SD Chapter 5 A Gathering Of Dragons
In the world of espionage and assassination, one organisation stood on top of all... Astealth. They were the indisputable kings in that domain. Number One, their ultimate weapon had managed to infiltrate into the capital of the Roseblade domain, stealing sensitive data... Which he had then released onto the public channels, causing an uproar within the planet of Kyaku and the colonised planet of Meru.
The data that had caused the uproar was footage of Rosaline's newly discovered star system, which had been found to house a habitable planet and a spacefaring civilisation. Any of the two alone would have caused the same uproar, yet both were in the same star system.
Dark stood before a pane of glass, overlooking the sprawling city below. Clouds had gathered overhead, and the rain was pouring cats and dogs outside, causing a dip in visibility. Lightning flashes, illuminating his face, which was expressing nothing... A stoic mask of indifference. It was something he adopted when his brain was contemplating something important, or some conundrum that was eluding him.
The reason for his racing thoughts was simple, Rosaline had apologised for the accident...but, she had also said that even if Astealth hadn't intervened, she would have still released the discovery. Apparently, that discovery had been made while they were on planet Meru...something he believed to be the truth, but what he struggled to believe was Astealth's success. There was absolutely no way they would have succeeded if they had bolstered security. Also, he had the vague suspicion that she might have been the one to hire the organisation.
Dark pulled up a screen onto the glass and checked his social media accounts. The world was churning. It was like a match had been dropped onto a pile of rubbish doused in gasoline. People were commenting, speculating, excitedly looking forward to the future and many other various things. The normal people couldn't feel it, but the warriors like him had felt it the moment they had laid eyes onto the video, an instinct. It was something like a premonition... That should they venture towards that planet, they would get a glimpse into the next realm, the next level of power... Beyond will techniques. Every warrior worth their grain of salt was currently bombarding those in the eye of the storm, namely, those from the Golden Wheat and the Roseblade domains, with questions on how to go about obtaining a quota for travelling into that star system.
Just a few seconds into logging in and yet, many old friends were pinging him, wanting to chat him up and gain any piece of information they could wring out of him.
Some...those who were closer to him, or important enough that he couldn't ignore them, got their replies, while those not worth a grain of salt were ignored. All of this was done speedily and efficiently in a matter of minutes, since his brain had already broken the limits of normal humans. It was the power of those who had taken a step into the Will technique stage, something ordinary warriors below the top 500 couldn't achieve.
After checking his account, he logged out and tapped upon the video, the authentic one from Rosaline herself instead of those that were circulating the web. He had watched it multiple times, yet it still caused his heartbeat to speed up every time he saw it.
Frankly, it was surprising how the first star system to be discovered by humans was inhabited...and by an interstellar civilisation no less!
For a moment, his sword trembled minutely when his gaze moved from the planet itself to the three massive objects orbiting it. Those three, were the source of the excitement that countless warriors, him included, were feeling. He had already asked the others and they had also felt the same thing as him. Their weapons, enshrined within their mind spaces had trembled upon gazing at the objects. Only those with a sufficiently powerful will had had their weapons tremble. Those weaker hadn't felt even a thing.
In light of the leak, and pressuring from everybody, Rosaline had decided to call upon all the major powers on this continent for a conference. It wasn't going to be streamed towards the public live, but it was going to be one where a decision was going to be reached on whether to interact with the other civilisation, and who was going to be sent. Of course, the chances of choosing to never interact with that civilisation were supremely low.
It was the whole reason he was here as a delegate. Since Ben had refused, citing the fact that he had been dragged into Rosaline's pace before, he was the one who had had to step up.
"Honey, where's your mind at?" A voice from behind dragged his awareness from within himself. Camilla had adamantly decided to come with him. She had vehemently refused to back down... And so, here they were.
"The upcoming conference and the chaos of the public. This is a turning point in this era and we are caught right in the middle of it." Dark turned around, his face softening as he beheld his wife. There was something within her eyes, like she was uneasy or something.
"What's wrong?" He asked. He had already caught hints of something gnawing at her mind the moment he had fully recovered.
"...during the duel...at the end...when I thought you had died...I became worried and fearful for our daughter." After a moment of collecting herself and organising her thoughts, she spoke.
Dark had already moved to sit beside her at the edge of the bed. His full attention was on her and the words that were coming out of her mouth. Her hands were trembling a bit, which made him clasp them within his.
"...I know of that fear. It was the same one that crossed my mind for a moment, when I laid eyes on her. There was even a moment I considered leaving behind dueling and simply training in seclusion while raising her."
Dark aired out his innermost thought, her warmth within his embrace giving him the courage to let out the thoughts that had been stewing within his mind.
Dark didn't want his child to lack even a single parent...like how he had grown up. That was too cruel a thing. He wanted her to have the love of both parents. That was why it was eating at him inside whether to give up dueling, or continue with the profession. Now that even Camilla was having the same dilemma, he didn't know what to do. They both loved the profession as dearly as their child... And them retiring from it was something that...
"I am sorry for making you worry." Camilla spoke, her words causing his gaze to look down upon her head, where her golden hair entered his eyes.
"I don't know what to do. I love her as much as any parent...yet I do love dueling too. Maybe I will take off some few years...maybe until she becomes a teenager?" That was the only compromising solution he could reach, but he was going to carry it out without the slightest hesitation. She was that important.
"Really! Then we will both watch her grow!" Camilla appeared to be elated by the decision.
"That also means that we won't be personally taking that trip to the newly discovered civilisation." Even as those words left his lips, the pang of longing within his heart couldn't be abated. But, this was the sacrifice he was going to have to make sure that his daughter grew up with the both of them.
He had regrets, but those would have to be put aside for now as they didn't matter. What mattered was that she couldn't be allowed to have the same life as the one he had had when growing up.
*****
The chair was as comfortable as it could get and the table...it was just so sublime. His appreciation for anything beautiful just leaped out of his chest at the image of the table, with its different colored variations of the flower known as the rose. The painted flowers were so life-like that they almost dragged him into the illusion that he was right there in a rose garden, smelling their scents and admiring their petals. For some reason, Rosaline had made it do that his seat was on the side of the table where the variation that was as dark as the night itself was basically staring him in the face. They were beautiful black petals with flecks of starlight. If it wasn't for the stressed atmosphere at this gathering, he would have stared at them until he got lost within.
Camilla nudged him with her elbow from where she was seated, just at his right. Dark reluctantly looked away and took in the rest of the attendants of this meeting, whose clashing auras were causing the tense atmosphere in the room. His mind even conjured up a poetic description, 'A gathering of Dragons.'
It was apt, considering the everyone his gaze swarm by was a mover and shaker, whose very name would cause the very continent to quake.
His will was also pulsating around him, such that he didn't appear weaker than those around them. Though, Rosaline had done a great job of arranging the seating, with the old timers and those who mostly opposed her on the other side, while her allies, and she herself, were on this side.
These were people who had gone through hell and back. Their wills had gotten strong enough to awaken Will techniques...so you could imagine how stifling the very atmosphere was inside here. Dark even had the feeling that if a normal person were to be placed right in the middle of this long table, they would die instantly! That was how lethal the clashing of auras was!
"Why is a rat among us?"
That question was directed towards a person even Dark was surprised that he was here.
Rosaline was seated to his left and further from her, Number One, the strongest ace of Astealth was seated. This was something Rosaline hadn't discussed with them first...or even notified them of. They were her allies, yet she wasn't telling them everything. It was one of the reasons Camilla was frowning heavily. But they couldn't call her out in front of the opposition, so the both of them opted to simply swallow their dissatisfaction.
"I wonder, who among you old fellows planted Number Two in Astealth?"
The question that left the man's lips surprised not only Dark, but all those who were seated at the table. This was serious. Astealth was supposed to be unafilliated with anyone. If these old fellows...as the guy had called them...had done that, then it meant that any missions offered to Astealth might have been compromised in terms of secrecy.
"Don't try to accuse us of something that we didn't do."
"Yeah, what are you fishing for?"
"Rosaline, we need an explanation as to why he's here."
"He infiltrated your building...yet he's seated by your side. All this points to the suspicion that the reveal of those videos was simply a ruse."
Like ravenous wolves, the other side were tearing into our side. Judging by the expressions of many of those on Dark's side of the table, the woman hadn't divulged that particular fact that Number One had been invited.
Dark felt the shift in momentum, the atmosphere that said that the proverbial nail was about to be hammered into the coffin.
"Does it matter? What matters here is the fact that you need me...not the other way around." Her confidence astounded Dark. Even with these predators sniffing her out, trying to tear through her weakness, she appeared to be unfazed.
"Let's get to the main point of this meeting. Everything else is simply a waste of time." Camilla tried to shift the conversation.
"Dear Camilla, I heard about the successful birth of your baby, congratulations!" A woman with pink hair and an expression that didn't match her words in the least bit spoke. She was seated right opposite of Dark's wife.
"Dana, what's that got to do with you?" Camilla's tone got noticeably colder.
Dark simply knew the woman as someone who had always wanted to best his wife, but that had never happened...not even once. That had led to resentment and jealousy that had lasted to this day.
Dark ignored their bickering, his gaze moving towards the man that was directly opposite Rosaline. He wasn't among those who were clamoring on the other side. His form was imposing, yet the normal person might think that those others by his side that were unleashing their auras blatantly were the stars of the show. But to all of those occupying this table, he was someone whom they couldn't afford to ignore. The man was caught up in his thoughts, not adding anything to the arguments, or even defending his side, but Dark and all of those on his side felt like they were staring at a sleeping predator.
Dark admired the man. In the long river of Kyaku's history, there had been many that had claimed his seat as the Duel Emperor, yet they had never had an illustrious a career as the man. Ever since he had claimed the seat, he had never once lost. He had even been dubbed, 'The Monster.' It was an apt description considering that no one had ever managed to push him to his limits.
Dark had an urge to issue a challenge to the man but curbed it. He was dangerous! Many had speculated that the man had broken past the Will technique stage. But no one had ever managed to have him spill his secrets.
After a few minutes, the man appeared to have gotten fed up and his index finger tapped onto the table, causing everyone to instantly become silenced. It wasn't because the tap had been loud...no, it was because even though everyone had been glaring at the others opposite them, they had still kept an eye on the man. He was the centre of the room. Even Rosaline wasn't as important as him.
"Let's stop with this farce of a thing and get on with it. The rest of you can discuss whatever you want. All I want is simple, I want to be part of the party that initiates first contact."
"I would have asked you even if you hadn't suggested it." Rosaline agreed right away. No one opposed that decision, instead there were many who let out a sigh of relief, or their complexions lightened considerably.
"Rosaline, what are your plans for exploring that star system?" Dark asked for everyone.
"The first plan is that we will only be going in three Void Class ships. All ships will need to have the strongest combatants our planet has to offer. We can't afford to show weakness..."
"...I am pretty sure that everyone's instincts have already alerted them to the fact that that civilisation is composed of warriors. So, we are going to have to choose the strongest of us...only those in this room...and maybe the captains of your armies or entourages."
"What about him?" A person who appeared to have more silver than black hair asked from the other side of the table. He was one of the six leaders of those old domains. He was specially pointing towards Number One.
Dark sat through the meeting, listening and also occasionally providing his input, yet he couldn't get rid of the envy that enveloped him when he looked at those who had been chosen to take part in the first contact. Rosaline had given four spots to their Golden Wheat domain since they had been her earliest allies, but he had already told her that he was going to be caring for his daughter, so someone else was going to replace both him and Camilla.
For a moment, he felt some dispondence... But his daughter was someone who needed to be placed at the forefront of all their coming future decisions. He also caught the glimmer of envy in his wife's eyes. He linked their palms together, causing her eyes to look into his and firm resolve to take over the envy. They were a couple... and a couple sticks together. Besides, that cute child was better taken care of by the two of them personally.
"We need to change the number of Void ships needed...increasing them from three to four." Someone stated, a big shot from one of those old domains. He looked hale and hearty, but Dark knew of him as someone who had retired from his post, having vanished from the public eye, yet now here he was seated at this table, with the current ruler of his domain just standing behind him.
Many participants in this meeting were the same. Who wouldn't come out of seclusion upon hearing of the chance to evolve to a higher level?
Dark certainly couldn't resist that if he had been in the same situation as them. Even right now, he was in the same situation, except that he had already decided to dedicate the twenty years to his baby girl.
"...and how do you propose we go about it distributing those to take?" Rosaline asked the man, not showing any signs of weakness even when facing an old fogey of the previous generation.
"Two ships will be for our side and two would be for yours...that way, we can avoid conflict."
"That's unacceptable! What if you betray us and destroy our ships? You can claim anything upon coming back!" A woman, Dark only knew her as the leader of the Bluewater domain spoke out. She was part of his and Rosaline's alliance. Her concerns were valid though, so all of them directed their gazes towards the elder who had proposed the plan.
"...we can mix them up and evenly distribute our two contingents on each ship. That way, everyone will keep each other in check."
Dark nodded along at the brilliant idea.
He didn't try to suggest anything as that would be too much work. Besides, he and Camilla, coupled with the rest of those behind him would all go along with whatever was suggested in this meeting. There was no way that Rosaline would short-change them.
*****
"And here I thought you were one of those with a passion for exploring higher levels of power..." Rosaline jested while walking with them. A while had passed after the meeting's end and most of the guests had already left, leaving behind a few, most of whom were allies.
The hallway was a great place to unwind and also to let stress be relieved from the body, besides, the windows that were taller than his body offered them a glimpse down into the world below.
"Our daughter is going to be the first to be considered in the next twenty years when making decisions." Camilla answered.
"I see. I don't fault you both since I too, know how life can be without parents. Even though you could choose to leave her with others, it isn't the same as having you around." Rosaline spoke, her gaze outside, and into the cloudless sky. It appeared that a particularly important and forlorn memory had been dredged to the fore.
"That's why we have decided to at least hold back for twenty years. I really wanted to be one of those to make first contact... Wait a moment! If they are hostile, can we fight them?" Dark remembered something important.
"...I mean our entire civilisation. Can our technology hold up if by some chance they decided to attack?"
"We will. In the worst case scenario, we can simply destroy the wormhole. But, rest assured, my team has already reported sightings of different alien types which appear to not be enslaved or otherwise."
"Oh! Interesting! It appears that your probes have managed to get even closer to the planet?" Camilla asked with obvious curiosity.
"I wanted to see the strange lands, the seas, the different races, test the mettle of their warriors and also search for the path to the highest levels, beyond the Will technique stage..." Dark had a flame burning within his pupils as he spoke about those things. These words had come from his heart, baring his deepest desires...but they had to be curbed for his daughter.
"I am starting to envy your daughter now." Rosaline's words elicited a chuckle out of a of us.
"What do you think lies beyond the Will technique stage?"
That was a question even Dark wanted answered. He even knew the guy who could answer that question, but so far, none had the courage to ask him. If he had been someone from a weaker domain, maybe the others would have already threatened him with technological weapons, but since his domain was the strongest, it was all futile. He had seen how those old geezers had looked at the Duel Emperor when he wasn't looking. There had definitely been some crazy jealousy involved. Dark even had the thought that if the chance presented itself, they wouldn't hesitate to betray him.
"...ah! There you are! I was just looking for the both of you!" Someone had found them, someone they didn't even think would ever come looking for them...the Duel Emperor himself!
"Can I speak to these two alone?"
He basically shooed Rosaline away with those words. Dark and Camilla bade the woman goodbye even as their brains churned with questions as to why the man had come looking for the two of them particularly. Dark was sure that he had never acquainted himself with the guy...plus, he was certain even Camilla had had no prior interactions with him, so why had he singled them out?
"I know this might be rude, but I simply have this burning curiosity that needs to be sated. Why did you refuse the opportunity to further your weapon craft by making contact with another civilisation? And an alien one no doubt!"
Dark looked at his wife, finding that even she was looking back at him with widened eyes. This wasn't a question they had expected the man to ask.
It wasn't like it was some secret, so they simply aired out their reason, the one they had already divulged to Rosaline. Besides, it wasn't as if it was some great secret.
"You two are very admirable people. Who among the many of us would give up such a heavenly opportunity in favor of their child?"
The man's tone contained immense amazement at their choice. Dark even had the illusion that respect had been tinged within those words.
"Very very few people have managed to enter my eyes...and you two just made the cut. So I will leave you with a boon."
"...by the way, I didn't introduce myself. I go by the name of Drekov."
"Its good to meet you Emperor Drekov. This is my wife Camilla and I go by the name of Dark."
"Now! Now! We are friends! There is no need for that bloated title. Anyone worth their grain of salt wouldn't want to become too enamored by the titles of the masses. It is just a way to stroke one's ego...and if they take it too seriously... Let's just say it is one way to self doom."
Dark had an urge to laugh at the man's words. They seemed honest, coming straight from his heart, so he decided to drop the honorifics.
"So, what boon were you talking about?" Camilla didn't want to waste time.
"What do you think a weapon is? I want your honest opinion."
Drekov's entire demeoner changed, slipping into one of seriousness.
Dark had at one point given it some thought, wandering what a weapon truly was, and why a person was born with it. It was also a topic of research among many scholars...and even after such a long time, a concrete answer hadn't been found. But he had his own belief, something that had been suggested by Martino. The man was a scientist yet he also kept an open mind about the occult and other things, like the soul. He had proposed that a weapon was a piece of the soul or a half of a humans soul. That speculation had stuck with him until now. And he believed it even though the one who had suggested it hadn't even taken it seriously at the time.
"A weapon is a piece of a human's soul." Camilla beat him to the answer, but he still nodded along at her words when Drekov turned his attention towards him.
"You are right about that. So I wonder, why do you treat your weapon as if its an external construct? All soul weapons aren't as simple as they seem. Most people, including yourselves, take them as external things, not intent on nurturing them. That's why most of you think that Will techniques are something that you have comprehended on your own...a very wrong assumption!"
Dark was astonished by Drekov's words. It was like being a frog at the bottom of the well being dragged out of it and finally seeing what the outside world was like. The implications in that statement were many!
"...judging by both your expressions I believe you have just figured it out, right? Let's take your electricity for example. Its a power you think to be a manifestation of your will and thoughts, but...the weapon itself already has that power! A Will technique only comes about when your mind manages to resonate with the weapon's will for a short moment!"
Dark directly summoned the blade that had followed him through thick and thin. The lightning motif at the end of its hilt was particularly striking. This meant that the lightning he had thought to be a manifestation of his will had always existed within the sword itself! It was just that he had been too dense to even make such a simple connection!
"Thank you very much for enlightening us!" Camilla gave a small bow. The information the man had just given them both was just that important!
"Don't worry about it! The reason I am telling you all this is because you are about to have plenty of time to yourselves...so, I want you to try to connect with your weapons on a spiritual level. If you manage to succeed, you will have reached my level."
"Why did you tell us this? Surely you have people even more important...to whom you could have given this information." Dark wasn't trying to bring about suspicion, no, that would be too idiotic. He was simply curious.
"If I don't acknowledge a person, then they will never get me to treat them seriously. I have many descendants, but all of them are simpletons who have become enamored with worldly authority. They haven't managed to capture the real truth of our world. Might is far more important than authority. The fact that you have chosen to spend some of your time with your child proves how great you people are."
Drekov actually admired their choice to stand by their daughter. He had always seen the man as someone who always arrogantly refused to interact with them, treating them as if they were beneath his notice...yet now, he saw that it had all been a misconception he and the others had created within their minds. Maybe the entire reason he didn't interact with the others much was because he had seen the lows of human nature. You can one day decide to teach someone to reach your level, yet because you don't have a thorough grasp of their personalities, they can betray you after achieving your power.
Stories about such acts were there, always circulating in the virtual universe.
"I have to go back and train. Its a pity that you won't be following me to the Beast continent tomorrow as I would have loved to introduce you to the Beast Emperor." After that lament, the man walked away coolly, having only left them another parting advice.
They had to reach a level where their weapons appeared to give the impression that they were living things. Dark was puzzled by those words as they were simply too cryptic and he felt that such a thing was impossible. A living weapon... He couldn't even begin to comprehend the existence of such a thing.
"...he really does deserve respect." Dark became attracted by his wife's words. They had only left her lips after she had released a breath of air. For a moment he had the thought that maybe she had stopped breathing a while ago.
"What? Could it be that now you want a divorce? Could it be that you have been attracted?" Dark's tease elicited a chuckle out of her and lightened the atmosphere.
"Let's go home. We have a daughter to look after!" Dark suggested before placing his arm around her shoulders and leading the way.
"Will you be okay if we wait a whole while to have another child after the 20 years pass?" Camilla asked with hesitancy in her voice.
"Its okay. We have to pursue the peak of strength. Maybe when our powers reach a lull in progression, we will think about it." Dark assured her.