In the consciousness space, Noa was somewhat confused by the Ancestor’s actions.

“Why do this? Didn’t you tell me before not to let anyone know about you residing in my consciousness?”

The Ancestor had explained her reasoning for this rule before:

First, if Noa’s family found out that there was a soul from ten thousand years ago dwelling in her mind, it wouldn’t matter whether the soul was good or evil—they would find every possible way to expel the Ancestor.

If that happened, all the hard work shared between Noa and the Ancestor up until now would have gone to waste.

Second, the Ancestor was concerned that if this information got out, it might attract remnants of the “Ultimate Fear.” To ensure the safe descent of their master, these individuals would stop at nothing to eliminate her once they learned of her situation.

For this reason, the Involuted Queen and the Ancestor had always operated in secret, striving to keep others unaware of their activities.

So now, with the Ancestor proactively revealing herself to Noa’s two younger sisters, it was only natural that Noa felt curious about the reasons behind this sudden decision.

“The efficiency of condensing Primordial Power has been too slow. Aside from the fact that your physical condition couldn’t keep up and you lacked the assistance of Nightshade Crystals, there’s still one very important reason—do you know what it is?” the strange auntie asked.

Noa thought for a moment and then shook her head.

“External disturbances.”

The Ancestor said, “Over the past few months, we’ve been condensing Primordial Power every night after your training. This requires utmost concentration. However, we’ve also had to be constantly vigilant, ensuring that no one discovered what we were doing. Such divided attention naturally affects efficiency.”

“You understand what I mean—this so-called ‘someone else,’ most of the time, refers to your two younger sisters.”

“Let’s not even talk about the second one: she’s clumsy and lovely, with no significant threat.”

“The main problem is the pink-haired one. She stirs up trouble more frequently than the Dragon Clan had civil wars back in the day.”

Listening to the Ancestor’s systematic justification, Noa scratched her forehead.

“Is it really that exaggerated?”

“You think it’s not because most of the time, I’m busy assisting you in condensing Primordial Power while simultaneously keeping watch for potential threats around us.”

The Ancestor seized the moment to complain further,

“Hmph, ignorant little brat. All you have to do is focus on condensing the Primordial Power. But as for me, I have so many things to worry about.”

Noa suddenly understood. “So that’s how it is...”

“Plus...”

“Plus?” Noa prompted.

“Even though these two little dragons can be noisy, they trust you deeply and depend on you greatly.”

The Ancestor’s tone softened considerably. “And of course, they care about you a lot too.”

Blinking her eyes, Noa recalled how, just moments earlier, when the Ancestor had “taken over,” she herself had experienced a few seconds of stiffness.

In those few seconds, Muen and Aurora had nearly fought against this “ghost.”

Noa had no doubt that if the Ancestor had pushed just a bit further during that “takeover,” a calm conversation like the one they were having now would’ve been impossible.

“So it’s really no problem to tell them. Besides, they’re both sharp—when key moments arise, they can even help cover for us.”

The Ancestor added, “Just like in the sanctuary hall earlier, when your mother caught you sneaking a peek.”

“...Why does it sound like you’re using this as an opportunity to scold me?”

The white-haired beauty smiled faintly. “Not at all.”

Noa snorted lightly. “But you're right—they’re smart, and they care about me.”

As she said this, a hint of pride graced the little Involuted Queen's face.

Being relied on by her sisters made Noa feel genuinely accomplished.

“Well... the next part of what I want to say, you need to listen carefully.”

Noa nodded seriously. “Alright.”

She exited the consciousness space.

The three little dragon girls sat directly on the ground.

Aurora still looked at her big sister with critical and suspicious eyes.

Muen, on the other hand, seemed a bit nervous.

After all, they’d spent months chasing down a “ghost,” and though they had finally “caught” it, it still felt like they hadn’t fully captured it.

She was worried for Noa—after spending so long with this “ghost,” would it have any negative effect on her body?

“Speak, ghost. What do you have to confess?” Aurora demanded in a tone reminiscent of an interrogator.

“Firstly, I am not a ghost.”

“Alright, ghost,” came Aurora’s quick reply.

“...You could think of me as a soul.”

“But isn’t that still a ghost?”

“...”

Under the cherry blossom tree, the old-timer who had lived for tens of thousands of years was rendered speechless by a few words from this three-year-old young dragon.

Kids these days really didn’t have any manners... Noa thought indignantly.

“Aurora, at least hear her out first,” Muen interjected.

“Alright, go ahead.”

Noa began explaining to the two little dragon girls why she had been residing in their elder sister’s consciousness space, emphasizing:

“My existence has no effect on your sister’s body or mind. In fact, quite the opposite—I can help her amass even more powerful strength.”

To prove her point, Noa extended her palm upright.

Immediately, a soft, milky white glow coalesced into an energy sphere that hovered above her hand.

Muen and Aurora, who were already somewhat familiar with magic, could sense the intricacies and marvel embedded within.

After the demonstration, Noa dispelled the Primordial Energy and continued:

“Now, the next part is the real key: it’s about where I came from and why I awoke in this day and age, tens of thousands of years later.”

Hearing this, Aurora and Muen, along with Noa in the consciousness space’s golden waterway, all perked up their ears.

This was a history that no book had ever recorded—a tale hidden within the grand river of time, one that only the “living fossil” before them could reveal in full.

“I believe you’ve both studied the origins of Samael Continent in school history classes.”

“To summarize, in the beginning, the world was shrouded in chaos. The progenitor of our Dragon Clan, Dragon God Tiamat, used his immense Primordial Magic to shatter the chaos and accomplish the monumental feat of ‘Creating the Heavens.’”

“This history can be found in any ancient text or even in school textbooks.”

“But none of these books ever mention how Dragon God Tiamat attained the power sufficient to rival chaos itself.”

“While Primordial Magic is indeed powerful, the chaos tainted it, rendering it less than pure.”

“Dragon God noticed this and sought every possible way to expel the chaos within himself.”

“But decades passed... centuries even, and the chaos continued to corrode Dragon God’s Primordial Magic.”

“Dragon God foresaw that if this persisted, he would eventually fall into the abyss of chaos, never to see light again.”

“So he made a daring decision—”

“Since the chaos had rooted itself within him and couldn’t be removed through normal means, he would...”

“...split himself apart.”

At these words, even Aurora, the one who had read the most among them, found herself struggling to understand.

“Split himself? What do you mean?”

“His physical form, personality, thoughts, morality, light and darkness, order and chaos—everything was separated into two distinct entities.”

Noa continued:

“This was a last resort. If he delayed any longer, Dragon God Tiamat would lack even the strength to perform the separation spell.”

“In the end, he succeeded in splitting himself.”

“With that division, the chaos was expelled alongside his disordered persona.”

“And in that moment, the purest Dragon God descended upon the world, using his untainted Primordial Magic to carve the heavens from chaos.”

Aurora blinked. She first looked at her second sister, then up at her eldest sister.

“But that separated disordered persona must have been a massive hidden threat, right? That’s why Dragon God Tiamat didn’t choose this method at the start.”

“He likely feared he wouldn’t be able to deal with his chaotic persona later—only using this method as a last resort.”

Listening to Aurora’s reasoning, Noa nodded approvingly.

“You’re a smart one, aren’t you, little pink-haired brat.”

“After completing his feat of ‘Creating the Heavens,’ Dragon God immediately planned to rid the world of his chaotic persona.”

“But by then, the Dragon God had exhausted all his power. He had grown immensely weak, even to the brink of death.”

“In his final years, Dragon God scattered his remaining power and life force across the Samael Continent. After a century, these remnants grew into what we now know as the Dragon Clan.”

“As for me, who history later recognized as the first Dragon Queen in Dragon Clan lore—named after Dragon God Tiamat’s attribute, ‘Primordial’—”

“I was neither born of Dragon God’s life force nor the offspring of any tribe. By now, I’m sure you’ve guessed where I came from, little pink brat.”

Aurora’s rare moment of seriousness showed as she nodded thoughtfully.

“You’re a counterpart to the chaotic and disordered persona—a manifestation of Dragon God Tiamat’s justice and order.”

“Correct. As the Dragon God’s shadow of chaos emerged, so too did I—a projection of his purity.”

Noa looked up at the starry sky of this world thousands of years later through the little pink-haired girl's eyes. Her thoughts drifted back to ages past, and her tone grew tinged with sadness and longing.

“I had hoped to take Dragon God’s place in carving the heavens and the earth, but I was far too weak for such a task at the time.”

“All I could do was watch as my creator spent all his strength, burning himself out until he became one with the mountains, seas, and skies of this world.”

“In his final moment, Dragon God insisted to me that I must guard the Dragon Clan until the very end. After all, they are his continuation.”

“As long as the Dragon Clan exists, the spirit of Tiamat will never vanish.”

In the consciousness space, Noa pressed her lips together, her thoughts slightly stirred. After a moment, she softly asked,

"Because you appeared at the same time as Dragon God's chaotic persona, you’ve come to feel that your existence is a mistake?"

"Mm..."

The Ancestor let out a long sigh and did not continue on that topic. Instead, he resumed reminiscing about the past:

"After that... Dragon God entrusted me with another important task."

Noa crossed her arms, her little face serious, and helped the Ancestor articulate the task,

"To find the dark persona that Dragon God had separated from himself."

"Yes."

The Ancestor exhaled deeply before continuing,

"At that time, I journeyed across the entire Samael Continent and crossed paths with that being several times."

"Each battle only made it stronger."

"Eventually, it fed on the negative emotions of all living beings in the world and evolved into the 'Ultimate Fear'."

"Our final battle lasted several months, turning the heavens and earth into chaos, the sun and moon losing their light."

"In the end, we both inflicted grievous harm upon each other, leaving neither capable of killing the other."

"But I could not betray Dragon God's wishes, so I mustered my last remaining strength to seal the Ultimate Fear."

"After that, I fell into a slumber for a thousand years. When I awakened, my power had returned. However, by then... the internal war of the Dragon Clan had already begun."

Swoosh—

This time it was Muen who raised her hand to speak.

"I get it! That Ultimate Fear feeds on negative emotions, and the Dragon Clan's internal war would act as its supply station, endlessly providing it with energy."

"That’s why you had to put an end to the war—not only to prevent Ultimate Fear from breaking its seal but also to honor your promise to Dragon God, Tiamat."

Noa scratched her nose. "Mm, little stuff-of-hair kid, you're pretty smart, too. But your pronunciation... here, repeat after me—Ti~a~mat~."

Muen (..•˘_˘•..): "Titimat!"

Noa: "Ti~a! Mat~."

Muen (๑•́ ₃ •̀): "Tidiamat."

Noa: "Tiamat!!"

Muen ( ˘•灬•˘ ): "Pop Mart!"

"......"

Plop—

Aurora gently patted her big sister on the shoulder.

"Old ghost, give up already. Do you know why our parents gave me a nickname?"

"Why?"

"Because Second Sis can’t pronounce my full name at all!"

"The cost of a twin awakening is linguistic impairment...?"

"Hey! Don’t say that about my sister. She just happens to pronounce 'Aurora' as 'Aurawa.' That’s all," Noa retorted.

"But turning Tiamat into Pop Mart is just going too far, okay!"

Noa waved her hand and brought the conversation back on track.

"After that, you stopped the internal war. So then what? Did Ultimate Fear manage to break the seal?"

"No, it didn't accumulate enough negative energy."

The Ancestor explained,

"But war isn’t limited to the Dragon Clan. Conflicts arise somewhere on the Samael Continent every single day, and people die every single day because of them."

"Hatred and desire permeate every corner of this land."

"So, one day, Ultimate Fear will inevitably gather sufficient power to break its seal."

"Because it’s impossible to convince everyone to stop waging war—that’s something no one can achieve."

"Even if war ceased to exist, negative emotions would arise from countless other things."

"Ultimately, the return of Ultimate Fear is just a matter of time."

"However, the seal I put in place is strong enough. By my estimation, it would take roughly ten thousand years for it to break free."

"But even I cannot live for tens of thousands of years."

"And so, I chose to seal myself in the Far North. When Ultimate Fear resurfaces, I'll awaken once more, and then... continue to protect the descendants of the Dragon God."