"Eywa was wailing. The World Soul was dying. The excessive casualties among the giant beasts were weakening it. If Pandora's ecosystem was damaged beyond a certain limit, the Tree of Souls would wither and fall dormant."
Dragon Rider Keen felt the power of the World Soul fading from his body. Eywa could draw upon the strength of the entire ecosystem to resist invaders, but conversely, when the enemy attacked Pandora's ecosystem, it was Eywa that suffered the wounds.
This was what made it powerful, but also what constrained it.
"We must join the battle. If Eywa completely withdrew its blessing from us, and the power of our ancestors could no longer commune with us, then we truly would have no chance at all."
"Follow me, Dragon Riders. Show them our unyielding will." Keen raised his dragon lance high, tugged the reins, and patted his old companion's back.
The bipedal tyrannosaur beneath him let out a long, wild roar. This intelligent giant beast understood its master's intentions, and it was willing to be commanded.
The ground was burning. The corpses of the fallen giant beasts were being ignited by promethium flames, turning to charcoal one after another. A vicious stench filled the air—the smell of flesh, blood, and promethium burning together.
Yet beneath Eywa's protection, every step the Dragon Riders took caused the flames on the ground to extinguish themselves. Damp moss and fungi stubbornly grew across land polluted by chemical toxins, and when they touched the blazing fire, they raised rolling waves of steam.
Burning smoke was everywhere. The powerful bodies of the primitive Eldar were enough to endure such contamination. When the Old Ones had created them, they had been designed as stable and reliable weapons of war, their genomes containing adaptations to most harsh environments.
Other than the