I was not exactly sure what that guy wanted to achieve by telling me he was a "Dragon Duke". I'm convinced he thought that sounded very dope or something, but he didn't give any context. He just said that, and then went silent.
I stared into his eyes. He stared back. I was confused. He didn't look like he was going to add any details. I think he really enjoys listening to himself talk. I gave him a minute. Maybe he was going to explain to me what a Dragon Duke was. He didn't. So I asked.
"You don't know what a Dragon Duke is?"
"Guess why I asked"
That guy let out a sigh. That was about all he did. He didn't explain, or anything. He just sighed.
"Are you not going to explain it to me?"
"Hmm. Alright." He paused for a minute, until he finally started explaining. That guy seemed really slow, but whatever. I knew how fast he was, given that he had killed me without any further hesitation earlier.
"How did you come to this world?", he asked.
I wasn't entirely sure if I should tell him. I decided not to, and told him I was born here like any other person.
"Why are you lying to me?"
"How do you know?"
"I can tell when people lie."
I smiled. He did kind of read my mind earlier, so I wasn't surprised.
"What do you live for, kid?" I don't know why that bastard called me 'kid', but whatever.
"I need to kill someone."
"You are going to die, kid. If you want to kill him, you are going to die."
"Who are you talking about?"
"You know exactly who I'm talking about." I seriously didn't know what the deal with that guy was. he was seriously strange. Impossible to talk to. I do admit, though, so was I.
"What do you mean I am going to die?"
"That's irrelevant. Will you dedicate your entire life to killing him? Would you die to kill him?"
I don't have anything to lose, even if I died for good. Everything I once knew was taken away from me by the Ruler Of Dragons. However, I didn't know what this fellow was up to, I really didn't. I was, in fact, ready to die to kill him. I didn't want to die, but if that was what it would take, I would definitely do it. My only reason for living was revenge. The thing that kept me going was hate. I would do anything in my power to see him die. Even if that meant giving up my own life.
"Yes, I would." I don't even know why I told him that, It wasn't really any of his business, was it?
"Good. You will die, kid." I think he seriously thought he was cool. Calling me kid and all.
"What makes you so sure about that?"
"I killed you earlier. Remember? But you're alive right now. Do you seriously think that makes any sense at all? You are cursed, kid. So am I. So is every Dragon Duke. None of us can die by regular means until the Ruler Of Dragons dies. However, the only way for you to kill him for good involves your own death. Unless you realise that, you may never get the revenge you oh so desperately seek."
"Can you stop horsing around and just tell me why I will die?"
"If it matters to you if you die, then you are unfit to kill the Ruler Of Dragons"
"What the hell is the deal with you anyway? You appear out of nowhere, decide to kill me, then pretend like nothing ever happened, now you expect me to believe every fucking word you say, and obey you like a fucking dog, who the fuck do you think you are?"
That guy disappeared. And reappeared right behind me. He grabbed my neck It felt like it was about to snap. Then, he released his Aura. I'm not sure how much of his full power he released, but it was enough to make me feel like my entire body was going to burst. I started having a nosebleed. I was nauseous. My head hurt. It was almost worse than what I experienced from the Ruler Of Dragons. Then, he whispered in my ears.
"Could you kill me now? No, you couldn't. You're weak. You are going to die. It is inevitable. Now, I don't need you to kill him. Basically every Duke can do the job. You're not special. I could kill you right now if I wanted to. The only reason I don't is because I found a liking in you. Now that doesn't force me to NOT kill you. You don't get to decide if I snap your pitiful neck or not. In this world, the strong rule. I am strong. You are weak. You're pathetic. Now, you can either decide to stay cocky and do whatever you want, or I can make you strong. Because i like you. You have potential. You will be the one who kills the Ruler Of Dragons. But don't get cocky. You are dispensable. I could kill the Ruler Of Dragons on my own. But I like you. That is why you are alive right now"
Then it stopped. He let go of my neck and retracted his Aura.
"You have a lot of spiritual energy. Most people would have passed out or died by now"
That bastard. 'He liked me'. Like hell he liked me. I touched my neck. It was completely fine. My nosebleed had also stopped. My entire body was still in pain, though. It felt like my rips had broken, again. I looked at that guy's eyes.
"My name is Fafnir by the way. You asked earlier, didn't you?"
Did he think that would make up for what a bastard he was? 'My name is Fafnir by the way' Bet he thought he was sounding really amazing. Though, I had to ask.
"How did you do that? That pressure in the air thingy. How can you do that?" I felt like shit. I really hated the guy right now. He behaved all high and mighty, and killed me once, but I knew I needed him if I wanted to kill the Ruler Of Dragons. I needed his knowledge, his strength, and his experience. I needed his help if I wanted to succeed.
"You mean releasing spiritual energy? You've done it before. You're still doing it, but it looks like you can't properly control it. You need to be able to channel your spiritual energy inside your body and your environment. If you can't do that, then tough luck."
I remembered what happened in the village. That everyone was afraid of me. How the small girl fell over. How she was trembling as I came closer. Was it the same thing? Is that spiritual energy? If I were able to control it, that would be my first step towards my revenge. So I decided to side with Fafnir. For now. I hadn't forgiven him or anything. That guy was an absolute madman. I also knew that he was likely to kill me if I did some missteps. But I needed to grow stronger. Fafnir could make me. I was going to use Fafnir to kill the Ruler Of Dragons. Even I it would kill me.