Chapter 530 - 530: Divine Energy

Silva tapped the wristband.

A screen popped up in front of him, floating in the air, holographic and pale blue. It showed his details, line by line.

[Name: Silva Terron]

[Race: Dragon]

He stared at the second line. It did not say Dark Dragon, and it said nothing about his human half. It only said Dragon, as if his true race was hidden behind his own body.

He did not mind. If anything, he was happy that his real race had not been exposed.

Beside him, Ophelia let out a quiet sigh of relief when she saw it too.

He kept reading.

[Clearance: Level 1]

[Role: Trial Master]

'Trial Master. That's what the system calls me.'

He swiped the screen, and a long list unfolded. There were dungeons, towers, and monsters of every type. There were beings of different strengths and different logics, and a hundred other things he could use to build a trial. He scrolled down and down, and the list did not end.

And this was only level one.

It was the lowest clearance he could have, and it was already more than he had ever worked with. He could not stop wondering what someone with higher clearance could do.

He lifted his eyes to the god.

"How does the divine energy come into the world?" he asked.

"Check your inventory."

Silva opened it. In the inventory, one item sat alone at the top.

[Divibe Star]

He tapped it, and a short description unfolded beneath it.

[When the holder pours divine energy into this artifact, it will activate and begin the process.]

"That is the key," the god said. "When you activate it, you will be bringing a new state to your world. It is a massive change, a terraforming on many levels."

He looked down at Silva, and his voice grew firmer.

"Even basic monsters will gain unimaginable strength from the divine energy. Some of them may even grow stronger than your races. Do not be close-minded about this. Creatures that were insects before could rise to become your next warriors."

"So everyone takes part," Silva said.

"Everyone. Down to the lowest monster. The trial does not choose by race."

Silva closed his hand, and the star appeared in his palm.

It was a black star with golden edges, about the size of his fist, and it was surprisingly heavy. A small hollow sat at the top where something was meant to be placed. He understood at once. That was where the divine energy went.

He turned it slowly in the light of the red sun.

When he looked up, the god was watching him. His eyes were bright, and his hands were folded in front of him, as if he was waiting for Silva to start right now.

"I'm not starting yet," Silva said.

The god's smile faded.

"I have to make arrangements first. Preparations. If I just pour my energy in and let it go, my world won't be ready for it."

"No," the god said, shaking his head. "I have been asked to confirm the beginning of the trials before I leave."

"I'm not saying I won't do it. I'm saying I need time."

"You have two days."

The words fell flat and heavy.

"Two days to think. Two days to set what you want to do. Then you begin." The god's eyes hardened. "And if the two days pass and you have not started, your home will be destroyed."

Ophelia stepped forward.

Her voice was low and sharp, and there was heat in it.

"You have been threatening my world for a long time now," she said. "And now you threaten his. Do you really want to fight?"

The god smiled at her.

It was a soft smile, and it was almost gentle. That made it worse.

"I know your strength, Ophelia," he said. "And I know how clever you are. So I am sure you understand that I would not be alone, if it came to that. There would be others to hold you back, while the deed is carried out."

"Is that a threat?"

"It is a fact." He tilted his head. "So nothing reckless, please."

Ophelia stayed where she was for a long time. Her fists were clenched, and Silva could see her trembling. Her eyes flicked once to the red sun and then back to the god. Slowly, she backed away.

She turned to Silva.

"I'm leaving everything in your hands," she said quietly.

"I know."

"Don't do anything that you can't walk back from."

"I won't."

She looked at him for a few seconds, and then she looked back at the god.

"Let's go."

The god nodded and turned to Silva.

"I will take Ophelia back to the capital of the Empire," he said. "Once she arrives, I will return. I will be back before the two days are up, so that I can watch you begin the process."

He turned away.

The two of them floated up into the sky, side by side, with Ophelia a step behind. She looked back at Silva one last time, and then she faced forward and did not look again.

They flew toward the red sun.

They passed into it, and the glow swallowed them. The circle shimmered for a moment, and then it blinked out. The black veil peeled back across the sky, and the clouds returned. Color flooded back into the world, and the wind started blowing again.

Silva was left floating alone in the open air, with the star in his hand.

It sat there, quiet and heavy. It did not look dangerous. It looked like a piece of jewelry, black and gold. But he knew what it was.

It was the beginning of something catastrophic for his home.

He closed his hand around it and took a long, deep breath. He thought of Drake and Lily, of Elsa, of Dawn, and of everyone else on Argon who did not even know what was about to happen.

'Two days.'

He turned his wings and dove through the clouds, heading home to make his plans.