The Great Mutation

Golden flames streaked across the mountain range.

The blue sky instantly turned red, and the earth trembled under the dragon’s wrath.

The golden dragon Aris shook the scales of her entire body and let out a roar that echoed through the sky.

“Haruuuuuuuu──!”

Tears flowing from the dragon’s eyes turned into golden vapor in the air.

Just a few minutes ago, Aris sensed that Haru’s existence had completely vanished from somewhere in the world.

‘It can’t be… it can’t be…’

The senses of the golden dragon, who had lived for thousands of years, had never been wrong. Haru’s magic, that unique warm wave, had disappeared from this world.

Aris’s inner self howled in denial, but reality was cruel. The last lingering trace of Haru’s magic was clearly sensed in Silvia’s forest. And in an extremely unstable state.

“I swear in the name of the Dragon race, if you did anything to Haru… I will inflict pain so severe that even death will be merciful.”

Aris’s golden eyes narrowed vertically. With a single powerful flap of her wings, she flew towards the elf forest at supersonic speed.

Upon reaching the border of the elf forest, a transparent emerald barrier blocked Aris’s path.

On any other day, she would have observed diplomatic etiquette, but not now. The dragon’s instinctive rage overwhelmed her reason.

A world without Haru was no longer of any value to Aris.

[Get out of my way!]

The golden flame spewing from Aris’s mouth engulfed the barrier. The flames flowed down the barrier like liquid, gradually eroding its power.

Small lights flickered inside the forest. Thousands of spirits were in chaos, sounding the alarm. All the elves immediately went into battle mode.

“Your Majesty, it’s an emergency! The golden dragon is attacking the barrier!”

Silvia, who had rushed out of the heart of the World Tree, turned pale.

Fear and anger crossed in her eyes. She had been with Haru until just a while ago, and before she could even recover from that grief, this was happening.

“Summon all the guardians. Deploy the first forest defense line.”

At Silvia’s command, the most powerful elf warriors gathered around the World Tree.

Cracks spread across the barrier. The golden flames were penetrating deeper and deeper.

“Hurry…”

Silvia placed both hands on the trunk of the World Tree and closed her eyes.

Emerald energy flowed through her body and into the World Tree. The roots of the World Tree wriggled underground, infusing power into the entire forest.

But it was already too late.

Kwaang!

With a huge explosion, the barrier completely collapsed. Golden flames burned the border of the elf forest and penetrated inward.

The huge shadow of the golden dragon loomed over the forest. The earth trembled as Aris landed in the clearing in front of the World Tree.

Golden pupils, slit vertically, shone fiercely towards Silvia.

[Silvia Windwhisper.]

Aris’s voice was filled with suppressed anger. The air around her rippled, filled with heat.

Silvia appeared on a branch of the World Tree. Her emerald hair fluttered in the wind. Her expression was difficult to read.

“What is the meaning of this, Aris? Trespassing in our forest.”

[Where is Haru? What the hell did you do?]

Silvia was silent for a moment at Aris’s question. That silence fueled Aris’s anger. Golden flames swirled around her.

[Answer me! A moment ago, Haru’s presence completely disappeared. The last place he was sensed was here!]

Silvia’s expression changed subtly. A complex emotion, a mixture of worry, anxiety, and anger, flashed across her face.

“That’s…”

Before Silvia could speak, Aris’s patience ran out. A vortex of golden flames surged towards Silvia.

[If you won’t tell me, I’ll find out by force!]

The firestorm rushed towards the World Tree. Silvia quickly raised both hands.

The World Tree’s massive trunks formed a wall, protecting her. The flames collided with the tree, and a loud explosion rang out.

“You crazy reptile! If you don’t stop, I’ll use you as nourishment for the World Tree!”

With Silvia’s shout, the surrounding spirits formed orbs of light and flew towards Aris. Thousands of light arrows poured down on the golden dragon.

[Haru’s presence has disappeared. His soul has vanished from this world! A world without him is worthless!]

Aris’s voice trembled with grief and anger.

[You did it, didn’t you? You trapped him in the World Tree!]

Silvia’s eyes gleamed fiercely.

“Shut your mouth, you fat lizard! I was protecting Haru. I never tried to drag him away like you!”

Golden flames and the green light of spirits collided in the air, causing explosions. Small trees around the World Tree burst into flames.

Golden scales sprouted from Aris’s back. She was gradually returning to her original dragon form.

[Admit it! You trapped him in the World Tree out of jealousy. And what happened? Did you kill him when he tried to escape?]

“Shut up! What do you know! Haru was happy by my side!”

Silvia’s body was completely synchronized with the World Tree’s life force, glowing with a blue light. Tree trunks rose from all directions.

“Haru chose me. You’re just not accepting it!”

Aris’s laughter echoed like thunder.

[Really? Is that why he disappeared? Because he ‘chose’ you?]

“I, I’m going to put everything right!”

With a gesture from Silvia, thousands of tree trunks rushed towards Aris. Aris spewed a pillar of golden fire from her mouth, burning the trees.

The entire forest trembled from the clash of the two party members. The elves fled in terror to safety. Even the World Tree shook from the shockwaves of this battle.

The power of Aris and Silvia, two hero party members, collided and echoed in all directions. Neither of them showed any signs of backing down. Every time their magic clashed, the sky twisted and the ground cracked.

Then, a dazzling ray of light pierced through the clouds.

A woman with ten pure white wings spread out from within the light and descended. It was Seraphina.

“Stop this at once!”

Purple lightning bolts shot out from both hands, simultaneously neutralizing Aris’s flames and Silvia’s spirit storm. The battlefield fell silent for a moment.

“Save your fighting for later. Right now, the hero-nim’s whereabouts are more important.”

With a wave of her hand, Seraphina created a white barrier, separating Aris and Silvia.

[Saintess, what is the meaning of this? Are you daring to quell the Dragon race’s anger?]

Aris growled.

The corners of Seraphina’s eyes glowed faintly.

“I received a revelation from the Goddess-nim. The hero-nim is… alive.”

Shock spread across Silvia and Aris’s faces simultaneously.

[Wha… what are you saying?]

“I don’t know the exact location… but he is definitely alive. While we are fighting, the hero-nim might be waiting for help somewhere.”

At Seraphina’s words, the two fell silent at the same time. Worry replaced hostility on their faces.

Nyang. Nyang. Nyang.

Then, suddenly, a cheerful nyang nyang sound broke the tense silence.

The three people’s gazes turned simultaneously towards the high branches of the World Tree.

“The great detective Nia-nim has arrived, nyang!”

Nia stood proudly on a branch, shaking her black cat ears.

The difference from before was that faint black stripes were etched on her skin. It was evidence that the Black Tiger’s blood had awakened.

“Nia?”

The three shouted at the same time.

Nia, who had landed on the ground, began to take out various items from the bag she was carrying on her shoulder.

Old parchment, shining crystals, and strangely shaped stones.

“Nia has gathered several clues and deduced it, nyang. Where Haru-nyang went!”

Aris, Seraphina, and Silvia’s eyes changed subtly.

Nia had always been the most scattered and unfocused presence in the party. It was already a familiar occurrence for her to say absurd things at important moments.

[More nonsense…?]

“What did you find out? For a cat.”

“Nyangnyangnyang~! This time, Nia has found something really important, nyang!”

Nia said, shaking her finger.

“Last time, you said Haru ran away with ‘The Little Mermaid,’ right?”

“That was… um… a cat’s whim, nyang! But this time, it’s certain, nyang!”

Nia’s ears drooped slightly and then perked up again.

“Hmph, don’t believe me if you don’t want to, nyang. Nia is going to find Haru-nyang and monopolize him, nyang.”

The three party members exchanged glances.

In the past, Nia had led them into traps with ‘certain clues’ more than once or twice. But now… it was a situation where they couldn’t miss any clue.

“Tell me, what’s the clue?”

Aris returned to her human form, the atmosphere made ridiculous by Nia’s appearance.

“Nia, what clue did you discover?”

Seraphina coaxed Nia in a kind voice.

“Now, I’ll show you the evidence, nyang!”

Nia rummaged through her bag. The first thing she took out was a piece of wood with a green glow. It looked ordinary, but it was vibrating subtly when viewed up close.

“This is a fragment of the World Tree’s heart, nyang! Nia collected it directly from the scene, nyang!”

Aris examined it with suspicious eyes.

“It just looks like an ordinary piece of wood.”

“Hmph! Then how about this, nyang?”

The second thing Nia took out was a small device with a transparent crystal embedded in it. The needle was shaking and spinning madly.

“This is a magic power measuring device that Nia… um… borrowed from the magic tower city of Arcana, nyang! The normal value is 5, but now it’s a whopping 158, nyang!”

Seraphina opened her eyes wide and asked.

“What does that mean?”

“It’s evidence that there was a powerful magic explosion, nyang!”

The next thing she took out was a golden compass. The needle was floating in the air.

“This is a dimensional compass, nyang! It’s an SSS-class ancient artifact obtained from a dungeon that indicates where a dimensional shift has occurred, nyang!”

Aris and Silvia made suspicious expressions at the same time. Nia ignored their reactions and rummaged through the next item.

“And this is… Ah!”

Nia, who was rummaging through her bag, accidentally spilled the contents.

Small glass bottles containing Haru’s hair (with detailed labels such as ‘After Bath,’ ‘After Battle,’ ‘During Sleep’), pieces of his clothes, discarded bandages, a used comb, and several detailed sketches of Haru’s face.

Nia’s face instantly turned red. Her black tail wagged wildly.

“Uh… this is… um… evidence, nyang!”

“That’s… a creepy stalker collection, isn’t it.”

Aris said coldly.

“No! This is scientific research data, nyang!”

Nia quickly stuffed the Haru collection back into her bag.

“Anyway! Listen to Nia’s reasoning, nyang!”

Nia took out an old parchment from her bag. The magic tower city’s library seal was clear.

“First! There’s a record here that the dimensional wall is thin in the heart of the World Tree, nyang! ‘Axis of Dimensional Shift: A Consideration of the World Tree’… Nia found it in the magic tower city, nyang!”

Aris raised her eyebrows.

“You can understand such a book?”

“Of course, nyang! Nia is a genius meow, nyang!”

She hummed and lifted the magic power measuring device again.

“Second! Haru-nyang was in the heart of the World Tree, and there was a huge magic explosion there, nyang!”

The crystal of the measuring device flickered unstably, as if screaming.

“Third!”

Nia took out the bottle containing Haru’s hair again. Surprisingly, a faint rainbow-colored magic was swirling in the hair.

“Residual energy from the dimensional shift is detected in Haru-nyang’s belongings, nyang!”

The three simultaneously stared at the bottle. Clearly, they could also see the strange energy. It was an energy from the dimensional gap, different from any magic in this world.

“Conclusion!”

Nia struck a pose of victory.

“It’s certain that Haru-nyang has moved into the dimensional gap, nyang!”

The three party members stared at Nia with blank expressions. If what she said was true… this was a big deal.

Breaking the silence, Silvia sighed. Her expression gradually became complicated, and finally, she lowered her head.

“…That’s right. Haru created a dimensional rift in the heart of the World Tree.”

Aris’s eyes instantly turned fierce.

“What?”

“Silvia-nim… is that true?”

Silvia raised her head with a painful expression. Tears welled up in her eyes.

“I… I trapped Haru in the heart of the World Tree. It’s a space where time flows differently. But he…”

Silvia’s voice trembled.

“He used the Holy Sword and the Demon Sword to create a dimensional rift. To return to his original world…”

The air around Aris began to heat up again.

“So that’s why his presence disappeared…”

Silvia nodded.

“But a strange thing happened. Haru’s Holy Sword and Demon Sword… interfered with the dimensional shift.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” Aris growled.

“The two swords caused the dimensional rift to go out of control, and Haru was sucked into the rift. I saw it before the rift completely disappeared. He’s… probably in the boundary of dimensions by now.”

“Because of you…!”

Aris, filled with anger, tried to rush at Silvia, but Seraphina once again created a barrier between them with divine power.

“Now is not the time to fight each other! First, retrieving Haru-ssi must be our common goal.”

Aris clenched her fists, but reluctantly nodded.

“You’re right, Saintess. But…”

Her gaze was sharply fixed on Silvia.

“This isn’t over, elf.”

Nia suddenly clapped her hands.

“Then let’s find Haru-nyang together, nyang! Nia has a plan, nyang!”

The three looked at Nia at the same time.

“What is it this time?”

Everyone looked at Nia with suspicious eyes again. This was because Nia’s plans often ended in failure, or were tricks to monopolize Haru.

“First, we need to gather information in our own ways, nyang. Aris will gather information about dimensional shifts from the Dragon race library, Seraphina will pray to the Goddess-nim, Silvia will check the state of the World Tree, and Nia… Nia will travel around the world and gather clues, nyang!”

The three were surprised by the unexpectedly reasonable proposal.

“…Even cats are useful sometimes.”

Nia’s ears perked up.

“Nia is always useful, nyang!”

***

Some time later, strange phenomena appeared throughout the Astra Continent.

Rainbow-colored auroras that decorated the night sky covered the entire continent.

“What… what is this?”

In the Iron Forge’s smithy, the sword that Garuda was making suddenly emitted blue flames and took shape on its own.

Similar phenomena occurred in other cities and towns.

Ordinary people suddenly became able to use magic, plants grew rapidly, and animals underwent bizarre mutations.

In Chronicle, the capital of the Empire, the trees in the Imperial Palace’s garden grew to a massive size and destroyed the palace walls. Princess Iris convened an emergency meeting.

“The concentration of magic power is rapidly increasing, Your Majesty.”

The court magician reported.

“There is no precedent for such a phenomenon in history.”

In Frostgard in the north, all the ice melted in an instant, and fresh sprouts emerged.

The Kiara and Kirua sisters looked at each other with surprised expressions. White breath no longer came out.

“Sister… this is…”

“Yes, the world is changing.”

The situation was even more serious in the elf forest. Silvia urgently summoned all the elders.

“A small hole has been pierced in the World Tree.”

She said with a serious expression.

“Due to the dimensional rift, magic power is flowing out of the World Tree’s roots without limit, covering the continent.”

“Then the balance of the world…”

Elder Aurora murmured.

“We must temporarily seal the World Tree and the forest to stabilize the flow of magic power.”

“A seal?”

Elder Beryl objected.

“That’s too dangerous! The World Tree could die completely!”

“There is no other way.”

Elder Sorn nodded.

“I agree with Your Majesty’s opinion.”

Silvia moved forward to the World Tree as if she had made up her mind. All the elves followed her and surrounded her in a circle.

A song in ancient Elvish climbed up the trunk of the World Tree. As the elves’ chorus was added, a huge emerald barrier was formed.

From the depths of her heart, Silvia whispered.

‘Haru… until I find you, I will protect this world.’

A single tear flowed down her cheek. When it fell to the ground, a small sprout emerged.

As the seal was completed, the magic power runaway was temporarily stabilized. But the already changed world did not return to its original state.

The world now faced a new phase called the ‘Great Magic Mutation.’

A world where all beings grow, rules change, and balance is broken.