Ẃ̵̻̬̬̦̥͝͝e̷͔̯̟͙̜̹̗̙̟̻͍̺̺̖̊̈́͒̀͠͠͝l̴͍̞̬̙̫͖͓̼̯̠͓͒̊̒c̵̢͎̼̝͉̥̟͈̝̰͕̰̘̉̂̎̊͆͗̐̎͑̅̔̎̉͝͠o̴̗͓̜̤̬̺̱̾̊̀̏͆̽́̔̐̿̎͆̃͘͠ͅm̶̡̪͓̦̣̮̳͈̥͇̘̋è̵̯̱͎̼̗͕͗̍̽̓́̈̇͂̉ ̷̛̻̦̪̳̲̥̦̪̎͂ͅb̶̦̎̀̉̍̆͂͊̕͘ą̷̦̝̙̞̯̝̞͖̥͖̜͓̗͊͋͒̃̒͛̏̂͊͜͝ç̴̫̯̟̩̦̰̹͍̥̗̥͔͇̞͆͛̚k̶̰̦͙̣̗͉͍̞͕̼͙̤̘͕̺̿
Welcome back? He didn't want to be back. He didn't want to be back at all.
All around was darkness. Darkness every fucking where. But darkness that wouldn't last long. IT was coming.
Gray felt his soul being pulled…
The darkness exploded as an entire world opened before his eyes. The purple of Agony. The glow of suffering. And blood, so much blood, enough blood to baptize a colony.
It got worse. An infinite Abyss. An endless field of blooming Agony. Billions upon billions of stray souls, their screams forming the greatest symphony, one he knew far too well.
He was back here. Here again. This shitty place.
And as if on cue, wings spanning a continent.
That and scales bigger than castles.
….
IT showed up.
[Dragon of Agony has Arrived!]
[ERROR! ERROR! ERROR!]
[IMPOSSIBLE BEING!]
…
B̷̨̛̥̯̞̦̯̻̳̣̱̈́͗̑̄͗̒̄͆͗͌͊̓̐a̶͓̼̥̫̳̯̦͙͗̎̓̒̏̍͋̄̓̈͋͊͐̕͝ͅc̴̡̰̱͖̩̮̱̱̼̳̰͉̝̘̓͊̉͝k̷̢̖̟̜̫͍̠̬̱̰͗̔ͅͅ ̴̝͙̮̯̅̃ḁ̸̓̅̈̍͆͛́̚͘l̵̢͚͔̣͍̫̥̼̫̗̮̰̈́͒͊́̃̓r̴̜̲̤̮̫͓̝͕̜̐̍̃̋̐͒̍̐̕͝ḛ̴̳̹̓͆̅ͅą̷͍̻̪̾ḑ̶̻̤̯͔͚̤̱͖͚̯̟͓̊͋͛͛̌̀̓̈͌̅͝͝͠͝ͅy̴̡̯͖͇̒,̶̮̞̬͌͋̾̈́̃̔͒̈́͛̓̇̕ ̴̢̻̫͚̹̺̮͍̖͙̯͒͒͋̄͗̌̔̆̓̂̾́͘̚w̶̰̤̘͈̗̅͊̚͝o̸̧͖͉͉̝͑̈̋͝ͅŗ̵̨̧̛̜̹̥͈̪̝̋̓͐̄͗͗̓̽͆̈́̈̆̽m̵̳͈̫̒̒̂͗̓̆ͅ?̶̡̝̼̗̜͚͋̈̓̍͐̂̀͠͠
Back? No, he was done with Agony…
A dragon so colossal that it filled his entire vision. And he felt so insignificant. Worm, it wasn't even an insult. Compared to this thing, he was nothing. Merely a toy.
He already felt the curse of Agony throbbing inside him.
Compared to IT, he…
B̴̛̪̺̳̠̖̰̮̲̃̉̍̊̿͠ͅȧ̴͎̜̗̥̍̓͆r̶̙̹̘̟̫̬̺͈͈̘̼̓̈́̅̔̉̊͠͝ẽ̸͕̩̘̳̭̟͈̻̯̪̝͒̈́͝ͅľ̸̦̮̞͈̪̱̖̭̠͍̳̅͋͘y̴͎̽̀̓͛̉͆̅̓̚ ̵̢̻̤̰̋́̍͆̓̏̑̀̈̍̕̕͘͜s̸̛̛̖͍̝̟̭̦̣̫͒̀́͋͜t̵̟̋̾́̌̎͂̌͌͑͊̃̀̋̕a̵̛͕̪̱̲̘̹̫̋r̵̡̨͈̹͔̗͕͇͎̆̈́́̓ṫ̸̡̡̞̠̠͍̺͍̖̟̩̟̥͗̂̊̌̆̀͑̿̈́͋̓̕͘͝ę̶͖̰̝̍̑́͗̉̏̉̾͠d̶̥͇͇̬͚̫̙̘͓̈̇̎̾̓͒͐͐̓͛̊̚͝,̷̡̡̯̱̪̮̯̘̹̣̻̙͔̖̇́̏̾́̐ ̶̧̡̢̡̛̳̙̤̱̪̜̫̖̈́͒͂͛̀̀̽̆͘̚͜ͅÿ̵͓̻͈͋̉̑̄̀̈́̚̕͠͝ȩ̶̻͉̺͚͕̊̔̒̌̐̓͊̔̈́̑͂͗͝t̷̜͎̤̥͈̟̰̯̟̼̟̬̲̬̓͜ ̶̡̡̻̭̲͊̇̅ǎ̷̡̛̠̗̖̫͈̮̦͖̻̪̋̆͝ľ̸̦̪͎̼̩̰̋͊̈́̃̓́̎̍͑̋̚͝r̵͓͔̫͉̹͎̈́̓̂ȩ̶͈̫̘̘̫̿̍̈́̾̔̀ͅa̶̢̢̻̻͓̟̔́̌̌̚͜d̸̢̬͎͇̙̖̗͍͉͍̠̩̚͝y̵̼̣̬̖̋̈́̒ ̴̝̬͈͖̠̦͉͌̐͋͗̀̈́̃̕d̶̳̠̤͈͙̔̇́̂̍̈́̒́͂̋̈́̈́͘͠͝ȩ̷̠̗̗̲̹̱͕͛͗̒͗̈̀͌̂͜͜͝͝ͅá̸̩͚̤̣͔̘̹͓̰̘͔͈̼̺̚̕ͅd̸̡̡̜̼̳͚̖͙̰̺̯̞̻͂̑̚͜͠͠?̷̧̡̦̣̳̮͙̖͔͓̹̣̿̋͜
Dead? No, he hadn't died, right? Stormveil. A spear of lightning A desperate bluff. A soft body moving to shield him. She had definitely moved to protect him. But had it been enough?
'Aura. Which is it? Did you save me?' No, she had, for SURE!
H̸̡̢̜̫̝̘̪̘̺̭͓̘̀͑͑̆̊ȩ̸̬̗̙̪͔̠͙̲̤̖̬̳̇͐̋͊̍̓̀h̸̢̨̲͖̝̫̫͈̙͔̒̋̍̄̕͜͜͝ȅ̸̗̞͕̲̃̾̊̇͋̓͂̀́̒͐͝͠,̸̧͔̼͓̼͚̰̣̹̍͐́̂̊̈́̚ ̸̢̧̜̮̘̣͓͓̀̓̃͗̏́̉͌͠t̶̛̻̺̬͙̔̊̀̿̉̿̒́́͠͠h̶͈̙̳͕̹̩̬͇̲̿̏̆̀͐͊̉̌͑̑͝e̵̡̢̨͙͓͔͍͎̩̰͎̩̹̒͜ͅ ̷̺͊̍w̸̗͆o̷̡̦͔̳̮̝͕͚͉̮͗r̷̢͎̮̫̰̩͙̙͓̻̝̥̯͕̳͐͝m̶̧͇̮̭͖̼̜̖̳͉͋͗̀̂̀́͌̾́̀͘̕͝ ̸̢̨̱̰̦͕̜̃ḏ̵̨̨̢̱͚̹̻͓͉̭̯̫̝̀́̍̇͗̍o̶̠͍̼͓̺̅e̷͍̼̘̻̣͉̦̭̤̱͈̓s̶̼̣̣̲̳͓͇͈̺͛̽̈̓̓̀̈̈́̉̂́̅̕͠ṋ̷̡̨̹̭̦̯̫͓̹̻̠̫͕͛̀͑̎̏̏̂̈́̎́͑̄͝'̸̻̼̞̫̼̓̒͆̽͐̎t̵̢̞̺̮͓̏ ̴̧̛̬̜͙̘̱̦̫̖̩̽͐͊̔̄́̏͛̅̊͠͠͠ĕ̵̟̟v̴͖̈́e̶̙̎̒͐̎̇͆͌̈́͝ṋ̴̮́̀͋̾̀̎̈́̂̽͐̀͌̕͝ ̷̆̿͆̊̽͝ͅr̷͉̝̰̫̥̦̣̦͉͙̮̪͓̜̥̃̿e̶̯̔̈ą̷̙͔̯̤̤̜̺̣͎̋͋͑̏̕͜ͅͅḻ̷̡̭̩̦͚̟̬̮͎̻̈́̑̾́̈̓̈́̑̎͐̓͑͠ḯ̶̡͇̲̯̠͎̱͓̭̈́̀̽̽̎̔̆͒͌͝z̶̧̩͕̦̱̼̺̼̳͖̈́ę̶̝͕̙̫̱̮̖̼̯͚̦̆̕͜͜ ̶̟̗͍̼̖͉̪̪̽̾̇̋̉̚͠ḩ̸͔̠̯̮͎͎̄̎̐̃͂͐͒̅̔͘̚ẽ̸̢̨̢̛͖̳͕̠̠̯̀̑̑̎̏͐̑̐̓̈́̎̎'̵͍͇͑́̑̐̍͘ş̸͔̹̭̥̯͓̟̱̜̬̻͗ͅ ̵̥͖͇̜̖̩̱̖̌̇͊͗d̶̢̡̛̪̯͎̝̓̓̕͝i̵̻̊e̷̡͔̽̚d̷̦̑̄̽̑̂̈́͛͘͜͝!̵̨̡͈̥͕̪͓̣̺̫͔̖̝̆͒͂͘ ̸̹̽̑̒̿̐̀̏ͅ
̶̢̞͓͈̇̈̍̿͗͊̄̏͘̚Ą̷̹͚͖͈̱͓͚̲̲̺̖̤̱̻͘͝ ̴̻͍̥̠̀́w̸̰̙̥̪̱̎͛͂͑͐̃̉͘o̴̡̧̙̹̻̹̭̥̬̘̞̻̝̓̒̔̇͘ͅr̴̛͎̤͐̓͋͛̽̍̍̀̒m̵̨̢̳̝̩̲͈͖̹̤̩̐̓̋̉́̎̃̒̐̒̽̄̊͘͝ ̷̹̀͂͐́̀͛̀̓̈̔͛̉͝ͅt̵͎̦̣̣̝͎̝̫͆h̵͕̠̩̊̇̎́̊͆̍̀̚͜ą̶̗́̎͛́̕̕̚͝t̸̢̡̨̠̖̙̮̩̱͈̟̘̤͎̓̈́́͛̍̊̆͒ͅ ̴̼͕̭̻͐ñ̵̨͙̜̘͍͉͎̘̘̌͒e̴͚̻͆͊̾ṿ̴̢̣̹͍̯̫̟͈͎̯͉͖̲̄̐̃͌̐e̴͉͙̰͋̄̊̉̑̀̇̏r̴̻͇̙̻̼͎͖͕̗̲̘̲̫̍́̒͐̈̏̌̑̓̓̅̕̕͘ ̵̫͈̰͓̩̗̔͋̅ͅͅg̷̨̩̳̬̫̣̱͈̥̣̱̩̘̗̒ơ̷͎̟͍̥̫̹̺̯̝̯̙̦̜̞̦̿̌͂͊̽͐t̶̰͍̐͋̍͝ ̷̗̣̙̬͍̥̳̼̹̩̖͂͊ẗ̸̛͖̯̯̜́̎̈́͌̃̎̈́̏̔̉̎͝ơ̵̞̠̓̀́̀ ̵̗͂́̓̌̅̐̔e̸̝͂̅̍̅̇̑̀̅̇̍̓͌̓̚v̷̢̪̲̫͕̘̰̦̟̲͎̂̏̈́̔̀e̸̡̛͓͚͖̙͍̺̻̦͇̬͊͐̃̂ǹ̸̡̨̹̩̭̍̅̍͋̑̀͌̈́̔ͅ ̵̧̨̛͍̭͇͙̞̺̺͕͉͇̙̝̾͒͐̔̀͠c̶̮̦̆̑̄̂͆̑ṟ̸̢̩̖̖̩̭̈́͐̈́a̶̢̛̘̮̰̹̪͉̼͛̽̆̆̋̋̀̓͂͂̚͘w̶̡̛͚̰͔̩̳̌̓̽͋́͊͒͠l̶̨̛̝͖̹͇̙͍̼̯̗͈̤̟͓͊̈̋͘̚̕.̵̡͈̺͓̼͈̣̫͕͙̌̉̌͒̃̄͋͠ ̵̡̡̱̣̝̙͇̗̫͉͕̲̣̆̎̅̈̐̈́̿̀̀͜͜͠
̶̨̨͓͔͚͈̐͛͗́̓͒͌̊̉͑̏T̵̛̜̒͑͗͌̀͑̅͗̈̕͝h̵͕̯̟̬̝͔͛̈̓̎͝ȩ̷̭̺͇̰͎͖͔̤̊͒́̐́̋͗͜͝ ̴͈̲̭̮̼̈́͑͜͝ḿ̷̥̅̀͂͑̑͊̉͒̽͆̕o̴̧̭͍̭̬͋̌̈̀̈́̇͘s̵͉̼̰̟̀t̶̡̨͎̥̞̦͊̀̌̄͂̈́͠͝͠ ̸̧̡͔̜̱͖̤̙͂͛͋̈́͋̐̒̈͗̊͌̚̚͝p̸̨̖̞̮̤̹̏̃i̸̫̮͉͈͈͉̲͚̙͎̫̤̖̎͂̈́͐͌̓͑͑t̶͔͚̲̣̾̀ͅḭ̴̂́̐̌̌̊̾f̶̛̪̺̃͆͗̏͐ṷ̴̝̲͚͙͍̻͖̉͗͑͊̋̍̓̅̂̐̂l̵̹͍̿̍͊͆̋̒̽̌̚͝͠͝ ̸͓̥͔̬̮̰̰̤̏͌̒̏̚̚̚o̷̯̭̗͚̺̦̠̤̫̔͌̓̉̔ͅf̵̢̺̫̗͚̘̱͂̽̋̾̑͗͑͌̓͘͝͠ͅ ̴̨̣̰̤̼̬̠͗͜w̵̢̘̗͙͖̯̖͇̬̪̹̮̗͒͂͐́͋̾̋̔̏̄͑̂̒̕͝ö̵͍̳͚̘̘̜̳̬̹̳̞́̊̈́̈̔̀̅̇̿̊̚͝͠r̶̫̦̦̫͖̥̖̗̠̼̫̟͆̾͂̅͆͊͐͘͜͝ͅm̴̰̱͉̻̦̞̗͒̂͆͌͒͌̇̽͘͘s̶͔̞̬̺̙̭̮̹͎̩̄̃͊̔͑̈͌̐͌͂̾͝͝.̷̢̖̭̹̥̼̠͔̫͔͈̖̬̈́̅̊̈́̇̈͌̂̓̊͐̕͜͠͠ͅ.̴͉̗̙͓͔̑̎̿̈́̆̑̈́̉̋͑͝.̵̞̜̊̌̌̊͒͐͐̓ ̷̬̺̝̳͍̩̼̳̙̍̆̅̇
Before his eyes the entire realm morphed once more. As a dragon larger than Heaven itself wriggled its claw, living shadows assembled for the perfect play. There it showed it all.
How she had tried saving him, yet failed. How her soft body was now embracing his severed head. Tears unending. Also a beauty that didn't fit the grimness of the situation.
And yet, as he saw it all…
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Mad laughter erupted.
Laughter with no joy in it. Laughter that felt so out of place. At that moment, a tiny silhouette faced a dragon larger than the world as it laughed. But Gray didn't give a damn about it. Why? Cause none of it was real. ABSOLUTELY NONE OF IT!
Aura Stormveil.
Proud, but humble.
Headstrong, but fair.
A little spitfire on legs.
…
The reaction was wrong. It was all wrong. He had spent most of this new life with her. Of course he could tell that it was fake. The real one would have felt far more ALIVE!
"Hehe, nice try, you shitty Lizard!"
H̴͔̼̭͋̑é̵̛̼͇̤͕̾͑̎̃̎͆͠͠͝ḥ̵̨͈̩̤̪͉̦̳͙̈́͑̌̑̾͌͋̕e̷̡̦̠͖͈̮͍͇̲̗̟̒̊͐̉́͊̑̄͐̅̂̊̓̚͝,̴̛̖̃͛̅̈́ ̸̝͚͚̙̬̫̞͙͉͐̑̈́͒͑̅̀̓̈̿̒̈́͠͝t̸̖͎̭̽̓͌͐͛̒̇̉̒̔̉̆̀̚̕h̴̢̳̻̲͇̯̪̳̮͔̠̥͛̇̉ͅe̷̢͓̱͇̞̣̙̟̗͉̝̿͐̍̅̌̑̏̓͋̔́͋̄̚͜ ̷̙͌̄̈̎̓̔̀͛͒̄̌́̃̏͘w̴̜͋̀͒̍̅o̶̙͚̙̖̫̯̠̬͚̱̮̣̬̅̑̎́͆͑͑͋̅̃̅͘r̷̡̛̭͕̈́͐͐̈́̽̍̆̍̂̑̇̌͝ͅm̷̡̹̰̫̲͓̦̠͋̔́͝ͅ ̵̢̨͎̲̯̦͑̽͘h̸͔̻̮͉̤̯͊͗ͅą̷̧̢̧̼̖̱͎̤͚͓̤̼̈́͜s̸̡̺͍̞̯̳̞̙͝ͅ ̸̨̧͙̫̙̬̯̥͖̗̼͂̉̐̑́̒̐̒͑͘̕͝͝s̶͉͚͔̟̖̟̼͕̫̤̫̊̓̈̍̆ͅe̴͔̬͚̻̖̯̜̯̦̯̐̿̊̉̀̄̔͆͂̈̃̋ȩ̶̼̦̦͔̼̰͖͈̑̿͂̾̃͛̽̿͛̂ͅn̶̗̩̣͔̱̟̘̟̩͍̫͋͋̽̎̎ ̷̮͚͔̍̃͆̓t̸̢̤̔̈́̐͐̀̾̽̆͘͝h̶̢̻̞̫͕̝͈̥̙̹̹̘̬̭͊̈́̆͋̚͜r̸̨̖̼̜̠͗̄̐͘o̷̫̬̫̤̻̰̘̣̪̳͊̌̈͗͗͘͝͠ử̸̤͎̝̰̗̖̻̰̖̂͒̈́̈́͘͜g̵̙͔̊͋̏̀̅͆̅̃̍̒͘̚̕͝͝h̴͉͑̉͐̂͒͝ ̵̛̥̲͍͇̘̈́̊̐́͝ṭ̸̙͍̫͓͎̯͈̈́͜h̵̟͙͕̹͎̟͈̄̀̌̓̌̉̓͛̎̏͐͘è̵̡̖̬̦͍̬̞̙͖͚̼͓͆̇͒͊͊͊̈́ͅ ̵̤͓͚̀́́t̷̛͕̫͔̪̙̒̈́̌̋̋̈́̄̇̓͛͒̚̚͠ṟ̶̢̘͉̻̮̻̮̒̈́̅͗í̶̡̧̹̺͙̦̹̌̾̓̿̃̇̔̓́̓͑̌͘̕͜ͅc̵̤̮̦͆̔͒́͊́̿̉̀̓́̌̂͛͜k̵̨͕̮̜̖͓̜̣͚̫̩͙͛͛̾̀̿̐̚͝?̷̨͎͎͓̖̖̯̈́͜͜͝ͅ ̴̣̫̣̥̣̱̯̠̔̽͒͋͊̈́̇̉̌͜͝Ḅ̴͓̦͈̗̩̺̗̲͙͉̱̆̔͝u̶̢̬̮̞͚̙͍͔̣̺͓͖͙̟͗̿̈́̽́̍͛t̶͇̻̳͉̏̓̔͒̓̌ ̴̨̲͎̪̳͕̞͕̬̗̗̥͎̠̒̈̄̓͠ë̵̡̗̲̙̖̙̣̱̤̥́̄̾̐̚v̶̧̢͇̮͙̼̞̮̥͕̣̤͍͌͛͗̉̍̓̀̿͌͂̐̽̆̕̕ͅȩ̸̪̦̠̮̯̫̭̖̜̗́͐̔̎͆̔̋̾͋͊̎̒̔̕͠ͅͅn̴̨̬̱̖͎̬̲̯̳̱͍͕͖̜̾̑̂̽̾̽̄̌̀̚͘͝͝͝ ̶̫̄t̸̮͖͚̼̝͚̰͂̀͌́̎̂͌̆h̴̡̢̳̩͎̼̺̰̰̳̺̒̇e̴͕͉̯͎̪͍̼̱̼̩͑̂͋̀̕͠͝n̸͚̋̈́̀͗͋̊̋͌͝ ̶̢̼̜̤͇̫̝͍̝̟͓̬̏̄͛̋̐̒͂́̕̕̕͝ȉ̷̢͇̜̫̼͉̤̮͕͇̒́̎̈́͒͌͜͜ͅt̶̨̧̛̲͍̦̥͍̰̗̫̹̟̰̰͈͊̒̎͗̇̀̐̓͋̾̍͠͠ ̶͈̆̄̈́̎́̎͋͊̈́ẗ̸̫́̉̏̾̓̋͛̆̐̄͑̊̀͘͜ö̸͙̻͓͍̗̞̝͇̮̌̒̾͠ǫ̵̛͈̭͇̟͈̭̗͖͚͔̯̖̪̉̿̈́͆̄͗̆̒͊̈̀͜ķ̵̙͚͈̩͙̞̦̥̒ ̴͇̤̱̲̞̼̒͋͜s̶̡̢̲͖̱̘̫͕͎͈̜̠̖̍͜ǫ̷̘͍̭̘̭̦̈́̏̋̀͌̽͝͝ ̸̧̣̿̇̍̃̀̐̕l̵̡̗̦̳̥̙͙͖̺͚̮͓̿̑̌̓̈́͑̎̈́͘ͅo̵̖̺̖̦̜̒͑̚͝n̷̟̘͎̠̥̩̋̃̀͜͝ģ̴̰̩̪̇ͅ.̸̛̲̖͕̑̓̓̾̄͂̊̂̓͑̅̕͝͝ ̷̛͙͇̮͔͇͉̼͑̇̂̈́̕Ĥ̵͕̣͚̹̔͠o̴͎͚͙̗̺̺̟̗̼̖̥̭̖̓͑͊͐̿́ŵ̶̯̱̱͈̫͙͈̙̝̖̖͈͍́̉̈́͛͐̾̒̾̑̈́̕ͅ ̵͇̰͓̝̳̣̣͖̜̜͕̯̥͑̄̈́ç̷̧̱͓̱̪̮̝̘͖̈́̋́̔͌̔͑̋͋͝ą̴̢̢̢̹̱̤͇̻̥̰̫̬̪̅̏̆͋̎̒̂́̈͒̚̕͠͝ͅṇ̶̹͓͍͕̠͉̣̉͋̀͜ͅ ̸͙̣̜̗̺͂̏̿̍̈́͜͝î̵̢̨̛̪̻͔̘̯̬̖̳̩͓̀̃͛̉͑̂t̸̛̥͖͛̋̈́͗̓̇̎̄̂͝ ̶̨̢̩̣̹̟̦̿̌̈́̉̌̏͛̃͜ͅę̸̹̘̥̳̦̺͈̯̰̤̇̋̄̔̊̓̈́̈̈́ṽ̴̮̼̜̩͍̮͆ͅe̷̛̗̙̝̭͇̲͉͔͎͉̲͚̤͌͗̌͋̿͂̐̋́́̈́n̴̢̳̲̙̻̠̱̮̩͊̋͜ͅ ̶̲͈͚̹͔̠͎̞̪̯͗̎̈̏͗̉̂͠͝s̸̫̬̻̣̱̗̹̬̯̺͎̅̿̉̃͑̓̈́̚͝ͅu̴͙̱̹̲̖͈̳͕͉̞̤̿͌͊͒̈́̾̂͐̄̇̚͜r̸͍̬̯̯̤͈̦͈̟̗͉̯͎̅́͌̏͆̽͊͆̈̑͊̈́ͅṿ̶̡̡̜̯̺͎͎̺̗̼͍̺̳̥͋̌̂̂̐͊i̵̫̮͕̮̠͓̣̼̫͇̝̗̠̇͌́̎͋̾̉͋́̽̕͜͝͝v̶̢̢̻͎͎̞̗̭̜̥̺͗ȩ̴̪̼̤̳̦̼̭̤̱̳͔̝̋̂͆̎̈́̂̋̈̉͆̐ ̵̡͇̗͚̱̘͕̼̣̺͛̔͊͊͘̚͝t̵̫̱̟͐͊͋͋̀̊̈́̀̔̆̓̚͜͠ĥ̸̖̓͌̐͋̈́͆̅́̕͝i̴̢̧̢̛̱͚͚̗̞̖̺͎̦̹͒̂̈́̊͊s̸̮̟͕̗̰͉͂̀ ̸̨̳̯̰̤̖̮̈́̎͒̾̆̕w̷̨̢̛̝͔̺̼̺̓̀̈͆͛̋͊̓ͅơ̸̢͙͖͚̫̺̮̺͎̫̪̮̍ͅr̸̨̳̩̹̫͓̤̹̀͊̓̏̇̐̓l̵̜̀ͅd̵̜̻̲̘͔̭͎̲͔̉́̏̆ ̶̼͖̺̖̙̯͋̉̔̏͒͑̔̀͊͊̀̓̃͘ͅl̷̨͙̦̜͚͙͚͒̋́͋̒ì̵̡̧̡̢̦̬͓̱̹̪̟̪͙̊̅̉̏̓̋̈́̋̑̎͑͝k̸̘̘̖͎̄ĕ̸̛̛͉̫̱̝͈̊̓̏̽̽̿͠͠ ̶̟͔́̆͊͑̌̇͑̽̋t̷̩̻͚̱̆͑̃̔̿̇̈́͆͂ͅh̴̨̬̼̥̏̓͆͑͐̅̌͝͝i̶̧̦̪̯͉̲̜͖̦̙̩͖̓͋̔͑̈́͜s̷̢̮̫̰͖͕̼͍̭̯̲̼̘͎̙̓?̵̬̖̩̬̫̞̮̼̹̜̅ ̵̢̨͙̫͍͎̲͕͌̅́͒̊͋̏̅̊̓͘S̸̯̲̺͈͕̐̓͊̂͗̽̃̽̈́̒̿̈́̋̀o̵̡̲͈̙̻͍̼̲̙͓͍̪̐̊͊̑͒̾ͅơ̶͈͔̐͐̈̉ͅn̴̡͍͂̈́̇̀̽͛͑͆̋̓̚,̵̝̠͓̪̣̈̌͌̾̎́̇̚͝ ̴̧͈̟͎̦̣̰̎̈̌̈̑̚ọ̸̬̥̀̆̓̇͑̆̊͂̅̈́͘ ̴̛̛̛̗̒̆̓̆̍͠͝ṥ̸̱̌̓̉̈́͆̎̃̓͋͒͘͝o̵͈̊ ̶̛͚͖̰̜͈̘͖͔̮̒͒̅͐̽v̸̥͇̞͇͖̅̋e̴͈̙̩̙̞͇̝̯̥̜̍̀̀̍̽̅́̐̿̊̍̕͘͜͝r̴̦͊̌͌̅͊̃̃̊̅̎̒̏͠͝y̵͚̥̱͕͍̖̦͖̳̖̓́̀̀̿̃̈́̀͠ͅ ̴̧̩̟͊̀̃͂̇̉̅̾́̿̀͘͝ṣ̴̡̛̏̈́͂͋̒͝o̷̢̢̫͎̯̯̜̲̽̔̒͊̏̆̽̅͐̂̓̿̓̕̕o̵̢̺̻͍̜͕͔̟̤̣͇̫͆͆̑̒͜n̵̺̱̮̰̙̻̥̱̘͍̻͐̈̐͑̓́́͜͝͝͝ͅ,̷̦͚̠̙̗̇̏͐̾̈́͆͌͘ ̸̧̺̘̥̘̩̳͙̘̪̥͔͚̣̚ÿ̴̨̛͍̺̭̼̲̥̰̯̘́͑̈́̚̚͝͝ö̷͕̰̾̉̀͒̉̕͠͠͝ũ̴̡̯̪̣̲̝͇̭̇͒̀̊̊̒͋͗'̵͓̝͙̟̖̜̙̬̪́̓l̴̨̩̙̀̔̀̈́̓͛̔̓͝ĺ̶̠͖̉̈̾̌̌͋͘ ̵̧̗̫͍̯͒̈̈́́̈̍c̷̝̩̼̥̬̹͎̩̙͎̠̙͖̊̇͜ͅő̴̧̺͇̪̰̰̹̭̞̥͉͎̭̱̦m̶̧̛͓̭̼̏͛͒̀͒̕͝ȩ̵̙̗̫̩̤͓̱̭̈̀̿̈́͂̑͜ ̶̢̛̼̬̠̘̙̯̘̪̠̩̹̳̽̐̈̓́͊̈́͐̎͘̚͝b̶̢̡̢̨͖̬̠̦̥̬̹̪̎̐͊͂̈́å̴̢̨̨̩̣͍̭̬̞̺̖͈̲͋͜c̶̨͓̯̺͕̳̮̫̼̞̘̱̲̭̈̀̌̋̕̕k̴̢̥̫̤͖̞̝̹̯̖̤̪̇ ̵̡͍̞̈́̒͒̒̈́̎̔̌͆̕b̷̞̂͋̃̋̿͛̆͆͗͌͛̚͝e̷̞̻͆̅́̄̓̅̈́̕g̷͕̜̘̘͆̀ģ̸̡̡̙̥̗̥̣͎̩̲͖̻̄͜i̵͚̇͐͒̎͗̽́n̸̜͙̮̭͉̯͖̟̫̑̈́͆͂̍g̶̺̀̓̋̇̀͒̉̇͌̚ ̸͖̻̹͚̖̺̖̠̮̟̄̃̔͗ͅm̷̞͙͇͖̀͂̓̏͒̀̒͜͝͝e̸̢̢̥̪̤͎̹̙̯̜̻̰͗̌͂͒̌̒̑̈͆͛͌̽̎͘͜ ̴̰̇̋͋̀̊̑͝f̴̡̡̲͎͚̠̱͕̭͈͚̜̞̄͜͜ō̸̢̢̨̘̘̼̙̟̯͆̀͒̈́̓̈̿̆͑̎̕̚͜͜͝͝r̸̪̠̽̍͆̃ ̶̢̛͇̞̤̮̩͉̪͈̂̆͑͗̂͆́̔͘̕͘͠͝͝ͅͅp̴̨̦̼͇̳̦̥̋͘ơ̴̹͙͔̳̔̀̾̂̇̓̐͆͒͑̈́̓̋͝w̶̡̝̜̭̹͑̽̄̐̏́ḛ̴̹̪̰̅͒̐͛͜r̵̢̛̦͉͔̟̣̜͉̯̲͇̲̳͉͑̋̋̈́͘.̴̢̺̮̥̱͙̤̺͎̫̺͎́̔̈́̉̽̅͘͜͜͝ ̵̧̝̜̞̭̫̬͎̫̤̰̟̈́̽͑͘ͅͅF̴̛̙̲̰̍̄͗̔ǫ̴̨̛͓͎̫̞̜͖͓̪͎̟͓̈̇̏̎͒͒̐̈́ͅr̷̝̦͔͍͗̏̽̿̉͝ ̸̢̛̪̞̀̓̉̔͗̐͘͘A̶͈͖͕͚̠̖͖͚̓̐̂̏͌͆͝͠Ģ̶̨̨͉̼̰͍̤͇̯̞̜̈́̓̈̎͜Ȏ̴̟̞͉̱̲̾̍̅͂̒͌͛͘ͅN̷̳̥̬͇͎̬̩̙̪͉̹̔̀̔̄̾̿̃Ÿ̸̼̰͔̠̗̪͍̭́̿̃̋́̄͒͌̐̐̅̉̚͠!̵̨̝͓͎͇̗̙͕͍̭͆̎̄̆̑̓̉͆̓̓̓͆̍̇͝ ̵̣̜̘̖̲͕̭̹̖̠͇͚͗̽̎̍̕͜͝É̸̲̤̤̝̯̣̉͆̿́̀̑͐͌̎͘͜͝͝V̴̜̰̬͖̀̓͌̋̈́̎͘͠Ȩ̴̛͍͓̦͈̜̝̮̌̒̅̂̒̓̾̿͐́͛̿̊͝Ŗ̷̧̱̖͈͓̙̳̜͎͎̤̙̾̇Y̸̙̓T̴̻̜͓̞̫̝͔͖̣̥̒̃̂̌̽̑́͋͜͠͝ͅH̸̙͖̱͑̌͆́̍̈́̋̅͑̋̈́̔͛͘͠Ï̸̮̰̖̺̘̖̬̦̦̤͖̭̅̽ͅṊ̴̢̡̘̖͂̌́͗̽͆͒̚G̵̨̹̺͚̻͈̙̝͙͓̉̈̾͒͌̆ͅͅ ̶̪̗̲͍̪̣̤͓͎̰͔̖̂̉̔͋̾̑̐̕͝R̵̛̝̳͚̍͒̓͗̓̆͆̀̌̎̿́̈́̕É̸̢̛͕̱̰̬̲͙̺͖͚̱͛̈̒̈́̕̕͠͝T̵̡̧͕̟̭̣͔̺͔̩̞̫̲̘̬̈́̿̿̉̊̅̐͆̿̿̒̔̊̕Ŭ̶͎̺̮̱͖͍͙͙̰̫̱̿̃ͅŖ̷͍̳͓̘̺͉̩͚̟̺̦͍͇̣͂͒N̵̞̜̱͗͛̿̈́̍̈́̋̂S̷̢̝̙̪͉̫̳̈́̾̎ ̴̧̧̺͇̼̻͇̳̣̥̰̯͔̦͒͒̆̔̉̈́̽̕͝͝Ţ̷͙͈̓̐Ơ̷̡̼̠̫̳̬̤͑̍́ ̸̥̟̩͉̭͚̟͑̈̎A̶̧̮̻͇̝̠͙̺̣̥̹̿Ǧ̴̡̺̫̳̳̞̏͒̈̈́͐̊̑̈̌̀͌̕͝O̴̡̨̻̙͈̮̼̗̯̭͉̔̈́̽̈͋̒̇̍̕̚̕̕ͅN̸̛̤͖̮̺͇̬̱̼̄̎͋̓͛͛̚ͅY̸̢̗̠͕̳̺̜̳̻͍̖͚̤̞͍̿͗!̴̡̡̧̫̙̟͓͔̼͉͕͂̋͌͂̓̄́͗̓͆͊͗͌̎͐ͅ ̵̗̱̯̦̭͖̒̐́́̓̿̈́̔͌̒̍̈͝A̷̺̼̺͚̖͇̠̙̗̜͊͌̂̀̃̊N̵̡͈̜̦̠̝͙̟̬͖̦̱̪͓̆͛͆̾͆͊̆͊̄D̷̥̺̯̍̅̔͊͊͋͋̕͘—̶̡̟̖̝͙̺̥̫͌̎̀̄̂͘ͅ ̵̛̲͎̙̱̫̰͍͙̌́̑̈́͘̕
"SHUT UP."
Two words. But they were enough.
The gaping maw of the Primordial dragon disappeared, as if it had never existed. Then disappeared the wings, then the claws, even the eyes.
Gray lazily looked at the surroundings. "You know what's fun when someone invades your own nightmares?" He grinned before demonstrating.
A single slap…
[DING! Killed Millions of Lost Souls!]
[Destroyed an Agony Pyre!]
[Eradicated a Watcher!]
…
Destruction all over. So much destruction that it seemed to never end. And yet just as world started collapsing on itself so did the NIGHTMARE! IT IMPLODED!
Yet, even that wouldn't change a thing. Even as the fake Primordial Dragon of Agony shattered, its eyes remained. Staring straight into his soul, claiming him as property.
And once more the Soul Contract they had burned so fucking much.
S̸̞͓̙̻̦̘͉̳̍͋̄̈́͜Ő̸̢̳͊̃͆̐̏̾́͑̀Ơ̵̡͓͎̣͎̤̥̼͙̗̖̞̋̔̄̈́̋̿̎̌͊̀͜ͅͅÑ̶̛͉̞͔̘̮̭͙̇͆̽͆̚͜.̵̡̛̺̗͔̦̪̟̭͍̺͊̃͂̾͋̑̒̈́̊͂̊͝͝͝.̸̧̨̧̣͇̪͉̞͎͓̠͍̞̘̻̈́̍͂̾͘.̴̧̠̦̠͙͕̖̙̄̔̌͆̈̓͊͑̆̈́̕.̶̢͖͖͙̜̗̫̖̥̲̔̑̄̒̑̚ͅ.̴̡̱̲̝͇̲͚͔͉̻̩̏͛̓̂ ̵̢̭̟̤̲̺̜̯̯̠͉̎̅̍́̌̌͘̕ͅS̶̹̻̺̘̘̯̭͗̌Ó̷̞̩̈́̈̾͒͑̇͝O̵̦̖̹̓̎͗̒̎͐̈́͒͝N̴̞̰͓̳̪͉̪̲͖̳̰͗͆͛̔͜͜͜ͅ ̵͈̰̙̞̠̙͙͙̃̈́ͅY̶̘̣̲̺̙̦̯̊̓̿͊̽̀͊̚O̶͕̙͖̞̳̞̹̪̭͌̑̈͒͌̍̏͋Ṳ̴̡̣̟͍͚̯̯͙̪̯͐̈́̓͋͐̀͠ ̸̨̻̾́̀̃͑͗͝ͅW̴̨̛̛̹͔̫̝̩͕̻͈̻̻̬̺̍̉̽̅͝I̵̭͇͕̖͝L̷̟͖̟̗͂̆L̴͖͎̱̐͐̀ ̸̡̪̲͒́̈́̎̒̎̋͐̈́̐̐Ḇ̷̲̘̰͔̲̹̮͓͍͖̰̑̑͂̈́̑̑͆̋͗͝E̵͓͈͖͔͌͊̂̑͑̂͂̚͝ ̶͉͕͇̟͍̅̀͛M̵̗̟̜͔͖̗̄̅́̓͛͂̾̄̚I̴͇͚̮͎̭̽̃̈́̎̀̀͌͋͗̕N̶̨̛̹͚̳̼̮̫̳͂̍̃̊̓̈́͌̇͜͠͝͝ͅE̵̢̛͍͓̠̙͍̹̳͚̳̽͂̀̂̓̊̔̂̿͒̀̃͊͝.̴͙͖͙̘̟̟̝͓̟̘̙́̾͘͠ͅ.̸̡̢̤̫͖̗͖͇̳̝̅̒̏͐̈́͘ͅ.̷̢̯͓͈̣̙͙͐́̇̾̍͑͛͜͝͠ ̶̫͔̹̙̟͖̹͌̊̒͗̅̈́̄
And then…
.
.
.
"GASP!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
The scream of a small cornered animal.
A shivering maid. Adult, but young for sure. The Stormveil crest. A sponge in her hand, except said hand was so deep inside Gray's pants that it seemed to want to bury itself in there.
"Ahhhhh! S-Sir, I mean… my Lord…. This, there's… it's…"
He just stared straight at her, losing himself in her hazel eyes. But what he saw wasn't her terror, or her shyness, what he saw was himself.
The same face…
The same figure…
The same brows even…
BUT everything else was different. The beard, the aura, and even the lavish bed he was resting on. None of it fit the NPC vibe he had been cultivating.
Then there were the clothes he had been wearing. The uniform from the shop. It was in a neat pile by the corner. But while it was neat it was still full of accumulated dust.
He grasped the poor girl's arm…
"How long? How long have I been out?"
"S-Sir, two… almost two months… but don't worry. There's—"
FUCK! Two months?! No, there was still time. It would be cutting it close but there was still time. This hadn't been the plan. Cause soon there would be THAT EVENT. A beautiful head on a spike instantly flashed in his mind.
He rose so fast the bed shook as much as the girl.
"S-Sir, you shouldn't get up just YET!"
"I'll get the doctor, and then we—"
"S-Sir?!!!"
…
She sensed it. The gaze of a predator.
Before she could protest he slammed her against the wall, body and soul— her small frame shivering as she pictured the worst. Except clearly she lacked imagination.
He cared not for her body. He cared not for her insolence in touching him either. At this moment, he cared only for one thing: her loyalty. And he would get it no matter what.
[SSS-Rank Blood Slime Stirs Inside You!]
[Successfully Used One of Its Abilities!]
[Learned F-Rank Blood Dagger!]
…
Out of his palm came a dagger of blood. One that stopped a mere millimeter away from her eye. Then it shifted ever so slightly toward her gasping mouth. And finally the face.
Inhuman precision. The gaze of a monster. Neither fit. Even as he lowered the blade, she still remained frozen, staring at an impossibility. Her brain knew he was WRONG!
It got worse as he opened his mouth…
"Stormveil WILL fall. From its hubris. From its enemies. From fate itself. And right now I'm the only one standing between that reality and one where everyone doesn't fucking die."
"Tell me, little maid, do you understand?"
And soon...
[Ding! New Subordinate Acquired!]
[Maid Sophie Has Decided!]
[She Will Follow You!]
….
Good. He ordered her to get a few things ready for him. For them? And as he was left alone in the lavish room once more, something stirred deep inside him…
[????!!!!!]