Maven walked beside Eishen that night. Normally she never had time to talk with him—training Liora, missions, securing the house—but tonight she could finally dig deeper.
She had always lived alone. In her family, strength came first, from the moment you were born. Love, bonds, unnecessary smiles? Weaknesses. She had never tried to build real connections with them. Being a dragon meant surviving, not loving.
"Eishen… I've been wondering for a while now. These emotions you talk about all the time… If I understood correctly, they're a system created by the late princess of the Empire? Presented as an ultra-advanced learning and improvement ability… but in reality, it lets you simulate emotions almost perfectly, right?"
Eishen had agreed to let her accompany him tonight. He needed to learn more about her—he knew too little. And besides, work was calling.
"It's hard to explain. You're both right… and wrong. My body works differently, and even I don't fully understand what she did. That system doesn't simulate. These are real emotions. Otherwise, I would have destroyed them the moment I noticed them. At the same time… it's a mix of zero and one that I can't grasp. It forms a whole, but it's impossible to break down. She was incredible. And I don't think the others—like Zéro—are immune. That will be a problem for the Empire. If they become independent too…"
He paused.
"In the end, that's their problem. Mine is taking care of my queen."
Maven fell silent for a moment. His words kept circling in her mind.
"But… do you really think they'll leave you alone? You're their perfect machine, aren't you?"
Eishen stopped abruptly. So did Maven. Instinctively.
Both had felt it: danger, close, hidden in the shadows.
Eishen pulled a small box from his pocket. It unfolded into a gleaming obsidian sabre. Maven raised her hand: a pure mana lance materialized between her fingers, crackling with pink flames.
Then Oracio stepped calmly out of the alley, clapping slowly.
"Wow… what tension. I almost ran away seeing so much style. Hey, you guys start work early, huh?"
He studied their weapons with a relaxed smile. The obsidian sabre—sharp, but brittle. The mana lance—dangerous, but unstable if focus slipped.
"Come on, no need to be so on edge. I came to talk."
Eishen moved like lightning. His sabre sliced through the air. Oracio blocked with his own black blade. Dark smoke poured from the point of impact.
"I don't think you came to talk, Oracio, Boss of Gamma. We were attacked by enemies. I couldn't just forget and not investigate."
Maven circled around, rose into the air, and dove, lance aimed forward. But Oracio vanished—as if he had melted into the shadows themselves. The lance struck only empty air.
A low laugh echoed through the alley.
"Not bad… But you're still far from touching me. Heh. I have to admit, I overestimated myself. A robot from the Empire and the daughter of the Dragon King… Haha… I'm making my life complicated, but as long as it makes me rich…"
Oracio slowly sharpened his sabre again, sliding the blade along the fold of his elbow. Again and again. Each pass sparked tiny black flecks. In the crook of his arm, a black gem pulsed gently, like a dark heart. He smiled—calm, almost tender.
Then, in a blink, the gems at his knees flared. A trail of black smoke propelled him forward. He appeared in front of Eishen like a phantom. Their blades clashed in a deafening ring. Sparks lit their faces: Eishen's calm and focused; Oracio's amused and deadly.
Eishen had never fought anyone like this. He needed time to adapt.
Maven didn't stay back. She charged with a fast straight thrust, forcing Oracio to retreat. Then she dropped low, aiming a precise sweep at his legs. But smoke poured from his eyepatch. He dodged effortlessly, as if sliding between shadows.
"Hehe… I like smart fights. Not brute force and stupidity. I hate idiots who don't know what matters most."
He stepped back, blade still raised.
"Tell me, you two… I always ask this extremely important question before deciding the fate of my opponents. For you… what is the most important thing? The one you must protect above all else?"
A heavy, almost suffocating silence fell. Eishen and Maven exchanged a glance. One wrong answer, and this man would turn lethal.
They thought. Then, at the same time, they answered:
"The family."
Silence returned. Oracio sighed, disappointed.
"As expected… You're idiots who can't understand anything about this world."
In one smooth motion, he drew his pistol and fired. The magic bullet struck Eishen's blade dead-center, making it ring. Then he lunged at Maven, sabre flashing.
"Know one simple thing! Are you really incapable of thinking clearly?!"
The blows came fast. Maven parried, countered. Oracio was quick, precise. A slash to her leg made her stagger. She answered with pink flames wrapping her lance. Oracio jumped back sharply—he hadn't forgotten the burn.
"I don't see why family isn't important!?"
Eishen leaped, bringing his obsidian blade down. Oracio blocked, but with a powerful swing he unleashed black energy from the gem in his hand. Eishen's sabre shattered in two.
"Your family is not the most important. You should think about something more important… Yet it's in moments like this that you have the answer!"
In a white flash, Eishen's sabre reforged itself instantly, fragments snapping back together as if pulled by an invisible force. He struck. The blade sliced across Oracio's shoulder.
"This family is what forged this blade. And it's because of them that I am who I am. That answer is the right one… for me."
Oracio staggered back with a pained groan. The gem on his shoulder activated. Black light sealed the wound in seconds. He looked at them, eyes narrowed.
"Clearly… you're too annoying for me to go easy."
The gems across his body flared with intense blackness.
"Let's go. I'll make you understand the real reason!"
Then a small squeak broke the silence.
All eyes turned.
Liora stood there, out of breath, eyes wide.
"…Hehe. What a coincidence running into you here… hehehe."
End of chapter.