— Prologue —
All effort seemed futile.
No matter where I go, there will always be something beyond.
The Origin can never be found.
But sometimes things are not what they seem.
I was born from The Origin without a purpose, armed with animal instincts, and no reason.
But I obtained enlightenment and awakened reason. I mastered my instincts and discovered my purpose. I became UNI.
Strength has always been the yardstick by which freedom is measured. When I was the strongest on the mountain, I traveled and discovered that the mountain that was my world was just a brushstroke on the horizon that could be seen from the endless valley.
When I reached the valley, I realized that it was dangerous and bland but not endless. At the end of the valley, there were more mountains and more valleys; valleys that became steppes, groves became forests, hills became mountains and land vanished into the sea.
The sea set my first limit and I found out that everything existed on the continent. The continent was my world. I have the strength to travel the continent but not to leave it, until I realized that I am a Dragon, and the earth was nothing more than a place to rest, but the sky is the mean by which I move, so the continent could not contain me.
So, I went to the sea crossing the skies without thinking twice. After hundreds of cycles the sea became a continent again and I found out that I was on a planet and the planet was my world.
UNI is how I was known when I traveled the planet. UNI was the meat that tied me. UNI was the animal that inhabited me, but UNI is no longer. It is no more.
I can define the planet as a land mass where countless species roam, but the dominant species is the Dragon, majestic and powerful, but I was not the only one. When I ascended, I found out that there were more dragons like me.
Distributed throughout the planet, each dragon dominated a portion of land. However, they were slaves of the instincts — slaves of the flesh. They did not seek more. I knew that there was more. It had always been like that. This could not be the end.
If necessary, I would dominate them all; If there is something that has given me freedom — always has been strength, I do not know how many times I have risked my life to gain more strength.
The other dragons would not risk anything, of course. Their own strength and dominance had made them cowards. Stagnant, slaves.
I fought for thousands of cycles; I tore my body into pieces. I understood that the flesh that binds me can be replaced. I understood that immortality can be attained. Treasures that are not of this world; artifacts that came from The Origin. When there is nothing more to fight with, time becomes my target. At this point and after so much searching I finally found what brings me to this moment, the abstract portrait and the Golden Parchment.
The Golden Parchment is a map in its most basic concept, but it shows me treasures of this world and other worlds as well. The abstract portrait is an enigma or rather it was an enigma until now. In any case, thanks to the Golden Parchment, I acquired the knowledge to build an imperishable and powerful body.
The shape of my new body is far from that of a dragon, my strength and abilities show that I am still myself, the one who controls all dragons, the natural leader of my species. This body is smaller, but thanks to the delicacy of its craftsmanship and the preciousness of its sacred materials, I can show a potential that I could never achieve with my flesh.
Flesh that withers over time and has a date set for its termination; flesh that tied me to the world and if I wanted to know the truth about what lies beyond the world, I had to get rid of this flesh. However, I wondered how far I could go.
I was certain that my dragon body was perfect, but since I broke the limits of my body and reached the Nascent Soul, I was able to change my body at will. Then I started to doubt how perfect my dragon body could be. This control over my shape showed me that the dragon was not the epitome, but that the limits of my body were in the understanding of reality itself.
Then the Golden Parchment showed me the shape that I had to pursue, compact in size, firm torso, elongated arms and legs. I did not hesitate for a moment, using the indications on the parchment I searched for rare sacred materials, materials that, until then, could not even be imagined.
During millions of cycles, I built my new body piece by piece, with those sacred materials, adapting this body to me, but at the last moment, when my head was the last piece of flesh that was left on me, I hesitated and wondered if when I abandoned all vestige of meat, would I still be me? When I finally made up my mind and the flesh no longer lay in me, I attained immortality!
It was in that moment, that I heard it, and I could not grasp it, and it was more than a word, more than a simple name, the representation of power, the name of the lord of Dragons, the name of the one who dominates everything; the name of the one with enough strength to transcend. That name, an unattainable concept.
Something was off. There was a strange feeling growing inside me, some clarity that I still needed to find, something that I needed to accept, my true nature, what I always was, what I always be, even if my body does not have the shape anymore, and the veil was removed. What defines me would always be a Dragon.
The Golden Parchment reveals me that there is still a path to tread, and the Abstract Portrait unveils me, what lies beyond — the struggles to come, and finally what I really am, one of 16,385 who saw through The Origin and helped me perceived my true form and true name.
And now, here I am contemplating my essence, materialized in the visage that once identified me, wearing the mask of the Ice Dragon, my old form, bearing that name, the name that makes up my whole being. The name that makes me acknowledge what I always was and always be, the name is DRACO.
To be continued in.
— Chapter 1 —
UNI
