Chapter 5

I wandered around the world, identifying natural phenomena that had their own sense of self, and among them was a whirlwind I named Sylphid. In total, I found seven such phenomena.

Newly born, they were pure and innocent, just like newborn babies.

Flawless as a single speck of dust, these children.

I wondered if it was even right for someone like me to give them names, but… what choice did I have?

After all, in this world, I am the only proper intelligent being.

Thus, I bestowed names upon each of the natural phenomena that had developed a self-awareness.

To the ever-burning flame, I gave the name Ifrit… It was the most neutral and easiest to decide on.

For the massive vortex, I considered Elquine… Hmm, maybe not. Elaim… This also didn’t feel quite right.

Should I just go simple with Undine? But that feels a bit too plain.

In the end, I drew from various mythologies and named it Thetis. It seemed to suit well.

I wanted to give a better name, but… as expected, my naming sense is lacking…

To the tallest mountain in the world, I thought of Ymir… Hmm, does this sound like a death flag?

Maybe Everest would be better? It fits since it’s the highest mountain.

No, this is when Wikipedia comes in handy. Help me! Knowledge from other worlds!

After searching, I decided to name it Sagarmatha, its Nepalese name for Everest. Explaining its meaning as “forehead of the world” made it all the more beloved.

To the mountain-sized tree, I naturally called it World Tree… Yggdrasil.

Honestly, at first glance, nothing else felt more fitting.

To the darkness where not even a single ray of light could penetrate, I bestowed the name Erebus, drawn from Greek mythology.

Though it spoke very little, the entity seemed to genuinely appreciate it.

And finally, to the eternal light of White Night, I gave the name Shamash, taken from Sumerian mythology.

Thus, over several decades, the spirits of these seven children I named grew lush and full.

“Mommy!”

They started calling me Mommy.

Hey, why Mommy and not Daddy?!

I really don’t get it!

“I am not your mother.”

Thinking they might grow up properly, I told them countless stories from other worlds, including tales of family. Could that be why they call me this?

After all, I’m a dragon and they’re natural phenomena that barely qualify as lifeforms. Is this appropriate?

“But you gave us our names, didn’t you?”

“That’s true, but…”

At Sylphid’s words, I nodded slightly in agreement.

“In this otherwise empty world, only Mommy gave us names. Without you, I’d have been nothing more than a fleeting whirlwind.”

“You gained your selves because this world is saturated with magic, not because I named you. And I’m not your mother. Call me Dad if anything.”

“But wasn’t it because of you that the magical power exists in this world?”

Sylphid, what are you talking about?

“Magic was created by the so-called Creator God, and I had no part in it.”

“But didn’t you say the Creator God has never appeared in this world?”

“Well, yes, but…”

“If the only thing the Creator God did was send you to this empty world, shouldn’t it be reasonable to assume that your presence gradually increased the magical power? Your claim lacks solid evidence.”

Ugh… Didn’t this kid used to stutter and be endlessly cute? How did they become so logically coherent after just a few decades?

Now they’ve lost all their cuteness…

“By the way, the other kids agree with calling you Mommy too!”

“The others too?”

Born from a whirlwind, Sylphid can freely fly around, often visiting the others and acting as a messenger.

“Ifrit said ‘Calling you Mommy makes me feel warm and cozy!’ And Thetis said ‘I wish Mommy would visit more often.’”

“Hmm. Now that you mention it, I haven’t visited Thetis recently.”

Being located deep in the middle of the ocean, it’s not easy to meet her compared to the others.

“Sagarmatha said ‘Yeah, I like Mommy,’ and Yggdrasil said ‘Either side works fine with me.’ Then quietly added ‘But I prefer Mommy.’”

Even Sagarmatha, who speaks little, and Yggdrasil, who gently sways its branches in greeting, want to call me Mommy…

“Erebus said ‘The Mommy side is better. After all, I’m probably male, so we need Mommy to balance things out,’ and Shamash said ‘Isn’t the Mommy side more beautiful?’”

Ugh… Why has Erebus turned out like this?

I didn’t tell any stories about males and females forming families or anything.

This pure child is now thinking about incest without blood ties.

Wait, does this world even have the concept of incest? Besides, I’m a dragon and he’s darkness.

Ugh. I don’t know. I don’t understand. Is parenting really this difficult in this world?

“And of course, I also prefer being called Mommy!”

“First off, I don’t think my gender is defined.”

It’s hard to tell if this dragon body is male or female.

Looking at my reflection in the water, I seem to be a magnificent silver dragon, so maybe male? But…

✉️

Suddenly, a letter envelope shape appeared before me after decades.

That so-called Creator God must be trying to say something again…

┌───────────────────────────

│Of course, you’re female!!

└───────────────────────────

…

Did this bastard send a message after decades just to say this?!

While I’ve been struggling alone to create some sort of basic ecosystem in this barren world, he hasn’t helped at all!!! And now he sends a one-liner?!

Is he joking?! Hey?! Are you kidding me!!!! You piece of trash!!! You absolute garbage!!!!!!!

I wanted to unleash all my anger, but I restrained myself since Sylphid was here. I couldn’t lose my temper in front of Sylphid.

I breathed out the fire that ignited within me through a deep breath.

The fact that actual flames came out of my mouth was minor.

“Yikes! Did I make you angry enough to breathe fire?”

“It’s not your fault. The so-called Creator God contacted me after decades, and the message was just one line, so I got upset.”

“Hmm… You said you received a message, but I don’t see anything. Must be my eyes.”

Sylphid couldn’t see the square-shaped message window—GodTalk—that floated before me.

“So what kind of message made Mommy so mad? I haven’t seen you angry in decades.”

“It’s a secret. Have I ever been angry before?”

“Yes! When Ifrit burned those small creatures crawling on the ground.”

Ah, I remember. It was during the time when slime had repeatedly evolved over decades. The first land-dwelling creatures after evolving beyond normal slime were still fresh, and I was deeply moved.

But some of them ventured near Ifrit’s volcano, and his curiosity got the better of him.

Just like how human children sometimes tear apart insects’ legs or wings, natural phenomena with self-awareness can be similarly curious.

So my only option was to scold him when he did wrong.

Well, honestly, there was also a tinge of regret that such creatures which had just emerged onto land were burned.

They looked somewhat like small lizards. Thinking back now, it was a bit unfortunate.

“But thanks to your scolding back then, Ifrit doesn’t burn other creatures anymore.”

“Hmm. If I hadn’t, that child would have incinerated everything that entered their territory.”

Various evolutions of slime gained new functions but lost simplicity, making reproduction by division impossible. So losing even one was precious.

Anyway, let’s move past Ifrit’s story.

“It seems the world is getting quite lively these days.”

“I agree.”

Decades after spreading the first life forms, the sea creatures that repeatedly evolved and mutated began returning to the land and prospering.

The land was no longer a desolate place devoid of life.

“Kuuuwooooooo!!!”

“Kyaoooaaaaaa!!!”

“Look, Mommy! Those big ones are fighting over there!!”

“That’s true. Still smaller than me though.”

A world teeming with life. But the forms of these lives… belong to an era far older than what I remember.

Simply put, it’s the age of dinosaurs.

“How did it come to this…?”

I could only sigh softly.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

In ancient times, countless dragons were said to exist.

Nowadays, only a handful, including the kingdom’s guardian dragons, remain.

These fossils displayed in museums today belonged to wingless dragons from the era when dragons thrived—the Age of Dragons.

Even a single dragon could shake an entire nation; truly, it was a terrifying era.

– A curator from some country’s museum.