The Yellow Dragon’s Orb (1)
A shrine set deep within a cave.
“The Cave of Repentance isn’t merely a prison for monsters who have committed crimes.”
The woman with long blue hair neatly pinned up—the Blue Dragon—walked slowly as she continued in a gentle voice.
Behind her, the small-bodied Horus trotted along, whipping his head this way and that as he looked around.
Sacred ropes and bells, mirrors and blades, and all manner of ritual implements had been placed here and there.
Amid the spirit tablets that asserted a subtle presence between them, the Blue Dragon, who had been walking ahead, stopped in place and rummaged in her robes for something.
—Four Perils, Taowu.
After gazing for a moment at the spirit tablet from which a powerful aura flowed, she carefully set it down in an empty space in the shrine.
And after a short while had passed,
the newly prepared spot looked no different from the others around it.
“Monsters are beings born with mystery by nature, and they spend their entire lives using supernatural powers as naturally as breathing. Forcibly confining such beings consumes an enormous amount of power. In other words, the more prisoners we keep locked up, the greater the burden we must bear.”
“Heeh—.”
It was an utterly inefficient arrangement.
From the moment they broke the rules and came here, it already meant they had caused no small amount of harm to Geumodo, and yet maintaining the prison required additional expenditure on top of that.
Wouldn’t it be far better to simply kill them all cleanly instead?
‘That way, rare materials would be easier to obtain too.’
In exchange, however, the organization’s solidarity would inevitably decline by that much.
If it were only the few who had caused truly major incidents anyone would acknowledge, perhaps that would be one thing. Otherwise, it would not be easy to feel attachment to an organization that slaughtered and butchered its own kind.
Fortunately, Geumodo, which could be called the foremost in the Ganghwan Realm when it came to Taoist arts, had been able to find an alternative to solve that problem.
“The principle is simple. Rather than using our own power, we draw on the prisoners’ demonic power instead.”
The idea was to forcibly drain their energy and weaken them, then use that energy to suppress other monsters while also operating the phantasm formation that served as a reformation program.
So that every monster sealed within the Cave of Repentance could become one another’s shackles.
“And any power left over after that is stored and used when something comes up?”
“As expected of you, Horus. You’re very clever.”
With a pleased smile, the Blue Dragon stroked his head and placed a sweet she had produced from somewhere into his mouth.
In other words, the Cave of Repentance was effectively a prison, a reformatory, and a power plant all in one.
“And that has been of tremendous help even recently. Maintaining the balance of a world that was already on the verge of collapse consumed a great deal of power, after all.”
Under circumstances where those who had already caused trouble and been sealed could not easily be trusted, that was the best choice.
Most of the power used to operate the Phantasmal Realm was being supplied from here as well.
“So, Horus? Why did you want to come here? There shouldn’t be anything in this place that would particularly interest you.”
Having finished speaking, the administrator of the Cave of Repentance, the Blue Dragon, looked down at Horus, who was chewing on the sweet, with clear eyes.
Though she had readily complied with his sudden request, it was obvious she was wondering why he had acted that way.
“Munch, munch— Ah, well, you see…”
He scratched the back of his head while looking around at the bleak surroundings.
In truth, there had been no great reason he wanted to see this place for himself.
He had simply wanted to confirm it with his own eyes, wondering if any variables might arise in what he was about to do.
‘I never imagined the “Yellow Dragon’s Orb” would be something like this.’
Recalling the prerequisites necessary before activating the privilege, he chose his words carefully.
The method of use had naturally been imprinted into his mind along with the system message, and it was full of all sorts of troublesome requirements. But if he had to pick the most important points, there were about three.
The first was himself, who had accomplished the feat of being the savior of the Ganghwan Realm and had been granted the privilege as the “Last Yellow Dragon.”
The second was the enormous amount of energy he had just confirmed, vast enough that calling it tremendous was no exaggeration.
And lastly…
“…You’re asking if we can bring the Dragon Child to the Dragon God Temple?”
The Blue Dragon furrowed her brow slightly.
The Dragon God Temple was no different from a sacred ground permitted only to dragons, a place even the upper echelons of Geumodo could not enter carelessly without permission.
No matter how much the girl was a “Dragon Child,” she was still human, and even someone as gentle as the Blue Dragon could not help feeling resistance at the suggestion of admitting her to such a place.
But Horus was confident.
He knew that once she heard what he had to say, she too would have no choice but to follow his words.
And that conviction soon became reality.
“…Good heavens. I will convene a Five Dragons council at once.”
The instant she heard the reason, she set everything else aside and moved, gathering the Five Dragons in one place in the blink of an eye.
All of them had been busy with their own duties, but at her urging, laced with an uncharacteristic forcefulness from the normally composed Blue Dragon, they had no choice but to drop everything and rush over.
“What is it, Blue Dragon? What’s going on that you called all of us so urgently?”
A woman with short red hair, the Red Dragon, grumbled in a needlessly prickly tone.
“A Five Dragons council at a time like this. Has some major problem occurred?”
A man with long white hair, the White Dragon, spoke calmly as the eldest among them.
“Hi, Horus. I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t even had time to see your face. You’re still adorable, aren’t you?”
And then there was the Black Dragon, a girl with long black hair braided down her back, her eyes shining with curiosity.
But their individual reactions gradually took on the same form as Horus’s explanation continued.
Questioning, disbelief, shock.
And even a sliver of hope.
“Then I will take it that everyone agrees.”
At the Blue Dragon’s words, everyone nodded.
Thus, within mere minutes of the emergency meeting of the Five Dragons beginning,
the agenda regarding Dragon Child Jegal Hyemi’s entry into the Dragon God Temple was passed unanimously.
***
“Whew.”
The nervous Jegal Hyemi slowly advanced.
It was only natural.
In this unfamiliar environment called the Phantasmal Realm, she alone had been separated from her companions and called elsewhere.
‘And in a world filled entirely with monsters, no less…’
But she was not deeply frightened.
Taking a deep breath, she strode forward without hesitation.
She had a firm belief that even if a crisis befell her, someone would definitely come to save her.
Just as it had always been until now.
“Here! This way!”
As she continued onward without wavering,
a young voice came from the end of the passage.
When she looked that way, she saw a little child who seemed to be only about six or seven years old, waving his hand at her.
‘A child?’
He was an exceedingly pretty boy, like a doll, with brilliant golden hair and golden eyes rarely seen in the Central Plains.
“Ahem.”
The boy lifted his chin and puffed out his chest as if showing off.
It was a sight so adorable it nearly made her mind go blank for an instant, but as a Dragon Child, she could sensitively feel his presence and instinctively realize the truth.
The true nature of the child with that cute appearance.
Amazingly, she and that little one were not meeting for the first time.
“Yellow Dragon…? Could you be the Yellow Dragon, sir?”
During the war against the Demon Cult, he had erased the entirety of Beijing with a single attack.
Later, he had even presided over the ritual for her and the other Dragon Children.
That very Yellow Dragon.
“Mm! You recognize me? From now on, I’ll be your guide, so follow quietly!”
That was the identity of the boy now walking ahead of her, shrugging his small shoulders.
Unable to bring herself to ask him any questions, she pressed her lips shut and followed behind him.
‘…This makes no sense.’
Swallowing hard, she clenched her itchy hands tightly.
Then, after squeezing her eyes shut and opening them wide again, she fixed her gaze on her guide.
‘That terrifying Yellow Dragon is this cute!’
Watching him waddle along with his little feet busily moving, she could not help the strength leaving the corners of her mouth as her gaze was stolen away.
As if she had been bewitched by some wicked monster.
The passage they were currently walking through was lined with beautiful works of art, but none of that entered her eyes right now.
‘Ah, I want to pat his head.’
His skin was as white and smooth as glutinous rice cake, and his hair swayed softly like threads of gold.
His small head bobbed, and his arms and legs moved with spirited vigor.
For some reason, he even seemed to give off a scent like warm sunlight.
‘So children were originally such lovable beings.’
Having spent her whole life secluded in the deepest parts of her clan estate, she had never had the opportunity to interact with children.
And after recovering her health as she had now, she had encountered far too much of the world’s darker side.
For someone like her, Horus, who radiated an atmosphere like the sun simply by existing, could not help leaving an even deeper impression.
‘If I have a child too… could I give birth to a child that cute?’
A wish she had thought, until not long ago, could never come true.
But now, it was not merely a dream. It was something that could become reality.
‘Yes, my child will surely be lovely too. I’m not lacking in looks as the mother, after all. And on the father’s side…’
Perhaps because of the kidnapping incident that had occurred only recently,
all sorts of delusions flashed wildly through her mind.
At last, after imagining the face of their child by mixing the features of the two of them this way and that, she nodded in satisfaction with a flushed face.
‘Yes, no matter how they’re combined, they’re all pretty. Ah, come to think of it, what about the name? Should I prepare one for a boy and one for a girl starting now? Hah! What if they’re twins?!’
Jegal Hyemi began groaning to herself in worry, her face reddened.
At that, Horus, who had been guiding her while giving preliminary explanations, turned around and blinked.
“So there’s no need to worry too much… Hm? Are you all right? Are you sick?”
At his call, she barely came back to her senses from her own world and abruptly lifted her head.
Naturally, she had not heard a single word of what he had said.
“I-I’m sorry. Could you please say that one more time? I was thinking about something else for a moment…”
“Mm! It’s fine! That can happen when you’re nervous.”
The boy, nodding in a dignified manner that did not match his appearance, looked at her, crossed his arms, and grinned.
“Well, putting all the complicated stuff aside and getting straight to the point.”
Then he raised one finger wide and continued in a lively tone.
“We’re going to make a baby now!”
“Whaaaat—?!”
Seeing her react in a way that was somehow even more sensitive than expected, Horus tilted his head.
***
Her confusion lasted only a short while.
After Horus’s detailed explanation resumed, she understood the circumstances and fell into thought with a composed expression.
‘A new Yellow Dragon.’
A baby.
That was a word meaning a dragon’s offspring.
Simply put, this was a project to revive a real, proper Yellow Dragon in the Ganghwan Realm—not Horus, the fake Yellow Dragon.
“Here you are, Horus. We searched thoroughly, but there are only two we currently possess. There may be more intact ones left somewhere in the Central Plains, but…”
“This is fine for now! We can’t hatch them all at once anyway! We can search calmly for the rest and increase the number one by one.”
“…We’ll have to stake everything on recovering them.”
The Dragon God Temple.
It was the center of a stone mountain shaped like a giant dragon coiled around itself.
Having guided Jegal Hyemi inside, Horus accepted the object the White Dragon handed him and his eyes shone.
It was a round sphere glowing blue, as if it contained a clear, sunny sky.
Within it, a vivid golden radiance flickered like flames or waves, radiating a distinct presence and mysterious beauty.
‘The Yellow Dragon’s Ruyi Pearl.’
This was the relic of a dragon who had lost its life in an unforeseen accident.
And now, it was the medium that would become the “egg” to conceive new life.
‘I knew the “Yellow Dragon’s Orb” would be related to a Ruyi Pearl, but I never imagined it would be literal.’
Then again, considering that the Dragon God had intervened in this privilege, perhaps it was only natural.
As long as the Yellow Dragon was absent, it was difficult to say this world had truly returned to its original state.
‘Well, it’s not bad. It’s not as if I can keep paying attention to the Ganghwan Realm forever. Leaving behind a solid countermeasure should make for a cleaner aftertaste.’
Of course, that alone was not the entirety of the reason.
For all that was said and done, since the “Orb of the Yellow Dragon” was his own exclusive privilege, there would be no small merit should it truly succeed.
“So the preparations are all complete. Then let us begin the ritual shortly. I’m counting on you all.”
The White Dragon, having left these words to Horus and Jegal Hyemi, reverted to his dragon form and soared high into the sky.
Then he joined the three dragons already waiting in the sky, and each took their respective positions.
The Blue Dragon of the East, the Red Dragon of the South, the White Dragon of the West, and the Black Dragon of the North.
[Now then, let’s get started!]
And Horus as well, standing at the center of the altar prepared in the middle of the Dragon God Temple, having used the “Heart of the Elder Dragon” to polymorph into a massive Gold Dragon.
Until now, they had prioritized survival above all else in disastrous situations, and since they had not properly inherited their positions from the previous generation, there had been a somewhat haphazard feeling to them, but—
In truth, the Five Dragons, who were of the Dragon God’s direct lineage, each had their assigned roles.
The calm and rational Blue Dragon was the administrator and judge of the Penitence Cave seal.
The belligerent Red Dragon was the vanguard who actively responded to external conflicts.
The calculating and risk-averse White Dragon was the chief steward overseeing household affairs.
The insidious Black Dragon was the inquisitor who gathered external intelligence and eliminated traitors.
‘And the Yellow Dragon could be called the high priest symbolizing the connection with the Dragon God.’
A tremendous energy flowed from Horus’s body.
Of course, he was merely being treated as the Yellow Dragon by makeshift right, and since he was not the real Yellow Dragon, he could not completely replace the role of high priest.
Grooooar—
The very existence that would fill that lacking part was the “Child of the Dragon.”
It was Jegal Hyemi, a shamaness who was both the proof of the miracle called World Restoration and the apostle sent directly to the mortal realm by the Dragon God.
“…Mmm.”
A heavy groan escaped from the lips of the girl, who had been kneeling in prayer with both hands clutching a single dragon pearl.
‘It feels like my body is going to burst.’
Not only from the other dragons who had become the pillars of the ritual according to their directional positions, but the immense energy that had flowed from the Penitence Cave all the way to this place was being sucked into the dragon pearl in her hands all at once.
While the majority of it was being controlled by Horus, the Yellow Dragon, it was impossible for the burden not to reach her as well, standing at the center of the ritual.
‘No, I’m still fine. Compared to back then, this much is nothing!’
That moment when she had been kidnapped by the Demonic Cult and reunited with Ha Seunghun.
Compared to when she had bestowed a blessing upon him and been possessed by the Dragon God, this was merely a tolerable level.
Because back then, before she could do anything at all, her consciousness had been swept away.
‘After all I’ve received until now, I should be able to handle at least this much!’
Who could possibly know?
Whether she might receive some special ability from the dragons through this occasion.
Having come to long for even greater strength so that she would not become an obstacle to Ha Seunghun because of what had happened recently, she gritted her teeth and gripped the dragon pearl tightly.
At that moment.
Crack—!
The sound of something cracking leaked from within her hands.
The dragon pearl was an artifact containing powerful wish energy, as could be surmised from its very name.
It was such a renowned crystallization of mystery that some claimed it could grant any wish.
Moreover, wasn’t the special privilege of the system called the “Orb of the Yellow Dragon” currently intervening in the ritual as a whole!
And the result of all those things coming together—
—was sufficient to twist a portion of this world’s natural order and manifest a miracle.
Sizzle!
Between the cracks of the shattered dragon pearl.
[Kya-hang!]
Along with the faint cry that flowed from that gap.
A small, yellow head popped out abruptly.