The moment Eternal Dominion withdrew, the world remembered how to breathe.
Air rushed back into the room like a tide returning after a divine command had been lifted. The walls of the guest parlor—untouched, unbroken—stood as proof of something far more terrifying than destruction.
Absolute control.
Guy Crimson fell back into his chair, gasping, his body already forcing regeneration upon itself. Blood slid from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth, staining the polished wood beneath him. His breathing was ragged—not from injury alone, but from something far worse.
Fear.
Not the fear of death.
The fear of being erased.
Velzard did not move.
She sat perfectly still, hands resting on her lap, eyes unfocused—not because she was calm, but because her understanding of reality had fractured.
How… is this possible…
Her thoughts spiraled, silent and frantic.
A True Dragon… bound. Not restrained. Not suppressed.
Acknowledged—and overridden.
She had felt Atem's presence not as pressure alone, but as authority. The kind that did not compete with power, because it existed before power was defined.
Only Big Brother… only Veldanava ever—
Her breath caught.
No.
Even he explained things to us.
Her gaze drifted to Atem's back.
This man does not explain. He decides.
Rain and Misery remained frozen where they stood, their bodies trembling despite themselves.
Rain's thoughts raced, sharp and painfully clear.
So this is sovereignty.
Not strength. Not hierarchy.
Finality.
Misery swallowed hard, her demonic instincts screaming in useless protest.
We are not targets.
We are… allowed to exist.
Behind Atem, Diablo was shaking with delight.
His lips curved into something close to reverence.
Yes… yes… this is it.
This is the being I chose.
Benimaru stood rigid, eyes wide, sword forgotten at his side.
So this is why…
Why he never feared battle.
Why armies never mattered.
Shion's hands were clenched so tightly they bled.
I raised my voice to him once…
If he had wanted…
Shuna swayed, barely conscious, her heart pounding as if it might break.
How can someone carry this… and still choose mercy?
Atem turned slowly.
The room followed him without realizing it.
His voice was calm.
"Sit," he said.
And Guy Crimson obeyed immediately.
No hesitation.
No pride.
No argument.
Guy forced himself upright, hands trembling. He did not look at Atem directly—not out of defiance, but because he could not.
"I'm… sorry," Guy said hoarsely. "I never intended to use you as a pawn. This… this game started long before you came to this world."
Atem regarded him with eyes that held no heat—only judgment.
"You played games with lives," Atem said.
"You interfered with Eterna's affairs."
"You assumed I would tolerate it."
Each word landed heavier than the last.
Guy swallowed.
"I was wrong."
Velzard's eyes widened slightly.
He apologized.
Guy Crimson… apologized.
Atem continued.
"I have no interest in your rivalry," he said flatly. "Nor in Rudra's delusions."
Guy flinched at the name.
"This ends," Atem said. "Now."
Guy bowed his head deeply—lower than Velzard had ever seen him bow to anyone.
"I will go to Rudra," he said immediately. "I will end it."
Atem's gaze sharpened.
"You have three days."
The room seemed to contract around the number.
"If this 'game' continues," Atem said, his voice unwavering,
"I will erase you, Rudra, and anything that stands in my way."
No threat.
No emotion.
A declaration.
Solarys' voice echoed softly in Atem's mind.
«Master… restraint acknowledged.»
Atem exhaled once.
The last remnants of Eternal Dominion faded completely.
Only then did Velzard realize she could move again.
Her fingers trembled.
How strong… can he be…
Her thoughts raced uncontrollably.
He bound me. Guy. Two Primordials.
Without effort.
Without damage.
Her heart pounded.
Veldanava…
Is this what you saw when you looked at the future?
Guy rose slowly, healing complete, but something inside him permanently altered.
"I won't fail," he said quietly.
Atem turned away.
"This meeting is over."
No one argued.
No one moved until he left.
Only when the doors closed behind Atem did the room finally collapse into stunned silence.
Diablo laughed softly, hands clasped.
"Ah… magnificent."
Benimaru finally exhaled.
"…I couldn't even speak."
Shion sank into a chair, shaking.
Shuna leaned against the wall, tears slipping free.
Velzard stared at the empty space where Atem had stood.
A king…
No.
A sovereign.
He turned his back on them—on Guy Crimson, on two Primordial Demons, on a True Dragon—and walked toward the exit without another word. No lingering threat. No dramatic flourish.
He did not need one.
The door closed behind him.
The sound was soft.
Final.
For several seconds, no one moved.
Guy Crimson exhaled slowly, only now realizing he had been holding his breath. His body still remembered the pressure—no, not pressure—judgment. Something deeper than power had brushed against his soul, measured it, and found it… wanting.
"…Tch."
Guy stood.
There was no argument to be made. No pride to salvage here. Atem had not dismissed him as an equal or a rival.
He had dismissed him as finished.
"Let's go," Guy said quietly.
Rain moved instantly.
Misery followed without hesitation.
Both Primordials felt it—the invisible line they were not permitted to cross. Not fear in the simple sense, but instinct. The kind that tells a being older than history that this place is no longer safe for you.
Rain's thoughts churned as she walked.
We stood before him… and were bound.
Not restrained by force—by inevitability.
Misery said nothing, but her fingers trembled slightly at her side.
I have never felt my soul touched like that.
Guy reached the door.
Then—
Velzard spoke.
"…Wait."
Her voice was quiet.
Too quiet.
Guy stopped mid-step and turned sharply.
Velzard had not moved.
She was still seated.
Her hands rested neatly in her lap, posture perfect—but her eyes were distant, unfocused, as if she were staring at something only she could see.
"Velzard?" Guy frowned. "We're leaving."
Rain froze.
Misery's eyes widened a fraction.
Velzard slowly lifted her gaze.
"I… am not."
The room felt colder.
Not from her power—she wasn't releasing any—but from the weight of what she had just said.
Guy stared at her.
"…You serious?"
Velzard nodded once.
"I wish to stay."
Guy's expression darkened. "This isn't—"
"I know," she interrupted gently.
Her voice carried no defiance. Only certainty.
Rain's thoughts screamed.
She's staying? After that?
Misery felt something far worse than fear.
She wants answers.
Velzard finally stood.
For the first time since entering Eterna, her composure cracked—just slightly. Her fingers clenched, then relaxed.
I was bound, she thought.
Me.
Velzard. Frost Dragon. The strongest of my kind.
Her chest tightened.
Only one being has ever done that.
Veldanava.
Her brother.
Her creator.
Her king.
She looked toward the door Atem had exited through.
That presence… that authority…
It was the same.
Not identical.
But comparable.
Guy read the look in her eyes and felt something unpleasant twist in his chest.
"…You're choosing this?" he asked quietly.
Velzard nodded again.
"I need to understand," she said. "And… I believe he will allow it."
Rain swallowed hard.
She's right.
Misery clenched her fists.
He allowed us to leave. That alone says everything.
Guy clicked his tongue, frustrated—but not angry.
"…Fine."
He turned to Rain and Misery.
"We're going."
They bowed instinctively—not to Guy.
To the room.
To the space Atem had claimed and left behind.
Rain's thoughts lingered as she stepped through the doorway.
To think… a being exists who can make Guy Crimson leave first.
Misery felt the same chill.
And a True Dragon choose to stay.
The door closed behind them.
Velzard remained alone.
The tea had gone cold.
She did not touch it.
Instead, she placed a hand lightly over her chest, feeling the echo still lingering there—faint, but undeniable.
Her lips parted in a whisper meant for no one.
"…How strong… are you really, Atem of Eterna?"
Outside the room, somewhere deeper within the city—
Atem did not slow.
But for the first time since arriving in this world—
A True Dragon was walking toward him not as an equal…
…but as a witness seeking truth.