The Dragon of Dreams

Chapter 398: Learning To Live

A shorter Chapter today since this was written when I was getting smoked by Hurricane Helene

Late Afternoon - Early Summer : Nouniel Kingdom

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- Elizabeth Valia ~

-'Queen Elizabeth, the founder of the Nouniel Kingdom'... To think the nation I founded still exists almost eight thousand years later...- Looking down at the image of what was once me painted into a book, I felt a wave of blurry memories and unassociated sensations start flowing into the back of my mind. -A life led by naivety and ignorance... At least it worked out for everyone else...- *Snap*

Closing the book and placing it back on the shelf, I made my way out of the library, setting a silver coin on the receptionist's desk as I covered my head with a leather hood. *Fwip*

"Thank you for your patronage, miss!" Eagerly swiping the coin off the desk, the young demihuman receptionist bowed with a wide smile.

Waving at her over my shoulder, I pushed the large door open and made my way out onto a porch shielded from the intense winds ripping down the sand-covered street, carrying with it an ocean mist and the scent of fish from the port, where the ship I was set to board was sitting.

"Haah..." -The winds here are really ridiculous...- Finally putting on a black mask, I made my way out onto the road and started heading to the port.

Currently, I was in the Nouniel Kingdom, a very small kingdom situated on an island south of the Kingdom of Deacia in the Shallow Sea.

Up until that point, I had simply been following the visions of fragmented memories, guiding me all the way from the peak of the mountains in the Holy Kingdom, through Faelith, and across the Shallow Sea to recover the memories of the lives I once lived.

As things were, I was about to head to the mainland of the Main Continent after retrieving the mementos of my life as Elizabeth Nouniel, a pirate turned queen with the help of my friends who I could only now, eight thousand years later, recognize were dragons. -Evan Palaiós... With a last name like that, you'd think I would have realized earlier...-

Scoffing at my previous ignorance, I took a moment to bask in the nostalgia of the city before eventually making my way onto a massive galleon, showing a royal seal to the crew, and making my way into the suite next to the captain's room.

*Clack* Closing the door behind me, I took off my damp, sand-covered cloak before setting down my bag and pulling out a book with a quill.

It was my diary. Just as I had done in my countless past lives, I wanted to put everything I felt in writing.. it helped me organize my thoughts and feelings, and ease the endlessly clashing emotions in the back of my mind.

It was what kept me grounded, and kept me sane.

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But as time passed, I found my troubled heart relaxing more and more even if I never picked up my quill. My shaky hands steadied, my fears faded, and I felt at ease even when I read the panicked words of my past selves sinking into despair after finding out the truth of my existence.

But rather than having just grown used to it, or grown comfortable with my fate, I had steeled my determination to change it.

Even if that meant I had to reach for the hand of an unknown god.

*Tap* Setting down my quill, I looked up at the ceiling and let my memories of the thunderbird's nest replay in my mind.

As someone who was once a believer and messenger of God, I was hesitant, but as someone whose fate had lost its guide, I was determined. -At the end of every diary I've found.. I asked God why.- I believed that in every reincarnation, I had a purpose that God wished for me to fulfill. -But the more I give it thought the more it seems like my prayers can no longer reach him...- Even after dozens of reincarnations, nothing ever changed.

Until now... Until I met a god who knew of my origin and offered to give me answers to the endless questions that haunted my existence at the cost of taking hold of my soul and my fate.

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But while I was hesitant at first, with every new set of memories I regained, that hesitancy faded, replaced by the light of a new faith.

For the first time ever, I wasn't stuck. I had the ability to break the cycle, figure out the truth behind my existence, and deepen my understanding of the world and its gods.

It was just a matter of time.

*Tap* Setting down my quill and getting up from the desk, I walked to the back of the room and looked out the window, over the endless sea.

It was a sight that surfaced endless memories, but while I relived countless moments from the thousands of years I had lived, I smiled.

While my mind aged with every memory, my body remained young. For the first time in my existence.. I could step beyond the veil of naivety without death grabbing me by the ankle.

For the first time in my existence, I could live a life without being shielded by ignorance.

And while I was anxious about what I would discover, I was eager to live it.

I was going to make this life one where I could truly live.

One where, on my deathbed, I could feel content with the things I had done...

...A life where I was no longer burdened by the weight of endless regret.

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Mid Evening - Early Winter : In the skies of Valtivar | Siratha

- Vasilias Ragnarok ~

"Okay, now, you need to ignite it, but be very careful to control the ignition area-"

*Crackle-FWOOOOSH* Instantly disappearing from in front of me with a cloud of mist, I watched as Father went tumbling through the sky, launched via his first attempt at thruster magic. -It wasn't that bad though...-

Quickly flying over to him, I dissipated his magic to get him to stop spinning before using my aura to steady him up. "You alright?"

Dizzily nodding, he slowly straightened himself up. "How in the world did you control this when you were young?"

"Haha, it's not that bad. You just need to make sure everything is symmetrical, the ignition area specifically." -I'm surprised he could even maintain the pressure for it to properly provide thrust...-

Slowly shaking off his dizziness, his movements started returning to normal and his gaze steadied once again. "So that's what you meant..."

"Yeah, if you need another example, or need me to explain anything again, just ask." It had been less than a day since he woke up at that point, yet he had already nearly completely recovered mentally.

But while it was what Mother and I were waiting for in order to get him up to speed on everything he missed, we both agreed it would be better if he did something fun before his responsibilities for their way back to him.

So, I was going to take him up to repair the satellites, and let his curiosity run wild, but, unfortunately, that required far more prep than I thought.

"I think I understand..." The biggest thing was teaching him thruster magic. *Crackle-FWOOOOSH* But thankfully, although it took a few hours, he did eventually get the hang of it.

Watching him go tumbling through the air again, this time in a much more controlled manner, I smiled somewhat pridefully. -He was a quick learner before too, but.. I think he's gotten even faster...-

As he slowly steadied himself with the thruster magic, he wobbled trying to find a perfect balance before eventually realizing he could just relax his legs and tail to let them do the balancing for him.

It was a simple thing, but it made him smile like a child.

*RRRRRUMBLE* "Haha! I did it!" Looking toward me with a childish gleam in his eyes, I felt a tightness in my chest ease, and the lingering guilt of tampering with his soul fade.

He was truly himself again, and like Mother had told me behind his back, he seemed to have regained his youth. His younger, more prideful self that had been squashed by responsibility over the years had regained its former glory, leaving the man Mother fell in love with the thrive once more.

But while it was truly a wonderful sight to see Father so prideful again, it also brought with it its own set of challenges.

Challenges that he would set upon Mother and me without warning.

"So, what if I used this thruster magic to throw the cubane artifacts I made before? Like a giant explosive cannonball." Looking down at the sphere of hydrogen floating in front of him with a gleam in his eye, he turned to me.

But I could only sigh. "Just focus on learning to fly with it for now, Dad." -His ideas are.. a little concerning sometimes...-

And little did I know, they would only get crazier.

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