Serendipity (Veldora x TBATE)

"It's imperative," Veldora's voice echoed in the silent chamber of the Council's meeting room. Gauging each of the members' reaction, Veldora continued; "It's weird, and unlike anything I've seen from them. It's clear these Retainers and Scythes are bred and produced differently."

He finished as he held up what he had in his hand while smiling provocatively. They were the two horns of Uto, shining an ominous obsidian black glint.

"T-That's a retainer's…?" The human king said, a Glayder as far as Veldora knew, but he couldn't remember the man's name. Veldora looked at him for a while before dismissing him entirely.

"And frankly," Veldora added. "Your lances ain't got no chance against them, much less the scythes. Let that sink in."

"What was that?" The elven king, who Veldora didn't bother to remember, voiced his offense.

"I said what I said," Veldora replied, still smiling at them in a mocking way. "Your forces are too weak. And watchu gonna do about it?"

The elven king clenched his fist as his wife, the queen, tried to comfort her husband by caressing his arm. It didn't do that much. Frankly, everyone aside from Commander Virion and General Aldir was offended by Veldora's remark.

"It's the truth, and if you're that much of a pussy as to deny it instead of adjusting, then the sooner you step down from your positions the better." Veldora turned around, not paying heed to the shouts of accusations from the royalties behind him.

"Those horns. Give it to us." It was the lance Bairon who spoke up.

Veldora turned his head around with a scary smile. "Hah? And what makes you think I'll listen to a mere lackey?"

Bairon clenched his fist, but he tried his best to hide it. "For research purposes."

Veldora just eyed Bairon for a moment, before shrugging arrogantly. In a mocking tone, he said, "Nah. I don't think you're sufficiently qualified to handle this."

He then played with the horns in the air, as if to add insult to the injury. Bairon gritted his teeth in annoyance. With that, Veldora left the chamber, but not before he heard Aldir's words.

"Veldora."

He stopped short just before the door fully closed.

"Arthur Leywin will soon be returning."

Who's that again?

~🐉~

"Hahh…"

I released a deep sigh after hours of meditation in the depths of the Beast Glades, the place where I found comfort in. After all, it was the only place that could remind me of my home—the Jura Forest. I got up and dusted my black slacks and put on my black polo shirt. I then attached my cape to my shoulders as I headed on my way.

Arts—both of martial arts and practical applications of my skills or magic. I've been spending time learning about them, practicing and training. After all, I finally found a reason to become stronger, and I wasn't sure how I hadn't thought of it until recently.

I wanted to beat my sisters.

That's right. My obnoxious, awfully prideful sisters. Why can't they be humble and modest as I?

About one of the arts, I had taken inspiration from lance Varay's combat techniques. Forming elemental weapons. It was easy, of course, to form constructs from mended dark flames and lightning until they took on solid shape.

The problem was that they behaved like anti-matter. Immediately after formation, they would explode as soon as the electric and magnetic fields that hold the elements in a near-perfect vacuum vanishe. The slightest collision of my magicules with the surrounding mana particles was enough to trigger a cascade of reactions—volatile ones.

But through diligent practice, I finally learned it. I didn't actually learn the technique because I thought it'd be useful, I just did so because it looked cool. I imagined himself nonchalantly standing over the sky with gigantic spears appearing from the heavens, crackling with otherworldly nuclear force.

It was a sensational vision

Back to the point. I stretched my limbs and eyed behind me to a rock at the shade of a tree.

"Would you shut it up? You're so bad at it that it's not even funny."

"Oh, shush. I'm getting the hang of it," came the reply from a feminine voice.

"I really don't understand your weird hobbies, Victoria," I replied.

This was the woman I had met in the night streets of Xyrus two years ago. The woman I had grown fond of—to a certain friendly extent. She'd frequently come to the continent of Dicathen despite being an asura—more often than not without permission—and to my surprise, she always finds me.

It doesn't matter where I was. I could be in the far end of the continent exploring, and she'd appear behind me as if she journeyed through the seven seas. Victoria didn't reply and just went back to her piano-playing. A piano, brought by this woman into the middle of the Beast Glades. Just great.

I ignored her and continued stretching my limbs—more out of habit than anything as I pulled a cigarette from my pocket. I lit it up with a spark of dark flame and a swirling puff of smoke rose up into the air as I heaved a breath.

I recalled a certain conversation with Virion as we watched the capital city of Sapin below the floating castle situated above its clouds just last night.

"What drives you, Veldora?" It was a question that caught me off-guard. I mean, wasn't it obvious from the start?

"Fun," I replied, frankly skeptical despite claiming I was sure of it.

Virion looked at me funny, and I kind of pitied the old man. He was smart, strong-willed, and above all, he never lost his way despite everything that fell upon his shoulders. The burdens he carried for his family, his kingdom, his race, and his continent.

It took me a long moment to shoot back my own question. "And what about you? It's not just some sense of duty, right?"

"…My granddaughter. She's already growing up strong, and soon, she won't be needing me to guide her anymore."

"Isn't that, like, perfect? Is that not the point of raising them?"

Virion chuckled at this as if me not understanding it was funny. "Yeah. But you can't help but feel… sentimental about it. Watching them from when they first took their first breath, then observing them to take their first step. At some point, before you knew it, they won't be needing your hand anymore. And that's good and all, but it… stings. I don't really know how to best describe it."

"I get the point."

"I'm sure you do. You asked me what drives me, right?" Virion looked at me funny as he said this. "I want Tessia to once again see the light of our continent in peace. To watch the sun rise from her academy, with maybe that brat Arthur by his side. I'd happily dig my own grave if I see it with my own two eyes. Tessia, happy and fully grown with her life."

Our talk really made me wonder. "What does it feel like to have a child?"

The sound of a violent and nonsensical string of sounds from the piano entered my ears, making me cringe visibly. "Hey?! What's the big deal!?" I shouted to Victoria as I looked at her.

It was then that I realized I muttered my words out loud. How shameful, embarrassing even I wanted to snap her out of it, but she just looked at me, quite dumbfounded. No, she was flabbergasted, as if she just heard she won the lottery.

"W-What?" I asked, somewhat stuttering from the unusual behavior of this… friend of mine.

She smiled mischievously. It was the kind of smile that could probably make any man overflow with lust—probably to the point where their dicks burst. Her cheeks were flushed with a reddish pink tint and her eyes narrowed seductively, her pupils turning heart-shaped. She put her finger over her lustrous and moist lips as she tilted her head to reveal the slightly brownish skin of her neck, flawless and spotless—and above all, overwhelmingly sexy. As she leaned over a little, I could see her perfectly sculpted breasts framed by her bold black bra over her low cut black shirt.

The chirping of a bird—distorted, though—snapped me back to the present. It was a bird yes, but one the size of a fully grown mango tree. It flew straight to me, attempting to puncture me with its sharp beak. But I simply sent a ball of black plasma on its way, and it dissolved into dusts.

I couldn't take my eyes off of Victoria.

Dayum, I thought. She was scorching hot. She might even be better than the hero who sealed me. What can I say? As a wise man once said, there's unique beauty in ebony.

"Did I just hear you right, Veldora? You, thinking about having kids? My, my."

I felt a flush creep up my neck, but I tried to play it cool. "It was just a thought, nothing more."

Victoria's grin widened, and she leaned in, her tone teasing. "Oh, really? I can see it now. You, trying to be a responsible dad, chasing after little Veldoras. How cute!"

I cleared my throat, trying to ignore the heat rising in my cheeks. "Let's get going. I'll show you around a nearby camp. It's not like you're here all the time."

As I turned to lead the way, Victoria fell in step beside me. "You know, Veldora, if you ever do decide to have kids, I'd be more than happy to help. After all, someone's got to keep you in check."

I almost stumbled at her boldness, but quickly regained my composure. "In your dreams, Victoria," I muttered, though the corners of my mouth twitched in a reluctant smile.

~🐉~

Victoria was confused.

Veldora never understood her, but it was she who never understood Veldora. It always seemed like the man had fluctuating personalities—either inconsistent or really complex. But she chose to believe it was the latter. Her first impression of him was a very prideful man, too cocky for his own good, in fact.

And because of that, he didn't take anything seriously.

He exists in his own plane, observing the world from the eyes of a being she couldn't wrap her head around. Veldora thought himself atop the world, and for the most part, she was led to believe he was right in thinking that way. Frankly, there's an unmistakable aura around Veldora. It's not the type of aura that radiates one's power, no, it's more like an interpersonal charm.

It wasn't easy thinking Veldora was one of the strongest. I mean, he's an idiot—Victoria thought. Her uncle, Kezess Indrath, the lord of the asuras, exists after all. It was hard to believe anyone was stronger than that psychopath, is what she believed.

But Veldora is undeniably, irrevocably, strong.

But now, two years later, Veldora felt different that Victoria reminisced their first meetings. He's childish, yes, that much hasn't changed. But he had undeniably matured. She once saw him go into battle and slaughter everyone—Dicatheans and Alacryans alike—and he didn't care!

Just which side is he? —Victoria wondered.

But now, he seemed to have understood—even if only a little—that his actions have consequences. And said consequences are just that much more severe due to his status as a Warlord and the overwhelming power he possessed.

It must be the lessers' commander, Virion, who influenced him as such.

Victoria knew Veldora harbored a deep respect for the commander of the lessers. Well, even Aldir respected Virion, so it was not hard to see just how capable the old elf was.

There was a certain time during their two years friendship where Victoria and Veldora did not meet. She missed him, in all honesty. It was only a year—probably a fleeting day in the eyes of beings as long lived as her, but it nevertheless stung.

She found herself very comfortable around Veldora's overly relaxed, adventurous, and nonchalant attitude, and she hated that anyone else gets to see this side of Veldora. He thought of her as a fool—a brat that possesses too much power for his own good.

But no! Veldora's smart—probably smarter than even herself. It was a wound to her pride when she competed with Veldora in assessing the strategy of a particularly large assault force from Alacrya during one of her visits, and Veldora won.

It wounded her pride to think that this excitable, easygoing, socially awkward battle freak was smarter than her and stronger than her!

But she loved him for hardly being bothered by anything.

Victoria knew Veldora isn't human. That was the reason she was interested in him in the first place, back when she first saw him puff out a smoke in a dimly lit alleyway as she strolled away from Windsom, a companion of his in retrieving the wonder boy whose name she forgot.

And now, during another of her unauthorized and unannounced visit, she heard him say, "What does it feel like to have a child?"

Victoria was so shocked that she ended up smashing the piano with too much force, sending incoherent and unpleasant sounds across the woods. But Victoria didn't care. She felt her heartbeat hasten as her face felt hot.

She felt her breath grow heavy in heat as sweat poured down from her forehead, tracing her flawless face and dropping methodically down into the gap of her breasts.