Chapter 11: Chapter 9: Juice and Dragon(s)

Hop, skip, jump, and we're here! 

*Nom nom nom*

Where's here? Here's here, silly! 

*Om nom nom*

Also, *nom!* when I finished reading that big book, *NOM!* I really wanted to chew something again, and it doesn't help, *Chomp!* that this...thingie Big Sis gave me looks really tasty!

*CHOMP!*

 

"Bite that any harder, sweetie, and Luna will have to make you a new one." [Corinna]

"I do not mind at all, Mother." [Lunestia]

"You can always bite me instead~" [Solestia]

"Quiet, you." [Lunestia]

"bbllffff, hhhymm fwooo mmmunnheeee." [Lucillia]

"Your Highness, it is not very ladylike to speak while your mouth is full." [Mira]

"Pwah! Bwut I'm shooo hungwyyy." [Lucillia]

"Then come over here so I can feed you." [Corinna]

"I WAN FUUUD!!" [Lucillia]

"I'm very sorry, sweetie, but you won't get to eat anything for another two weeks. I know it's difficult, but life is full of difficulties, so you must bear with it, okay?" [Corinna]

 

Hmph. You know what this means, right? It's time...TO REBEL!!!

...

Dang it. I didn't make it. I got tailed again. I almost got away, but then- oooh, Mama has really pretty scales.

 

"Thank you, dear, but it seems like we really need to work on your self-narration. But more importantly, I really need you to be patient for just a little longer, okay? Just two more weeks and then you can eat anything and everything you could ever want. I'll let you drink some juice if you promise to wait." [Corinna]

"Joooshheee?" [Lucillia]

"Mira." [Corinna]

"Yes, Your Majesty. Here you go, Your Highness." [Mira]

"It's really good and tasty! Harvest season just came around for those fruits, so we have lots more for you to drink!" [Silvania]

 

Owo, wat dis? It's cold, blue, a little see-through, smells kinda nice, and there's little bubbles floating around. Hmm, welp nothing like the present. 

*Gulp*

WATDAHECKISDIS?!! It's really sweet and a little sour and my tongue feels weird and tingly and I just wanna drink more!

*Gulp gulp gulp!*

 

"You just had to say it, didn't you Silvie? Our supply won't last with the rate Lia's going." [Caelenia]

"From my calculations, we will run out by the end of the week." [Lunestia]

"...Well, not all the trees have ripened yet, so we should have some more within a few days or so. If not, I could always-" [Silvania]

"No. Bad Silvie, bad! No using magic to accelerate plant growth or else the soil will be ruined!" [Caelenia]

"I know, I know! It was a joke!" [Silvania]

"You've always been terrible at jokes, you know." [Caelenia]

"No, I'm not! My jokes are perfectly fine. You just have a wacky sense of humor...right, Mother? Mother?" [Silvania]

"If you girls are done with that exchange, I think your sister would appreciate a little more peace and quiet at the moment." [Corinna]

"..." [Lucillia]

 

It's...a...trap...the juice...was...a.....lie...Zzzz...

 

---

 

"It seems like serving the juice cold wasn't a great idea after all." [Corinna]

"I don't think you can help it, Mother, nor can any of us. It's quite easy to forget that she's cold-blooded given how active she always is." [Solestia]

"Still, to think that of all things that could defeat her, it would be some cold juice." [Caelenia]

"To be more specific, it was the quantity of cold drink she had, rather than just the fact that it was cold. After all, she drank nearly half a barrel's worth." [Lunestia]

"Well, I doubt Lia would like it if we didn't let her drink it, so our only option is to serve it at room temperature." [Caelenia]

"Ehh? But that type of drink is best served cold! We even went as far as adding in carbonation because that's extra popular with the children." [Silvania]

"You win some, you lose some. We won with carbonation but lost to temperature." [Caelenia]

"So, all in favor of giving Lia room temperature juice say 'Aye.'" [Solestia]

"Aye." [Lunestia]

"Aye." [Caelenia]

"...Haah, aye." [Silvania]

"Alright, case settled, meeting adjourned." [Solestia]

 

The girls finished up their meal and went back to their rooms. Only Corinna, her sleeping daughter, and a maid were left.

 

"Good to see they're lively as always. That goes double for this one." [Corinna]

 

Even though Lucillia is now asleep, her mother did not forget to feed a bit of aura to the starving child. In fact, the child was so hungry that she happily gobbled up her meal in her sleep.

Of course, she also did not forget to give plenty of headpats. Lia's body is a bit cooler than normal, so Corinna decided to give the child a little extra warmth.

Quite ironic indeed how a drink that normally gives children lots of energy would put the little dragon to sleep instead. 

 

"Ah, before I forget, Mira, go contact your cousin and see if she can visit." [Corinna]

"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but I need a bit more detail before I can confidently conclude which cousin you are referring to." [Mira]

"Right, I forget just how big your family tree is. I was referring to the Kitos ones. If I recall, they were hanging around at Titania's place." [Corinna]

"Ah, I understand. I will contact Naida as soon as I am able to. But if you would permit me to ask, Your Majesty, is there any particular reason for this?" [Mira]

"You remember Lia's memories, right? At one point, she heard something about 'space whales' and really wanted to see one. I figured we could fulfill that wish and also give her a good biology lesson at the same time. And besides, children are usually quite fond of those Kitos, aren't they?" [Corinna]

"If that is the case, then I am sure she would love to visit. However, she is not one to put off pre-existing obligations even for family requests, so I am unsure when she would be available." [Mira]

"That's fine, I don't think even Lia remembers this particular want of hers, so I'm sure she could wait a bit. You could even go talk to her right now. I'll take care of Lia for the night." [Corinna]

"Understood, Your Majesty." [Mira]

 

The maid bowed and walked away to write a letter to her cousin. Contrary to her normally stoic appearance, she is actually looking forward to this event. Of all her relatives, very few even hold a place in Mira's heart. Those few consist of her sister, cousin, a few nieces and nephews, and perhaps one other being whom she hasn't seen in a long time. 

Meanwhile, the little dragon had warmed up enough to wake up from her cold-induced slumber. 

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"*Yawwwn*" [Lucillia]

"Good evening, sweetie. Enjoy your little nap?" [Corinna]

"...Mmm..." [Lucillia]

 

Although Lucillia's body is warm enough to wake up, it is only able to do so partially as her eyes are very droopy and her response was more delayed than usual. 

Noticing that, Corinna did not do much else other than hug and warm her child up for a bit longer. Slowly but surely, Lucillia's body reached thermal equilibrium with the room. 

 

"Feeling better now?" [Corinna]

"Mmm!" [Lucillia]

"Good. Let's go on a bit of a field trip, shall we?" [Corinna]

"?" [Lucillia]

 

Corinna noticed that the effects of the honest-tea wore off, but there wasn't too much of a need for it right now, so she didn't bother with it.

Holding the child in her arms, Corinna moved over to her office and sat down at her desk while clearing some room. As she was doing that, Lucillia took her time looking around and exploring the place. She may have been here once before, but her mind was a bit of a mess, and she paid little to no attention to the details of the room.

Aside from the ridiculously large stacks of paper, several built-in bookshelves line the walls with various labels separating them by content. A small coffee table and a few sofas stand off to the side. Several sconces holding mana-candles illuminate the room, burning their iconic bright blue flame that somehow emits white light instead. Finally, the main attraction, Corinna's desk is centered at the back end of the room with a wide window behind it. In fact, that is the only window in the room, for the rest of the walls are covered with books. 

By the time Lucillia finished investigating the room, Corinna had cleared out enough space to work with and sat the child on her lap. She then took several sheets of paper, dipped her pen in ink, and began lecturing. 

 

"Before we begin, can you tell me how much you know about magic?" [Corinna]

"Hmm, mana...focusss, then BOOM!" [Lucillia]

"Good enough, I suppose. How about elements? I believe you had some experience with them previously." [Corinna]

"Uhhh, fiya, watah, thunda, uhhh...diwt? And, and, weend?" [Lucillia]

"Most people call it 'earth' rather than dirt and 'lightning' instead of thunder, but close enough. Well, you listed most of the elements, but that's because those are the only ones you've seen. There are two more elements: dark and light. As the names might suggest, dark magic utilizes darkness and shadows while light uses, well, light. Both can be quite deadly if you have a decent enough imagination, but most people don't, for better or worse. Anyways, what about non-elemental magic? What do you know about that?" [Corinna]

"OH! Mana make bawdy stwonk! Also eat mana!" [Lucillia]

"Very good. Those are some of the more common types of non-elemental magic. There's also barriers, mana-powered devices, and more importantly: healing magic. Generally, non-elemental magic just requires a decent amount of mana and very good control over it, neither of which you will ever need to worry about." [Corinna]

"Why dat?" [Lucillia]

"What species are you again?" [Corinna]

"Dwagon!" [Lucillia]

"More specifically, an elder dragon, but still a dragon regardless. Even lesser dragons have plenty of mana in them and varying degrees of control, so you already stand at the apex in both of those categories. Moving on, pretty much every living being is affected by mana and has some amount of it within them. Of course, specific details depend on the individual, but as a result of that: every being with a decent control and sufficient amount of mana can use magic of any element. But, everyone is born with a specific affinity, or multiple in some cases, that make casting those particular elements more efficient and sometimes more powerful. That's how it is for common-folk, anyways. For Celestials, it is pretty similar but there are very big differences between the two." [Corinna]

"Selessteels?" [Lucillia]

"Let's see, how should I explain this...have you noticed that when I feed you, it feels different from when you used just mana for sustinence?" [Corinna]

"Mmm! Feel wough and gwitty!" [Lucillia]

"Yes, that's because I'm not just feeding you mana, but also something called 'divinity'. You could call it the unrefined state of mana, the raw form of it. Just like mana, it is a form of energy that normally gets processed by mana-producing stars into, well, mana. However, there is a vast amount of it floating around in space, so naturally, it would end up affecting living beings. That's where you get Celestials, beings that can sense, manipulate, and to some extent, are made up of divinity. So pretty much, you can categorize living beings like so: common-folk, monsters, plants/animals, demi-celestials, and Celestials. By the way, we elder dragons fall in the latter. Everything but the last two are only affected by mana while the last two are affected by both mana and divinity." [Corinna]

"Wat diwinitee do?" [Lucillia]

"As you can imagine, divinity is far more powerful than mana. If you can manipulate it, you could easily destroy an entire solar system or create a new one, as long as you have enough of it. For you, Lia, all you need to know is that I will ban any and all divinity shenanigans unless I give permission. And just so you know, the same goes for your sisters, so I'm not just picking on you or anything." [Corinna]

"Booo~" [Lucillia]

"No 'boos' or 'buts', young lady. It's not like you will ever need to use divinity in your lifetime, anyway, unless things get REALLY bad. You can do plenty of things with just mana as long as you're creative." [Corinna]

"Fiiiinnnee." [Lucillia]

"Good. Since we're on the topic, I might as well talk more about Celestials.

Ahem. So just like common-folk have their own social hierarchy, so too do Celestials. Really, though, it just has to do with your age and where you are in your family tree. At the top of the list are the Progenitors. They are, as the name suggests, the very first beings to exist. Pretty much all other Celestials can be traced back to at least one of the Progenitors. From there, the hierarchy just descends from their, well, descendants. Aside from that, there's not too much that's different from any other society: some choose to marry and have children that way, others choose the solitary life and reproduce asexually or just not at all. Everyone has their own personality, their own quirks, and I assure you there is no shortage of arguments, disputes, and outright fights between individuals or entire factions.

But none of that will have any relevance to you for as long as I, your grandmother, and your grandfather are alive. All you need to remember is that Celestials are people too. The same goes for demi-celestials. The only difference from Celestials and the demis is that demis are descended from common-folk, or, well, half of them anyways. That or they are common-folk who managed to ascend beyond the mortal plane. Most of them are Fae or other similar beings like regular dragons, but some exceptions exist of course." [Corinna]

"Qwehhchin!" [Lucillia]

"Go ahead." [Corinna]

"Whewe Selessteels come fwom?" [Lucillia]

"Oh that? I didn't mention it because there isn't any conclusive evidence, but allegedly, the universe was created by a single entity. That entity proceeded to use the rogue energy from the creation to create galaxies and stars and such. At that point, much of its energy was exhausted, and it would soon enter a deep slumber. Before that, it created the Progenitors to manage and maintain the universe. To this day, however, no Progenitors have ever confirmed that entities existence, but some theorized that is because they do not want it to wake. Should that happen, they say the entire universe would come to an end, which is probably correct but indirectly. I imagine that in order to wake it up in the first place, you would literally need enough energy to destroy a universe, hence that legend. To be honest, I don't think it ever went to sleep. My personal theory is that it just wants to sit back and watch its creations interact. Over the many, many, many, millions and billions of years, Celestials have come together and agreed upon one name for it: the Genesis God. As much as common-folk love to create their own gods that don't exist, this being is the one true god that all Celestials agree upon." [Corinna]

"Weelijonn...dun like..." [Lucillia]

"It's fine, sweetie. Like I said, no one really knows if any of that is true or not, though I wouldn't mind if you try to bother your grandmother or grandfather about it." [Corinna]

"Gwamma? Gwampa?" [Lucillia]

"Oh, I guess I forgot to tell you. My mother and father, your grandparents, are Progenitors. Oh, I guess I should also mention that each individual galaxy has its own set of Progenitors. My parents and I are from a different galaxy, so you could say we are immigrants of sorts to this particular galaxy." [Corinna]

"Wat hapen?" [Lucillia]

"...I'll tell you when you're older...maybe..." [Corinna]

"Scawwy." [Lucillia]

"Don't worry, all of that is in the past now. Nothing could be done then, so what can I do now? Moving on, I mentioned that elder dragons, that's us, are Celestials. When I'm from, elder dragons were one of the dominant species of Celestials, but here, it's mostly angels and daemons. And yes, I said daemon instead of demon, there is a difference. Daemons are mostly decent people while demons are just mindless, mutated monsters. They only look similar by coincidence, but I digress.

Back to elder dragons, or just dragons in general. On this planet, you'll find three types of dragons: lesser dragons, regular dragons, and elder dragons. Lessers are wryms, hydras, and wyverns, and they are just really big animals. They lack intelligence, but can serve as pets sometimes. Then you have regular dragons who do have intelligence and are demi-celestials. Those two make up the bulk of dragons on this planet. The rest are elder dragons, who I assume need no introduction.

Dragons, as well as all Celestials, demi or not, can cast all types of magic, but when it comes to divinity, we are born with an attribute. That attribute basically determines what we can use divinity for. Your maid, Mira, is an undine, which falls under Fae, so her attribute is water. That means she can use the little amount of divinity in her to do water-related things. That pretty much applies to all other Celestials. In this galaxy, most attributes are extensions of elements. For you, however, since you are my child, you get the genes from my old galaxy. Due to certain reasons, the attributes there were much more...potent? Powerful? They relate more to concepts rather than just pure elements. For instance, your sisters' attributes, in order from Solis to Silvie, are day, night, weather, and nature respectively. They each hold power over several elements and are, quite frankly, multitudes more powerful than the majority of Celestials here, save for Progenitors and some other powerful beings." [Corinna]

"Wat bout Mama and Gwamma and Gwampa?" [Lucillia]

"Your grandparents' are a bit...complicated, but mine is simply space-time." [Corinna]

"Mama cool!" [Lucillia]

"Don't forget your sisters, or they'll get depressed." [Corinna]

"Sistas cool!" [Lucillia]

"Yes, yes, you're cool too, quite literally might I add. I have no idea what your attribute will be, but I'm sure it will be 'cool' like everyone else. You won't find out until you're older, though, because in order to unlock your attribute, your body has to awaken, and that won't happen until you get closer to adulthood, which is three hundred years from now." [Corinna]

"I wan eat! Gwow bic and stwonk!" [Lucillia]

"You'll get to eat in two weeks, sweetie. I know your appetite is growing as your chomping phase is here, but bear with me for a bit longer, alright? I bet you haven't even noticed the lack of biting and hunger throughout this lecture." [Corinna]

"!! Why dat?" [Lucillia]

"Because I've been feeding you this entire time." [Corinna]

"*Yawwwn* Mama tashty~" [Lucillia]

"Please word that differently, young lady, you're too young for these kind of thoughts. Haah, I swear, I always get some sort of déja vu with you." [Corinna]

"*Yawwwn*" [Lucillia]

"Well, that should be a good place to stop, I'm also running out of paper to draw with, so why don't we go to your room and get you some sleep?" [Corinna]

"...Zzzz..." [Lucillia]

Always flipping like a switch, I see. Not like that's a bad thing. A lively child is better than a depressed one. [Corinna]

 

Indeed.