A legacy left millions of years ago. Normally, a legacy is something left by someone for another person to follow, even if it's just small fragments of a memory, magic, weapon, or experience from the past life of the owner of this legacy. It is something transcendental that few people in the world carry. They can manifest in various forms and occasions, but for Voralith...
She didn't know why she was seeing what her eyes swore they would never see again.
"W-why am I here? Is this... the Sacred Mountain?!" she stammered as she looked around, a place floating in the vastness of the clouds where no land could be seen beyond the enormous flying mountain. "This place... Damn..." she murmured, already sensing what was about to come.
Then, a handsome man emerged from a golden ray, appearing at the peak of the mountain, where there was a small dwelling. Voralith watched the man attentively. "You..." she murmured, seeing the man coming toward her. He had a majestic appearance, wearing a black Chinese robe with golden engravings that formed a huge dragon, his red hair reaching his knees. She tried to touch him, but...
he simply passed through her as if... she were a ghost. "So, it's like this..." she murmured, looking ahead without turning.
The sound of the wind passed by her ears, and her body shivered as she heard what he uttered to the wind. "Did you come to accept my proposal?" he asked, but it wasn't directed at Voralith. Even so, her whole body tensed; she already knew what this conversation was about. He was talking to the woman in front of him, who promptly shook her head.
"Then, why are you here? I'm sure someone like me has nothing more to offer you," he said, his voice tired and sad... Yet, it reminded her of someone. "You are really just like him..." Voralith said, seeing that the man was basically an older version of Dante.
The man couldn't hear what Voralith was saying, not at least... not the Voralith from the future.
"I only want your teachings to enhance my cultivation." Voralith froze and turned quickly... and faced her past self... A woman she now regrets being.
A younger Voralith, in her first few hundred years, a strong cultivator of the Divine stage, who appeared to be in her early twenties. She wore a light blue Cheongsam with golden engravings like the man's, but hers had only calm clouds. Her completely white hair was tied in a long ponytail that reached halfway down her back.
"I'm sure you have already rejected everything I had to offer, I have nothing more to teach you. Everything I could do, I've already done for you," he said. At the same time, the proud woman that Voralith once was... "I have no interest in a man who has so many women like you, Dragon Lord, only in your knowledge," she said. However, he turned and faced her.
"Did you even think about yourself, but about the others, Li Mei," he said. Voralith slightly trembled...
"Li Mei... that name..." she murmured, and soon, everything began to disappear again, changing to a different scene... "Damn."
She saw Li Mei, her past self, fighting against a gigantic Black Dragon. "This fight is intense," she heard from the Dragon Lord, who was accompanied by two women, a redhead wearing a golden and red Chinese dress, and another woman with black hair. "Do you think she still has a chance, Darling?" the redhead asked with a smiling gaze, clearly underestimating her, but the Dragon Lord only smiled.
"Did I ever choose someone weak?" he asked confidently, "And even if she were weak... she would still be mine," he said again.
"You saw me only as an object, huh? That makes me even angrier," Voralith murmured to herself, watching the scene unfold.
In front of her, the Black Dragon. Its immense figure covered the sky, scales gleaming like obsidian, casting part of the land into complete darkness. Each movement of its wings created gusts of wind, and its roar echoed like an uncontrolled beast, threatening to crush anyone who dared to face it.
Li Mei didn't even think about retreating. With a rather peculiar sword that could almost be called a spear in her hands, forged from the very heart of a fallen star, she advanced against the dragon with a combination of elegance and ferocity.
Her strikes were precise, each slash cutting through the air with a sharp whistle, leaving luminous trails that blinded the darkness around the dragon.
With each attack, the Black Dragon retaliated with sharp claws and blasts of black fire, escalating the fight to catastrophic levels.
Li Mei dodged with agility, easily outmaneuvering the enormous dragon, her movements a deadly dance between life and death. When the dragon tried to strike her down with a charge, she launched herself into the air, performing jumps and spins that defied gravity, always narrowly escaping the beast's lethal jaws and claws.
In a moment of respite, Li Mei lightly landed on a high rock, her eyes fixed on the titanic creature. With a fluid gesture, she raised her free hand and concentrated her energy, forming a circle of glowing runes around her.
The air around her began to vibrate with power, and she channeled this force into a devastating blow, launching a blade of energy that cut through the sky and hit the dragon with an explosion of light.
The dragon roared in pain and anger, but it was not defeated.
Instead, its fury seemed to grow, its scales shining even more intensely as it fully regenerated. Li Mei realized she would lose in a battle of endurance and brute strength.
"I'm getting tired of you," she murmured, then, with a war cry, she launched herself back into the fight, her sword clashing with the dragon's claws and fire in a series of confrontations. "HA!" She attacked simply but effectively, her strikes meticulously calculated, taking advantage of her superior speed and agility compared to the dragon's heavy body.
As Li Mei continued to fight without pause, the Dragon Lord watched with a calculative gaze, his two companions by his side. The redhead, with an amused smile, questioned him, "I thought she was stronger. Why hasn't she finished him yet?" She was genuinely curious about Li Mei, while the black-haired woman maintained a more neutral expression, evaluating every move with professional interest.
"She is impressive," said the black-haired woman, her eyes following Li Mei's movements.
"No doubt," replied the Dragon Lord, his eyes shining with approval. "But she still has much to learn. Perhaps she will accept the change of race when the time comes." He commented with a calm smile on his face. He really wanted that woman, but despite this...
Voralith knew how this story continued and ended. She knew so well that she didn't even have the courage to keep watching it all. Her head was about to explode.
[Annihilation of the Stars]
Voralith heard it. She barely remembered this move, let alone her former divinity, only seeing a huge golden flash afterward... The memory changed suddenly, the scene around Voralith transforming. Now, she was in a serene and sacred sanctuary. The walls were adorned with ancient carvings and inscriptions that glowed softly under the torchlight.
In the center of the sanctuary, a large statue of a majestic dragon, carved in jade, seemed to watch over everything with eternal wisdom.
She saw Li Mei, sitting on a silk cushion before a small altar. Beside her, the Dragon Lord was present, but this time, he wasn't really the Dragon Lord with all that accompanied his title. There was no royalty or majesty, it was just... Li Mei and...
"Why do you keep insisting on training alone?" he asked, his voice carrying a certain tone of concern. He looked at Li Mei with eyes that showed something more than there should be.
Li Mei, with her eyes fixed on the altar, responded in a cold tone that allowed no doubt. "Because, to be truly strong, I can't depend on anyone. I need to be able to face anything by myself."
He sighed, "Your view of the world remains obstructed, or should I remind you that you only know what I taught you?" He said. It was true that, in a way, he was her master, but he never let her refer to him that way. After all, he was someone different.
He sighed again, leaning slightly forward, his eyes shining under the soft torchlight. "True strength is not something achieved alone, Li Mei. Connection with others, support, and mutual understanding are equally important."
Li Mei turned to face him, her eyes shining. "You say that, but you have so many women around you. How can I trust your words if you yourself don't live that way? You collect powerful women, and that is all, Dragon Progenitor." The cold words passed through his ears, and he gave a small, sad smile.
"I heard you seemed to want to leave. The doors will always be open for your return," he said and stood up. "I hope you remember me." He said and disappeared into the flames...
Voralith just sighed upon seeing that scene. "It seems the world keeps pushing people like you towards me, Dragon Progenitor, Dragon Lord Azi Dahaka, or rather... Zahhak."
She looked at the landscape that began to fade away gradually... "Let's move forward," she thought.