"The world can be a confusing place. Though we may not understand it, we try our best to explain it. To figure out and realize why the world exists as it is. To understand the things around us and in turn hope to understand ourselves."
-A forgotten wise man
Right now, just as Siegfried had beaten the angel, he was shocked by its persistence. Evolving at the brink of death, fueled by emotions of rage and an insatiable lust for revenge.
But what shocked him even more than that was the appearance of one man. Towering over all others with a body clad in indestructible green scales. From nowhere, he appeared in the corner of his pale blue eyes.
With his many arms on the cold steel of his thick glaive, he swung it through the angel's body with one motion. Severing its life at the very foundation and Pandora's Box along with it.
It took a moment before it even understood it had been cut. The second it did, it fell to pieces and died without a single vibration of sound. Both it and Siegfried's magic slowly turned to infinite specks of particles scattered by the wind filling the area anew.
Siegfried drew in ragged breathes as he struggled to maintain his balance. An indescribable dizziness assaulting him. This was it. Both him and Daiji had pushed their bodies beyond human limits and now the fatigue was catching up to them. Reminding them of their numerous sins.
And now, just as the battle was over, their bodies were denied rest. For the man standing before him, massive glaive in hand, mist swirling all around him, was no other than Kagutsuchi. Defined by his reptilian features, gray hair and his four muscular arms, he stood there, clad in Azuman armor, staring down Siegfried with his vertical slit eyes.
An aura of overwhelming oppressiveness flooded out of him. His body filled with Magical Energy so thick and dense that you could almost physically touch it. His very existence inspired a feeling of dread in those with the misfortune of encountering him. Unable to escape his scrutinizing eyes, only focusing on the one thing in front of him. Unable to even breathe in his presence and poisoned by the density of his Magical Energy.
Like a bright burning blaze, fragments of Magical Energy scattered off from the vessel, unable to be fully contained or controlled. An amalgamation of burning power. A true embodiment of martial might. His name, "Kagutsuchi", the name of the Azuman god of fire was fitting for this man. Someone whose power was on par, if not greater than that of pure dragons, now long gone except for a handful.
Siegfried didn't understand the situation at all. The exhaustion slowed down his mind and left him in a state of utter and complete confusion. Weakened and weighed down by the overwhelming pressure. Only able to ask the most simplest of questions in his own head:
How did he get here?
"Huff... Huff..."
A cold shiver reverberated through his spine. His head becoming dizzier. Sweat drops slowly trailing downwards. Breathing was too much. So was thinking. So painful that feeling nothing would be a sweet release.
Kagutsuchi, who had only concentrated on Siegfried, averts his eyes for the first time to look upon another. The next moment he vanishes from where he stands to reappear half a second later by the husk of a drake. One who had desperately fought for continued survival, to no avail.
Its Magical Energy, the very source of life, was faint. Only tiny fragments remain. The amount shrinking by the second. Siegfried could sense at a first glance that it would die any minute now. Each hurdle it overcame was joined by an even bigger one. It had even evolved to survive, but it couldn't overcome the true monsters, the truly strong.
At the side of his former comrade, Kagutsuchi carefully places one of his arms to the scales of the dying creature. From his mouth, a solemn whisper escapes. Too quiet for anyone to hear it.
"...Leonard... Goodbye... And till we meet again."
The glaive clatters as he lets it fall to the ground. He extends all of his four arms in order to grasp the drake's body. Holding in place what little he can grasp.
Pulling his face closer and opening his razor-sharp jaws, he bites and tears off a piece. The final sparks of life is sucked out of the corpse and integrated into Kagutsuchi's own. As he swallows the piece of meat, his presence grows a little.
A sad, pained smile is carved into his face. His body somewhat shivering, but not from any cold.
He glances one more time at Siegfried. He feels as if the reptilian eyes are piercing straight through him. Judging him. Filled with hate while still able to think calmly. Kagutsuchi stops and picks up his glaive from the barren ground and looks to the two armies.
The Iiyama army are currently engaging the remnants of the dragon-kin. Now that the dragon-kin had lost their foot soldiers, they were being pushed by the few whose strain inflicted by Pandora's Box was not as much as the others.
Placing two hands on the glaive's handle, Kagutsuchi flexes his muscles and trails the sharp tip horizontally through the air quickly, quietly and smoothly. With a cut, the air silently quivers, sending invisible and empty shockwaves in the direction pointed out by the angry demon-god.
They fly at an instantaneous speed, unrecognizable to anyone, even Siegfried's observant eyes. At the moment of contact, the shockwaves makes way, splitting whatever blocks it. Bisecting over half of the Iiyama army as a result.
Those still left standing and breathing, do so frozen in terror. Unable to move from the shock, they are sprayed endlessly by the blood erupting from their friends right by them. Drenched in scarlet from head to toe, they stand in the puddles of liquid. Another terror introduced. Indescribable and impossible to comprehend, lest experienced.
Siegfried's eyes widen and narrow in regret. He grits his teeth to keep himself awake. Their precious troops, gone. Daiji, passed out from exhaustion. Himself, unable to lift a sword or create a speck of magic. Outnumbered, outclassed and overpowered.
Is this the end. Is this where Siegfried would die, unable to fulfill his goal? His wish.
Even as that was how the future looked to be, Kagutsuchi betrayed all expectations.
"We're going home."
He doesn't shout, but his powerful voice is spread across the entire field.
Instead of killing them, he chooses to flee...?
One by one, they turn their backs and disappear eastwards. Kagutsuchi's large back being the final one to fade away into obscurity.
Relief rushes over him and unable to stand, he falls to the ground. All strength escapes. Breaths scrape at his lungs and throat. Thoughts turn into nothingness. Everything turns white and all that remains is a feeling of lingering frustration. Aimed at nothing in particular, as that was too much to ask for.
...
On a mountain ridge, two figures are sitting, observing the battle from afar. To the right, a young man with eyes gleaming full of excitement watches the events of the battle unfold. Gasping every now and then at the shocking developments happening before his eyes. He is wearing a noble's suit decorated with many exciting colors, reminiscent of a showman and a white and frilly cravat tied around his neck. His short brown hair is slicked back and on his face sits a white and red masquerade mask. Truly an unordinary figure.
To the left, a figure in a dark cloak, peers into a crystal ball, the contents only visible to them. The only other characteristic that is perceivable is a black bound book attached at their hip. Locked tightly shut by a metallic book clasp. Their eyes are devoid of any emotion and they wear an expression of boredom. A complete contrast to the energetic youth beside them.
"Hahahaha! Now that was a spectacular performance! Indeed, it kept me at the utmost edge of my seat! Each time the end seemed near -boom! a twist, a trump card, an ace turns the tables and keeps it going! BRAVO!!!"
The youth shoots up from his crouched position and claps vigorously. Almost at the verge of tears as he give applause to the valiant combatants down below.
"~Sigh~ Would you be quiet "Fool". Do you want to alert "Him" of our presence? Concealment able of fooling him is not easy I'll have you know."
The cloaked man? speaks slowly and indifferently. While the words are scolding, his tone is tired.
"Now, now, "Hierophant". He's sleeping peacefully right now, see? What's the harm in expressing my honest praise at their feat of alleviating my boredom. It's not everyday -actually, Never! that you get to see a battle such as this. For even an angel to appear... ~hah~, nothing can make my day better. I'm glad I took "Magician's" offer to accompany you on your little outing."
Ignoring the man referred to as "Fool" and his ramblings, "Hierophant" speaks about more important matters.
"~Sigh~ Yes... And now we can deem this experiment a success. Siegfried can, under the right conditions, which we now have a better idea of, be weakened and allowing us to finish him off. ~Sigh~ Magician's pet has become more impressive than I had imagined. But even with all that time it still can't completely control its Mana. Relying too much on a Divine Blessing will lead to its downfall..."
Hierophant turns his eyes away from the crystal ball, staring emotionlessly at Fool.
"The same can be said for you too. Those with Divine Blessings should not overly rely on them. It will make you weaker in the long run. ~Sigh~ But what do I care about prodigies squandering their talent."
A bead of sweat slowly trails down Fool's cheek and an awkward smile emerges on his face.
"Hehe... Yeah so... I'll take your advice to heart, (maybe)... But anyway! We should relocate for the final act! The castle of the terrible "Dragon-god" Kagutsuchi!"
He says, posing dramatically at his own words.
"~Sigh~ The first was so short, it couldn't even get me properly interested. I will admit that the second was full of unexpected twists. But I hope the finale can at least get me to feel ~Sigh~ something."
...
Everything is white. The horizon is impossible to recognize, much like one of the rooms in Siegfried's mansion. And right now, Siegfried is standing in this room devoid of anything other than himself.
A dream?
There is absolutely nothing here. No other life at all.
If this was a dream, then it was a rather boring one. And a dream he would gladly just wake up from. Silently sighing, he spins slowly around in circles, checking everything around him. Confirming that everything was indeed a never-ending white.
[That was an interesting struggle indeed.]
With a shock at the sudden appearance of another? Siegfried immediately turns to the source. The voice that had spoken was deep and very, commanding, one could say. As if it was asserting itself over everyone else, it spoke with absolute authority even greater than a king.
Obstructing the white horizon was an armchair almost fit to be called a throne. In it, a completely white man with a black suit sat. He was as white as the angel he had fought just a little while ago. This entity too, lacking any facial traits.
Was that how they looked, or was something else hindering recognition?
Toying with a glass of wine, the person amused themself in Siegfried's company. Creating small waves in the half full glass as they ignored Siegfried simultaneously as they had spoken to him. Before he could even speak a word of reproach, they "spoke" once again while not even properly facing Siegfried.
[Did you enjoy the little twists as much as the audience?]
"What, audience? What are you even talking about?"
His caution was cranked to the max. Could this person be an angel too? But no, it couldn't be, it had no wings whatsoever.
The white figure halts for a second, then responds.
[Oh! No, no, I'm not like one of those. I'm completely different. So do not fear. I'm just part of the audience enjoying this story to the fullest. -Oh, and if you're wondering, no, I can't drink, I just wanted to have some fun playing with my wine.]
He can read my thoughts!?
Shock washes over Siegfried. Making forget the time and place along with his conclusion that this was a dream. "I don't like that!" was what he was feeling in that moment. An uncomfortable unease in his chest.
The white being puts down their glass on a wooden table that has suddenly appeared and moves their nonexistent face towards Siegfried's.
[I'm surprised myself, to be honest... I didn't think you would be able to reach me from your world. Though... there was that crack from where the "Angel", as you refer to it came from.]
He did not fully understand, but the words struck a memory from earlier that day.
Daiji had called the roughed up portion at the center of Seigo's Shackles, an execution ground? But that didn't explain the rift in space he had noticed while there.
[So, how are you going to advance the story, dear Aldebrand? -Or do you prefer Siegfried?]
The entity interrupts Siegfried's ponderings with no sense of guilt. Again, he is shocked, this time beyond belief.
"...That name."
[You abandoned it right? After Gaius fell, you took upon countless different personas. So who are you now? Siegfried? Aldebrand? Sebastian? Or someone else?]
"! You..."
Irritation flares up inside Siegfried. The person in front of him was clearly toying with him. But even so, he felt like he had no power to oppose them. All he could do inside this vivid dream was voice his anger.
All bark and no bite.
So what kind of magic is this? It mentioned a crack in space.
Before he even voices the question, he thinks it, and it's immediately heard by the entity.
[You can treat this conversation as a dream, or not. Either way I doubt you'll ever be able to reach me again. But do not fear. I'm just a spectator, a part of the audience as I mentioned earlier. And boy, I can't wait to see how this unfolds.]
"..."
[Going by the current developments, I can expect to see that this, this is only the tip of the iceberg.]
An unnatural and unrequired interest is rooted within the entity. One that is not welcome at all.
[Do your best! You can do it! And most importantly, don't disappoint us.]
The entity voices their hopes for Siegfried's future, and as it does, fatigue emerges within him. Eyes grow heavy and thoughts become dizzy. It's not really possible to comprehend anything at the moment. Even realizing this, Siegfried is forced to succumb to the slumber of darkness.
The white world fades into an even brighter white as the entity disappears and Siegfried falls unconscious.