The Astral Realm's Descent
Cyber Space. A virtual world born from the tangled fusion of every computer, spell memory, and server data across the globe. The deeper one delved, the more it slipped beyond the grasp of any intelligent species—a realm of the supernatural. No one had ever glimpsed its end, that profound abyss.
That was why modern society stood atop a pillar of illusion, one it didn't even truly comprehend.
"...So?"
Roque, lounging on the sofa and rubbing his rough chin, asked flatly. Lije flipped past the sketchbook page that seemed to depict Cyber Space.
"The dragons, including Lumillateli, saw the emergence of Cyber Space as the degraded remnants of what they called the astral realm—the spiritual world. Humans, forever shattering and dividing the world to slap names they could grasp onto it, had finally broken even the world's soul into mere words. In ways they themselves couldn't understand."
In her sketchbook, humans torched mountains and plains. And those flames clung to the humans' feet as well.
The next page showed barren mountains and fields stripped of forests, now crammed with concrete skyscrapers and merciless neon signs. Human limbs gleamed with chrome implants.
"Lumillateli saw something more there. Humans, splintering the world endlessly, ultimately unraveling even the basic bonds of matter to summon hellfire. And the moment that blaze melted the dragons themselves."
After the modern city came a massive mushroom cloud. Whether Bini had drawn it or not, the heat felt almost tangible in its realism.
"What shocked the dragons more than Cyber Space's arrival was how humans' weapons had advanced enough to burn them. Until then, nothing short of an Aura Master's light sword could directly harm a dragon. Even developing firearms and cannons barely drew their scornful laughs."
The sketchbook turned another page. Dragons gathered once more in a temple.
"The dragons split into two camps. One wanted to wipe out humans immediately, preventing those fiery weapons from ever being born. The other saw the astral realm—something humans would drag into reality—as far more important. Lumillateli's visions divided them."
Roque, listening quietly, tilted his head.
"Why was the astral realm so crucial?"
"Because it lay beyond the material world, something you could only glimpse through great enlightenment or death. People might call it the heavens."
Roque snorted.
"Cyber Space is heaven?"
Lije shook her head firmly.
"That's what the dragons thought. Anyway, they believed exploiting that flawed astral realm would let them shed their physical forms and ascend to the next stage."
"Next stage. So they figured heaven's residents become angels."
"No. Not angels."
Lije turned the page. A dragon made of radiant light filled the page.
"They thought they'd become gods."
That luminous dragon felt the polar opposite of the black-winged monster that had spread its wings over Midland moments ago. Just a difference in color, yet it struck that way.
"Fine. So they hold out, fly beyond Cyber Space, become their precious gods, and call it a day? Then why are they stuck in your eyes?"
"The dragons' pursuit of transcendence wasn't born from endless self-improvement. They didn't want to transcend their innate nature—they wanted to maximize it."
Dominion. Bending other species and objects to their will. The instinct dragons were born with.
Before the World War, they'd sated it by ruling a third of Earth's land. Vast territory for just over twenty dragons, yet they weren't satisfied.
"They wanted to rule the whole planet? What, like some kids' cartoon demon king..."
"To a true transcendent being, it wouldn't sound absurd. They'd have had the power to overturn physical laws. Every species on Earth would've been their slaves."
Roque scratched his forehead at the monster reappearing after the light dragon. Lije continued.
"Lije said the dragons' opinions split, right? Decades of debate without full consensus ended with each side acting alone."
After the chaotic monster, the page split in half, showing dragons moving in different directions.
"Dragon King Lumillateli and those seeking transcendence began seeking ways to evade the atomic flames humans would create. The ones who thought humans needed extermination prepared the purge. And so, in 1939, the war that shook the world began."
Roque stared at the sketchbook and spoke.
"As I recall, that war ended with atomic bombs raining on this very Midland."
"Exactly. The war the dragons started to wipe out humans only pressured them to develop the bombs faster. The dragons' resistance to evade the prophecy ended up fulfilling it."
Roque's gaze lifted from the sketchbook to Lije's eyes.
"Decades later, Cyber Space emerged as prophesied. But I've never heard of dragons or gods showing up there."
"Dragon King Lumillateli thought hiding among humans was the best way to escape the atomic flames. He predicted the humans who'd wielded that power would fear using bombs on each other afterward. So he used his most loyal minions to infiltrate human society."
Lije opened the sketchbook's final page. Two figures—a man and a woman. Unlike the previous pages, these looked amateurishly drawn by Lije herself. But Roque knew who they were.
"Lumillateli assumed his minions would obey without question. Since their magic and lives all stemmed from him, he'd naturally get their child as tribute."
Lije's face remained expressionless as always. But Roque had sensed the anxiety hidden beneath it from their first meeting. Now, after spending so much time together, he could read her emotions without even trying.
Lije was sad.
"...Robert Lawrence and Hitchiko Lawrence were exceptional mages. Dragon King Lumillateli had handpicked and raised them over decades. Like breeding stallions. So Lije, at the end of that lineage, possessed astonishing magical talent unmatched across all intelligent species..."
Her eyes grew misty. Eyes looking into the past.
"...As Lije said earlier, the faction wanting to purge humans only sealed Lumillateli's prophecy. And decades ahead of schedule. Lumillateli, planning to act after seeing the war's outcome, had to rush the ritual. He abandoned making extra vessels through Lije and focused on hiding first."
Bini, who had retreated behind her, crept forward again across Lije's sunken face. It circled her feet, as if trying to cheer her up.
But Lije stared blankly into space, as if she'd lost sensation in her limbs and felt nothing.
"...What Lumillateli and the dragons didn't know was that Robert Lawrence and Hitchiko Lawrence were far, far greater mages than they'd anticipated. And they refused to let the dragons use Lije's body as a vessel for ascension. Because..."
Lije squeezed her eyes shut.
"...Unlike what the dragons thought, they were truly Lije's parents. And they loved Lije."
With eyes closed, Lije bowed her head and fell silent.
Roque watched her quietly, then rose from the sofa and approached. Sensing him, Lije looked up.
The moment their eyes met, an image flashed in Roque's mind.
A vast chamber. Massive dragons encircled a grand ritual circle. But they all lay sprawled unconscious on the floor. For one reason: their souls were bound inside Lije's body.
At the circle's center stood a stone sarcophagus with Lije inside. Around it lay two charred black corpses.
Robert and Hitchiko. They'd deceived the dragons and activated the final spell, paying with their lives. In return, they'd protected their daughter's soul—and thwarted the dragons' desire to dominate all life.
Then, from the far side of the silent circle, a stone lid floated up and sealed the sarcophagus. As scripted. Strange lines glowed atop it, vanishing in a flash. Also as scripted, teleporting the cocoon holding the dragons' souls to a safe inland depths.
Minutes after the sarcophagus vanished, something crashed down on the ritual site. Black iron lumps dropped from altitudes too thin for air. Bombs made without magic, yet delivering destruction beyond any spell. The dragons' end.
Light and heat swept the chamber.
"..."
Roque blinked, the vision fading, replaced by Lije's blank face. Her clear eyes made all the talk of dragons and ascension seem like a child's fancy. To a guy scraping by on blade work, it felt too grand.
Roque pondered silently. Lije gazed up wordlessly, then dropped her eyes to the floor at his steady gaze. She let the sketchbook droop, looking dejected. Maybe she thought he couldn't accept her story.
Then Roque's hand rose and booped her nose. Lije jolted, wide-eyed up at him.
"Ice cream?"
"Huh?"
Taking her puzzled "huh?" as answer enough, Roque headed to the kitchen. He opened the fridge, pulled out the ice cream, set it on the table, and grabbed a spoon for a big scoop.
He popped it in his mouth and said gruffly,
"Don't want it? I'll eat it all."
Lije stared blankly a moment, then scurried to sit across from him. She took the spoon he offered and started eating.
After a few scoops, her hand slowed.
"...Tasty."
Roque set down his spoon. Lije's face was still expressionless—no smile, not even a frown. But her eyes shimmered like pooled water. Bini sidled up, pressing against her leg.
"Eat plenty."
Roque turned to the window. Not all questions were answered, but he didn't feel like pressing now. Dragons or whatever, his Aura Blade had already incinerated two.
Whatever came next, he'd draw the gray light sword and fight like always.
Afternoon approached. In the quiet apartment, only the clink of Lije's spoon echoed.
Kayla stood slouched outside the airport terminal.
Hands jammed in her jacket pockets, she looked thoroughly displeased with the situation.
"Fuck. Why dump this random errand on me outta nowhere?"
She muttered at the closed automatic doors. No one around could see her scowl—black oversized goggles covered half her face.
After the recent chaos, she'd re-signed with X-Techno and handled a few bodyguard gigs. Things were looking up with the company, or so she thought. Then X-Techno suddenly tasked her with a simple errand.
Escort some arrivals from Midland Airport back to the company.
The doors slid open, and a crowd poured out.
Kayla shut up and hoisted her prepared sign. People streamed past, greeting friends or loved ones and chatting away.
Amid the noise, Kayla stood glumly holding her sign.
Then someone approached.
"From the company?"
She glanced over. A sturdy middle-aged man with short white hair. Kayla's mouth fell slightly open. Her electronic eyes and goggles scanned his face and ID frantically.
"...You're?"
The man grinned.
"Oh? You know me?"
"Bites. George Bites..."
"Hm. Midland's been too long; I don't recognize you. Nice to meet ya anyway."
Kayla shook his hand in a daze.
George Bites. 46. German. The legendary merc who'd contracted with X-Techno and blown an Isumi branch in Shanghai sky-high, building and all.
"Ah, meet my team too."
He gestured aside. Luggage-laden figures trudged out the doors and veered toward them. Veterans who'd synced with Bites for years.
George Bites' mercenary team, aka Battlehound. Assassinations, demolitions, kidnappings, headhunting, transport—any job needing muscle, anywhere in the world. But what made them infamous among those in the know?
Their record of surviving Aura Masters—and even hunting them.