Dancing on the golden ashes

It took me a while to assign names to all the new beasts, but after several hours of work, I finally finished. The satisfaction that filled me afterward was unmatched—I couldn't remember the last time I felt this accomplished.

"Master, please allow me to carry you to our village of Beastia," Lee Ja-Ho offered, though his eyes betrayed him. They radiated unwillingness, the kind of hatred that was hard to hide. But at the same time, there was respect there—a begrudging respect I knew would grow over time.

"Very well," I said with a nod, my gaze fixed on the horizon. The anticipation of what lay ahead in the village sparked a new kind of excitement in me. "Lead the way," I added, my voice brimming with enthusiasm.

As I climbed onto his back, I couldn't help but notice how surprisingly soft and comfortable his fur was. It was a stark contrast to riding the dragon, whose scales, though majestic, were far less forgiving.

The rhythmic movement of his strides, combined with the warmth of his fur, soothed my exhausted body. Before I knew it, my eyes grew heavy, and I succumbed to sleep, letting the gentle ride carry me toward whatever awaited us in Beastia.

...

Somewhere deep within the forest stood a city. At first glance, it appeared serene, almost dreamlike—an ancient Korean-style city with stone-paved streets and intricately decorated lanterns lighting the pathways. Rows of wooden houses lined the roads, their carved beams and colorful eaves exuding a sense of timeless tradition. The city pulsed with life and joy, the laughter of its people weaving through the air like a melody.

At the heart of it all stood a magnificent palace, its walls adorned in vibrant hues of red, blue, yellow, and green—a resplendent display of royal grandeur. The throne room, however, told a very different story.

The throne itself sat empty, an ominous void in a room filled with tension. Surrounding it were five figures, their bodies battered and bloodied. The man with white hair and piercing blue dragon eyes stood defiantly, though his right arm was missing. He swayed on his feet, barely able to stand. Beside him, a young girl with raven-black hair and golden eyes leaned against the wall. Half of her body was gone, her breaths shallow and labored as she clung desperately to life.

A massive warrior knelt before her, his large golden shield angled to protect the dying girl. But his own sacrifice was evident—his head was gone, severed cleanly, leaving his lifeless body in a frozen act of valor.

On the ground nearby lay a woman with vibrant pink hair, her body entirely still, her lifeless gaze staring into nothingness. She hadn't made it through the battle. And then, there was a small purple fox tail lying near the throne, eerily out of place, with no body attached to it. Whatever fate had befallen its owner was unknown.

Despite their wounds, the defenders held their ground, their eyes locked on the man before them—a figure clad entirely in white, his presence almost divine in its intensity. He was unscathed, untouched by the chaos, exuding an aura of invincibility.

"Bring her to me," he demanded, his voice calm yet laced with an undeniable authority.

The survivors didn't move. They didn't flinch. Instead, they glared at him, their gazes unwavering, their resolve unbroken.

"If you want her," the man with white hair spat, his voice low and filled with venom, "you will have to kill all of us. And when that happens... she will hunt you down. You are no match for the might of the Empress."

The man in white smiled faintly, his expression cold and calculating. "Very well," he said, his tone unbothered. "Then I shall do to her town as she did to mine."

Without another word, he rose into the air, his form illuminated by an otherworldly radiance.

With a flick of his wrist, the sky above the city split open, and a colossal pillar of blinding white energy descended like the wrath of a god.

The light was overwhelming, obliterating everything in its path. When it finally dissipated, the city was no more. The streets, the houses, the laughter—all of it had vanished, leaving behind only silence and ash.

Not a single soul survived.

Suddenly, everything turned dark, as if the world itself recoiled in its final moments. The ground quaked violently, the heavens cracked, and reality seemed to splinter.

The world crumbled piece by piece, collapsing into an eerie silence.

And then, with an earth-shattering roar, it all came to an end—a magnificent supernova of destruction. The explosion painted the void with radiant colors, a hauntingly beautiful display of chaos and ruin.

...

"NOOOO!" I screamed, jolting awake from the nightmare that had gripped me so tightly. My chest heaved as I gasped for breath, cold sweat dripping down my face.

"Master!"

"Master!"

The voices of my demon beasts surrounded me, their eyes filled with worry as they crowded closer.

"I'm okay," I said, shaking my head as I tried to calm myself. My hand instinctively clutched my forehead, brushing them off as gently as I could. But inside, I wasn't okay.

I have to go back… I thought heavily. If I don't, that dream might become reality.

The pain in my heart was unbearable. It felt as though it was being torn apart, and tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. My breathing hitched as the images of the nightmare replayed vividly in my mind. The throne, the ruined city, my people…

No... Not now... Not yet...

I forced myself to shove the thoughts aside, even as they clawed at the edges of my resolve. I couldn't return now, not until I was sure. I had to find out where I truly was—if this was still the same world or if I had been sent to an entirely different plane.

"Master, I'm sorry to disturb you…" Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

The soft voice broke through my haze.

I turned to see the husky-woman stepping forward. Her gaze carried concern, but her voice wavered with pride and excitement.

"But we're here," she said, her tone brightening. "This is the village of Beastia!"

Her words brought me back to the present. I blinked away the tears and looked ahead.

What greeted me was unlike anything I'd ever seen.

The scene before me was beyond anything I could have imagined—a place that defied all logic and reason, a world straight out of myths and legends.

Beasts, both enormous and small, roamed freely through the skies and earth, moving as if they were one with the environment. The entire realm seemed to be crafted from clouds and vines, a surreal mixture of ethereal and organic elements.

In the very center stood a massive tree, stretching so high that its top disappeared into the heavens. Its colossal trunk was so thick and vast that I couldn't discern where it began or where it might end. At least twenty kilometers in diameter, perhaps even more—it was beyond comprehension. Its height? Unmeasurable. The tree's crimson leaves shimmered like polished rubies, decorating the canopy with a celestial glow. Clouds intertwined with its branches, making it seem as though the tree was holding up the sky itself.

Rivers of pure blue water cascaded upward, defying gravity, forming waterfalls that poured into the air before curving back into the massive lake surrounding the tree. On the surface of the water, enormous lotuses floated gracefully, each large enough to house sleeping beasts. The serenity of the scene was mesmerizing, and the stillness of the beasts gave the impression that time itself had slowed here.

Then there were the fruits hanging from the tree. Each one was as large as a human, translucent and shimmering like flawless gemstones. Their aura radiated an otherworldly energy so potent that even from this distance, I could feel its pull, its vitality.

What baffled me the most was how the beasts walked effortlessly on the clouds, as if they were solid ground. This wasn't a mere village—it was an empire. An empire of immortal beasts.

The aura of the place was extraordinary, so rich and potent that I could feel it coursing through me, invigorating yet humbling. The ground was a sea of beauty, blanketed in crimson flowers and vibrant red grass that resembled pools of blood. Yet up close, it was stunning—so vivid and alive that it seemed to pulse with energy.

As we closed in, the entire place shimmered like a mirage, shifting and alive with magic. Some of the beasts were humanoid, their forms reminiscent of ancient spirits. Others were massive, towering creatures, their bodies radiating power and age.

When their gazes fell on me, perched atop Lee Ja-Ho's back, a ripple of unease swept through them. Their movements grew tense, their eyes watching me warily. I could see the fear etched into their expressions as if I were a threat, as if my mere presence could disturb their paradise.

I wanted to speak, to ease their agitation, but no words escaped my lips.

All I knew was that this place wasn't just a village.

This was the paradise of gods—a realm where divinity seemed to breathe life into every corner, where nature itself stood as a testament to the extraordinary.