16 THE AGE OF DISCOVERY Date: June 18, 2027 — Year 2 After the Descent Location: Earth Earth survived.
That realization still felt strange to humanity.
Not triumphant.
Not hopeful.
Strange.
The world people remembered no longer existed in a clean line between past and present.
Cities had not simply been damaged; they had transformed into something unfamiliar.
Highways ended beside dimensional quarantine walls.
Oceans glowed faintly at night from unstable mana saturation.
Entire mountain ranges had shifted after repeated portal eruptions.
Some regions recovered quickly.
Others remained permanently altered.
Humanity adapted because extinction left little room for nostalgia.
Schools became academies.
Hospitals became recovery sanctums.
Military divisions merged with awakened battalions.
Religious groups debated whether the Descents were divine punishment, cosmic evolution, or both.
And above all else— the appearance of the 200 New Generation beings reshaped civilization faster than any government could control.
Especially the Top 30.
Especially him.
ADAMAWA STATE, NIGERIA OLANIYI RESIDENCE 6:14 AM Morning mist drifted across the backyard in pale silver waves.
The grass had frozen again overnight.
Not naturally.
The frost spread outward from AETERNUS himself.
He stood beneath the sunrise shirtless and motionless, pale skin marked by faint glowing lines of mana circulation beneath the surface.
White hair mixed with crimson and blue strands drifted quietly behind him while twenty-three spheres of compressed Blue energy rotated through the air around his body.
Each sphere differed slightly.
Different rotational speeds.
Different mana densities.
Different freezing thresholds.
Tiny variations.
Intentional variations.
AETERNUS watched them carefully.
The world often misunderstood his power as instinctive destruction, but most of his recent growth came from experimentation.
Observation.
Adaptation.
He spent hours repeating microscopic adjustments in mana flow simply to understand how dragon energy interacted with elemental affinity under pressure.
His glowing blue eyes narrowed slightly.
Still unstable.
Red dragon energy surged outward.
BOOOOOOM!!
The atmosphere distorted violently.
The Blue spheres immediately shifted formation, orbiting him like miniature celestial bodies pulled by invisible gravity.
Purple sparks crackled where Red and Blue intersected.
Frost spread across the shattered ground in branching crystalline patterns.
Inside the house, several windows rattled.
Tomi sighed from the kitchen.
“…Again.” Mayowa peeked through the curtains while holding a steaming cup of tea.
“He started training before midnight.” Temitope leaned against the doorway with folded arms.
“At this point I’m convinced he’s competing against sleep itself.” Outside, AETERNUS compressed both forces together again.
Blue folded inward.
Red rotated through the center.
For half a second— Purple stabilized.
Then the balance collapsed.
BOOOOOOOOOOM!!
A massive distortion exploded across the morning sky.
Clouds split apart above the neighborhood.
Pressure rolled outward in visible rings.
Several awakened civilians walking through nearby streets instinctively looked upward.
“Dragon training again…” “Was that Purple?” “No, Purple doesn’t usually ripple like that…” “Don’t get closer, idiot.” A small child stared at the sky excitedly while clutching a cheap plastic toy shaped like dragon horns.
“Mom!
It’s him!” AETERNUS barely noticed any of them.
His focus remained entirely on the energy interaction.
Closer.
Not perfect.
But closer.
SYSTEM INFORMATION NAME: AETERNUS ASGORATH MORNINGSTAR TITLE: HERALD OF THE FROZEN END RACE: PRIMORDIAL DRAGON RANK: D-RANK PEAK LEVEL: 198 AGE: 23 AFFINITY: ICE BLOODLINE GRADE: PRIMAL TALENT: CHAOS-RANK LUCK: PURPLE-RANK HP: 91,200/91,200 MP: 184,000/184,000 STAMINA: 178,000/178,000 STRENGTH: D-RANK PEAK AGILITY: D-RANK PEAK ENDURANCE: D-RANK PEAK CONSTITUTION: C-RANK LOW PERCEPTION: C-RANK LOW INTELLIGENCE: C-RANK LOW DEXTERITY: D-RANK PEAK CHARISMA: ABNORMAL VITALITY: C-RANK LOW AUTHORITIES: ICE, DRAGON ENERGY SKILLS: RED BLUE PURPLE GLACIAL DOMINION FROSTFALL APOCALYPSE WORLD FREEZE ICE EMBODIMENT DRAGON PRESSURE DRAGON ROAR ICE TELEPORTATION CRYOKINESIS DRAGON CLAW DRAGON BODY ARTS PASSIVES: ETERNAL REGENERATION PRIMORDIAL RESISTANCE MAXIMUM COMPREHENSION DRAGON FEAR AURA DRAGON PHYSIOLOGY The screen disappeared.
AETERNUS vanished instantly.
CRACK!!
The earth ruptured beneath his feet as he accelerated toward the horizon.
Tomi stared blankly through the broken window.
“…He went hunting again.” Julie sighed from the dining room.
“At least eat before terrifying the ecosystem.” YOLA OUTSKIRTS 7:03 AM The mutant wolf died before fully understanding what it faced.
BOOOOOOOM!!
AETERNUS crashed from the sky like a meteor, slamming the thirty-meter beast into the earth hard enough to collapse the surrounding terrain.
Dust exploded upward.
Without pausing, he twisted midair.
His tail shattered the creature’s skull with a violent crack.
But the wolf reacted instantly despite the damage.
Wind mana erupted from its body as gigantic claws tore toward AETERNUS’s throat.
He didn’t retreat.
He stepped into the attack.
SLASH!!
Blood spilled across his shoulder.
Nearby Rankers watching from defensive positions flinched instinctively.
AETERNUS barely reacted to the wound.
Instead, his eyes sharpened with concentration.
Interesting.
The wolf’s momentum shifted through his body differently than expected.
He grabbed the creature’s limb.
Red activated.
Force reversed violently.
The beast’s own movement tore its arm apart.
Blood exploded across frozen earth.
One Nigerian Ranker whispered shakily: “…Why does he fight like that?” Another answered quietly: “He fights like pain is just information.” That description was closer to the truth.
Pain still existed.
But during combat, AETERNUS processed it differently now.
Dragon instincts prioritized adaptation over discomfort.
Every strike became data.
Every wound became understanding.
The wolf gathered compressed wind mana inside its mouth desperately.
AETERNUS paused.
A thought surfaced.
What if all four hearts synchronize before breath release?
Deep inside his body— BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
BOOM.
All four draconic hearts aligned simultaneously.
Mana veins illuminated beneath his skin.
The scales around his throat glowed blue-white.
Temperature collapsed instantly across the battlefield.
Military drones hovering miles away captured the phenomenon.
The wolf sensed danger too late.
AETERNUS inhaled.
Then the world froze.
A beam of blue-white destruction erupted from his mouth.
Not fire.
Not ordinary ice.
The atmosphere crystallized in its path.
Earth vanished beneath the blast.
Space itself seemed to distort from the overwhelming thermal collapse.
The mutant wolf disappeared completely.
No corpse remained.
Only glittering frost drifting silently through the air like frozen ash.
The Rankers watching could not speak for several seconds.
One finally muttered: “…That wasn’t a spell.” No.
It wasn’t.
It was biology.
NIGERIAN EVOLUTIONARY RESEARCH FACILITY 7:42 AM The footage replayed repeatedly across holographic screens.
Scientists argued quietly while slowing frames down one by one.
“…No rune construction.” “No external mana shaping.” “The energy originated internally.” David Olaniyi stood near the center terminal with folded arms.
Unlike many researchers, he no longer looked shocked by impossible discoveries.
Exhaustion had replaced disbelief months ago.
A younger scientist swallowed nervously.
“The throat structure changed before release.” Another zoomed the image further.
Glowing biological patterns illuminated AETERNUS’s neck and chest.
Silence spread gradually through the room.
Then one researcher whispered: “…Affinity Breath Gland.” The room remained quiet afterward.
Humanity had discovered another impossible truth.
The New Generation species were not simply awakened humans.
They were becoming entirely different forms of life.
THREE MONTHS LATER INTERNATIONAL EVOLUTION RESEARCH SUMMIT GENEVA, SWITZERLAND The summit became the most watched broadcast in human history.
Not because of entertainment.
Because civilization needed answers.
Massive holographic screens illuminated the conference hall while representatives from over eighty nations observed from reinforced dimensional barriers surrounding Geneva.
Ordinary civilians watched from apartments, refugee shelters, academy dormitories, military bases, restaurants, and reconstruction zones across Earth.
Children skipped school to watch illegally.
Religious leaders publicly condemned the summit while secretly monitoring it.
The words appeared overhead: PRIMORDIAL SPECIES ANALYSIS Global networks exploded instantly.
PRIMORDIAL DRAGON SUBJECT: AETERNUS ASGORATH MORNINGSTAR FORMER IDENTITY: AYOMIDE OLANIYI NATION: NIGERIA A gigantic anatomical model rotated above the conference hall.
Gasps spread immediately.
Researchers spoke carefully.
“Primordial Dragons possess multiple simultaneous energy systems.” “Dragon Energy fundamentally differs from standard mana.” “Subjects contain four independent hearts.” “Horns function as biological conductors and stabilization organs.” “Mana Core and Aura Core coexist simultaneously.” Battle footage replayed overhead.
AETERNUS destroying the Grave Sovereign.
AETERNUS freezing dimensional storms.
AETERNUS surviving catastrophic injuries.
The internet erupted.
“FOUR HEARTS???” “No wonder they evolve so fast.” “That isn’t even human anymore.” “How are normal Rankers supposed to compete with this?” Others reacted differently.
“He protected Earth.” “So what if he’s different?” “Without him we’d already be extinct.” Humanity’s relationship with the New Generation grew more divided every month.
Fear and admiration increasingly resembled the same emotion.
RANDOM POV LAGOS, NIGERIA STREET FOOD STALL 5:22 PM A television hanging above a roadside food stand replayed summit footage while customers argued loudly.
“He saved the planet.” “Yes, and if he loses control?” “You think missiles are stopping that thing?” An exhausted delivery rider sat quietly eating noodles while watching AETERNUS freeze a battlefield on screen.
After several seconds, he muttered softly: “…He looks tired.” The others paused briefly.
Not because the statement was dramatic.
Because none of them had considered it before.
PRIMORDIAL PHOENIX SUBJECT: SOLARA IGNIS FORMER IDENTITY: ISABELLA MOREAU NATION: FRANCE Golden flames illuminated the conference hall.
Researchers explained regenerative combustion cells, dual-core flame circulation, and the Phoenix rebirth factor.
Children worldwide watched in awe.
Meanwhile, older viewers looked increasingly nervous.
Because each presentation widened the gap between ordinary humanity and the evolving species protecting it.
RANDOM POV TOKYO, JAPAN PUBLIC TRAIN STATION 8:11 PM Commuters stood silently beneath giant holographic news screens.
A businessman loosened his tie tiredly.
A teenage girl wearing an academy uniform whispered: “…They look like mythological creatures.” An elderly woman beside her shook her head slowly.
“No.” Her eyes remained fixed on AETERNUS’s image.
“Mythological creatures stayed in stories.” PRIMORDIAL TITAN PRIMORDIAL VAMPIRE PRIMORDIAL WEREWOLF One by one, the world learned what the New Generation truly were.
Not enhanced humans.
New species.
New civilizations waiting to emerge.
And with each revelation, the emotional divide between humanity and the evolved deepened slightly further.
OLANIYI RESIDENCE NIGHT Rain tapped softly against the rooftop.
Mayowa scrolled silently through online discussions.
The wording disturbed her more each week.
Not: “AETERNUS is dangerous.” But: “Primordial Dragons are dangerous.” Her brother was gradually becoming categorized instead of understood.
Species before person.
Power before identity.
Mayowa locked the phone quietly.
“…They’re forgetting he still laughs at terrible jokes.” AIR FORCE AWAKENED TRAINING FACILITY YOLA 9:34 PM Water spiraled around Tomi’s body in smooth rotating currents.
Unlike AETERNUS’s overwhelming combat style, Tomi fought through redirection and flow.
Minimal wasted movement.
Constant control.
An instructor lunged suddenly.
Tomi shifted sideways.
Not dodging.
Redirecting.
The opponent’s momentum slid harmlessly past her.
Water wrapped around her arm.
BOOM!!
Compressed force exploded into the instructor’s chest.
Nearby cadets stared nervously.
“She’s getting stronger fast.” “Of course she is.” “She’s the Primordial Dragon’s sister.” Tomi’s expression tightened slightly.
That sentence followed her everywhere now.
Not Tomi Olaniyi.
Not elite water-affinity combat specialist.
The Primordial Dragon’s sister.
Identity erosion happened to families too.
RANDOM POV RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL 4:12 PM A little boy leapt across the living room dramatically while wearing plastic dragon horns.
“Mom!
Look!” A toy projector wrapped fake red light around his arm.
“I’m using Red!” His younger sister pointed excitedly toward a poster-covered wall.
AETERNUS.
SOLARA IGNIS.
SERAPHINA NOCTIS.
FENRIS VALKOR.
The New Generation had already become cultural icons to children born after the Descents.
Heroes.
Celebrities.
Monsters.
Dreams.
Outside the apartment window, mana storms flickered faintly across distant clouds.
Inside, children still laughed normally.
Humanity adapted faster than fear expected.
RANDOM POV NEW DELHI, INDIA EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY LAB 11:04 AM Researchers argued around floating anatomical projections.
Dr.
Rajesh Mehra adjusted his glasses.
“If affinity glands can be artificially cultivated—” Professor Anaya Sharma interrupted immediately.
“No.” She pointed toward AETERNUS’s biological scans.
“His physiology evolved to survive mana saturation.
Ordinary humans would rupture internally.” Another researcher frowned.
“So humanity simply remains inferior?” Anaya remained silent briefly before answering.
“Not inferior.” Her eyes stayed fixed on the rotating Primordial Dragon anatomy.
“Different.” No one in the room looked comforted by that distinction.
OLANIYI RESIDENCE MIDNIGHT Rain drifted softly across the rooftop.
AETERNUS sat alone at the edge of the building watching distant stars through unstable dimensional fractures scattered across the sky.
Humanity debated what beings like him should be called.
Monster.
Guardian.
Weapon.
Evolution.
Threat.
The labels meant little to him now.
His thoughts remained elsewhere.
The fourth-heart synchronization still wasn’t perfect.
A faint smile appeared unconsciously.
Improvement remained possible.
Behind him, David stepped onto the rooftop quietly.
For a while, neither spoke.
Rain filled the silence instead.
Finally, David said softly: “You know the world is beginning to fear your species.” AETERNUS looked toward the stars again.
“Should I fear it too?” David didn’t answer immediately.
Because the frightening part was not arrogance.
It was sincerity.
AETERNUS genuinely did not understand why evolution itself should be shameful.
And somewhere deep inside— David feared his son was drifting further from humanity without even realizing it.
RANDOM POV UNKNOWN REALM Darkness stretched across shattered stars.
Ancient beings slept within broken celestial ruins older than civilizations themselves.
Then golden eyes slowly opened.
A deep voice echoed through the void.
“A six-horned Primordial Dragon…” Silence followed.
Then faint amusement.
“…Impossible.” Far away— Earth continued rebuilding beneath fractured skies.
Children attended awakened academies.
Governments negotiated dimensional treaties.
Researchers studied evolving biology.
Families argued over dinner.
Rankers hunted monsters for income.
Survivors learned how to live beside fear.
And above them all— the Age of Discovery had only just begun.