Arthur could barely keep his eyes open. Stumbling forward. And glimpsing at the dragon. Uther, Morgus, Laura, Lancelot, and Revan all walked forward with him. Making an effort to keep him up. The arms of Athena held him. While Revan and Lancelot supported his weight. The matter of the dead emperor would have to be a matter brought up another time.
"A truly valiant face! Only one a man like you could wear!"
The booming voice of the dragon echoed throughout the labyrinth.
"This grave was not to be tampered with by mortals. I ask that this defiled ground may be left well alone."
Bahamut leaned down and looked into the face of Arthur, his skull about the size of all of them if they were placed sideways on the ground.
"Yes, that face! I like that face…you remind me of a friend. Yes…how cruel fate treats you, my dear friend."
Bahamut shrunk down to something more within the size of an average dragon. Standing on its fours. None of the others were quite sure how to react to the presence of the dragon. But Arthur took a step forward. He knew that dragon. When he played Arcadia, he remembered him, he played a big role in the main story. A keeper of the peace of the world.
Bahamut suddenly summoned an isolated space around the two.
Arthur looked at him. Their eyes met. The dragon seemed to be searching for something within his eyes. But he also seemed to come up short.
"I see. You're not him."
Bahamut laughed for a moment. And Arthur responded.
"Not who…exactly?"
"Im sure you've heard of him before, boy. The man who haunts your very fate. Who defined our age. The herald of the previous cycle. He who bares your name."
Arthur sighed and felt his head. He already had a pounding headache. And all of these situations felt like constant exposition being dumped onto him.
"Alright. Alright. I get it. There's a whole bigger picture, and I'm apart of it. I've understood that for a while. I don't need people telling me the same thing over and over."
Bahamut paused. And then he laughed. His booming laugh echoing throughout the isolated space.
"Very well! Your insolence is admirable, but you are kin. I see you've met my poor sister. Even she did not let me take her from her misery. For that I applaud you."
"Your sister?"
Bahamut nodded.
"Yes. Long ago my sister's children were captured by human mages. She could not find them. So before she was overwhelmed by her own grief, she doomed herself down here, in this terrible place."
"Well…I'm, sorry for your loss."
Bahamut laughed again.
"Life is such a fleeting thing. Though I'm glad she gets to live through you, kinsman."
"Kinsman?"
Bahamut put a clawed talon onto his chin and went silent for a moment.
"A story for another time. I've already rambled on long enough. And I believe it's time to free you from this labyrinth."
"Wait."
Arthur and Bahamut stayed in the isolate space, exchanging unknown words, until the space dispersed. Revan immediately looked towards Arthur. She already knew part of the conversation. She had been given a vision only moments before. And kept to herself. She remained silent as Bahamut spoke and turned to his normal size, his form encompassing the entire room.
"Let us go!"
A golden light enveloped all of them. Except Arthur. Though Revan was the only one to notice, and reached out for him, though she vanished. Along with Bahamut and the rest of them. Teleported back up to the surface. Arthur turned along. Looking at the corpse of the emperor.
"You can't fool me with an empty corpse. Someone who was cut in half usually bleeds."
The air was silent for a few moments. He then heard a slight laugh. As the corpse of the emperor simply vanished. And the emperor stepped out from behind him.
"Perceptive. How long have you known?"
"Since I 'killed' you. It didn't make sense. Even with that power. I shouldn't be able to slice a high ranking saint in half that easily."
"Good, good…smart boy."