Vol. 5 Ch. 25

The Tower Master’s words pulled Odin’s thoughts back several centuries.

Back then, he despised attributing the progression of all events to something as intangible and purposeless as “fate.”

As one of the strongest among the dragons, the Odin of the past—confident in his ability to shape outcomes—believed that with enough power, one could entirely dictate the course of events.

This belief wasn’t uncommon among dragons.

And it was precisely because of this arrogance that led to the devastating failure centuries ago.

At that time, a certain Dragon King had stumbled upon an ancient prophecy from the era of dragon rituals about the "Child of Thunder."

Realizing the existence of Ultimate Fear, he gathered other Dragon Kings, including Odin and the Tower Master, to forcibly intervene in the prophecy’s unfolding.

The prophecy explicitly stated that the Child of Thunder would only be born when the end times arrived.

However, the Dragon Kings sought to preemptively select a "Child of Thunder" before Ultimate Fear descended, eradicating any potential threats to the dragons in their infancy.

The one they chose for this task was Odin.

Yet things didn’t go as planned. Perhaps it was due to their pride, or perhaps fate was playing tricks on them, but countless attempts ended in failure.

During the final experiment to birth the Child of Thunder, Odin almost lost his life.

After that near-death experience, the Dragon Kings ceased their interference with the prophecy and allowed it to unfold naturally.

That day remained the closest Odin had ever come to death, and the Tower Master believed his old friend would never want to revisit those memories.

But as they talked today, the Tower Master began to understand Odin’s perspective.

No matter how powerful this stubborn old dragon was, in the end, he submitted to fate.

The Tower Master sighed deeply.

The sound pulled Odin out of his reflections.

“Centuries ago, during the final experiment for the Child of Thunder, I was gravely injured. I nearly lost my life and was on the verge of becoming a degenerate creature. Then, one day, Veronica found me.”

Odin began recounting the past.

The Tower Master listened intently. He only knew that many years ago, Odin and Veronica, along with other dragons, had ventured to the far north to investigate a relic. But he was unaware of the specifics that initiated this expedition.

“She said she was from the Silver Dragon Clan, and her granddaughter, Rosvisser Melkvey, would become the next Silver Dragon Queen. After introducing herself, Veronica revealed her reason for seeking me out.”

Odin continued,

“She had also heard of the prophecy about Ultimate Fear. To protect the dragons, she was gathering capable and trustworthy kin to awaken the legendary Primeval Dragon King, Noah.”

“The failure of the Child of Thunder experiment had left me bitter for years, so when Veronica shared her plan, I agreed immediately.”

“We set off for the far north, where Noah’s relic was said to be buried beneath the ice.”

“Along with us were Sea Dragon King Poseidon and a few other outstanding juniors.”

“But our group wasn’t enough. Later, Soaring Dragon King Ravi and Ironwing Dragon King Ferr joined the expedition.”

“No one expected that they were actually imperial spies seeking to claim a share of the discovery.”

“Thankfully, Leon resolved the matter in the end, preventing any irreparable damage.”

The Tower Master listened thoughtfully and nodded,

“You found the relic’s entrance but didn’t awaken Noah, correct?”

“That’s right. Noah was sealed in a statue. We tried countless methods to establish contact but failed. According to Veronica, Noah was sealed by two forces: his will and his power. While his essence should still exist, we couldn’t sense it.”

Odin explained,

“Later, Konstantin escaped the empire and forcibly seized Noah’s power through violence. That fire-breathing brat likely merged with the Primeval Force entirely by now, leaving us with no options.”

The Tower Master chuckled helplessly.

“Konstantin may be brash, but at least he helped me protect dragon refugees back then. Honestly, without Konstantin, Sky City might not exist today. So, let him keep it. The Primeval Force in his hands is better than in anyone else’s.”

“But there’s one thing I’m curious about,” Odin frowned slightly.

“What is it?”

“It seems that Noah was sealed by two things: his will and his power.”

“If Konstantin took Noah’s power, then where did Noah’s will go?”

The Tower Master was startled. “Did you not sense anything when you returned to the relic later?”

Odin shook his head. “All that was left was a pile of broken stones.”

“Could Konstantin have taken Noah’s will as well?”

“I find that unlikely.”

The Tower Master raised an eyebrow. “Why?”

“To bear the will of the Primeval Dragon King, that fire-breathing brat isn’t qualified,” Odin said.

“Furthermore, with Konstantin’s personality, if someone else were in his head, he’d spare no effort to get rid of them.”

“Fair point… So Noah’s will… just vanished?”

Odin’s gaze sharpened as he took a deep breath and solemnly declared,

“Let’s just assume it disappeared. Afterward, Veronica and Poseidon sought other methods to counter Ultimate Fear.”

The Tower Master sighed deeply,

“It’s a pity. The ancient hero of the dragons, the Primeval Dragon King Noah, is just—”

“Achoo!”

“What’s wrong, Noa? Did you catch a cold?”

Noa rubbed her nose and shook her head.

“No, it’s just… I sneezed out of nowhere.”

“That’s strange. There should always be a reason for something that comes from the soul—”

“Achoo! Achoo! Ah—Ah—Achoo!”

“I’ve never heard of a soul sneezing before.”

In the inner consciousness space, the ancestral dragon crossed her arms, gazing down at Noa with rare authority.

“Could someone be talking bad about me?”

The ancestral dragon looked puzzled, rubbing her nose. Then, as if on a whim, she scooped up Noa and held her in her arms.

Noa’s face initially showed irritation and resistance, but the displeasure faded quickly, replaced by quiet acceptance. She was used to it.

“What are you doing?” Noa asked calmly.

“Giving you my cold,” the ancestral dragon replied, planting an exaggerated kiss on Noa’s cheek.

“Treasure it well; this is an ancient cold virus your era doesn’t even have!”

“…Immature!”

Noa stormed out of the consciousness space.

Since the ancestral dragon moved into her mind, she finally understood her mother’s post-marriage frustrations.

Dealing with someone so infuriating yet inseparably close every day was maddening.

Still…

Even so, it wasn’t so bad.

Smiling slightly, Noa glanced over at her father and grandfather, still deep in discussion over steak recipes.

Her gaze wandered to her teacher, Mavis, standing a bit away from the crowd.

Noticing that Mavis hadn’t eaten much, Noa grabbed two pastries and walked toward her teacher.

Mavis, leaning against the wall with her eyes closed, opened them at the sound of approaching footsteps.

“Is there something you need, Noa?”

“Teacher, I noticed you haven’t eaten all night. I brought you some pastries.”

“Thank you, Noa.”

Mavis accepted them with a gentle smile.

“What were you thinking about earlier, Teacher? You seemed lost in thought.”

“Nothing much, Noa. Just resting my eyes. I don’t attend gatherings like this often and find them a bit tiring.”

Noa nodded.

“Then you should rest early, Teacher. We’re heading back to the academy tomorrow.”

“Alright. Enjoy the rest of the night with your family. Goodnight, Noa.”

“Goodnight, Teacher.”

With that, Mavis waved goodbye, pastries in hand, and left the banquet hall.