Abyssal Sovereignty

“Ultimately, ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ is simply a peculiar language. Without infusing it with magical energy, it is merely a universal language.”

Farkonia was explaining the intricacies of ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ to the young girl.

In essence, ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ is a language that communicates through thought, yet it produces actual sound.

Typically, thought communication—such as with certain types of communication magic—operates similarly to a voice echoing directly in the recipient’s mind. In essence, it is like a person mentally replaying a piece of music without vocalising it.

However, ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ is different. It produces sound while also embedding intent within that sound. Hence, even if one does not understand ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue,’ its meaning can still be grasped.

“The essence of magic is to harness ‘mana’—a form of energy—and control it through one's will to affect the world. Thus, ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ is essentially a magical prototype that has yet to be imbued with mana. Once mana is introduced, its magical properties can be realised. …The above is courtesy of my mentor, although these teachings have largely vanished from the world.”

What Farkonia did not anticipate was the emergence of a new entity in the world, who has revived and disseminated these theories.

“Well then, we’ve covered the basics. Let’s move on to teaching you how to use ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue.’”

Learning a new language is challenging, especially one with rules and usage entirely different from known languages. The method of vocalizing ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ differs from all contemporary languages, so the girl must start from the very basics.

“Now, try saying ‘ah’.”

“Ah.”

“Hmm, that’s about right.”

Though it felt like a mother teaching her young daughter to speak, the situation was, in fact, rather similar. Strictly speaking, from the perspective of dragon lineage, the girl could indeed be considered Farkonia’s daughter.

“I didn’t expect you to learn so quickly. It took me ten years just to produce sound. Of course, there was also the factor of slower growth inherent to long-lived races.”

Farkonia reflected on her own arduous journey but quickly adjusted her mood and pointed to a small stone nearby.

“Now, let’s aim to make this stone move.”

The girl gazed at the stone and moved her lips.

“Dance.”

As soon as the words left her lips, the stone trembled slightly. Then, the trembling intensified until it finally leaped into the air.

“???”

Farkonia was taken aback. Producing sound was one thing, but embedding intent into it to turn it into magic was another matter entirely. This required precise control of mana and clear intent. If one were in a daze, the effectiveness would be significantly diminished, and variables like the frequency and quality of mana would also come into play.

Yet, the girl spent less time overcoming this challenge than she did learning to speak ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue.’ Using herself as a benchmark, she had taken ten years to produce sound, but the girl accomplished what had taken her ten times longer in mere moments!

“Remarkable… it’s as if she’s a natural-born master of ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’… no, perhaps even a ruler…”

‘Ancient Dragon Tongue’ is typically used by Dragon Kings. Mastery of it signifies the potential to become one. Generally, dragons with more ‘royal qualities’ exhibit greater aptitude in ‘Ancient Dragon Tongue.’ If this theory holds true, the girl’s talent is likely the greatest ever seen.

“Wait, I need to verify.”

To be sure, Farkonia gave the girl another task.

“Try saying anything to this stone.”

“…Cut down the tree.”

This time, the stone moved with even greater fluidity, bouncing its way to the nearest tree. With a forceful flick, it struck the trunk and severed it.

“…”

Farkonia was now certain that the girl could indeed become the next Dragon King, even if she was not a full dragon.

“How do you find it?”

“…I have nothing more to teach you.”

It was no jest. Such innate talent required no further instruction from Farkonia; the girl would likely surpass her own level effortlessly through self-discovery.

“Pupu!”

At that moment, a small tentacle appeared.

“…Ah, what are you doing here?”

Some time earlier, before the girl had come to challenge Farkonia, she had left the small creature, named Pupu, on a nearby open ground for safety. It had now managed to find its way back.

“Pupu!”

Pupu, carrying a satchel, waved its tentacles. The girl could see it was upset.

“Alright, no need to be cross.”

The girl made a small cut on her finger, letting a few drops of blood flow for Pupu to absorb.

“Pupu puff!”

For some reason, Pupu seemed unusually elated, as if it had tasted a delicacy.

“What’s this…”

Farkonia observed Pupu’s excitement with curiosity.

“An unexpected encounter. It seems to heal wounds while absorbing blood.”

“It feels somewhat familiar, yet different… Let me see.”

Farkonia knelt down, placed her hand on Pupu, and closed her eyes to sense.

“…This… is a fragment of an evil god!?”

There was no mistaking it. As a key figure in the war, Farkonia was very familiar with the evil gods. The presence of their aura was unmistakable on Pupu.

“No, it’s different… Give me your hand!”

Farkonia quickly grasped the girl’s left hand and began a detailed examination.

“…It’s astonishing…”

“What’s the matter?”

Noting Farkonia’s reaction, the girl inquired.

“Did you encounter a particularly strange magical creature that inflicted mental harm?”

“Mental harm… Hmm! It does seem… familiar…”

The girl recalled a green tentacled monster with large eyes, and the mere memory caused her a headache.

“No need to delve too deeply, just knowing it’s there is enough. …What you’ve encountered are likely fragments of an evil god. During the final strike of the war, the evil god seems to have been injured as well. Those fragments are probably sealed within the abyss along with us.”

Not only Pupu but Farkonia also sensed the aura of the evil god on the girl, indicating that both had absorbed these fragments.

“Is there a problem?”

“Problem… not really…”

“?”

“You’ve fully integrated the power of the fragments into yourselves. There’s no trace of the evil god’s malice, so there’s no real issue.”

“Then why did you…”

“I was simply startled. I detected the evil god’s aura on this… little thing and thought it might be a fragment. But since it—and you—harbour no malice, I can relax.”

Farkonia gently picked up Pupu. Initially, Pupu struggled but soon resigned.

“I didn’t expect you to eliminate the threat of the evil god’s fragments. As a resident of the abyss, I must extend my gratitude.”