Night settled over the Vessels Continent like a held breath.
From the balcony of the high estate Nyk had handed over without hesitation, Rayon stood still, hands in his pockets, gaze unfocused. The city beneath him pulsed with life—voices, movement, ambition—but none of it pulled at him. He wasn't watching the city.
He was listening to the dark.
His shadow lengthened.
Not cast by light.
Chosen.
It peeled away from his feet and stretched across the stone floor like spilled ink given intent. The air cooled. The pressure shifted.
Rayon spoke calmly, as if calling an old friend.
"Beezlebub."
The shadow folded inward.
A small shape stepped out.
A black cat, sleek and elegant, fur swallowing light rather than reflecting it. Its eyes glowed a molten amber, ancient and amused. It sat neatly at Rayon's feet, tail curling once, slow and deliberate.
Nyk raised an eyebrow. "That's him?"
The cat looked up.
Its pupils thinned.
Nyk felt something brush the edge of his mind—an appraisal sharp enough to flay weaker souls.
Then the pressure vanished.
Nyk grinned wider. "Yeah, nah—you cool. I can tell."
Christine crossed her arms, eyes narrowed, but not in fear. In understanding.
"That thing isn't pretending," she said quietly.
Rayon glanced at her. "You can tell."
She nodded once. "Because I'm not ordinary either."
Rayon didn't ask.
He already knew.
He crouched and rested two fingers on Beezlebub's head. The shadows rippled outward in silent acknowledgment.
"Protect them," Rayon said. "Nyk. Christine. Stay close. If something reaches for them—end it."
Beezlebub's tail flicked once.
Agreement.
The cat padded past Rayon and sat beside Nyk's boot, leaning lazily against it as if claiming ownership.
Nyk snorted. "So I got a demon cat now."
The cat's eyes glowed brighter.
Nyk laughed. "Relax, relax. I'm jokin'. You family now."
Christine exhaled slowly.
Rayon straightened and turned to her. "You're a vessel."
She met his gaze without flinching. "Primordial of Continuance. I keep things… going. Bodies. Systems. Stability. I'm not built for war."
Rayon studied her for a long moment. "That will change."
She didn't argue.
Rayon turned back to Nyk. "I'm leaving for a bit. Two days from now, I'll take you both to Azelar."
Nyk's grin sharpened. "The old man you keep hyping up?"
"My mentor," Rayon replied. "If you want to survive what's coming, you'll need discipline."
Christine tilted her head. "And where are you going?"
Rayon's gaze drifted west.
"To see someone," he said. "And to remember how to be… human."
The world shifted as Rayon stepped through darkness and emerged miles away, deep within an ancient forest untouched by cities or law. The air here was heavy with mana—old mana. The kind that didn't need permission to exist.
Trees parted as he walked.
Not forced.
Recognizing.
The ground bore faint scars of ancient flame, patterns that never faded no matter how many seasons passed. Power lingered here like memory.
Rayon entered a clearing.
And stopped.
She stood by a slow-moving river, barefoot in the grass, sunlight catching on silver earrings etched with runes older than most civilizations. Her red hair flowed freely down her back, vivid and alive. Her golden eyes turned toward him, sharp, intelligent, warm.
She wasn't a dragon anymore.
She was a Dragon God.
Her form was unmistakably feminine—curved, powerful, real. Not illusion. Not borrowed. Earned.
She smiled.
"Rayon."
He exhaled softly. "Nexus."
She studied him openly. "You changed."
"So did you," he replied.
She nodded. "I ascended. After you left. The world didn't wait."
Rayon stepped closer. For the first time since becoming the Black Primordial, something unfamiliar stirred in his chest.
Relief.
They spent the day together.
Talking by the river. Sitting beneath ancient trees. Sharing silence that didn't press or demand.
When night came, the forest glowed faintly with embers of mana drifting through the air like fireflies. What passed between them needed no narration—no conquest, no dominance.
Just choice.
Mutual.
When dawn broke, Nexus woke first.
She placed a hand over her stomach.
Then she smiled.
Rayon sensed it instantly and sat up.
"…You're pregnant," he said.
Nexus nodded, calm and certain. "Dragon Gods don't hesitate."
Rayon stared at her, mind uncharacteristically quiet.
He had ended primordials.
Ruled darkness.
But this—
This was unfamiliar territory.
"I don't know how to do this," he said honestly.
Nexus reached for his hand. "You don't need to know. You just need to stay."
Father.
The word echoed, strange and heavy.
Rayon had no memories of parents. No lineage. He had been found, then abandoned—twice—because the world couldn't understand what he was.
And now—
He would be one.
"I'm not kind," he said. "I don't… understand emotions well."
She smiled softly. "Then learn. You have time."
The estate Nyk provided wasn't merely large.
It was fortified.
Layered barriers tuned to Resonance, Darkness, and Primordial Authority. Six primordial vessels answered to Rayon. Nyk controlled the streets. Lawlessness didn't end through fear—it ended through inevitability.
Nexus stood on the balcony in her humanoid form, wind brushing her hair.
"This place is safe," Rayon said.
"For me?" she asked.
"For our child," he corrected.
She smiled.
Word spread quickly.
The Dragon God had chosen the Vessels Continent.
And the continent bowed.
She was named quietly among elites and underworld alike:
Queen of the Vessels Continent.
Not by decree.
By consensus.
She was strong enough to kill a primordial. Strong enough to fight multiple vessels at once. And now—
She was protected by Darkness itself.
Two days passed.
Rayon stood before her as dawn painted the city gold.
"Take care," he said. "I'll be back."
She rested a hand on her stomach. "I know."
He hesitated—then nodded once.
A promise, in his own way.
The portal opened like a curtain pulled aside.
Cold air rushed through.
Stone. Trees. Gravity heavier than memory.
Rayon stepped through first.
Then Nyk.
Then Christine.
They emerged onto the western continent—Isola Krein—land of crushing gravity and ancient silence.
A small hut stood nearby.
An old man sat outside, sipping tea.
He looked up.
Smiled.
"It appears my student has changed," Azelar said.
Rayon smiled back. "Isn't that a good thing?"
Azelar laughed and stood, pulling Rayon into a firm embrace.
"Welcome back," he said.
And for the first time in a long while—
Rayon felt like he had come home.