Aegis stood still in a daze.
As Arthur lost his consciousness, the battlefield also grew silent as the faint crackling of lightning dissipated into the thin air.
Even if Aegis was holding back, the fact that the human child was able to push Aegis to his beast core transformation spoke volumes of his potential and Aegis understood this.
"I wonder how many people have the strength to go up against me in this kingdom."
Aegis asked himself, certainly impressed seeing Arthur's fight.
It wasn't overconfidence. It was the fact that Aegis had remained in top of the power struggle between the 4 kingdoms ever since he awakened his mana core. Only a handful of people were strong enough to go up against him.
*Sigh*
"I've done what you asked me to do. You better give me an explanation now." The dark fishman demanded an explanation in the thin air, his eyes closed as he sighed.
Aegis concentrated hard on his breathing as he got sucked in a dark, endless place.
As Aegis opened his eyes, he found himself in a different world from the one he was in just a moment ago.
As far as his eyes could see, there was nothing but endless darkness and water surrounded him. The fishman grew more and more impatient as he kept on walking but didn't find anything. It was like a pitch black tunnel with only water present.
"Are you making fun of me? I know you are watching me. Show yourself!" The calm minded fishman had reached his tolerance limit, as he shouted at the entity which pulled him to this new dimension.
"Welcome, my successor."
Aegis was welcomed by a deep, resonant voice which surprisingly didn't echo throughout the tunnel like other cliché stories.
As Aegis turned back, he saw a frightening sight which made him sweat. For the first time in his life, Aegis was scared to death.
"Don't worry, I won't kill you. Afterall, you are my successor and I am your beast core."
"In other words, you are the Leviathan core bound to me." Aegis answered, with a smirk even in the face of death.
"..Yes, I suppose you could say that in human terms. Though, I am not exactly sure if I can call you a human."
The Leviathan answered, taken aback by Aegis cheeky response even after revealing himself.
The Leviathan looked similar to a 'Wyrmbeast' except the fact that it, was a 100 times more bigger. The tunnel was filled with the Leviathan's calm yet frightening aura.
It's golden scales shined like the sun's first ray of light, his massive body cloaked in thick white hair, similar to clouds wrapping around a tower in ancient China. His eyes shined yellow as he came forward.
Just by standing infront of him, Aegis became aware that if the leviathan wanted, he could kill him a 100- no, a 1000 times over.
"My name is Duryan, The God of Ocean and Echoes. This is a world I created from your inner core and the fragments of my power." The massive Leviathan revealed his name in a very calming manner.
Aegis kept his breathing steady, trying not to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the divine entity before him.
"So….not only are you ancient, but also poetic?," he responded with a half-smile across his face, "God of Ocean and Echoes, huh?"
He raised his head, meeting those ancient glowing yellow eyes.
"Then answer me this, Duryan– Why now of all times? Why did you stay silent all these years if you were able to converse with me? Why did you show yourself today? Was it because of that child?"
Aegis couldn't hold back. His mind swarmed with tons of questions and all the answer lied with Duryan.
It wasn't long, before Aegis broke in tears as he was reminded of his childhood.
How he killed someone whom he loved the most.
Duryan lowered his gaze, his white mane rippling like waves caught in slow motion. His deep voice resonated like a distant storm under the sea.
"You ask why now…the answer is simple, yet painful. All living beings have a tendency to build a fortress made of lies. Because the truth is painful whereas lies, are comforting no matter how far fetched it is. If the truth is bitter, the lies must be sweet."
A soft hum rumbled from Duryan's chest, a mournful sound that seemed to make the water around them shimmer.
"The reason I didn't choose to converse with you was simply because you weren't ready before. The pain you shoulder– the memory of his death– clouded you and made your heart a cage. I could not risk merging with a vessel still drowning in guilt," Duryan voice seemed low and sad as if he was on the verge of tears.
Duryan continued, "It wasn't my power that caged you. Rather, it was you who was drowning in guilt and chose to distance himself from everyone."
Duryan's not-so-sugarcoated truth brought Aegis back to reality. As he realized that everything was upon his own shoulder but he chose the easy way and blamed it all on his innate powers.
It was the first time, Aegis had felt so many emotions. His meeting with Arthur awakened something within him.
"You realize it, right." Duryan asked, his voice as steady as it could be.
"Realize what?"
"During that battle, you saw something in that child— something you once were. Wasn't that why you smiled in that battle?"
"How did you know?" he looked up and asked in confusion. Duryan moved closer, yet his overwhelming pressure remained calm.
"That was the moment you broke the chains which caged your heart. That boy reminded you of who you once were before the guilt and rage of losing someone took control of you. The moment you met him, it allowed me to ask you for that favour."
Aegis clenched his fists, his body shaking. "So all this time…you waited until I suffered enough? For me, to be useful to you?"
"No," Duryan replied softly. "I waited for the day when you will confront yourself or should I say…your past self."
The fishman breath hitched as a tear rolled down his cheeks.
"You may carry the title of a 'Prodigy' but within you is still the heart of a boy who swore to protect the life of people, not destroy it."
The leviathan summoned a orb from above with his beyond reality- ancient powers. The small orb glowed as ocean- blue light floated between them.
"Take this, this is the truth beast core of yours." Duryan extended the orb, but pushed before giving it, "However, your body is still not capable of handling my powers."
"What do you mean? Are you saying all my hard work is a waste?"
"....Why are you always jumping at conclusions? What happened to that cool headed Aegis? Atleast, listen to me first." Duryan continued, "I am saying that my powers are far beyond your wildest imagination. If not used properly, your body won't be able to handle the backlash of using my power and you would eventually self-destruct. Do you wanna die young?"
Aegis looked at the glowing orb hovering between them, his fingers twitching with hesitation. His voice low and bitter.
"Then tell me…why did you ask me to test that child's strength? Why Arthur?" he raised his head, his eyes getting narrow.
Duryan's eyes flickered, as if caught in a distant memory.
"There are 2 reasons, but the main reason is because that child is more than he seems. 1000 years ago, I had a dream. At that time, I didn't wanted to believe it but a ancient beast dream such as myself are more like a prophecy." Duryan continued, "His powers…are not fully his own. The fact that kid has now become a reality from my dream a 1000 years ago, means only 1 thing. A war will start soon."
"If it's a war between the kingdoms, what does it have to do with him?" Aegis asked, his voice confused yet curious.
"It's not a war between this continent. Its a war against entities far stronger than anything, against them even my powers will soon fall short." Duryan answered his voice low but somehow scared.
"Forgive me for asking another selfish request, but I want you to train that boy as much you can. That boy will become the asset who changes the fate with his power." Duryan requested as he bowed his head.
"I still don't understand–"
Duryan cut off Aegis as he bid his goodbyes,"The universe is much more complicated than you might think. Unfortunately, our time together is now over. It was nice to finally talk to you, my successor."
"Duryan, wait! I still have many questions!"
"Don't worry, this isn't the end. Will meet again soon enough."
As soon as Duryan said his ggoodbye, the dimension where Aegis was now gone and he returned to the same place where he was before he got sucked in that endless tunnel.
"So, this boy is special, huh?" a smile creeped on Aegis face as he realized what's coming next.
Soon from the bushes, Raymond and Kiara came surprised to see the destruction in the surrounding area of Aegis and Arthur.
"...Did a fight break out?" Raymond asked to Aegis calmly.
"Is that…is that Arthur?!" Kiara rushed over to Arthur, as soon as he saw him.
Aegis moved forward and bowed his head to Raymond and Kiara as he asked for their permission, "Am sorry but I was curious to see his strength so I might have gone a little overboard."
"Little?! Mister, I don't care who you are but you could have killed my son!" Kiara jumped on Aegis as she lost her cool, luckily, Raymond was there to hold her back. Otherwise, who knows what might've happened.
"Through our short sparring, I've determined that Arthur is someone who has a lot of potential. Please, let me train him. I promise, when he returns to you, he'll be much stronger than even the most experienced and strongest royal guard or adventurer."
It wasn't like Aegis to show emotions, but the only thing that he was feeling at that moment can be explained in one word. That was 'excitement'.
"Ooh~" Raymond stopped holding back Kiara, as he got more interested in Aegis proposal. "So, I wasn't the only one who saw my son's potential. I knew it that someday he would make me proud."
Raymond's grin just escalated more and more.
"Fine, I'll let you have him train."
"That was easy."
Aegis was surprised at Raymond's quick agreement but-
"Huh?! You are letting our son go this easily? What happened to our trip to Arcia?!" Kiara shake Raymond by his collar, until he fell asleep.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of your son."
After reassuring and answering Kiara's endless questions, they finally agreed to let Arthur train under Aegis. And they set for their journey to Arcia, with peace in mind.
However, in some different universe, Duryan's fragment which had a conversation with Aegis returned to him.
"Am glad Aegis understood that it was never my intention to hurt him." Duryan got up from his chamber and took on fishman like form.
"However, I wonder if things would stop at just that."
Duryan entered his chamber, where countless bodies of beast lied motionless.
"There will come a time when the world will ask for sacrifice from every living being. Prepare yourselves, mortals. The catalyst for the ultimate catastrophe has already begun."