guard

Atop the barren mountain, time lost its inherent velocity in the cracks of chaos, leaving only the pulsing of the dark blue core as a faint measure of existence. Like an eternal guardian, Yinglong sat cross-legged among the ruins, his divine power transforming into an invisible cocoon, nourishing the fragile new life within while suppressing the dormant destruction within.

For who knows how many times, the annihilating black energy within the core stirred once more, like a captive beast pounding against its cage, its violent will attempting to tear at the connection, dragging the guardian into eternal silence. Yinglong's face had grown almost transparently pale. The constant struggle and exhaustion had worn down even her, a god of war, deeply weary.

But with each suppression, the nascent, naive spirit grew, like a seedling weathered by wind and rain, becoming more resilient and its connection with her grew closer. It began to learn to emit subtle, clinging waves when her divine power touched it, and would instinctively seek her "help" when the thought of annihilation stirred.

This dependence made Yinglong's heart increasingly complex and heavy.

That day, the beating of that core suddenly became unusually steady, even revealing an unprecedented "focus." Then, a faint yet distinct thought, no longer a simple feeling or emotion, but a complete, probing inquiry, slowly emerged.

【Who are you? 】

It is no longer a question of “who is there?”, but a clear “you”.

Yinglong slowly opened his eyes and looked toward the faint blue light. What was meant to come would eventually come. After initially stabilizing, this new consciousness began to seek a deeper understanding of itself and the world. And its first question was about her, the source that supported its existence, the most familiar yet strange.

She was silent.

Countless answers were swirling in her mind—the Nine Heavens God of War, the Dragon Clan Venerable, an old friend who had worked with Ao Guang to control floods, or perhaps… the “murderer” who indirectly caused it to fall into this state.

Ultimately, she avoided all identities that might trigger old memories, and through that close connection, she conveyed a simple thought without any past memories, like the first stroke of a pen on a pure white paper:

【I am... the one who protects you.】

[Protect?] The thought was filled with confusion, [Why... protect me?]

"Because you exist." Yinglong responded calmly and firmly, "And I hope you will continue to exist."

The core's light flickered slightly, as if digesting this answer. It conveyed a mixture of relief and further questions. It accepted the definition of "guardianship," but the meaning of "existence" remained vague to it.

After a brief lull, the thought came again, this time directed at himself:

【Then who am I? 】

This question is more acute than the previous one and goes straight to the core essence.

Yinglong's mind felt as if it were pierced by an ice spike when he asked this question.

Tell him (it) that you are Ao Guang, the Dragon King of the East China Sea, and the infatuated man who went crazy and destroyed because of me?

No. The heavy weight of the past was a poison that could instantly crush this nascent, fragile consciousness.

But concealing? Deceiving? This new consciousness originated from Ao Guang's dragon soul fragments, and sooner or later it would touch those sealed memory fragments. At that time, the backlash brought by the lies would be even more terrifying.

She was in a dilemma.

After a long pause, just as the doubt emanating from the core began to tinge with unease, Yinglong made a decision. She couldn't give it the complete truth, but she couldn't completely deprive it of its right to self-awareness either.

She conveyed a filtered idea that blurred her specific identity and past:

You were once a powerful dragon, but you encountered disaster and were nearly annihilated. I have found your remaining essence and used my own blood and essence to rebuild your foundation, allowing you to continue your existence.

She concealed the most crucial information such as "Dragon King of the East China Sea", "Thousand Years of Waiting", and "Yaochi Blood Case", and only gave a skeleton description.

[Dragon Clan…Catastrophe…] The thought repeated these words, carrying an instinctive resonance and a faint sting. Within the dark blue light, those dormant fragments of memory seemed to be touched, rippling slightly, but they did not truly awaken.

[I... can't remember...] His thoughts revealed confusion and a hint of anxiety.

"No need to force yourself to remember." Yinglong immediately soothed him, his divine power like a warm hand, smoothing the gently rippling waves. "Existence itself is the beginning. The past is not the only meaning of the present."

The anxiety was slowly soothed, and the core resumed its steady pulse. It seemed to accept this statement, or perhaps its current intelligence was not enough to support it to delve into the vague "past".

It quieted down again, content with the status quo of being "protected" and "existing", and immersed more of its "thoughts" in the fusion with Yinglong's warm divine power.

Yinglong looked at it, but he didn't feel relieved at all.

She knew this was just the beginning. As her consciousness continued to grow, those temporarily sealed memories, those laws of annihilation fused deep within her core, would eventually resurface. Then, she would face a brand new "Ao Guang," one who knew everything. Or, in other words, a monster who had inherited all of Ao Guang's pain and obsession.

And how should she, the "guardian", deal with herself?

Should we continue to suppress it with divine power and maintain this dangerous balance?

Or when he (it) regains his memory and may fall into madness again, will you personally... put an end to it?

She doesn't know.

She only knew that from the moment she decided to use her blood and essence to sustain this remnant soul, she had already embarked on a thorny road with no way back and no clear end in sight.

The wind on the barren mountain is still howling.

The guardian and the protected maintain a fragile balance on the chaotic island, waiting for an unknown future that is destined to be turbulent.