Yuuto’s voice grew heavy as he spoke, his tone bearing the weight of a dark, undeniable truth. “It’s inevitable that Darkness will descend again, Galisk. And when it does, Alister will need to be at his absolute strongest to stand a chance. If he falls, the entire dragon race-no, this world-will be wiped out, erased from existence. There’s no other path forward.”
Galisk’s voice held a note of frustration. “You say that like you’re not even here, Yuuto. Aren’t you supposed to be the most powerful being on the planet? A true dragon?”
“If anyone is going to stand against this Darkness, shouldn’t it be you? I know you may not care much for humanity, but surely, you’d protect dragonkind.”
“Or are you trying to say that won’t be the case?”
Yuuto let out a weary sigh, almost as if he were speaking to himself as much as to Galisk. “For him to truly grow, Galisk, he needs to struggle. He has to learn to stand on his own, to fight battles he believes he might not survive. How will he be able to do that if we’re by his side, protecting him from every threat? That’s part of the reason I haven’t told him who I am… or that you’re his father.”
Galisk’s fists clenched on the other end of the line. “So… you’re letting him struggle. Letting him suffer. And you’re letting his sister die, just to ensure he’ll be ready to face some battle we could shield him from?”
Yuuto gritted his teeth. “There you go again, getting overconfident. You’re forgetting it was this same Darkness that killed my lady-the one you were powerless to protect her from.”
Yuuto’s reference to the past was answer enough, but Galisk pressed on, his voice growing more intense.
“What do you think he’ll think of you when he learns the truth? That his sister, the one he’s desperately trying to save, is the very person you’re willing to sacrifice for some ‘power- boosting’ crystal? What will he think when he realizes you’d let her die to make him stronger?”
“Or the fact you didn’t tell him he has a father?”
Yuuto’s gaze turned cold, almost distant, as he walked a few paces from the main gates of the Li family estate.
“It doesn’t matter what he thinks of me. What matters is that he’s prepared for what’s coming. If he isn’t, then he’s no different from any other dragon Overlord who fell to Darkness ages ago. This is the only way.”
A silence followed, thick with the weight of a thousand unsaid words. Finally, Galisk spoke, his tone filled with a depth of sadness Yuuto had rarely heard from him.
“You’re wrong, Yuuto. Strength gained at the cost of everything he loves… that isn’t true strength. You think you’re preparing him for what’s to come, but all you’re doing is teaching him to hate.”
“What will you do if that loss drives him mad?”
Yuuto held the phone close, his voice low. “You may be right, Galisk, or you may be wrong. In the end, it’s Alister who will decide what the right answer is. Right now, he’s determined to save her-so determined he’s blind to the fact that doing so might mean he can’t save himself, let alone the world. But… maybe if he comes to understand, to truly understand, that he can save both… well, things might play out differently.”
There was a pause on the line, and Galisk’s voice finally broke the silence. “Then why don’t you just tell him?”
“No.” Yuuto’s response was curt, unwavering. “As an Overlord, Alister must commit to what he believes in. If he’s to wield power, he has to know the weight of his choices, and face the consequences. Guiding his hand would be a betrayal.”
Galisk’s tone shifted, carrying a note of frustration. “So, you’re just going to take a hands-off approach? Stand back and watch as things fall into place, hoping for the best?”
Yuuto’s gaze drifted into the distance, but his voice remained composed. “It’s the best thing I can do. Some paths have to be walked alone, without interference.”
Galisk let out a sharp exhale, his impatience seeping through the line. “No, I won’t leave this up to chance, Yuuto. I won’t just sit back and hope things play out like you hope they will. I’ll be coming for the both of them, if that’s what it takes.”
Yuuto’s hand tightened on the phone, his voice dropping to an almost predatory calm. “You can try, Galisk. But if you do, you’ll only succeed over my dead body.”
Galisk yelled in shock, “What?!”
Yuuto’s tone softened, as he then spoke in a cold, intense tone. “Galisk, the moment I find out you’re trying to interfere, I’ll make quick work of you. You won’t even see the city walls.”
Galisk then asked defiantly. “Is that supposed to be a threat?”
Yuuto’s lips curled into a dark, knowing smile, though his eyes held no warmth. “No, my friend. It’s a promise.”
“So you now intend to go against her last orders?”
Yuuto responded, saying, “She said not to take out the pain of the past or her death on you.” “So this is not about her death, or the past. It’s about you trying to endanger the survival of the dragon race, and I will not stand back and watch it happen.”
Yuuto’s fingers twitched as Galisk’s calm words rang through the line.
“You think that will stop me? Since when have impossible odds kept me from reaching out to those I care about?”
Yuuto’s voice dropped, the mana around him intensifying as his silver eyes turned reptilian. “Never, Galisk. But I am not some impossible odd. I am absolute. I’ve given you my word-if I sense your presence, or any of your Light soldiers, anywhere close to this city… it’ll be lights out for you.”
Galisk chuckled, not the least bit threatened. “Yuuto, you and I both know you can’t erase me from the past. If you do, Alister won’t exist. And you can’t kill or risk to wound me either, or the world will lose the pillar keeping it from being raided by cosmic forces and the Celestials. So, let’s be honest-your words are empty. A bluff.”
Yuuto fell silent, the weight of Galisk’s words settling like iron. He knew Galisk was right; removing him would unravel a balance that even Yuuto, with all his power, could not restore. Galisk’s tone softened as he said, “But I respect you, Yuuto. I understand how complex all of this is. So, I’ll give the boy more time. If my daughter has only five days left… I will come.” Yuuto’s jaw tightened, his teeth gritting as he forced himself to ask, “So, if Alister saves her, you’ll stay away?”
“Yes… for now,” Galisk replied, a trace of emotion slipping through. “But he is my son, Yuuto. It’s inevitable-I’ll meet him one day.”
“And it will be sooner rather than later.”
The line clicked silent, and Yuuto remained still, thinking about the thin thread of time left
for Alister.
Yuuto slipped the cube back into his pocket, muttering to himself, “That annoying human bastard… always needing things his way. Seems he hasn’t changed after all these years.”
He looked up at the moon hanging in the night sky, its cold silver light casting a soft glow over the street. In the silence, Yuuto’s gaze softened, and his voice dropped to a murmur, as though he were speaking directly to the moon itself.
“Alister… the fate of the dragon race and all who inhabit this realm lies in your hands. Perhaps, with the power of the Dragon God, you’ll carve out a different path. Somehow, you might even find a way to claim the heirloom’s power without sacrificing your sister.” Yuuto
paused, lost in thought.
“Or… perhaps you’ll rise, become so powerful that you won’t need it at all.”
A low chuckle escaped his lips, filled with warmth and pride.
“Who knows?”
He said, shaking his head. In that moment, a glimmer of hope appeared in his silver eyes.