Chapter 12: The Truth of Dominion
The night sky stretched endlessly above Black Mountain.
Countless stars illuminated the heavens, casting a pale silver glow over the silent peaks below Cold winds swept across the mountain range, carrying with them the scent of stone, ancient forests, and distant snow.
At the highest peak stood two figures.
One was Vlox.
The mysterious traveler who had appeared from another world.
The other was Astraith.
A being feared even among dragons.
A Celestial Dragon.
For several moments, neither spoke.
The atmosphere around them felt strangely heavy.
It wasn’t hostility.
It wasn’t killing intent.
It was something far more profound.
The pressure created by two existences that stood far above ordinary life.
Astraith silently studied Vlox.
The more she observed him, the more unsettled she became.
Her instincts as a Celestial Dragon were screaming.
Warning her.
Telling her that the young man standing before her was far more dangerous than anything she had encountered during her fifteen hundred years of life.
Finally, Astraith broke the silence.
"You’re not from this world, are you?"
Her voice was calm.
Yet there was absolute certainty hidden behind those words.
Vlox slowly turned toward her.
One eyebrow rose slightly.
"And what makes you so certain?"
Astraith’s golden eyes narrowed.
"The aura surrounding you."
Vlox frowned.
"My aura?"
"Yes."
The Celestial Dragon took a step forward.
Moonlight reflected from her silver hair, causing it to shimmer like flowing liquid silver.
"A normal human should not possess an aura like yours."
The wind suddenly became still.
Even nature seemed to listen.
"The energy surrounding you feels wrong."
"Wrong?"
"Not evil."
Astraith shook her head.
"Different."
Her eyes became increasingly serious.
"It feels older than this world."
A brief pause followed.
Then she spoke the words that had been bothering her since they first met.
"Older than reality itself."
Silence followed.
Vlox didn’t answer.
Not because he wished to hide the truth.
But because even he didn’t fully understand the source of his own existence.
Seeing his silence, Astraith continued.
"In this world, power is measured through Dominion."
"The king already explained Dominion."
"He explained the version known to humans."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"The incomplete version."
Vlox folded his arms.
"The king said there are seven levels."
"He wasn’t wrong."
The smile remained.
"For humans, seven levels are the absolute limit."
Then her expression became serious.
"But you..."
Golden eyes locked onto his.
"...are not limited by humanity."
The atmosphere immediately changed.
The stars above seemed to dim.
The mountain trembled slightly.
Even space itself appeared unstable.
Astraith took a deep breath.
"Listen carefully, Vlox."
Her voice became solemn.
"What I am about to tell you is known by fewer than a dozen beings throughout existence."
Vlox nodded.
The Celestial Dragon slowly raised her hand.
Golden energy gathered around her fingertips.
Ancient runes appeared in the sky.
Symbols older than kingdoms.
Older than civilizations.
Older than time itself.
Then Astraith spoke a single word.
"Dominion."
The word echoed across the heavens.
"Dominion is the ultimate manifestation of will."
The runes above began rotating.
"It is the power born from self-belief."
"It is the force that allows existence to reject fate."
"It is the authority of a soul that refuses to bow before reality."
The stars trembled.
Golden light illuminated the night.
"Every level of Dominion represents a complete evolution of existence."
A massive golden circle appeared behind Astraith.
"The First Dominion."
The circle expanded.
Images emerged within it.
Countless warriors standing before impossible odds.
Men and women refusing to surrender despite certain death.
"Veilbreak Dominion."
"The First Crack."
The vision intensified.
"At this stage, mortals shatter the invisible chains limiting ordinary life."
Astraith’s voice echoed across the mountain.
"They gain strength beyond human limits."
"Speed beyond human comprehension."
"Enhanced senses."
"Minor energy manipulation."
"Fear resistance."
"Combat adaptation."
She paused briefly.
"But awakening Veilbreak Dominion is not easy."
The vision showed countless people falling.
Dying.
Failing.
"One must survive overwhelming fear."
"One must reject helplessness completely."
"One must possess a will powerful enough to refuse surrender."
The vision vanished.
"Threat Level: City to Continental."
Vlox listened carefully.
Astraith continued.
"The Second Dominion."
The golden circle transformed.
Planets appeared within the sky.
Stars burned brightly.
"Formline Dominion."
"The Shaped Will."
The image showed countless warriors surrounded by unique auras.
No two were identical.
"At this stage, Dominion gains identity."
"It becomes a reflection of the user’s soul."
"Each person’s Dominion evolves differently."
"Each person’s power becomes unique."
The vision shifted again.
Energy weapons appeared.
Aura pressure spread across worlds.
Wounds regenerated instantly.
Bodies evolved beyond mortal limitations.
"Threat Level: Planetary to Star Level."
Vlox nodded silently.
The scale of power continued increasing.
Then Astraith raised three fingers.
"The Third Dominion."
The stars themselves distorted.
Reality bent.
Space warped.
"Resonant Dominion."
"The Echo of Existence."
For the first time, Vlox’s expression changed slightly.
Because the vision now showed universes.
Entire universes.
Countless galaxies twisting around a single individual.
"At this level..."
Astraith’s voice grew deeper.
"Reality begins responding to your will."
"Space distorts."
"Matter obeys."
"Time becomes clearer."
"Existence itself starts listening."
The vision showed entire universes trembling before a single figure.
"Threat Level: Universal Plus."
Astraith continued without pause.
"The Fourth Dominion."
Reality cracked.
Massive fractures appeared across the heavens.
The stars shattered like glass.
"Fracture Dominion."
"The Reality Breaker."
The vision showed dimensions collapsing.
Worlds breaking apart.
Laws of physics being rewritten.
"At this stage, reality itself becomes fragile."
"The user’s presence destabilizes existence."
"Dimensions crack."
"Causality weakens."
"The laws governing reality begin failing."
"Threat Level: Multiversal."
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Even Vlox could feel the significance behind those words.
Astraith raised her hand again.
"The Fifth Dominion."
Countless universes appeared.
Each orbiting around a single throne.
"Sovereign Dominion."
"The Living Law."
The vision showed an individual sitting upon a cosmic throne.
Entire realities obeyed their commands.
"At this level, the user’s will becomes law."
"They can create worlds."
"They can erase worlds."
"They can rewrite existence itself."
"Threat Level: High Multiversal."
The mountain trembled.
Golden energy illuminated the sky.
Then Astraith spoke again.
"The Sixth Dominion."
The vision expanded infinitely.
Timelines stretched endlessly.
Dimensions layered atop one another.
"Abyssal Dominion."
"The Beyond Human Abyss."
A strange expression appeared on Astraith’s face.
Because even she respected this level.
"At this stage..."
"The user begins transcending mortality completely."
"They can travel infinite dimensions."
"Dominate timelines."
"Exist beyond conventional death."
The vision showed a being standing above endless realities.
Watching infinite timelines simultaneously.
"Threat Level: Complex Multiversal."
Silence followed.
Then Astraith slowly placed her hand against her chest.
"The Seventh Dominion."
Everything became still.
The stars stopped moving.
The wind disappeared.
Even time seemed reluctant to continue.
"Apex Dominion."
"The Transcendent Apex."
A single figure appeared above infinite realities.
Countless dimensions revolved around them like stars around a sun.
"Concepts fail before them."
"Causality loses meaning."
"Dimensions become irrelevant."
Her golden eyes narrowed.
"Only one being may stand at this level at a time."
The vision slowly disappeared.
Astraith lowered her hand.
"This..."
She looked directly at Vlox.
"...is my current level."
The Seventh Dominion.
The highest realm known throughout most of existence.
Apex Dominion.
Yet strangely-
Astraith looked neither proud nor arrogant.
Instead-
She appeared cautious.
Almost wary.
Because despite standing at the Seventh Dominion...
She still couldn’t understand Vlox.
And that terrified her.
The Celestial Dragon stared into his eyes.
Then quietly spoke.
"And yet..."
Her voice became unusually soft.
"Your aura frightens even me."
The mountain fell silent.
For the first time since meeting Astraith, Vlox looked genuinely surprised.
A Celestial Dragon.
An Apex Dominion existence.
Afraid of him?
The idea seemed absurd.
Yet Astraith wasn’t joking.
Her eyes contained only honesty.
And concern.
For a long moment neither spoke.
Then Astraith slowly lifted her gaze toward the stars.
"The Eighth Dominion..."
Her voice echoed softly.
"Null Dominion."
"The Collapse of Limitation."
The stars above disappeared.
Reality itself seemed uncertain.
As though existence struggled to comprehend what was being described.
"At this level..."
"Limits cease to exist."
"Concepts can be erased."
"Logic becomes optional."
"Reality struggles to define the user."
Even Astraith seemed uncomfortable speaking about it.
"Threat Level: Vast Multiple Multiversal."
A chill passed through the mountain.
Then she revealed the final truth.
"The Ninth Dominion."
The heavens went dark.
Every vision disappeared.
Every star vanished.
Only Astraith’s voice remained.
"Origin Dominion."
"The Root of Existence."
For the first time, genuine reverence appeared in her eyes.
"The source."
"The beginning."
"The end."
"The primordial foundation from which all realities emerge."
She slowly looked at Vlox.
"At this stage..."
"The user no longer exists inside reality."
Her voice barely rose above a whisper.
"Reality exists because of them."
Silence followed.
A silence so profound that even the world seemed afraid to disturb it.
Astraith lowered her hand.
The visions vanished.
The stars returned.
The wind resumed.
And the mountain became quiet once more.
Then she looked directly into Vlox’s eyes.
"I stand at Apex Dominion."
Her voice was calm.
Steady.
Certain.
"But when I look at you..."
She hesitated.
"...I feel as though I am standing before something far greater."
For the first time in fifteen hundred years-
Astraith wasn’t speaking as a Celestial Dragon.
She was speaking as a woman who had finally encountered someone she couldn’t understand.
Someone who existed beyond her knowledge.
Beyond her power.
Beyond her imagination.
And deep inside her heart...
That realization filled her with excitement.
And something else she hadn’t felt for centuries.
Hope.