Luca stepped cautiously through the barren landscape of the dungeon, the thick smell of death and decay lingering in the air as the darkness swallowed the ruins around him. He had just finished another brutal battle, but for the first time, the silence wasn't a relief. It was the dragon's voice, deep and resonant, that broke through the quiet of his mind.
"I've looked through your memories, human," Astravira said, her tone laced with a hint of disbelief. "I must admit, I'm surprised you survived an encounter with Vanessa."
Luca stiffened, the name sending a chill down his spine. The Witch. The memory of their fight still burned fresh in his mind—the overwhelming power she had, the way she tossed him around like a ragdoll. He gritted his teeth at the reminder, but before he could respond, Astravira continued.
"Listen to me, Luca," her voice was firm, an undercurrent of warning behind every word. "You must abandon all thought of fighting her again. Vanessa isn't like the other monsters you've faced. She is the First of Witches, and her power is far beyond anything you can comprehend."
Luca's grip tightened on the Eclipse Blade, his pride bristling at the idea of backing down from anyone—especially Vanessa. "I don't care how powerful she is," he muttered. "I'll get stronger. I'll surpass her. I'll kill her."
Astravira let out a soft, almost amused sigh. "You are nothing more than an ant to her. Kill and take as much power as you like, but Vanessa... she is something different. Something ancient."
Luca opened his mouth to retort, but the dragon's next words stopped him cold.
"She is older than time itself. The First of Witches, a being born of chaos and magic. Her knowledge of the arcane is unparalleled, and she commands the very fabric of reality. You, Luca, are a mere spark compared to the inferno she wields."
He felt a sharp pang in his chest at Astravira's words, but the dragon wasn't done.
"And she's not alone." Astravira's voice grew colder, sharper, as if the weight of what she was about to reveal pressed heavily on her. "Vanessa is just one of the Four. Four ancient beings of immense power, each more dangerous than the last."
Luca's breath caught. Four? He had barely survived Vanessa—how could there be others just as powerful, or worse? He swallowed hard, his pulse quickening.
"The second is Bagga "The Boundless Tyrant," Astravira continued, her voice taking on a more ominous tone. "An unstoppable force of destruction. Once a guardian of balance, Bagga was consumed by rage, becoming a monster driven by a thirst for blood and carnage. His fury is legendary, and those who face him are often torn to pieces before they even realize they're dead."
Images of monstrous, hulking beasts flashed in Luca's mind, but even those seemed trivial compared to the description Astravira gave.
"Then there's Stryder-4 'The Paradox'," she said, her voice dropping lower, almost as if speaking the name itself could summon the entity. "Stryder-4 exists beyond time, beyond space. Some say he is a machine, others claim he is a god, but all agree on one thing—he cannot be understood. His powers bend the laws of reality itself, and any who dare face him are quickly lost to the paradox he creates. Many have sought to unravel his mystery, and none have returned."
Luca's skin crawled at the mention of Stryder-4. A being beyond time and space? How was he supposed to fight something that could manipulate the very fabric of existence?
But Astravira wasn't finished. Her voice grew quieter, more serious, as she reached the final name.
"And the fourth... nothing is known about them," she admitted. "Not their name, not their powers, not even their form. All that is certain is that they exist, and their power dwarfs even the others. They are a shadow, lurking in the background, unseen and unfathomable."
Luca felt a shiver run down his spine. A being so powerful that even Astravira, a Celestial Dragon, knew nothing of them? The enormity of what he was facing hit him like a punch to the gut.
Vanessa, Bagga, Stryder-4... and the unknown fourth.
"So what, I'm supposed to run away?" Luca asked, his voice tinged with frustration and defiance. "Is that what you're telling me?"
"No," Astravira replied, her tone softening. "But I'm telling you to be cautious. To fight them is to face your own destruction, especially now, when you are still so weak. You can grow stronger, yes, but not if you're reckless."
Luca clenched his fists, the weight of the dragon's words settling on him like a heavy burden. He hated the idea of retreating, of backing down from anyone or anything, but he wasn't a fool. If Astravira was warning him, then the threat was real. His mind flashed back to Vanessa, her cold, calculating eyes, the way she had tossed him aside without even breaking a sweat.
But still, the fire of defiance burned in his chest. "I don't care how powerful they are," he said through gritted teeth. "I'll find a way. I'll get strong enough to kill them all."
Astravira's voice echoed in his mind, her tone unreadable. "Perhaps, Luca. But power alone won't be enough to save you from the chaos that lies ahead."
The dragon's words lingered in the air as Luca pressed forward, his determination burning brighter than ever. Even with the looming threat of the Four, even with Astravira's warnings, one thought kept him moving.
He would grow stronger.
He had to.
And no matter what stood in his way, be it Vanessa, Bagga, Stryder-4, or the unknown fourth...
He would not stop.