“Peeking at my seriously ticked-off expression while rolling their eyeballs all around, the kids slowly began to speak.”
“Uh, w-well…”
“It’s just that…the kids got a little too rambunctious…”
“Once the hatchling died, we couldn’t stop the kids’ rampage. We’re sorry, Mother.”
“Ack! Erebus! That’s so underhanded!!!”
“While Sagarmatha and I were neutral, we couldn’t fully prevent the kids from jumping into the fight on their own…”
“Hmm. Sounds like Igdrasil all over again.”
“But everyone has experienced trespassing into Black Dragon territory at least once, right? I think Erebus is largely responsible here.”
Is it trespassing that’s the issue, or the fact that the hatchling was killed?
Of course both are serious problems. But that doesn’t mean they should be killing each other in an all-out war…
I let out a huge sigh, and with it, a burst of flame erupted in front of where the kids were standing.
“So, who plans to take responsibility for this?”
“Well, uh…”
I could practically hear the sound of eyes darting around.
Do they truly understand their wrongdoing, or are they just trying to avoid my wrath?
Either way, these kids need a proper scolding.
“While it was wrong of the Black Dragon kids to trespass – though forgivable – killing a hatchling is an unforgivable sin beyond repair.”
Calm as ever, Erebus speaks. His words ring true, but there’s something off about them, like he’s trying to evade blame.
Are they hiding small mistakes behind bigger ones to weasel out of trouble?
Still, the other kids have no real counterarguments against Erebus’ reasoning.
“Do you all agree with this?”
“Well…”
“Perhaps…it might be true…”
With their inability to properly refute, the verdict seems clear already.
“How sad…”
Not just the dragons who waged war, or the seven kids who failed to control them, but even myself who slept through it all in hibernation…only sadness and regret remain.
“When exactly did the hatchling meet its demise?”
“It’s been about a month since then.”
At my question, Erebus hesitates before answering.
A month, huh? Not too long ago.
I pull out my pocket watch that can rewind time.
“If we erase all of this, will the war disappear as well?”
“Wh-what do you mean erase it?”
“Mother…this doesn’t feel good…”
I press the button on the pocket watch and rapidly turn back the hour hand.
One rotation for 12 hours. Two rotations for a day. After rewinding enough to show about a month prior on the display…
“Let’s rewind this world back before the mistake occurred. That should fix everything, right?”
“Wha- Mother?!”
I let out a small sigh and close the lid of the pocket watch.
[Seeking approval from past timeline…
Approval granted from past timeline.
Rewind time? Y / N]
Unlike when I tested it alone, this involves rewinding the entire world with the other kids and dragons present…
But isn’t it better than letting this tiresome war continue unchecked?
Thus, the world begins to rewind…
—
After a long hibernation, I force my stiff body to move despite its reluctance.
Every muscle feels stiff and uncooperative, but I can’t afford to stay still.
Why else would I rewind time if not to prevent mistakes before they happen?
“Hmph…”
I stretch out my rigid form and summon the children.
[Erebus. Shamash. Ifrit. Thetis. Sylphid. Sagarmatha. Yggdrasil. Appear before me.]
Suddenly, their forms appear in the cave where I’ve been sleeping.
Startled by the unexpected summons, all the children look confused.
“Mother?!”
“Mom?! Weren’t you asleep?”
“Indeed. But sleep is no longer an option.”
I force my protesting muscles to move as I speak.
We must prevent the war, so I can’t use stiffness as an excuse.
“I intend to set a single rule for you all.”
“Huh? A rule?”
“Appearing out of nowhere to declare a rule…Mother, something feels off about this…”
“Circumstances dictate it must be done.”
I can’t tell them I saw the future and rewound time, now can I?
And judging by their reactions, they’ve lost all memories of the events before the time reset.
Ah well, no matter.
“This should have been established long ago…but before it’s too late, before any major issues arise, I must inform you.”
“Major issues? What kind of problem warrants such a declaration?”
“The rules regarding hatchlings.”
At my words, the children tilt their heads in confusion.
Since they don’t know what’s coming in the future, this reaction is understandable.
So I must establish these rules thoroughly to prevent the war.
“After my magic transformed the dragons, didn’t the number of eggs laid and hatchlings raised decrease significantly?”
The children nod in agreement. They’ve all felt the dramatic drop in birth rates.
Therefore…
“I hereby decree: harming hatchlings is strictly prohibited. Should anyone injure or kill a hatchling, regardless of scale color, all dragons must unite to eliminate the perpetrator.”
Such strong wording should help prevent future hatchling killings.
“Who would harm a hatchling?”
“Any sane dragon wouldn’t do such a thing.”
Would they?
Would sane dragons really kill a hatchling and start a war in the original timeline?
What deep emotional rifts existed between dragons to cause such irrational behavior?
Though it’s difficult for me to comprehend…
“Anyway, spread this warning to the other children. No mercy will be given to those who harm hatchlings.”
Even if it’s another dragon.
I won’t allow any excuses for war.
—
That’s how I thought all problems were solved…
Until another skirmish broke out between black and red dragons, resulting in casualties and injuries.
I confronted the perpetrators to learn their reasons.
“But those black bastards were asking for it!”
“How can we avoid fighting when red punks start it? Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth. Attack deserves attack!”
Red and black dragons screaming insults at each other, each claiming righteousness. Their noise grates on my nerves like nails on a chalkboard.
“To think you’d resort to fighting…”
Rubbing my throbbing temples, I sigh deeply.
While I could cite rules and regulations during hatchling killings, stopping these constant squabbles proves far more difficult.
It seems the hatchling incident was merely a pretense for war.
Even without it, dragons find various excuses to fight among themselves, making me want to scream in frustration.
Despite my presence as a deterrent, dragons continue to growl at each other and escalate conflicts whenever I’m not looking.
Blargh…I just want to throw my hands up and drop a meteor to wipe them all out.
But I can’t. As the one who seeded life on this land, I bear the responsibility to see it through.
Should I instead subjugate all dragons under countless restrictions and oppressive measures?
[Future timeline attempting to rewind time.
Synchronize with future timeline? Y / N]
Huh? What’s this?
So if I rewind time from the future, this message appears?
Wait, another time rewind? Here?!
Carefully pressing Y with my fingertip…
[What is this Creator Dragon God?! Rather, isn’t it a destroyer of worlds?!]
[Impossible…even with all dragons united, we can’t win?!]
[Mother…]
[How tragic. So very tragic…]
Memories from the future flood my mind.
My attempt to forcibly control arrogant dragons led only to devastation.
The seven children had their scales stripped away, reduced to mere natural phenomena. All resisting dragons despaired and took their own lives in a bleak future.
Dinosaurs, lizardmen, tiny mammals…all gone. Only barren wastelands remained where I, determined to oppress, shed tears alone.
That’s why I rewound time.
