One month after Van's departure.
"So," Van muttered, standing before the Dragon King's throne; high atop the mountain.
The Mountain of Dragons. A kingdom forged not by bloodline, but by brute supremacy. Every dragon here was the size of a fortress, imbued with overwhelming magic and strength not of this world. This realm belonged to the strongest—ruled by a king not born, but crowned through domination. And this Dragon King... was said to stand equal in might to the Demon Lord herself.
To uphold his reign, the king surrounded himself with the fiercest warriors his kingdom could offer.
All of whom now lay broken at Van's feet.
Arms folded, Van stood before the towering sovereign, unfazed by the sheer scale of the draconic colossus.
"Feel like talking now?" Van asked coolly. "Or are you still gonna bark at me?"
❗ "Speak thy purpose, Van Hellix," the Dragon King growled, his voice rumbling like a landslide across the mountain. "Why dost thou tread upon this sacred peak, laying low mine kin?"
"Don't worry. They're still alive." Van sighed.
❗"What..!?"
"My hands are bloodied as of late," he murmured. "I've killed far too many. Let emotion guide me more times than I'd like to admit. What I came to discuss more than anything—"
❗ "Thou DAREST mock us?!" the Dragon King thundered, his wings flaring wide with wrath.
Van didn't flinch.
"How is that a mockery?"
❗ "Hmph! Thou comest here—ignorant, impudent—speaking the tongue of weakness! 'Too many slain'? Bah! 'Tis a badge of glory! To kill, and still draw breath, is the highest mark of worth! Your predecessors too acknowledged this, and now stand at the top!"
Van snorted.
"You seem really furious about me sparing you. I thought you dragons are all about wisdom and patience. What's with the outburst, Dragon King?"
The Dragon King's glowing eyes narrowed, his immense form looming like a living mountain. From the tip of his claw to the peak of his horns, he dwarfed Van a thousandfold.
Van glanced up, raising a brow.
'Roughly... a hundred times Liliac's size. How the hell can he even hear me from up there?'
[LILIAC = Alicia's bone dragon]
❗"Thou mistaketh fury for folly," the Dragon King rumbled, his voice echoing like thunder down the crags. "We are patient, aye. We are eternal—and with eternity, comes wisdom. Such truths are earned only through eons of war, fire, and bloodshed."
He raised his head proudly.
❗"The more one slays, the greater their renown. Strength is truth. To kill and to endure; these are the very currencies of our world. Surely, one such as thee hath come to see this? That both this realm and the other races comprehend power through dominance—power through power."
Van looked down, his eyes drifting to his open palm, recalling how the guards back in Varolon had fallen silent the moment he proved he could hurt them more than they could hurt him.
'He's not wrong...'
'...I came here to kill him, after all,' he thought, detached. 'And it's thanks to my strength that I can finally bring peace to Varolon... No; scratch that. To myself. It was strength that got me Alicia. Not something vague like empathy. Empathy came later...'
In that moment, Amoria's smile flickered in his mind.
'Tsk. Forget about her. You have Alicia now.'
He told himself that. But even he wasn't fully convinced.
He shook his head.
'There's no reason for me to concern myself with thoughts of her. Focus.'
He exhaled.
'Back to the topic at hand; he's right. The stronger you get, the more you'll have to kill. Alicia knows it. Everyone in my former party knows it. Brings a bad taste to my mouth... but it is what it is.'
His fingers curled as a memory surfaced—Belial's words as he, instead of killing him, set him free of his circumstances.
"Thank you, Van... He said."
Van whispered the words aloud, barely audible.
❗"Whom dost thou speak of?!" the Dragon King bellowed. "Wouldst thou lose thyself in reverie whilst in mine presence?"
Van didn't answer at first. He blinked, eyes distant.
'Unicus, too... or whatever had taken his place in the end. I wonder... was he the same?'
[Unicus was once an adventurer in the Royal Capital, tasked with leading an expedition. The entire party perished save for him, who returned under suspicious circumstances. It was later revealed that Unicus had been taken over by a proxy of the Goddess known as Kota, whom Van eventually defeated after a grueling battle.]
Then, a slow breath.
'I see. That's what this is. Why I'm thinking about all of this instead of just ending this Dragon.'
He looked back up at the towering beast.
'I'm being arrogant again. Thinking I can do something other than killing him... Just like when I set Belial free. That's why I haven't killed him yet.' He clenched his fists.
'Still... being this strong... can't I indulge a little?' A crooked smirk played at his lips.
'I can kill him anytime. What's the harm in letting this play out just a little bit?'
Van scratched at his hair.
"By your logic... you approve of me killing your son a month ago?" he asked flatly.
❗"...Arutol was weak. If he was slain, then he was meant to be. Every soul you take was yours to take. And should one take thy life; they, too, would have earned it."
❗"Arutol knew this. As did Yagun, when he fell to Magus Veil—!"
"I'm sorry," Van muttered, interrupting him. "For killing your son."
A long silence followed.
The Dragon King's gaze narrowed further, head tilting as if to inspect something strange.
❗"...Foolishness. Foolishness upon foolishness, Van Hellix."
❗"Once more thou dost apologize for that which is as natural as drawing breath. As natural as meat sustaining flesh. As natural as the insect serving itself unto the apex predator."
❗"To kill is to prove. To prove is to rise. All else is noise."
Van sighed, lying on his back against the cold stone of the temple floor.
"..."
He stared up at the sky past the towering silhouette of the Dragon King. Slowly, he raised his palm toward the heavens, eyes half-lidded.
He pictured Belial's smile. Unshackled, mind freed; just before he left.
"Imagine..." Van murmured. His voice suddenly softer. Distant.
The mighty Dragon King flinched in response.
"...If I could just Hard Swing your drive to kill," Van chuckled. "Wouldn't that be something? If I could just... flip the desire to protect into you like a switch. Just overwrite you, rewire you. That would be strength, wouldn't it?"
❗"If thou wert mighty enough to influence me... to enslave me even, then so be it. My life would be naught before thine. Speak clearly, Hellix. What madness dost thou now mutter?"
"It would be naught, wouldn't it?" Van said quietly, arm still raised, wrist loose. "Your life... if I were almighty. If I had the strength of the God of all Gods, and could simply change you. To make you 'good'."
He smiled weakly.
"To bend your truth into something else. Just because I can. That's the power you worship, right?"
The Dragon King's gaze narrowed, his body coiling tighter with every word.
❗"...It is as thou sayest. The sole reason thou still drawest breath is because thou art beyond even mine strength."
Van nodded.
"Then…"
Van let his hand fall.
"I wouldn't really have to kill you at all, would I? To prove my strength."
❗.....!
Van stared upward, eyes soft.
"I'm almighty, after all. I don't have to be scared of anything. No one can hurt me anymore, or... Assert themselves; as you say."
His voice drifted, more to himself than to the dragon.
"Why would I need to kill?"
He exhaled slowly, gaze lost to the sky beyond.
"Imagine... I could've gone back in time. Stopped Magus from ever getting those skills. We could've just... had a normal adventure. Cooked something new each day from our world. Laughed. Fought over spices. Tripped over stupid things. That's all I ever wanted."
"If I were almighty... I could've made sure everyone worked together. I wouldn't need to threaten anyone. Wouldn't need to raise my voice or brandish a blade. No one would hurt the people I love. Not even if they tried."
He paused, blinking slowly.
"Because I'd be too strong to be afraid."
The Dragon King drew a long breath. Like a canon, loading his throat with words.
❗"You..."
And for the first time in his long, long life, the Dragon King said nothing else. His fire wouldn't be drawn outward.
Silence thundered around them.
All his life, he'd known strength. All his life, he'd been taught: to dominate is to endure. To endure is to conquer. To conquer is to kill.
He had assumed Van's words were but another form of power. Another game of superiority. Just polished, poetic intimidation.
But then… something cracked.
The Dragon King was the strongest Dragon. Unquestionably.
So why did he need to prove it?
If he were truly strong…
Why did he ever need to kill?
And then a thought slithered through his mind.
If I must kill to prove my strength… then every death... is a confession of weakness... is it not?
The Dragon King let out a low growl as he subtly shook his mighty head, shooing the thought away.
❗"Heretical. Truly heretical. Thy ramblings…"
"Then, forget it, forget it," Van waved his hand, snapping the dragon out of its thoughts.
"I felt like messing around a bit. Consider it nothing more than ramblings for now." He patted the dust off himself as he stood straighter.
"I do want a real answer though. How are dragons able to attack humans?" Van folded his legs. "And why raze Varolon? What are you after in the Capital?"
❗"..."
❗"I take it thou art aware, Van Hellix, of the contracts imposed upon all Gods by the human Goddess. The pacts that forbid any race from initiating war against mankind."
Van nodded.
❗"These decrees bind all races under divine sovereignty. Even acts of pettiness, be it theft or slaughter, are met with divine punishment if committed across races. Internal strife is overlooked. However... should a human harm or slay one of stature from another race without a 'right cause', it is deemed the first act of war. The contract is annulled."
"…"
Van narrowed his gaze.
"…Right. I get what you're saying. Varlog told me the basics. If an elf kills a human, divine punishment follows. If a human kills an elf nothing happens unless the elf's a big shot or something. Hm."
He sighed.
'I bet that contract's a nightmare to read. So many loopholes and vague rules…' Van scratched his head.
"But what's your point in all this? How are you able to attack humans and not get punished by the contract?" He fixed his gaze on the mighty dragon.
❗"Because we are no longer sovereign to our God."
"…!"
❗"We discovered a way to sever the bond with the Dragon God—through the very weaves of energy that permeate this world and the realms beyond."
'Isn't that... How I freed Belial?! Is he talking about Aura? Like what I can see now because of that skill?'
[Seed of Darkness]
❗"Through centuries of relentless training and attunement to our inner force, we unearthed a thread. One that tethered us to the divine. We did not hesitate. We severed it."
"Why?"
❗"If such a bond can be broken, then it was never worthy of binding us."
'Ah. Right. Dragons are prideful.'
"Alright... I won't ask how you did it. I already have an idea."
❗"What?!"
"Moving on. We know how you did it. But why attack Varolon?"
The Dragon King looked down on Van, a moment of silence passed. That human before him had brushed off a truth kept from all, even Gods... And even past heroes themselves. Just what does this man know? He wondered.
❗"To siphon the essence from the summoning circle. The energy... of the Void."
Again. That thing—the Void. Something was written about it in my [SEED OF DARKNESS] passive... and that weird digital message talked about it, too.
"So in the end, it all comes down to power?" Van asked, fixing his gaze on the Dragon King.
❗"Correct. Neither I nor mine lie about such matters. Power is our purpose—we shall pursue it unto the end of days."
Van said nothing.
He lowered his eyes.
Then raised them again.
"...So you won't stop attacking Varolon, Dragon King?" Van muttered, his voice low, eyes heavy with knowing.
❗"..."
❗"Never."
"...So be it." He looked away, scratching the side of his head with a bitter smile. "I never said I was strong enough to spare you, did I?" He began walking forward, slow, deliberate. His fist tightened.
'Despite what I said being nothing but ramblings... It feels the same,' the thought echoed in Van's mind, 'exactly the same... as giving up.'
But the truth stood clear before him: if spared, the Dragon King would raze Varolon to ash.
"And I..."
"...Never make the same mistake twice." He stopped just shy of the Dragon's claw.
The Dragon King knew. Even a beast forged in conquest could feel it in the air. There was no path forward. No more moves to make. This was not a duel.
This was judgment.
An executioner who had, for a brief moment, let mercy color his blade before casting it off.
This was the end.
"Gooooooooooooosfraba..." Van exhaled, slow and deep.
❗"...!?" The Dragon flinched, puzzled, glancing downward.
"GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooooooooooooosfraba..."he exhaled even deeper, as if breathing out the weight of the world.
Silence fell.
"I never make the same mistake twice," Van repeated, voice steady.
"So..." he continued, lifting his head, "...Help me not make it a third time." He gently pressed his palm against the Dragon's claw.
'I'll choose it again. I may not be strong enough to spare him...'
Van blinked. In the dark of his mind, he saw Alicia. Then Amoria, before he left her.
'But I want to be. I want to become stronger. For her. For the one I still have.'
❗"Another blasphemous whisper...!"
"I'm not asking you to abandon your assault on Varolon."
❗"What madness is this?! What do you ramble now, then!?"
"You spoke of patience. That your race is patient. Did you mean what you said?"
❗"Every word was true."
"Then wait," Van replied at once, firm and calm. "Just wait a while."
❗"We cannot abide delay."
❗"Without grace, we dost risk divine wrath from our God. Yet this path we tread is not only to ensure our survival; but perchance, to surpass even our God in might."
"…Then what if I protected you? Until I figured something that works for both the humans and you?" Van asked.
❗…!!❗
"When it comes down to it, you call me. I'll help you."
Five hours later...
"He finally agreed..." Van left the mountain, exhausted, replaying the Dragon King's words in his mind:
❗"BLAH BLAH ANOTHER BLASPHEMY WE DRAGONS SHALL NOT BLAH BLAH THE DRAGON PRIDE BLAH BLAH CENTURIES OF TRADITION BLAH BLAH"
The Dragon King ended up just venting his frustration for five hours. Van nodded along, leveraging the fact that the Dragon King would rather not have his entire race annihilated by Van. And that if Van helps them with the threat of the Dragon God, they're essentially free.
"You really think that will help?" Alicia muttered, appearing from a dark corner beneath the mountain.
"...Alicia." Van looked at her as she gazed up at the mountain.
"I'm surprised. That old bastard managed to cut the ties with the Dragon God on his own."
"You listened?"
"Of course. I was curious." Alicia nodded. "Van," she called, as she approached him, pinning herself against him, her eyes half-lidded as she looked up at him.
"You realize this is a mistake, don't you? You can babble about wanting to be stronger. I understand that. But that old bastard gave you some noble words, and you fell for every one. The truth is, they kill for fun and eat humans, as well as anyone else they can lay their claws upon. You expect them to go vegetarian or something?"
"I don't appreciate your mocking, Alicia," Van spoke, gently, as he looked at her evenly.
"You deserve it."
"I don't. Stop it."
"...Fine. I apologize." Alicia backed away from him, sighing. "But do you truly believe that the Dragon King will blindly follow your words?"
"..." Van didn't reply.
"You are powerful. More so than anyone I've ever met in my life. But Van, you cannot handle that menace alive."
Van chuckled lightly.
"I'm handling you."
"I am serious," Alicia said firmly. "Flattery this time will not work. If you believe this is going to work, fine. But relying solely on emotion over something as grand as this... I don't believe this will work at all. I disagree with how you handled this. You are NOT strong enough to handle him if he goes rogue, Van. Especially with no contingency plan in place."
Van looked at her evenly.
"Take my hand, Alicia." He gently reached out with his palm toward her.
"..." She looked at his palm, then at his calm expression that bore a smirk of confidence.
She then held his palm.
"This may not be absolute proof, what I'm about to show you... And right now, it's still in development; you can say. But if you want contingency, it might check that box."
"Alright. Show me."
"[Hard Swing]," Van cast.
A flash of blue enveloped them both. Then, they were gone.
A few seconds later… they were back beneath the mountain.
Alicia didn't speak.
She stood perfectly still, her expression unreadable. Mouth slightly open. Eyes wide, unfocused, staring at nothing.
Her shoulders rose with a sharp inhale.
"Haa... ahhhh..."
Her arms trembled as she looked down, grounding herself. The silence stretched.
Van waited.
Then, without turning to him, she spoke.
"By the way," She let out, "...I'm pregnant."
His head snapped at her. His eyes even wider than hers.
"What?!"