The heavy, silver-embossed doors of the Divine Heart Shrine creaked open, revealing
a sanctuary of starlight and silence. Snowman stepped inside, his breath hitching at
the sheer scale of the golden pillars. He leaned toward Ryuki and whispered, "Big
Brother, you look surprised. Have you really never been here before?"
Ryuki, whose forehead was suddenly beaded with sweat, pufed out his chest. "No!
I've been here dozens of times! I'm just... acting surprised to match your energy. It's a
leadership tactic!"
Leo sighed so loudly it echoed off the vaulted ceiling. "He's a fool who fools only
himself. He's lived here a year and hasn't noticed this giant building once." Leo then
turned a deadly gaze toward the goblin, his voice dropping to a low growl. "Ryuki, this
place is the heart of a Divine Dragon. Keep your mouth shut and show some dignity,
or I'll bury you in the garden."
"Children, children... such loud 'noise' for such a quiet place."
A woman with hair like spun sunlight stepped from behind a silk veil. She wore a
serene smile that radiated warmth. Leo and Snowman immediately bowed. Ryuki, true
to form, just blinked in confusion.
"It's been a long time, Leo," the woman said. "It's good to see my little cub growing so
well.""Snowman, Ryuki—this is Toshie," Leo introduced, his voice full of respect. "She is
the High Priestess of this shrine and was my Wet Nurse when I was a child. Show her
proper respect."
Ryuki's eyes went wide. "Oh! Auntie! Thank you for making Leo so strong! But why
didn't you teach him some manners? And I have questions for Auntie Faeloria
too—why is her son so bossy?"
Leo's vein began to thrum in his forehead. "I am going to kill you the moment we
leave."
Toshie chuckled, the sound like chiming bells. She stepped forward, playfully
pinching Ryuki and Leo's cheeks. "My pure, chaotic boys. Tell me, why have you
come to the Sunspire Shrine?"
"Aunt Toshie," Leo said, regaining his composure. "My little brother has doubts about
the world's origin. We thought the World Flow might have the answers."
Toshie looked at Snowman, her eyes lingering on his azure pupils. She patted his
head gently. "I cannot show you the book itself, little one—it is too sacred for young
eyes. But I can tell you the story written within its pages."
She took a seat on a carved ivory chair, her expression becoming distant. "According
to the ancestors, in the beginning, there was only the Void. The first creature, the
Creation Dragon, opened his eyes and saw nothing but darkness. He felt a profound
loneliness, and in that silence, he decided to give the universe a 'Flow' that would
vanish the dark forever."
The boys sat at her feet, mesmerized.
"With all his power, he created the universe and the nine Pure Divine Dragons to act
as its guardians. Once his work was done, the Creation Dragon vanished. Some say
he died from the efort; others say he simply moved beyond our reach. But his
children, the Nine Dragons, followed his will. They found this planet and saw it as the
perfect cradle for life. They divided the world into nine lands, and each Dragon
created a race to call their own."
"Then what happened?" Ryuki asked, his hunger for snacks momentarily forgotten.
"Power bred pride," Toshie sighed. "The Dragons began to fight. For centuries, they
waged a war that nearly wiped out the very races they created. But then, our
goddess—the Virella Gold Star Dragon, the deity of Beauty and Love—saw the
sufering of her children, the Demi-Humans. Her heart broke. Though she was only the
sixth strongest of the nine siblings, she stood alone against her eight brothers and
sisters to protect us."
"Did she survive?" Snowman asked, his voice trembling.
"She was mortally wounded by her own kin," Toshie said softly. "But in her final
moment, she prayed for us. In response, Time itself stopped. A rain of pure gold, like
liquid sunlight, fell from the heavens. It healed the world and forced the other eight
Dragons to wake from their bloodlust. Realizing their mistake, the Nine Dragons
abandoned the physical world to fall into a deep sleep in their hidden tombs, where
they still listen to our prayers today. Before they slept, they chose one champion from
each race, giving them a divine weapon and the mandate to build the Nine Empires."
Toshie stood up, smoothing her robes. "I hope that answers your questions, my boys.
Now, I must return to my duties."
The three brothers bowed deeply and stepped back out into the bright sunlight of the
capital.
"Nine True Dragons... that's incredibly cool," Ryuki muttered, looking up at the sky."It is," Leo agreed. "They created everything—Oni, Ogres, Goblins, Demons,
Lizardmen, Mermaids, Angels, Elves... all the 'noise' we see today."
Snowman nodded, his mind finally at peace with the scale of the world. But the
silence didn't last long.
"Alright, enough history!" Ryuki shouted, clutching his stomach. "Thinking about
gods makes me hungry again. Let's go find something to eat!