Zama rose to his feet.
Dust clung to his skin. Blood dripped from his mouth, but he paid it no mind. His golden eyes locked onto Leo with a cold, unreadable calm. Step by step, he began to walk toward him—slowly, steadily—as if the weight of a thousand memories pressed on every stride.
Then, he spoke.
"Long… long time ago—"
The world around them seemed to fall silent.
The battlefield faded.
Clouds rolled overhead, and the wind that had once howled now stood still, listening.
"I was born from a forbidden union," Zama said, his voice low and distant. "My father… was a Dragonoid. A proud warrior of the empire. Strong. Feared. Untouchable. And my mother—she was a demi-human. Soft-hearted, silver-haired, gentle beyond words. But in our world, love like theirs wasn't just frowned upon… it was lawless."
His eyes lowered slightly, as if watching ghosts dance in the dust.
"In the Dragonoid Empire, marrying a demi-human—hell, even a human—was a crime against blood. My father defied that law. He chose love over legacy. And for that… they were cast out."
Flashes of the past surged behind his eyes—his mother's smile, his father's voice, a run-down cottage far from the empire's reach.
"They came to Rustalia, far from their homeland. I was born there. I didn't cry much. Didn't laugh either. They thought I was broken. But inside, I felt… everything. My power scared others. But not them. They loved me."
Then his voice hardened.
"Until that letter came."
The memory was clear. A scroll sealed in black wax. Promising forgiveness. Begging them to return.
"My mother believed it. She thought they had changed. She still believed in good."
His hands clenched as blood trickled from the edge of his palm.
"They were wrong."
The world shifted. In Zama's mind, the day came back in full.
They arrived at the gates of the empire, hope in their eyes. And then—ambush.
"No welcome. No forgiveness. Just blades. My mother was struck down before she even realized it. My father… they beat him until his bones cracked and his blood painted the floor. They would've killed me next—"
His breath hitched.
"But my father… my broken father… he crawled on shattered limbs and begged. Begged them to spare me."
He looked at Leo then, and for a second—just a second—there was the child he once was.
"They accepted. Not because they were merciful. But because of what I was."
His tone darkened.
"A Fusion Dragonoid."
A name that made even dragons wary.
"In the sacred books of Zychrist, it's written: a true Fusion Dragonoid, if awakened fully, can shatter galaxies with a scream."
The green aura around him flickered, thickening like smoke, ancient and heavy.
"I was taken into the empire's knight corps. They praised me, trained me… and buried my father's body like trash."
Years passed in silence. He had no voice. No purpose. Just the blade they gave him and the rage they taught him to bury.
"Then… she was born."
The corners of his mouth twitched—almost a smile.
"Athena. The king's daughter. Golden eyes like mine. She was… kind. Strange. She would sneak out of the palace to bring me food. To laugh with me. To see me."
He turned his head away, as if ashamed.
"I hated her at first. Thought she was playing games. But… she wasn't."
The first time he smiled in years had been because of her.
"And then, somehow—I loved her."
A pause.
"But again… a knight can't love a princess."
He didn't even need to say it. The cruelty of the world wrote that line too many times before.
Then—another voice echoed in his head. Cruel, sharp.
"You filthy knight. Have you forgotten where you came from? Your shameless father begged on his knees! You think you're worthy of her? Dirty blood can't be cleaned."
"I said nothing," Zama muttered. "Just… sorry."
He tried to bury his feelings. But love is not something so easily silenced.
"Then one day… we ran."
Rain pounded the ground. Thunder cracked across the sky. Zama and Athena fled under its roar, hearts racing faster than their feet.
"For the first time… I drew my sword for myself. For her. With my will. My soul."
And the last time.
"I fought alone. Dozens of knights. Maybe hundreds. I don't even know anymore. I bled. I fell. But I kept fighting."
The empire's elite swarmed them—but then something changed.
People came. Citizens. Servants. Commoners.
"They stood beside us. They saw what the empire did. They defended us."
But the king would not be shamed.
"He slaughtered them."
Zama's fists trembled.
"Athena and I escaped. Wounded. Hunted. But we ran."
Then, amidst the rain, in the middle of a ruined road—Athena stopped.
Her golden eyes met his for the last time.
"Go," she said, smiling through tears. "Don't stop. I'll always be with you."
"And I—"
He looked away again.
"I was a coward."
She stayed. He ran.
"She was captured. Or killed. I don't know. But…"
He took a breath that sounded like it cracked his chest.
"I made it to Rustalia. Hid in my parents' ruined house. The world forgot me."
Then—one day—he heard voices.
Two men outside. Chatting casually.
"Did you hear? The Dragonoid Empire's falling apart. Civil war's erupted."
"Yeah… they say the king's daughter tried to flee. Got killed on the border. Tragic."
A pause. No words. No breath. No heartbeat.
Zama was silent for days after that.
"Life… spat on me," he said, a bitter chuckle escaping.
"So I sold myself to a slave merchant. Told him one thing—never speak my name, unless someone truly worthy appears."
And now—
The memory vanished.
Zama stood before Leo once more.
Tall. Towering. Green aura swirling like a storm.
Leo stood below him, his own purple aura blazing around him, silent as a void.
Their eyes met.
And in that moment, past and present collapsed.
Zama's voice was low, almost trembling, though his towering presence never faltered.
"So now you know," he said, each word heavy. "Will you still say I wasn't alone? That they didn't leave me? Athena. My parents. Everyone… They all said they loved me." His golden eyes narrowed, glinting in the dim light. "But in the end… didn't they leave me all alone?"
Leo finally spoke. His voice was calm at first—but every syllable cut like a blade.
"Coward. Shameless." He tilted his head slightly, mask catching the faint glow of Zama's aura. "And I pity your blood."
Zama's jaw tightened. "I told you, I know I was a coward—"
"No," Leo interrupted, stepping forward until their auras clashed. "It wasn't just cowardice. It was fear. Fear of death. Fear of pain. Fear of loss. You call yourself a knight? Then where was your resolve when it mattered?"
Zama's mouth opened, but no words came.
Leo's voice rose—not in anger, but with a piercing clarity that made the air feel heavier.
"Athena didn't leave you. She gave herself for you. She wasn't sending you away—she was shielding you. She wanted to buy you one more breath, one more chance to live. And your parents? They didn't abandon you—they died protecting you. Every second they bought you was stolen from their own lives."
He took another step forward, the void of his purple aura swirling with a slow, deliberate burn.
"You didn't just run away from them, Zama… you ran away from the time they gave you. The time they traded their lives for. You could have spent that time honoring them. Fighting for them. Living for them. But you buried yourself instead."
Zama's hands trembled slightly.
Leo's voice softened—not with pity, but with something sharper. Truth.
"You think being left behind means you have no future? That's the coward's way out. The truth is, they trusted you with their future. And you wasted it because you were too scared to bleed."
The silence that followed was suffocating.
For the first time, Zama's gaze broke. He looked up at the black, endless sky above this strange realm, and a single tear traced down the sharp line of his jaw. Then another.
And for the first time in years… he smiled.
"I was wrong," he murmured. "All the way, huh?"
Leo nodded. "Yeah. But that doesn't mean you can't change it."
Zama looked at him, confusion flickering through the gold in his eyes.
Leo's voice steadied, and the next words rang like a vow:
"You can change it by crushing that fear. By facing death without flinching. By throwing away cowardice and standing on the will they died for. Your parents… Athena… they gave you their lives so you could keep moving forward. You are free now, Zama. Free."
And as those words fell into the air, the black void around them began to shift. A faint shimmer of light bled into the darkness, spreading like dawn over a night that had lasted far too long.
Leo took a breath, stepping closer, eyes locked on Zama.
"You can recreate that bright future," he said, his voice almost a whisper now. "The one they believed in… even if you didn't."
The light consumed the darkness.
For the first time in decades, Zama felt the chains around his soul break.
Zama fell to his knees.
The silence stretched—heavy, thick with something far deeper than pain. His hands trembled against the earth, blood mixing with dust beneath him.
Leo watched him for a moment, his breath steady but eyes distant. Then, with a half-hearted sigh, he muttered, "Anyway… let me get out of this world of yours. I'll buy someone else somehow."
He turned, his back now to the kneeling Dragonoid. I know that feeling, Zama... that unbearable silence of being left behind. Of pretending you were fine when the truth was too bitter to say aloud.
"Just get me out of here already," Leo said, raising his voice a little.
But before he could take another step—
A shadow knelt before him.
Leo blinked.
Zama was there, head lowered, his blood-streaked back bowed low.
"…What are you doing?" Leo asked, taken aback.
Zama's voice was quiet, yet unwavering. "My Lord. You said it yourself—I am free now. Free to change. Free to recreate a future brighter than the darkness I've drowned in for so long. For that... I swear myself to you. As your knight. As the last Dragonoid. As your slave—you bought me, didn't you?"
Leo scoffed, scratching the back of his head. "Tch. You don't have to do that. Following me will only bring trouble."
Zama lifted his face just enough to meet his eyes. "Even if trouble comes… I will face it. Like you did. For me. I fought once with my own will—for Athena. Now, I fight again. This time, for you."
There was silence.
Then a soft chuckle.
Leo stared at him. "You're seriously stubborn, huh…"
Suddenly, his gaze turned sharp—commanding.
"Then alright," Leo said.
A rush of power exploded from his body—his aura, thick and suffocating, painted the air a deep purple. The ground cracked beneath him. Wind howled from nowhere.
Yet through it all, Zama only smiled. "Thank you, my Lord."
The pressure eased. Leo exhaled, waving the dust off his shoulders. "Call me Leo."
Zama bowed deeper. "Forgive me. But I'll keep calling you my Lord."
Leo sighed again. "Suit yourself. Just get me out already."
As those words left his lips, Leo's body began to glow faintly.
His eyes fluttered shut—he felt weightless.
A second later, he was falling.
Eyes snapped open mid-air. "Tch—!"
He twisted, landing hard on the wooden floor. Gasping, he touched his forehead, the world spinning.
"Am I… back?"
He sat up and glanced around the room. "Where's that slave merchant?"
He turned—and stopped.
The man was trembling in the corner of the room, pale as ash.
Leo frowned. "What happened to you—?"
The merchant pointed with a shaking hand. "S-see your back…"
Leo turned.
And there he was.
Zama stood behind him in his old, tattered black pants—head bowed, one knee on the ground.
Leo blinked. "You really… followed me out?"
Still on the ground, Leo stood up slowly and said, "Anyway… you see it. He's with me."
The merchant's mouth opened, but no words came.
Leo didn't bother explaining. He just turned around and began walking.
Zama followed without hesitation.