Beneath the Red Dragon

Karon’s body lay prone, resting on the scorching sand, revealing his fangs slightly.

The crystal jar in his claws was crushed by immense power, yet the precious spices didn’t scatter with the wind. Instead, they were completely absorbed by the claws of the Ancestral Red Dragon, gradually sinking into the fine scales and skin between its claws.

Like a subtle warm current of electricity running through, humming in the Ancestral Red Dragon’s every nerve, making a ringing start in its ears, even the clear sights in its dark golden slit eyes started to blur, as if being in a dream.

The Red Dragon’s mind and sub-brain were unprecedentedly clear, yet obstructed by a dreamy veil like a mist that cloaks everything, involuntarily drawing the Ancestral Red Dragon further into the dream.

No, this wasn’t a dream, it was the past rooted deeply within the Ancestral Red Dragon’s bloodline and mind, it was memory, it was the past.

All memories of the past could be vividly replayed in the Ancestral Red Dragon’s mind like images, even events inside the eggshell during those dark years could be recalled every moment.

He could see the moment of breaking out from the eggshell, the instant he saw the Blue Dragon Carlette, every minute expression on the Blue Dragon’s face, including the joyful movement of its tail.

He could see his juvenile times, every detail of hunting with companions in the forest, playing and tussling in the nest.

He could see the first encounter with the beautiful big cat of the prairie—Anna, the posture of Anna at that moment, with a lazy flick of the leopard’s tail, slow strides, and languid beastly eyes.

He could even recall details automatically overlooked by instincts in past events through memory replay.

Like when Karon met the Leopard Anna on the prairie, the air’s humidity, the specific temperature, the scent of earth and the fragrance of wild grass and flowers.

Karon could even see memories of his human life, the moments and scenes he viewed, the knowledge he learned, the people he met, the books and images he inadvertently glanced at, all now clearer than ever, like they are just before his eyes.

Yet those memories could not compare to the Dragon memories, unable to perceive the temperature, humidity, and other tangible details of those scenes through memory replay.

Memory retrospection, until now.

Layer by layer of dreams unveiled, amid Karon’s flashing memories, suddenly appeared the image of that Harkonnen Clan warrior Laban as if with a telepathic connection.

Just like a skipping movie, scene after scene flickers within Karon’s dark golden pupils, reflecting Laban under Imperial control, becoming a pawn of the Empire.

That is Laban being killed by the Empire, the entire base’s eventual destruction within Imperial hands, then bringing about the revenge of the Harkonnen Clan, leading to fierce battles between the Empire and the Harkonnen Clan.

That is, scene after scene, the choices Karon made leading to consequences, now all vividly manifesting in his mind, like a carousel of lights and shadows intertwined.

But this is not a prophetic ability; instead, it is the Red Dragon’s mind and sub-brain spontaneously observing and deducing possible future events’ trajectories based on all past known information.

Just like deriving inspirational insights from comprehensive information with expository thinking speculations.

Every action, every word from the Ancestral Red Dragon could potentially become a lever that affects subsequent results, with countless changes in these results akin to innumerable branching lines spreading fan-like from the Ancestral Red Dragon as a center point.

”I know, haha, I know,”

Karon closed his eyes, already enlightened in his heart, the spices had unlocked the potential of his powerful mind and will, granting the opportunity for the evolution of his mind and sub-brain.

Chaotic yet clear thoughts flashed and extinguished within Karon’s mind.

”The cause of one thing is the result of another thing’s development,”

”The result of one thing’s development is also the cause of another thing’s emergence; causes and results endlessly cycle, never ceasing!”

”Everything in the future is determined by events of the past; given enough information and sufficient deduction ability, the future can be accurately predicted!”

”The state of the cosmos now is the result of the past and the cause of the future,”

Karon opened his eyes, his dark golden pupils flowed with radiant light, resembling that of a Prophet, eyes shining with insight into everything.

”Perhaps this is the direction of my mind’s evolution—the mystical Lapus Demon!”