Marcus…
Towering over him was the very same dragon he had defeated in Lunaas shortly after he arrived in this world.
The horrifying Archdragon of the Abyss, Malthael.
With a look of contempt in his eyes, the dragon reached out his right arm and wrapped his hand firmly around Marcus’s throat.
“You devoured my heart and my soul in the hopes that it would give you strength, wisdom, and power. However, it will only result in the corruption of your body and mind,” he said as he brought Marcus’s face close to his own and stared directly into his eyes.
As Malthael’s hand squeezed even tighter around his neck, even though he could not feel any difficulty in breathing, he could feel the sensation of his spirit weakening. The Arcanence of death magic emanating from the Archdragon’s soul was surging through Marcus’s very being with the threat of destroying him from the inside out.
“I will take your flesh, violate your woman, and burn this planet to ashes. I will use your power to do it as well,” he said in a whispering tone as he kept his fixed stare.
Even with the threat of the Arcanence threatening to take over his body, even after hearing Malthael’s threat of destruction, Marcus couldn’t help but laugh.
The dragon had only just now appeared in his mind and the first thing he thought of doing was making threats.
It was understandable if he was seeking revenge for being killed and having his heart and soul eaten, but something about the way he was acting felt immature.
Even while being held within the dragon’s iron grip, he could not help but find his words darkly humorous.
“I find it funny that you would say such things to me after everything that I had done to you. You threaten to take over my body, to rape Selene, and to destroy this world, but from where I’m standing, its nothing but empty words,” Marcus said while laughing in Malthael’s face.
It really did feel empty.
Looking into the Archdragon’s eyes, he didn’t feel the same level of fear he had felt when he originally fought him.
He wasn’t sure if his lack of fear was due to the fact that he had already beaten Malthael once before or if it was because of how much stronger he had become. Perhaps there was another reason as well.
Malthael’s behavior didn’t seem deliberate and more reactionary. As if the first thing he decided to do when he realized his soul had been eaten by the man who killed him was make threats in an attempt to intimidate Marcus.
A real warrior doesn’t go out of their way to intimidate someone unless they are either unsure of their own victory or if they want to avoid a fight.
Taken aback by this, the Archdragon’s grip loosened and the Arcanence flowing through him fluctuated for a brief moment.
But just as quickly as his act faltered, his anger flared up in response and he tightened his grip even more than before.
Marcus only smiled mockingly in response as he realized he was right. Malthael’s threats were truly empty.
“You laugh off my words as if they are only a jest. What nerve you must have to think you can mock me,” he said angrily.
“What good would it do to take over my body. Any battle fought without the agency of your own flesh would make every fight seem very frustrating wouldn’t it? You are far more used to fighting in your own draconic body. Mine would surely feel very uncomfortable by comparison. Also, what satisfaction would it bring to violate Selene? To make me suffer? How petty and shallow can you be?”
He said those words to further undermine Malthael’s own and shake him up.
“Your words hold little weight to me,” Malthael replied frustrated.
“Ah...but they hold weight nonetheless. Now, while I never would have expected you to resurface after I ate your heart, I am open to figuring out an agreement between us,” Marcus said, to which the dragon tried to laugh off dismissively.
“You think that I will make a deal with the man who killed me? How truly foolish. You are in no position-,” he tried to say but was cut off as something had suddenly changed in Marcus.
The blue hue in his eyes had then changed into blood red to match the red lightning coursing through him.
Marcus then gripped Malthael’s right arm and fed his lightning into it, causing it to stiffen, and the Arcanence to halt its flow. The tightness that he had felt before was more like a weighted blanket rather than someone strangling him with a belt.
“You and I can either settle things nicely, or I can subjugate you right here and now, just like I did before. From how I see things, your mind has just barely recovered enough to form coherent thoughts. You are in no position right now to take over my body, and I am significantly stronger now than when you and I had fought,” Marcus said as he jerked Malthael’s arm away from him and made it go numb.
With surprise clear in Malthael’s eyes, he turned his attention to his arm which had been rendered useless in Marcus’s grasp.
“So you have learned to manifest the God of Wrath’s power…,” he said before he locked eyes with him once again, “No...its more than that…”
“Are you willing to hear my proposal?” Marcus asked.
Gritting his teeth, Malthael answered, “What do you want?”
“I will allow your soul to inhabit my body while having your consciousness exist outside of it in a separate body. If a time comes where I will need to use your strength, you will lend it to me without question. Overall however, you will have the privilege of agency over your own body and only surrender it to my control in case I need it. However, you will not be able to cause any chaos or problems without my permission,” Marcus said with a firm voice.
Malthael glared at him in disgust at the proposal.
“You would have me be reduced to being your pet?!” he spat in anger.
“Perhaps being my slave is preferable to you,” Marcus replied as he wrapped his right hand around Malthael’s throat.
The Archdragon let out a frightened gasp as his entire body went numb, causing him to fall to his knees, powerless and at his mercy.
Marcus then leaned forward and said, “Where I come from, being raised in America, the idea of owning a slave rubs me the wrong way. Its not in good taste. However...I do enjoy the company of cats and dogs every now and then…”
“To think...that I would…serve you…,” Malthael said, struggling to force out the words under the control of the red lightning.
“Say. It. Say that you will agree to the terms that I gave you, invoking the river Styx in your complete sincerity and agreement with the deal. Otherwise, I will just rip apart your psyche and take your power by force,” Marcus said in an aggressive tone.
Malthael, who was forced to kneel in front of him, forced out his words as he asked, “What do you hope to gain by subjugating my power for yourself?”
“For the same reason I decided to eat your heart. Wisdom and power. Perhaps with you at my side, I can gain some further understanding of my place in this world.”
Marcus then brought his face closer to the dragon’s and said, “Besides, wouldn’t you appreciate having another chance to enjoy the thrill of battle, if not from my perspective? After all, that was the whole reason you made that deal with Jiroh, wasn’t it?”
Malthael’s eyes narrowed.
“But you...you killed my dragon body. There is no physical form for me to return to aside from your own flesh. Otherwise, what would be the point?”
“I’ll figure something out, so long as you behave and don’t cause any issues.”
Malthael gritted his teeth in frustration and anger but conceded as he said, “I...swear upon the Styx that...I will serve you.”
A cold chilling feeling rushed through them both before passing as suddenly as it had appeared.
With that, Marcus was satisfied and let go of Malthael who remained on his knees as he looked up at him.
“I guess since you’ll be harboring my body, you’ll know when I figure something out for your new body,” he said.
Malthael did not respond.
“You can voice your opinions if you want Malthael. I’m not going to get on your case if you say something.”
“I care little for how long it takes for you to grant me a new body. I am just thinking about the ease of how you were able to eat my soul and assimilate it to your own without exploding,” he said.
Curious, Marcus asked, “What do you mean by that? Are you saying that under normal circumstances, I should not have been able to eat your soul without dying?”
“‘Under normal circumstances’, yes. I know of only one other person who had eaten the heart of an Archdragon. I believe you have already seen that woman, and even seen her in your dreams,” he said.
“You mean, Reyna?”
“Yes. She ate the heart and soul of my brother Lafael and crafted a spear from his femur bone. She was only able to after eating tens of thousands of hearts from lesser dragons, strengthening her body as a vessel for Lafael’s power before slaying him and eating his heart too. She was a human as well before she underwent such a drastic process,” he explained.
He then got into a sitting position as he continued, “Even for someone with your heritage, I guess I should not be too surprised at the ease of how you were able to eat my soul. Though perhaps it is because my human form had been killed by that bastard Dean Smith which had made it difficult for my strength to recover after being brought back to life. Having my dragon form killed as well must have weakened me even further, but I doubt it will take long before my soul returns to its true strength.”
“Your ‘true strength’? How powerful were you in your prime?” Marcus asked curiously.
“What is the name of the fourth planet from the Sun in the Terran universe?” Malthael asked.
Confused, Marcus answered, “Mars, why?”
“That planet used to hold life,” Malthael said.
“What happened to…,” Marcus was about to ask but looking at the smirk on Malthael’s face told him everything he needed to know.
Malthael wasn’t just strong, he was a planet killer.
“And Reyna fought, killed, and devoured the heart of your brother Lafael? Was he as powerful as you?”
As if his pride had been wounded, Malthael snapped back in response, “Of course not! I was the stronger one between the two of us. However, it is no exaggeration to say that Lafael could cleave a planet in two if he wanted. He could have easily fought on the level of an Ophanim angel if he wanted to, and perhaps one of the Seraphim. And yet, Reyna killed him on her own with the combined might of tens of thousands of dragons and all of their power coursing through her. If I had fought her during that time, I doubt I would lose, but even I wouldn’t come out of that battle without being dismembered.”
“I’ll keep that in mind then,” Marcus said before he could feel himself start to wake up.
“Try to keep quiet while I’m awake and talking to people. I don’t want you chiming in while I’m in a conversation,” he ordered, to which Malthael frowned but said nothing.
Whatever then…
His eyes flew open just as daylight started pouring out. He squinted his eyes and sat up in bed as he remembered where he was. He then turned around and was startled to find Selene sleeping in bed next to him until he remembered that they were both still on a date.
“We really should have gotten two beds…,” he mumbled.
He then pulled the blanket and sheet off of him and ended up jostling Selene awake. She groaned in annoyance as the light shined on her face before she started tensing her arms as if stretching herself awake.
She yawned and had crust over her eyelids which kept her from seeing clearly. After rubbing her eyes clean of the crust in her eyes, she blinked rapidly as she tried to get used to the light in the room.
She then turned to look at him as she just noticed him in the room.
“Marcus…? Why are you in my room?” she asked sleepily.
She then looked down at the bed and realized that he had just crawled out of the bed that they were both in together.
She paused for a moment, as if waiting for her brain to process the information before her eyes widened.
“W-w-why are you in my bed?!” she yelped nervously as she backed away from him.
He raised an eyebrow as he watched her reaction but said nothing as he decided to wait until she figured it out.
She then looked down at herself and realized she was sleeping in just her button up shirt and underwear and pulled the sheets around herself to further cover herself up.
She then looked out through the window and asked, “Wait, where the hell are we again?”
“The city of Alken in Forrosa,” he answered.
At first, her expression was that of someone who was freaked out about not remembering how they got there until she paused, rubbed her fingers against her temples, and it seemed to pop into her head.
“Oh! Right! You brought me here for a date…,” she said as the realization finally hit her that, not only were they on a date together but it ended with them sleeping in the same bed together and her sleeping in a shirt and underwear.
She then turned her head to look at Marcus and asked, “W-we didn’t...do anything last night, did we?”
“Like what? Sex? No. Also, we really should have gotten a second bed to avoid this situation,” he said.
“Why didn’t we?!” Selene asked.
“I asked you if you wanted me to find a second bed but you said no. Although, I guess you were a bit loopy. I probably should have gone looking anyway but I was tired too.”
Selene then reached around her, grabbed the pillow that she was sleeping with, and hugged it tight to her chest while burying her face in it in embarrassment.
Marcus smiled at her adorable reactions and stood up.
“Come on, we should get dressed and ready for Azazel to bring us back,” he said and she moaned her agreement through the pillow.
After they had finished getting themselves ready to go back, Marcus asked her, “Did you have fun?”
Still having embarrassment written all over her face, she looked away before answering, “I...I did. I had fun.”
Hearing that, he smiled.
Not long after, he called Azazel to their room and the two of them were taken back to Duranell before anyone even knew that they were gone.
Ruvick…
He was relaxing at the cafe drinking his usual cup of coffee while reading a nice erotic romance novel for once when he felt Marcus and Selene return from who knows where. He shrugged his shoulders before returning to his book.
However, just as it was about to get interesting, Gomori walked up next to him wearing a maid’s uniform and carrying a pot of coffee.
“Would you like me to refill your coffee?” she asked as her hollowed eye sockets filled with yellow light for eyes bore down on him.
He smiled in response as he answered, “Oh! Yes, please.”
He held his cup out to her and she poured it for him.
“Thank you very much,” he said as he took a quick sip before setting it back down.
Gomori then leaned her body over him as if to try and figure out what he was reading.
She then smirked and a hint of a giggle left her mouth as she said, “I never would have pegged you for someone liked that form of literature.”
“I wanted to try something new,” he said.
She tried to return to her neutral expression as she stood straight, “Of course. Nothing wrong with that.”
She stood in silence while he read a few more pages.
Once he was satisfied with finishing a chapter, he set the book down and said, “It won’t be long before its your turn to fight. I’m sure you are aware of the importance of your fight against that man Julian, correct?”
“Do you wish for me to defeat him?” she asked.
In response to her question, he wasn’t sure how to answer. On the one hand, he had promised Marcus that he would keep Julian away from him and his family but at the same time, he felt that having Julian meet him in the semi-finals would be better for Marcus’s growth.
“I can’t give you a full answer. I’ll leave it up to you on how to handle him,” he said and she bowed her head to him.
He then finished his coffee and paid for it before the two of them made their way back to his home.
“I take it that you are going to get some rest now?” she asked as she took his coat.
“Yes. Hopefully I’ll gain some insight in my dreams too.”