Another ten years passed. That which was so difficult to overcome became easy for him. He could control and produce dreams. He could understand visions. He could calm the voices. The time had come to witness Tsukuyomi achieving transcendence at a record speed. Rinze had been watching his progress for a long time. She had never seen a dragon like him before. For most dragons, it took at least a hundred to two hundred years before they even came close to transcendence. Yet look at this little one, accomplishing what most couldn’t in a mere two decades. Obviously, she had been using certain methods to quicken the pace, but even so, it was incredible to witness.
Tsukuyomi was currently meditating underneath the tree with his eyes closed. He had been like that for about two months now. The ritual was applied to him, but he was completely serene. Once he came out of that state, perhaps he would have already transcended. Rinze blew out a puff of smoke. She thought back on Tsukuyomi’s journey so far. Perhaps she had also learned something from him. She tried to recall that forgotten part of herself. Wasn’t she just like this at some point so long ago? A young dragon with hopes and dreams. But then she became a god and everything became meaningless. She sought knowledge, but what was there to learn when she already knew everything? Recently, however, she realized that sort of thinking was wrong. Knowing something is not the same as experiencing it firsthand. Really, she rarely left her lotus garden to visit the rest of the Heavenly Realm ever since she first became a god. They always came to her for wisdom, not the other way around. “Hah, maybe I was the pupil after all…”
Suddenly, there was a surge of power radiating from Tsukuyomi’s body. Rinze had watched this same scene many times before. A blinding light surrounded Tsukuyomi. His eyes burst open and glowed brightly. A pillar of light reached up all the way to the sky. Thus, a new star was created at this very moment. The light slowly faded away, exposing Tsukuyomi’s body. His eyes returned to normal and he blinked a few times. He looked around dazedly and noticed his master. Tsukuyomi felt relieved when he saw her.
“Master…” He attempted to get up and walk over to her, but he was a bit wobbly from not having used his body in two months. Rinze strutted over to him instead and she grabbed his shoulder to support him. “Good job. I am proud. Take a rest, my dear student.” Tsukuyomi was surprised to hear those words from her. No one had ever told him they were proud. Not his parents. Not even his brother. Tsukuyomi closed his eyes and smiled to himself. There was only one last hurdle before he reached his goal.
Tsukuyomi rested for quite a while after achieving transcendence. It took a toll on his mind managing all those images in his head constantly. After transcending, he felt his body become more robust and his mind become more steeled. He felt light and energized, and his magic power had reached a whole new level. This was the result of training his body, spirit, and mind to the fullest. But he wasn’t quite there yet. Just one last step.
“Now that you are Fabled, you are qualified to become a Ryuo.” Rinze started speaking. “If this were under normal circumstances, there would be a selection process, but of course, this is very abnormal. Me and the other Ryuo will directly transfer the authority to you. This, in itself, will be another trial. Possibly the hardest one yet. It may take quite some time.” Tsukuyomi wasn’t scared anymore. He didn’t care how long it took. He was going to reach that goal no matter what. Rinze smiled like she already knew what he would think.
“Well then, is there anything you would like to do before that? Once you become a Ryuo, it will be a bit harder for you to move around.” Anything he wanted to do? Well, there was one super obvious thing, but… Until we meet again. Tsukuyomi shook his head. “No, not really. Though, I am kind of curious… What do the other Ryuo dimensions look like?” Rinze smiled widened as she twitched her ear. “Huh? Have you grown tired of mine? Choose your next words carefully, young one.”
“Didn’t you suggest a ‘change in scenery’ before my previous trial? Maybe I need another one.”
“Since when did you become so bratty? Did transcending also alter your personality?”
Tsukuyomi laughed. They really had become closer over these years of training. Where did the time go? It seemed like yesterday when they met for the first time. Tsukuyomi was a nervous wreck in the beginning, and it was clear that Rinze was looking down on him. Previously, they were a god and a follower. Now, they were master and student. “I’ll tell you about them later. Some of them are not very pleasant places to visit, though. Especially that rainy fool.”
Tsukuyomi tilted his head. “Now that I think about it… how do you even leave this place?” When he first got here, he knocked on the door and teleported to this spot. For as long as he’s been here, he’s never seen an exit. “Oh, it’s quite simple.” Rinze pointed upwards to the very top of the tree. “The exit’s up there.” Tsukuyomi craned his neck up to look. There wasn’t an observable exit, just a patch of sky. “If you fly right to that spot, you’ll teleport back to the golden hall. I could also kick you out manually if I desired it.” Huh. It was that simple this whole time? “Should we get going?”
Rinze and Tsukuyomi flew to the top of the tall tree and just like she said, when they hit that specific spot, both of them teleported to the golden hall. Tsukuyomi gazed at the architecture. He hadn’t been here in many years. It did feel nice to finally leave for once. “You can wait in the meeting room while I gather the rest of the Ryuo. Hopefully none of them are busy at the moment…” Wait what- Tsukuyomi was whisked away without consent to a different place. Now he was in a totally different room. He was sitting at the end of a large luxurious table with multiple seats around the table. He was a bit small for the size of the seat. Were all the Ryuo that large?
So he sat there and quietly waited awkwardly. Whoosh! Pillars of light appeared on each of the seats and there they were. Tsukuyomi felt a chill go down his spine. All the Ryuo were gathered in one room. Each of their stares were formidable. He sucked in his breath. The most intimidating one was the dragon sitting at the other end of the table, gazing directly at him. He had shiny golden scales and fiery red eyes. Rinze sat to the left of Tsukuyomi while an unknown dragon sat on his right. That dragon had white scales, blue fins, and a scowling face that almost made Tsukuyomi regret looking at him.
“Rinze, you said the chosen one is ready?” Hien spoke in a low voice. Rinze nodded curtly. “His training is finished. He is ready to undergo the ascension ritual.” Hien stared down Tsukuyomi again with a disapproving frown. It felt like those eyes were piercing Tsukuyomi with how hard he was staring.
“Are you doubting him?” Everyone turned to the light blue Ryuo with a bored expression. “If he has undergone the proper training, then he is qualified. It seems you might have qualms about his strength?” Hien growled back, “Disrespectful wretch! You are the youngest one here. I don’t know how you became a Ryuo with your attitude.” The light blue Ryuo smirked. “Look at this old-timer. They say wisdom comes with age, but you’re living proof that getting older doesn’t automatically make you wiser.” Smoke started coming out of Hien’s nose and mouth. He seemed about ready to kill the dragon with his eyes. Tsukuyomi noticed Rinze snicker silently. He also noted how this light blue Ryuo had two differently colored eyes.
“Stop dawdling. We are not here to bicker like children.” The dragon sitting to Tsukuyomi’s right spoke. “Let us begin transferring the authority.” A couple of the other Ryuo nodded. Hien was unsatisfied, but didn’t say anything again.