First Demonic Dragon-Chapter 942: A Change of Nature I

The term 'shadow realm' isn't exactly a novelty.

You could give a multiversal traveler 2,000 years, and they'd never be able to name all of the different planets that use that term, much less the other realities.

Tehom and variants of hell are both called by that name, but neither one quite fits that description to the maximum.

Audrina has her own shadowy realm inside of her soul that she has been nurturing for thousands of years.

It's sort of like a reverse world in that its sole inhabitants are echoes, or more accurately, shadows of the real world. However, it solely consists of people acting out their greatest secrets and shame.

But Audrina insists on calling that place the Aurora Dimension because it's prettier and makes her sound less like a thirteen year old edgelord.

The name 'shadow realm' spread from the heavens to describe one very specific realm. Not quite a place of darkness, it is a place filled with the ruins of what was and could have been. The shadows of potential.

The number of deities who actually know the place exists is small enough to count on one hand. Those who have seen it number even fewer.

As Abaddon explained the significance of this place to the oblivious Wukong, the monkey only grasped around a third of what was being said.

Honestly, the whole mumbo jumbo of higher realms and planes of existence gave him a headache and some very unfond memories.

"Have either of you ever seen it?" He finally asked.

"Glimpses and flashes." Abaddon admitted after a long silence.

"Ditto." Buddha nodded. "A very depressing place. Not good for the mind."

'Unless you're a demon...' Abaddon thought.

Wukong's line suddenly went taut.

He excitedly stood up and began reeling the line in with gusto.

"I-I've got one! I've actually got one!"

Odessa clapped for the oversized primate. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

"Thanks, kid! You're alright after all!" Wukong smiled back.

Abaddon didn't know what that 'after all' bit was for, but he told himself that it might have served him better to just ignore it.

After a slight struggle, Wukong yanked hard, and a massive golden koi fish came flying out of the water.

Instead of hitting the ground, the fish simply swam through the air with the line still in its mouth.

Perhaps due to instinct or some other unseen factor, the fish seemed to take a slight interest in Abaddon.

He smiled faintly as he held out his hand. The fish nuzzled against his palm.

"He's almost there... this little one is going to become a dragon any day now."

"How can you even-" Wukong began before remembering who he was talking to. "Oh, right."

Abaddon rolled his eyes and chose not to say anything. He believed he was showing great restraint by not calling Wukong a fucking idiot like he wanted.

He hoped Buddha was impressed.

Buddha looked Abaddon and the fish over once before smiling and saying something totally unexpected.

"I am surprised to see your gentler nature on display. Recent events led me to fear that we may have been closer to losing a necessary force for good and balance."

Abaddon almost snapped his fishing rod in two from the sudden shock of those words. "What are you-"

"Please, Abaddon. We all felt it. The echoes of your rage have been traveling beyond the bounds of Earth for quite some time now. Those of us with great attunement have long felt it."

Abaddon glanced at Buddha. The monkey stared back at him.

"...I haven't felt a god damned thing." he shrugged before throwing his line back into the water.

If Abaddon said that surprised him, he would have been telling a bold-faced lie.

"...I was having some trouble being back on earth. It brought back some unpleasant memories for me, but I am fine now. And there is nothing more to it."

Odessa seemed to want to try her hand at fishing after seeing Wukong's attempt, so she crawled into her father's lap and held out her hands for his fishing rod.

"..." Abaddon couldn't seem to find it within himself to refuse his little girl, so he handed over the rod without a fuss.

Not five seconds into holding it for herself, Odessa pulled up not one, but three bright orange koi fish. Each one was glittering, beautiful, and full of innocence. Not dissimilar to her.

She seemed to be quite happy with her catch as she clapped for herself and showed a wide smile too adorable for the heart to handle.

But then, Abaddon finally noticed something about the fish that he hadn't paid attention to before.

They weren't coming near him. Not the young ones at least.

"You don't have to tell the truth to us, Abaddon, but these little ones know your heart. They sense your guilt. Your shame. The lingering resentment that still bubbles within you. You can no more hide from them than you can yourself." Buddha suddenly said.

Abaddon's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe I came here to be tested. You could have just told me what this was about from the start."

"Indeed, I could have. And I must repent for my deception." Buddha admitted solemnly. "But I needed for you to truly see that everyone around you knows your heart is unsteady. In this state, the things that are supposed to be drawn towards you won't come near. Not even with bait."

Buddha caught his seventy-sixth fish and released it within just a few short seconds.

He then turned to Abaddon and placed his hand on the dragon's shoulder.

"You are free to lay down your burdens here, son. The storm raging inside of you will grow beyond what you can control if you continue to persist in this manner."

For a moment, a shadow of someone else's face passed over Buddha's.

Perhaps it was just because they were both old men. But the similarities between the two were glaringly obvious today, of all days.

Abaddon said nothing as he turned his gaze toward the water.

As the ripples slowly gave way to calm, he remembered the last rainy day he spent on earth. The day after he remembered who he was.

-

The rain was relentless that day.

Even under their primitive dwellings, Abaddon and his family should have stayed dry. But water had begun to seep through the ceiling and give them the shower they didn't know they needed.

None of Abaddon's family were bothered by the torrential storm outside. Instead, they were huddled together in the dark without saying a word.

That night, M'anari claimed he was visited by a messenger. He spoke to them of coming from a different place, beyond the bounds of the current plains and fields.

His words would have been difficult to believe, but he all of a sudden started doing strange things overnight. Unexplainable things meant solely for the gods.

Their family was somewhat different from others. They were even more tight-knit than normal for the time.

They had never been separated from each other for long. Abaddon wanted to continue that tradition going forward. Even if he remembered who he was.

The person he was most worried about was his father. But Ashmodai would not be separated from his children for anything, even divine intervention.

On the next morning, when the rain lifted, they entered into a new beginning.

Abaddon, acting as chieftain, called the entire tribe together for a revelation.

Their forces had become formidable ever since he had entered into adulthood. The numbers of the tribe were almost 1,000.

They were growing and developing exceedingly well for the time. Fostering exploits in sailing, production, and construction.

What they had here was glorious. And Abaddon was going to ask them to leave it all behind and start over somewhere else.

The day started with a cloudy, gray overcast from the previous storm.

M'anari started his speech by making a motion with his hands and clearing the gray sky instantaneously. Replacing the droll scene with glorious, hopeful day.

Some of the clan fell to their knees instantly. Praising and proclaiming him as a god. Yesterday, something like that would have made him uncomfortable.

But today...he guessed it was true.

He was unsure of how to treat these people now that he knew he was... more.

Did he want subjects, or did he want family?

As he pondered over this dilemma, the same man's voice from the night before played in his head. He told him that he didn't have to choose between the two.

In that moment, there was probably nothing that he needed to hear more.

Abaddon ventured out into the crowd and began lifting up denizens from their knees.

He had grown so tall overnight that even walking among the crowd, one could still see his chest.

For the first time, he told someone outside of his family who he was. What he had come here for.

He shared with them his entire existence, from madness to marriage, to this journey of self-discovery.

In the back of his mind, he feared that some would think him an abominable being. Not just every random animal desires to eat the whole of creation after all.

But maybe it helped that these primitive people could not yet fully conceive of everything he was saying.

They didn't understand the concept of a multiverse. They weren't even aware of outer space yet.

To them, Abaddon just sounded like a Divine Beast who had overcome an evil nature through cleansing of the spirit. The rest was lost in translation...

As such, the amount of fear around him was relatively low.

So much so that when he held out his arms and pleaded with them to follow him back to his true home, he received several instantaneous acceptances.

He was elated. And relieved in no small part.

For around three seconds, that is.

His mood temporarily came crashing down when he realized that at least thirty percent of the tribe did not want to go with him.