Alzuring nodded, speaking with a proud glint in his eye. “As you wish, young lord. I will assist Mar’Garet in leading the hunt. May our little ones gain much from this and continue to grow so they can meet your future expectations.”
By “little ones,” Alzuring was referring to the wyverns, who, compared to the rest of them- besides Alister – were far younger.
Mar’Garet, however, hesitated, clearly reluctant. After a brief pause, she finally sighed, giving Cinder a quick look before getting to her feet and turning away.
Just as they both stepped forward, the wyverns emerged from the mindspace, their powerful wings stretching wide as they took their place beside Mar’Garet and Alzuring, ready to follow their lead.
As they left, Draven turned back to Alister and asked, “Why send just the two of them, my lord?”
Alister’s expression remained calm as he responded, “I want both of them to gain experience in leadership. They are undoubtedly excellent warriors, but coordinating oneself and leading an army are two entirely different things.”
“In the future, I may have each of you lead independent forces. This may seem simple, even basic, but nevertheless, it’s experience, and there is always something to gain from any experience.”
Draven gave a slight bow of understanding, one hand before his abdomen, his lips curling into a faint smile beneath his helmet, impressed by Alister’s reasoning. “Sound reasoning, my lord. I should have expected nothing less from you.”
“You flatter me.”
Then, Terra spoke, her eyes gleaming, her voice filled with enthusiasm as she clenched both fists in front of her. “So, does that mean we’ll be entering the mindspace now?”
Alister glanced at her with a nod. “Yes,” he confirmed. “But try to calm yourself…”
“You seem a bit… overexcited, or perhaps I do not understand the sheer magnitude of what we’re about to do.”
“Could you enlighten me?”
Terra adjusted her glasses, causing them to glint in the moonlight as she prepared to speak. “I’d be glad to,” she said.
“The Dragon Stratus Tree as I mentioned earlier is a divine ability of the Overlord, a gift given to determine the capabilities and growth potential of the dragon race.”
“The Tree is said to be a metaphysical construct – a sacred structure that reveals not only a dragon’s strengths and natural inclinations but also the unique paths each dragon may take to unlock their true potential. Think of it as a tapestry woven from each dragon’s essence, their abilities branching out like limbs, each branch holding the power to reveal who they truly are.”
Alister listened intently as Terra’s voice grew softer. “For a dragon, being seen through the Dragon Stratus Tree is like having your very core acknowledged by the Overlord, recognized in a way that few are ever privileged to witness. The process is like gazing into the essence of the universe itself and being granted insight into how each dragon can truly flourish.”
Terra’s eyes gleamed with pride as she glanced up at Alister. “And that’s where an Archi-Void comes in,” she said, straightening.
“My role as an Archi-Void is to assist in manifesting and interpreting this power. An Archi- Void has a unique affinity for connecting with the Tree’s wisdom, helping to translate the possibilities into action. It’s my task to assist the Overlord in guiding dragons to the paths where they may reach their full strength, even into realms that might otherwise be out of reach.”
She clasped her hands together, her voice turning slightly reverent. “It is an Archi-Void’s greatest honor to assist the Overlord in such an endeavor,” she declared, her gaze fixed on Alister with immense respect.
“To serve as the bridge between the dragons and the Dragon Stratus Tree is both a duty and a privilege that I hold above all else.”
Alister’s expression softened, understanding more deeply the profound significance this held for her and the entire dragon race.
Although Alister said nothing, this was the first time he had seen Terra so enthusiastic, he almost didn’t recognise her, ‘Although she speaks to me from time to time telepathically, I never knew she had this side to her…’
‘We’ll I shoud have figured as much considering the langh she want to to get this glasses she now has on…’
‘She’s a nerd… No a scholar… A truly enthusiastic and passionate scholar.’
Alister then spoke up, “Alright then, let’s step in.”
As Alister spoke Terra practically giggled and then the next instant a rift materialized and she stepped trough, as she did Alister looked to Draven and Cinder then said, “Both of you, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you what you have to do?”
“Yes my lord.” they both said as their bowed their heads slightly.
“Good.” Alister said, as he lowered his legs, sitting on the earth as he called out in his
thoughts, ‘System, open the mind space.’
[Opening the mindspace…]
With that Alister’s consciousness fadded.
…
Slowly, Alister’s eyes fluttered open, finding himself in the cosmic expanse of the mindspace, but this time he noticed it was slightly different.
‘The floor resembles an ocean,’ Alister thought. In the past, the mindspace used to be a massive cosmic space with an invisible floor he could walk on, but now it seemed as if he was standing on an ocean, the depths of which he could not see.
All of this, combined with Terra’s fascination, suddenly made a question arise in Alister’s mind. ‘Wait… Terra and all the other dragons always enter the mindspace, so why did it sound like she was excited to see it? Shouldn’t she have already seen it by now?’
Before Alister could ask directly, the system responded:
[The mindspace possesses different compartments, just like any mind would. Each compartment houses different things.]
[From the player’s summons, items, the summoning gate, and the Dragon Stratus Tree.]
The system’s explanation made sense but left Alister with another question as he thought further, ‘Wait… You just said different compartments in my mind… Meaning there are more of
them?’
‘How many compartments are there in total, and what is each supposed to house?’
There was a brief pause, but then the system responded, though not with an answer to his
question:
[Unfortunately, the player currently isn’t allowed to obtain such information.]
Alister narrowed his gaze, but before he could ask another question, Terra called out to him.
“My lord! Isn’t the sheer size and sight of it so grand?”
Alister noticed her voice seemed to come from behind him, causing him to turn around, his eyes widening as they landed on the sight before him.
It was a massive tree, so large it seemed to reach up to a plane Alister couldn’t see from where he stood, nor could he properly guess just how tall and massive it was.
The tree was a white astral figure, semi-transparent, with its roots visible, running down into the water ground of this mindspace, pulling energy forth from its depths. Its leaves shone with a bright yellow glow, as if each one were made of gold, and on some branches high up, cosmic fruits could be seen.
All their different colors shone as brightly as the leaves.
‘All of this is inside my mind?’ he silently began to question the concept of the mindspace. A part of him began to feel that perhaps he was overlooking something the system mentioned in the past his dragon soul. Perhaps this plane was within his dragon soul?
Even then, he couldn’t quite put any logic behind that thought since he also didn’t fully understand what a dragon soul was.
Alister was about to ask Terra what exactly a dragon soul was, but he paused as he saw the excited look she had on her face. Terra’s eyes were gleaming, practically bouncing with energy as she looked at him expectantly.
“So, my lord!” she exclaimed eagerly, “Where would you like to start? And what do you want
to do first?”
Alister let out a small sigh, a smile spreading on his face. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and it seemed almost impossible to hold back his own curiosity.
He glanced up at the towering, radiant tree that stretched up to unfathomable heights. “Let’s start at the top of this thing,” he said, a touch of excitement in his own eyes, lighting up his gaze. “If we’re going to explore, we might as well get the full view.”
Terra nodded with excitement, her eyes sparkling.
Alister mumbled to himself, “Now, how exactly are we supposed to get up there?”
Before he could think about it further, he noticed Terra’s wings sprouting from her back while
still in humanoid form, her wings spreading, her golden scales glimmering faintly under the golden glow of the tree’s leaves.
“We fly, of course,” she said with a grin before she launched herself gracefully into the air.
Alister chuckled, nodding as he replied, “You have a point.”
His golden mana surged through him as he shifted, his scales white and black scales materializing along his skin, his tail extending from his spine, and his wings unfurling in one
powerful sweep.
[Dragon body activated.]
Now fully in his dragon combat form, he crouched, feeling the weight of his scales settle comfortably. With a strong leap, he propelled himself upward, the ground shrinking below as
he joined Terra in the air.
Alister ascended swiftly, his wings cutting through the dense, almost mystical air of the mindspace. He watched as Terra flew ahead, her movements were so smooth and effortless, as though she had spent lifetimes in the skies.
And as they flew, seeking the tree’s top, Alister’s Prestige points continued to grow beyond
his notice.