The World Is Mine For The Taking

Chapter 1497: Chapter 212 - Lucielle Of Pride (6)

"W-Why?" I asked, staring at her. My voice felt strangely small the moment it left my mouth. "Why do you plan on destroying this world, Mother?"

For a few moments, she didn’t answer.

She simply stood there, calm and unmoving, as though the question itself carried no weight at all. Yet somehow, that silence felt heavier than any answer she could have given me.

Then she finally spoke.

"Because, my child, to destroy it is the only way to save it."

I blinked.

For a second, I genuinely wondered if I had misheard her.

"S-Save it?" I repeated.

The words sounded ridiculous when spoken aloud.

Destroying something to save it?

That wasn’t exactly the sort of logic most people would accept without asking a few questions.

Mother slowly turned her gaze toward me.

Her crimson eyes seemed distant, almost as if she were looking far beyond me, beyond this castle, and beyond this world itself.

"I have told thee a story before, have I not?" she asked softly. "The tale of mine origin."

I nodded.

She continued.

"And much of it hath already been inscribed upon those walls. By now, thou hast likely learned more than enough to understand the broad shape of it. Yet even so, allow me to speak of it once more. There are truths that are best heard directly rather than read from stone."

I remained silent.

There wasn’t much else I could do.

Mother slowly closed her eyes.

"I am a Great One."

Then she paused.

"And yet, I am not truly a Great One."

I frowned.

The statement immediately confused me.

At first glance, it sounded completely contradictory.

Either she was one or she wasn’t.

There shouldn’t have been anything in between.

Yet after thinking about it for a moment, I slowly began to understand what she meant.

Mother opened her eyes again.

"Within this world, and within many others, I am regarded as something great. A being beyond mortal comprehension. A creator. A god."

Her voice remained calm.

"Yet beyond these realms, beyond the worlds known unto thee, I am far less remarkable than thou might imagine."

A faint smile appeared on her face.

"To some, I would appear mighty. To others, I would appear insignificant. In truth, thou mayest even call me the weakest among the Dragons that traverse the vastness of the universe."

That wasn’t new information.

She had told me something similar before.

Even then, it was difficult to wrap my head around.

The fact that someone as absurdly powerful as Mother considered herself weak was honestly terrifying.

It was the sort of thing that made a person wonder just how ridiculous the stronger beings must be.

Probably the kind of creatures that could accidentally destroy continents while sneezing.

Although considering what I had learned about Great Ones, that might not even be an exaggeration.

"Those are the beings known as the Great Ones," Mother continued.

Her expression became more solemn.

"But there existeth one greater still."

I already knew what name would come next.

I had seen it countless times within the writings carved into the cave.

Even so, hearing her speak it felt different.

"The Creator."

Her voice grew quieter.

"The Birth of All Things."

Then she looked directly into my eyes.

"Our Mother."

The castle fell silent.

Even though I already knew of the Creator, hearing Mother refer to that being with such reverence made the title feel far more real.

The Creator.

The existence that had brought forth Mother and the other Great Ones.

The being responsible for everything.

"We Dragons were given a purpose," Mother said. "A duty bestowed upon us by Our Mother."

She slowly raised one hand.

"To create."

I listened carefully.

"Worlds."

Her fingers curled slightly.

"Universes."

Then she lowered her hand.

"Realms wherein life may flourish."

The words flowed naturally from her lips, as though she had repeated them countless times throughout the ages.

"We shape the foundations of existence. We create lands, seas, skies, stars, and all things necessary for life. We guide those worlds toward prosperity and ensure that life may take root within them."

Her crimson eyes softened slightly.

"Once that life hath begun to flourish, we allow it to grow by its own will. Civilizations rise. Kingdoms are born. Countless lives are lived. Countless stories unfold."

For a brief moment, she almost sounded proud.

"As Our Mother desired."

Then her expression changed.

Only slightly.

But enough for me to notice.

"Yet creation alone is not the entirety of our purpose."

I remained silent.

Something about her tone made me nervous.

"The worlds we create serve another purpose."

She paused.

"They sustain Our Mother."

I froze.

Mother continued before I could respond.

"Their existence nourisheth Her. Their growth strengtheneth Her. Through them, Her life is prolonged."

Her gaze drifted upward.

"Through them, She endureth."

The idea was difficult to comprehend.

A being as vast as the Creation requiring sustenance at all seemed impossible.

Yet if Mother was saying it, then it had to be true.

"Time floweth differently beyond these worlds," she continued.

Her voice echoed softly.

"Though thousands upon thousands of years have passed since I created this realm, unto Our Mother, scarcely a minute may have elapsed."

Every time she talked about the scale of existence outside this world, my brain felt like it wanted to resign from its job.

It was simply too large and too absurd.

Too impossible to properly imagine.

Mother seemed to notice my expression.

A faint smile crossed her face.

Fortunately, she didn’t seem interested in testing my sanity any further.

"The sustenance Our Mother requireth is gathered from the essence produced by these worlds," she explained. "Therefore, we must ensure they thrive."

Then her smile disappeared.

"But eventually, every world reacheth its appointed end."

A chill ran down my spine.

"When that time arriveth," she said quietly, "the world must be harvested."

The word felt unsettling.

Harvested.

Not destroyed.

Not ended.

Harvested.

Like fruit.

Like crops.

Like something that had been grown for a purpose.

"And once it hath fully ripened..."

She closed her eyes.

"It must be destroyed."

"I-I see..." I muttered.

At least now I understood.

Or perhaps understood was the wrong word.

Accepted might have been more accurate.

Mother wasn’t trying to destroy the world out of cruelty.

She wasn’t doing it because she hated us.

She wasn’t even doing it because she wanted to.

She was fulfilling the duty given to her.

Just as children often sought their parents’ approval, Mother was doing the same.

Even a being as ancient and powerful as her still wished to fulfill the expectations of the one who had created her.

Like us.

"S-So..." I began carefully. "You don’t have any choice, then? You have to destroy this world?"

"That is correct."

Her answer came immediately.

Yet she wasn’t finished.

"However..."

I looked up.

"I shall not do so in the manner favored by the other Dragons."

My brow furrowed.

"W-What do you mean?"

For the first time during our conversation, genuine displeasure appeared on her face.

"The others have turned it into entertainment. They gather worlds together and force them into conflict."

I stared at her.

She continued.

"They pit civilizations against civilizations. World against world. Countless lives are thrown into war solely so that destruction may arrive more dramatically. The worlds tear one another apart. Entire histories vanish beneath bloodshed. Nations collapse. Species perish."

She slowly shook her head.

"And they call it amusement. That method hath existed for ages," Mother said. "And because it still fulfillleth the purpose of nourishing Our Mother, few object to it."

Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

"But I find their methods excessive."

There was a firmness in her voice that left no room for debate.

"They have forgotten moderation."

I swallowed.

Mother looked directly at me.

"I have no desire to subject this world unto such horrors."

Then she spoke clearly.

So that every word would be understood.

"I shall destroy this world."

My heart tightened.

"But I shall do so without casting it into wars against other worlds."

Her gaze never left mine.

"I shall bring about its end without forcing it to endure that suffering."