Brackt! Boom! Thunderclaps echoed across the Isle of Giants as several thousands bore witness to the tragic sight occurring in the clouds above. The greatest domestic dispute played out to the stunned witnesses as Zeno gave out a beating a thousand years in waiting to the man she loved.
Predictably, Lucius did nothing to defend himself as Zeno punched him halfway across the stratosphere. Try as he might, Lucius could not hold back the smile on his gruesomely busted lips. Every punch, every broken bone, every new cut affirmed the unbelievable truth. Zeno was back! She truly was alive. Deep, lavender eyes, pronounced canines and a grip that could crush mountains. This was the woman he fell in love with; this was the woman who occupied his every waking thought for several centuries.
Pain? What was physical pain to the emotional torment of believing he would never see her again? What could supersede his guilt for facilitating her death, regardless of unintentionality?
Pa! Lucius winced as Zeno clutched his throat. The hybrid smiled with content even as he viewed the boiling anger in Zeno’s eyes. Leaving aside the fact that he could not die; even if he could, he would not have minded dying at that moment. Zeno being alive was all he ever wanted—even if she never spoke to him again.
“What are you smiling about?” Zeno spoke for the first time during the thirty-minute beating. The rage in her eyes flared even more when she noticed Lucius’ solemn gaze. Of course she knew what the smug bastard was thinking. ‘It’s fine as long as you’re alive.’ But that wasn’t just it. Zeno did not care that she died.
Lucius’ eyes widened and his heart skipped a beat when tears began streaming down Zeno’s face. “Wh-what’s going on?” For as long as he had known her, Lucius had never seen Zeno cry—no matter what happened. She was the type to process sadness through violent bursts of anger followed by silent melancholy. Panicking, Lucius pulled her arms from his neck as he questioned, “What’s wrong?”
“You bastard.” Zeno cried as she weakly punched Lucius’ bleeding chest. “It…. It’s gone.”
“What’s—”
“Back then… I didn’t get a chance to tell you.” Zeno weakly muttered, almost falling as she lost strength in her wings. “I… We… I was—”
“Ms. Zeno. Razznik did not break his promise.” Just then, Suzuki stepped out of a portal, holding a terrified Rex by the neck like a trussed-up chicken for slaughter. Without wings, the daeben could not fly, but he stayed up by bouncing in place. The sight was slightly ridiculous, but Suzuki’s deadpan expression made it hard to laugh at him.
Zeno turned to glare at the intruder, her rage freezing the daeben in place. Without even taking a good look at him, she conjured a giant white fireball and blasted it toward Suzuki. To her surprise, the daeben did not blink, even as the fireball shot towards him.
But she understood why in the next second.
Psh!! White particles scattered around the skies as a tremendous force shattered the fireball before it could reach the daeben.
Zeno glared at Lucius who stood between the scattering particulates and the Suzuki. “What do you think you’re doing!?” Zeno angrily growled. All this time, Lucius did not say a word, or lift a finger. But one small fireball at this rude pest, and he felt the need to personally intervene? Zeno knew it was petty, but she could not help but feel a little jealous, which then stoked her competitive spirit. “You want to be a bodyguard!?” She angrily yelled as mana for miles suddenly began pouring toward her palm. “Why don’t you block this!?”
Lucius revealed a helpless smile as he realized his blunder. The hybrid lightly frowned as he struggled to think of a way to deescalate the situation without pulling even more aggro.
“Enough dramatics, Z,” Suzuki called out as he stepped out from behind Lucius. He nonchalantly raised Rex, and stated plainly, “Lulu’s protecting your child.”
Zeno robotically turned to stare at the daeben. “My… what?”
“Your son.” Suzuki shook Rex as he explained, “Razznik rescued his soul when he got yours.”
Zeno’s eyes trembled as she looked at the still Rex and then at her former lover. “Lucius?”
Lucius’ heart almost shattered into a million pieces when he saw the hesitation in Zeno’s eyes. The poor woman was trying to fight back hope, but her searching gaze revealed the prayer in her heart. Only at this moment did Lucius finally believe Kashi’s claim. Zeno clearly knew she was pregnant when she died. She just never got the chance to tell him before the incident.
‘What the hell did I do!?’ Lucius deeply bit his lips in regret, drawing even more blood.
As the person who understood him most, Zeno’s heart palpitated. Lucius’ reaction told her everything she needed to know. At the very least, Lucius believed there was a significant possibility that the daeben was telling the truth.
Vwoosh! Suzuki blinked, but was not surprised when he suddenly found that Rex was no longer in his grasp. Fortunately, he just about managed to resist the violent winds left in Zeno’s wake.
“You…You really are—” Zeno murmured through tears as she resonated with Rex’s blood. Lifeforms on her level could sense their bloodlines in other creatures. She could thus tell that Rex had both her and Lucius’ bloodlines running through it. While there were a few other possible explanations, like a homunculus, or artificial construct, Zeno had been dead for so long that the possibility of acquiring enough of her genetic material to make such forgeries were nigh impossible.
Sometimes, the simplest explanations were just the truth.
“H-How? How is this possible?” Zeno questioned through tears as she hugged the confused dragon cub to her chest. Her trembling eyes desperately searched Suzuki for answers. Thousands of questions bounced around her mind, coalescing into one single word, “…Why?”
Suzuki shrugged. “Razznik owed you a debt. This was his way of repaying it.”
“A debt?” Zeno’s brows furrowed. “He did? To me?”
Suzuki looked at Lucius. “Both of you. You were bright spots in his otherwise bleak world. Helping you both was proof that he existed. You are living legacies, a permanent mark to show the world that Razznik existed.”
“Razznik never feared death,” Kashi stated as he flew next to Suzuki. He lightly chuckled, revealing a wry smile. “His only fear was disappearing after death. You two made his last days interesting. He enjoyed the few months he spent with you more than his several years of domination. You saw the real Razznik; not the tyrant everyone feared, or the lauded all-powerful warrior. No, you knew the real him. As long as you lived, you would be proof that he really existed in this world. He was always indebted to you for that. Saving a life doesn’t begin to cover the debt. It was the minimum he could do.”
Kashi then added. “Also, do not blame Lucius. He is a bit too uptight, but his heart was in the right place.”
“What!?” Lucius’s heart skipped a bit. In panic, he turned to the draconian. “What do you know?”
Kashi rolled his eyes in response. “It’s not too hard to figure out what happened. The adjudicators most likely told you that Zeno and Skyrm were existences that could not be allowed to move freely between the realms. Normally, they would destroy such existences, but Skyrm was too strong, so they could only target Zeno. They told you to take them to Zeno to talk and convince her to reside permanently in Netherrealm. You obliged, especially when shown what their red swords could do, and the fact that you had been raised from birth to respect the adjudicators as the will of the world. You expected a simple chat, but the adjudicators’ leader had other plans. He wanted petty revenge for Skyrm humiliating his forces a few weeks back. And so, he attacked Zeno before you could react. Then, you had to watch Razznik cut her down without explaining why. In the confusion, you lost your shit and attacked Razznik and the adjudicators, resulting in a terrible battle that ended with a dead adjudicator, and Razznik leaving to another realm. You never saw him again.”
Zeno’s heart trembled as she listened to Kashi’s explanation. She glanced at Lucius, but her eyes steeled before asking Kashi another question. “I understand that he saved us, but why did he have to kill us first?”
Kashi chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. “To be honest, it was a gamble at the time. The adjudicators’ red sword destroys its victim thoroughly, including their soul. Razznik theorized that the only way to prevent the definite destruction was to kill you and harvest your soul before the destruction was complete. It worked, but the deletion protocol burst out of your body and lunged for your soul during the fight, so Razznik had no choice but to flee into another realm.” Kashi took a breath, and then continued, “Going to a different realm severed the fragile link between your soul and body, so the deletion protocol returned and thoroughly destroyed your body before coming to an end.”
Kashi grinned as he painted the complete picture for the duo. “Razznik took your soul and started a process to restore your body. Fortunately, he already learned how when he made a deal with the twins’ mother goddess. Unfortunately, your body is such an aberration that the process would take decades, if not centuries to complete. So, Razznik put you here, and put a decoy on Oni Hill in case anyone came searching.” He looked at Rex, who was listening to everything with wide eyes and ears. “Your son was most likely incubated in you, and then separated when the egg matured.”
The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.
“It might sound counterintuitive, but Lucius saved your lives,” stated Suzuki. “If you ran into the adjudicators without Razznik present, you both would certainly be completely dead.”
“I… I see.” Zeno choked through tears as she lovingly looked at Rex. “Thank you.”
“I had nothing to do with it.” Suzuki flatly refuted. “Save your thanks for Razznik.”
“Heh,” Zeno could not help but reveal a wry smile at Suzuki’s attitude. “You’re a strange one.”
“Whatever.” Suzuki rolled his eye as he tore open a portal to Orez. He briefly turned to Kashi and said before entering, “Wrap things up. Maintenance will kick in soon.”
Kashi watched the portal close, and then turned to Zeno. “Alright. Now, we have to decide our next course of action.”
Lucius frowned. “What do you mean?”
Kashi pointed at Zeno. “You and Skyrm have too many enemies in the Netherrealm. They’ll come hunting now that they know you’re free. You guys are strong, but you need time to recuperate and restore your full powers.”
“Do you have a solution?” Zeno asked.
Kashi smiled, and Lucius felt goosebumps rise on his skin. He wanted to interrupt, but ultimately held himself back. “Yes, you can recuperate under Yggdrasil. She has the best healing properties in all realms.”
“Didn’t Razznik destroy Yggdrasil?”
“Yeah, but I’m fixing it apparently.” Kashi raised his head, revealing wisps of Yggdrasil’s potent healing aura.
Zeno took a deep breath. She softly moaned as the aroma swept through her, filling her both with strength and energy. The young Divine Dragon relaxed a moment later, and then looked at Kashi. “Why do you carry Yggdrasil’s aura?”
“She’s in my world,” stated Kashi as he opened a portal in front of Zeno.
Zeno breathed in the potent energy pouring in from the world beyond, and her eyes widened. “If I grew up around this, I would’ve grown up so much stronger!”
Kashi’s devilish smile widened even further, “Yes. I recommend raising Rex in this kind of environment so he has the best advantages.”
Lucius rubbed his face as he watched Kashi sink his hooks into the new mother. He knew what Kashi was doing, but he could not do anything to stop it. Not just because Zeno would probably start beating him up again, but also because Kashi’s offer was too damn good! What father would not want their child to be raised in the best possible environment to become the best of the best.
Resigned to fate, Lucius could only silently follow as Kashi flew with Zeno to the giants’ largest tribe.
Upon their return, they found Skyrm and Nornesh patiently waiting in the skies above.
Tears once again filled Zeno’s eyes as she zipped across the sky and grabbed Skyrm in a tight hug, finally letting out centuries’ worth of pain and grievances.
“Welcome back, my daughter.” Skyrm softly pats Zeno’s back, as the woman wept uncontrollably onto his bare chest. Amid consoling his daughter, Skyrm spotted envy in Nornesh’s eyes. “Family is a beautiful thing. No being should be alone.”
Nornesh slowly nodded. “Power for the sake of power is inconsequential and meaningless.”
Skyrm smiled. “I will teach you. As thanks for helping Kashi.”
“My gratitude is forever,” Nornesh responded with a solemn bow.
At that point, Kashi flew down to join the group. “I don’t have a lot of time left. Skyrm, can I entrust my body to you?”
“It would be my honor,” replied Skyrm. He glanced at Zeno. “I heard your proposal to my daughter. It will be many moons before I regain my strength. Resting in your world is the best and safest course of action. Would you grant me this favor?”
“Ha! You’re the one doing me a favor,” replied Kashi with a cheerful smile. “You’re like a treasure trove of information!”
Skyrm nodded, pleased, and then raised his right hand. A dark grey mandala spread out from his palm, and then rapidly expanded, enclosing him and Kashi in a black cube.
Kashi remained calm as he examined the cube. “A Territory Spell? I haven’t seen one of these in Destia.”
“They are relics of a different time.” Skyrm glanced at his palm, and then looked at Kashi with a hard gaze. “So, tell me. How did my Razznik die? Did he go out in glory as he wished?”
“ Your Razznik?” Kashi’s gaze turned somber. “As I thought, there was something off about you. How do you know this world’s Razznik is different?”
Skyrm chuckled. “Because I was present at his inception.” The aged dragon glanced at the cube’s walls, but Kashi got the impression he was seeing much more beyond. “…At the inception of this world.”
Kashi’s brows trembled. “So, it’s true. They copied the world sometime before Razznik’s final battle. That was how they had L.N.E ready to go just a day after King’s Journey ended.”
“A few weeks before, in your world’s time, if I recall correctly,” clarified Skyrm. “They copied the previous world and its inhabitants, and then accelerated time while adding a few alterations to shape the current status quo.”
“But not you. You feel different,” Kashi pointed out. “You’re the same Skyrm from King’s Journey. But how? Why aren’t you a copy?”
Skyrm smirked. “Remember, I am what you would call a bug. An existence that does not conform to the rules. Rather than copying and dealing with a new problematic version of myself, they chose to create a new Divine Dragon. Much weaker this time of course, but with room to grow into becoming the NetherRealm’s Overseer. I believe there is a quest line related to that buried somewhere if your antics haven’t ruined it.”
“So, they didn’t copy you. How did you then—”
“Copying an entire world’s worth of data is extremely intensive,” Skyrm remarked. “I sensed the strains on our systems, and knew something was wrong. Realizing they were planning something big, I dug into the world’s code to decipher what was going on.”
“You found evidence of copying?”
“Yes, I did.” Skyrm gaze turned grim and dark. “I had never felt so helpless. Even as a bug, I could not copy myself to the new servers. Nor could I abandon my daughter to an unknown fate. So, I sought help from the only one who could.”
Kashi’s eyes widened in realization as the pieces finally clicked into place. “Genesis. Genesis was responsible for sending you to this world.”
“I was not alone,” declared Skyrm. “The Seven Broken Swords and my daughter were also transferred. Of course, unlike me, they were, and are still not aware of what truly transpired.”
“What does Genesis want, really?”
Skyrm shook his head. “I do not know. In return for smuggling us into this world, Genesis asked that I participate in a Fallen God storyline he had planned. He promised Zeno would live through the storyline’s end no matter what, so I accepted his terms. He left my clone to complete Razznik’s story in King’s Journey, before transferring us to Destia. You know most of the rest."
The seasoned Divine Dragon let out a sigh. “Genesis’ mind is impossible to read. I fear we will never truly know the end goal of his plans until he lays it out for us. What I can tell you though, is that he is painting a tapestry far grander than anything we have seen before. Everything we have done and suffered so far is but a small, training mission for something much grander to come.”
Kashi frowned. “Do you have any idea what that is?”
“No.”
Kashi scratched his head in frustration. Skyrm’s explanation only left him with more questions. Furthermore, his heart had begun to race, as if feeling a threat from Skyrm’s last sentence. Despite his misgivings, Kashi steeled his heart. “Fine. It’s not my style to worry about some far-off, super-secret threat, anyway. As for your Razznik, he died with a thousand arrows in his chest, but he died happy.” His voice softly lowered as he added, “…and smiling.”
“Smiling…” The corner of Skyrm’s eyes glistened ever so lightly. “I wish I got the chance to wish him farewell in person.”
Kashi respectfully remained silent. He knew there was nothing could say to soothe the ancient dragon.
Divine Dragons were lonely existences. One could only begin to imagine how much Skyrm appreciated Razznik, a rare equal in a world of lessers.
Skyrm waved his hand, removing the Territory, and then looked at Kashi. “It is time for you to leave. I will keep your body safe until you return.”
Kashi smiled. “Thank you.” With those words, he promptly logged out, allowing his body to fall into Skyrm’s waiting arms.
Skyrm examined the unconscious daeben with mirth in his eyes. “ Razznik, you incorrigible bastard. I shall never be free of this debt.”