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墨書 Inktalez
The golden twilight pierced through the lush, ancient forest like a sharp blade, casting its light upon the ground. Occasionally, vibrant insects and birds flitted by, or colorful butterflies danced gracefully in the air.
The broad path was bathed in a hazy warmth, with sturdy ancient trees standing like towering pillars, surrounded by emerald green vines and flowers. Among them thrived an array of rare and exotic plants, unseen and unheard before, their colors a riot of vivid greens and purples.
It was adorned like a magnificent painting, resembling a floating avenue leading to the Divine Kingdom.
Dressed in black garments of the Alliance Empire and the Church, Rod admired the scenery as he held an ancient tome in his hands, appearing like a devout missionary stepping into the Divine Kingdom.
Behind him, the tall Treyzer donned silver armor that gleamed with golden holy light, making him look like a radiant paladin. The only discordant note was the rectangular package wrapped in tattered cloth that he held in his hand, its contents unknown.
Everything felt so sacred that both men silently savored this moment. This sensation could only be experienced during the Holy Spirit's descent festival of the Alliance Empire's Holy Cathedral of Saint Lorenzo, when they were enveloped in divine light.
If not for someone breaking this atmosphere with words, Rod would have thoroughly enjoyed this brief moment of tranquility and reverence.
"This place really makes me want to cause some chaos," said a girl beside him, her delicate features reminiscent of a Barbie doll. She paused, holding a worn-out doll that made her appear like an innocent sprite.
Rod furrowed his brow; he knew that as long as he was with this demon, there would be no more moments of peace for sincere prayer. Sometimes he couldn't even tell if he was here to be punished or to carry out a mission.
"Arson is a grave sin," Rod said firmly.
"Who said I wanted to set anything on fire?" The girl raised an eyebrow and flashed a mischievous smile. She bit her finger and lifted it towards her forehead, where an ancient mark pulsed with black energy.
Seeing this scene, Rod's expression changed dramatically. He quickly opened the heavy tome and recited a spell as pages flipped rapidly. A beam of holy light shot forth from the book towards her bitten finger.
After the holy light faded, her finger returned to its pristine state, looking fresh and translucent.
"Oh dear, what a pity," she said with a playful grin. Then she withdrew her finger and skipped ahead with her tattered rabbit doll as if nothing had happened.
Rod watched her retreating figure and let out a sigh. It was then that Treyzer's magnetic voice broke through the silence from within his armor.
"Didn't the Pope place the Azure Hammer on her?" Treyzer asked, somewhat puzzled.
“The fearsome Cage may have closed, but that doesn’t mean the Poison Dragon has lost its sharp fangs,” Rod said with a serious tone.
Treyzer seemed to understand only partially and didn’t press further. He wasn’t one to dig deep; he only knew when to fight and when to eat and pray. That was a knight’s essential principle.
“Oh? I hear someone talking behind my back,” a devilish voice chimed in beside them. “Let me think... witches, demons, fairies, monsters, freaks? Hmm, Poison Dragon, I like that description.”
“Sebella, I’m not talking about you…” Rod quickly defended himself, shooting a glance at Treyzer for help. However, Treyzer shrugged nonchalantly and continued to follow behind.
“Hmph, you still insulted me,” Sebella said, clutching a rabbit in her arms as she walked ahead, her sulky demeanor suggesting she was not joking.
Rod sighed. “Can’t we get along? Sebella, you’ve nearly pricked your finger on that seal five times already. It’s not fun.”
“I’m just curious,” Sebella replied casually as she walked in front.
“Curiosity can get many people killed,” Rod explained. “You don’t know that once you release her, you won’t be yourself anymore.”
Sebella continued walking ahead, seemingly unfazed. “I don’t care; someone talked behind my back.” With that, she raised her finger again as if to bite it.
“Alright, alright, two vanilla black truffle sundaes!” Rod promised.
“Ten,” Sebella stated firmly, leaving no room for negotiation.
Rod facepalmed; it seemed his salary for the month would be wiped out.
“Fine,” he reluctantly agreed, then added defensively, “But my ‘Poison Dragon’ really isn’t referring to you.”
“Oh?” Sebella showed a hint of curiosity but not much interest. She yawned and said boredly, “Go on then; it’s all just lies made up by your creators anyway.”
As Rod spoke while walking, Sebella and Treyzer began to immerse themselves in the mythological tale he was weaving.
"In the beginning of this world, there was Darkness, the Void Chaos. When the God brought forth Light, there was illumination. The God created air, land, mountains, rivers, oceans, and stars, yet the world remained silent and still. Thus, He created living beings and plants. However, the world was unstable at its inception; it was as fragile as an egg, constantly suffering from various disasters. Many species that once existed in this world were repeatedly annihilated by calamities—stars fell, oceans roiled, and landmasses crumbled. Every disaster led to the extinction of countless species."
"Oh? This version is somewhat different from what I have heard before," Sebella remarked. "Hmm, let me guess—could it be that He personally destroyed all the species and orchestrated the disasters Himself?"
Rod looked at the demon but did not refute her. If he agreed, it would be blasphemy, akin to desecrating his faith. Naturally, he would not fall into Sebella's trap of conversation.
"The world was destroyed time and again through creation. Watching species perish one after another, how could the God sigh and wonder how to save these beings and create a stable world?" Rod teased.
"That old fool wouldn't have sacrificed himself, would he?" Sebella scoffed dismissively.
"Yes, he sacrificed himself. With his own two eyes, he created the sun and moon; his body transformed into the earth, mountains, rivers, and oceans. From his Heart grew a tree—the Divine Court Tree—embodying all of the God's divine power. Its roots bound all landmasses together into a fortress-like continent capable of withstanding various disasters until it grew into a towering tree bearing golden fruits," Rod spoke with longing.
"The place where the Divine Court Tree took root became known as the Divine Kingdom. However, one of the guardians of the fruits could not resist curiosity and plucked one to take a bite. From that moment on, he developed greed and fell into depravity, becoming a demon. The bitten fruit fell to the ground and was consumed by a snake. This venomous snake coveted more fruits from the tree and lurked in a hole beneath its roots, feasting on each fruit that naturally fell. These sacred fruits granted it immense power and divinity, but their falling was far too slow. Even after evolving from a mere snake into a Poison Dragon, it still sought to devour all the fruits of the tree but could not climb up because it was simply too large and tall. Moreover, a colossal guardian known as Shen Ying protected it—its enemy—so it began gnawing at the tree's roots. Each bite caused the divine tree to grow just a little more; this cycle continued," Rod explained in a low voice.
"Hmm, I don't remember; I think that tree is called the Divine Court Tree?" Sebella pondered aloud. "This creation myth is quite absurd; I feel like I've heard this story somewhere before."
She furrowed her brow as if trying to recall something but could not remember at that moment.
"Yes, the Divine Court Tree," Rod nodded in affirmation. "However, over time, its divine power has been waning, and the force maintaining balance in this world has also diminished. The landmasses have split into several continents until its strength weakened to the point where it could no longer withstand descending disasters. Ultimately, the world was destroyed and transformed into what we see now—a realm filled with oceans and numerous islands."
With that said, Rod sighed deeply in regret.
"Hmm? Could there really be such a thing as the Divine Court Tree?" Sebella frowned.
Rod smiled but did not answer her question. Treyzer walked behind them with an upright posture after hearing this story; it was unclear whether it stemmed from pride or faith.
"What would happen if the Poison Dragon were to bite off part of the Divine Court Tree?" Sebella's curiosity piqued further.
"If that were to happen, our world would be utterly destroyed," Rod replied without hesitation.
“This ending is to my liking,” Sebella said with a satisfied smile upon hearing that the world would be destroyed. “I support that Poison Dragon biting off the Divine Court Tree. The apocalyptic imagery, ah, just thinking about it is exhilarating.”
Rod shook his head, countering, “We won’t let that happen.”
“Ha ha! Can you even defeat that Poison Dragon?” Sebella laughed heartily, clutching her stomach. “So, is that old fool Gregory trying to come in because he’s afraid someone will unleash that Poison Dragon to bite off the tree?”
Sebella’s last remark was delivered with utmost seriousness.
Rod suddenly halted in his tracks. He had indeed received a message from Gregory. Could it be… that he was trying to prevent the release of that Poison Dragon?
Sebella, who had been bouncing ahead with a rabbit in hand, suddenly turned around and looked at Rod and Treyzer with a devilish grin.
“Looks like I’ve hit the mark,” Sebella said, pressing her finger against her lips, her mischievous eyes twinkling. “If you want me to keep it a secret, you can sing a song for me. If I’m in a good mood, I might just keep your secret.”
Rod forced a smile; he really was shooting himself in the foot. Nevertheless, he opened his mouth and began to chant the Holy Hymn. However, just as he started, he abruptly turned to look down the mountain. At the foot of the mountain, a lush Emerald Green Vegetation Forest was rapidly withering away. A gray-black area spread like a blooming flower of death, transforming into an extremely striking battlefield where faint cries of anguish could be heard.
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