"Divine Dragon Forseti...?"

Ced's words were a mixture between astonishment and confusion when he saw a small figure in front of him. That was Forseti? He wasn't expecting to see a child when meeting Forseti for the first time, but the way he looked had a strange strange feeling. Even if he couldn't assimilate he knew it was Forseti in front of him.

"The one, and only." The dragon bowed, before laughing hysterically. "It seems I've finally caught you in my grasp! Just as planned!"

"What the hell did you do to me? Where am I? And why are you...you look nothing like I expected!" Ced asked immediately.

"Oh, yeah, I suppose this form is a little childish for me." Forseti remarked, looking at himself. "But whatever, this is just the form I take to interact with you humans." Well, at least he answered one of the questions, albeit not the main ones. "As for where you are, well, it's something I would like to call a purgatory."

"A...purgatory? So I died?"

"You're not dead, of course not. Killing you would be too much of a handful. I already did that with your father, doing it with you would be boring. I just used that cursed tome your 'father' gave you to bring you here."

Ced had to take a moment to process everything Forseti just said, shaking his head, he replied. "So, you were father? I was raised not by him, but by you?"

"You'd be correct. Lewyn died long ago, before you were even born. Ah, how those times seem like yesterday."

"WHAT?" He suddenly shouted, as though anybody could even hear him in this dark void. "So I've been MANIPULATED BY YOU ALL THIS TIME? OH YOU-"

"Oh don't be like that, you should be grateful for everything I've done for you. I made you into who you are today."

"No...No you have NOT!" Ced shouted once more, that stupid, horrible, impudent liar! He had no idea what the hell he had been through, isolated in Silesse for sixteen years of his life. "So it was YOU who used my father! You made me think he's this horrible person!"

"You have no idea who he was. He left Silesse on his own, the situation with both his uncles and my influence on the previous kings. He abandoned his duties, and when he came back, he abandoned his own family. I decided to use him to create you, and then take Grannvale for myself. I've planned this for a long time."

"My father, my real father, he was trying to get AWAY from you! He knew all along, and then you used his dead body?"

"Eh, that part doesn't really matter. What matters now is that you're finally here, after over a decade of putting my plan together. I can finally fulfill what I've wished to do in this world, for oh so long!" He began to move closer toward Ced, a malicious grin on his face as he took his hands. "And it's all thanks to your brother."

Ced yanked his hands away, stepping back in...disgust? Fear? He wasn't quite sure. "Arthur? What does he have to do with this? Why are you bringing him into this?"

"Because of that little...fight you two had in Manster town. His anger, his frustration, oh it was delightful. The best part was when you let out your frustrations, it was a perfect opportunity to take control of you, honestly if it wasn't for those two I would've killed him so quickly. But, this...this added drama!"

Ced was fueled with anger at this sudden truth, but he couldn't form it all into words, so instead, he screamed once more. "AAAAAAGH!" Then, with rage inside him, he attempted (keyword: attempted), to launch wind spells at the dragon. Unfortunately, that didn't do anything as he simply dodged. "DAMN YOU FORSETI!"

"Ah! Why do I bother telling you all of this? It's all boring anyways."

"I still have one last question for you…" Ced breathed, clenching his fists. "Why?"

"Has there anything else that has not been said?" Forseti stated, but his voice now was less malicious and more...deadly serious. "Well, I suppose my reason is, I was tired of the world being saved, so I destroyed it."

There was silence afterwards, Ced didn't know what else to say. Was his entire existence just for Forseti's own plans? That was unbelievable! But here he was, telling him that it happened.

Even now, the dragon still went closer toward him, his red eyes glinting with such horrible intent. "Aren't you happy, Ced? You're going to be used for something extraordinary! Silesse will not become a part of Grannvale, but the other way around. And you will be its king."

"I never WANTED to be king!" He screamed, covering his face with his hands. "I never wanted this! I shouldn't even be here!" And with all that anger and frustration finally out, he...broke. "I don't want this. King, prince, royalty. I do not want this."

"And yet? Here you are. You helped me." He smiled, as though to somehow encourage him to continue on with this.

But, Ced had enough of that already.

"No." Ced backed away, a dead expression on his face. "I have had enough."

"Just what do you think you are doing, my son?" Forseti asked, to which Ced shook when he said 'my son.'

"I, Ced Sety Silesse. REFUSE to be part of this any longer! From now on, I will no longer be associated with the Silessian Royal Family!"

Forseti looked at him, eyes widened with surprise, there was a pause, until he broke out into laughter. "Oh, Ced. It simply doesn't work that way, you're a child of the wind." He laughed again, this time back to the malicious one. "Not only that, but you forgot one small thing."

The sage said nothing as he looked at him with disbelief.

"I control you now."

There was a bright green glow as Forseti switched forms. Everything was blinding him again, and everything felt like it was at light speed as the bright green light consumed everything around him.

Once it faded, he couldn't feel his body at all. Everything he could see was a dark void, perhaps darker now than before.

Then, in the midst of all of this, he could hear the wind roaring.

The winds of Forseti.