Chapter 832
But then came the acceptance and curiosity for his new world. He ventured out, finally allowing himself to fully experience the new world he now inhabited. That curiosity and the loss of population brought by the war, however, unraveled into a path of excess. He began to over-indulge, a philosophy that trickled down to his people, infecting them with the same unchecked desires. It was this indulgence that birthed their cursed state and precipitated the slow, agonizing decline of his kingdom.
He had lived for years in the shadow of that regret, blaming his indulgence for their ruin. Yet, as he watched the tree sprout before him, the realization hit him "Desire is not the problem. Weakness is."
"Lust destroys, not because of the desire itself, but because of a lack of control. Envy corrupts, not because of the longing, but because of an absence of self-definition."
Erik realized that indulgence was only a vice when it was unearned. His desperate, consuming need for the goddess Ursula had not been inherently wrong, it had simply been undeserved, and he had been too weak to bridge the gap. His failure was not in the reaching, but in the arrogance of grasping for a power he had neither the merit to command nor the capacity to carry.
It was never the indulgence that led to his ruin, it was the absence of the strength required to bear the weight of his own desires.
As this truth settled into the marrow of his soul, it acted upon his domain core. The swirling mass of his power began to contract and solidify, shrinking with the new found insight. From the shimmering void, a pale, feminine hand emerged. It reached into the collapsing energy, expertly molding and shaping the volatile essence of his domain into the cold, sharp lines of a throne.
In the physical world, Erik’s feet drifted inches off the earth, his body buoyed by an unfolding power. The sudden shift snapped Eldrin out of his communion with the tree, startled and frantic, he lunged for his father, grabbing his arm to steady him. "Father, are you ok?"
Erik, standing on the razor’s edge of forging his godhead with Nana’s guidance, was violently ripped from his trance. A surge of raw, untempered frustration contorted his features. With a sharp, reflexive wave of his hand, he struck Eldrin across the chin. The blow sent the prince hurtling backward, tumbling toward the precipice of the mountain. Before Eldrin could plummet into the abyss, Viridrigon intervened, a force caught the boy mid-air, suspending him for a heartbeat before gently depositing him back onto the stone.
Eldrin landed, shell-shocked, clutching his throbbing chin as he stared at his father in disbelief.
Erik stood still, his chest heaving as he forced his chaotic internal tides to settle. He looked inward, sensing the latent potential still humming beneath his skin, he knew that if he pushed, he could finish the transcendence right then and there. But he held it back. There was too much wreckage to clear and too many foundations to lay before he could truly ascend.
As his feet touched the solid earth, the air around him grew heavy but he was met by the steady, knowing smile of Viridrigon.
"Congratulations," the dragon whispered, his eyes gleaming with pride. "You have taken a step that most could never even dream of finding."
Erik remained visibly dazed, his gaze distant as he murmured, "I never imagined Godhood was a path open to me. I was certain that achieving Paragon status was the only path of of power, I could reach."
Viridrigon let out a warm, resonant laugh. "That, my friend, is precisely why it was offered. It reveals that you possess a permeable soul, one capable of expanding beyond the rigid boundaries you once set for yourself." He went on to unravel the complexities of that distinction, and as Erik listened, the necessity of the godhead finally clicked into place. It was not a title he had chased, it was a manifestation of his newfound capacity to bear the weight of his own existence and share it with the world.
Only then did Erik turn his attention back to Eldrin. The boy, having connected the dots between his own impulsive act and the terrifying implications of his father’s near-ascension, hung his head, his face burning with the sting of shame.
Erik’s voice was low, devoid of warmth but heavy with the weight of the moment. "That was a dangerous thing you did, son. You acted out of ignorance, yes, but your carelessness nearly severed my path to power, to the very ascension that could secure our future. Many would have flayed you alive for such a lapse"
Viridrigon stepped between them, his presence acting as a calming anchor. "No need to be so harsh, Erik. In truth, this interruption was a blessing for both of you. It has granted you the one thing you lacked: time. Time to lay a proper foundation before your ascension, time to teach your successor, and time to raise your people back to their true height."
Viridrigon shifted his gazebetween them, his expression thoughtful. "I, too, contemplated stopping you the moment I realized what such a sudden ascension would entail. But then I understood this is a state one cannot simply hunt down. Since you were fortunate enough to grasp the threshold, it was better to let you walk the path"
Erik fell into a profound silence. He understood this, he knew nothing of the nature of divinity, the complex web of faith, the rigid architecture of doctrine, or the absolute necessity of believers.
His standing in the world was compromised, the history of his reign had left scars that would make it nearly impossible to draw worship from the common masses. He stood as a polarizing figure to the outside world, a man of ruin and shadow.
His only true anchor, his only hope for a foundation of faith lay within his own kingdom. Only his people, those who loved him as the king who had shared their suffering and their struggles, could provide the tether he needed to ascend as a god.
Eldrin stepped forward, the crimson imprint of his father’s fist already beginning to fade from his skin. "Great Viridrigon, there is no need to defend me," he said, his voice steady. "It was truly immature of me to act on impulse, failing to read the gravity of the situation before interfering."
He turned to his father, dropping into a deep, respectful bow. "I offer you my sincere apology, Father."
Erik watched him, a single brow arched in silent observation. He was keenly aware of the history between them, he knew how deeply the pride of his son ran, and how difficult it was for Eldrin to acknowledge a fault so readily before him. For a brief, flickering moment, the coldness in Erik’s chest gave way to a sharp, stinging shame for his own reaction. He did not speak, the words felt too heavy to find but he offered a slow, stiff nod of acknowledgment.
Viridrigon, sensing the shift in the air, stepped toward the prince. He extended a hand toward the luminous tree, and from its boughs, a sliver of light coalesced into a small, intricate construct of a dragon. It fluttered its crystalline wings, hovering in the air before settling into the prince’s palm.
"Feed the essence you and your father gather into this," Viridrigon instructed. "When it has consumed enough, it will return on its own to nourish the tree, anchoring its growth. It will save you both the exhaustion of constant travel."
To demonstrate, the construct leaped from the prince’s hand. It dove headlong into the earth, vanishing from their senses for a heartbeat, only to reappear perched upon a high branch of the tree. After a brief moment of silent communion, it zipped back through the air and alighted once more on Eldrin’s hand, pulsing with a faint, rhythmic glow.
"A tether," Viridrigon added, his eyes twinkling. "One that will bind the kingdom’s vitality directly to the root of your future, little prince."
"Thank you, Great One," Eldrin said, his face illuminated with genuine joy. Erik watched the interaction, a profound sense of relief washing over him. It was clear that Viridrigon had taken a genuine liking to the boy, a favor that would be worth more than gold in the trials to come.
Erik stepped forward and offered a deep, humble bow. "Thank you once again, old friend, for this immense service. I promise to visit you more, even long after my ascension."
Viridrigon chuckled "There is no need for that. I prefer the quiet here, and besides, once you have ascended, I can visit you myself without causing a great stir or unraveling the balance of the world."
The two shared a knowing look before breaking into laughter, the tension of the earlier moments finally dissolving into the crisp mountain air. Erik turned to his son, his expression sharpening with renewed purpose. "Let’s go, son. We have people to save and a kingdom to revive."