Chapter 3: Disciple
“Dragon King!” the little girl exclaimed, bowing down before them.
“Err... Could you lift your head first?” Rio said, calling out to the girl nervously.
“I-I wouldn’t dare! I couldn’t do such a discourtesy to you...”
The girl kept her head lowered in absolute obedience. Rio was troubled with how to respond, a disconcerted look on his face.
“You...can tell I’m the Dragon King?” he asked.
“Yes! The Dragon King is the only person in this world who can summon me! I can feel the connection between us! Your appearance may have changed, but I’m sure there’s a reason for that...” the girl declared without hesitation, her head still bowed low.
“I see... But could you please lift your head after all? How about we all sit down?”
“I-Is it really okay?”
“Of course. I’m the one asking you. Please get up.”
Seeing such a little girl lying flat in submission was rather stressful on the mind. Rio immediately offered her a hand up.
“Th-Thank you very much!” The little girl fearfully raised her head, accepting Rio’s hand in delight. After she stood up and let go of him, she stared at her own hand with sparkling eyes. It was the reaction of someone who had just shaken hands with their favorite celebrity.
This girl is the Dragon King’s disciple, right...? Rio thought as he watched her awkwardly.
“R-Right, how about you sit down over there...” he started, inviting her to sit down when he noticed her staring at Aishia dubiously. “Is something the matter?” he asked.
“I-I can sense that woman’s aura coming from her,” she said glumly, pointing to Aishia.
“Who?”
“The Wise God Lina!” the girl huffed indignantly.
“You can tell that as well?”
“Why is she here?!”
For some reason, the girl pouted sullenly. Sensing that something serious was wrong, Rio hesitantly asked for clarification. “U-Umm... What do you mean?”
“Were you with this woman for the last thousand years?”
“No... First of all, she isn’t Lina.”
“Huh?”
“And I’m not the Dragon King.”
“WHAT?!”
“To be precise, I don’t have any memories of the Dragon King...”
“M-Memories? What?” The girl blinked in shock. “You mean you don’t remember me?!”
“Yeah...” Rio nodded, unable to lie to her.
“That can’t be...” Tears welled in the girl’s eyes. If she was truly the Dragon King’s disciple, then there was no way she was as old as she looked. She had to be over a thousand years old.
However, she didn’t look a day over ten years old, and the way she was on the verge of bursting into tears made her seem even younger.
“Umm... Sorry.” Rio bowed his head out of guilt.
“Ah... N-No! Please raise your head! That’s not what I meant! I’m sorry I lost my composure!” the girl gasped, bobbing her head up and down in a fluster.
“No, I’m sure we’re both just as confused,” Rio said to reassure her. “Why don’t you take a seat now?”
“E-Excuse me!” The girl finally sat down as suggested.
“Are you okay with cold tea?”
“Y-Yes, gladly! Thank you!” the girl replied meekly.
“Dissolvo.” Rio reached into the Time-Space Cache to take out a metal tumbler and snacks. “Here you go,” he said, offering the tea to the girl.
“Th-Thank you very much! That’s a pretty container...” The girl nervously stuttered her gratitude, then gazed at the metal cup in amazement. The metal tumbler was a dwarf-made product that could keep drinks cold, so Rio often made use of it.
“Here you go. Help yourself to the snacks.”
“Okay...” The girl accepted the tumbler with both hands and took a sip of the tea. “Wow, it’s nice!”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“The snacks are delicious too!”
“Take as many as you want.” Rio smiled at the sight of the girl happily munching away.
I assumed she’d been alive since the Dragon King’s time, but perhaps she’s much younger than that?
He wondered to himself.
“Here, use this.” Aishia offered the girl a damp tea towel to wipe her mouth.
“Thank you...” The girl happily wiped at her mouth. But she soon realized how childishly she was acting and blushed in embarrassment. “Umm! Forget that!”
“Then let’s start with introductions, shall we?” Rio suggested kindly.
“R-Right!”
“I’m Rio. I was born and raised in the Strahl region, but my parents came from the Karasuki Kingdom in Yagumo. I’m almost seventeen years old.”
“Master Rio...”
The little girl’s eyes widened. She called Rio’s name slowly, as though to process it.
Rio introduced Aishia next. “This is Aishia. She’s a humanoid spirit created by the Wise God Lina, and she has a contract established with me.”
“Aishia... Hmm...” The girl gazed at Aishia warily. She seemed to have rather complex feelings towards Lina. Sensing that—
“She’s inherited part of Lina’s memories, but Aishia and Lina are different people,” Rio added in warning.
“Okay...”
“Aishia only regained Lina’s memories today. That was when she told me I was the reincarnation of the Dragon King...” Rio explained while he watched the girl’s reactions. Would she believe he had been reborn?
“So the Dragon King reincarnated,” the girl said with a conflicted frown.
Rio’s eyes widened in surprise. “You believe me.”
“I would never doubt the Dragon King!”
“R-Right.”
“Besides, Lina said the Seven Wise Gods were researching such things.”
“Have you met Lina before?”
“Yes. She’s the one who dragged the Dragon King to the Divine War. He ended the war, but the connection between us cut off at the same time... Until today, that is.”
Was it because she was looking back on the past? Or was it because she was overwhelmed by the emotions of a thousand years without the Dragon King? Either way, tears slowly welled in the girl’s adorable eyes.
“I see...” Rio replied quietly, feeling sympathy for her.
“So the Dragon King died after all.”
“...”
It was easy to confirm that fact, but he didn’t want to be the one to trigger the flow of tears threatening to fall at any moment. Rio held his tongue with a pained look.
“I-It’s okay! I’m not crying!” she sobbed. She wanted to know the truth. It was clear she was crying, but she insisted against it and wiped her tears away.
That was enough to convince Rio. “He died right after the war. And now, one thousand years later, his soul is in my body...or something...”
“And you don’t have memories of the past.”
“Yeah... The Dragon King is the past life of my past life, so while I have memories of my past life, there’s nothing left of the Dragon King.”
“The Dragon King reincarnated not once, but twice?”
“Yup. The first reincarnation happened in a different world from here, and I never remembered anything to do with the Dragon King there.”
The girl pouted unhappily. “But you have memories of your reincarnation this time? Isn’t that strange? Why is it only the Dragon King’s memories...”
“Indeed, I also find it strange that I have memories of my past life, but nothing of the Dragon King.”
Rio had the same questions as the girl, and turned to look at Aishia in case she had an answer.
Aishia replied by relying on Lina’s knowledge. “When people of this world move to another world—be it through reincarnation or teleportation—they’ll lose their memories. Lina didn’t know the exact details behind this, but it was probably another one of the god’s rules.”
“I see...”
“If anyone arrives from outside this world, they’ll still retain their memories. But this doesn’t apply to residents of this world who leave and come back again. They’re not considered a resident of the outside world, so they can’t keep their memories.”
“So that’s why I’ve lost my memories as Dragon King... But Aishia still regained her memories as Lina. Why is that?”
“Th-That’s right! How come you can remember? Did you find some kind of exception to the rule?!” The girl immediately latched onto Rio’s question and pressed Aishia for an answer. She seemed to believe there was hope for Rio to regain his memories as the Dragon King.
“That, I don’t know... The rule should have applied when I left the world with the Dragon King’s soul. That’s why I had no memories for a long time.”
The girl was desperate. “Please figure out why! There’s got to be a loophole!”
“The memories I have as Lina aren’t actually my memories. They’re not memories I experience in person, but knowledge that was copied. Perhaps that’s why?” Aishia guessed, sounding somewhat unsure.
“That’s not the reason! That woman must have found a loophole—I just know it! She must have known how to break god’s rules.”
“You can break them...?” Rio asked with widened eyes.
“The Seven Wise Gods were researching ways to slip past the god’s rules. I know they found a way to at least soften the effects.”
As soon as she said that, the girl chanted Dissolvo. She appeared to possess a magic artifact similar to Rio’s Time-Space Cache—there was a bracelet on her arm that looked different from Rio’s armband. She took out a mask from within the space.
“What’s this mask for?”
“A spare of the mask that the Dragon King and Lina wore a thousand years ago. Wearing this will weaken the effects of the rules applied on the transcendent ones.”
“Does an item like that exist?” Rio gulped.
“Not to my knowledge.”
The item was unfamiliar to Aishia as well. Her memories as Lina were incomplete, after all.
But the item was a ray of light to Rio. “So if I wear this, the effects of memory loss will weaken?” he asked hopefully.
“The transcendent one involved will evade memory loss, but the wide-scale memory-wiping effect of using transcendent powers is unavoidable.”
“I see...”
It seemed things wouldn’t work out so easily.
“Transcendent ones mustn’t provide support for the interests of an individual or group, even if that support doesn’t involve their power. Transcendent ones must only move for the benefit of everyone. There are other rules that are affected, but these are the main ones this mask will soften.”
“So if I wear this, I’ll be able to use my strength to fight for others and help them?”
“There’s a time limit involved, but yes. This item is imperfect and degrades upon use. The mask has to take the constant burden of the rule, and it eventually breaks under that weight.”
“How many masks are there?”
“Five.”
“Mass-producing them...”
“Is impossible. At least for me. These were created by Lina, so the only chance of making more would be through Lina...” The girl looked at Aishia.
“I don’t know how to make them,” she said apologetically, shaking her head.
“Which means the Dragon King can only fight for someone else’s sake five times. I will leave all the masks with you.” The girl uttered the discharge spell and placed the remaining four masks on the table.
“Are you sure...?”
“Of course. They belong to the Dragon King.”
“Thank you...” Rio picked up one of the masks.
“The masks will automatically fix in place when you put it on. They won’t come off unless the wearer orders them to come off—or unless they break first.”
“I see...”
Rio tentatively held the mask against his face. Then, like the little girl described, it fixed to his face without budging. There had to be some kind of sorcery behind it, but there was no discomfort from wearing it. His vision was also clear.
“You should hold onto one as well, Aishia.”
“All right.”
“How come...?” the girl asked in confusion, seeing Rio hand Aishia a mask.
“I can only use the Dragon King’s transcendent powers when I’m assimilated with Aishia. That’s why she’s recognized as a transcendent one as well.”
The girl leaned forward in shock. “Huh?! The Dragon King assimilated with a spirit?! With this woman here?!”
“I have what’s called a spirit bond with Aishia. As a human, I can’t endure the burden of using transcendent powers... That’s why I have to be assimilated with Aishia to become more like a spirit. Does that make sense?” Rio explained to the girl hesitantly.
“W-Well...” The girl pouted and glared at Aishia.
“Come to think of it—does this mask have any effects on nontranscendents?” Rio asked, using the question that just popped into his mind to change the topic.
“It can hide the aura of species with spirit bodies... The effect was designed for disciples with spirit bodies, so it naturally works on spirits too. It should be able to hide the ridiculously conspicuous spirit aura flowing from that woman.”
“So an effect like that exists... All the more reason for Aishia to wear one, then.”
“I’ll try it on.” Aishia picked up a mask and held it up to her face. The mask affixed itself like it did with Rio.
“Well?” she asked, wondering whether her aura had been hidden.
“I can’t detect spirit presences to begin with.”
“Don’t worry. It’s been hidden properly,” the little girl answered in Rio’s place.
“That’s good. Does it look okay?” Aishia asked, tilting her head.
“Yeah, it suits you well.”
“Thank you. Now we match.”
The girl pouted in envy at Rio and Aishia’s casual exchange. “Hmph!”
Sensing her gaze, Rio turned his attention back to her. “Umm, come to think of it, we haven’t asked for your name yet. Sorry about that—will you tell us your name?”
For a brief moment, a sad look flashed across the girl’s face. “I’m... Sora...” she murmured.
“Sora? That’s a lovely name.”
“Thank you... The Dragon King gave it to me. I’m very proud of it.”
She was particularly fond of her name, which was why she was all the more upset to hear the reincarnation of the Dragon King had forgotten it. However, hearing Rio compliment her name had helped the smile return to her face.
“I see... It’s nice to meet you, Sora.”
“It’s nice to meet you again, Dragon King!” Sora giggled happily. This was probably her true and frank self.
“I’m not used to being called by the title of Dragon King, so I’d prefer it if you called me Rio,” Rio asked a little awkwardly.
“I-I couldn’t dare to do such a thing...!”
Sora flattened herself on the table in submission.
“But...” Rio was about to say something, but decided to change the subject instead. “Err, speaking of which, what was the Dragon King’s name?”
“His name was Master Ryuo...”
“Wait, isn’t that...” Rio’s eyes widened. He had heard that name before—it was the name of the legendary figure that Hayate, Gouki’s inspector son, had spoken of when visiting the village in Karasuki Kingdom while Rio was there.
“Did you remember something?”
“No, but I’ve heard of the name before, when I was in the Karasuki Kingdom in Yagumo. He was the legendary warrior that drove back the demon army that infiltrated the Yagumo region...”
“Ah, I was the one who spread that legend,” Sora said offhandedly.
“Huh?!” Rio was rather shocked. He was meeting the origin of an age-long legend in a way he never would have expected. His surprise was only natural.
“I couldn’t forgive the people who were living their carefree lives after criticizing the Dragon King. They even had the nerve to forget him! That’s why I educated the king of the kingdom and spread the legend,” Sora huffed proudly.
“Aha ha... Well, that makes sense. I heard there was someone who was together with Ryuo—who fought together with him. That must have been the Wise God Lina, right?”
Setting aside how Sora could have educated the king at the time, Rio recalled the details of the legend and compared it with what he’d just found out about the transcendent ones. However...
“Oh, that’s...” Sora started as though to point out a mistake.
“Hm? Was I wrong?”
“N-No, you’re right!” she squeaked.
I-I can’t correct him and say it was me! But at this rate, he’ll think that woman had a special relationship with the Dragon King...! Sora groaned at her inner turmoil.
“Along with you,” Rio added.
“Huh?”
“You helped the Dragon King too, didn’t you? That’s why I’ll say it in his place: thank you.”
“I-It was nothing! The Dragon King already praised me for it back then!” Sora stuttered, ducking her head to hide her blush.
“But that makes you much older than me, right? Would you rather I addressed you with more respect... Like Lady Sora?” While he didn’t want to touch upon the subject of a woman’s age, Rio suspected Sora was over a thousand years older than him. Instead of pondering whether it was all right to continue treating her like a child, he decided to outright ask about it.
“N-No, I don’t want that! The Dragon King is my eternal master and guardian!”
“A-Are you sure?” Rio was astounded by the force with which she spoke.
“Yes! Besides, my physical and mental growth stopped developing from the moment I became a disciple of the Dragon King. That’s why the years I’ve lived don’t matter! Please treat me like a follower! A-And preferably like your own child... A-Ah, no, I mean I don’t mind if you treat me like a child!” Embarrassed at how she blurted out everything in her chest one go, Sora’s voice cracked.
“Yup, okay... Then, Sora it is.” There were a few curious points she’d mentioned in her rush of words, but Rio chose not to touch upon any of it for now.
“Right!” Sora rejoiced with an elated grin. She seemed nothing like a thousand-year-old being like this—she was just a child. It wasn’t that hard to believe her mental growth had been halted like she claimed.
“I was also wondering... What species are you, Sora? You look just like a human...”
She was capable of sensing spirit presences that humans couldn’t detect, and she had been alive since the Divine War. The way the development of her mind and body had frozen after she became the Dragon King’s disciple was also curious, so Rio asked after her species.
“Sora used to be a human. After the Dragon King adopted Sora, she became a disciple.”
Now that they had spoken for a bit and introduced themselves, Sora seemed less nervous. Once she relaxed, she started referring to herself in third person—this was probably her natural state.
“Humans...can become the disciples of transcendent ones?” Rio asked, surprised.
“Sora did.”
“Disciples are the only ones who are unaffected by the forced memory erasure of using transcendent powers, right? Will turning someone into a disciple bring back their forgotten memories?” What Rio was most curious about was whether there was a way for everyone to regain their memories.
“Sora hasn’t seen any precedents, so she doesn’t know. But it might be possible...?”
“Do you know how disciples are selected?”
“The Dragon King chooses who becomes his disciples. He says he can choose whom he wants as his disciples.”
“Did the Dragon King have other disciples, then?”
“No, Sora was his only disciple. He actually said that having many disciples was unfavorable.”
“Why is that?”
“Because god made a rule about it. A transcendent one is only allowed up to three disciples.”
“That god again, huh...” Rio sighed. It seemed like that god had a lot of apprehensions about the transcendent ones having contact with the world.
“Like the transcendent ones, disciples become removed from the laws of the world. As Sora said earlier, Sora’s mind and body stopped growing. Becoming a disciple also means that the words of the master are absolute. Any relations to family will also be cut off. That’s why one must choose their disciples carefully—is what the Dragon King said.”
“I see... Yeah, that makes sense. I agree with that. So how did the Dragon King end up choosing you, Sora?” Rio’s understanding of disciples had still been lacking. That’s why hearing things from another point of view helped him see the light. At the same time, he became curious as to how Sora ended up as the Dragon King’s disciple.
“Sora was born roughly one thousand and five hundred years ago. The Dragon King saved the dying Sora and made her into a disciple.”
“I see... That must have brought up bad memories. Sorry for asking.”
“Not at all! It’s all thanks to the Dragon King that Sora’s here now! Ask whatever you want to know!”
“In that case... Can you tell me how to make someone a disciple, and what kind of changes happen once you become one?”
From Sora’s explanation, Rio could make two more people into his disciples. While he wasn’t thinking of doing that to anyone right now, it was a matter that heavily concerned him—so it wouldn’t hurt to know more about it.
“The Dragon King said it’s done by sharing the transcendent one’s flesh or blood with someone. Sora drank his blood to become a disciple.”
“I-I see. Flesh or blood...”
“As for the changes that happen afterwards, disciples are heavily influenced by their transcendent master. Sora was also impacted by this. Watch...”
After saying that much, Sora suddenly got to her feet. Then, her seemingly ordinary human head and body grew horns and a tail.
“Huh...?”
Rio blinked and stared.
“Sora isn’t a human, but a dragonkin. On top of a physical body, Sora now has a spirit body too. This is what happens when Sora materializes part of that spirit body on top of the material body. Fully materializing the spirit body will result in becoming a dragon.” Disciples of the Dragon King gain the ability to transform into dragons. That was why he was the King of Dragons.
“She began emitting a strong aura, but it’s different from a spirit’s presence,” Aishia pointed out with wide eyes.
“It’s the special presence of an incarnated spirit body.”
“Does that mean the Dragon King could turn into a dragon as well?”
“That’s right. The main body of a human is the physical body. The main body of a spirit is their spirit body. But draconians use their physical body as their main body and spirit body as a secondary body. The Dragon King was a draconian, and so is his disciple.”
“I thought dragons existed in this world... I know demi-dragons do, at least.”
“A long time ago, the Dragon King gave his blessing to a certain species. That species became the demi-dragons. But their main body is their physical body, and they can’t turn into humanoid forms.”
“What do you mean by blessing...?” Rio asked, unfamiliar with the new term.
“Hmm... It’s different from creating a disciple, but the Dragon King can bestow his traits onto others—and the trait that he granted them is magic-resistant skin. Sora’s dragon sections also become invulnerable to magic attacks when materialized. Oh, and elves, dwarves, and werebeasts received the blessing of the upper high rank spirits, so they have exceptionally high aptitude for spirit arts.”
“Wow...” It was all fascinating information to Rio. “I have armor made of Black Wyvern leather, which means I killed the species that the past life of my past life blessed... Although it was done out of self-defense, it’s a little...” However, his feelings about that were rather conflicted.
“Demi-dragons are capable of detecting the presence of the superior draconians, so it’s impossible for them to attack the Dragon King on an instinctual level. But Sora couldn’t detect the connection with the Dragon King until today either, so they probably attacked you unknowingly. Don’t worry about it! They deserve the worst death possible for daring to attack the Dragon King.” Sora dismissed his concerns ruthlessly, placing her respect for the Dragon King above all else.
“Th-That’s a little extreme.”
“The demi-dragon world is survival of the fittest. They’ve killed plenty of others in order to feed themselves, so they should be prepared for their own death when attacking another. There’s no need for you to lose sleep over it, Dragon King. You’re too kind.”
Not wanting to see Rio so worried, Sora puffed up her cheeks to make her point firmly.
“Right, I guess that makes sense. I’ll just have to accept it.” He had no choice but to kill, so he killed. That was that.
“Back to the changes that happen after becoming a disciple. As you know already, the body and mind stop aging. But on top of that, disciples are provided with a near-infinite supply of magic essence as long as their master’s alive. They are bound to obey the orders of their master and can be forcefully summoned at their master’s will. They will always know their master’s location, and they can summon their master to them with their master’s consent. Apart from that, all rules that apply to their master get applied to the disciple, so any memories the master forgets, the disciple will forget as well... And that’s about it,” Sora said, counting off each point on her hand as she went through.
“There’s a lot of information to sort through there, but what do you mean by being bound to obey orders?”
“Orders that are given with the master’s magic essence within them will have absolute control over the disciple’s will. This is apparently a measure to ensure disciples don’t go against the wills of the transcendent ones.”
“That sounds rather dangerous... I’ll have to be careful.”
“The Dragon King from a thousand years ago also detested that power, so he never gave Sora any orders. Whenever he wanted something, he would say it like a request,” Sora said, clearly pleased with how Rio’s words just now had reminded her of the former Dragon King. It made Rio realize just how much she adored the Dragon King.
“I see... There’s a lot more I want to ask, but the conversation has dragged on for a while. Are you tired?”
“Sora’s fine!”
“Shall we chat a little more, then?”
Sora beamed, eager to talk more. “Gladly!”
“That being said, where should I even start...” Rio said, resuming the conversation. “Oh, that’s right. I called you here kind of suddenly, but will you have any trouble returning to your original location? I was talking with Aishia and she mentioned disciples, so I tried summoning you on a whim... I’m sorry for causing you such inconvenience.”
“No, it isn’t an inconvenience at all!”
“Umm, we’re in a place called the Galarc Kingdom right now—it’s located in the Strahl region. Where were you before?”
“The mountain range between the Wilderness and the Yagumo region.”
“That’s far... Well, it’d only take a second if you teleported, but do you have a teleport crystal on you?”
“Y-Yes, but... Is it better for Sora to leave...?” Sora looked up at Rio with the anxious eyes of a lost child.
“Of course, you’re more than welcome to stay...”
“Yes! Please! Sora wants to stay with the Dragon King! Sora’s waited a thousand years! A thousand years for the Dragon King to return! So please...!” Sora pleaded frantically, as though she had been told to leave.
“But if you’re going to stay here, you’ll probably need to prepare your belongings. I don’t mind if you return first to get them.”
“Sora prepared everything the moment she felt the Dragon King’s connection!”
“I-I see...”
With that, Rio had nothing left to say. Except...
“However, I’m not the Dragon King, okay? The Dragon King you knew is dead. I don’t have any memories of him, so I can’t act like the person you once knew. I may do things he would never do. I might end up making you sad because of that. Will you be prepared for that?” Rio asked firmly.
It seemed that Sora had a tendency to see him as the Dragon King of one thousand years ago. Rio had hesitated over saying such words so clearly, but in the end, he couldn’t act as someone he didn’t even know.
He might have been able to please her by attempting to act like the Dragon King, but creating a relationship in such a way felt too insincere. That was the kind of man Rio was, after all.
“Master Rio and Master Ryuo are indeed different people... But Sora was together with the Dragon King for hundreds of years, so she can tell. Even though the Dragon King died, even though he lost his memories... He’s still the Dragon King. The revived connection between us proves that,” Sora declared with absolute certainty.
“You think so...?”
But Rio still seemed unsure. Would he be able to handle this utmost faith she directed towards him? He couldn’t say for sure, which is why...
“There’s one thing I’d like to ask—or rather, one thing I’d like to make clear from the beginning,” he said.
“Yes...?”
“I barely know anything about you. You don’t know anything about my current self either. If you stay together with me, you may find that some of the things I do will deviate from your expectations.”
“W-Will Sora be annoying to have around?” Sora asked worriedly.
“That’s not what I mean. I just want you to know that just because I’m the reincarnation of the Dragon King doesn’t mean you have to obey me blindly. Your life belongs to you. Being a disciple doesn’t mean you have to be restricted by a reincarnation. I don’t want my existence to be your curse. If you ever have a change of heart, I want you to tell me without restraint. You should live how you wish.”
Rio conveyed the feelings in his heart directly to Sora.
I’d like you to live your life as you wish.
However, those words miraculously overlapped with the words Ryuo once said to Sora. And so, Sora’s face crumpled. In the next moment, she burst into tears.
“W-Waaah...!”
Teardrops overflowed from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks like rain.
“H-Huh?” Rio was taken aback by the sudden breakdown. “Sorry, did I say something wrong?”
“N-No! That’s not it! S-Sorry! Master Ryuo said the same thing a thousand years ago, so Sora just remembered that, and— Waaah!”
The dam on a thousand years of loneliness burst, and Sora began wailing like a child.
“Haruto. No, Rio,” Aishia called. It was rare for her to call Rio by that name over Haruto.
Rio was a little surprised. “Yes?”
“Give Sora a hug and soothe her. This child has wished for that for the last thousand years.”
Rio nodded quietly. “Okay,” he said, then stood up and moved over to where Sora was seated across from him. He gently wrapped his arms around her.
“Dragon King... Waaah!”
Sora clung to him like a lost child who had finally found their parent, wailing even harder than before.
“I’m sorry, Sora. I was thinking too deeply into things,” he said, patting her back soothingly. “Will you live together with me?”
He lent his chest for her to cry on until her tears dried up.
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