Everyone present was in shock. Blades bought cheaply at a local shop were made from the body of a god; that would surprise anyone.
"And the handles are made from the fangs and claws of a god-dragon. Only by possessing the symbol of victory over the god could a summoner stop the dragons that wished to continue fighting," explained someone.
"These are truly unique blades. How did they make such a journey?" wondered another.
"They were forged almost five thousand years ago. Magic prevented them from deteriorating over time, but they changed hands, and perhaps one day they ended up with a warrior who died in battle, and the marauders, unaware of the blades' value, sold them to a junk dealer."
"That happens quite often," Rumy shrugged. "For a while, I owned them too, but then a great warrior from the north won them from me. I hadn't seen them since then until they were pressed against my throat. I guess because of them, I agreed so easily to leave the tomb with you."
"Alright, we're done," Feris interrupted our conversation, and together with the Rector, she moved away from the girls. We had become accustomed to the unmatched healing abilities of these relatives, but they still amazed us every time.
"And there's no trace left," Seleria gently stroked her stomach, where a large mark from Ragni's fist had recently adorned. "Thank you, Feris. Though I still feel weak."
The girl tried to get up from the chair but slumped back down.
"I don't know why, but I also feel unwell," Ragni said, sitting in the chair, swaying.
"I apologize; I probably didn't fully heal you. I'll fix it right away," Feris' hands emitted a golden glow, but the Rector quickly stopped her.
"It's futile. You still have little experience, child, but I have encountered similar symptoms in the past. We won't be able to heal them; only time, good sleep, and nourishment will help. You both lost too much blood, even more than a human can afford. I'm just amazed that you are still conscious."
The girls exchanged glances.
"But I don't remember having a severe bleeding during the battle."
"Neither do I," Ragni stroked the spot on her arm where there had been cuts from Seleria's claws not long ago. "And those cuts were quite shallow."
During the battle, they couldn't have lost so much blood.
"It's a natural consequence for those who have long used divine flames. After all, to sustain it, the life force of the wielder is required," Ignis casually dropped a very important fact.
"By the way, I've heard about divine flames not for the first time," I dared to ask the queen, a question that had long troubled everyone present. "And as I understand, you know much more about it. What Seleria and Ragni displayed in this battle is not something an ordinary fire mage can control. So, what was it?"
"With the help of these ancient powers, the great gods created our world," Sheraza answered my question. "Before I tell you what these forces are, I must tell you about the birth of our world. If you don't mind, we will share the tale with you."
"Of course, we don't mind. Human legends don't contain anything about the creation of the world," I suggested that everyone should sit, and the two queens began their narrative.
"Of course not, because the world was created by five dragon gods. Of course, people tried to erase this detail from history," Ignis smiled mysteriously and began the story. "Originally, there were five gods, immortal and all-powerful. The Golden God Miras, the Blue God Sephris, the Red God Saraz, the White Goddess Azura, and the Black God Nihelim - they were great immortal dragon gods. Nobody in our world knows where they came from or how they appeared, but they were wanderers. Traveling from world to world, they discovered new secrets, experienced the beauty of different worlds, but there was no world they could call home."
"Then the gods decided to create their world, a world that would be built according to their desires. And they had enough power to create something great," Sheraza seemed to be immersed in the story, recalling the memories of distant ancestors. "They chose a young star, around which planets were just beginning to form. They calculated everything precisely and created eight planets in the image of one world they had experienced. So that one of the planets would have optimal conditions for life."
"The planets were created by my father, the Black Dragon God Nihelim. Using black flames, he created the planet cores that attracted the dust rotating around the star. Thus, the planets were formed. Empty and lifeless stones that became the basis for the new world."
"The gods chose one of the planets that was the most suitable for them in terms of conditions. Then the Red Dragon God Saraz got to work. He covered the entire planet with crimson flames and changed its appearance. He created mountains and valleys and gave a prototype to the first living beings. The gods decided to fill the new world with life so that they wouldn't be lonely. They recreated animals from different worlds they had encountered during their travels. But that wasn't all; they also wanted to create sentient beings in their image and likeness. They created dragons, each god having ten children."
"Next in line was the God Miras. He filled the planet with his golden breath, changing its structure, turning dust into air and earth into water. He made our world habitable. After that, he turned the statues of living creatures into flesh and blood and the small stones into seeds of wild plants. But the world was still lifeless; the plants and animals were dead. It was impossible to create life simply by recreating the bodies of animals."
"And then the task was taken up by the God Sephris. His blue breath was capable of bestowing life, and soon all creatures came to life. The first animals stepped on the ground, and the first plants sprouted in the fields."
"Ignis? You were there at the creation of the world, and you remember all this?!" I interrupted the black dragoness.
"No, I was born then, but I don't remember any of it. And none of the dragons remember, because we all died then."
A heavy silence fell in the room.
"Don't fret so much. We didn't die permanently. Life was artificially created, and thus, we could only exist under the light of the blue breath of life. But even the powers of a god are not infinite; he couldn't sustain life in us forever. Yet Sephris's mercy wouldn't allow him to stop, even to take a short break."
"That's when Azura came to the rescue," Sheraza supported her interlocutor. "The White Goddess, the ruler of ice and time, enveloped the entire planet with her white breath, plunging it into eternal sleep. Time stopped for all living beings, and Sephris was given a respite. But that didn't solve the problem; artificial life couldn't be sustained indefinitely."
"And then the elder god, Miras, came up with a way to create life," Ignis looked up at the sky, and under the daylight, a bluish moon hung above us. "He created the world of spirits."
"To create life, it was necessary to bestow souls upon living beings, but souls were creations of pure energy, even the gods couldn't create them. So, they sought help from beings from other worlds. During their wanderings, they encountered various creatures, including those made of pure energy. These spirits couldn't live in the physical world, but they could easily create energy entities."
"And so, Miras asked them for help. Several great spirits agreed to assist – eight demons, twelve angels, one mistress of death, and five masters of the elements. They offered their aid, but they couldn't live in our world; the conditions here were too harsh for them. So, Miras turned to my father for help."
"With his black flames, Nihelim created the Moon, and on it, the masters, with their pure spiritual essence, created four worlds of spirits. Dividing the planet into equal parts, they never quarreled over territory, as the conditions in another quarter were unsuitable for the spirits of a different world. The realm of the dead is saturated with corpse vapors and ashen soil, the world of demons is full of brimstone flames and heat unbearable to other spirits, the realm of angels is filled with a light lethal to impure souls, and the elemental world is divided into five territories, each ruled by the corresponding element."
"After this, Miras sacrificed his life to create a magical path for the souls that were created in the world of spirits. The Black Dragon God, Nihelim, filled the moon's surface with black flames, giving it such a light bluish tint. From this flame, the spirits created the first souls and bestowed them upon all living creatures on the planet."
"That's how all animals and dragons gained consciousness. It was the first day of my life," Ignis closed her eyes. "That's when living beings received a soul. They didn't become immortal, but they gained something even more valuable – the ability to leave descendants. After death, the souls of all living beings entered the world of spirits, where they were strengthened with pure energy and granted the power to the great spirits to create new souls. Different souls entered different worlds, but more often, souls go to the world they are most predisposed to. Monsters usually end up in the world of demons, pure animals in the world of angels, and dragons most often venture to the world of the elements. That's how our world was created and what is known as the cycle of life."
After a brief pause, the queens continued.
"And now, let's talk about the powers of the gods, in case you haven't forgotten," Ignis smiled playfully.
"The Scarlet Flame of Creation, the Flame of Morphos," Sheraza softly answered my question, "a power capable of assuming any form and imparting it to other substances. But it can only take the form of something you have personally seen, and in doing so, the flame acquires some of the properties of the object whose form it took. Thus, blades become sharp, shields become sturdy, and a hydra gains autonomy. With the help of this power, the Red Dragon God, Saraz, created the entire structure of a planet: mountains, plains, seas, and rivers."
"Yes, it's a formidable ability, but it's probably very difficult to control," I remarked.
"Yes, Seli spent five years learning to create something worthwhile," Sheraza confirmed.
"The Black Flame of Destruction, the Flame of Gravitas," Ignis continued the conversation, "a power capable of shattering worlds and creating new ones. The flame possesses the attraction of a star within its small size, able to tear everything it touches into pieces or create a meteorite capable of destroying an entire city. With this power, Nihelim destroyed many enemies, but he also used it to create our planet."
"Isn't it dangerous to use it? If not for the crystal barrier, who knows what could have happened to the Academy?" I expressed my concern.
"Oh, no, come on. To destroy the Academy, you'd need a flame much more powerful than what Ragni created. But in a battle against a single person, this flame is more than enough," Ignis reassured.
"Besides these powers, there's also the Golden Flame of Transmutation, the Flame of Metas," Sheraza continued listing the great powers, "the ability to change the properties of any material, turning iron into gold, water into sand, and sand into indestructible fortresses. The limits of this power depend solely on the strength of the spellcaster."
"Iron into gold!?" Vina exclaimed, and her eyes gleamed with golden coins.
"No, no," Ignis smiled mysteriously, "I heard that golden dragons possess this power, but they are far from the scale of the god Miras."
"It's easier to look for a treasure on the ocean floor than to catch a golden dragon. I've never even heard of them interacting with humans!" Vina shook her head.
"Well," Aileen snickered, "apparently, one sits on the Empire's council, but he's so reclusive that he hasn't spoken to any imperial guards."
"Then he's useless too," Vina shrugged.
"Next is the power of the goddess Azura: the White Flame of Infinity, the Flame of Chronos," Sheraza raised a meaningful finger, "there's still much debate about whether it can be called a flame; perhaps it was just an immensely powerful icy breath. But since the goddess could not only stop time but also reverse it, accelerate and decelerate it, it suggests that it was more than a simple freeze."
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Asura looking worriedly away. Something about this power troubled her.
"And perhaps the most important one! The Blue Flame of Rebirth, the Flame of Virtus," Ignis looked at Rector and Feris, "a flame that can give life to those who cannot survive by all laws. But at the same time, it can take away the granted life with a single breath. A beautiful and dreadful power at the same time."
"But it could save so many lives!" Feris looked directly into Ignis's eyes, "Please tell us, who possesses such power!"
Ignis slightly recoiled from the assertive girl.
"Now, now, no need to be so pushy. It's still useless. Since the time of the ancient gods, no one has been able to wield the divine flame, even though they say its power still resides in our blood. Therefore, there is no living being capable of using the blue flame of life."
Ignis's words were clear, firm, and left no room for doubt, but there was one crucial detail in her words.
"In our blood, you say," I approached Queen Sheraza slowly, "may I?"
"I've been wondering when you'd figure it out," the red queen tilted her head toward me. I pushed back the red cloak and casually flipped my hair. On the sides of the queen's temples were small, sharp-pointed red horns.