"Some silences are heavier than battles."
Night fell quietly over Dra'thiel.
Outside the inn, torchlight flickered against the red-stone streets. The air had settled again, but everyone could still feel that earlier pressure lingering — as if the very mana of the realm was still whispering Asura's name.
Inside, the adventurers had retreated to their rooms.
Mary and Lucilla shared one. The room was simple — a double bed, one candle, and the faint scent of iron and lavender from the towels the innkeeper provided.
Lucilla sat by the window, looking out at the dim horizon. Her hands rested on her knees, claws tapping anxiously.
Mary, brushing her hair, noticed.
"You're thinking about him again," Mary said softly.
Lucilla frowned, not denying it. "That power he used… it wasn't just killing intent. It was something else. It felt like he pulled the weight of the world down with him."
Mary stopped brushing. "You think that was his true strength?"
Lucilla hesitated. "...I don't know. But it scared me. Not because of how strong he is — but because I felt like, for a second, he wasn't Asura. Like something inside him was wide awake."
She sighed, running a hand through her hair. "And now he's in another room. How am I supposed to watch over him?"
Mary smiled faintly. "By trusting him. If that really was his true power, then the last thing he needs is a babysitter."
Lucilla turned, pouting just a little. "You sound too calm about this."
Mary grinned, pulling the blanket over herself. "I'm not calm. I just hide it better."
✦ Boys' Room Banter
Across the hall, things were far less serious.
Asura and Rhazor shared a room — slightly bigger, with two beds and a small mana lamp flickering above them.
Rhazor was lying upside down on his bed, tail swishing lazily.
"Can't believe you're not sandwiched between the two beauties right now."
Asura looked up from where he was adjusting his robe. "...Excuse me?"
"Don't act dense." Rhazor grinned. "If it were me and I had a chance to share a room with Miss Music Magic and the vampire maid, I'd already be snoring between 'em by now."
Asura rolled his eyes. "Wow. Real smooth. I'm sure that'll work on your next dungeon boss."
Rhazor laughed. "C'mon, you don't got any interest?"
Asura smiled playfully. "Oh, I'm interested — mostly in sleeping. Without a dragon tail slapping my face in the middle of the night."
Rhazor blinked. "Hey, that happened once!"
"And I'm traumatized for life."
Rhazor grumbled something under his breath, making Asura laugh. For a brief moment, everything felt normal again — just two boys, no gods, no destiny, no titles.
But beneath that laughter, Asura's mind was heavy. He could feel the faint ache in his chest — a tremor that had nothing to do with battle.
✦ The Joke and the Silence
Up above, the inn was quiet.
Rhazor had already fallen asleep, snoring lightly.
Asura lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, hands behind his head.
He opened his menu softly, his tone gentle.
"Hey… System? You okay?"
No reply.
The interface flickered faintly — blank for once.
He sighed, switching languages to the one they'd shared in their other world — Japanese.
It wasn't meant for secrecy; it was habit. Something that felt like home.
"Come on, System," he whispered in that tongue. "You can't just go quiet on me now."
Still nothing.
He smiled faintly to himself. "Fine. Then I'll tell you a joke. You always laughed at this one."
He cleared his throat.
"Why did the slime refuse to fight the dragon?"
A long pause.
Then faintly —
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …why? ]
"Because it didn't have the guts."
There was silence. Then —
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …pffft… that's so bad. ]
Asura chuckled. "And yet you still laughed."
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : I couldn't help it. You always told dumb jokes like that. ]
Her words softened, but then it trembled.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …I'm sorry. ]
"For what?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : For not being strong enough then. ]
Asura frowned slightly. "Them?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : The bullies. The ones from before. They said terrible things. And I tried to ignore them like you told me to. But the teachers didn't help… the principal didn't care. And when they came back, it wasn't just words anymore. I… I broke, Nii-chan. ]
The air felt colder suddenly.
Asura sat up slowly, the memory of her old voice filling his chest — not the digital words of his system, but the trembling voice of a little sister who'd suffered alone.
He took a slow breath.
"I see…"
Then quietly, in that same language, he said:
"I'm not mad. Why would I be?"
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : But I let them win— ]
"No," he cut in gently. "It's my fault."
Silence.
"I'm your big brother. I was supposed to protect you. But instead, I was stuck in my own fantasy — chasing a dream I knew wasn't real, while you were fighting your battles alone."
He looked down, his golden eyes dim in the lamplight.
"I'm sorry, Mary."
The interface flickered — faint static, like a heartbeat skipping.
For the first time in ages, the text window glitched.
Lines froze mid-sentence. Symbols warped.
Then, just one trembling line appeared.
[ ＳＹＳＴＥＭ : …you said my name. ]
Asura smiled softly, whispering in the same language.
"Yeah. Guess I did."
The window flickered once more — no words this time, just a small, warm pulse of light that lingered near his hand like a ghostly touch.
The Aetherborn, listening from afar, said nothing for once.
Whether it was respect or disinterest, even Asura couldn't tell.
But for the first time since meeting it, the world itself felt quiet.
✦ The Brother's Promise
Asura lay back, the faint glow fading from the air.
"Next time," he whispered, "I'll protect you — no matter what world we're in."
There was no response. Just a quiet hum, like the echo of a heartbeat far far away not gone but still remembered.
Outside, the wind rustled through the crimson trees.
And somewhere deep within the Abyss, the Shattered Titan stirred again —
its curiosity beginning to outweigh its caution.