Dragon in Marvel

Observation Log by Spark DraconisfiliaSystem Building - Entry ABDJ#19866

Earth-199999, ~78,500 BE (Before Emergence)

Year 223,135 of the Fulgebunt Draconis Imperium (Earth-199999)

The following is a brief examination of my ongoing study on the influence of sexual deviancy on the progress of mortalkind.

Mortals are fundamentally driven by their basic needs and impulses.

The first need makes itself known as soon as a mortal emerges from their mother's womb: the need to breathe.

The second is fulfilled when the newborn is cradled in a caregiver's protective arms, satisfying the need for shelter.

The third—sometimes preceding the second—is met through suckling, providing sustenance. This satisfies the need for food. The fourth need, water, is also addressed in this act.

The fifth asserts itself forcefully: the need for sleep.

The sixth need, like the second, demands protection from the environment—this is the need for clothing.

With just these needs fulfilled, a mortal can survive to the end of their natural lifespan, assuming no external harm comes into play.

Note that emotional and psychological well-being are excluded from this equation; happiness is secondary in the face of survival.

However, mortals are not so simple. Curiosity is innate to them, yet it is not a survival need. Parental drive is hardwired into their DNA, but it serves the species rather than the individual. And then there is sexual drive—the focus of this study.

Like curiosity and parental instincts, sexual drive promotes the survival of the species, not the individual. It is a fact that a child is a burden to survival, much like how curiosity can lead to either great prosperity or untimely demise.

At first glance, sexual drive seems to serve no purpose beyond self-gratification. Logic would dictate as much.

Yet, the pursuit of orgasmic relief has found its way into the core of mortal existence.

Mortals hunt beyond necessity to provide for their group (or harem). They strive harder in life to impress and win over members of the opposite sex.

Lust, second only to survival, propels natural selection and evolution. It provides that extra spark of motivation that makes mortals shine, whether consciously or subconsciously.

Proving this hypothesis, however, has been challenging. Though evidence abounds, no single example has been as impactful or well-documented as to grant definitive credibility.

If none existed, then I resolved to create one myself.

Enter Kav'Juhus: the unwitting Volunteer A in this social experiment.

I first noticed Kav'Juhus in his youth, his lustful gaze fixed on the older females of his tribe.

Such unchecked lust often leads to destructive outcomes, typically manifesting in sexual aggression, which would jeopardize the experiment. Thus, his behavior required correction.

With the assistance of Seraph Draconisfilia, we began influencing his dreams. Each night, we drew him to the Astral Plane, subtly shaping him into a figure capable of channeling his lust constructively.

Curiosity, self-restraint, discipline, mindfulness, social skills, patience, pride, emotional intelligence, average intelligence, eloquence, and just the right touch of psychopathy—these were the qualities we determined he needed to win the favor of Volunteer B.

Yelena Draconisfilia, or Volunteer B, had been sexually frustrated for an epoch, her passion solely devoted to one objective: agriculture.

The hypothesis was simple: if Volunteer B could be impressed by Volunteer A's achievements, her lustful needs would eventually overtake her.

This required delicate handling. We could not intervene directly in Kav'Juhus's accomplishments beyond providing the foundational support he needed to succeed.

The probability of success was negligible, even with our subtle assistance.

Yet, Kav'Juhus delivered.

Leaving the Imperium, he ventured into the Andes, seeking a plant he believed would impress the Goddess of Lust and Ice. Alone, he braved a world rife with megafauna and glacial climates, facing death countless times.

Over a decade later, half-mad from isolation, Kav'Juhus returned victorious.

By our Creator, we swear, we did not interfere in his journey. Against all odds Seraph and I could calculate, Volunteer A triumphed.

Driven by lust—his desire to bed the Goddess of Lust and Ice—he ventured into the wilds of a glacial era, defying logic and probability.

If this does not irrefutably prove my theory, I doubt a better example will ever present itself in reality.

A detailed account of the recorded events, both before and after Yelena's and Kav'Juhus union, are left attached to this entry. My research won't stop here, but due to the exceptional nature of Kav'Juhus the experiment lacks replicativity, but not veracity. 

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...  

/ End of Entry #ABDJ#19866 /

_____________________________

"My love, how long do you think this Iron Age will last for them?"- Death asked.

She was in her humanoid form, while Aragorn remained in his draconic shape. The two floated together in a hot spring near one of the many active volcanoes within the Imperium's territory.

The pool had been modified by Aragorn to comfortably house both of their draconic forms. Death reclined on her back atop Aragorn, her lithe body secured by his tentacled embrace, the tendrils of flesh squirming with deliberate purpose across her skin.

"Elemental sorcery will solve most of the challenges the Duskari faces. Melting points won't be a problem, handling scalding materials will be easy, and production, distribution, and development will bypass many of the expected obstacles, all thanks to the convenience of magic. Their greatest challenge will be research and improvement."- Aragorn explained.

"Magic's convenience will appear to them as the ultimate solution, which, ironically, will become their greatest obstacle. Historically, the Iron Age lasted 1,500 to 2,000 years, depending on the region. For the Duskari, I believe it will take at least twice as long—assuming we do interfere."

"Will we interfere?"- Death asked curiously.

"There's no need, but there's also no reason not to. They can last however long they last."- Aragorn replied with indifference. Two or four millennia were trivial in his eyes.

"Uhmmmm..."- Death hummed thoughtfully.

"Yes?"- Aragorn prompted, a tendril lazily curling along the inner sides of her creamy thighs. One of the tendrils grew a mouth and pulled back, preparing to attack.

"Let's interfere~ahn!"- Death moaned.

"Why?"- Aragorn asked, unfazed. Among the Haloans, Death was among the least involved with mortal affairs. Her last encounter with mortals had been accidental, long before they became the Duskari.

"That volcano will erupt soon."- Death began, regaining her composure.

"And you said we'll plant the North Scale and South Scale soon. If my senses are correct, a lot of death is coming. It might be better to give them a nudge so they don't lose momentum during the abrupt climate changes that will follow."

"Okay, but why do you care?"- Aragorn asked.

"... I want to partially isolate the Imperium to allow the megafauna to persist beyond their original extinction date. But if we create a safe environment within our borders while the rest of the continent suffers, then the wildlife will flood into our territory. That will make life harder for the Duskari—they'll have to contend with not just the elements, as they already do, but also an influx of predators.

"If they falter, their growth will be stunted. So I think we should encourage them to push their boundaries—and maybe drop a hint or two about an upcoming calamitous era. We could also use this opportunity to strengthen their belief in our children."- Death explained, her voice steady despite the subtle tremor in her legs.

"Alright. Like I said, either option works. Let's plant the scales, then have the kids inscribe them."- Aragorn agreed, abruptly ceasing his caresses.

"I mean... it can wait a year or two, right? There's no rush—the volcano isn't erupting that soon, is it?"- Death asked, her expression twitching between irritation and unbridled desire.

"... You have a point. So, what do you suggest we do instead?"- Aragorn grinned.

"Well... Do you remember you promised to merge our souls?"- Death blushed, a decadent smile spreading across her face.

"I don't recall it being a promise, but I like the way you're thinking."- Aragorn said.

Without another word, the two returned to a familiar underground chamber.

"Give me a second to bring my soul back into this body."- Aragorn said as Death shifted into her draconic form to match him.

To those unable to perceive souls, or not sensitive enough to recognize the change, it would seem as though Aragorn had merely closed his eyes momentarily, with nothing else altered.

But to Death, Aragorn didn't even need to announce his readiness.

She pounced on him, mauling his neck. Her tailblade pierced laterally through his abdomen from the right. Her claws sank into his scaled back, and her talons gripped the flesh of his thighs.

Aragorn grinned, his draconic face exposing all his pointed fangs. His tail pierced through his back, emerged from his stomach, and impaled Death in return. His claws found purchase on her neck as he let himself fall backward, pulling her on top.

Death greedily devoured his flesh and blood. Aragorn sprouted tentacles ending in jaws that latched onto her thighs, suckling violently, as if to drain her essence through them.

Death projected emotions: :Need:, :Want:, :Desire:, :Lust:, :Bloodlust:, :Domination:, and :Submission:. Aragorn responded in kind, sharing his equally chaotic feelings: :Hunger:, :Lust:, :Desperation:, :Greed:, :Love:, and more.

She withdrew from his neck, gazing at him with as much desire as he radiated.

A smoky black substance, flecked with light resembling nascent stars, flowed out of her.

Opposite her, a bright, fluid-like substance, layered with pink, green, and golden eyes—all unblinking—stared at the smoky essence flowing from Death.

For a moment, they admired each other's manifested souls with enraptured expressions. This reverence didn't last long. Aragorn spread his limbs in invitation, and Death sprang on him again. Their souls clashed as if vying for dominance, their bodies locked in a battle for supremacy—or perhaps, something else entirely. The distinction blurred.

__________________________________

A Few Years Later...

Aragorn, in his humanoid form, worked to repair the damage done to the chamber. Naked, he bore lingering marks, though they were gradually disappearing thanks to his regenerative abilities. Death, equally naked, watched him with a mix of amusement and longing.

"I don't think we should do this often, but I definitely want a repeat."- Death said with a mix of regret and desire.

"I agree. It was... something else. But at some point, the line between us became faint."- Aragorn replied, his voice mirroring her emotions.

"It was dangerous."- Death admitted.

"Irresponsible, even."- Aragorn added.

"Bordering taboo."- Death continued.

"Damning, at least."- Aragorn concluded with a sage nod.

"..."

"..."

"Yeah, I can't wait to do it again."- Death said in a sultry tone that tested Aragorn's restraint.

"...Damn it. I'll seal the memory for a few years, or I'll succumb to temptation—and soon, addiction."- Aragorn said, his gaze momentarily vacant as he sealed the memory. When his focus returned, he acted as though nothing had happened.

"Good idea."- Death agreed, mirroring his action.

"What?"- Aragorn asked, tilting his head.

"What what?"- Death replied, ignorant just as he was.

"...Never mind. Let's set the North and South Scales. That was the original plan before... whatever happened here."- Aragorn said, realizing they had tampered with their memories.

"Oh, we sealed a memory."- Death deduced aloud.

"It appears so. I wonder what was so dangerous about coitus that we sealed it off."- Aragorn mused.

"...Yeah, now I'm curious. Can't wait for that memory to resurface."- Death said with a mischievous grin.

Aragorn finished repairing the chamber, and the two ascended to the exosphere, shifting into their draconic forms. They grew until their scales were large enough to serve as borders for the Imperium.

After tearing off a scale each—Aragorn's translucent white-blue and Death's translucent black-green—they shrank back to their normal draconic sizes. Aragorn headed north, and Death south, to plant the scales.

Placing the scales was a meticulous process, requiring consideration of wind currents, geological displacement, the Coriolis effect, water veins, tectonic plates, hydrography, terrain, and more. With telekinesis and temporal scripts as placeholders until the Haloans inscribed permanent enchantments, most challenges were mitigated.

However, care was necessary to avoid unintended consequences, such as creating rain shadow deserts like the Gobi or Atacama due to disruptions in water cycles.

Overall, it was an operation that took a few weeks for the draconic couple to complete.

'It's done, Maddy. Can you bring Kaguya and lead two teams for each wall?'- Aragorn asked through his focus-by-sight telepathy.

Madelyne was the highest authority when it came to inscription, followed closely by Kaguya. Over the past eras, the rest of the Haloans had also dedicated time to understanding and practicing this form of enchantment, but they were still far behind these two in expertise.

'Can I bring Sahara?'- Madelyne asked.

'Yandere imouto? Sure.'- Aragorn agreed succinctly.

It had been a long time since the start of their other-universe adventure, and by now, several generations had passed in Abeyance. The Uchiha, the Sand People, and many of the other clans and subclans that had once been separated had united into one: the People of Abeyance.

They were now considered their own extradimensional species, similar to demons—except not maliciously inclined in nature. Due to the time fluctuations between the soul repository and Earth, far more time had passed in Abeyance.

How long? Long enough for them to reach the space exploration era. Sunagakure had become a Galactic Empire—or at least its equivalent within Abeyance.

Their civilization had advanced so much that Madelyne, as the dimensional lord, had to implement some restructuring. She separated the souls of those transitioning from those who were semi-alive and alive, similar to how the wandering souls on Aragorn's Earth were invisible to living mortals.

Among the many changes and developments, Sahara had ascended to divinity—not by her own means, though. Aragorn had given her a core during her final years because he found it sad that her love for her sister had gone unreciprocated, as Madelyne felt no need for a partner.

To no one's surprise, Sahara had a divinity seed for Love.

Aragorn waited a moment for them to warp in. Kaguya arrived accompanied by a child who bore a remarkable resemblance to her, while Sahara perched herself on Madelyne.

Aragorn stared at the child in puzzlement.

"…You created life?"- He asked Kaguya.

As the Goddess of Chakra, which was closely related to Life Force, it was no surprise. In fact, she had created other forms of pseudo-life to populate her dimension, but those were more akin to spirits, this was the first time Aragorn had known of Kaguya creating fleshed life. 

"Yes."- she replied with a lovely smile.

"Hello, I'm Aragorn. What's your name, child?"- Aragorn knelt to the child's level.

"Hello, Mister. I'm Luci."- The boy beamed, and Kaguya placed a gentle hand on his head.

"I figured since you weren't using the nickname, I could."- Kaguya said.

"You have a beautiful name, Luci. Are you here to help your mother today?"- Aragorn asked, softly caressing the pale, chubby cheek of the child.

"Yes! I also wanted to visit this dimension. I've only ever known Aunty's Abeyance and our home."- Luci replied eagerly. He was not a shy child but a rather eloquent one.

Aragorn smiled at Luci before looking up at Kaguya.

"I'm happy for you, Kaguya. You should visit more often. My children refuse to give me any more grandkids."- Aragorn lamented, expressing his heart-wrenching sorrow.

"Yes, I'm very happy. These have been the happiest years of my life."- Kaguya said, pulling Luci closer to her hip.

Aragorn chatted with Luci for a while before the rest of the inscription crews arrived.

"Aragorn, have you thought about divine relics?"- Madelyne asked as she perched on Aragorn's shoulders, just as Sahara was perched on hers.

"What's that?"- Aragorn asked, unsure what exactly she meant by divine relics.

"A relic—or a few—that represent a deity, like Odin and his spear, Thor and his hammer, Hestia and her hearth and flame, or Zeus and his lightning."- Sahara explained.

"Why? Are you two eyeing a divine relic? I doubt there are any deities on this planet to steal from."- Aragorn replied.

"Not that. I was thinking about how we lack divine relics to represent our authorities."- Madelyne clarified, pondering why Aragorn's first thought went to theft.

"This dragon went straight to crime."- Sahara chuckled.

"Ah… I understand. But how would we go about it? Elara has Fashion and Arts; maybe those divinities could help create divine relics."- Aragorn suggested, not entirely convinced himself.

"Kaguya can create, which could work in conjunction with Fairy-chan's divinity."- Sahara added.

Aragorn grew pensive for a moment before staring at Sahara—more specifically, her soul.

"You only have one divinity. Why not try for something related to forging or weaponry? Maybe armory or arsenal, to encompass both."- Aragorn suggested.

"Won't that take too long?"- Sahara asked. While not opposed to the idea, she assumed—based on her previous experience—it would require significant time.

"No, we can introduce you as a goddess in Hell, The Ark, and here. Maybe in a few tens of thousands of years, you could succeed—possibly even less."- Aragorn reasoned, believing that by having Sahara operate across four societies, they could expedite the process.

"…Will I have to be away from Onee-chan?"- Sahara asked, her priorities evident.

"…You can just travel back and forth. Isn't the sacrifice worth it if you're the one to create her divine relic?"- Aragorn said, finding it hard to believe Sahara had spent virtually no significant time away from Madelyne since their return from the Shinobi World—despite evidence to the contrary.

"That's not a bad idea. I claim the right to have a say in Onee-chan's Divine Regalia!"- Sahara excitedly exclaimed.

"Divine Regalia?"- Madelyne asked, looking down at the cyberpunk maid outfit she was wearing.

"What's wrong with the maid attire?"- Aragorn asked.

"Nothing, Onee-chan looks ravishing in anything and nothing."- Sahara chuckled depravedly.

*Bonk!*- Madelyne restarted her with a fist to the head.

"Ouch!... and thank you."- Sahara rubbed her head with the gratitude of a lovesick pervert.

"As I was saying, if I'm going to do Divine Relics, why not have Fairy-chan do Divine Regalia for everybody?"- Sahara asked.

"I just thought the maid outfits were enough, but I don't see why not. Having an extra outfit won't be a problem."- Aragorn agreed.

"Nice!"- Sahara celebrated.

'Why do I have a feeling that she will dress me in a crotchless racy latex-like outfit?'

'She probably will design an outfit like that for your private sessions, because I doubt she would like to expose you to strangers. She's quite the possessive little gremlin.'- Aragorn said in her mind.

'... Ugh.'

With the help of all the Haloans, the inscription was done succinctly... over the course of three decades.

It was an extended wait, but there was no way around it. Due to the nature of their scales, they could only inscribe with Aragorn and Death's blood. Although the Panama Isthmus is narrow, the northern scale wall was ~550 km (~342 miles) long, and the southern was ~150 km (~92 miles).

Taking into account that both sides of the walls had to be inscribed and that the walls reached almost cruising altitude in height, the area to work on was monumental enough to justify the three decades of work from the Haloans.

Given the importance of the future native species of South and North America, they couldn't completely block the way. Hence, they had to use the Grand Repository of Knowledge to identify how to filter which species would pass through one wall and appear on the other side of the other wall.

This way, all the species they wanted to preserve in the Imperium would be allowed free entry—regulated, of course—and the species that, due to historical importance, needed to be allowed to pass would be unable to see the walls and would warp from North to South and vice versa without their knowledge. Sapient beings were the exception.

With this, a pseudo-terrarium territory was created. Although the walling was only on land—North and South borders—the enchantment made it so that even the skies and seas were covered in the 'glass' bubble.

However, this bubble offered only deterrence in the seas and skies, and any vicious or driven enough creature could pass through. This was because the seas were meant to be protected in the future with a magical fog and due to the importance that a certain future enemy would pose for the Duskari.

The inscription in the walls also made the Imperium a pseudo-diathermic system. This was to conserve its environment as much as possible and to regulate the violent temperature changes that were to come, hoping to allow the current megafauna to have enough time to adapt, unlike how it was meant to be.

And so, the Duskari were warned of the future disaster, they prepared for about a few decades, and then it happened...

BOOOOOOOOOM!

With a soundwave traveling around the planet several times, an earthquake felt throughout the planet, and thousands of cubic kilometers of volcanic material, ash, and sulfur dioxide released in mass into the atmosphere, the Toba Supereruption began.

The otherwise invisible 'glass' bubble preserving the environment of the Imperium rippled with the eruption. This eruption occurred in what would later be known as Sumatra, Indonesia, which was half a planet away from the Imperium. That was the scale of the energy released.

"It reminds me of the supercaldera eruption I reversed."- Seraph, ever the clingy daughter, said from the comfort of her father's back.

"It's not dissimilar. At least both fall under the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) 8 category."- Aragorn replied.

They were situated some distance away from the erupting volcano—not that the deadly environment was a problem for either of them.

"Just the plume is 28 km (~17 miles) tall and climbing."- Seraph said in wonder.

Within the same region of the planet, billions of land creatures migrated as far away from the eruption site as possible—those that survived the initial blast. Within their escaping numbers, specimens would occasionally be trapped in bubbles of void energy and disappear into the Imperium. Aragorn was saving some of the species that caught his eye.

"Are you getting enough readings from here? Do you need us to go under the volcano?"- Aragorn asked.

"We're good here, Father. I plan to sell this data to Kitty. She was trying to create an explosive spell, and she might draw some inspiration from it."- Seraph cheerfully said.

To avoid overtaxing Aragorn's ability to calculate the causality of their actions in the Sacred Timeline—'the flap of a butterfly's wings'—the Haloans rarely exited the Imperium territories—Halo, The Ark, and the Panama Isthmus—with Aragorn, Jean, and Death as the only exceptions. Seraph caught a ride with Aragorn when he said he would go outside to collect specimens. Kitty was not there when Aragorn said it, so she lost her chance.

"I'll buy it too."- Aragorn commented as he cut a chunk of ground with a small groove of rare flora humanity had no records of. He covered the groove in a void barrier and warped it away.

"You, Father? Why would you need it? Aren't you seeing it with your eyes?"- Seraph curiously inquired.

"My eyes see too much stuff. It's hard to filter what's important and what's not."- Aragorn explained.

"I don't mind, more Favors for me. But why do you need it?"- Seraph asked.

"We'll probably have to create more land for the Imperium in the Pacific, to accommodate the current influx and future population growth. I have multiple ways of doing this, but I'd rather use the natural way of island birthing."- Aragorn said as he 'joinked' a school of freshwater fish he had never seen before.

"Oh, that makes sense. I was wondering what you were going to do when the continental migrations start due to the incoming volcanic winter."- Seraph nodded in understanding.

__________________________

Life after the supereruption became hard… harder.

During the Pleistocene Epoch (2.58 million years ago to ~11,700 BCE), life was difficult—life, for mortals, is always difficult. Noona said as much.

She explained that Life (Abstract) is particularly harsh with mortals because she likes them very much. As contradictory as that sounds, I understand. I'm particularly hard on Jean because I care about her deeply and don't want her to suffer under the whims of Phoenix.

(This is Life, though based on what I know, she doesn't play much of a role in Marvel.)

I digress. During the Pleistocene, life was harsh—is harsh—but after the supereruption, it became a menstruating bitch. Note the difference: a menstruating woman and a menstruating bitch are not the same. A bitch is always a bitch, and a man can be a bitch.

Two factors turned life from 'Cool, there are giant mammals!' to 'Oh god, the sky is falling!' First, the combination of glacial climates with increased refraction of light plus a polluted atmosphere with volcanic material triggered a volcanic winter. Second, the pollution of water, as volcanic material rained down, annihilated the vital flora, algae, and plankton at the base of the food chain.

No food for herbivores means death for everybody else. It's simple. Two factors struck at the foundation that supported herbivores, and the expected result became reality.

In my King Ghidorah form, I soar through the ashy skies, using my All-seeing eyes to pierce the loaded clouds and observe the poor land-dwellers below. A century has passed since the supereruption, yet things haven't improved for the hominids or the megafauna.

First, let me clarify: the Toba Volcano is still erupting. While its current eruptions are less catastrophic than the initial release, they continue—as is typical for an active volcano after a significant eruption. Expecting stability now is illogical.

That said, I've never seen such a massive loss of life… well, except in my original universe, but that doesn't count. And the zombies on Earth-Z were already dead. So, yes, this is the first ti—... Wait, there were also Kaguya's memories of her battles with her sons and Isshiki. Fine, I've seen a lot of death in my life—and I don't mean Noona.

… I digress again, which is good. There was a time when I couldn't muse about anything because The System overtaxed me. Now, at least, I operate like a highly capable telepath. Yes, that's progress. I'm getting monstrous at multitasking.

As I was saying, everything is dying. Green fades to yellow, then orange, and soon after, brown takes over. This is the fate of forests, jungles, plains, and more. Next, the prey—insects, arthropods, and anything reliant on green life—dies. Not long after, predators follow. It's a grim repeat of what I witnessed on our Earth after the extreme irradiation—except magnified elevenfold.

"Are you sure you don't want me to fix this?"- The Firebird asked, sitting in the middle of my crown of horns.

"What does your instinct as the Avatar of Phoenix say?"

"... That everything is as it should be."- I saw her frown a little at that. I believe there's a softness to Jean that, no matter how much time passes, will always remain in her heart.

"Yes, this is not foreign to the cycle of life and evolution. It's a much-needed bottleneck, a challenge for life to face. We will have to give our Duskari their due challenges, just as it is now the time for these guys."- I landed close to one of the larger tribes of hominids outside the Imperium.

I spread my empathy and sent reassuring feelings to them. I didn't want them to panic over what was to come, and I didn't feel like rationalizing more than necessary with them.

This tribe—humans, to be clear—had the luck of finding a large cavern system as their home, located in the warmer latitudes of the planet and far enough from the eruption site.

The tribe had close to 300 pairs of fertile adults and 87 children. For the current era, these are stellar numbers. Like most hominids, they wore skins for clothing and wielded primitive stone-headed weaponry. However, they had something most tribes didn't—they were semi-sedentary.

Normally, at this point in time, since agriculture hadn't been invented outside the Imperium, all hominids should be nomadic, but these ones counted on incredible luck.

The combination of this cave system and the readily available prey in the region allowed them to live a sedentary lifestyle. No, I didn't mean they were couch potatoes or NEETS, just that they were not nomads.

Sadly—for them, that is—their luck had run out. The prey that used to sustain them was dwindling in numbers more and more with each passing week.

Luckily—for me, that is—their adversity presented an opportunity. It might be too much of a stretch to call it an opportunity because I could always have used my powers to take what I wanted from them, but I tend not to do unnecessary evil without a reason of weight.

Under the shell-shocked eyes of the unnaturally calm apes, I transformed into my female humanoid form—for disarming purposes—and walked side by side with Jean to approach them. Specifically, a female close to us.

"Could you call your leader for me?"- I asked in their oonga-boonga language.

Their language was so primitive that if I were to translate what had been said into English, it would be something like: Leader, to me, you call. There were no tenses in their language. If I wanted to say "You called your leader for me," I would utter the same exact words. If I wanted to say "I'm the leader," I would say the same thing.

It's a language so primitive that if I had not used my telepathy to instill the meaning of my words in her mind, she might have misunderstood that I was claiming her as my woman.

The brown-haired, brown-skinned female ape ran, her udders swaying freely, back to the cave to fetch her leader.

"Hers are bigger than yours."- I said to Jean.

"Do you have to be so childish?"-:Annoyed:Amused:- She asked.

"The Duskari aren't that big-breasted as a species, and they learned—from imitating us—to cover their intimacy."- I replied.

"What does that have to do with your childishness?"- Jeans asked, a classic eye-roll accompanying her question.

"I've seen all of your breasts enough times to be able to differentiate you by the color and/or shape of your nipples."- I confessed. With my perfect memory, this is no exaggeration, nor a lie. It's a fact for all of us with perfect memories, including the now-blushing Firebird.

It's interesting how Jean never lost her shyness. I can walk into a room and find Kitty masturbating, and she would calmly ask me to leave so she could finish—without stopping. And this shamelessness isn't unique to Kitty. Even Margaret and Steve don't feel any shame in being seen naked anymore, and these were the shyest of our people. This isn't strange. We've known each other for more than 226,000 years, so there's no point in shame now.

"Is there a point to this sexual harassment?"-:Annoyed:Shy:Impatient:- Jean asked while slapping my shoulder.

"I like breasts."- I said curtly, purposefully trying to annoy her more.

"GET. TO. IT."- She flared her Cosmic Fire in her hand.

"I mean visually. Ehmmm, in an aesthetic sense. Like, the beauty of breasts themselves—not the lust that they evoke in most. For that matter, I like yours and Emma's very much."- I added, ducking under a fireball of her Cosmic Flames.

"Okay, stop that! Let me finish."- I said when I saw the tongues of fire start to build up.

"The Duskari used to prowl around in skirts and nothing more, so I got to appreciate millions of pairs of breasts. Of course, I don't like all breasts—just the beautiful ones by my standards. But a few millennia ago, they started imitating us, and now, unless I actively peer through their clothing, I don't get to see them anymore. I don't like breasts enough to actively pierce through their clothing with my eyesight. Hence, when I saw her udders, I felt the impulse to comment on them."- I finished my spiel.

"... And? Why compare hers to mine?"- She said, her fire tongues starting to sink back into her being.

"To annoy you, of cour—"- I didn't get to finish. She blasted me with enough telekinesis to move a natural satellite. Thankfully, I saw it coming and was prepared.

The apes, however, lost their shit—quite literally. Mostly, they lost their piss, but also some shit.

They calmed down after a while, and their leader—an ape built like a gorilla—emerged from the cave just after the panic had subsided.

He didn't come alone. About twenty of his trusted men accompanied him, followed by a gaggle of children. Ever the curious ones.

'Yuck, he is leering at me.'

'Just change to male.'

'Nah, I want to be female at the moment.'

'Why?'

'Noona gets jealous when I'm a woman.'

'I don't follow. Why do you want to provoke her, then?'

'No, no, I'm not provoking her. But usually, I don't change into my female form while in the Imperium, so I'm going to enjoy the feeling of being a woman for the moment.'

'... Is there a difference? For you, I mean.'

'None whatsoever.'

'... What? Then what were you talking about?'

'It's one of those things I always wondered about when I was human, so I programmed myself to enjoy it now that I can, even if to me there's no difference.'

'You wondered about being a woman?'

'Yes. Don't you wonder about being male?'

'Not anymore. A few of Phoenix's avatars have been male, so I've experienced life as a man through their memories.'

'Shitty, right?'

'It has its ups and downs. In terms you and Kitty use, you don't have the emotional instability debuff, nor the spontaneous bleeding once a month, and your basic physical stats are higher. But it comes with its own set of debuffs: a major weakness dangling below your crotch, no acceptable emotional outlets—which leads to a higher suicide rate—a need to maintain appearances, and no one caring about you beyond your role. Still, having a penis has its perks.'

'I prefer being a woman.'- Last time I was a male I was forced into the army to fight space bugs for more than a decade.

'That's because, for you, your male and female forms are equal. You don't experience the debuffs of either side. I bet you prefer being a woman because of the fun bags.'

'Guilty.'

"What/Who are you?"- Gorillaman asked as he and his gang approached us. In their language, 'what' and 'who' were the same concept.

Aside from the leering, their curiosity about our clothing was obvious.

"Aragorn, the Shine Dragon."

"Jean, the Phoenix Host."

We introduced ourselves in their native tongue. The most accurate translations would be Aragorn Light Above and Jean Warmth Nearby. They linked my being to the stars above and Jean to the fires they kept nearby.

"We trade/exchange/buy/barter food/meat/fruit/greens for humans/tribespeople/young/sick/old."- I explained. Aniki, I hate their tongue—though it reminds me of conceptual speech.

I infused my words with telepathic understanding; otherwise, we'd be here for ages, especially since they don't barter—they lack the concept—with outsiders—they annex them.

Jean waved her hand, producing a pile of smoked and salted meat on a skin rug. I waved my tail—their eyes tracking its movements—and conjured a pile of greens and fruits.

This was where they would have gone apeshit crazy, had I not used my empathy to instill the :Mysterious:Higher:Superior:Relax: feelings into them.

"We want/request/desire/prefer the feeble/underfed/old/useless/burdens. You won't last long. Weather/heavens/climate/skies are/will be bad/angry/dangerous."- I explained.

It wasn't an issue for us, but for them… cannibalism was on the horizon. Some of their non-essential personnel were already showing signs of malnourishment. Gorillaman knew what I was talking about.

"A cycle/day/night to think/move/coordinate."- He replied. That was his way of asking for a day to prepare.

We stayed with them that day, mostly with the apelings. I played with them while Jean communicated with the mothers. Their favorite game was a primitive version of 'You're It,' except with sticks and mudballs. Honestly, I liked this version best.

"Get hunted!"- I exclaimed, launching a barrage of mudballs at the apelings with telekinesis.

"Gyahahaha!"- One of the she-apelings cried, laughing as she got pelted with mud.

"Apes together strong!"- The he-apeling leader yelled as a war cry.

"Aoo! Aoo! Aoo!"- The others rallied, fists full of mudballs and sticks raised like spears.

"Hero! Join me, and I'll give you half the world!"- I tempted the alpha apeling.

"No!"- Cried one of the she-apelings, hugging his free arm to her flat chest.

I saw the determination of a caveman in his eyes at the feeling of her plank-like chest.

"GOOOOO!"- The swarm rushed me, following the alpha's will.

"I won't go down alone!"- I declared, conjuring a small tornado of mud.

Afterward, I created a warm water pool to clean ourselves. I showered with the apelings and used the time to remove the countless parasites they carried. Jean joined us.

"Mhmm."- I hummed, staring pointedly at her hard pink nipples.

"Go fuck yourself."- She said blankly.

"I've done that. Noona wanted to watch once, though she didn't like it that one self was female."

"Why not male-on-male? I bet Death would prefer it, wouldn't she?"- Jean asked, her curiosity overpowering her rationality.

"I'm only gay if it's Noona. Otherwise, I'd rather fuck my female self than my male self. But at the end of the day, it's the same—they're both me, so it's just glorified masturbation. What about you? Do you like BL that much? Given that your first thought went there."- I teased.

"... Wouldn't you also like to see some Death-on-Death action? It's the same."- Jean countered, her cheeks flushed and her eyes swimming.

"Good point. And yes. Noona-on-Noona action was something else."- I replied, fondly recalling the heavenly memories—especially with me in the middle.

I kept teasing Jean and chatting with the apelings as we washed ourselves. They spoke of all sorts of things: a serpent of light swimming in the sky they had seen last month (Halley's Comet), a unicorn Gorillaman's gang had hunted last week (a woolly rhinoceros), and, as children do, they asked countless questions.

Why is your skin white like snow?

Why do you carry fire in your head and can I touch it?

Why are her eyes green? Why are yours multicolor and carry the night sky? 

Did you steal your horns from an auroch?

Why can you make things float?

Can I touch your tail?

Can I get some of your breastmilk for my little apeling sibling?

Why do you talk weirdly?

What is this you're wearing?

With these and many questions, we were bombarded.

When the sun began sinking below the horizon and the apelings grew tired of being juggled with my telekinesis, the day drew to a close. Jean and I, unburdened by the need for sleep, found a quiet spot to lie and observe the starry night.

Jean lay to my left, cuddling against me. I focused my gaze on the distant death of a star, some 5,000 light-years away.

"What do you see?"- Jean asked. To her, the night sky appeared as its usual dark expanse dotted with stars, accented by green and red auroras.

I shared my view with her through our psionic link.

"... It's beautiful."- She said, her breath tickling my neck.

"Haven't you seen enough of these?"- I asked. She could create stars just as easily as destroy them, and with the shared memories of her previous hosts, she must have seen countless such events.

"Not enough. It's beautiful, as much as it's deadly for humans."- Jean replied.

"Like you."- I said absentmindedly.

"... Sometimes, I feel like you're flirting."- She murmured, scanning my feelings through her empathy and our psionic bond. "But you really feel no lust for me, huh?"

"You're not Noona, are you?"- I shifted my focus and shared a sight I knew she hadn't encountered before.

"W-What is this?"- She asked, her voice filled with awe, confusion, and wonder.

"The edge of the universe."

"The edge? I've seen it before, and it didn't look like this. Are you applying a filter or focusing on something specific?"- Jean asked, puzzled.

"No. You've seen the edge of the observable universe. This is the true edge—where space-time is born and it pushes the void away, expanding faster than light can travel through the vacuum."

"Can I go there?"- She asked, her slitted green eyes sparkling with wanderlust.

"Sure, but ask Phoenix to teach you how. Space-time is both chaotic and aggressive there."

We spent the rest of the night like that, with me showing her places and events I knew the previous hosts hadn't experienced.

As the first rays of sunlight painted the sky, the tribe, as if by clockwork, began their day. Gorillaman selected those most likely to perish in the coming winter, and we traded for them, offering thrice their weight in cured meat, greens, and honey.

I stored the foodstuffs in stone containers I molded with telekinesis. Initially, I considered using clay pots, but that would have been too advanced for the time.

Future anthropologists will probably have a headache trying to explain these stone pots. I designed them as intricate as possible, with relief sculptures of my kids adorning the lateral surfaces, lids, and handles. They were hermetically sealed, too. But, well, considering I'll still be around when those anthropologists exist, they'll probably figure out it was me.

During the years of the volcanic winter, Jean and I—sometimes joined by Noona—traveled across Africa and Eurasia, bartering for apes. I had to be careful not to visit any one tribe too often, lest they become lazy and overly reliant on my support.

It was fascinating to see how they depicted us in their cave paintings. I always enjoyed their frustration when they couldn't decide which of my forms to paint.

I became the first human trafficker in prehistory—and likely the only one. The kids found that hilarious, especially since I'd vehemently opposed human trafficking back on our Earth.

Due to the Toba supereruption, genetic studies suggest human populations dwindled to as few as 3,000–10,000 individuals. Gaea told me the number was slightly higher because she sheltered some of them.

Thanks to our intervention, that number rose to 15,000–30,000, hopefully resulting in greater genetic diversity among humans. Already, I'd noticed some intriguing variations in eye and hair colors.

The apes I bought were brought to the Imperium, where we groomed them into proper Apes. After a few generations and following the 'recipe,' more Duskari were born—though with a fresh flavor in their genome. Genetic variety is always preferred.

Life kept going; time waited for no one—except beings like me—and while the rest of the world remained as deadly as usual, changes became more apparent in the Imperium.

The Imperium developed in such a way that, other than 'Aliens!', there was no other explanation. In this case, we were technically aliens, so maybe that explanation isn't wrong.

For example, the current total population is close to five million, spread throughout the territory in small agrarian settlements. Up to that point, there's nothing strange. But when you consider that most of these settlements don't have contact with each other—other than the sister tribes and Kitty's people—yet they all speak the same language, things get implausible.

Add the fact that to learn basic sorcery, Yao taught them a written language, and then logic would leave the chat.

Like, the Duskari were a bunch of separate clans and tribes throughout the land with minimal contact, yet they all spoke the same language, wrote the same characters, and followed just about the same proto-socio-structure, with similar values, and had the same technological level.

Aliens! That was the answer. Or, to be precise, Beast Deities!

To this came the changes I mentioned. The Drachantheon Therion was formally established, and the Divinicon was shared with the believers.

The Divinicon was our bible, but it was closer to an almost accurate registry of the Imperium's history. To be honest, for a bible, it was lacking in some topics.

For example, creationism. We never addressed or claimed to have created all. The 'Genesis' was more of an embellished recount of how we all came together and founded the Imperium.

It went something like this:

In the beginning, the Head (Aragorn) was all alone, and in this emptiness (The Void), the Head found the treasure of creation (Marvel Multiverse). He fell in love with its shine and decided to join the fun in it.

The Head met the Mistress (Death), and they intertwined their fates forever. The Head created the first Goddess, Spark Draconisphilia, Goddess of Technology and Knowledge, and decided to get to know the mortals and descended to the Mortal Realm (Earth).

And that was it—that's how it starts. We decided not to take the credit from Aniki, and since it was to be our official bible, we aimed to avoid outright lies—and technically, we didn't lie.

Another interesting aspect was the topic of the afterlife.

Since The Ark exists, we had to write down that after death comes another life as mortals, and that raised the question of how matrimonial unions, assets, and inheritances would operate.

Were they married after the first life, or would they start anew?

Would they lose all of their assets after the first death and carry nothing to the next life?

Can they invest in the first life to have better benefits in the second?

Will the qualifications earned in the first life carry over?

Can they communicate with the people in the second step?

Will they have to go through infancy, childhood, and teenagehood again?

Will they keep the same parents once more?

It became a mess of specific scenarios upon even more complicated scenarios. Then we had to go over Hell, Abeyance, and Heaven, explain the divinities of the children, tell them about how there were other gods aside from our pantheon, and instill our expectations for them. It was a chaotic mess.

For example, Kitty would preach about how she was a goddess of law, but she preached about breaking the laws. James would go about how evil was bad, but that sometimes it was needed. Emma spoke about proper respect for order and hierarchy. Elara emphasized fashion and creativity, and even more.

It was so chaotic that, in the end, we decided to create our version of the Ten Commandments:

Respect All Life: Honor the inherent value of all living beings. Avoid causing unnecessary harm to people, animals, and the environment.

It was hard to say that it was okay to kill so long as there was a motive because what they might take as a motive will change from person to person and generation to generation.

Speak Truth and Foster Trust: Be honest in your words and actions. Avoid deceit, gossip, and manipulation.

This one was useless to us because we could always discern their lies, but it served the purpose of keeping social order.

Act with Compassion and Kindness: Treat others as you wish to be treated. Show empathy and assist those in need whenever possible, especially pure souls.

This one went to social order, again. Also, because the kids said that if I didn't specify my favoritism toward children and then the Duskari earned my ire, it could lead to devastating outcomes.

Honor Equality and Justice: Embrace fairness, oppose discrimination, and advocate for the rights of all people regardless of race, gender, creed, or status, but beware of these differences in the way of living.

This one was to avoid a future headache. I didn't want the Lucelvi and Noctelvi to go into an interracial war when they were equally lowly in my eyes. Or when they started to interact with outsiders, I didn't want them to believe themselves better than the humans just because I made them that way. That's my credit, not theirs.

Also, I didn't want them to embrace Islam, Christianity, or Judaism—just respect them, but don't embrace them. At least not when their believers tended to extract parts of their holy books to justify some of their despicable actions.

I had no problem with Yahweh, or his son and the Holy Spirit, but goddamn, weren't his believers a pain in the ass? Obviously not all of them, but then we have witch hunts, crusades, Islamic invasions, misogyny, hebephilia, pedophilia, corruption, greed, and more. If it was only their god, then they were welcome to the Imperium, but not the believers.

{A/N: Please note that in the Marvel Universe, The Father, The Son, and the Holy Spirit are the 'truth', and that any references I'm making are based on the said religions of the Marvel Universe.}

Protect and Preserve the Planet: Be a steward of the celestial body you inhabit. Use resources wisely and work toward sustainability for future generations.

This one was for Gaea, and because I don't want them to turn out like the bugs who only knew how to consume from my original universe.

Value Family and Community: Build and nurture connections with others. Support and strengthen your relationships with family, friends, and neighbors.

This was because the Duskari, just like humans, were pack mammals, and it would help with the future social order.

Pursue Knowledge and Growth: Seek to understand the world and yourself. Embrace curiosity, learn from others, and strive for personal improvement.

This one helped me because I wanted them to pursue growth in their magic.

Exercise Freedom Responsibly: Cherish freedom of thought, speech, and action, but respect the freedoms and boundaries of others.

Most of Western society in my original universe took this one out of proportion, and a bunch of idiots thought that it meant that their idiot ideas were valid. But since the Imperium will always be ruled by us, it won't escalate out of proportion.

Honor Promises and Commitments: Keep your word and fulfill your obligations. Integrity strengthens trust and unity.

Another for future social order since, if they didn't keep their word to us, then the consequences would be more than they could handle.

Balance Work, Rest, and Leisure: Maintain a healthy balance between your responsibilities and your well-being. Prioritize rest, reflection, and meaningful recreation.

And the last one was common sense, but I wanted ten, so we added it.

We decided to engrave the Divinicon on the Southern Scale, using the inner face of the wall as our canvas to record and illustrate the most important events of the Imperium and the Drachantheon Therion.

For balance, the inner wall of the Northern Scale was dedicated to honoring the significant achievements of the Duskari, along with their names. The first name engraved was that of the man, the myth, the legend: Kav'Juhus. The one who initiated this era.

Other names followed—like the inventor of the wheel, a woman who sought to grind grains more efficiently and created the stone wheel grinder; a man who discovered the plant that led to modern cacao—Noona was fond of that guy—the designer of the first whetstone; and many others whose accomplishments, while impressive, paled in comparison to those of Kav'Juhus. Nonetheless, these innovations were vital to the Imperium's progress.

On the outer wall of the Southern Scale, we engraved and painted depictions of our Drachantheon Therion, including our territories, The Ark and Halo, alongside the other planets I had gifted Emma. Though the children were a bit skittish about seeing themselves painted in such a large and grand manner, they accepted it in the end.

As for the outer wall of the Northern Scale, I decided to document the history of the planet and humanity. The wall had been unused, and I thought leaving an accurate record of history for future generations of historians might help them grasp their insignificance. Perhaps, just perhaps, it might inspire them to be less vile as a species. Then again, that seemed impossible. Regardless, they wouldn't uncover the Northern Scale's engravings until the 1500s.

With the Divinicon and the Northern Scale of Light completed, we shifted focus to unifying the Duskari tribes.

Unification, however, was not entirely feasible. The lack of roads, absence of advanced transportation beyond crude rafts and canoes, unconnected rivers, no overarching seas, and certainly no planes made central governance a fool's dream.

In such conditions, unification was nothing but a fantasy. How would the government even reach each settlement? Braving three jungles, two active volcanoes, and 37 caudalous rivers, perhaps?

Rather than attempting an unattainable unified government, we opted for a Divine Ruling system, at least until the Imperium matured enough to govern itself.

Under this system, each tribe was ruled by a Haloan. A single Haloan oversaw multiple tribes, serving as the intermediary between those tribes and the upper government. On Earth, the upper government consisted of Seraph, Margaret, and Natalia, while on The Ark, it was Emma, Mindee, and Spark.

Each child had a degree of autonomy over their assigned tribes, but the Imperial Rule Book held ultimate authority, superseding local laws as needed. Naturally, the same religion had to be taught across all tribes to prevent the privatization of faith. This ensured that every deity was recognized as part of the same pantheon.

Trade systems were established, though they resembled bartering more than formal trade. All inter-tribal transactions were mediated through the deity in charge.

Thus began the era of Divine Guidance, in full force.

As predicted, the Imperium's Iron Age lasted far longer than humanity's. This was partly due to an overreliance on magic, but also because peace among the Duskari stunted development. Peace with nature, however, remained elusive. As more prey and predators migrated to the Imperium, the natural world grew increasingly ferocious.

And I might or might not have bolstered the fauna's intelligence through artificial selection and my biokinesis.

While warfare against nature was constant, it didn't foster the same technological and strategic advancements as conflicts among sapient beings. That stagnation changed with the arrival of the Deviants.

The absence of the Eternals didn't mean the Deviants were absent. Alongside them came demons.

Why demons? Demons are perpetually hungry for souls and territory—it's intrinsic to their nature. Rarely, exceptions arise. The value of a soul, for demons, is tied directly to its understanding of reality and the complexity of its spirit.

A sorcerer's soul is a delicacy. A salaryman's soul is akin to cheap fast food—edible, but incomparable to the former. A caveman's soul? So undesirable to demons that they hadn't visited Earth in millions of years and wouldn't have until the time of Agamotto, who later created the dimensional shield.

Some ancient demons, indifferent to taste, do venture to lower worlds. Gaea's fallen siblings fall into this category, though there were no Elder Gods present on this version of Earth.

As for the Deviants, their hunger for life made it inevitable they'd find the Imperium.

For the Duskari, this meant death, conflict, adversity, war—and, ultimately, progress.

Vladarion, the God of War and Progress, finally had his moment to shine.

Though the Drachantheon Therion refrained from direct involvement, the children served as the tribes' nuclear shelters, protecting the vulnerable if the walls were breached.

Even without direct action, they dispensed blessings, provided advice, pointed out flaws and merits, cared for orphans, oversaw agriculture, transported troops, inspired believers, and offered emotional support. They fulfilled roles that the young Duskari society wasn't yet equipped to handle.

___________________________________

For millennia, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean had been the primary sources of sustenance for the Duskari.

They didn't know who named them or what the names meant, but since their deities always referred to these bodies of water as such, they adopted the names. Similarly, they knew the Imperium was located on the continent of America.

Did they know what a continent was? A large landmass, of course. But they had no knowledge of any other continents.

Did they understand the difference between an ocean and a sea? One seemed to have higher and lower tides, but that was the extent of their knowledge.

The Duskari were ignorant of many things. On the other hand, they understood thermodynamics and the Energy-Mass principle of Agamotto's Conversion Law. Who or what Agamotto was—or had been—they didn't know, but that wasn't important when learning elemental magic from Goddess Yao.

The Duskari could fly to a certain extent, aided by wind magic, though they didn't understand why they passed out if they accelerated too quickly or ascended too high. Yet, they knew wind currents, aerodynamics, parabolic motion, uniformly accelerated motion, inertia, momentum, collisions, and most concepts taught in a modern college Physics I course.

Mathematics? The Duskari could easily math to death a first-year college mathematics student—they needed math for casting magic, after all. But applied mathematics beyond magic? That was a different story.

Biology? They excelled in agriculture, especially under the blessings of Luxena—Goddess of Celestial Stars and Agriculture. They had developed successful varieties of crops through artificial selection. They knew migration routes, the internal anatomy of the game they hunted, the best methods for raising aurochs for milk and meat, and optimal feed for their murder birds' (titanis) egg production. However, they didn't know that mitochondria were the powerhouse of the cell.

Despite their ignorance of many scientific truths—largely due to their artificial upbringing under the care of the Haloans—they understood that the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean had always been there, providing easy prey, warmth, humid and salty winds, a medium for communication with other coastal settlements, and much more.

But everything changed when the Deviants began their hunt.

The Northern and Southern Scales made it nearly impossible for the Deviants to enter the Imperium by land. But to these apex-predator hunters—a marvel of Arishem's biological engineering—land or water made little difference.

The change was sudden. Had it not been for divine intervention, all coastal settlements would have been lost. The Deviants emerged from the water and attacked the unsuspecting, unprepared Duskari, first from the Caribbean and later from the Pacific. Thousands of coastal settlements had to be evacuated by their ruling deities. On the first day of the onslaught, the Deviants established a foothold in the Imperium with a devastatingly coordinated blitzkrieg.

Surviving coastal settlements began erecting walls where they had never been needed before and investing in anti-personnel weaponry. Warfare—on a scale unlike anything the Duskari had experienced—became their new way of life.

They prayed for a solution but received direction instead. Many were displeased, but when it became known as the will of the Head and the Mistress, they swallowed their complaints.

Under the guidance of their deities, the Duskari organized the first "Assembly of the Duskari." Coastal tribes were the most invested in the assembly, while central land settlements showed mild curiosity at best. That changed when Aragorn offered his support. His involvement was rare, aside from occasional visits that often heralded pregnancies, so his endorsement commanded attention.

To lend credibility to the Assembly, Aragorn suggested hosting it in a significant location. When the tribes were warped to the chosen site, they found themselves in the Halo.

Though their deities often lived among them for decades or even centuries, they all knew the ring around the Moon was their true home. As it says in the Divinicon, Your Deities and Where to Find Them 10:33.

The Divine Abode astonished the Duskari. The Moon's diameter was approximately 3,474 kilometers (2,159 miles), while the Halo's was 10,000 kilometers (6,214 miles). This made the Moon a "ceiling" for the ring's surface, way closer than cruising altitude.

From the Halo's surface, the horizon was divided into four parts. Opposite each other, two parts reflected the curved surface of the ring. On one edge, Earth was visible in the distance, while on the other edge, the Sun shone brightly.

Depending on Spark's whims, the Halo could follow the Moon's natural day-night cycle, switching the Earth-Sun horizons twice a sidereal month. Alternatively, she could rotate the Halo around the Moon to simulate Earth-like days.

The skies were just the beginning. After hundreds of thousands of years under Gaea's blessing, the ring's surface had transformed. Alien plants and animals—brought from outer space and Otherworld—had flourished, creating a surreal, vibrant ecosystem. Metallic-looking trees, the result of Gaea's accidental overload of her blessing, were early examples of organoids. The ring itself could be considered the first organoid, having begun to sprout life on its outer faces as well.

The fauna was equally extraordinary. Dinosaurs, modern creatures, megafauna, and alien beasts prowled the lands and thrived in sea-like lakes.

The Duskari marveled at their surroundings but soon noticed the delegation awaiting them: elves similar to Elyseas, Goddess of Stories and Music; faeries resembling Elara, Goddess of Fashion and Arts; mermaids like Sislohrie, Goddess of Water and Fishing; and towering flora colossi.

{A/N: Sislohrie is a new OC, you don't need to remember her for now, if I need her I'll write her, but for the moment it's just a mention, like with the rest of the more than 50 maids Aragorn rescued.}

The delegation lacked the unmistakable aura of divinity their deities radiated, signaling they were mortals like the Duskari—a revelation that amazed them further.

With this assembly, roughly 5,000 years after Aragorn heralded the Iron Age, the Vladarionic Era began.

_______________________________________

OC Character Sheet #1

Irina Dracosnisfilia

Race: Homobestialis Magicae Leoporid

Beast: Blue Rabbit

Tails: Seven white fluffy tails, that look like a bouquet of rabbit tails.

Ears: Midnight blue

Hair: Midnight blue

Eyes: Dark Blue.

Affinity: Fire

Divinity: Goddess of Fire and Assiduity

Background:

Born in Yakutsk, Russia, in December. Sold by her parents to a local agent of the Red Room. Following protocol, her parents were disposed of, their deaths staged as an unfortunate accident caused by a building losing electricity during a snowstorm in the dead of winter.

Trained rigorously for over a decade, Irina was eventually introduced to the field under the HVTAW program, where widow agents were assigned to serve as attendants for high-value targets.

Tiring of her grim past, she sought a better opportunity under a more employee-driven boss and joined Aragorn as his personal maid, alongside Yelena. [Of course, she wasn't kidnapped by Aliens.]

Personality:

Irina is considered the most serious, dedicated, and hardworking of Aragorn's maids, though she isn't above teasing him or joining in Yelena's antics.

She drinks vodka, a habit developed during her HVTAW years to numb her senses. Although she would never openly admit it, she views Aragorn as a paternal figure and treats Yelena more like a sister than her other widows.

Traits and Quirks:

Irina struggles with pyromaniac impulses, though she works hard to keep them under control. The cause is unclear—it may stem from the magical rabbit DNA Aragorn mixed into her or could simply be an expression of her past traumas.

She is heterosexual but harbors a strong dislike for most men, undoubtedly a consequence of her time in the HVTAW program. Her last intimate experience was with Spark, who had morphed into a male form, though there is no romantic connection between them. They consider each other family, a dynamic not uncommon among the Haloans.

Dislikes:

Humans.

Men.

Sour foods.

Visiting sewers at Aragorn's request.

Yelena's past habit of showing off her "boy toy" in front of her.

Selene, whom she blames for Aragorn's first death.

Tribal Role:

Irina's tribe is one of the largest, alongside Yelena's and Kitty's. Her believers adore her, finding her serious yet demure demeanor endearing.

The tribe specializes in:

Grain cultivation.

Egg farming (using Titanis, a domesticated species).

Warcat training.

The warcats they raise are descendants of the smilodons and cave lions Aragorn and Death brought back during the founding century of the Imperium.

Aspirations:

Finding a romantic companion.

Achieving nine tails.

Receiving petting from Aragorn, her boss/master/father figure.

_____________________________

{A/N:

I hope you enjoyed the chapter!

There were too many pictures to AI'd, it was both funny and patience-testing.

Please check out my P@treon account! There are already 5 chapters ahead for premium members, which is at least 50,000 words. Premium members also gain access to a new chapter every week.

[email protected]/ExistentialVoid

Free Members get access to all free chapters, and I upload free chapters about 12 hours earlier in P@atreon.

I hope you enjoyed the read!

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