105. 【Author’s Essay】 About the Dragon

Author’s note: Happy New Year.

Here begins the slightly shorter Arc 7.

[Regarding Dragons]

In this world of Ardyst, legends and myths about dragons have been passed down in various regions across the globe.

While I won’t list each and every one of them here, what is remarkably fascinating is that there is a certain commonality among these myths.

That commonality lies in the reason for the dragons’ birth, and their ultimate fate.

* * *

Long ago, chaos reigned over the world.

“The land that was a mountain one day would become the sea the next, at times great boulders would float in the sky, and forests would turn into lightning.”

This is a passage from the myths of the Awan, the indigenous people of the Iqqane continent, which tersely expresses how an unimaginable chaos had enveloped this world, and how people lived each day cowering in fear.

To bring order to such a world, the gods created the dragons.

The dragons at times crafted continents, at times brought forth life, and at times battled against invaders, remaking this world into a habitable place for living beings.

Even for the dragons who were created as powerful beings, this toil was no trivial matter, and it is said that many dragons were injured and fell in the process.

And after an immensely long time had passed, this world finally stabilized and became tranquil.

At that point, the gods bestowed an oracle upon the dragons:

“You have all done well. There is no longer any work for you to do on this earth. From now on, you may become gods and live peacefully in the heavenly realm.”

The dragons rejoiced.

The long battle had finally ended.

Their achievements had been recognized by the gods.

One by one, they ascended to the heavenly realm.

The golden dragon became the dragon god.

It became an existence that would watch over and guide its descendants (what are considered the draconic races that currently thrive across the world) left behind on earth.

The white dragon became the law god.

It became a god that oversees the laws of this world, working under the order god.

The azure dragon became the sea god.

It became an existence that would continue to warmly watch over all living beings in the vast oceans.

In this way, the dragons became gods and were bestowed with new roles in the heavenly realm.

However, there was one.

One dragon that refused to become a god, instead wishing to continue living and ultimately die as a dragon.

That was the black dragon.

The gods asked the black dragon why it wished for such a thing.

The black dragon answered:

“I am a warrior born for battle. I envy the golden dragon and the purple dragon that were injured and died in battle. I too wish to end my life in the midst of battle.”

The gods were at a loss.

For there were no longer any beings stronger than the black dragon left on this earth, and its wish could never be granted.

Upon hearing this from the gods, the black dragon then proceeded to kill and devour one of the gods themselves.

“In that case, I shall battle the gods. I shall battle and kill the gods, and then die.”

So the black dragon decided.

The gods were shocked and enraged.

“After we went through the trouble of creating you, how dare you bare your fangs at us?!”

And so the battle between the gods and the black dragon began.

At first, the two sides fought an evenly matched battle, but the gods had greater numbers.

Forced into a battle of the outnumbered against the numerous, the black dragon was defeated.

The gods, unwilling to forgive the black dragon for its rebellion against them, decided to deliver punishment.

The black dragon was not killed by the gods, but instead its body was bound to the earth and sealed within a black forest.

From within that seal, the black dragon could never emerge, forced to live for all eternity without being permitted to battle ever again.

—

Author’s note: Summarizing the common points found in the dragon legends that remain across the world, this is the story that emerges.

As for what became of the black dragon after being sealed, the depictions vary depending on the tradition.

Its heart turned to stone, it continued raging within the seal, it fell into slumber once more until a worthy foe appeared again, and so on.

Regardless, the legends pertaining to the black dragon are concluded with the line: “The black dragon remains sealed within the black forest, continuing to live in this world to this day.”

Now then, where exactly is this “black forest” that the black dragon was sealed within?

Attempts to search for it have been made numerous times throughout history by those in power.

The reason they sought this dangerous existence that bared its fangs even at the gods, the black dragon, was because of the immortality it possessed.

For the black dragon was punished with “continuing to live for all eternity.”

If one believes the legends, there can be no doubt about this immortality.

From the black dragon’s line “I wish to die in battle,” its immortality does not seem to be absolute, but at the very least it is not the kind of existence that will age and die.

Stemming from this, legends also arose and were passed down saying things like “drinking the black dragon’s blood will grant immortality.”

That is why those in power sought the black dragon.

It was because they desired to become immortal beings themselves.

But in conclusion, all of those searches ended in failure.

While there are areas across the world befitting the name “black forest,” every single one of them is an untrodden demon realm of extreme danger that even a “super” would struggle to traverse.

Not a single area has seen any progress in exploration, nor have any relics related to the black dragon been uncovered as of now.

Rather, the author thinks this may be fortunate.

In the country I am familiar with, a country so distant that I will likely never set foot on its soil again, there was a proverb that went: “Probing the bush invites snakes.”

It generally meant causing unnecessary trouble for oneself.

While the harm from a snake emerging may be limited, what if what emerges is the black dragon capable of slaying even gods?

Would not this world then face potential obliteration?

I can only hope that humanity will never again provoke a situation akin to “probing the forest and inviting the black dragon” in the future.

(Excerpted from “Musings on Ardyst” by Riten Reebs)