System: Daily login!!, jackpot on the first day!!!-Chapter 414 - How The Universe Works

"So," Taufik said between bites, scooping a spoonful of rice into his mouth, "what are you doing here, Akh’sha? Just the two of you? What about your kingdom?"

Across the long dining table, Akh’sha, still regal in posture despite his more casual robes, leaned back with arms crossed.

"Nothing important," he replied with a huff. "I came out of boredom. Originally, I planned to travel alone, quietly, but..."

He cast a sharp side glance at Rashid, who shrank slightly under the pressure of his father’s gaze.

"...This ungrateful child begged to tag along"

Rashid gave a weak chuckle. "Ahaha~ Don’t be so hard on me, Father..."

"Ah, come on," Taufik said with a grin, his voice relaxed. Let the boy breathe. But seriously, if both of you are here, who’s watching your kingdom? Is Planet Draco so safe now that its Dragon King can just... take vacations?"

Akh’sha snorted. "After you ’solved’ every major problem in our world? You still ask that?"

The room was quiet, the only other occupants being a few maids who stood silently by the walls, trained to be invisible yet always present. Rashid sat respectfully. Akh’sha watched Taufik, who continued eating with perfect calm.

"...I’ve been here for a few days now," Akh’sha said at last, glancing around. "But I haven’t seen Lord Lembuswana or Lord Basukhi. Where are they?"

Taufik leaned back, having just finished his meal. A maid stepped forward and removed the plate with a polite nod.

"Those two?" he said casually, wiping his mouth. "They’re on a journey somewhere. I don’t know where. It’s been a while since I’ve seen them too"

He smirked, eyes glinting with mischief. "Those two suspicious... maybe they’re out there mating"

Akh’sha blinked. Then laughed.

"Pfft~ Ahahaha! That’s a good one, Fik. But... wait. They’re both male, right?"

Taufik shrugged, eyes half-lidded with a teasing smirk. "Who knows?"

There was a beat of silence before Taufik’s tone subtly shifted.

"...Enough joking. Tell me the real reason you’re here. We didn’t part that long ago. I do plan to invite you all to Earth someday, but not now. So this sudden visit... there’s something behind it. Isn’t there?"

Akh’sha gave a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his head.

"Ahaha~ Can’t hide anything from you, huh, Fik?"

Taufik leaned in, now serious. "I already know there is. Just say it. If I can help, I will"

Akh’sha exhaled. "...Something strange is happening in Draco"

Taufik’s eyes narrowed.

"Strange how?"

"It’s... not a bad thing, actually. It’s good. But it happened too suddenly, which makes it strange"

Taufik’s gaze sharpened.

"Akh’sha, we’ve known each other for a long time. Hundreds of years, in your case. You know I don’t like small talk. Just get to the point"

Akh’sha gave a nod, his expression sobering.

"...Alright. The strange event I mentioned... Since you left Draco, newborn dragons have begun awakening with Ancient Dragon abilities"

Taufik stilled.

Akh’sha continued. "Not just among my Blue Dragon clan. Every dragon race. Red. Golded. And Green Dragon," He looked straight at Taufik. "It’s a good thing, sure. But all of us, me, the other Dragon Kings, we all feel it. This isn’t natural. Something is happening, something we don’t understand"

He leaned forward, voice low.

"Fik... I know your power. I know what you are. So I’m asking... What do you know about this?"

Hearing Akh’sha’s words, Taufik remained silent.

He leaned back in his seat, eyes half-lidded, fingers lightly tapping the porcelain cup before him.

"...It’s just a hunch," he said at last, voice low. "You don’t need to believe me. That part’s up to you"

Akh’sha didn’t flinch. "Don’t worry, Fik. I came here to ask for your insight. Whether it’s fact or theory, any lead is better than none"

Taufik gave a small nod. He raised his cup and took a slow sip of his coffee, savoring the silence before he spoke.

Then he set the cup down and exhaled.

"Akh’sha..." His tone shifted, lower, sharper. "Do you know how the Universe works?"

The question cut through the air like a blade.

"...Please, continue," Akh’sha said, now focused.

Taufik turned his gaze toward the walls of the room, where the maids still stood silently at attention.

He lifted a finger.

"Leave us"

Without hesitation, the maids bowed and exited the room, closing the door behind them with a muted click.

The air inside shifted. Heavier. Quieter.

Only the three of them remained: Taufik, Akh’sha, and Rashid.

Taufik folded his hands together and stared down at them for a moment, as if gathering the right weight of words.

"...I don’t know if you’re aware of this," he began, voice slow, "... But the Creator, the one who shaped the laws of this cosmos, has long disappeared"

"!!!"

The reaction was instant. Akh’sha sat up sharply, his face losing color. Rashid nearly choked on his breath.

"That’s... impossible," Akh’sha muttered, almost to himself. "The Creator... vanishing? Just like that?"

Taufik tilted his head slightly.

"Surprising, right?" he said, a small smirk on his lips. "But it’s the truth. And you’re right, it’s hard to believe. But you asked what’s happening, and I believe this is where it starts"

Akh’sha frowned, still unsettled. "...Even so, how does that connect to what’s happening in Draco?"

Taufik steepled his fingers, his expression cooling.

"Think about it. If the Creator disappears... who maintains the balance of everything?" He looked between the two of them. "Gods? Angels? Demons? Higher beings? Fate?"

He shook his head.

"None of them. They’re all bound to the same rules as we are. They operate within the universe, not above it"

The room was quiet again.

"So who, then?" Rashid whispered.

Taufik’s answer came with an eerie calm.

"...The Universe itself"

The father and son sat in silence, digesting the magnitude of that claim.

Taufik leaned forward now, placing both hands flat on the table.

"That’s why I asked you earlier, ’Do you know how the universe works?’ isn’t it?"

Neither of them answered.

Taufik opened his arms slowly.

"... It balances everything"

"What you’re seeing on Draco isn’t a blessing. It’s compensation"

"After the departure of Lembuswana and Basukhi, two of the planet’s original anchors, its aboriginal spirits, the world lost something fundamental. The kind of loss that should’ve destabilized everything"

He paused.

"But it didn’t"

"Why?"

He pointed a single finger to the ceiling, symbolizing the vast cosmos above them.

"Because the Universe doesn’t like imbalance. It’s not sentient, not in the way we understand, but it’s aware. A system woven to correct itself when something goes wrong"

He let that hang in the air for a moment before concluding:

"So now, maybe... newborn dragons awakening with Ancient powers is the Universe’s way of filling the void. Rebalancing what was lost"

He sat back again.

"Like I said... just a hunch"

Akh’sha exhaled slowly, his face still grave, but more understanding now.

"...If that’s true... then this isn’t a coincidence. It’s an omen"

Taufik nodded once.

"It means something’s shifting. And when the Universe starts adjusting itself like this... it’s never just a local problem. It’s global. Cosmic, even"

"Then... isn’t it quite dangerous?" Akh’sha asked, brows furrowed in concern.

"’Quite’?" Taufik echoed, the corner of his eye twitching slightly. He leaned back in his chair and gave Akh’sha a long, hard stare. "...Akh’sha, were you even listening to what I just said?"

"Huh?"

Taufik groaned and buried his face in his hands.

"Seriously," he muttered behind his fingers, before parting them just enough to peek through the gap, right at Rashid.

"...Rashid"

The boy jolted slightly at being called, sitting straighter. "Y-Yes, Sir?"

"Do you understand what I just explained?"

Rashid blinked, surprised, but only for a moment. Then something in his eyes lit up, and he understood. This was a test, a chance, a moment to speak where his father failed to grasp the weight of what was said.

He drew a deep breath, the smile on his lips sincere and energized.

"A little, Sir Taufik"

Taufik’s hands lowered, revealing a small but genuine smile.

"Is that so?" he said softly. "Then... please enlighten your father"

Rashid nodded firmly. "Understood, Sir"

He turned toward Akh’sha, his tone shifting, still youthful (for a dragon, he’s still young), but thoughtful and respectful.

"Father... what Sir Taufik said, I think it means this: the universe isn’t just fixing Draco... it’s reacting...The Ancient abilities being born into new dragons isn’t a gift, it’s a sign. Something changed when the guardians left. The planet lost its equilibrium, and now the universe is trying to forcefully restore balance"

He paused, making sure Akh’sha was following.

"But if the universe has to correct something, it usually means..."

"...Something else has gone wrong, somewhere else," Taufik finished, nodding with approval.

Rashid glanced at him, encouraged, then continued.

"It’s dangerous because we don’t know what cost comes with this kind of adjustment. Will these new dragons grow up stable? Will the power overwhelm them? Or worse..."

He looked at his father seriously. "...is this just the first step before something bigger comes? Something the universe is preparing for? Remember, Lembuswana is ’Bad’ and Basukhi is ’Good’"

....

...

..

.

Visit freewe𝑏nove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience