Aurelius stared at Ryuji with a calm smile, almost reassuring. Yet the more Ryuji looked at him, the more he felt a strange pressure building in the air.
The man showed no hostility. He did not raise his voice or make a single threatening gesture. And yet his mere presence was enough to weigh down the atmosphere.
While Aurelius walked slowly through the room, Ryuji once again observed the immense tree dominating the place.
Its trunk was colossal, its branches spreading in every direction. And yet, despite its overwhelming size, it bore almost no leaves.
A few dozen.
Maybe a few hundred.
Ridiculously few for something so massive.
And yet each leaf shone with a soft light, as if it contained more life than an entire forest.
A voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
— Do you have any questions for me?
Ryuji looked up.
— Who are you?
A faint smile appeared on Aurelius' face.
— Aurelius Valemot.
Ryuji waited a few seconds.
— That's it?
This time, Aurelius let out a quiet laugh.
— I suppose not.
He walked toward the giant trunk and sat down at its base, like an old man about to tell a forgotten story.
Ryuji stayed standing, arms crossed, wary.
— A long time ago, our world was relatively peaceful. Monsters already existed, but they were only one threat among many. Some regions were dangerous, others far less so.
His gaze drifted into the branches above.
— Then everything changed.
Monsters became stronger, more aggressive, more intelligent. They stopped being mere beasts and turned into walking disasters.
— Calamities...
Ryuji murmured.
— Exactly.
Entire cities were destroyed. Kingdoms vanished. For decades, humanity could do nothing but survive.
Then Aurelius' expression softened slightly.
— But humans are remarkable creatures. When cornered, they learn. They adapt. They evolve.
Over generations, magic developed, techniques improved, and little by little, humanity closed the gap.
Eventually, they reached the same level.
For nearly a century, the world knew a fragile peace. Kingdoms prospered, children grew up without fear, and people began to believe in the future again.
Then his expression changed.
— And one day, the sky darkened.
We would have preferred it to be a storm or an eclipse.
But when people looked up, they realized those were not clouds covering the sun.
They were wings.
The wings of a dragon so enormous it alone blocked out the sky.
Ryuji felt a chill run down his spine.
— Its arrival marked the return of despair.
For more than ten years, we fought. We lost cities, armies, heroes... and many friends.
His voice lowered.
— Many friends.
But in the end, we won.
We managed to kill it.
A heavy silence followed.
Then Aurelius turned his gaze to Ryuji.
— And now, you carry that creature inside you.
Ryuji's body stiffened.
— The draconic core.
— Exactly.
Aurelius stood and slowly approached him, his expression now serious.
— But do you even know the name of that dragon?
Silence swallowed the room.
Even the glowing leaves of the tree seemed frozen.
Then Aurelius finally spoke.
— Ryuji.
The world stopped.
— Its name was Ryuji.
For a moment, Ryuji felt his blood freeze.
His breath stopped.
His mind went blank.
And somewhere deep inside him, something stirred.
As if something ancient had just heard its own name.
The silence stretched on.
Ryuji remained frozen, unable to look away from Aurelius.
The dragon that once terrorized the world.
The dragon whose core he now carried.
The dragon that shared his name.
It should have felt absurd.
A coincidence.
And yet something inside him refused to accept it.
As if a part of him had always known.
Aurelius spoke again.
— Surprised, aren't you?
— A little...
— That's normal.
He placed a hand on the massive trunk.
— To many people, you've become something dangerous. You emit the same energy as a calamity, you heal at an abnormal rate, and your power far exceeds that of a normal human.
His gaze returned to Ryuji.
— Some already see you as a monster.
Ryuji didn't respond.
Because deep down, he knew it.
Since his awakening.
Since the fight against the Basilisk.
Even he sometimes feared what he had become.
— But I see things differently.
I don't see a calamity.
I see a child who was given a weapon far too large for him.
Those words struck harder than expected.
Since arriving in this world, everyone had used him, ordered him, or expected something from him.
No one had truly tried to help him.
— You are likely the only being alive who survived the assimilation of a calamity core. Even I don't fully understand how you managed it.
His expression hardened slightly.
— That is exactly why I need you.
— Need me?
— Yes.
The world is changing, and what is coming is far worse than anything you have faced so far.
The Basilisk was only the beginning.
A chill ran through Ryuji's body.
— If you work with me, I will teach you to control this power. I will teach you to survive, and to become strong enough to reach those you hate.
Aurelius' gaze turned colder.
— And when the time comes, I will help you bring down this kingdom.
Ryuji lowered his eyes.
The truth was simple.
On his own, he would eventually die.
He didn't understand this world, his power, or his future.
And above all...
Part of him still burned with anger whenever he thought of those who had sacrificed his comrades.
When he finally looked up again, Aurelius was smiling.
But behind that smile, there was something else.
A silent certainty.
If he refused...
Aurelius would probably kill him himself.
No proof.
Only instinct.
But it felt real.
Ryuji stepped forward.
— I accept.
A brief silence followed.
Aurelius naturally raised his left hand, as if sealing a pact.
Ryuji looked at the gesture.
Then at his own body.
More precisely, at the absence of his left arm.
For a few seconds, he remained motionless.
Then, after a brief hesitation, he extended his right hand.
Both men froze.
Aurelius' left hand was now being shaken by Ryuji's right in a handshake that was as awkward as it was improbable.
One second passed.
Then another.
Ryuji's gaze shifted from their hands to Aurelius.
And suddenly, Aurelius burst out laughing.
A full, genuine laugh.
The first Ryuji had ever heard from him.
— You...
He shook his head, unable to contain his amusement.
— I like you.