📖 Dragon Remains Chronicle

Ripple said, "Tomorrow is the Birth Day." I asked her, "Whose Birth Day is it? Is it that of the young coral newly sprouted beside the Immortal Isle? Or the newborn pearl shed by the Shell Maiden, whose eyes were veiled by sea sand just yesterday?" Ripple is the Grand Shaman of our Dragon Clan, able to command all things, knowing both past and present. Ripple said, "Both coral and pearl come forth because of the Birth Day." She caressed the green algae, and it turned into the dragon's hair; she touched the nacre, and it became the dragon's scale; she stroked the coral, and it blossomed into the dragon's horn. With a wave of her hand, foam arose like a vision, and amidst the sea waves, the form of the former Crown Prince appeared. She told the tale The Crown Prince of the Dragon Clan and the Dragon Maiden fought to protect all living beings, resisting the sea's flood, traversing the will of the heavens, and altering the laws of cause and effect. For this, they faced divine retribution, bore the wrath of thunder, and perished beneath the Submerging Sea. Thanks to them, the vast ocean found peace at last. The prince's bones became a forest, his body turned to sand, his eyes to whirlpools, and his heart to tides. This is the Birth Day of the Immortal Isle, born from the dragon's remains. "I understand now!" I told Ripple, "The Immortal Isle rose from the remains of the former Crown Prince. So the Birth Day marks both the Isle's birth and the memorial of the prince." Ripple said, "Though you are young, born and raised upon the Immortal Isle, and have never met the Crown Prince nor the Dragon Maiden, you must not forget his sacrifice. You must inherit his will." Ripple lowered her head. Her long hair flowed like sea ripples, just as her name. Her soft murmurs lingered, and from that day on, I have borne that ballad in mind "Dim and dark was the day. Eastern Sea surged in fierce array. The dragon rose to shield the land. He fell, and formed the Isle so grand." Every year, on the Birth Day, the ballad echoes without end, spreading from the Immortal Isle to the waters above, to the lands blessed by the former Crown Prince's protection. He once said the people there are brave and kind. I wonder do they grow horns? Ripple smiled gently.

Over a single night, the sea receded completely. The Immortal Isle, long hidden, rose above the sea surface something unseen for centuries. The wind raged, waves surged, and dark clouds shrouded the Eastern Sea, bringing torrential rain. Ripple said, "Last night, heaven and earth shifted, and all things moved as though in a game of Go. Yet with a single turn, it seemed as if nothing had changed. All of this appeared to be born from countless illusions. The Immortal Isle, caught in this upheaval, rose above the sea." I gazed afar the world once softened by sea waves now revealed its sharp edges. In the distance, thunder cleaved the mountain peaks; great boulders tumbled into the sea, stirring up towering, murky waves. Yet near the Immortal Isle, the wind and waves stilled. I asked Ripple, "With such upheaval in heaven and earth, why does the sea remain calm near the Immortal Isle?" Ripple replied, "The power within the Dragon's remains is extraordinary. Using it, I can steady this anomaly with effort, shielding the Immortal Isle from harm." I said, "If it is but an illusion, how could it rival the might of the Dragon Clan's Grand Shaman?" Ripple answered not, stepping onto the sea to investigate the anomaly. Though the Immortal Isle stood untouched by the Heaven's Game, scarce half a day had it risen above the sea when an outsider arrived! Though he appeared human, he exuded a cold, dignified presence. I asked the outsider if he had come seeking refuge from the anomaly. He gave no reply but only scanned the surroundings. Suddenly, waves rose, sand blew, and the distant tides roared toward us. In a daze, I seemed to glimpse the Dragon bones slumbering beneath the Immortal Isle. The outsider said, "Interesting." As I stood stunned, he had vanished into the white foam, parting the sea as Ripple did. The waves he left behind remained unsettled for a long time, capable of shaking off dragon scales. When Ripple heard this, her brow furrowed. Dragons are born with the gift to foresee the coming of storms. She said, "The aura of the Illusion of Heaven's Game has hidden itself within the Immortal Isle. It harbors hidden malice." Then she took the copper born of the Crown Prince's bones and transformed it into a shield and weapon, placing them in my hands. She whispered a warning, and in her voice the old ballad stirred "The sun and moon fell out of line. Heaven and earth changed their face. The world trembled on the edge of ruin, yet the Isle remained firm in place. The Dragon's remains endured in the storm, its great power unfurled. I sigh, a warning in my breath: trust not all from the outer world."

The Immortal Isle emerged from the sea, only to be visited by an outsider who sought to claim its power for his own. Ripple and our clan, of course, refused! He bore a heart steeped in wickedness and wielded power that reached the heavens. Though clad in mortal flesh, he could grind dragon scales to dust. Wherever he passed, only ruins remained. We resisted with all our might, yet the Immortal Isle continued to fall. He looked down upon our clan, cold and ruthless, bereft of all humanity. All the warriors of my clan had perished in battle! The dragon's heart still harbors a thousand grudges, endless hatred smoldering within, yet the dragon's strength can no longer summon the storm or wield the blade. Never had I seen Ripple so. She began to chant a dirge, even as she neared her final breath. Blood streamed from her eyes as her voice grew hoarse from chanting without pause day and night, while furious waves would at times crash upon this dead land. I closed my eyes, listening to the lamentation sung for me "Shells for shields and coral blades, the horn of conch echoes through mists and shades. The Immortal Isle lies desolate, as new bones fall upon old remains. What worth is the wrath? It guards no gate. What worth is the grief? It soothes no pains. How shall this hatred be unmade? Only when my foe lies cold and slain!" ... The Immortal Isle is no more, and the Dragon Clan is wholly destroyed. Ripple is consumed by grief and driven mad by rage. The end draws near for her, and for me. No waves stir the sea now; its waters are stagnant and foul. The Grand Shaman's power has faded, leaving the Immortal Isle unguarded and shattered. Some of it sank into the abyss with the dragon's bones, while the rest was seized by the invader and carried into the sky. At the sea's deepest depths, scarce a glimmer remains yet why is the sky above just as dark?

"The Immortal Isle lies dark and torn. Its clan perished in grief; only sorrow was found. The mighty spirit finds no comfort. Thus, for long it wanders, adrift upon a mournful song. Where shall I seek the Isle once strong? Where shall I find my kin to whom I belong?" ... In the Evernight, the former Grand Shaman of the Dragon Clan lingers as a restless spirit, her obsession unfulfilled. Within the silent void, she softly chants the melodies of the past, yet their words are scattered, their meaning lost, and the memories faded. Only the shadow of battle lingers before her eyes. In ignorance, only one thing remains engraved upon her heart All who trespass here, no matter whence and why they come, must be slain!