Message of the Dragons - Dark

【Beginning】

Middle-aged Scholar: ...Concluding from the evidence,

Middle-aged Scholar: there were at least two kinds of Primordial Dragons -

Middle-aged Scholar: those which were created by Gods,

Middle-aged Scholar: and those which had existed since the beginning of the world.

Novalis and his cousin gave the speaker a big hand, but only a few of the audience members joined them. The speaker bowed to his audience and he expressionlessly walked off the pulpit. Novalis and his cousin came up to meet him. The man tapped Novalis’ head.

Sophie: There must be someone who understands.

Middle-aged Scholar: After all, people’s mindset is usually closed. You can’t force them open...

Middle-aged Scholar: Let’s not talk about this and go to the exhibition, shall we?

Middle-aged Scholar: We can see the rare stone plate of Faugn this time—

Actually, Novalis and his cousin were not interested in those ancient stuff, but Novalis liked his uncle and his cousin loved her father. They smiled and left the plaza with the man. Novalis asked his cousin a question in secret.

Little Novalis: What is Faugn?

Sophie: They say it’s a dragon in the past...

【Before Battles】

Little Novalis: What is this place?

Little Novalis: Ain’t I visiting the exhibition of the ruin?

???: My son, you have read out the runes on the stone tablet,

???: and triggered the spell on it...

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: Runes? Spell? What are you talking about?

【Enemy Dialog】

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: This... I could understand it——

???: That’s right, son! The ancient power is in your blood!

【End】
When Novalis was small, his parents were killed in a demonic assault. Since then, he had stayed in his uncle’s house and lived with his cousin. If he was not teleported by the runes to the wizards’ secret base, Novalis might become the adopted son of his uncle and live an ordinary life.

Wizard: ——But you are talented!

Wizard: My son, you will become our envoy.

Wizard: You will relay our wills to the Primordial Dragons!

Primordial Dragons possessed the power that rivaled Gods—Because of his uncle’s words and uncomprehended but attractive terminologies. Novalis was caused to make a decision which he would live regretfully with for the rest of his life. He obliged and followed his instructions to go to the wall at night, where he was teleported away by the magic circle of the wizards....

【Beginning】
All Dark Dragon Spiritors knew that it was the voice of the Dark Ethereal Dragon calling out to them. In every dream, regardless of whether the children remembered, the feeling of oppression and loneliness had an impact on their growth.
Novalis stood out from other spiritors. While everyone was practicing the power of the Primordial Dragon outside the house, he was reading the verses which the believers wrote for Faugn. Amidst the sounds of the slaughter wrought by the dragon’s power, Novalis recited the prayer:

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: Life is the beginning of death, which terminates at destruction.

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: Therefore, death is the end and the start——

Wizard: Novalis, have you finished your assignment today?

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: My teacher, aren’t we the envoy of people

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: who are going to save everyone using the power of the Primordial Dragon?

Wizard: My son, we are the envoy of Faugn, and we act according to its will.

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: But why are the believers praising death in the book?

Dragon Spiritor - Dark: Does Faugn desire our death?

Wizard: Faugn hopes for our rebirth.

The wizard took away the book in Novalis’ hand and pushed him outside the house. His companions were standing around a piece of crystal and trying to grab the elements within it using the power of dragons. Novalis could not feel anything from the crystal. He stood still next to his companions. The wizard shook his head as he saw this and he left when his colleagues called out for him.
Taking the chance, Novalis returned to the house and breathed relaxedly. Novalis did not like staying alone in particular. It was just that whenever his companions let out their power, the power of dragon within them would blossom like flowers, which attracted his eyes in a ghastly way...
Novalis drew out a book randomly from the bookshelf in hope that the book could calm him down. However, he could hear from his heart a hoarse voice reading out the sentences——

???: ‘I will never understand Gods, as we are going beyond our consciousness——’

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘And merge ourselves in the power of horror!’

【Before Battles】

Berserk Dragon Spiritor: I am the spokesperson of Faugn!

【Enemy Dialog】

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘Yes! That’s right! Take their power!’

【End】
Since the moment he took advantage of the chaos and left the wizards, Novalis had been looking for Faugn alone. He had become a wanderer who left behind his past in a distant moment of time. When Novalis returned to his hometown, everything had changed. There was only Faugn’s voice harassing here... In order to free himself from it, he was looking for the footprints of Faugn.
However, the stronger the power of the dragon, the greater the desire for power. Novalis was gradually controlled by the power and began a journey in hunt for power. He sometimes joined the mercenaries, and sometimes looked for power in remote places... but he found himself fallen into a cycle unconsciously and inadvertently discovered the trace of the wizards, who were still conducting the same experiment, turning some innocent people into something like him. Filled with anger, Novalis decided to go to their camp and destroy everything related to the Ethereal Dragons ——

【Beginning】
It was not until Novalis had seen that face did he regret his actions.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: Stop! They’re not fighting back!

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Sophie?

Novalis stopped and he fell into his memories.
Novalis had almost forgotten his past, but when he saw the face which looked like someone he used to know, various emotions rushed into his heart. It was like he had just remembered he once had a previous life. The past induced nostalgia, but he had not missed it that much before... Novalis couldn’t help himself but stretched out his hands to grab hers.

Barbara the Dragon Maiden: Ursula! Get away from that monster!

In a panic, the maiden’s right hand was grasped by Novalis. His dragon claw shrank and turned back into a human palm. His bloody fingers hooked on her hand. Novalis thought the hand would be as warm as it was, but he could only feel coldness from her palm.

Agatha the Dragon Maiden: Run! The wizards are coming!

【Before Battles】

Heretics: The offsprings of Ethereal Dragons!

Heretics: Are you running away from your responsibilities?

Novalis the Dragon Follower: It’s all your fault... If I had never met you... If you had never existed!

【End】
When Novalis finally came to himself, he somehow realized the maiden was not Sofie. Sofie was dead; Novalis was still lying in the arms of the strange maiden. He was too tired to wake up. The maiden lowered her head. Nose sniffling, she gazed into Novalis with her reddened eyes.

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Ursula... That’s what they call you.

The two was hiding in a cave, though not because they wanted to hide from the wizards who were after them. According to Novalis’s vague memory, he had killed a lot of wizards using the power of Dracospirits. They should be unable to strike back. Maybe the reason why they were hiding in the cave was that they were too strong, and their strong power may hurt others.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: Where are you from? Where is your home?

Novalis the Dragon Follower: I——

——have no home. Novalis was about to answer, but he stopped as he felt the pain caused by the scabs on his face. He rose with an effort and touched his face with his exhausted hands. To his surprise, the scabs were actually hard dragon scales. The power of the Dragon was deep-rooted in his body, and it had once wanted to conquer his mind——

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Ursula, it’s you who pulled me back.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: I am asking you, where is your home?

The maiden’s question was enveloped with a tinge of anger, but as she spoke, she started crying.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: Even though the wizards are bad, and even though that was a prison cell,

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: you can’t just destroy everything, and ——

Novalis the Dragon Follower: I’m sorry.

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Your companions probably wouldn’t have gone mad if I wasn’t here...

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘Because they were all weak. They were all my food!’

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Shut up! Sorry—I didn’t mean to...I...am just a wanderer.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: I understand. That should be the voice of the Ethereal Dragon, right?

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: Let me teach you the way to listen to these voices,

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: and you teach me the way to wander, okay?

Novalis forced a smile on his face as he accepted her request. Actually Novalis was willing to do anything just to let Ursula stay. He wished so badly that he could get away from everything related to the Ethereal Dragons and journey with her to somewhere peaceful.
Since then, he had been striving for his goal. When Novalis thought he was finally free from the voice of the dragon, Faugn broke his dreams by waking him up with the reality.——

【Beginning】

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘I have told you, she would leave you one day!’

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Why...

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘Because she doesn’t belong to you, what you have is only your power!’

Novalis had just left Dagon’s nest. He entered the realm of the deep ones just because he wanted to search for Ursula, but she was not there, and Novalis was driven off by the powerful Dagon. Depressed, he walked forward aimlessly, and a forgotten voice echoed in his heart——

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘Take away the observer’s power!’

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ’Those arrogant aliens think they are a cut above the others.’

Faugn, the Horror in the Hills: ‘Show them the mightiness of Faugn!’

Novalis the Dragon Follower: That’s right. They were just aliens...

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Ursula won’t be sad for this...

【Before Battles】

Mi-Go the Alien Guard: ‘The fellow, of Faugn, you, are, corroded.’

【Enemy Dialog】

Mi-Go the Alien Guard: ‘Remember, the true meaning, of death.’

Mi-Go the Alien Guard: ‘To kill, is not, for to extinct.’

【End】
The power of the aliens had calmed Novalis down. He was suddenly regretful as he realized he had done something that would make Ursula sad. The power that Dagon left in his body was activated by the light of the aliens, which made Novalis think of the past. He recalled the words of Ursula, and the prayer book of the heretics.

Novalis the Dragon Follower: I did understand it well...

Novalis the Dragon Follower: ‘Death is not only the end, but also the beginning.’

The corpses of the aliens were radiated with illumination. Surrounded by a dazzling purplish light, Novalis remembered the world that he had experienced under the power of the Constructor of Void and of Dagon. Everything did not grow around him, and the meaning of “extinction” was not just to clear everything, but to create the perfect canvas.

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: ‘That is not only the roar of the Ethereal Dragons, but also my voice.’

Novalis the Dragon Follower: I am sorry, Ursula. I have misunderstood you.

Novalis the Dragon Follower: It is just that I am escaping from the voice,

Novalis the Dragon Follower: and think that killing can be the solution of everything...

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: ‘The power of Dracospirits is not just a pure strength.’

Ursula the Dragon Maiden: ’It is a resonation, and also a voice.’

Novalis the Dragon Follower: Ursula, what are you doing now?