Conquest of Thanar-Parchment ☉

After the war against Zalkaroth and his demonic army, Volmeryn was preparing to retaliate in fatal fashion. The Empire he had built so hard was now the very prey of the gods. He had explored the far reaches of the multiverse, dominated entire kingdoms, so he wasn't going to give in so easily now. He had decided that today, a new world would be added to his empire — the world of Thanar.

Volmeryn : «So the god Thanatos wanted to conquer my kingdom with his small demonic army? Why not pay him a little courtesy visit?»

The voice of the system echoed in his mind:

[Master, the being in Thanar is not the true god Thanatos but just his avatar.]

Volmeryn: «And where is his true form ?»

[I have no idea, but all I can tell you is that I don't think it's a good idea to go into his world and confront him. Despite my knowledge, I know almost nothing about the gods.]

Volmeryn: «Are you minimizing my power? He has the right to attack my kingdom and I don't, just because he's a god? Watch me conquer his world and teach him a lesson.»

In Thanar's world, the avatar of Thanatos on his throne could hear, see, smell everything.

Thanatos Avatar (sneers): «Hahaha! So this young dragon wants to teach me a lesson with his Omniscient system? I can't wait to see what you and your kingdom are capable of.»

At his feet, two dragons knelt, each covered in an aura of its own. Vrouuuum! The first, Nethrath, the dragon of Infinity, was a being whose mere silhouette cracked space. At his side stood Arelon, the Dragon of Entropy, with a chaotic presence.

It was they, the two soldiers, who he believed would carry his name across the world of Thanar and set the stage for his future rule. He needed their power to expand his empire to the far reaches of this new world, a realm where death reigned and the avatar of the god of the end, Thanatos, exercised supremacy over lost souls.

But Volmeryn knew that such a powerful divine force could not be defeated by brute force alone. He needed cunning, patience, Nethrath and Arelon were the ideal candidates for him.

Trôk: «Your Majesty, the survival of the kingdom requires sacrifices. It is better to lose a village than the whole of our people. »

Lyara: «Tsk... Trôk, I don't think using civilians as bait is a good idea. My king, this journey is not only dangerous, it is suicidal. Are you willing to risk it all, even if it means losing your kingdom? Every moment spent in this world could cost us our souls. Since I was a child, I was told that the gods were at the very basis of existence.»

Carlos: «Haha, all this is just myths and nonsense, the gods can bleed too, they are nothing extraordinary.»

Darius: «Tss... Still as ignorant, Carlos. You only know the gods in magic books, so shut up.»

Volmeryn: «Shut up, we will conquer Thanar, no matter if the opponent is a god.»

The other dragons Lysandros, Eirlys, and Sepharon seemed silent but worried from the inside about the mission given to Nethrath and Arelon.

Volmeryn: «Nethrath, Arelon, the world of Thanar is a land where death is both revered and feared. The soul of this world is ruled by the avatar of Thanatos himself, but he is weakened, limited by the walls of his own realm. We will exploit this weakness. »

Nethrath knew what his master expected of him. Mastering time was his art, and Volmeryn knew that manipulating time within Thanar could destabilize the fragile hierarchy of this world where death fed on souls.

Arelon, meanwhile, was eager to unleash the chaos. The world of Thanar would be a perfect playground for his entropy powers.

Nethrath: «What is to be done, master?»

Volmeryn: «Thanar is a frozen world, a world where time and existence are controlled by the avatar of Thanatos who feeds on the end of everything. We are going to force him to move, to lose himself. Nethrath, you will be the key to our plan. Infiltrate the time of this world and alter it to our advantage. Let the length of days and nights merge and events become unpredictable. You have the ability to play with the very structure of existence. It is your power that will ensure us victory. »

Arelon (crossing his arms): «And what about me?»

Volmeryn: «You, Arelon, will embody the very entropy of this world. This realm is sustained by belief and respect for death. Make sure that fear sets in. Creates ruptures, instabilities in their practices. Their faith will then dissipate in chaos and fear will be the key to opening the doors of enslavement. »

The dragons bowed their heads in assent. Volmeryn's plan was bold, but will it be effective? Tsk... The two dragons each knew what they had to do: one would manipulate the fabric of time and the other the inevitability of decline.

Volmeryn rose from his throne and turned to a huge door at the back of the room that opened slowly. Ding... Beyond that, a portal of energy emerged, it was a portal to the world of Thanar, but also to a journey of no return, because any journey into the world of a god altered the balance of something else.

Volmeryn: «Come on, let Tanar's fate begin.»

Nethrath rose into the air with Arelon at his side. The portal closed behind them with a blast of energy, announcing the start of the quest. BOOM. The journey to Thanar was on, and with it, the dawn of an empire larger than anything Volmeryn had ever imagined.

Volmeryn looked at the horizon, lost in thought: Hmm...

«Let not my faith in them be a mistake, they see in me a king, a symbol of invincibility, of absolute power. But even kings bleed. Ha... This plan... This insane bet... could cost my dragons, my allies, and even me their lives. Yet to stay here, in this illusory security, would be even worse. I can't let Thanatos think I'm weak. But am I willing to sacrifice those who believe in me to prove my strength?... »

The system spoke again in Volmeryn's mind:

[Master, if you fail, the Avatar of Thanatos could retaliate violently by sending an even more powerful army or summoning other divine avatars. This would result in the total destruction of some of Cælora's territories or the enslavement of the souls of its inhabitants.]

Cling...

Somewhere in a vast mysterious ethereal place where the ground is a mirror reflecting the stars, stood at the center: the true form of the god Thanatos. Crisp, crisp resonated with the breath of the air, This place was imbued with a heavy atmosphere.

In front of him, his avatar, smaller but just as threatening, was talking with three other gods: Hades, the ruler of the Underworld; Lucifer, the god of darkness; and Hajun, the fallen god of chaos.

Thanatos (true form): «Avatar, did you understand why I sent you?»

Thanatos Avatar: «To test Volmeryn, this human reincarnated as a Dragon King and to see if he is worthy to rise beyond his nature.»

Thanatos (true form): «Correct... but incomplete. This test is not just for him. It's for you too.»

The ruler of the Underworld intervenes in the conversation:

Hades: «Remember that your mission is not just to challenge this arrogant mortal. It's an opportunity to prove that you yourself haven't become weak. If Volmeryn succeeds in disturbing your world, he will spoil not only your reputation, but also the balance of the lower planes.»

Thanatos Avatar: «My strength is absolute. No dragon can hope to compete with death itself.»

Lucifer (sneers, arms crossed): «Tss, tss... Death, yes... But you? You are just a fragment of what Thanatos really represents. And Volmeryn, this arrogant king, is not to be underestimated. He has what many of us have lost: boundless ambition.»

Thanatos Avatar (irritated): «Do you doubt me, even though I carry the essence of death? This test... Is this game orchestrated by you intended to prove me or to break me?»

Hajun (stepping forward with his face hidden behind a mask): «Neither. You're a piece on the chessboard, nothing more. Our goal is to bring out a truth. If Volmeryn triumphs, he will prove that he is an anomaly in our divine order, a force that even we will have to acknowledge. And if you crush him, then his quest was just an insignificant breath in eternal history.»

Thanatos Avatar: «Sssssss... If I face him and he wins, what is left of me? A divine entity humiliated by a mortal. And if I destroy it, will I have proved my worth... Or simply executed an order? Is this what it means to be a god? A puppet in shots that are beyond me?»

Lucifer (with a smirk): «Welcome to our world, brother. We are all pawns, players in a game that never ends. The question is: are you playing for yourself, or for them?»

Thanatos in his true form stared at his avatar with great intensity.

Thanatos (true form): «Your doubts are your strength and your weakness. But remember this: death needs no justification. Go, and let your essence decide whether this dragon king deserves to live or perish.»

The avatar, although troubled, nodded as he disappeared into a dark cloud, fzzzz...

The other gods, from their inaccessible and mysterious world, watched the scene in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

Hades (to Thanatos, after his avatar has left): «You're playing a dangerous game, Thanatos. If this Volmeryn survives and dominates your avatar's world, he could become a threat to us all.»

Thanatos (with a smirk): «Or a weapon. It all depends on the ending we write.»

Hajun: «I hope the end of this story will be favorable to us»