to become stronger and more numerous."
He paused again in his story, but this time, it wasn't to ask Adall a question. His gaze, filled with sadness, reminded him of someone who had lost loved ones during the events he was recounting.
After a few more seconds, he gathered his courage and continued.
"However, there remained a major problem with this solution. The Primordials! It took a Primordial to kill another. It was a question of level of existence. A being without this title saw their attacks greatly weakened when attacking someone who possessed it. So, with the sacrifice of our 10 Primordials, how to defeat the invaders who still had several of these beings among their ranks? That's where your existence comes into play, Adall. You are the person chosen by our Primordials to inherit the title and power that were theirs."
"What? Me?"
Adall was stunned by this revelation.
He suspected that the first patriarch wouldn't have waited for him for 1000 years as he claimed for trivial matters, but he didn't expect anything like this at all.
Several questions began to emerge in his small brain.
("Why me? How does one become a Primordial? Is what he's saying true? Why weren't there any books about this period and these events in the family library? If it's true, how has he survived until now? If it was false, why would he tell me all this? What would he have to gain from it, someone who was already so strong?")
Adall's brain was on the verge of catching fire after being assaulted by so many concerns.
It was at this moment that, with a smile on his lips, Orion took out from his storage space a green ball the size of his palm on which several golden runic inscriptions were visible.
"You must know what this is, right?"
"Of course! It's the Windsor family treasure lost with the first patriarch, the Life Pearl. I've seen its image several times in the books in the library... Huh? How did you get that?"
Adall couldn't be mistaken in recognizing the Life Pearl. He had studied its images several times, dreaming of finding it one day and bringing it back to the family. He thought that by accomplishing this, he would certainly regain the love and respect of his family.
("The Life Pearl that the family actively sought even after 900 years. According to the records, it disappeared at the same time as the first patriarch. So, would he really be my ancestor?")
Even though he hadn't expressed it out loud, he still received an answer to his question.
"Yes, I am indeed your ancestor. If I am in possession of the Life Pearl, it's because I took it with me when I left home to settle here."