From now on, Leo remained a spectator, a witness of a coming war. He gave up the control over his body, however, he was still able to retain his mind. Just as Zaphiel could look inside him, so too did Leo want to try. He recalled Zaphiel's words and ways he had tried on Leo. Thus he found himself in a completely white room with a big black door in the middle. It was brightly lit, yet Leo's eyes were focused only on the black door. The closer he came, the more curious he got. A white lock was on the door so Leo instinctively put his hand on the object. White became black, black became red, and thus the lock dissolved into blood. As he opened the door and looked behind it, he panicked and froze in fear.
"You must not look into me, Leo. A being like you cannot understand these images. Nobody is going to know my past except me. It is the reason for my current being as well as for the whole truth."
Leo was just a voice trapped in his body though a few seconds ago it felt like much more to him. Like things you didn't want to show your worst sworn enemy. The memories he had were nothing compared to the sight behind the door. Zaphiel created a security so that no one could recognize him. Everything Leo saw and felt was a million deaths, a million horrible ways that he was killed. Just for a second, he felt the excruciating pain and hellish agony that could have awaited him.
"W-what was that?"
"Your own fault, that's what that was. Stop giving in to your curiosity and rather face ahead. We're almost here.
In front of them rose an icy mountain range full of dangers and risks. No one has ever returned from this hellish cold.
"From now on, we will be on foot. These geniuses have actually managed to build such a barrier. All magic is absorbed from here on, there's no point in using it any further. Tsk, in the end it's more problems than I expected. Why does this idiot let himself be treated like this? I will never understand these creatures, is honor and respect worth more to them than their own lives?...It's no use thinking about it any further, we must be careful!
It's no use thinking about it any further, we have to hurry."
"Can't you use magic at all? How are we going to make it through the mountains in these conditions?"
"We don't have a choice. Besides, I'm still more powerful than these creatures, I was able to keep a small part of my powers. However, from now on, it doesn't all depend on magic. "
And so they marched through the freezing cold. Leo was nervous while Zaphiel walked along the path totally unconcerned.
"If this keeps up, we'll end up freezing, we'll have to find shelter somewhere."
"Your worries are unreasonable. You' re forgetting who and what I am, neither darkness nor the elements can harm me."
After all, it was Leo's body that he was traveling with. Although Zaphiel himself had no problems, Leo was concerned about the well-being of his own body. Freezing and hypothermia would do great damage.
Suddenly Leo was having a hard time breathing even though he was only in Zaphiel's mind.
"So you feel it too, we're getting closer and closer. The pressure and the weight are getting stronger. Try to stay conscious or you'll miss the highlight."
The path ahead of them ended and a large wall stood up in front of Zaphiel's eyes. He smirked and drew Leo's sword. Then he closed his eyes and perked up his ears. All of a sudden, big monsters came out of the walls to his left and right and attacked him. Zaphiel backed away to watch the whole situation.
"As I thought, the barrier was only the first stage. I expected something like that but this is a bit overkill."
On closer inspection, it wasn't monsters but dragons that stood in front of him. They were smaller than Atmos, yet far larger than Zaphiel. In their eyes was no life anymore, they were being controlled.
"Ha, they actually accomplished this ritual. You' re now bound to here by this curse. Talk about forbidden powers."
The dragons looked completely white with Zaphiel directly in their sights. Both were spitting blue fire at Zaphiel, which he was able to dodge. Anything that came in contact with it froze into ice and broke into a thousand pieces.
"Great, now it's getting serious."
Leo could only watch everything, he was scared to death but Zaphiel showed neither fear nor panic. Self-confidence and inner calm flowed through him.
"What are we going to do now? We don't stand a chance against those creatures like this."
"You seem to have forgotten we have a weapon."
"What are you trying to do with that sword, by the time you can touch them we'll be frozen to ice."
" You see, my past is for me alone, but there is one thing you should realize. I used to never stand a chance against my sister's magic, but in normal combat I was the best. Watch closely, you will be the heir to this gift."
A blue fireball rushed straight at Zaphiel, breaking his cover. However, there was no trace of him. Then suddenly one of the dragons screamed, and as his companion looked around, he saw the long sword stuck between the dragons eyes. Zaphiel's eyes lit up as he drilled the sword deeper and finally pulled it down. The sword slid through the dragon's skin without a hitch and split the giant creature's face in two. In the next instant, another blue fireball flew in his direction. Instead of dodging it, he formed a black wall in front of him to block the fire. Leo couldn't believe what he was seeing, everything was happening way too fast.
"How did you do that, how did you land on him, how did you..."
Zaphiel was amused by Leo's disbelief and showed him the full extent of his arsenal.
"That was just the beginning."
He dissolved the wall and held the sword forward. It resolved into a shadow and took the shape of a bow. As he tightened the string, a black arrow appeared in his hand. The projectile flew straight at the next fireball and pierced it without any problems. Zaphiel moved to the side in a flash and waited for the impact. His target was the dragon's heart, however the arrow did not penetrate the skin far enough, so the wound was not severe enough to kill him.
"Quickly! Fire another arrow before he can attack again!"
"Wrong choice."
The arrow in the wound as well as the bow itself disintegrated, forming a large spear that suddenly caught fire. Apparently without realizing it, the dragon's claws latched directly onto Zaphiel from the side. Leo tried to alert Zaphiel with panic, yet he did not respond to his words. Just before the impact, Zaphiel suddenly found himself on the dragon's hand, continuing the momentum. When he was close enough, he threw the spear right into the wound. This time the tip penetrated further forward directly into the heart. Quick as a flash, Zaphiel retreated and awaited the action. Suddenly the blue fire rushed in his direction again.
"I suspected it already, it is not a curse they're under. A far more powerful force is at work here: necromancy. But who still masters this magic in this day and age? Looks like there are some interesting things going on after all. Perhaps our target has an answer to this."
"Hey, focus on our opponent and stop getting lost in your thoughts. The big trouble is still in front of us."
"Oh, my bad."
Zaphiel stretched out his arm, his eyes began to glow. As he clenched a fist a loud bang went off in front of him. In a huge explosion, the giant creature was annihilated. It looked so easy for Leo.
" Ironic that their own essence took them down."
"How?...What?...
"Keep your astonishment to yourself for now, we arrived."
The wall that stretched before them vanished into thin air. As soon as their guardians were taken care of, the illusion disappeared. On the other side was a huge space, as enormous as an entire arena. On the corners and in the center were huge chains reaching into the sky. They were taut and did not make any noise. As Zaphiel got closer and closer to the chains, it became harder and harder for him to move. Having little control over his remaining magic, he was at the mercy of the force field dominating the area.
"Bloody hell, the exertion is about to wear me out."
Zaphiel stood in front of the chains and gazed up at the sky. It was totally dark, not even a cloud was visible anymore.
"Very well. Leo, I'll take over from here. Do not speak a word and do not ponder, he must not find out that you are accompanying me. Otherwise he might change his mind about me."
Even before Leo could accept his orders, he could no longer speak or hear a word. His mind was no longer working, as of now he could only see what was happening in front of him. Zaphiel grabbed the chains and spoke to them. After a couple of seconds, all the chains broke into pieces. What they had bound was now freed again. Zaphiel moved away from the center and observed what was going on in the middle. Out of the black sky, an enormous creature fell to the ground. The ground trembled as he landed on the ground. Leo just couldn't believe it, Zaphiel didn't lie. The creature that towered in front of them was almost as big as the entire royal palace. Only one being like that existed: The lord of the dragons and the rightful emperor of the beastmen: Atmos.
He opened his red eyes and pierced Zaphiel with a terrifying gaze. Rather than impressed and awestruck, he approached the ancient dragon.
"They sure tied you up there. Nevertheless, you could have freed yourself at any time. So why didn't you?"
"There's only one being that talks to me in such a tone. I see you have returned Zaphiel. Let me warn you, no matter what you intend to do, I will not be a part of your plan. Too much damage has been done by my existence, this was my choice to repent."
"Listen to yourself! The strongest of all beastmen has drowned in its own sorrow. Back then I made it clear to you what actually happened so why are you here again of your own free will?"
"After your disappearance, I could no longer accept your words. They revealed to me who and what you had really become. You deliberately hid it away from me hoping that I would join you. And I was going to follow your plan, but fortunately they stopped you before. They all know your true identity, your true nature, all the deeds and punishments you've committed."
The pressure was mounting, Atmos was getting angrier and angrier while he was talking at his old ally.
"So tell me Zaphiel, what are you here for? To try to blindly convince me to follow you again? Give me one reason why I shouldn't obliterate you on the spot and hand you over."
"Let me ask you a question first: Who and what am I in your eyes? Do not answer by the words of others, give me your own answer as you used to do."
"Is my attitude towards you not enough of an answer? Thou art the reason why so much suffering has arisen in the human kingdom, why there have been wars and conflicts then. And why our people have been put in danger."
"Oh really, am I? They've got you all brainwashed. I'm supposed to be to blame for everything? Have you ever thought about your allies, saw what they were doing? Of course not, you were too busy punishing yourself without reason through the lies of your so-called companions."
All of a sudden, a huge fireball flew in Zaphiel's direction. He managed to dodge it for the most part but received a wound on his right arm.
"Still graced with great power huh?"
"Is that all you have to say? This discussion is about to end. You will not be returning to the living this time!"
"Woah, calm down. I have a few last words, call it a request. As you probably already know I am being chased. Soon other characters will appear here, among them Fenriolus. That' s why you have to hide for a while. There is nothing to lose in this venture, besides, you are going to see them again. Before you wipe me out, let me ask Fenriolus one single question: How did the last of the dragon race die?"
"What is the point of that? I already know the answer, it is part of my atonement. They were killed by my order during their mission. I just abandoned them, stayed back. In order to endure the eternal sin, I received the rightful punishment."
"Man, you still believe that the most powerful race of all beastmen would have lost to a superior force of monsters? Thou knewest well how strong they were, they would never have perished just like that."
"Even if it was the case, I am not allowed to reign. I sent my brothers and sisters to their death."
" That is your faith for that incident, that all of them died bravely with honor in battle. That not a single survivor was found and that it's all your fault. Why don't we wait and see what answer Fenriolus will give me. Afterwards, you can exterminate me yourself. A good offer, don't you think?"
Once again, the dragon attacked the dark being, however, the provocation caused him to miss Zaphiel. Impressed by Zaphiel's speed, Atmos halted his attacks.
"One day...I will give you a single day. I will conceal my presence and await the moment I can kill you with my own claws."
" Fine, so we have a deal. Though for that I need one more thing, you yourself know that they won't treat me like normal in this state. So I need my old self for my plan. I think there's no better safe place than at the dragon emperors cage.
"Just as before you are making a lot of demands. Indeed, they have hidden your shell with me. If you were ever to come back I would protect it from you. For old time's sake, I'm going to comply with you one last time. Don't try to play games Zaphiel, I can easily kill you on the spot."
"I would never do that old friend."
The dragon's skin lit up red, upon which a tunnel underground opened in the center.
"You'd best hurry, your time is running out very soon."
Atmos then spread his huge wings and went deep into the black sky. No one could track him from this range, though he himself was able to hear exactly what was happening on the ground.
Zaphiel walked along the corridor until he saw a room in front of him. A black sphere floated in the middle. He smiled while he put his hand on it. Leo was unable to speak, but his hearing returned. Zaphiel's words sounded as clear as never before, however, their meaning frightened Leo.
"Listen carefully my disciple, starting from now our ways will separate for the time being. In order to separate from you, I will need an immense amount of magic. Just as I provided you with it before, I will now have to take most of it away again. However, you will not be completely deprived of my powers, recall the training I have shown you in the other dimension. The more you practice it, the more magic you can generate and use. I cannot give you much more guidance than that. It is time for you to go your own way as long as I am not calling you. Perhaps you will find your own path out of boredom, who knows? I still have a gift for having borrowed your body. You can use both your guardian and this weapon."
Zaphiel handed Leo back his weapon, now strengthened with immense magic.
"You saw how to use it, it can transform at will however in your current state it is best that you only use the sword."
Leo felt his strength being robbed from him, becoming weaker and more fragile. Within, he began to scream in pain until they stopped after a few seconds. Opening his eyes, he found himself back in his body.
"I guess this is where we'll have to say goodbye for now."
The black orb formed into a human, Zaphiel's former shell. A tall man with red hair and orange eyes stood before Leo. He was wearing a black cloak and red armor. In his right hand he held a large glowing scythe with a blood-red inscription.
"This is what the voice you followed looks like.Not bad eh?"
Leo was speechless when he saw Zaphiel as a human. He had a white mark on his forehead as well as a scar on his left eye.
"I must admit I am really astounded. I never thought I would see you in a normal state."
" Well now it's time to part ways. As you saw, I spoke with Atmos. He actually wanted to turn me into ashes, however I made a deal with him. If all goes well then soon I'll have a tremendous support but in case it fails I'll have to move on to plan B."
"And what would plan B be?"
"It doesn't matter for you because you will not stay here. Fighting the Goddess of Light in your condition is out of the question. Therefore I will send you away, so find your own path as it was once meant to be. When everything goes well then we will see each other again. Until then you are on your own, use the memories of the training to strengthen yourself. When all goes properly, you should soon come across things that will surpass your abilities."
He opened a portal as he had done before. Before Leo could say goodbye, Zaphiel pushed him into the portal.
The portal then closed and Zaphiel left the room. As expected, it didn't take long for Luminia and Fenriolus to arrive.
"Look who has finally appeared, the two sovereigns of their people. Gotta feel flattered by such great authority."
"Save your breath Zaphiel, you know why we're here."
"Oh that's right, you mean the giant dragon that dwells here. Unfortunately I have to disappoint you, he has found a nicer place to spend his vacation than this prison. Please don't disturb him."
All of a sudden, Luminia stood in front of him and attacked him with a glowing spear. Zaphiel dodged her blow backwards.
"I see my sister still has a strong temper. To be tempted by provocation is very unlike a paladin."
Zaphiel showed them his weapon, both of them recognized this scythe at once. It was an ancient weapon that Zaphiel had made almost indestructible using a curse.
"It is still in top condition as I expected. Too bad you couldn't purge the hex."
Just before Fenriolus could attack, Luminia held her arm out in front of him. Knowing the danger posed by her brother and this weapon, she said.
"Now that you have your body back, I'm sure you've already started making plans. Is it destruction and chaos you're after again?"
"Oh sis, this was never my goal. They were just motivations that drove me to what I was striving for: To banish boredom from this world."
"You're just as insane as before. Your desire includes throwing half the world into chaos. I shall not banish you again before this happens, no, only with your death can peace resume."
Zaphiel started laughing, he enjoyed the words of his sister.
"Hahaha, excellent! Your eyes sparkle with seriousness and anger, perfect! Just as you haven't before you don't understand me now. You must know, I don't care if I die as long as I can feel alive and joyful. All are opposed to me, countless enemies will come after me. And yet I relish this feeling and the excitement that lies behind it. If being bored is not enough for you then I have a better answer for you that shall suffice for you. I long for the things that will destroy me! So the last thing I'm going to do is make it easy for you, after all, you're not untainted by shame and lies either."
"What are you saying? That we are as bad as you? You would just wipe out an entire nation because it pleases you. Nobody is more evil than you."
"Ha, big words from the ruler of the beastmen. Let me ask you this questions. You know Atmos, you know his people, and you' ve witnessed the unfolding events. Exactly why is Atmos trapped here? How did it really happen, surely you haven't forgotten it in all these centuries, have you?"
"What are you trying to say? Of course I know how Atmos ended up here and why he wants to atone for this sin."
"Well then, tell me how the last of his race died when you, the oh-so-powerful king, ruled in glory?"
"It was his fault they died. If he had been a better leader for them it would never have happened that way.
"And how did you know exactly what had happened? Did the few survivors bring you the news?"
Zaphiel managed to provocate Fenriolus to the point of no return. Luminia saw trough her brothers scheme and tried to persue her companion.
"Stop Fenriolus, he's doing this on purpose!"
But Fenriolus couldn't be stopped anymore, he sealed the fate of the two.
"We did everything we could to save them but they succumbed to their wounds."
Before he could continue speaking, Atmos flew out of the sky and landed next to the three. The earth trembled, the dragon stared with rage into Fenriolu's eyes.
"So there were survivors?! Why didn't you tell me about this? Why didn't I hear about them from you in all this time?!"
Both Luminia and Fenriolus froze as they sensed his aura. After all, the Goddess of Light also played a role in the capture of the most powerful of beastmen.
"They didn't want to appear like this in front of their leader. They requested that we do so, and we complied with their request."
"Never would my own brothers and sisters say such things! Never would they succumb to wounds that did not affect the heart! NEVER did it happen like this!"
Instead of attacking them, he transformed himself to his human form. He had a tall build, blue hair, and red eyes. Usually a dragon was far stronger against opponents however not Atmos. There were only two instances when he transformed into his human form: when he single-handedly wiped out an entire army and when he won all his arena battles. His dragon form was terrifying and fearsome, however, the aura he displayed as a human caused his opponents breathing to become heavy. Zaphiel knew what was about to happen and retreated a bit.
"I know you want to handle it yourself so have fun. I'm enjoying the show from back here."
Atmo's body was covered with dragon skin, wearing silver armor and holding a silver great sword. Gradually, he advanced towards his two enemies.
"What has really happened to my brothers and sisters?"
Instead of answering him, they readied themselves for his attack.
"So you don't want to give me an answer. Thus, I have my own answer."
He thrust his sword towards Luminia and Fenriolus with an immense force. They managed to defend themselves and struck him with an attack. Their weapons, however, were not able to pierce the dragon's skin and so they bounced off. This fight didn't last long as Atmos quickly showed his strength. He unleashed his fury to destroy both of his opponents' weapons despite the magic that was fused within them.
"Pathetic, you are even weaker than I expected!"
His enemies knew the only thing they could do.
"We don't stand a chance like this, we'll have to wait until the others are awakened!"
"Do you have a plan? He's far too strong in his condition!"
"We have no choice, we have to retreat! Keep him contained!"
Fenriolus tried to hold out against Atmos but he got hit on his left arm. He howled out in pain.
"This is just the beginning of your punishment for what you have done! Very soon I will learn about everything, then I will execute the rightful judgment. None of you is safe from me."
Luminia managed to create a white portal further back. Before calling Fenriolus to her, she glanced once more in the direction of her brother, who only smiled and waved her goodbye.
"Fenriolus, hurry up!"
Rather than attack her further, Atmos did not pursue and let them escape through the portal. His sword then dissolved, and he stared up at the sky as it began to rain. Moments ago, he had heard the lie with his own ears that had been hidden from him for centuries. Then Zaphiel walked up to him with a proud face.
"You see, I was right back then, they deceived you. If you would have listened to me then-Urgh"
Atmos just grabbed him by the neck and stared at him deprecatingly.
"Hearing it out of your mouth wasn't very convincing. Hm, seems I'm not quite with myself yet. I can feel my strength was gradually leaving me in all this time. That's pathetic for the king of dragons. I will not go along with your plan, too many secrets and lies lie before me to devote myself to something new. Yet you have given me a truth: Consider it a favor but from now on I shall not be your enemy."
"That is enough for me. You will benefit me anyway, your return is favor enough for me. As I figure you want to uncover everything on your own, then my work here is done."
"You know they will come after you. Be careful that you meet your end right away."
"Don't worry about that, I know what I'm going to do now. I also need time until I am complete again. Until then, I will enjoy the spectacle that unfolds ahead of me.
Zaphiel left the mountain satisfied and pursued his next goals.
"Hmph, strange being."
Atmos also left his prison but not without completely destroying it first. He stared one last time before he crushed everything down.
Zaphiel had just played one of the biggest pieces of his chessboard. What he didn't know was that his disciple was far more extraordinary that he thought. Would this be a blessing or a possible threat?