Soul Magic

A few huge lizards shook their heads and swayed for a while, but the smaller one clearly wasn't interested in their discussion. She fluttered her wings and picked herself off the larger lizard, wobbling as she flew towards me.

It seemed my instincts were right; she was indeed a child, struggling even to fly steadily. Her curiosity about me was evident as she circled around me twice. Unfortunately, I was still stiff all over from just getting my bones back in place, so I had to be careful even turning my head, allowing this curious little one to inspect me.After observing for a while and seeing that I didn't move, she seemed displeased. She snorted at me and then let out a roar, probably saying something, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand.Her voice, however, was quite intriguing. Though to my ears it was just simple roars, it had its own rhythm and melody, with a touch of childishness and distinct from the voices of the other larger creatures nearby.I wondered why she couldn't communicate like the bigger ones, directly into the mind, which would have allowed me to understand.The larger creatures quickly reached a consensus, showing they already had an effective method for discussing matters.Then that strange voice sounded again:"Human, to facilitate our conversation, I have decided to use advanced soul magic—Spirit Speech—to teach you our language.""However, when using soul magic, our consciousness will be directly engaged in communication. At that time, I will know your thoughts, and we are very interested in how you came here. Therefore, I hope you will be willing to open up that memory for me to know.""You just need to think about it while I perform the magic. Of course, if there are things you do not wish us to know, simply avoid thinking about them during this process. As noble dragons, we do not pry into your privacy.""However, there is one thing I must inform you of: souls do not lie. So, you need not consider using false memories to deceive us.""I understand your current limitations. If you agree, blink your right eye. Otherwise, blink your left eye."I quickly blinked my right eye. Joking aside, just moments ago I was concerned about how to communicate. Now that there was such a convenient learning method, I certainly wouldn't pass it up. Besides, I didn't feel there was anything worth hiding.Moreover, this memory was quite vague to me. I only remembered compressing all my energy in desperation during a frenzy, expecting myself to explode along with it. Instead, I just passed out and woke up here.Having received my answer, the golden dragon nodded and began to chant.That voice was peculiar, and I vaguely sensed that as he chanted, a strange energy began to gather at his head.This energy was completely different from anything I had encountered before, somewhat akin to the energy of psionic warriors, but primarily sourced from the cosmos, unlike psionic warriors who rely entirely on their own cultivated energies for attack.Clearly, this method of utilizing energy far surpassed that of any psionic warrior on Earth. With just a small portion of energy mobilized, it could achieve results far superior to those obtained by expending all of one's energy.As he continued his chant, the energy at his head accumulated more and more, eventually converging into a beam of green light that illuminated my forehead.I dared not hesitate and quickly began to recall the events of that day, from receiving the orders to infiltrating the base, and finally engaging in the fierce battle, leaving no detail unrecalled.I had a peculiar sensation, as if someone was coldly observing me throughout my recollection, a feeling that was profoundly uncomfortable.At the same time, my mind seemed to fill with something foreign, numerous unfamiliar words flowing through my mind like water. This inundation caused my mind to swell uncomfortably, accompanied by a sharp, needle-like pain, more agonizing than the physical wounds from earlier.In just a few short minutes, it felt like an eternity to me. When the green light finally dissipated, I was drenched in sweat, and my mind still throbbed with intermittent stabs of pain.The golden dragon watched me intently throughout, visibly relieved when I finally caught my breath. However, the aftermath nearly blew me away in its entirety.Ah, now I feel utterly weakened.He had just begun to speak when he saw my disheveled state and sighed again, saying to the other dragons:"Let's change form, it seems we can't communicate with him in this state."He spoke clearly in the language of the dragons, yet I found myself understanding effortlessly now. Reflecting on the effort I had previously put into learning various languages around the world, I couldn't decide whether to be frustrated by my past struggles or grateful for the current comfort.However, my attention was soon captured by the transformation before my eyes.The dragons chanted a few musical notes. Strangely, while I had understood the words of Chief Kalé just moments ago, I couldn't comprehend these musical notes at all.Then, they were all enveloped in a swirling mist. As the mist gradually dissipated, they had all transformed into human forms.The largest golden dragon now appeared as an extremely handsome middle-aged man, dressed in a golden robe with a magnificent crown upon his head, exuding an aura of majesty. Yet, unfortunately, his eyes sparkled mischievously, completely at odds with his dignified demeanor, resembling more of a noble king in jest.The later golden dragon had transformed into a stunningly beautiful woman, her features akin to a painting, with a gentle expression that even I, who had never been moved by the beauty of women, couldn't help but sigh in admiration.The other three, after their transformation, appeared as middle-aged men in their forties. Considering their immense size as dragons, seeing them now as humanoids barely reaching two meters tall was truly astonishing.The small dragon, however, did not transform. It seemed that even among the dragon race, there were limitations to their shape-shifting abilities."Kid, I've already taught you the common language of the continent, as well as languages of the dragon, elf, and orc tribes, along with some general knowledge of this world. I believe it'll help you, but you better take a moment to recall everything I just imparted. Otherwise, it'll slip away from your mind in no time."Even with my usually strong composure, I found myself dumbfounded by the rapid succession of changes, unable to speak for a while. Though I had plenty of questions, I obediently began to reflect.It seemed I had indeed arrived in a parallel world, a suspicion I had harbored for some time but could now confirm.The knowledge imparted by the Golden Dragon moments ago included basic facts about this world.Even with just brief introductions, it was enough for me to discern my situation.The planet I currently inhabited was no longer Earth; here, people were unaware they lived on a sphere and simply referred to their known territory as the continent.The ocean coverage here is broader than that of Earth, and currently all known humans and other races almost exclusively inhabit the same continent. This continent is known as the Adas Continent, named in honor of Emperor Adas who unified the continent nearly ten thousand years ago.I am currently on Dragon Island, the homeland of the dragons and a forbidden place for humans.Only mighty dragons and a handful of other powerful races can survive on islands overseas, because the ocean is considered forbidden for all intelligent beings. This is not only due to the harsh climate in the deep sea but also because of the countless sea monsters that are as formidable as dragons.What's even more terrifying is that unlike intelligent creatures on land, sea monsters mostly act on instinct and harbor strong hostility toward all creatures on land.Therefore, any creature venturing out to sea will face relentless attacks from these sea monsters, and the farther one travels from the continent, the more advanced these monsters become.Dragon Island is located tens of thousands of kilometers away from the mainland in the ocean, and only species capable of long-distance flight can freely come and go here.It is said that there are some powerful races on islands closer to the deep sea, including the Phoenix Clan, which is also known as the Phoenix. They are even more skilled in long-distance flight than the dragon clan, and some elder dragons also migrate towards deeper seas.Dragons are a powerful and mystical race; the energy within them slowly grows over time. It can be said that the older they are, the higher their energy levels and consequently, their prowess.Generally speaking, dragons below a thousand years old are considered young dragons. True adult dragons are those aged over three thousand years. The average age among dragons is around five thousand years, with a few powerful dragons capable of living tens of thousands of years or more.Currently, the elders on Dragon Island are all over ten thousand years old. The leader of the Carle Clan has lived an astonishing thirty thousand years, and he is rarely challenged across the entire continent. Only a few ancient races that have survived from antiquity, such as the Demon Clan and the God Clan, can rival individuals of his caliber.The Demon Clan and the God Clan have appearances similar to humans, but like the dragons, they are favored by nature and are extraordinarily long-lived races. The Demon Clan possesses black membranous wings, while the God Clan has white feathered wings. They each reside in their own realms but share the common goal of controlling the human continent. Every thousand years, they turn the human continent into a battlefield for fierce battles, resulting in immense casualties among the human population.In ancient times, dragons, elves, beasts, and other races lived alongside humans on the continent, and they repeatedly fought alongside humans against the God and Demon Clans.However, since Emperor Adas unified the continent, he was somehow influenced by the God Clan, deifying them and branding the Demon Clan as mortal enemies. This led to the God Clan emerging victorious in the War of Gods and Demons.Although they expelled the Demon Clan from the continent, the God Clan gained supreme status on the mainland thereafter. The Church, founded by the God Clan, became a powerful institution surpassing nations.Under the Church's control, humans tore up treaties signed with dragons, elves, and other races and waged wars against them. The brutality of these conflicts even surpassed that of the War of Gods and Demons.In the end, due to their low numbers and limited reproductive capabilities, dragons couldn't sustain the massive casualties from prolonged wars. They were forced to leave the mainland and migrate as a whole race to Dragon Island.Although a few giant dragons remain on the mainland, they mostly inhabit remote and uninhabited mountains and forests.The Elven tribe chose to hide within the largest forest on the continent, relying on their innate powerful nature magic to establish a magical barrier in the forest to resist attacks from the Human and Divine tribes. This forest, known as the Elven Forest, became their sanctuary and stronghold.The Beast tribe, on the other hand, faced the most tragic fate. They were forced to cross over the tallest mountain range on the continent—the Ida Mountains—and settle on the barren plains on the other side of the mountains. This barren plain became their difficult living environment.In this nightmarish battle, all three tribes suffered significant population losses, and their losses were incalculable. More importantly, due to the harsh living conditions, the development of all three tribes was severely constrained.As the millennia passed, although the three tribes had adapted to their current way of life, they were unable to truly grow and thrive due to the constraints of their environment. They also lacked the strength to return to living on the continent.