Eternal Emerald Dragon

Chapter 1795 - 1794 - Existential Tribulation

When did I understand the strange noises of the pack leader?

He was so powerful and wise, yet he was so kind. The feeling of safety near him was impossible to describe even in their own mind. As they played, life was full and wonderful.

The prey was strong when the pack leader let them finally hunt. They lost a lot at first. Yet, they could not be stopped! They would prove their worth to the pack.

They had seen others be very respectful to the pack leader and they knew their pack leader was the best! Even scary Thorian Wolves could not stop the pack leader!

Words came to them sometimes. They came from the dreams in their sleep and sometimes while awake. The voices made no sense but the intent got through.

They wanted them to choose. Sometimes the bright white and azure snake-like beast was appealing. It was especially so after seeing the pack leader’s true body!

The dark wolf, however, told them to wait. They had to understand before choosing by the major tribulation.

The words did not get through but the terrifying vision of boiling black clouds blotting out the sky was clear enough. Time passed after that.

Words began to make sense but Ryl could not respond! It was so good! It wanted to talk to the pack leader!

It was the wolf dream that showed them how to draw in the soil. Yet, Ryl did not know what the symbols meant! It was too hard!

The pack leader was always looking at broken stone things. Ryl saw the scratches were repetitive and in a pattern. They quickly absorbed something from them that gave those silly things meaning.

After that, they began to practice until they proudly wrote a message to the pack leader. The smile on his face was so wonderful!

Their life had been happy until the strange group came after their tribulation. They felt like the pack leader! The man said something bad.

Why else would the pack leader attack so aggressively! They were more annoyed that the fun games were interrupted! The pack leader made them for Ryl to enjoy!

The strange place they went to made them afraid. Their connection to their body felt danger in that valley.

The pack leader, though, revealed how powerful he was! He made the sky light up and fixed everything! Pack leader is amazing!

Now the pack leader slept like they did after dancing in the lightning!

The things that happened afterward seemed to awaken the current Ryl. They knew the nice bear lady was dying. The dream voices both knew. The little girl was crying so they took them to play.

Pack leader was kind so Ryl had to be kind too!

Then the moment that Ryl was truly shocked by. The pack leader went all out! It was a wonderful battle between 2 pack leaders!

The pack leader won but it was not a happy thing. The nice bear lady died happy while all the rest cried. The pack leader slept a long time after that.

The little bird girl played with them while the man seemed to try and join them. Ryl would have none of it. It made the larger bird lady laugh for some reason.

The pack leader finally woke up and did something that made Ryl awaken fully. The words finally made sense!

The statue was more than a work of art. It was a Divine Incarnation! The pack leader, Lind Frey, did not seem to know what he had done. The dream–no–race memories were both shocked.

Divine Incarnations were neither Divine Memory nor Divine Manifestation. Either of those would recreate a past version of the being so long as they were no longer alive in the present.

If they were directly reborn, that would cause a massive issue, but a Divine Incarnation was different. It was an impression of a Divine Memory. It was an homage that captured the spirit perfectly.

Only true Mystery Artisans could pull it off and even then, it could be counted on one hand for those that succeeded in any generation.

Ryl was so proud! The pack leader was the best!

Their adventures afterward seemed full of far more energy as Lind became more involved. They became a true pack!

Then, the crisis arrived. The time for the choice had come! Ryl knew from the race memories that it would lose some of itself no matter what it chose. There was no stopping what was coming.

Ryl could still not speak! The pack leader could not help them.

They finally asked a question internally.

[I want to stay me. How do I do that?] Both voices went silent for a long time as the feeling pressure continued to slowly build up in their dantian. They could not polish their foundation any further.

Any attempt to do anything would trigger the tribulation.

Pain began to build to the point Ryl could not hide it. It was only when the pack leader gently encouraged them that the race memories finally told them.

Ryl could become something new. They would face a far more horrifying path but they would remain wholly themselves on the otherside.

It was not even a pause when Ryl grasped that chance. Yet, they had not expected it to start immediately!

The pressure of the Heavens shot up while still being cradled by the pack leader. He somehow understood it was not a normal tribulation.

The pack leader encouraged them and then left them on a metal disc platform. The race memories also encouraged them one last time. They would be consumed either way.

Suddenly, a feeling of danger entered their dantian. Something was wrong! What was happening?!

{I am the pack leader.} The words shook their bones but happiness flooded them! The pack leader affirmed their place in their life!

The Heavens shifted slightly. The danger passed and now Ryl was ready! They howled as the lightning took on a very dark blue color.

Their scales hardened as their fur glowed. They could not do what the pack leader did. They could fight with everything they had!

The first bolt tore out of the sky and Ryl ate it! It had been an instinctual reaction to hunting and being hunted. The lightning tore up their insides but they quickly took the energy into them.

Blood was coughed up before they began to heal. They would not do that again!

It seemed like even the Heavens were caught off guard! The next bolt had not started until Ryl looked up at the sky. The power began to build and Ryl spread their 4 limbs on the metal surface.

Their claws extended as their eyes took on a fierce glare. Two bolts flew down before becoming one.

Ryl seemed to vanish as the lightning chased them. The strength began to wane until they were able to swat it apart. The energy coursed into their body. A very different kind of pain came with it and they realized the lighting was only part of the process.

They were being changed!

The rounds continued and even if Ryl succeeded in overcoming the lightning, the pain inside was getting much worse. Fur was falling off while their scales cracked on their own. They fell apart too.

As the ninth and final round came, Ryl was a bloody husk barely standing. They had no protection!

Fear filled them but then memories came to them. The smiling face of the pack leader when they hatched. The gentle voice and head pats that made the world wonderful.

Even now, the pack leader had the best head pats!

The pause for the last round was dragging out. Ryl realized it was more than just the final round. It was everything.

The Existential Tribulation was both a trial for ascension as well as the existence of the new race trying to come into the world.

Ryl steadied as more memories came and they howled into the sky.

{I believe in you.} Those words given before it started came back. The pack leader was waiting! Ryl could not fail them!

The entire sky changed as the lightning seemed to gather from across the entirety of the storm. The power was far beyond to the point the air began to distort!

Ryl tensed as blood covered the dias. There was no sure footing left. The 9 bolts snapped into a single massive bolt!

Ryl jumped up before slamming their tail to launch them across the circle. The lightning stayed on them! They could not evade it!

They knew only death awaited them if it hit. Desperation made them reach inside. The race memories were almost gone but they now felt something new.

It was the same dark blue as the lightning in sensation. Ryl tapped into it and pain wracked them unlike anything before. The lightning struck them at that moment of distraction.

NO!

Yet, death did not come. The lighting burst their current body apart, but their soul was intact.

The lightning danced around the air as it began to gather the viscera and blood as it transformed it. The pain was impossible to adjust to. Ryl simply had to endure!

Eventually, the pain began to fade as the sun poked through the black clouds. Everything felt strange to Ryl. Just before darkness came for them, the Heavens shook with a declaration.

{The Dusk Grypwolf is born.}