Dancing on the golden ashes-Chapter 242: Return to the Land Where Immortals Rest

The next stage... the Eternity Stage — it was right there, seemingly within my grasp, yet the meaning behind it still eluded me. What exactly was "eternity"? How could I achieve it?

From what I understood, reaching that stage didn’t mean immortality — there had to be something deeper to it, something more significant than just defying death. Yet no matter how much I thought about it, the answer seemed to slip through my fingers like smoke.

Years drifted by while I buried myself in my work, but things started to change. The peace we once enjoyed was slowly crumbling. My beasts were being attacked whenever they ventured alone on scouting missions. Luckily, none of them had died — not yet — but it became clear that the culprits were humans from the surrounding area. They were gathering in large numbers, seemingly preparing for something bigger.

Well, that’s alright, I thought with a shrug. If they want to keep getting in my way... free souls for me to test on.

I chuckled at my own joke, though the sound barely felt like laughter anymore. My so-called "lab" didn’t even look like a lab — it was more of a butcher’s house than anything else, a grim place filled with lingering regret and desperation.

No matter how hard I tried, none of the reforged souls felt alive. Each one turned into little more than a lifeless husk — empty shells without purpose or warmth. They looked the part, yet something vital was always missing.

But then, one day, an idea struck me.

Of course... how could I forget something so simple?

"Everybody, gather up!" I shouted, my voice ringing through the air.

Moments later, my beasts appeared in their humanoid forms, standing in an organized formation before me. Naturally, the Dragon Goddess stood at the front, her face unusually bright and cheerful today.

What’s with her? I wondered briefly. Come to think of it, she and the Golden Flood Dragon had gone missing a few years back for a while... No, focus...

"Today," I began, scanning their faces, "I’ve gathered you all to tell you that we’re moving."

I paused for a second, noticing the immediate reactions — some looked confused, others a bit disappointed.

"I know, I know, you’re already used to this place..." I trailed off when I caught sight of a certain mischievous face.

"No, little Magma Crab number one hundred and two, I am not giving up on reviving my friends."

The young man who had once been a magma crab grinned knowingly. He had that teasing look again, and honestly... I couldn’t blame him. We had grown so close over these years, closer than I’d ever imagined I would with my beasts. Spending so much time with them had brought us together like family.

"We’re going to the Realm of Shadows of the Past," I announced firmly. "A place that... last time... I couldn’t take some of you."

I turned my gaze toward the four wolves — Omenpaw, Lykaon, Vargrin, and Savryn — my loyal pack.

"You all remember that day, right?" I asked softly. "The day I disappeared with my friends in front of the statue..."

Their faces darkened. Each of them nodded, yet the grief that flickered in their eyes mirrored my own. Those memories were still painful... especially when I remembered what followed soon after.

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"Yes, big sister," Omenpaw said quietly. "That day... a mysterious force refused to let us enter."

"Exactly," I nodded. "But now, I’m thinking... since you’re all inside my beast world now, it might just work. I’m no longer bound by the system, so that restriction shouldn’t apply anymore."

"But..." Savryn, the only female in the pack, spoke with concern. "How will you enter there?"

She had a point — one I hadn’t quite figured out yet.

"Well..." I rubbed the back of my neck awkwardly. "I’ll figure it out once we get there."

I waved my hand, motioning for them to return to the beast world.

"Just be careful," I added firmly. "If for some reason you get left behind, don’t get cocky. Stay hidden and stay smart. I know you’re all strong, but..."

I paused, my voice lowering.

"Remember, there’s always someone stronger than you."

"YES!" A loud thundering cheer erupted from my beasts, their voices filling the air with excitement before fading into silence. The once lively village now felt empty and hollow as I stood alone, my companions now resting within the beast world inside me.

I stretched my wings and gazed into the far distance, feeling the wind brush against my face.

Wait... I’m stupid...

I blinked as the realization hit me, and suddenly a laugh — an honest, heartfelt laugh — escaped from my lips. It felt strange, like a warmth I hadn’t felt in far too long, yet it was so genuine that I couldn’t stop myself from chuckling even louder.

I can just create a portal... hahaha...

Hope flickered inside me, something I had been chasing for so long. If there was one place in this world that held the answers I desperately sought, it was there — the place I had failed to enter before.

I raised my hand and let my soul energy gather around me, weaving and twisting until the space before me began to ripple like water. A rift tore open, swirling in chaotic patterns before stabilizing into a steady portal. Without hesitation, I stepped through.

The moment I emerged, I found myself once again standing before the statue of the young boy. His stone face stared back at me, calm yet somehow knowing. This time, however, something was different — something I hadn’t been able to understand before.

My gaze lowered to the inscription at the base of the statue. Words I couldn’t read in the past now formed clear, familiar letters before my eyes, and as I read them, a chill crawled down my spine.

"I knew you would return, so I welcome you again, Gaon."

I stared at those words for what felt like an eternity before whispering them aloud, as if speaking them would somehow change what I was seeing.

"I knew you would return... so I welcome you again, Gaon..."

As the final word left my lips, the world around me twisted and shifted. The earth seemed to breathe, the sky rippled like a disturbed pond, and I felt my body being dragged through the folds of space. My vision blurred, and when I opened my eyes again, I was standing at the peak of a towering mountain.

The cold wind bit at my skin, and below me stretched a breathtaking sight — the City of Immortal Beauty, the place where the most powerful goddess in the world had once reigned. Its towering spires gleamed beneath the sun, bathed in an ethereal glow that shimmered with an unnatural brilliance.

For a long moment, I simply stood there, the weight of it all sinking in.

"...I’m back," I whispered, my voice barely louder than the wind.