Chapter 152: Beginning of the Training.

Sakolomé sighed deeply, as if to gather his thoughts, then took a deep breath.

— There is a place… the Lake of Secrets. Do you know it?

Ysolongue, still frozen, nodded slowly, attentive.

— This lake contains all the decrees and whispers of the world of myths, Sakolomé continued. It is a sea of voices, ancient truths, memories frozen through the ages. From the creation of the world until this very moment. And according to what I have learned… Orlongue, the Dragon God, had long foreseen that you would end up separated. So, to keep hope of reunification alive, he hid the egg of an eleventh Heiress… in the Grotto of Évoressence.

Ysolongue's eyes widened.

— The Grotto of Évoressence? she whispered. That place is… extremely dangerous.

— Yes, Sakolomé replied. It lies in the mythical region of the Quarlhon Mountains, a rugged range whose peaks tear through the clouds. There, sylvan demons roam, ancient remnants of a forgotten war, creatures living in the cracks of reality. The grotto itself is drowned in a violet mist, its walls dripping with very old mana. It is even said that some parts of the cave no longer obey the laws of the world.

Ysolongue was stunned.

— But… the Lake of Secrets? I know it well… I have already brushed it with my consciousness. How come I have never heard this whisper from our father?

— Because he intentionally left it hidden. Orlongue went to whisper these words near the lake, but in such a subtle way that only certain kinds of beings could catch this information… those who are neither entirely divine nor purely draconic.

She frowned.

— And you, how did you discover all this?

— Thanks to someone… A demon from the Underworld. Her name is Velda. She is incredibly learned, she knows secrets that even the oldest gods ignore.

Ysolongue sat up abruptly.

— A demon? From the Underworld?! And you trust her? You know as well as I do that demons of the world of myths are deceitful! So those from the Underworld…

— Calm down, Ysolongue. Velda is different. She saved my life more than once. She does not seek chaos. She loves peace, just like you.

— A demon… who loves peace? she murmured skeptically.

— Surprised? Yet, look at Shushu. He is also a demon from the Underworld, and yet… he looks like a kitten trotting on anyone's head.

Ysolongue remained silent for a moment, then sighed.

— This story is still hard to believe, Sako…

— I know. But don't worry. I will take care of this quest myself. You won't have to take any risks. You, rather, prepare yourself to see your brothers and sisters again.

Ysolongue lowered her eyes, as if troubled.

— So… that means I wasn't the last of the Dragon Heiresses? That there was another egg? Why did Father hide it? What is the true role of this eleventh Heiress? And… what if it was a being destined to replace us all?

— You mean… a unique Heiress?

— Yes. An ultimate heir. Who would absorb the role of each of us to erase us and take over. A total successor.

Sakolomé shook his head gently.

— I very much doubt it.

— Why? she asked, eyes narrowed.

— Because… I believe that the one who was meant to discover the eleventh Heiress was probably one of the ten. A brother. A sister. But none of you ever sought to solve the mystery. None… except you. Even unconsciously, it was you who asked me to help you. And it is through this mission that I discovered this buried secret. Maybe it is not a threat… but a second chance. An opportunity to unite what has been broken.

A long silence settled, only disturbed by the breath of the wind. Ysolongue closed her eyes for a moment, breathing deeply.

— Maybe… she murmured. Maybe it is our last chance, all of us.

Sakolomé placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

— And we won't let it slip away.

Ysolongue looked Sakolomé straight in the eyes, her gaze overflowing with sincerity. A light breeze lifted her hair as she let her words flow softly.

— In any case, I trust you, Sako.

Sakolomé gave a warm smile.

— Don't worry, Yso…

Ysolongue raised an eyebrow, surprised.

— Yso?

— Yeah, Sakolomé replied with a small laugh, I also wanted to find a kind of nickname… you know the type?

She remained frozen for a moment, then began to smile, her gaze softening.

— Fine, as you wish.

They stayed silent for a moment, rocked by the night wind and the starry sky. Then, by mutual agreement, they rose from the balcony. The restored castle, with its freshly laid stones, new beams, and regained brilliance, seemed to breathe new life in the moonlight.

In the peaceful corridors, only their footsteps softly echoed on the light marble floor.

Around the corner, Salomé was coming out of the washroom, her hair tied in a loose bun, wearing a long white tunic. She greeted the two with a peaceful nod before disappearing into her room, gently closing the door.

Further on, Bakuran yawned loudly, a cushion under his arm, shirtless, hair tousled.

— Phew… good night, Heroes' team! he shouted as he rushed into his room, slamming the door with typical nonchalance.

Shushu trotted behind, his small silhouette bounding in the shadows, then stopped abruptly, looking at Sakolomé as if to say "Aren't you coming?" Then he entered with a small tired meow.

Sakolomé and Ysolongue stayed together a little longer, then exchanged a simple look to say goodbye.

— Good night, Sako.

— Good night, Yso.

Each returned to their room. Sakolomé slowly pushed open his door, letting silence envelop him. He took off his jacket, sat on his bed, then stared at the ceiling for a few seconds. Everything was moving forward… maybe even too fast. But deep inside, a strange peace was born.

Tomorrow would be another day. A day of revelations, perhaps.

And with a light sigh, he lay down, pulling the blanket over himself.

The castle fell asleep, luminous in the calm of the night.

The sun was high in the sky, filtering its golden rays through the dancing leaves of the restored castle.

Salomé laughed softly beside Ysolongue, sitting on the edge of a fountain. The connection flowed well between the two young women, as if they had known each other forever. They talked about rare flowers, ancient temples, and forgotten tales.

Not far away, Bakuran meditated cross-legged on a branch of a strange apple tree with iridescent fruits, his eyes closed and breathing steady. The calm of this world seemed finally to have reached him.

But Sakolomé was nowhere in sight.

Several kilometers away, by a translucent lake, far from everything, he stood alone. Shirtless, barefoot in the grass, he watched the reflection of his face disturbed by the ripples of the water. He inhaled deeply.

— Now! he shouted.

His body then wrapped itself in a bright green mana. Spirals of energy crossed his being, merging around him like liquid filaments. But what he felt immediately was not just a surge of energy…

It was something else.

A strange, almost disturbing sensation: the environment around him, the trees, the lake, the very air… seemed too solid. Too… malleable.

— That's weird… I feel like I can change everything around me… effortlessly.

His voice almost trembled, not from fear, but from vertigo. He did not yet understand what he was touching with his fingertips.

The soft, almost ethereal voice of Rivhiamë then echoed in his mind.

— It's normal, Sakolomé. What you feel is not a simple power. It is a change of domain. Since your elevation by Velda, you have crossed the usual thresholds… and you now operate beyond the Giant Dimensions.

Sakolomé squinted.

— Beyond…? But what does that mean concretely?

Rivhiamë inhaled, then began to explain with clarity and gravity:

— Listen carefully. There are three great domains in the deep layers of worlds.

In the Delzluhud, where things remain ordered:

The laws are solid, defined by Singularity. They act as fundamental pillars of reality.

Concepts — life, death, light, darkness — are well defined. They have clear contours.

Dualities, like good and evil, exist as precise tensions, linked by a primordial pressure.

Sakolomé listened, focused, breath short.

— Then, in the Giant Dimensions, everything begins to warp. There:

Laws cease to be imperative. They become intentions: primitive ideas, without obligation.

Concepts merge into formless tensions. Nothing is fixed anymore.

Dualities become irreconcilable fractures: they can no longer coexist without radical opposition.

— But you, Sakolomé… you went even further.

She paused.

— Beyond the Giant Dimensions, there is nothing structuring left:

Laws extinguish. They become silence. There is no longer order to follow.

Concepts fade. No more ideas, no more landmarks.

Dualities withdraw, as if they never existed.

Sakolomé shivered.

— And I… I am there?

— Yes, Rivhiamë confirmed. Your consciousness, your "being," now acts in this domain. That is why everything around you seems modifiable. The world's structures have become silent before you. You can twist them, alter them, even rewrite them.

— It's… immense. But also frightening.

— That is why I warned you last night. You no longer have structuring limits, Sakolomé. What you will do from now on will no longer be constrained by laws, concepts, or classic oppositions. You are free… but this kind of freedom can burn you if you do not learn to channel it.

Sakolomé stared at his hands, which vibrated slightly with mana. A simple thought, and he could make the surface of the lake tremble, twist the water into perfect geometric shapes, or even… alter the color of the sky.

He stepped back, slightly shocked.

— And if I lose control? If I distort without meaning to?

— That is why this training is vital, Rivhiamë answered firmly. You are no longer a simple bearer of power. You have become a node of reality. You no longer interact with the world. You condition it in a certain way.

Sakolomé caught his breath. Then he nodded.

— Very well. I will learn to control this. Not for power… but to not become a threat to those I love.

Rivhiamë smiled inwardly.

— That is exactly what I hoped to hear.

A silence settled. The lake's water became calm again.

Then Sakolomé resumed his position. He focused his energy and began again.

It was no longer physical training. It was an exercise in cosmic balance.

And it was only the beginning.