DEB 72

When Yasha first existed, the world was a wasteland. 

Born to be the guardian of such desolate world, Yasha spent a thousand years nurturing the plants that emerged after his arrival. 

The desolate land gradually turned green, the cracked earth became fertile, and dry forests began to flourish with spring water, imbuing the land with vitality.

After another thousand years, the world had changed beyond recognition.

The once burning lands had become fertile, and the ice-covered regions melted under the sun to bloom with flowers. 

Finally, when the earth was filled with lush greenery and the seas were clear and pure, the gods, satisfied with their work, created new living beings to inhabit this beautifully crafted world.

The first of these beings were dragons, modeled after Yasha’s essence.

Red, Black, Green, Blue, White.

Five types of dragons were born.

As these small creatures stood on their own, Yasha was no longer alone as a guardian. 

With joy, Yasha showed them the world he had nurtured, and by the time the second generation of dragons was born, he stepped back to let the first generation raise their successors.

Although Yasha wanted to directly guide the second generation, he thought it was more rational and natural for the first generation to teach their own offspring.

If dragons were to continue to be born, the first generation had to be the core of their groups.

It would be a lie to say he felt no regret, but being a supporter from the background wasn’t a bad role. 

Seeing beings other than himself talk, cry, fight, and run across the land he had nurtured gave Yasha a sense of pride.

I have fulfilled my role well.

There was satisfaction and a sense of not being alone anymore.

Yasha realized he had been lonely only after countless dragons had been born and filled the land. 

But now, there were many dragons, and they remembered him, so there was no need to feel lonely anymore.

That’s what he thought.

Until thousands of years later, when the first generation of dragons returned to the earth.

Yasha directly involved himself in the dragon society and protected them only during the first generation. 

However, his name was passed down orally through the next generations, becoming known to dragons throughout time. 

Or so he thought.

Until a dragon who didn’t hold Yasha in high regard emerged.

Distrust and greed.

It all started from there.

As an ancient being, Yasha was known as an omnipotent guardian, revered and worshipped like a god. 

Some saw this as natural, but others viewed it with twisted, discontented eyes. 

Yasha did not realize that such twisted emotions could exist until he experienced them firsthand.

As a result, when the third generation took power and led the groups, they deliberately erased Yasha’s name. 

They aimed to remove Yasha’s name from the earth over long years and place their own names in positions of power. 

They believed that under the gods, it should be them leading the groups.

The first-generation dragons had returned to the earth, and the second-generation dragons had become ancient and were nearing their end, leaving no one to stop the deliberate act.

Thus, after another thousand years, Yasha’s name was completely erased from the dragons’ memories.

This was the first time Yasha experienced malice.

Until then, he had never known malice. 

He had never known what evil was.

 He had lived alone for a long time, and plants didn’t have strong emotions, so he had never experienced it. 

The first-generation dragons considered him a parent, and the second-generation dragons were too busy showing respect. 

This was the first time he faced such raw, unpleasant emotions directly.

It was a significant shock for Yasha.

Experiencing another’s malice for the first time was sharp, sticky, unpleasant, and creepy. 

Yasha could never have imagined that beings living on the land he nurtured could harbor such feelings.

The shock left him speechless, which was the first reason he couldn’t stop the dragons’ schemes. 

The second reason was self-reproach for not realizing their corruption sooner.

I was foolish and ignorant. It’s all my fault.

Had he known and intervened earlier, the dragons wouldn’t have fallen to the point of rejecting their guardian. 

But he had been negligent. 

Immersed in happiness and joy, he believed such times would last forever. 

This calamity resulted from his complacency, so Yasha thought he deserved to bear it.

Perhaps it was for the best. 

Through this new experience, he realized that someone with overwhelming and omnipotent power could be both revered and feared.

Pondering his next move, Yasha ultimately decided to continue as a complete observer, now that he had been forgotten. 

He wouldn’t intervene unless the species was at risk of extinction.

Thus, Yasha lived in a lair deep within a forest for thousands of years. 

During this time, the world changed again, and a species called humans was born. 

The malice Yasha experienced became clearer and settled into the hearts of people. 

It was around this time that Yasha heard a call from the gods.

Do not be alarmed, but a being opposite to your goodness will be born. Such is the nature of balance.

With these words, demons were born into the world. 

Filled with innate evil, they naturally opposed the dragons, who were born from good, leading to frequent clashes. 

The gods divided the world, giving the east to the dragons, the west to the demons, and placing humans in between as a boundary to prevent incursions.

Everyone knew it was a temporary measure, but it wasn’t a problem at the time. 

The dragons and demons turned their backs on each other, glad not to have to see each other, and tried to bring humans under their influence. 

Consequently, humans became wary of both dragons and demons.

Some humans worshiped the dragons’ good and omnipotent power, while others feared it and started hunting dragons. 

Dragons weren’t the only ones hunted; humans also feared the demons from the west and started reducing their numbers.

Both dragons and demons underestimated the power of humans, the weakest of the three species.

But this was a huge mistake which led to their numbers being halved.

Yasha re-emerged in the world when a severely injured Red Dragon, wounded during a demon hunt, stumbled into his forest.

While healing and raising the young, weak dragon, Yasha recalled his long-forgotten desire for companionship. 

His once quiet and cold lair became lively and warm with the presence of the young dragon.

Perhaps it was because his heart was moved.

Eventually, when the dragon grew up and returned, Yasha accepted the young dragon as his disciple. 

He cut open his heart and granted his power, receiving the dragon’s tearful loyalty in return.

Yasha’s first disciple was Ash.

The Red Dragon, who received Yasha’s power, couldn’t understand why Yasha lived in seclusion. 

Ash was resentful of his kin who had forgotten Yasha and proclaimed his status as Yasha’s disciple to the world. 

Yasha tried to dissuade his disciple, fearing things would escalate and that Ash would face the same malice he had, but it was impossible to stop the young and passionate dragon.

Eventually, Ash went out into the world, declaring his status as Yasha’s disciple. 

He expelled humans hunting dragons from their territory and drove demons back to the west.

Though his proclamations of ‘I am Yasha’s disciple!’ were somewhat immature and unimpressive, Yasha couldn’t help but laugh at his antics.

He knew exactly why his disciple made such declarations.

The pure and endearing intentions behind them made him unable to suppress his laughter. 

Only after a good laugh did he realize it was the first time he had laughed so freely since the third generation incident.

He could finally reclaim what he had gradually given up on.

From that day, Yasha’s name slowly began to spread among the older dragons again. 

He received apologies from the leaders of each dragon group and was requested to resume his role as the guardian of all dragons. 

However, Yasha declined and chose to stand behind the scenes.

He would no longer hide, but quietly support not just the dragons but all good beings living on the land he had nurtured.

At the moment Yasha truly became a guardian, his disciple, who had brought him back to the world, said one thing.

I will ensure no one ever forgets you again, Yasha.

Those words, spoken confidently with eyes shining, were etched deep into Yasha’s bones. 

His heart was full. 

It felt like the scorching summer sun had filled his once lonely world.