Chapter 158: Altered Fate
Visit the temple again?
Over the past year, Wade had practically turned that temple upside down. Even while traveling outside, his skeleton soldiers diligently excavated the ruins across the wasteland.
He unearthed stone tablets and basins used by Silver Moon Elves for rituals, excavated armor, swords, spears, flower pots, stone stools, gold, gems and crystals crafted by the elves. All those antiques and jewelry from the Silver Moon Elves were transported to his underground fortress warehouse.
As for those Dragon Bones, he had meticulously examined them over a dozen times. He even had skeletons link hands, using their bodies as measuring sticks to slowly fold across and measure the bones from head to tail.
The measurements showed the dragon skeleton was nearly 300 meters long, with an estimated height of at least 50 meters when alive. It must have been an absolutely massive, visually staggering creature in its prime.
Though Wade never dared let skeletons walk directly on the bones, he thoroughly documented every detail and dimension of the skeleton. After witnessing the dragon scales resonate with the bones and sensing new life energy, he assumed the skeleton had completely transformed into an inanimate object.
Could there still be undiscovered secrets within those bones? Puzzled, Wade raised his Wooden Placard displaying a confused expression toward the elf.
“Though the Dragon God has turned to bones, even these remnants contain fragments of power,” Yulia said. “The Dragon God wasn’t hatched from an egg by a mother. It coexisted with the Divine Tree – the tree’s roots anchored the earth while the Dragon God’s wings upheld the sky. Together they birthed the Silver Moon Elves who brought flowing water and gentle breezes.”
“The Silver Moon Elves are children of both the Fairy Dragon and Divine Tree. The Fairy Dragon only needed to rest beneath the tree to regain strength. Its very existence embodies certain powers. As long as these bones remain, not completely destroyed, they still contain energy.”
“As one recognized by the newborn Dragon God, if you return to the temple with it, you might harness the remaining power to hold back the demon tide.”
After hearing the elf’s words, Wade realized his understanding of the demon tide was limited. By name alone, it sounded like a tidal phenomenon – something that periodically arrives then recedes like ocean waves.
He couldn’t imagine how it affected the world. One can’t envision what they’ve never seen, just as you can’t imagine a color you’ve never perceived until witnessing it firsthand.
His knowledge came only from fragments mentioned by Toven and the elf. But Yulia was different – she had survived multiple demon tides, living from the Third Era through the Eighth. She’d witnessed epochal transitions and civilizations rising and falling.
Her survivor’s experience was far more valuable than Wade’s aimless tinkering. Clearly, outrunning the demon tide on foot was impossible – herding Helburg’s residents from their homes would be as futile as racing a tsunami.
Wade excelled at heeding advice. Though occasionally stubborn, he knew when to change course. Given an alternative, he’d gladly try it.
He nodded. Yulia gripped the emblem again, opening a portal to the wasteland – still leading to the moss cultivation chamber. “Only places connected to the Divine Tree can become doorways,” she explained.
Taking Wade’s hand, she teleported them to the temple ruins. The scale in Wade’s hand glowed – it had truly developed consciousness. It faintly communicated something as Wade brought it to the skeleton’s edge.
Yet he sensed no latent power in the bones – they remained lifeless, like sculptures or boulders. Wade glanced at the elf. “Feel nothing?” she asked. He shook his head – should he be sensing something?
Frowning, even she seemed uncertain now. Gazing up at the skeleton, Wade felt the scale persistently conveying something. He reached out, touching the bones’ edge.
Several visions flashed before him:
A fairy-like dragon silhouette glowing beneath night skies, soaring through cloud seas. Elongated draconic cries echoed below as Silver Moon Elves gazed upward in prayer.
Eons had drained nearly all power from these bones. The Fairy Dragon didn’t feed on nothing – it subsisted on magic gathered by the tree and the elves’ faith. But with the Divine Tree withered and elves extinct, that power became a mirage. The skeleton’s remnants couldn’t support spreading wings again.
Yet Wade possessed something exchangeable – the newborn consciousness within the scale conveyed fragmented thoughts. Something within Wade could nourish it.
That something came from all those he’d helped. In the darkness, he saw countless faint points of light – from the north, the east, distant lands.
The Fairy Dragon’s consciousness revealed them:
At an icy sea cliff harbor, a boy practiced swordplay, sweat glistening. A girl held her sister’s hand by fishing boats, women fileting fish together. The displaced had reclaimed hope.
Far behind Tania, farmers brewed alcohol, tilled fields, herded sheep flocks. A woman smiled warmly as her toddler stumbled toward her. Refugees had begun anew.
In forests, the dragonkin embraced her kin. Having rebuilt settlements, she’d liberated numerous slaves while searching for her people.
On warships crossing icy seas, a knight gazed intently at the glacial island, comrades at his side.
And countless more – villagers grateful for Wade eliminating monsters across lands he’d traversed. Nuns praying beneath churches, fishing silhouettes by coastal huts, a blind mage sunbathing outside a cabin, a baker girl staring at her hat…
Unbeknownst to him, he’d altered so many fates. And all those changed destinies had converged, weaving into the depths of his soul.