Serendipity (Veldora x TBATE)

"I am Veldora, the Storm Dragon. In every moment, I am fully and completely myself. There is no void within me to be filled by others."

-Veldora, Chapter 5, Serendipity.

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It's unmistakable. In order to acknowledge my own desires, I warped my usual self. Veldora is alone, tragic, and destructive—that's how everyone saw me. A dragon and a natural disaster that can't be fought. Rather than acknowledging me as a being, as a life, they saw me as anything but.

Good for nothing, Velzard's cold voice resonated in my head. You always think you're invincible, don't you? A True Dragon above it all, yet here you are. You better hope your next self turns out better, or history will just repeat itself. It always does, Veldora. I could almost see her icy blue eyes, narrowing at me, judging me from a place I never thought I could reach.

Poor thing, Velgrynd's voice followed, softer yes, but no less piercing. It only stung more. You've always been reckless, Veldora. Impulsive. But it's undeniably your fault. You can't blame anyone else this time. Do better. We're dragons, we're gods, and we don't get to make the same mistakes over and over. But after this game ends… her voice softened, taking on an almost gentle tone as he caressed my scales, we'll journey across the stars together—you and I, as brother and sister.

There is beauty in ephemerality, Veldora, the final voice, Veldanava's, added. Life is fleeting, even for beings like us. It's all a matter of perspective. What is it that truly fascinates that insatiable curiosity of yours? What drives you to continue, even when the world seems so determined to misunderstand you?

The voices in my head vanished and in came the voices from my surroundings.

How trustworthy are these asuras, even?! And what do we do about the dwarves?!

If this asuran general is as good as he says he is, then can't we leave everything up to him? It's the least he can do for killing the dwarven royalty, am I right?

No, he is merely an adviser. His presence is to make sure that no asura participates in the war. He has the freedom to act otherwise. Besides, he did us a favor by killing those wretches.

Why don't you use that brain of yours and try to think of the bigger picture? How many manpower will we lose if the dwarves do not cooperate with the death of their king and queen!?

I open my eyes and for the first time since arriving in this world, I let out a tiny bit of my suppressed aura. The council members—kings and queens of the three kingdoms—piped down as I did so from their argument.

Searching for someone to blame is such a pain, I thought, my gaze sweeping over the five council members. My expression made it clear—I had no patience for their petty squabbles.

It had only been a few days since Adam's death, and though I wasn't obligated to attend, Virion had invited me to this council meeting to hear them out. I relented, curious to see what they had to say. That's when I learned of the dwarven king and queen's murder at the hands of an Asura—legendary deities in the eyes of Dicathen's mortals.

Asura, I mused, recalling the phoenix Asura I had encountered in the Beast Glades. I scoffed at the memory. Are they all like Chul?

I couldn't stand it anymore. The incessant bickering, the blame-shifting, the desperate grasping at straws. These mortals, these so-called rulers, were so consumed by their own agendas that they couldn't see the larger picture.

I rose from my seat, startling the council members, as I turned on my heel and made for the door.

"You're all a bunch of pathetic insects," I spat. I didn't bother to look back—I didn't need to. Their expressions of shock, outrage, and fear were all too predictable.

I walked out of the council chamber and into the grand hall as the doors slammed shut behind me. I was pissed, but more than that, disappointed. They were all so small, so insignificant, and I couldn't help but wonder why I had even bothered to listen to them in the first place.

I needed to be anywhere but here.

But on the way, I came across someone weird. The presence felt familiar, but otherwise different. He looked old, but more than that, strong. Too strong for anything I've ever seen in this world, in fact, even more so than the lances—and even that asuran phoenix, Chul.

He stood poised, with his hands elegantly placed behind his straight back. Both of his eyes were closed, bringing further emphasis on a third unblinking eye in his forehead that glowed a radiant purple. He must be the asuran general everyone talked about earlier. Aldir, was it?

Whereas I was on my way out of the meeting chamber, this man was on his way to it. We neared each other with each passing step, not sparing a glance to one other. We passed each other harmlessly, and everything was mundane after that.

I exited the castle, and with a flash of thought, I was gone, soaring through the sky.

...…

...

…

I materialized in the middle of Xyrus' city streets and the cool night air brushed against my face. I flew straight from the floating castle to the floating city without stop. Without even realizing it, I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, the small flame casting a brief, warm glow before fading away.

It's a habit I've come to like.

I took a puff, letting the smoke fill my lungs, then slowly exhaled, watching the thin, wispy trails dissipate into the night. It was a small, fleeting comfort—a distraction, really—but one I found myself indulging in more often lately.

I wandered into the night without purpose, and the city blurred before me in a haze of muted lights and distant incoherent voices. I turned down to a narrow street, and a smooth voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Care for some company, handsome?"

I glanced over and saw a woman standing and leaning on a wall opposite of mine. She was a woman with dark, flowing hair, and mischievous eyes. She was seductive, voluptuous, and wrapped in a dress that clung to her curves in all the right places.

I'd brush her off as another prostitute inviting me into bed, but no, this one felt different. There's something weird—and familiar—about her. Whatever the reason, I found myself nodding.

"Why not," I replied with a grin.

She smiled, a slow, knowing smile, and stepped closer. "Good choice," she said as she linked her arm with mine. "Come, let's take a walk."

We began to stroll the deserted city streets, now quiet as the late hours crept closer to midnight. The city felt distant, almost dreamlike. The woman walked and matched my pace. We didn't speak at first, and the silence between us was only filled by the soft clatter of our footsteps on the pavements.

"I'm Veldora," I said after a while. "And this is a night I never thought I'd be having."

She looked at me, curious. "Is that so?" she mused with a playful yet somehow serious tone. "And yet, here you are, walking with a stranger in the dead of night. What is it you're seeking, Veldora? Or perhaps it's not something you can even name."

I exhaled another puff of smoke, watching it drift into the night sky.

"Perhaps," I muttered as I looked at the city's lights blurring in the distance. "Perhaps I'm seeking nothing at all. Or maybe I'm just tired of being who everyone thinks I am."

This is not me, I swore to myself in the back of my mind, in denial of whatever tomfoolery was happening to me. This is very unlike me.

Her hand tightened slightly around my arm.

"So, you're married," she said with a casual yet… expectant tone.

I glanced at her, a faint smirk tugging at the corner of my lips. "No," I replied simply, not offering any more than that.

She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "I'm not buying it. You… have a girlfriend, then."

Again, I shook my head. "No."

She paused, her lips curving into a sly smile. "Gay?"

"No," I answered, somewhat amused.

She sighed dramatically, her hand lightly brushing against my arm as she leaned in a bit closer. "So, tell me, Veldora," she said, her voice dropping to a low, almost sultry tone. "How come a man as attractive, confident… diffident in the most seductive way, and powerful… is all alone in this world?"

I could feel her eyes on me, probing, searching for the truth I hadn't yet shared. I stopped walking, turning to face her fully. The dim light from a nearby street light cast shadows across her face, highlighting her sharp jaw and the softness of her lips.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head.

"It ain't that simple," I said with a steady voice. "It's about what I am—what I represent. And it isolates you, not because you want it to, but because others can't understand it. They see everything else save for the person behind it."

She watched me intently with an unreadable expression, but her eyes softened ever so slightly. "So, you choose to stay alone?"

"Not exactly, no," I replied, once again putting on my confident smile and boisterous tone. "But I've accepted it. The world isn't kind to those who stand at the top. It's easier to be feared, to be distant. Safer. No attachments, no expectations, no one to disappoint."

She was silent for a moment, her eyes tinged with something I couldn't quite place—pity, perhaps. Then, she took a step closer, closing the distance between us. Her hand reached out, lightly resting on my chest, over where my heart would be.

"But that's not living, Veldora," she whispered, her voice so soft it was almost a breath. "It's surviving. And a man like you… deserves more than just survival."

Her words unsettled me. Was I not living? I stared down at her, searching her eyes for any hint of deception, but all I found was sincerity, a genuine concern that was both disarming and confusing. Why, though? She doesn't know me, and neither do I know her.

"Deserve, huh?" I replied with a bitter voice as I stepped back. "Maybe. But in the end, it doesn't matter. I have all the time in the world."

She didn't move, didn't try to reach out again. Instead, she nodded slowly. Her eyes never left mine.

There was a silence between us and I felt the familiar urge to push her away, to shut down this conversation before it went any further. But I stayed, anyways.

"And what about you?" I finally asked, my voice low. "Why are you out here, wandering the streets at night, questioning a stranger?

Her smile returned, softer now but somewhat melancholic. "Maybe I'm just looking for answers too," she said, almost to herself. "Or maybe, I'm just as lost as you are, Veldora."

For a moment, we just stood there, two beings caught in a world that neither fully belonged to. I sighed, finally deciding to voice my thoughts. "So? What's an asura like you doing here of all places?"

She looked at me with a dumbfounded face for a while. Then, with a soft exhale, she turned away, her arm slipping from its wrap around my own. She glanced back at me with a mischievous and playful smile.

"That's a secret."

~🐉~

I never got to know her name, Veldora thought as he hovered above Darv—the domain of the dwarves at the southern parts of Dicathen. The woman she met was mysterious, oddly charming, and frustratingly sexy. Veldora shook his head to shake off the lingering thoughts.

That last smile—a knowing and hot curve of her lips—especially, was so charming that it rendered him stunned. The sight of it still played in his mind, over and over. Before he knew it, she was gone. Well, he did notice and see her leave, but he let her go anyways. It was then that the ants he was observing finally moved.

Down below the clouds, and in the desert, were multiple humans. But no, they're not the humans Veldora had grown accustomed to in this continent, no, and neither were they dwarves.

Alacryans.

They were drawing something in the ground and were tinkering with devices unfamiliar to Veldora. But analyzing it with from where he hovered using his unique skill, Veldora knew it was a way to bring forces to this continent unannounced.

So, that's why Virion's worried… these punks are far more advanced.

Veldora smirked in excitement at the thought of his time as warlord finally beginning. The war is coming, and he'll be written as a legend forevermore.

Then, Veldora began his magic.

The humans down below, oblivious to the eye of the god of storms boring down on them, continued their work. The first drop of rain fell, landing on one of the men's cheeks. He wiped it away absently, not thinking much of it at first. But then more drops followed, increasing in number and intensity until it became a full-fledged downpour.

"This is the desert," one of them muttered, clearly suspicious. "How is there rain?!"

Then, dark clouds formed up above. All the Alacryans looked up. "What's that?" Questioned one of them. There was a dot in the sky, but on closer look, it was a person hovering. It was Veldora.

"Retrea—!" The man didn't get to finish his words as a massive vaporizing thunderclap descended and split the sky open, connecting the heavens and earth. The descent created a volatile blast of electrical force that disintegrated everyone.

The desert was once again silent, save for the faint hiss of steam rising from the scorched earth. Veldora hovered above the scene, his eyes scanning the ground below for any sign of life. There was none. He had obliterated them completely.

Not a soul remained.