The little black dragon with pitch-black scales stretched its wings with effort.
The rain was getting heavier. Its black eyes, flickering with golden light, stared intently at Chu Zao. The headache seemed to ease a little; though it still hurt, of course, if it weren’t for the headache, Chao Huangmu didn’t think this group could hurt him.
He looked at the slowly-dampened little white furball before him. His instinct was to laugh, to say something else, but he’d turned into a little black dragon about the same size as the white furball—
Wait—
Chao Huangmu hesitated and looked down at himself.
What had he become?
The little matte horn atop the black dragon’s head gave him pause. The moment he realized what he’d turned into, his body lowered instinctively, eyes opened wide. Behind him, his tail was flung over for inspection, only to be grabbed by a furry paw.
Chu Zao’s eyes widened; the little ears atop his head twitched as he lowered his gaze to the black scaly tail caught in his own paw. He hooked the dragon’s scales with his own paw, a little amazed.
Chao Huangmu, still clutching some gemstones, stared at him wide-eyed.
Still those puppy eyes, but with his body lowered, he looked even more like a puppy-dragon.
Though at this moment Chao Huangmu had no memories, he looked just as he always did.
Chu Zao held tight to Chao Huangmu’s tail, preventing him from running off.
So that strange feeling spread from the root of the tail, making Chao Huangmu tremble several times.
He looked suspiciously at Little Chu Zao, trying to pull his tail free—but couldn’t.
And—
The little black dragon, struggling to hold his wings aloft, looked at the white fluffball and finally couldn’t help but avert his gaze.
Around them, countless monsters were falling.
The dragon in the front let out a sudden roar with the cover of others, then turned abruptly to retreat.
Grabbing a branch, Desmond, standing on the limbs, wiped the mix of blood and rain from his cheek, clicking his tongue.
That dragon flew away, and the sky was crowded by these frenzied, almost irrational monsters and dragons.
Three factions were present, but not as two-on-one; instead, three forces entangled, completely snarling together, forcefully letting that odd-looking dragon escape.
So what if it could fly, he originally—
A blankness flashed over Desmond’s face, as though he froze, thinking carefully for a moment.
He originally…? What was he just about to say?
Could he fly once, too?
No, but that wasn’t it—
From the start, they had never been able to fly.
Desmond looked up at the sky, his expression darkening, his thoughts unreadable.
But this group of dragons truly had gone mad; this was the first time Desmond and the others had seen them like this.
Thunder rolled on the horizon.
During the sudden dark thunderstorm, multiple footsteps approached.
These were just-arrived, still-conscious members.
They closed in as two teams, having quickly cleared the surrounding monsters and nearby dragons.
Many dragons, regaining their wits before reaching them, fled in panic.
Such a situation was very disadvantageous for their actions.
Especially in the rainy season.
For thousands of years, they had long been at a disadvantage during such seasons—as if someone was intentionally suppressing them.
Making them lose control faster, become mindless faster, lingering on the threshold between life and death, not dying yet, for who knows how many years.
The rain grew even heavier.
Desmond’s black hair was drenched.
“Desmond.”
Someone called his name.
“Why is there another dragon here? So small—”
The speaker stopped, seemingly stunned.
Sheltered by the little black dragon, the white furball clutching a dragon tail looked up, meeting the speaker’s gaze through the rain.
Such a fluffy little creature.
What was this thing?
Was this the little one Desmond talked about finding?
Jude’s tough features froze for a moment.
The others gathered, all staring at the little creature.
A heavy scent of blood filled the air.
Chu Zao blinked once.
Suddenly changing to human form, his hand was still gripping Chao Huangmu’s tail.
He simply picked up Chao Huangmu, now in dragon form.
Chao Huangmu panicked all at once, clutching his gems in disarray, glancing nervously at Chu Zao.
His head still hurt terribly, but Chao Huangmu didn’t think it affected his performance at all.
The little dragon with his gems considered, face unreadable in this form—he wasn’t going to be easily handled, he’d wait two days before giving these gems to Chu Zao.
The gems’ shimmer, paired with the little dragon’s luster, looked like a deluxe toy in Chu Zao’s arms—
In that moment, Chu Zao recalled the ghost bear he’d always hugged as a child.
After he grew up, the ghost bear remained, just not as readily shown to others, mostly left at his bedside.
Oh, yes, even though Chu Zao’s coming-of-age ceremony was days away, he still hugged his ghost bear to sleep at night.
Chu Zao gazed at the group before him, taking a step back.
Behind, Desmond and Dan landed together.
Dan: “Pretty much everyone’s here.”
Much as he hated to admit it.
The once-large group, numbering at least several dozen a few millennia ago, had dwindled to a handful now.
Their once joint-built domain was now empty.
“You alright?”
Desmond stood behind Chu Zao, looking down to meet his gaze.
His expression softened a little.
“I’m fine,” Chu Zao replied, hugging Chao Huangmu with one arm and raising his other to rub his cheek. There was only a tiny cut. “Just a scratch.”
Battles always left their nicks and bumps.
Chu Zao knew well—he’d sustained plenty of injuries growing up.
But parents and the citizens of Holy Cas still fussed as always.
Most concerned of all was his dad.
Third uncle had taken many beatings for this from dad.
But he deserved it.
Chu Zao thought—third uncle loved to tease him, and sometimes didn’t know when to stop.
But thinking so, Chu Zao blinked—missing not just his dad, not just Holy Cas, but even started missing third uncle.
“Desmond, what are you doing? It’s rainy season, dangerous for us, we should go back at once.”
Dan frowned at the little one, worrying about tending to his injuries, then looked toward Desmond.
Desmond had already dashed off some distance.
“That dragon ran fast, but the monsters didn’t get away yet.”
Desmond turned.
“I’ll handle it, be back soon.”
“Hey—”
Dan shouted, but dropped it. After all, they’d sneaked out with the little one and been caught by Chu Zao.
Dan looked at Chu Zao a bit sheepishly.
“Staying out in a storm isn’t good; let’s get back quickly.”
Saying this, Dan nudged the others still staring fixedly at Chu Zao.
Six or seven of them, each tall and imposing.
Scary-looking.
But odd, Chu Zao felt no abnormal wariness or fear toward these strangers.
All the way back to their communal ground.
They kept mostly quiet.
Xi had been transferred as well.
Desmond wasn’t back yet.
The rain got heavier.
Forming a curtain of water.
Chu Zao, still gripping Chao Huangmu, came in bedraggled, shoving the struggling dragon tighter in his arms. He finally breathed easy.
At least he’d caught Brother Mu, whether his head was hurt or not, he could be healed later. Next step was finding a way out.
Chao Huangmu in his arms was restless.
In his eyes, although injured, based on what he’d learned about pursuing a mate, there was no way he should be the one wrapped up in someone’s embrace—still a little dragon now, stuck in that form, Chao Huangmu thought so.
At the very least, he ought to be flying above Chu Zao’s head, shielding him from rain.
He was about to cause trouble.
“Settle down.”
Chu Zao warned, raising a fist to gently bonk the little black dragon’s head.
The black dragon flopped down, tail snapping up as if hit.
Puppy-dragon lay in Chu Zao’s arms, wanted to retort, but fell silent in the end.
Settle down?
He wasn’t so easy to deal with, just currently felt awful and low on energy.
Head aching, Chao Huangmu cradled his head.
The others had probably gotten the story from Dan.
“Annailin hasn’t come out yet?”
Jude, having just joined them, asked coldly.
Dan glanced at Annailin’s room, then at Chu Zao.
“Probably not soon.”
Annailin had only just lost control, far from coming out.
After watching Chu Zao a while, some dispersed, some returned to their rooms—
Dan waited at the door.
Until Chu Zao approached.
“Rain’s so heavy, you sure you’re alright?”
Chu Zao looked up at Dan.
Compared to them, Chu Zao was still young, his black hair soft and tousled, damp from rain and hanging by his cheeks. Arms full of the little black dragon, like hugging a plush toy, he gazed up at Dan.
Dan’s breath hitched for a moment.
At this age, did he have to be so cute?
Dan’s thoughts raced, then he looked away.
“You mean Desmond?”
Chu Zao nodded.
“No worries, he’ll be fine. The rain does affect us a lot, but Desmond’s the strongest among us. Though we don’t recall the past, I guess he was always our central figure.”
Dan continued.
“This storm came early, lucky we got back ahead of it, so Desmond can handle those creatures near our grounds. Don’t worry.”
Dan almost instinctively went to pat Chu Zao’s head.
But stopped himself.
He clicked his tongue softly.
“Alright, go medicate up and rest. Anything else can wait—oh, and this dragon.”
At mention of the dragon, Dan looked disdainful, but since Chao Huangmu was with Chu Zao, he had to put up with it.
“If anything comes up, call us.”
“Ah, sure.”
Forgotten the past?
Chu Zao nodded.
Then pointed at Xi, sprawled out.
“I’ll take him to his room?”
They had more to discuss.
Dan nodded.
Once Chu Zao left the central hall with Xi and Chao Huangmu, the rest of the clan gathered round.
“What’s with your face? Kinda gross.”
“Dan, you eat something funny?”
“Sure he’s safe? By the way, his eyes look a lot like Desmond’s.”
“Alright, get back to your duties! Not even the storm can stop your chattering.”
In storm season, unable to move and at a loss for words, things were always very dreary. It was the time when power surged most easily; over the millennia, at least half the clan had lost consciousness for good in this season, never to wake.
This year, it was rare for them to be so lively.
But Dan looked worriedly toward Annailin’s room—something seemed off there.
Best nothing goes wrong.
Clouds blanketed the sky, thunder rolling, the lightless sky growing darker, the air thick with damp, rotten smells.
In the clouds, the fleeing dragon hid, eyes open, staring down; those blood-red eyes were all too familiar.
Failed?
‘God’ couldn’t understand.
That Soul Clan’s endurance should have reached its limit, so why had he failed?
Across the stars, Aberrant Beasts were being cleared out bit by bit.
But Chu Zao, already gaining the power to suppress pollution, was still uneliminated.
The rain curtain thickened, forming a siege, surrounding the Crown Clan who could not rest in the downpour, neither alive nor dead, roaring thinly, and slowly encircled the area.
Time to devour these powers soon, so what if they suffer elsewhere? He only wanted their energy.
His nature was to plunder.
Over thousands of years, these Crown Clan’s psionic strength had been nearly exhausted; he just needed a chance—a crack Chu Zao missed—and he’d complete his merger.
And those outside Crown Clan—such an obstacle, draining his power. These Aberrant Beasts were useless; time to reclaim some, and soon target the Crown Clan in Dragon Realm—since guys like Desmond still hadn’t lost their will.
Deep in the pollution, masses of bloody-eyed flesh spawned, sprouting mouths many times his size and devouring nearby Aberrant Beasts. The flesh lumps twisted, gradually growing limbs.
Meanwhile, the Holy Cas fleet had re-established communications, and once again sent scout pods, everyone pacing anxiously.
In the now-lost region of the stars, many Crown Clan had gathered.
Frey again sorted documents, his cold face grim and tired.
“It’s pretty certain Desmond and the others are no longer there.”
Anya replied: “Yes, can’t sense any crown, and no clues from those stones either.”
A brief silence fell as the Crown Clan waiting for news grew agitated. Frey raised his eyes again.
“Amos, what direction should we push toward next?”
Amos gave no answer.
He closed his eyes for a moment.
All exposed bases of the Hymn Organization had been turned upside down.
But the Stone of Divine Grace had seemingly disappeared, as if it had never existed.
It had been several days already.
Chu Zao’s crown was unharmed.
That was perhaps the only comfort for the anxious Holy Cas emperor.
“Focus entirely on clearing out the Aberrant Beasts.”
Amos said, glancing at the gigantic Crown Clan skeletons seemingly slumbering in the starfields—each identity verified, all Crown Clan from Desmond’s era, the first to fall in the pollution, dozens including Emperor Desmond, toppled in a matter of days.
The still images from the silent stars looked like pages of heavy history, standing quietly, residual psionic arms still lashing out—the Crown Clan of that age were fierce indeed, but also as steady as the Holy Cas First Army Corps barrier. Calm and steadfast.
Amos opened his eyes.
“Probe deep into the pollution.”
A glint of violence shone in his eyes—“Zao Zao is our only variable in fighting pollution. The true source is becoming restless.”
All faces turned grim—though it was hard not to feel a little dazed: the source of pollution…
Yet probing deeper had long been the Holy Cas army’s task.
Until later, new reports came.
“Sire, there’s big movement among the Aberrant Beasts, and we’re detecting strong pollution. The footage coming back is…odd.”
All the Crown Clan in the command room turned to look.
*
Meanwhile, Chu Zao had already spoken with Xi.
Xi and Chao Huangmu’s presence here, with this being the Dragon Realm, basically confirmed this domain’s immortals were of the Soul Clan.
Xi didn’t have much intel, especially about this unfamiliar place.
He only knew that the Dragon Realm was supposed to be the first to fall—but hadn’t, yet.
As for the Stone of Divine Grace, it must exist here, and rainy weather made it easier to find. Xi had seen its eerie glow under the rain—like absorbing despair, like plundering strength.
Though it had rained endlessly, it made searching for the Stone easier.
“As for the remaining Hymn Organization bases, I can mark them for you.”
Xi said expressionlessly, lying on the bed, looking glum.
“I can’t access the rest, after all, I’m just an experiment—but—”
Xi’s eyes swiveled, glancing again at Chu Zao.
“One of them went to quite a lot of trouble for you.”
Even heard Chu Zao liked sweets and secretly opened several candy factories, personally picking flavors.
“You should spare her.”
Chu Zao, still holding Chao Huangmu’s tail, looked up at this.
“Hm?”
He didn’t quite understand.
Still, he replied.
“If it’s good for Holy Cas, my dad and the others will never misjudge. I’ll ask for you when we get back—your friend?”
Xi paused, staring a long time at the ceiling.
“Yeah, I guess—”
As an experiment, his only friend was that jerk who never opened up, just asked for resources…
“And—”
Chu Zao nodded, again looking at Xi, waiting for him to continue.
“Does he have a problem with his brain? What’s wrong with this guy?”
Xi finally stared at Chao Huangmu, stomping on his warped psionic core.
Chao Huangmu was still in little black dragon form, expression unreadable, but Xi could tell he was full of glee, stomping hard.
Moreover, Xi didn’t want to be part of their play, and after putting up with it for a long time, finally spoke.
“Take him away—”
Chu Zao, still holding the dragon tail, paused, then laughed out loud, scooping Chao Huangmu up again.
“You rest, I’ll go tomorrow—find it first, then consider the next step.”
Chu Zao left with Chao Huangmu.
Xi stared at the ceiling, muttering: “Hurts so much.”
Good news: found Chao Huangmu.
Bad news: Chao Huangmu’s brain is broken.
Chu Zao barely slept that night.
At dawn, with the rain pouring down, Chu Zao prepared to go out and try his luck with Chao Huangmu in tow.
He ate some food Louisa prepared, listened to her worries, and headed to Annailin’s room.
Desmond stood outside, still damp as if just returned, silently looking into Annailin’s room.
At the sound, Desmond turned to Chu Zao.
“Why not sleep a little longer?”
Whether it was Chu Zao’s imagination or not, Desmond’s face seemed far softer.
“Rain is good for finding things, I plan to walk around.”
Desmond frowned.
“The rainy season is dangerous. This rain isn’t normal: it affects mood, affects power, and won’t stop soon. No need to rush.”
Chu Zao wasn’t afraid.
But seeing Desmond’s worried expression, Chu Zao, arms around the little black dragon, said, “It’s fine, I’ll just search nearby, not far.”
Desmond wanted to say more, but finally sighed.
“Don’t stray too far. You saw yesterday, it’s dangerous, stick together for safety.”
Inside, Annailin’s roars sounded.
“Louisa said—”
Chu Zao looked inside.
“He’s not doing well?”
“Yeah—” Desmond’s tone was calm, as if numb, “he might not wake. We need to watch.”
“Not wake…?”
Chu Zao looked into the dark room, listening to clinking chains. Above his head, the golden crown glowed faintly.
“You should’ve heard the voices—those are from dead clansmen. No consciousness left, but can’t rest in death. We’ll all get there some day.”
Pain, torment—not only did they suffer after death, their kin suffered too.
“And it seems we collectively lost our past memories in some accident. Dan must have told you.”
Desmond leaned against the door, exceptionally calm.
“If you need anything, just run, fire a signal—Dan taught you, right? We’ll see. As for this? Don’t worry, we’ve done this so many times, we’re used to it.”
Though each time still hurt, and no energy left to follow this little one around.
“No need to worry.”
Desmond met Chu Zao’s gaze and tried to ease the mood with a head-pat, but stopped himself.
Such emotion shouldn’t be passed to a child.
“Not remembering is something we’ve gotten used to. It’s fine.”
Really fine?
Yet his sorrow was obvious.
Chu Zao stowed the little dragon in his pack, snapping the lock over Chao Huangmu’s tail to prevent escape.
Chao Huangmu lifted his tail, peered at it, then ducked his head, curling up in Chu Zao’s bag holding his head—never mind, let the dragon have a headache.
Next instant.
Desmond, having not reached out, found himself engulfed in a hug.
To him, Chu Zao was just a cub.
Being hugged and comforted.
For that moment, the golden light grew bright.
Inside, semi-conscious Annailin twitched his fingers; the blood in his eyes faded slightly. He tried to lift his head, but failed.
Desmond froze, looking down at Chu Zao hugging him.
So warm, so gentle, so firm.
Chu Zao gave a hug, rose, then looked up, as if able to see their feelings on the verge of giving up, and said, “You’ll remember.”
It was the shock of numbness pierced through.
…Will we?
Chu Zao nodded seriously again, fresh and sweet as candy: “You’ve always been searching. Maybe, it’s always been waiting for you.”