Re;Fell Dragons
Life 36: Three Dragons
"It has to be a coincidence… there's no way…" Shu's mind felt numb as his thoughts raced back and forth with the information the girl before him had just delivered, Lacia tilting her head at him with a curious look, Shu flinching back almost on reflex when she stepped forward, even if there was still a distance between them.
"You look… familiar. Have we met before?" The girl asked, getting even closer as she studied Shu's face, the boy lifting a brow as she did.
"I don't believe so." Shu said, feeling a quirk in his lip that was somewhere between a forced smile and a grimace. "My memory is pretty dang sharp, and I think I'd remember a girl with light blue hair from my time as a kid… wait…"
It was like a bell got smacked in his mind. While it was true his memories had returned, Shu still had the problem a lot of people did when thinking on memories of their past that they hadn't bothered treading in a long while… that they became horribly muddied or hard to fully recall in some detail. He could remember enough of his homeland to explain such details to a person sure, but anything more minute wasn't there, frankly because it wasn't like he'd ever had the time to learn any fully relevant history of said homeland beyond the basics of his home kingdom.
But, there was a particular detail he did recall at that moment, one having to do with the six royal houses…
"Lacia? Are you around here?"
Shu blinked when another voice called out, turning again when he heard the shuffling of the girl in front of him taking a short bow.
"Sorry, but, I have to go now." Lacia curtly said, stepping past, Shu starting to move a hand on impulse, but freezing and remaining that way, lowering his arm and watching the girl in white leave as he caught sight of another person, though, a bit to his surprise, she looked back, and as she left, one more thought came to his mind.
"She looks like someone from House Lucis."
"Tch… this would be so much damn easier if I actually had books for it…"
That next day, Shu was darting around the library of the residence as thoughts regarding the previous night continued to run through his head without end, taking books off, flipping through them, and placing them back on the shelves with almost record pacing to him, though a trend was followed in that every book he was looking through were all those of geography… be them of the human realm, the Underworld, or other accessible, mapped planes of existance.
"I know Eonis exists… so why isn't there a map of it? It doesn't show up on maps of this plane, which means it's on another one… can't be like the Underworld, I remember enough to know…"
"Did you ever put in the thought that maybe nobody outside of the place actually knows about it?" Bahamut suggested, Shu sighing and slapping the latest book he'd grabbed back onto the shelf.
"But that girl… her name and her features… it can't just be a coincidence her name is ordered exactly like an Eonian royal, and those looks… House Lucis was known for hair of that same color. I remember seeing pictures as a kid and meeting someone from there with my mom… and then that pendant. The gem looked exactly like the one on my pendulum." Shu pulled out the mentioned item, his eyes locked on it as it swayed, "You saw the glow… it has to be a shard of the Lucian Crystal."
"Have you also thought that you might be over thinking this?"
"I am definitely not overthinking this!" Shu slammed the door behind him as he left the library, a hand on his chin as he began muttering to himself while he marched down the hallway, "If she is another Royal, then that means not all of them got wiped out by the Scourge… which means other Armiger users still exist as well…"
"I can't tell if you're bothered by this or excited."
"It might be a bit of both."
"Don't get too distracted. We still need to think of how to deal with the Curse. Azazel's a good help, but that nutjob can only figure out so much… and I'm not to solid on the possibility of one of his ideas."
"You mean the one where he recommended something incredibly dangerous, potentially lethal, and wholly reckless?"
"Yes."
"Sounds like half of my own ideas." Shu mused, leaning on the railing of the loft and looking below at the living room as the sounds blared from the TV, Lucina, Anwen, and Xenovia playing a free-for-all in a particular mascot-based fighting game while Jeanne quietly read in one of the chairs.
Though as it was, the fact the resident Queen of Games (Astra, self-proclaimed title, not that she couldn't back it up) wasn't in the room to flaunt about her superior skills at any game possible was almost odd.
"KYAAAAAAAAAAA!"
And those with more sensitive ears in the room immediately reeled when an ear piercing shriek bellowed through the interior, Shu nearly falling over the rail before he was then slammed into from the side, grabbing the rail to keep his footing only to see Astra picking herself up off the floor.
"Okay… what the hell?" Shu grumbled, a hand near his head, Astra shooting up and then revealing her phone.
"This! Best! Day! Ever!" Astra shouted, revealing the on-screen image to be an add, Shu narrowing his eyes to look at the image closer, "The cutest idol on the air right now, Inori! She's holding a concert here in Kuoh Town!"
"That name's familiar…" Soren thought, looking closely at the advertising shot, at the idols cute, heart shaped face, wavy pink hair… and his mind started grating to a halt as he saw the pendant around her neck as well… a golden, flower shape with a blue gem inlaid into it. And that was when it clicked for him. "Bahamut… I'm not going crazy right? But this Inori girl looks exactly like the girl I met last night."
"That's… not a coincidence. Can't be."
"Oh so NOW you agree with me!"
"You get my point right? Look at her! The big sister inside of me craves the see this adorable imouto looking idol for myself!"
"I wouldn't exactly say "imouto" type… she looks our age." Shu said, "Play it off, do not hint you met this person. I bet the hair color change might've been a magical swap."
"You could be COMPLETELY wrong about this y'know?"
"I really wish I was."
"You're probably right, but still, she's cute as hell. We're going to that concert when it comes up, right?" Astra got into Shu's face with a downright begging look in her eyes, the boy putting a hand on his head as he felt the looks from below from everything else that had been put on hold.
"If the summit between the faction leaders doesn't get in the way, then, sure, why not… we honestly deserve a goddamn vacation after dealing with Kokabiel truth be told." Shu's words got an immediate, happy cheer from Astra, "Maybe I'll check in with Kira and see if she can set something up for summer break…"
"Wait… like an actual vacation, right?" Lucina asked, Shu nodding, "Oh oh! It should be a beach trip!"
"Can I just say the weirdness of talking about a vacation when three of us here literally just got here?" Anwen pointed out, yelping when Lucina unpaused the game and sent her character flying off the stage, "Not fair!"
"Hehehe."
"I agree with Soren, we probably do deserve some kind of break. But, with the summit between all of the leaders coming up, I doubt we're likely to get one any time soon." Xenovia noted, pausing when she got KO'd next, "I'm somewhat astounded I'm not as good at this as I would like."
"You'll get the hang of it. Jeanne, you wanna join in?" Lucina looked over the girl currently absorbed in her book, Jeanne shaking her head a bit as he put a hand up.
"No I'm fine… I'm not very good with technology aside from my phone anyway."
"Welp, it's Sunday, so I think I'll just go and-AH!" Shu's attempt to leave was stopped dead when he was grabbed by his shirt's collar mid-mount, looking back to see Kuroka clicking her tongue at him.
"Sorry pretty boy, but you ain't goin' anywhere right now, nya." Kuroka hummed, pulling Shu back and grabbing his arm, "Don't mind us girls, we'll be in his bedroom!"
"Hey! I wanted to go first today!" Astra shouted, giving a pouting look at Kuroka waved daintily while still dragging Shu off, the boy just sighing as he allowed it, "Tch, slippery cat."
"What're ya' gonna do?" Lucina shrugged, then waving a fourth controller, "Wanna have a rematch?"
"Oh you're on Luci!"
"We're so screwed…" Anwen grumbled, Xenovia only nodding as Asta joined them on the couch.
"It's only four in the afternoon, y'know that, right… mph…" Shu bit his lip when Kuroka leaned forward and nipped his ear as she held his chest, the only real barrier left being Shu's half-on shirt… not that Kuroka's usual kimono was that removed… compared to how she typically wore it anyway.
"Yeah but… not like having some fun in the late afternoon is so bad. Ah… hey, don't get too eager, I'm leading at the start, got it, nya?"
"That was reflex." Shu flatly said, Kuroka chuckle, her tails curling as she shifted and let out a deep sigh, "Also, can I be… kinda blunt?"
"You mean besides how you usually are?"
"Oh ha ha. Well aside from… ff, crap… the fact here you're being more aggressive than usual…" Shu bit his lip again as Kuroka moved, putting her hands on his shoulders and pushing him to his back, "Is something up? Or you just decide to see what'll happen?"
"You're bedside manner kinda sucks, you know that?" Kuroka flatly said, Shu shrugging and letting out a noise as Kuroka firmly planted her rear down on his hips as she let out a sigh again, "You really wanna know right now?"
"Might give me a better incentive to play along if I'm up to speed." Shu teased, Kuroka chuckling as he sat up on his elbows, "Hey, I'm the one on my back right now, give me some fun."
"Shut it." Kuroka snickered, then sighing in a more… dejected manner, "Alright, I'll be blunt: I'm gonna be skipping town until that summit is done."
"That it? I mean aside from how I could just keep you laying low." Soren said, Kuroka letting out a hiss as his hands began moving.
"I just don't wanna be in the area where every last leader of the Christian Mythology factions are gonna be. AH!" Kuroka let out a sound amid it, giving a little grumble, "Not fair, you know I'm… mmh! Stop! That spot is really…"
"Why the heck do you think I'm teasing you there then. Can't keep my hands on your rack all the time."
"Don't lie, you like how soft mine are."
"Touché, but, on topic."
"Ass." Kuroka chuckled, pushing back in her own manner, getting to her previous movements but still retaining a… mostly composed look, the deep flush didn't help, "Just… really fast, it's definitely not fair you don't seem to have any other weak points besides the obvious one."
"On… ff, topic. Anything else, you just… really not that keen on it?"
"It's really just that. Mmh… shit, what is with you down there? It got bigger again." Kuroka let out a chuckle as her body shuddered all over, shaking her head to get back in order, "You're still sorting out the situation with Gremory after all since I had to pitch in against that Kokabiel… I doubt you'll have it so easy explaining why I'm with you when her big brother is around."
"Yeah that's something I'll need to sort… tch… geez, do you have to bounce that hard?"
"Sorry~, impulse, nya." Kuroka mewled, Shu rolling his eyes as the nekoshou leaned forward onto his chest, "If I felt like I could safely stick around, I could. Not like I have many places to go since I basically ditched the Khaos Brigade. Ahh… heyyy, don't try to take over when you're still under me now."
"I could flip you over right now and take the lead, and you wouldn't even complain about it." Shu stated, Kuroka chuckling as she put her forehead on his.
"I won't lie about that."
"But… speaking of the Khaos Brigade… I'm almost a bit worried that… fffhh, a lot like them would try to crash the party if something like this is happening." Shu let out small groan, then leaning his head back on the pillow, "Taking the logical route anyway."
"You're probably right." Kuroka said, breathing a bit more heavily herself, then flinching and hunching over for a few moments, shudders running through her body like wild before her back arched, Shu putting a hand to his ear as a loud moan left Kuroka's throat, "Haa… haa… holy fuck… even on your back you keep making me go off like crazy. Dragons are insane, nya"
"I'll take that as a compliment. Ai… will you stop nipping my ear?" Shu put a hand to the mentioned ear after Kuroka pulled away, the Nekoshou chuckling.
"Just marking you a bit. Well, not like I can claim single ownership. Just a thing really, nya" Kuroka said, then looking into Shu's eyes in a more reflective way, "Y'know, ever since your eyes turned blue, your look has been… different."
"This a Senjutsu thing?"
"Yeah. See, perks with it, proficient Senjutsu users can see a person's nature by aura alone. You can say we can see the soul… Hey! Don't thrust up all of a sudden! I haven't come down yet!" Kuroka lightly hit Shu on the chest as he chuckled, then sighing, "Let me finish before we go again. I wanted to say it's clearer… gentler, even. When I first met you, your soul looked… empty, dark, like I was staring at a void. A void with something unpleasant broiling beneath it."
"Yeah, probably that damn curse." Shu muttered, sitting up, but Kuroka stayed firmly planted where she was despite the movement, putting her arms around his neck, "But, things are a bit different now after all. Ugh, I just wish I had it easier… get an awesome new power added in… but the old one is still a pain in my ass."
"It's kinda funny you can say these kinda things in a position like… this, nya." Kuroka punctuated her point by wiggling her hips, "But, if the Kaos Brigade does show up, keep an eye on Vali."
"What's he got to do with them?"
"Well… he's a crazy fight nut who wants to fight Great Red, what do you think?"
"Oh." Shu hummed, things clicking into place in his head, "I'll keep that possibility in mind then. Now…"
"AH!"
Kuroka yelped as Shu chuckled and grabbed her wrists, flipping positions and getting her beneath him, that usual smirk on his face as he got above now.
"I should probably give you a reason to come home after you head out."
"What, no goodbye kiss first?" Kuroka teased, Shu snickering to himself as he bent down.
"Heh. I can do you that and one better." Shu said, Kuroka yelping as he moved, then chuckling herself as she shifted.
"You never cease to surprise. Hehe, no wonder I'm sticking around with ya'… that and you did help my sister out."
"Hah. So… where'd we leave off?"
"You were taking the lead about and about to make my mind go blank."
"That's your interpretation of it."
"But I'm not wrong, nya!"
"Cute."
"Is it just me, or does something feel off today?"
Shu rolled his arm as the group made their way along to school via the normal route, Lucina tilting her head at him as he kept grumbling.
"I don't think so." Lucina noted, Astra closing her eyes for a moment.
"Yeah, I'm getting nothing from a scan." Astra added, Shu putting a hand behind his head and letting out a sigh.
"I just feel a bit off for some reason." Shu said, stopping when he felt a twinge shoot up his back, Lucina stopping as well, "Okay… I know what that was."
"A Gear resonance?" Lucina gasped, everyone else looking at the two demi-dragons as they moved ahead faster, the path eventually leading right to the main entrance of school… and waiting there in front of the gate was Vali, and the White Dragon looked a bit surprised to see who approached.
"Well, I wasn't exactly expecting you to show up first, Black Dragon." Vali mused, Shu giving a scoff.
"Yeah well, student council business makes me get here early. Sorry if I disappointed you by not being Issei." Shu bit back, Vali chuckling as he stepped off the wall, his hands remaining in his pockets as he and Shu stared each other dead in the eyes.
"Hey! Senpai, what's going o-" And almost as if he'd been cued for it, Issei turned up too, though on his own for once, and he immediately stopped when he saw Vali, clutching his left hand as the same pulse Shu and Lucina had felt shot up his arm, "What the… who is this guy?!"
"I'm Vali, the White Dragon Emperor… or, if you prefer, the Vanishing Dragon." Vali introduced, Issei's eyes wide as he recalled the previous battle.
"What do you want Vali? Not here to start a fight are you?" Shu challenged, Vali shaking his head.
"Of course not, I simply…" And in that next moment, Vali momentarily vanished from sight, appearing before Issei with a finger between the shocked boys eyes, "Wanted to re-gauge where my rivals stand. How vulnerable you are. It wouldn't take much to defeat you with my magic, almost too easy."
"Tch, Boosted..!"
Shing!
Before Issei even brought out his gear, Vali was met with three swords near his throat, Anwen and Xenovia on one side and Kiba on the other, though the White Dragon hardly even flinched at the blades near him, much less the threatening looks coming from everyone else around. And it was perfectly obvious why he didn't move… he didn't have to.
"Don't you think this joke has gone on long enough?" Kiba said.
"It wouldn't be smart of us to allow you to start a fight with the Red Dragon Emperor here." Xenovia flatly said, Anwen's look even more venomous by virtue of her attitude alone.
"Shoulda known you were talkin' crap when you said you weren't looking for a fight." Anwen snapped, Shu stepping forward and pulling the two back, then lowering Kiba's blade.
"Relax guys… this guy's not crazy enough to start a fight in broad daylight."
"He's right about that. Besides, if all of you fighting couldn't bring down Kokabiel, you wouldn't have a chance against me, granted, there was the problem of his Vice, but that's dust in the wind now. But don't take my word for it, keep going if you don't mind causing a scene." Vali looked between the three still holding their swords, and the trio stood down, their weapons vanishing, Vali's attention turning to Shu next, "I'm also rather interested in that magic you used Black Dragon. Something primal, ancient, yet it doesn't feel as powerful now as it did then. Care to explain that?"
"None of your business." Shu flatly replied, Vali just shrugging, Asia arriving with a concerned look, Issei putting an arm in front of her.
"Tell me, Soren, Issei, how do you two think you compare to those with the power in this world?" Vali asked, the two other Dragon Emperors raising a brow.
"What do you mean?" Issei asked.
"I'm talking about your Balance Breaker. You may not have accessed it yet for yourself, but it's looking pretty incomplete. But still a four-digit ranking." Vali noted, holding up four fingers, "And we already know the issue with Soren here. His just makes his time in the realm of sanity shorter. But despite that, he's still up there, around the same level as me… I'd say triple-digits. He probably went up a few spots thanks to that new magic of his."
"That's great, so what's your point?!" Issei bit, Vali taking a casual lean to the side.
"My point is that, like me and the Black Dragon, you're a valuable player. You should be taken care of an properly nurtured. Don't you agree, Rias?" And at Vali's words, the presence of the last three members of the Occult Research Club was made known, Rias glaring at Vali with all the hate in the world.
"I don't need your advice. I've got enough on my plate with Shu as it is."
"Wow, really Rias?"
"Why don't you just tell me what this is all about?" Rias couldn't hide the small smirk that came for a moment as she passed Shu when he reacted to her quip at him, but her expression quickly became serious once more as she approached Vali, folding her arms under her chest, "If you've come here on behalf of the Fallen Angels…"
"Which for the record is my job!" Astra said.
"… I assure you, it's a huge waste of time." Rias finished, sighing, though Astra looked about as serious.
"Oh right, I forgot you were here Astra. Long time no see might I add real fast." Vali said, Shu raising a brow as he looked at Astra, the girl clicking her tongue.
"I'll explain later."
"Back on topic." Vali said, turning back to Rias, "Were you aware that the Welsh Dragon and Vanishing Dragon called upon the Twin Sky Dragons? It doesn't help much that the Apocalypse Dragon is around as well. People involved with the Red, White, and Black Dragons never have the best of luck. I'm fascinated. Makes me wonder how your life will turn out."
A silent stare down ensued between the leaders of the two teams that made up the club and the White Dragon, Vali then giving a huff after a few seconds of being glared out.
"Calm down. I didn't come here to fight you anyway. I have much more important things to do today."
All was silent besides the humming of insects as the group watched Vali leave, Shu wincing a bit as he felt the twinge on his back and the wave of nausea run through him, feeling his back throb all the same.
"With all three Dragon Emperors around, it's only gonna make this feeling worse… but, Vali, that guy just makes the air heavier wherever he goes." Shu thought, rubbing a shoulder and letting out a sigh, "I need to fix this, and fast."
Shu's eyes stared at the ceiling of the infirmary with a lidded, bored look. He'd shuffled his way there to nap off the nausea of the Curse kicking in for a moment, though interestingly to him, he'd been joined by Issei, who had also looked a bit fatigued after the encounter with Vali. Bahamut had theorized that, based on Vali's notes, since Issei was right on the edge of hitting the point of being able to use his Balance Breaker, it was likely leaving the novice Devil more sensitive to new, strong powers.
"So, that Vali guys is the White Dragon Emperor huh?" Issei asked, Shu nodding, the two speaking through the curtains of the infirmary beds.
"Same guy we saw nab Kokabiel the other day. He wasn't lying about me and him being on the same level either."
"Damn." Issei murmured, "I wish I could've seen how he'd fight… maybe then at least I'd know what to expect… agh, but I can't even do that Balance Breaker thing yet, so what am I thinking?"
"I can at least say you have your Balance Breaker." Shu said, sitting up, "Yours is incomplete though. I doubt you'd be able to use it unless say, you gave up a part of your body to Ddraig, and that'd probably only buy you a few seconds of usage at best."
"Seriously?! Ah man that fucking bites!"
"Pretty glad you didn't get put into a situation where you'd have to do that though, right?"
"Yeah. If I think about it, that's something I'd probably have done as some kind of last resort… geez."
"For starters, his Balance Breaker is the complete form." Ddraig spoke up, Issei looking at the glow on his hand, Shu drawing aside the curtain to see, "Your incomplete Balance Breaker doesn't even compare to that guy's right now."
"Thanks Ddraig." Issei grumbled, "So, what's going on between the White Dragon and the Red Dragon? And what's the Black Dragon, Bahamut, got to do with it anyway?"
"Buckle up rookie, this is a long story." Bahamut spoke up, the dragon mark on Shu's hand glowing as the other dragon spoke.
"When all the Great Powers, God, the Angels, the Fallen Angels, and the Devils went to war, the other creatures and humans were suddenly forced to choose sides to ensure their survival." Ddraig began, Shu, despite knowing the story himself, listening in, "The only ones who refused were the Dragons."
"Why?" Issei asked.
"The majority didn't think the war had anything to do with them. They ignored it, and lived how they pleased." Ddraig answered, "However, in the midst of the war, two foolish dragons decided to start a massive fight, and along the way, a third one joined in, trying to stop their battle."
"Are you saying what I think you are?"
"He is." Shu nodded, Bahamut still quiet.
"Not caring about the war that had taken over the world, the first two dragons fought wildly on the battlefield."
"I don't get it, why were they fighting like that?" Issei asked.
"Ugh, hell if I know. They probably don't remember the reason themselves." Ddraig grumbled, Bahamut giving a sigh, like he knew the feeling himself.
"Don't look at me either. I forgot if I stepped in because I was trying to stop the battle or was just trying to get in on the fun." Said the black dragon, Shu leaning on his right hand. "And don't talk like it wasn't you Ddraig. You remember the battles before you were sealed damn well."
"Butt out!"
"Okay I'm already over this story." Issei grumbled, Shu chuckling.
"What, don't like history?"
"Not right now man…"
"It gets better." Ddraig said, "After the Black Dragon joined the battle for whatever reason he had, be it stopping the fight or for just as foolish a reason, the Great Powers saw that unless something was done about the three, their war would be unable to continue."
"Guess what happened next." Bahamut's tone was somewhere between snark and amusement, "The Great Powers decided to call a temporary truce to deal with the rebellious dragons tearing the world apart with their battles."
"Okay you guys are making it sound like this was more than just a fight. What happened when they were stopped?" Issei asked, looking at Shu.
"There's an adage a lot of people have forgotten nowadays: Nothing is more destructive than a dragon whose fury has been unleashed."
"Correct. Fury is what happened." Ddraig said, "Their anger became wild beyond imagination. They lashed out at the leaders of the Great Powers. Already infuriated by the interference from the Black Dragon, the Red and White Dragons wouldn't stand for anyone, not even God or the Devil Kings, trying to stop them. It was payback, plain and simple."
"I wouldn't want to mess with them. Dragons are nuts."
"We are those dragons." Shu said, Issei looking at him in surprise, "What do you think the factions did after they managed to stop the fight?"
"See, Dragons have a certain… annoying trait. Dragons don't actually die when you destroy their bodies." Bahamut said, "A Dragon's soul becomes one of two things once their body is gone: Dormant until they have the power to reform their body again, or, as is what usually happens, their soul is split into pieces and merged with the vagrant souls yet to be born into the world."
"And that is exactly what happened to those three Dragons." Ddraig stated, "Their souls were diced into thousands of pieces, and the weakened shards were merged with vagrant human souls as Dragon Gears. From that day on, those same dragons have used humans as intermediaries to fight, over and over again."
"And the Black Dragon had a… special addition to his sealing. God, fearing the destructive power he held as one of the Dragon Gods, added an extra layer of protection… though as the result shows, this added layer turned into a Curse, dooming any who bore a piece of that Soul to fall into madness and seek nothing but destruction once their minds were gone. You could say it backfired in the worst possible way." Bahamut added, Issei looking astounded at the tale that had been laid out before him.
"Let me take a wild guess… those three Dragons are called Ddraig, Albion, and Bahamut." Issei said, Shu nodding.
"Of course. It's no coincidence you, me, and Vali have met… our Gears resonate far more strongly than any other two Sacred Gears otherwise would. We're magnets for the other Dragon. It's inevitable in the grand scheme of things." Shu said, "So, you get where this is going?"
"Yeah, I do."
"There have been times where the human host has died before the dragons could have a chance to meet." Ddraig added, Issei looking pensive.
"And since senpai and I are alive, have met each other, and have now met the other dragon…"
"Fate would deem the three of us would get into a battle to death." Shu stated, Issei looking downcast, "Not that I give a damn about that… Descendants like me may have the worst luck imaginable, but it comes with an odd ability to take the grand stream called "fate" and fight against it's current with ease. I don't care about the idea of fighting you or Vali… I just want to rid myself of this goddamn Curse." Shu was staring at the mark on the back of his left hand, sighing and sitting up with his back to Issei, and the younger boy could have sworn he saw red pulsing underneath his shirt.
"Damn… I don't care if it is my fate… but I'm just a low ranking Devil and a loser who can't even use his Balance Breaker. I don't have a chance against that guy, damn." Issei growled, also getting up, leaving in silence, Shu remaining, though standing to leave shortly after the door closed.
"Before you leave… there's something that's been bothering me." Bahamut spoke up, Shu stopping as he slid his school shirt back on.
"What for?" Shu hummed, Bahamut giving a long breath.
"Those spirits… the Noxii, or whatever they're called… they knew my name and the fact you have my powers. Noxis, hell, Eonis as a whole, isn't even on this plane of reality, much less knowing where it is for either of us exactly."
"Go on."
"What's bugging me is how. How would the souls of your ancestors, humans from an alternate plane of the world, know about me? As far back as my memory goes, I don't know a damn about Eonis… but, ever since you unleashed that magic of yours and spoke with those Noxii guys, I've been bothered by… something. It's like… something in me is tyring to wake up, and it gets all fuzzy when I dwell on it. I have no idea what it's about, or even what's going on."
"That… does bring up a lot of questions, actually… I didn't really think about it until now." Shu murmured, looking at the mark on his hand and then pulling out his pendulum pendant, watching it swing in front of his eyes, "I don't know as much about Eonis as I wish I did, but I do remember the beings of legend who watch over the land… the Astrals and the souls of the Royal Bloodlines' past kings who were powerful enough to retain their egos beyond death. Six Astrals, but only five of the kingdoms considered one of them their patrons… all except for one."
"Which one was that?"
"One who's name was forgotten… the God of War, the highest and most powerful of the Astrals, the Draconian. Legends say he's the one who gave the first king of each bloodline the ability to use the Power of Kings, the Bladekeeper who birthed light from darkness with wings that could create new blades within them."
"You're not going to say I might be this missing Astral, do you?"
"I… don't really know." Shu said, slipping his pendant onto his neck, "But, something about how the Noxii knew your name, and your own fuzzy memories surfacing up are suspicious… who knows, maybe I'm right, or maybe my asshole ancestors know more than I think they do."
"Well, not like we're gonna get answers until we find the place… or your dad. Whichever happens first."
"Yeah. Tch. Next time I see Artoria, I'm grilling her about where my old man went. I owe him a punch to the face and a long talk." Shu said, stepping out into the hall, putting a hand behind his head as he glanced out of the windows, "Though not like that'll be for a long while."
"Heh, who knows."
"We'll just have to see what the future holds I guess." Shu put both arms behind his head and looked out of the window once more, stopping and staring out over the yard, "What's bothering me though… is that Lacia girl. Could she really be another Eonian royal like me? Or am I just overthinking things? Ugh… man I hate my life sometimes."
A/N
Hey bro it could always be worse. And YES, that scene with Kuroka DID happen here. Honestly not sure HOW I managed it, but, I had fun with it. Sorry for the wait, it's just that work and school have shot my leisure time in the face… twice. My updates sadly won't be as frequent, especially since I rotate between different stories, but I promise I ain't gonna let up. Just gonna have to make do! Now, onwards! Cause BOY do I have plans for Open House here, hehehehe. You're not out of the frying pan yet Shu!