DEB 32

Time flowed like water, and Yasha taught the young hatchlings diligently on how to survive. He taught them hunting, imparted the ways to recognize happiness, instructed them on how to control their selves to not be consumed by darkness, and instilled in them the pride of being dragons.

And Ash, who had been accompanying him through all of these processes, often showed off as a senior in his own way, but he always got scolded by Yasha once in a while. Despite the repetitive daily routines, it was an enjoyable life.

On one peaceful and joyful day, Vina and Moot, who had safely passed their hatchling stage thanks to Ash’s protection and assistance, came to Yasha and bowed their heads. They made an unexpected request, asking Yasha to accept them as his disciples.

Even though Yasha pretended otherwise, Ash’s protection and help had been quite thorough. So, with a somewhat surprised look, Yasha gazed at the young dragons.

“To become my disciple means to share my burden.”

Yasha.

It was as if God had loved and shared all of their burdens with him.

 Yasha, who had been promised to nurture and take care of everything under the sky, received blessings and affection beyond measure.

Becoming Yasha’s disciple meant inheriting a part of that “responsibility,” so it wasn’t as simple as it sounded. It wasn’t a matter to be taken lightly.

Despite Yasha’s cautionary words, Vina and Moot remained unwavering. With clear eyes, they looked at Yasha, willingly offering to share the burden.

“Are you insane? Are you trying to repay Yasha’s kindness with enmity? Yasha, you wouldn’t accept, right? I’m your only disciple, right?”

Though Ash vehemently disliked it, if their intentions were firm, Yasha saw no reason to refuse. The position of being the sole disciple of the first dragon was a burden for Ash, so having someone to share that burden with would be a good thing.

It was evident that Ash, who had spent a long time with Vina and Moot and would be saddened when they matured and left for their own paths, would find solace in continuing to stay together like this.

Yasha, who believed in that possibility and accepted them, hugged the two dragons, who had now grown significantly in size, and whispered to them.

“Vina, you’re older than Moot, so you’ll be my second disciple. Moot, you’ll be the third disciple, supports Ash and Vina well, okay?”

Yasha didn’t want the two dragons he had raised from young to meet unfortunate ends. So, he decided to cut open his own chest, raising them to be strong enough to be safe from any threat.

“Heuk! Yasha!”

“Ash, why are you so surprised by something you’ve seen before?” 

After cutting open his own chest and extracting what was called the dragon heart, Yasha condensed the energy of the heart, creating two small beads, which he then handed to Vina and Moot.

“Now that you’re my disciples, I must give you a gift too. Blue dragons have always been wise, so Vina, you shall become a sage who observes, records, and shapes things as your own, guiding the lifeforms on the land. That’s the power of memory that I bestow upon you.”

“…Thank you.”

“And Moot, being born from darkness, you may find this helpful when the thick darkness tries to engulf you. Instead of being swallowed by darkness, become the one who dominates it. I shall give you the power to deal with death.”

“…Thank you.”

Receiving the beads, the two dragons seemed surprised that Yasha would go to such lengths. As they resonated with their respective dragon hearts, the beads were absorbed and disappeared. Seeing this sight, Ash embraced Yasha, murmuring softly.

“Why do you always give away powers so easily? Last time, you hadn’t even fully recovered from the heart you gave me…”

His mixture of worry and petulance was endearing to hear. Yasha gently stroked his hair, smiling reassuringly.

“I have three hearts, so even if one loses its function, I can endure until the others recover. So, there’s nothing for you to worry about, Ash.”

As he whispered, the two disciples approached Yasha hesitantly. Even though they had reached maturity, they still couldn’t shake off their childishness completely. Yasha reached out his hand to them.

“Come here.”

Vina and Moot nestled against Yasha in response to his gentle call. 

“…We will repay the favor.”

“It wasn’t given for you to repay, Vina.”

“But it’s precious. I’ll support your back so that Yasha won’t have to bear the burden alone anymore.”

“Hey! Speak properly! When was Yasha ever alone? I’ve always been there to support him.”

“I’ll help too, Yasha. Until your power overwhelms me.”

“Don’t talk like that when death is near, Moot. You’ll realize when you use the power, but it gnaws at your mental strength. If you need help, just ask, Moot.”

“Hey! Everyone’s listening to me, right? Right?”

In the midst of the commotion, Yasha exuded his characteristic warmth and affection. Even if it was a chilly winter outside, it felt like perpetual spring there.

However, before long, the scene changed drastically as darkness engulfed the surroundings completely.

“Kill the dragons who follow the gods! We can gain the upper hand in the war by killing the dragons first!”

“Prevent the filthy demons from crawling up!”

“Protect the people!”

“Struggle! If you have much to protect, you’ll eventually become weak!”

“Charge! The gods are on our side!”

The world turned into chaos. Screams and roars echoed, bodies piled up like mountains, and blood flowed like rivers. Countless demons filled the land, while angels and dragons clashed in the sky. The clashing of swords and the sounds of cutting through flesh continued incessantly from above.

Blood poured like rain, magic and divinity mixed, soaring into the world. Floods surged, and the once pristine land boiled as the land of life was destroyed.

The Great Heavenly Demon War.

The denouement of a hateful, hellish world.

In the face of this war, the world trembled. 

And as Yasha watched all these scenes from a high cliff, he looked up at the sky, tears streaming down his face.

“It’s all according to your will. …There’s no responsibility for my disciples. It was originally my burden. So, let’s settle it with my own life.”

Yasha, between lamentation and resignation, closed his eyes. As if the scene were fading to darkness, the environment changed, and a dark forest appeared.

“Cough!”

Yasha, coughing up blood, staggered against the cave wall. There were already two white spears pierced through his chest.

“Yasha!”

“Master!” 

“Yasha!”

Voices of his disciples searching for him echoed from all over the continent. Even though he would die alone, knowing that there were those who searched for him, Yasha thought his death wasn’t so lonely. He humbly raised the last spear in his hand, swallowing the blood that welled up with a gulp.

Pierce!

With tears streaming down his face, Yasha raised the corner of his mouth. 

My disciples. I hope the powers I’ve left behind won’t become a poison to all of you.

As he left a whisper, Yasha moved his hand. Piercing the remaining heart that had just begun to beat with the last spear, Yasha’s body collapsed. In the blurry vision, Yasha erected a barrier around the cave with his last remaining strength.

Hoping his body wouldn’t be discovered until it perished.

If you ever find yourselves in danger because of my powers, come find me. Then, at that time…

At that time, I…

As the fragmented thoughts cut off, his eyes gradually opened. Huiyun realized, even as his eyes opened, that his vision was hazy and blurred with tears.

[Yasha’s memory fragments have brought back some of your forgotten memories! If you want additional memories, try doing quests!]

[If you awaken now, you will receive all your memories for free!]

After recalling the memories, Huiyun, who remembered how he met Vina and Moot, and Yasha’s death, sat up.

Tears fell incessantly onto the blanket, soaking it. Clutching his chest, Huiyun realized that the pain, akin to having his heart torn out, was Yasha’s emotion at the moment of death, and he bit his lip hard.

He only realized why this memory had been forgotten.

It was because he wanted to forget.

Though he accepted death as a given fate and accepted it humbly, it didn’t mean he wasn’t sad. He cut out that final moment because he wanted to forget it.

Huiyun sobbed with his eyes wide open.

While resigning herself to give up his long life, Yasha, who died longing for more life to enjoy with his disciples, faced a flood of emotions when hearing the voices of his remaining disciples searching for him. 

Feeling his heart ache for his disciples, Huiyun, leaning on the bed, took a deep breath. His forehead hurt from crying too much, and when he checked the clock, it showed 10 AM.

There were still two hours left until the promised time.