In the Dragon Court Plane, originally a temporary stopover for many dragons, the realm has now transformed considerably. Similar to the plane of air, it possesses no gravity, with countless mountains, palaces, and lands suspended in the infinite sea of clouds.
Here reside legendary dragons at least thirty meters in length, their overlapping auras potent enough to terrify any ordinary creature that enters the Dragon Court Plane.
Not all dragons of the Dragon Court choose to reside here. Those who do are mostly those weary of entanglements with lesser beings, preferring the company of their own legendary kind over demeaning themselves by living alongside lesser creatures they disdain.
Conflicts are not uncommon within the Dragon Court, yet they are never quelled by the Court's covenant as long as they remain within acceptable limits. Such conflicts are considered healthy and beneficial, even supported by a massive structure known as the Grand Circle Arena, dedicated to dragon combat.
The atmosphere within the Dragon Court is generally harmonious, especially since the conclusion of the dragon-elf war five years ago. After a decade of fierce battle, most dragons now prefer a peaceful respite to creating further discord.
With the end of this interplanar and interworld large-scale war, stability has returned to the multiverse. A vast majority of elves, nearly ninety percent, have forsaken their territories in the material worlds and many outer planes, retreating to recuperate in the elf realm of Alfand. Those elves who remain in the material worlds do so only in worlds devoid of dragons.
After the war's damages, the dragon race too is recuperating. Despite emerging victorious, casualties were inevitable. However, the war served as a crucible, greatly reducing longstanding animosities among different dragon breeds through their shared battles and survival.
Research among dragon scholars has shown that hatchlings born in the past five years carry memories of the war within their draconic heritage, significantly reducing innate prejudices against rival dragon breeds. While complete elimination of these biases is impossible due to innate tendencies and moral alignments, the level of hostility has decreased, no longer resulting in immediate conflicts upon encounters.
Furthermore, due to the distinguished feats of various dragon gods during the war, the dragons' faith in their deities has increased, particularly among the young, many of whom have become fervent followers.
The inherent distrust in dragon gods, a repercussion of the Dragonfall War, is healing, with dragons beginning to see their gods as true protectors once again. Many ancient dragons sense that it won't be long before the Immortal Dragon Queen and the Metal Dragon God advance to mid-level divine powers, with other dragon gods likely reaching the peak of lesser divinity.
The most celebrated new deity, the Time Dragon, Garon, who ascended during the war by claiming the full divine power of an enemy deity, has gained as much faith as the Metal Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen, making him the greatest beneficiary of the war.
After losing all elven followers, Garon, the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, has fallen from mid-level divine power. However, bolstered by the new faith from the dragons, his divine level has stabilized at ten, the peak of lesser divine powers, equal to the current levels of the Metal Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen.
Still, his combat prowess is incomparable.
Yet, all true dragons understand that this new Dragon God will eventually rival, if not surpass, the Metal Dragon God and the Immortal Dragon Queen in might.
The followers of the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, particularly regretful that his divine realm is not yet established, eagerly await the chance to reside within his divine domain, remaining patient for now.
In summary, following the War of Glory, the dragons, once sole dominants of the multiverse, are poised to reclaim their stature as supreme beings among all races.
This all began over thirty years ago with the birth of a Time Dragon in a remote material world. The War of Glory is the dragons' name for their conflict with the elves, signifying the resurgence of draconic majesty.
In the Eternal Hall of the Dragon Court Plane, a silver dragon who has naturally grown to about eighty-five meters over these five years awakens, slowly opening his eyes.
"My growth has slowed down," Garon notes, inspecting his body.
He moves his wingspan of over a hundred meters, shaking his head to loosen up.
Garon's biological level has reached fifty-four, just six levels shy of a lesser divine power level. However, he feels it might take another decade or two to naturally bridge these five levels.
The fastest growth for dragons always occurs during their hatchling phase. Having passed this phase, the now adolescent Time Dragon is somewhat dissatisfied with his natural growth rate, although it is still enviable by countless species.
"If nothing unusual happens, I might reach a level close to lesser divine power in my fifties," Garon estimates, which is quite impressive.
According to dragon records, Time Dragons typically reach this level of power only in
adulthood, matching true deities.
Garon acknowledges that these records are quite accurate, as his journey has not been solely natural growth; he has used many artifacts to accelerate his development, such as Dragon Soul Stones crafted from hundreds of thousands of lives, and divine crystals awarded by the god of light. While the Dragon Soul Stone is relatively common, the Life Gem and divine crystals are extraordinary, significantly boosting Garon's growth.
"Without external aids, I might only reach near-divine power at a hundred years old," he contemplates silently, not dwelling too much on these thoughts.
Turning his gaze to Yuna, the power dragon queen still deep in slumber, cuddling a pile of gold and gems, drooling shiny droplets.
A year ago, Garon and Yuna had entered a deep sleep together. After a year, feeling a bit stiff, Garon's body turns ethereal and then solidifies as he leaves the Eternal Hall, appearing among the vast clouds of the Dragon Court Plane.
Between the whistling winds and floating clouds, legendary dragons of various forms and breeds weave through the air.
Noticing the majestic silver dragon, they pause and look at Garon with respect.
In their eyes, Garon represents the saintly avatar of the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, specifically tasked with managing the Dragon Court. This avatar is effectively the embodiment of the dragon god, thus the legendary dragons continue to treat Garon with great respect, even more so than before.
After his ascension, the dragons of the Court were both shocked and delighted; they rejoiced at their leader's success but worried that the divine lord might impose his faith upon them.
The members of the Dragon Court, all legendary dragons from various worlds and planes, are ancient creatures with centuries of experiences and fiercely independent beliefs. They would not easily submit to any deity based solely on power.
These legendary dragons joined the Dragon Court under the banner of the Time Dragon Lord, not the Time Dragon God.
Initially, many expressed desires to leave the Court, fearing that the newly ascended Eternal and Temporal Dragon might transform the realm into his divine domain and turn them into divine servants.
However, Garon quickly returned to the Court as his saintly avatar, reassuring everyone in his capacity as Lord of the Court that no dragon would be forced to worship him, and the original intent of the Dragon Court would remain unchanged; it would not become a divine domain.
With these assurances, the legendary dragons relaxed.
Not all legendary dragons are averse to worship, and a small number, admiring Garon's deeds and power, have chosen to become his followers.
Garon values these followers highly, recognizing that a legendary dragon follower is not comparable to an ordinary true dragon follower.
These followers, appointed as Time Delegates by the divine Garon, have left the Dragon Court to construct temples in the major material worlds, spread his divine influence, and refine their doctrines.
Currently, the doctrines of the Time Dragon God, the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, focus primarily on three principles:
The first doctrine states that time is the fundamental order of the multiverse, an eternal, unchanging current within which all things exist and which must always be revered for its immense power.
The second doctrine uncovers the secrets buried in the sands of time, suggesting that uncovering these secrets leads to unstoppable progress.
The third doctrine acknowledges time's relentless, cruel passage, which only the immortal can resist. However, under the wings of the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, time will always stand by your side.
In addition, in the material worlds, Garon's temples are known as Temples of Eternity, echoing the Eternal Hall of the Dragon Court.
Garon's holy symbol has also been chosen: a pair of platinum dragon eyes overseeing the ethereal river of time.
Returning to the story, after leaving the Eternal Hall, Garon takes a deep breath and soars into the sky, his hundred-meter wingspan tearing through the winds and clouds. Coiling his massive body around the axis of his wings, he leaves a twisting trail in the cloud-filled sky of the Dragon Court Plane.
Flying freely through the vast sea of clouds broadens Garon's spirits and lifts his mood; it has been a long while since he has allowed himself such unrestrained flight.
After some time, Garon halts, turning his head to view a range of ice-capped mountains floating in the cloud sea.
There, on one of the peaks, lies a petite, fully grown white dragon, comfortably sprawled with eyes half-closed, wings spread, and tail idly swishing.
This is the White Dragon Lady, who enjoys a nourishing life in the Dragon Court Plane, far surpassing the quality of life of any ordinary adult white dragon. Her residence, the glacial mountain range, has been crafted with the help of ancient white dragons to perfectly suit her needs.
Due to her unique status, the dragons within the Court are very attentive to her.
After the war, the other three young dragons left the Dragon Court Plane to seek their
own territories and followers, unwilling to live perpetually under their brother's shadow.
The White Dragon Lady, however, lacks such ambitions.
Noticing the silver giant in the clouds, she immediately recognizes Garon and excitedly calls out, not wanting him to leave: "Garon! Don't go, I've seen you!"
She flaps her wings, drawing delicate arcs in the air as she quickly flies to Garon's front.
Looking up at the majestic dragon, she tries to appear affectionate and says, "Ah, my child, I am so proud of you."
Her words initially seem heartfelt.
However, the White Dragon Lady's subsequent remarks take a different turn.
"Truly, you are a credit to my bloodline, achieving such epic legendry in just over thirty years."
"Garon, what title do you think I should have?"
"Now that you are the Time Dragon God, the Eternal and Temporal Dragon, how about I take the title of Mother of Time for myself?"
Perhaps due to their blood connection, despite Garon's godly status to other dragons, the White Dragon Lady's attitude towards him remains unchanged, showing no significant difference.
Honestly.
Garon is somewhat speechless at her words but also feels quite comfortable.
It's lonely at the top.
As his prestige grows, old friends like Nehemiah and Lockweed, who he met on the continent of Noah, have become reserved in his presence, reacting much like any other dragon now.
"You can choose whatever title you like for yourself," Garon responds, hearing her proposal.
Upon hearing Garon's answer, the White Dragon Lady shakes her head and laughs heartily: "Hahaha, then from now on, I, Salia, am the Mother of Time, the great Time Dragon God, sprung from my lineage."
Her laughter continues.
Garon, however, narrows his eyes slightly and says, "However, I have many enemies, most of them deities."
"Your flamboyance might not guarantee your safety."
The White Dragon Lady's laughter abruptly stops.
"Well, do you still want to be called the Mother of Time?"
Garon asks again.
The White Dragon Lady shrinks back, then pretends to dismiss the concern: "Let's not. It's not because I fear trouble from deities but because I, Salia, don't care for such empty titles."
After a pause.
The White Dragon Lady looks up at the vast dragon above her, hesitates, and then speaks: "Garon, I've been having dreams lately, very vivid ones."
"In these dreams, a deity asks me to worship her, to become her priestess, promising many benefits."
Garon's expression hardens. "Which deity? Did you agree?"
His first thought is of the Nightmare Serpent that once invaded his dreams, aiming at White Dragon Lady for some nefarious purpose.
There's little to gain from targeting her directly.
If she is being targeted, it undoubtedly involves some scheme against Garon.
The White Dragon Lady blinks, looking up, and proudly asserts, "How could I possibly agree?"
"Even the newly born Time Dragon God is my descendant. Some common deities seeking my worship are dreaming."
"They should worship me!"
Garon remains silent.
"Which deity?" he insists.
"The Cold Goddess," the White Dragon Lady finally replies, after Garon's serious questioning.
Garon's eyes narrow as he recalls information about this deity.
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The Cold Goddess, also known as the Frost Maiden, the Ice Dawn, Lady Ice Kiss, and the Frost Fairy, is a deity of the evil alignment, currently of lesser divine power with dominion over winter and cold, though she once reached mid-level divine power.
"Olrul," Garon mutters under his breath, using the deity's name without any reverence.
What matters now is that this goddess was once married to the Frost Giant God Sorelm, with whom she had a divine child, and they remain allies, sharing some frost giant followers.
Garon is uncertain what the Cold Goddess's covert recruitment of the White Dragon Lady entails.
But it's clearly not well-intentioned.