Gorran remembered something.
Gorran stood in front of his father, his small hands trembling as they reached out to touch the hilt of Xenith. His father, a towering man who had always seemed invincible, covered in blood, with swords already pierced through his back, knelt down, his eyes hollow, burdened by the weight of the decision he was about to make. The sword, gleaming and pure, was not yet the dark, cursed weapon it would become due to Yuuna using her darkness on it.
"Gorran…" his father whispered, his voice thick with regret. "Do not worship them."
The memory dissolved, and the world snapped into focus. Gorran's eyes, now fierce and hardened, flicked open. His grip on Xenith tightened, but the blade was no longer the shining beacon of hope it once was. It had been consumed by darkness—blackened, twisted, and covered in spiraling red eyes that blinked and twitched like living things. Shadows coiled around the blade as if it were alive, feeding off Gorran's own bloodlust.
"I'm nothing without the blade," Gorran muttered under his breath, his voice low and cold. His muscles tensed as he prepared to strike. "And if I die… the blade still comes with me."
With a burst of speed, Gorran dashed toward Xyenn, Xenith raised to deliver a fatal blow—but Xyenn was already moving.
Gridd thought, 'This has to happen.'
Xyenn darted behind Yuuna, his claws closing around her throat in a swift, brutal motion. He didn't speak, didn't need to. Her body tensed for a moment, then her essence began to pour into him. The air around them crackled with unnatural energy, and the atmosphere darkened as the transformation began.
Everyone gasped, and Mertha called out, "Yuuna!"
Gridd stopped her, saying, "This needs to happen."
"Don't you see—."
"I see, lass. But with our power, we cannot get in the middle."
"What if one of them dies?"
"..They won't. Gorran will be humbled. Xyenn won't kill em'."
"Gridd, beardy, I've seen Xyenn in this state before—."
"Did the lad kill ya'?"
"No, but—!"
"Ye lot are goin' out and huntin' dragon gods to kill for Yuuna, eh? You'll all be a team, and it'll only function if there is mutual respect amongst ye. After this, these two knuckleheads will think differently of one another. Where there is strife, there is division."
"I just can't sit here and allow Xyenn to be in that state! I've seen what it did to him before. I just wish there was more I could do. Knock the hell out of his gigantic head? I wasn't even useful to my own clan and my family. I won't make the same mistake again. I won't be a waste of space, not anymore."
"Ye are doin' something. Yer lettin' this play out. Deep down, ye know Gorran needs some humblin'. And ye know if ye want to build yer kingdom here, you need everyone. That can't happen if there is division. This fight needs to happen, lass. As of right now, those two are sworn rivals."
The ground trembled as Xyenn's body warped and expanded. His wings erupted from his back, massive and leathery, casting a shadow over the battlefield. His horns grew longer, twisting like jagged spires of bone, and his eyes glowed with a savage light. Three dragon tails unfurled from his spine, each one tipped with barbed spikes that whipped through the air with lethal precision. Above his head, a dark pink halo formed, jagged and pulsing with chaotic energy.
Yuuna's single eye blinked open on Xyenn's chest, radiating an eerie glow. Her alien voice whispered in the ancient language of the dragons, and the halo above his head expanded with her words, crackling with fire and dark energy.
Sethrak, watching, was now amused, saying, "Hmm. Yuuna is still helping Xyenn when she's lost her memories of him?"
By the time the transformation was complete, the earth around them had shattered into fragments. The battlefield had shifted—a ruined stone citadel now loomed in the distance. With a single beat of his wings, Xyenn propelled himself toward the ruins, his new form casting an ominous shadow over everything.
Gorran, undeterred by the change, followed, his eyes narrowing as he prepared for the chaos to come.
The ruins became the perfect arena—great stone covered in remnants of snow and frost, pillars broken and scattered, the air thick with dust and decay. As Gorran landed amidst the crumbling structures, he immediately set his plan into motion. He swung Xenith in a lightning quick slash, and the spiraling red eyes on the blade blinked to life, scattering across the battlefield like sentient shadows. They latched onto the stone pillars, the walls, the ground itself, warping the terrain around them. In an instant, the battlefield shifted, twisting and spiraling as the eyes distorted the landscape, creating unpredictable terrain that would throw Xyenn off balance.
'Xenith was nothing but a blade that could warp the structure of anywhere I want, besides individuals with potent dragon mana. Since it's been corrupted by Yuuna's mana, it's more dangerous, and her shadows linger to give it a buff. This is the only skill I use against those who are strong; those who I aim to take down. A blade forged from the skin of the dragon god of spiral itself, it's been passed down from my family for years, symbolizing the Xenith Clan's ability to turn everything around for our own success. For a clan of assassins mastering the magic of spiral, they have never lost until that one day. And now it's landed on me. I'll use it to defeat this brat and show Yuuna and everyone else where I stand. If I lose, it's a dishonor to the Xenith. Therefore without this blade, without the spiral, I'm nothing.' Gorran thought prepping another attack. 'This boy has only fought Haldrek and died over and over, he doesn't stand a chance in an all out fight against me, the abandoned son.'
But Xyenn was no stranger to chaos. With a snarl, he charged forward, his wings propelling him through the air. His four arms brandished dark, jagged scythes, each one radiating with dark pink and black energy. He descended upon Gorran like a storm, all four scythes slashing in crescent strike patterns.
Gorran dodged two of the strikes, but the third and fourth scythes found their mark, carving deep into his side and shoulder. Blood sprayed across the stone floor, but Gorran gritted his teeth and retaliated. He swung Xenith, shadows trailing, and the spiraling eyes blinked in unison, warping the ground beneath Xyenn's feet. The stone shifted, spiraling inward, pulling Xyenn off balance.
For a moment, Xyenn staggered—but then, with a growl, he beat his wings and leapt into the air, avoiding the deadly trap. His tails lashed out, barbed tips slicing through the air toward Gorran's throat.
Gorran barely managed to duck, the tails missing him by inches, but one of the spikes grazed his cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. He countered with a brutal upward slash of Xenith, aiming to sever one of Xyenn's tails.
'Tch! He's not even thinking when he fights!'
Xyenn blocked with two of his scythes, sparks flying as the blades clashed.
Xyenn's patience snapped. With a roar, he summoned Yuuna's power again, her eye glowing brighter on his chest. The jagged halo above his head expanded, and seven swirling orbs of black, red, and pink fire materialized around him. Each orb crackled with destructive energy, spinning faster and faster as Xyenn began to move in a deadly, ancient draconic dance.
The orbs shot toward Gorran one by one, each moving faster than the last. Gorran sidestepped the first two, leaping over a crumbling pillar to avoid the third. The fourth orb slammed into the ground beside him, exploding in a shower of stone and fire. Gorran rolled to his feet just in time to block the fifth with Xenith, the blade absorbing the brunt of the impact. But the sixth orb was too fast—it grazed his leg, searing through flesh and muscle with a sickening hiss.
Gorran grunted in pain but didn't slow down. He strafed Xenith in a wide slash, shadows trialing once more, and the spiraling eyes blinked again, warping the space around Xyenn. The ground twisted beneath Xyenn's feet, pulling him toward a spiraling vortex of stone and shadow.
For a split second, it looked like Gorran had the upper hand.
But Xyenn was already adapting. With a powerful beat of his wings, he zipped forward, using the momentum to break free of the spiraling trap. His scythes flashed in the dim light of the ruins as he descended on Gorran, slashing in a deadly cross pattern.
Gorran managed to block with Xenith, but the force of the blow sent him skidding backward, blood dripping from his wounds.
'Why…?'
Gorran knew he couldn't match Xyenn's raw power in a head-on clash. He needed to use his skills more strategically. With a deep breath, he closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the shadows around him. The spiraling red eyes on Xenith blinked in sync, and the shadows around the ruins began to twist and writhe.
Gorran lunged forward at full speed, his movements becoming erratic, unpredictable. Each step he took warped the battlefield further, the stone pillars twisting into spirals and the ground beneath them shifting like liquid. He moved between the warped spaces, appearing and disappearing within the shadows, using the distorted terrain to his advantage.
But Xyenn wasn't deterred. His wings flared wide, and with a powerful beat, he launched himself into the air. His tails lashed out like serpents, their barbed tips aimed to impale Gorran as he moved. Gorran dodged the first tail, but the second caught him in the ribs, the barbs tearing through flesh and bone. He gasped, blood pouring from the wound, but he didn't stop.
'Why can't I beat this fucking kid…'
With a low growl, Gorran swung Xenith strategically, the shadows and spiraling eyes warping the space around Xyenn again. This time, the ground beneath Xyenn's feet collapsed inward, creating a spiraling pit that tried to pull him down.
But Xyenn's wings kept him aloft. He hovered above the collapsing ground, his eyes glowing with fury as he raised all four scythes. With a snarl, he dove toward Gorran, his wings propelling him forward like a missile.
Xyenn's dive was relentless, his scythes slashing through the air with deadly precision. Gorran barely managed to block the first two strikes, but the third scythe carved deep into his shoulder, and the fourth slashed across his chest, leaving deep, bloody gashes.
Blood sprayed into the air as Gorran staggered, but he refused to fall. With a growl, he swung Xenith upward, aiming to cleave Xyenn's head from his shoulders. Xyenn blocked with two of his scythes, but the force of the blow sent him spinning through the air.
'I got him!' Gorran thought as he pressed the attack, leaping into the air after him. He slammed Xenith down toward Xyenn's back, but Xyenn twisted mid-air, his wings folding around him like a shield. The blade clanged against his wings, sparks flying as metal met scale.
Xyenn retaliated with a brutal kick to Gorran's chest, sending him crashing into a crumbling pillar. The impact shattered stone and bone alike, but Gorran gritted his teeth and forced himself to his feet.
'I am nothing without the blade..'
From the shadows of the ruins, a dirty prophet watched the battle with wide, crazed eyes. His body convulsed with excitement, his hands twitching in strange, erratic gestures. "The day of reckoning! The titans clash! Blood will spill, and the gods will tremble!" he shrieked, his voice high and frantic.
He danced around the edges of the battlefield, his fingers tracing strange symbols in the air. "The blade and the dragon! They will tear the world apart! And I will watch it burn!"
His voice grew louder, more frenzied. "Blood! Fire! Death! The day of reckoning is upon us!" He cackled, his laughter echoing through the ruins as the battle raged on.
Xyenn had had enough. With a roar that shook the ruins, he summoned Yuuna's power once more. Her eye blinked open on his chest, glowing with an eerie light as she whispered in her alien tongue. The halo above Xyenn's head expanded, crackling with dark energy as seven new orbs of fire materialized around him.
But this time, Xyenn didn't send the orbs toward Gorran. Instead, he used them to enhance his own body. The orbs swirled around him, fusing with his wings, his tails, his scythes. His entire form became a swirling mass of fire and destruction, his scythes burning with black and pink flames.
Gorran's eyes widened as Xyenn charged forward, his wings propelling him like a comet of destruction. Gorran swung Xenith, but Xyenn's scythes met the blade with terrifying force. The impact sent shockwaves through the ruins, and Gorran was thrown back, crashing through crumbling stone as Xyenn pressed the attack.
Xyenn's tails lashed out, one of them wrapping around Gorran's leg and yanking him into the air. Gorran tried to slash at the tail, but Xyenn's scythes were already descending. One scythe slashed across Gorran's chest, drawing a spray of blood, while another carved deep into his side.
Gorran's body was on the verge of collapse, but he refused to give in. He raised Xenith high, the spiraling red eyes on the blade blinking in unison as they warped the battlefield around him once more. The ground twisted and spiraled, the ruins collapsing inward as Gorran prepared to deliver a critical strike.
Gorran said, "You don't deserve that power…how is Yuuna helping you even when she lost her memories?!
Xyenn continued with a smug grin, "Shut up and fight..you tried to kill me, remember?"
"Like me, you deserve it."
The once-proud stone ruins stood desolate, their ancient walls cracked and crumbling under the weight of time. The battlefield had long since quieted, leaving only the distant rumble of storms and the faint whisper of wind through the hollowed stone. In the heart of this broken place, Xyenn stood tall, his wings half-spread, casting a dark shadow over the rubble below.
His clawed hand gripped Gorran's throat, pinning him against the cold stone wall, his nails digging into the soft flesh of Gorran's neck. Xyenn's eyes blazed—one moment burning with rage, the next flickering with doubt. His mouth twisted into a smile, foam trickling down the corner of his lips as he stared at his enemy. His three tails swayed slowly behind him, like the movements of a predator preparing to strike.
Blood dripped from Gorran's wounds, staining the stone beneath him. His breaths were shallow, his body limp, but his eyes—those defiant eyes—never looked away from Xyenn's face.
Far in the distance, the Tyrants could be seen, racing toward the ruins, but they were too far. The ground beneath them trembled as they pushed forward, desperate to reach Xyenn and Gorran.
Without warning, a shadow fell over Xyenn from behind.
A familiar presence.
Haldrek appeared, his tall, imposing figure stepping from the shadows, his hand lightly resting on Xyenn's shoulder. He leaned in, his breath hot against Xyenn's ear, his voice low and dripping with menace.
"You're hesitating," Haldrek whispered, his tone almost mocking. "You've got him right where you want him, and yet… you're holding back."
Xyenn's grip on Gorran's throat tightened, but his smile faltered. His eyes flickered again, the malicious grin slowly fading as doubt crept into his mind.
"We are the same. As I explained last time." Haldrek continued, circling around Xyenn like a predator. "You think you're not a monster? Look at what you've become. You've killed before, haven't you? You remember… the bandits?"
Xyenn flinched, the memory crashing into him like a wave. The day he'd slaughtered those bandits—how their blood had stained his hands, how he'd felt nothing but cold satisfaction. His heart raced, his expression twisting between a smile and a grimace as he struggled with the memory.
"Fuck off.." Xyen growled.
Haldrek's voice was like poison, seeping into his thoughts.
"Now you're letting your emotions control you. Pathetic." Haldrek's laugh was a dark, jagged thing. "You're just like me, Xyenn. A killer. A monster. You want to be taken seriously so you can be at the top, we're so used to being at the bottom. And the only way—" He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a dark whisper—"the only way to redeem yourself.. is to take his life. You'll then feel like you're on top of the world."
Xyenn's grip tightened further, his claws drawing blood from Gorran's neck. His mind swirled with darkness, his breathing erratic. He was teetering on the edge, the temptation to end it all flooding through him.
Smiling.
Not smiling.
Haldrek's voice echoed in his skull, mingling with his own thoughts. He could hear the screams of the bandits, the rush of blood. He saw Gorran's defiant eyes staring back at him, a challenge, almost daring him to finish it.
Xyenn's smile returned, but it was hollow, trembling with uncertainty. His mind was a battlefield. His hand quivered.
But something deep within him resisted.
His breath came in ragged gasps as he thought of Yuuna—the way her darkness had mixed with his, how he had let it consume him, how he had used her power to destroy. The feeling of losing her, the fear of never getting her back, the fear of being alone again; had driven him to this moment. He wanted to be strong, to be feared, to be a man in the eyes of everyone. To really be on top.
His mind flickered to that day in the forest, the bandits' blood on his hands. The satisfaction of their deaths had been fleeting. And now, with Gorran's life in his hands, he felt that same emptiness clawing at him.
"I…" Xyenn's voice was strained, barely a whisper. His hand shook violently as he lifted Gorran higher, about to end it. "I'm not a killer..but those who are my enemy will die. The dragon gods are my enemy. Those who are evil are my enemy. If I'm going to kill the dragon gods…I'll prepare myself, but not like this."
Haldrek scoffed, "Even when this human tried to kill you, a vessel, you won't take his life?"
"No. He's Yuuna's Tyrant. I've done enough damage to him. And I'm glad I did. I won't kill him, for Yuuna too."
Suddenly, the air around them crackled with energy. Illyana appeared first, her chains of light shooting from her grimoire, wrapping around Xyenn's arms and wings. The glowing chains tightened, pulling him back from Gorran and binding him in place. The light was soothing, but it was not enough to hold back the overwhelming darkness within him.
"Kivorn," Illyana called out, her voice steady.
The elven mage appeared next, his staff of elemental magic glowing as he summoned vines and plants from the ruins. The tendrils wrapped around Gorran's body, binding him to the ground, preventing him from moving.
With a blur of motion, Draeven dashed in, his martial arts a whirlwind of precise, graceful strikes. He leaped into the air, wrapping Gorran further with his own body wraps, securing him tightly. The wraps spun mid-air, creating an intricate web of bindings around Gorran.
Zyphira and Sethrak stepped into the center of the scene, their eyes scanning Xyenn's bound form. Zyphira's voice, cold and calculating, cut through the tension.
"This should be enough."
Sethrak nodded, his arms crossed, his eyes narrowed. "For now."
From the shadows, Mertha darted in, followed closely by Gridd, the female dwarf gently cradling Xyenn and Yuuna's child in her arms. The baby, oblivious to the chaos around him, slept soundly, his tiny fingers curled into fists.
Gridd, his massive frame clad in ornate armor, approached Xyenn slowly, his expression grim. His hands were steady as he began to place the heavy armor upon Xyenn's trembling form.
"Be still, lad."
Xyenn's breath was ragged, his body shaking as he felt the weight of the armor settle over him. His mind was still racing, but the light from Illyana's chains, and the presence of Gridd, knowing he was the one who had all the advice for everyone, began to calm him, if only slightly.
He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath. The darkness still pulsed within him, but now, it was quieter, more distant. He was shocked at himself—at how far he had let himself fall, how much of himself he was willing to sacrifice just for the sake of his anger. How he had allowed the fear of losing Yuuna to twist him, to control him, even when a solution was presented in front of him, he still kept on allowing himself to be cornered by rage.
Behind them, Yuuna stirred, slowly standing with the help of Mertha. Her eyes fluttered open, her body fragile but alive. She looked around at the scene in front of her—Gorran bound, Xyenn restrained, and the group of Tyrants surrounding them.
Her gaze softened when she saw Xyenn. She approached him cautiously, her voice quiet, uncertain.
"Xyenn…" she murmured, her voice barely a whisper. "Who are you really?! Why… why do we have a child together?!"
Xyenn's heart clenched at her words, but he didn't answer. He couldn't. He felt the weight of her question, the confusion in her voice, but he couldn't bring himself to face her.
Instead, he turned away.
'I wanna be alone right now.'
As Xyenn began to walk away, the others watched in silence. Illyana's chains of light slowly faded, but her eyes remained on Xyenn, her lips moving as she whispered peaceful mantras, hoping to soothe the storm within him.
"Kivorn," she said softly, "let Gorran go."
The elven mage nodded, his vines retreating back into the earth. Draeven unwrapped his bindings, his movements quick and precise.
'Does this mean Gorran will stop trying to kill Xyenn? I hope so…'
The group exchanged glances, each member processing what had just happened in their own way. Sethrak crossed his arms, his brow furrowed. "Well, that was pleasant."
Zyphira whispered, "Psst! Read the room!"
"We're outside."
As Xyenn walked away, his mind was a whirlwind of shame and anger. He could still feel the weight of Haldrek's voice in his head, taunting him, calling him a monster. His jaw clenched, his hands trembling as he replayed the moment over and over in his mind.
Was he really a monster? Or was he just a child, letting his emotions control him? He wanted so badly to be seen as strong, as a man.
'I immediately went into a temper tantrum like a child when Yuuna lost her memories. Can it be justified? Yes, but I could've handled it more maturely like everyone else did, they were calm, but I immediately went into a spiral of rage. A solution was presented before, and yet there I went crazy. I was the only one who acted like that, that's what makes it all the more embarrassing. I even forced Yuuna to merge with me, I didn't even feel like I was in control during the fight, but my own emotions and anger. I'm sorry Yuuna, that I did that. And then fucking Haldrek…he keeps trying to press his ideology and philosophy on me, to make me see things eye to eye with him. He can't make me like him. Never. I won't be a monster just to be above everyone..right?'
He thought of Gorran, and felt a twisted satisfaction. Gorran would take him seriously now. He had to. But was that enough? Was that what he really wanted?
As these thoughts churned in his mind, he felt a soft tug at the cape of his armor.
Yuuna.
She was following him, her hand gripping the edge of his cape, her eyes wide with confusion and hurt. She tugged again, her voice small but insistent.
"Xyenn… please. Who are you? Why… why do we have a child together? Talk to me, damn human.."
He didn't turn around. He couldn't. His chest tightened, and he tried to block out her voice, to ignore the weight of her question. But the tugging continued, her soft voice growing more desperate with every step.
'Nothing I say to her will matter. But..'
Finally, Xyenn stopped, his body tense, his eyes closed. He took a deep breath, then spoke, his voice low and filled with determination.
"I'll restore your memory."
There was no hesitation in his words. And with that, he continued walking, Yuuna stopped and let him go as she felt something too.
Xyenn leaned heavily against the rough bark of an ancient tree, his breathing steady but his mind still swirling with thoughts. The cold air swirled around him, the wind pushing strands of his hair across his face, but he didn't feel the chill. His body, hardened and altered by the merging with Yuuna, was impervious to the winter's bite. His from shimmered down to his normal appearance, But still, there was a heaviness—a weight in his chest that even the cold couldn't numb.
Before him stretched a vast expanse of snow-covered wilderness, untouched by man but teeming with life all its own. The ground was a pristine white, the snow soft and undisturbed, save for the delicate paw prints of the strange creatures that roamed this part of the world. Xyenn watched as one such creature—a snow-dappled cervidae, its antlers twisting into intricate spirals—galloped gracefully across the plains. Its fur shimmered in the pale moonlight, like ice crystals woven into its coat.
From the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of frostfeathera raptors, their sleek, bird-like bodies covered in a fine layer of silver feathers. Their wings flapped lazily as they glided close to the ground in search of prey, their talons leaving faint marks on the snow. Further in the distance, a glacier stag—a massive beast with crystalline horns and ice-blue eyes—stood motionless, its breath visible in the cold air as it scanned the horizon.
Xyenn was familiar with most of them. He'd seen these majestic beings many times before during his time in the wilderness. They were part of this land, just as he was, ethereal and fierce, surviving in their own way. Yet, even in their grace, they reminded him of something he'd been avoiding: he was no different from them, fighting for survival, driven by instinct.
His thoughts wandered back to the madness that had overtaken him—how he had lost control, how everyone had seen him fall apart so easily. He clenched his fists, the bark of the tree biting into his palms. They had all witnessed his desperation, his rage. He had let his emotions, his fear of losing Yuuna, consume him in front of them all.
Like a child. Now, after everything, he felt like nothing more than an impulsive boy, lashing out because he couldn't handle the fear. He had spazzed out, broken down completely over Yuuna, and they had all seen it.
He thought of Gorran again.
Gorran had deserved it, hadn't he? Everyone knew that. That made Xyenn's lips curled into a faint, bitter smile. Gorran was already a thorn in his side and they just met, a reminder of everything Xyenn wanted to overcome. Breaking Gorran, even for a moment, had felt right. He didn't feel as bad about that. Gorran would finally take him seriously now.
But still…
There was an emptiness in that victory, and it gnawed at him. He had felt it even as he held Gorran's life in his hands—something hollow, something that hadn't been filled. Was that what it meant to be a man? Was this the strength he had been chasing?
With a heavy sigh, Xyenn let his body relax against the tree. The wind rustled through the barren branches above him, and he closed his eyes, letting the cold, crisp air wash over him. For a moment, just a moment, he allowed himself to forget everything. The world faded away, and silence took over.
'Fuck it all.'
When Xyenn opened his eyes again, the world around him had completely changed.
He was no longer leaning against the tree, no longer standing in the snow-covered wilderness. Instead, he found himself floating—his body suspended in a vast, white void. The air was thick with a strange, soothing energy, and everything was bathed in a soft, luminous glow. The ground beneath him wasn't solid; it was as if he stood on the surface of a vast cloud, white and ever-shifting, but impossibly stable underfoot.
"Where am I?" Xyenn asked himself, his voice echoing in the blank distance.
The sky above was a pale, endless white, but there were no stars, no sun—only a faint, pulsing light that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. The horizon stretched into infinity, as if this place had no boundaries, no edges. It was beautiful, serene, and utterly alien.
Delicate crystalline formations floated around him, shifting and shimmering like diamond dust caught in the wind. They spiraled lazily through the air, reflecting the soft light in every direction, casting gentle rainbows across the void. In the distance, glowing white vines twisted and curled through the air, their tendrils reaching toward the sky as if they were growing from some unseen source far below. They radiated a gentle warmth, their glow pulsing in time with the rhythm of the space itself.
And then he saw her.
Before him, a figure began to take shape—a woman, vast and resplendent, her form slowly materializing from the light itself. She towered over him, her body aglow with a brightness that was almost too intense to look at. Her skin was pure white, flawless and radiant, as if carved from the very light that surrounded them. She was naked, her breasts and vaginal area were exposed, but her form seemed almost ethereal, her body more a suggestion of flesh than something physical. Her presence was overwhelming, both beautiful and terrifying in its grandeur.
Her wings stretched wide behind her—a pair of enormous, feathered appendages that shimmered with a pearly brilliance. Each feather was long and elegant, catching the light and refracting it into a thousand different hues. Her wings spanned the entire horizon, as if they could envelop the whole of this strange dimension if she willed it.
Her halo hovered above her head, a perfect circle of light adorned with diamonds and crystals, spinning slowly and casting a soft, warm glow down onto her face. It wasn't the jagged, chaotic halo that Xyenn had known from his time merged with Yuuna, but something far gentler, far more pure.
Her eyes were the most striking feature. They were like diamonds, glowing with an inner light that pierced through the void. They sparkled with intelligence, with power, with an ancient wisdom that made Xyenn feel small in comparison. She looked at him, her gaze unblinking, and though her face was serene, there was something deeply unsettling about the way she seemed to see through him.
Surrounding her were other beings, all of them men and women, their forms less defined but no less radiant. They floated around her like a celestial court, their bodies made entirely of light, their features barely distinguishable beneath the brilliance that emanated from them. Their wings, though smaller, were equally beautiful, and their eyes—though not as piercing—glowed with the same diamond-like intensity.
Each of them was a being of purity and light, their bodies shifting and shimmering with every movement, as if they were only half-real, like reflections on the surface of a still lake. Their figures were slender, graceful, and they moved with a fluidity that was almost hypnotic, as if they were dancing in slow motion, suspended in the air.
The entire dimension felt alive, but not in the way the physical world did. It pulsed softly, a rhythm that Xyenn could feel deep in his chest, in time with his own heartbeat. The air was thick with a sense of peace, of timelessness. There was no danger here, no conflict, no chaos—only serenity.
'How did I even end up here..:everything is so damn radiant…peaceful, like the feeling I get when I'm around that Illyana woman.'
But despite the beauty, despite the calmness, Xyenn couldn't shake the feeling that he didn't belong here.
He floated there, suspended in the vast nothingness, staring up at the woman and the radiant beings that surrounded her. He didn't know who she was, or what this place was, or why he had been brought here. But her eyes—those diamond eyes—seemed to hold the answers.
Xyenn asked, "Who are you all? And why did you steal me?"
The woman spoke, "We are the Lysfødt. Dragon gods of Radiance and Beauty. Also called the Light Born. I am their mother, the ones around me. And you, Xyenn, will be the destroyer of this world."
Xyenn responded, "What are you talking about?"
"You have Yuuna, the dragon goddess of darkness, who is one of the most powerful deities in Kyrrin. She has the power to—."
"—Yeah yeah I know, I know all of this. I'm tired of people beating me over the head with it. What do you want—?"
"—With her, you will not only destroy the world of Kyrrin, but the people of it. Everyone knows Yuuna plans on going through Kyrrin and killing all the gods before they kill her and take her heart. But you do not know what you are doing. Without the concepts of life's systems, the world can't function, it will be destroyed. King Haldrek, vessel of Kragvyr, wants to destroy the Dragon god of war and the branches of gods who connect to the concept war itself, achieving that would kill the very concept of war, there won't be any left. And that goes for the rest of them. Yuuna wants to use you to kill them, not knowing the First Dragon used all dragon gods and their concepts to create Kyrrin. Yuuna is selfish. Therefore, continuing to help her, would be your demise, and Kyrrin's. You aim to free the humans from the oppression of the gods, not knowing you will be destroyed. You battled Death, yet you will seek to aid him in collecting souls. The world is crafted from these concepts and ideals, if they are killed, they won't hold Kyrrin any longer. Physically as well."
Xyenn didn't talk, he kept his mouth shut.
'Yuuna just wants to survive, she doesn't want to die. I already promised to keep her safe, there's no way I'm letting her down. Who are these bastards really? What's their role with the First Dragon?'
The deity continued, "Furthermore, I can tell you wish to defy us. To defy the natural law of Kyrrin. I will persuade you. The Primordial Dragons struck down the First Dragon in a cataclysmic war, driven by pride, fear, and the desire to control the universe without the oversight of their creator. However, they didn't realize that the death of the First Dragon would not result in true freedom. The very act of slaying the being that defined the laws of creation unraveled the divine order. The Cycle of Rebirth was born from the First Dragon's death, a curse that ensured no god or dragon could ever truly die or live. This cycle became a prison, tying the gods and dragons to the whims of mortal worship, and forever denying them true freedom or eternal peace. Amidst this chaos, the heart of the First Dragon—its most sacred and powerful fragment—disappeared. It was not destroyed, as the Primordial Dragons had intended, but instead hidden away by the cosmic forces of creation themselves, as if reality itself refused to allow the heart's destruction. The heart of the First Dragon was now in Yuuna's chest. As for Yuuna, it is still a mystery how she acquired the heart, and unlike the dragon gods, who were reincarnations of previous deities, Yuuna was never truly born with dragons at all, but from Hell itself. Her power and soul combined with the demonic forces that lurked beyond the edges of reality. The first Dragon used his own divine blood and breath to use her as a vessel of darkness, to ensure balance in Kyrrin. She was sick of being in Hell, she was with The First Dragon even during the days of the Primordials. And even after the war broke. Yuuna was not a natural part of the divine order. She was chaos incarnate—a goddess and blight born from demonic power, a force that existed outside the laws of creation. Hell. This made her both a goddess of immense power and a paradox—a being who was both divine and demonic, both of creation and outside its bounds."
Xyenn, overwhelmed with all of this information, thought, 'There's even stronger forces outside of the draconic deities?! Hell…? Didn't I hear that from Haldrek? That was Yuuna's domain?'
The woman floated downward, and continued, "You need to kill Yuuna before it is too late. The Cycle of Rebirth is necessary to keep Kyrrin alive. If you fail to kill her, we will have no choice but to interfere. For we are the vessels of the First Dragon. His former council."
Xyenn yelled, "Why me?! Huh?! Why can't you all just come down and do whatever?!"
"Watch your tone, human."
"Fuck it! I don't care! I'm not gonna sit here and let you say all this without having a say in anything. I'm no one's puppet."
"But you are a puppet for the Dragon god of snow. And for Haldrek. You are a mere puppet human. You will be given a hidden time limit to kill Yuuna before it's too late. Deliver her heart to us, we will reincarnate the First Dragon and allow him to govern Kyrrin again. If you do not do as we ask, we will forcefully come down ourselves. And everyone will pay. Even that horrid hybrid son of yours."
"Screw you all…I'm not gonna let anything get in my way…"
"The fact that you're willing to save one life over an entire world…over love? Now that is a child's dream."
FWOOSH!
Xyenn opened his eyes again, screaming as he found himself outside in Vördrheim again. He took deep breaths over and over, and he saw Yuuna was in front of him kneeling, alongside her Tyrants, and Gridd, and the other Dwarves.
Yuuna said, "Heyyy, wake up! Whoever the hell you are! Thanks for kicking Gorran's ass, but I have questions—!"
Xyenn immediately hugged her, grabbing her tight.
'Screw whatever that glowing woman was saying. Yuuna didn't wanna be in Hell anymore, she sided with the First Dragon, apparently Hell's enemy. Now, she doesn't wanna die. She was desperate for survival; it cost her the lives of many whom she chose as vessels. I already made a promise. I intend to keep it. I don't want the world to be destroyed because of me, there has to be something I can do. The Lysfødt…divine vessels of The First Dragon himself..and they made themselves draconic deities. Can I even fight them? What if they're right?'
Yuuna immediately backed away from Xyenn, and asked, "Name ONE thing about me, punk! Since you know me!"
Xyenn replied with a grin, "You have a birthmark on your as—."
KATHOOM!
Yuuna sent Xyenn flying in the air with an uppercut while flustered at the same time, saying, "Shut up! Shut up!"