Chương 328: Seven Sages, Seven Stories

Atherius remained frozen in an awkward stance, his expression caught somewhere between dignified composure and complete embarrassment. Slowly, he lowered his gaze and looked himself up and down. His transformation had vanished entirely, leaving behind no trace of the scales, wings, or horns that had moments earlier marked him as a dragon. Unfortunately, it had also taken every shred of his clothing with it. The silence that followed was almost painful.

Yuki had long since doubled over laughing, Callum was doing everything in his power to stare at literally anything except the ancient sage, Evelyn hid her face behind one hand while her shoulders trembled with suppressed laughter, and even Ceasar, whose composure was usually almost machine-like, could only pinch the bridge of his nose with a long, exhausted sigh. Atherius closed his eyes for a moment before exhaling.

"... Right." He took a slow breath, then suddenly raised his voice loud enough for it to echo across the mountainside.

"Hunter! Would you mind bringing me another scout uniform?" Several dozen meters away, Hunter reacted.

"Y-Yes!" Without the slightest hesitation, he broke into a sprint. His hurried footsteps struck the uneven stone in an awkward rhythm, each stride just unsteady enough to suggest he was perpetually one misstep away from falling. At the same time, one hand dug frantically through the satchel slung over his shoulder, searching for what Atherius had requested while somehow trying to maintain his balance.

"There it is..." At last he pulled free a small onyx cube no larger than the palm of his hand. Unlike ordinary equipment, its surfaces were impossibly smooth, every edge engraved with silver runes that shimmered faintly beneath the valley's dim light.

"I found-" His concentration slipped. His eyes lingered on the cube for one second too long. His foot caught a loose stone.

"... Ah." Hunter pitched forward without the slightest dignity, landing face-first against the mountainside. The impact echoed across the valley as the cube flew spinning from his hand, tumbling wildly through the air. Atherius sighed.

"... Of course." He stepped forward with practiced calm and caught the spinning cube against his chest just before it could shatter against the rocks. The instant it made contact, the device unfolded. Streams of black fabric erupted outward, wrapping around his body with mechanical precision before settling into a long scout's coat reinforced with dark leather armor, silver buckles, and sturdy travel gear clearly designed for months of wilderness exploration.

He glanced down once, adjusted one sleeve almost absentmindedly, then gave a satisfied nod.

"Much better." Only then did he kneel beside Hunter, who still lay face-down exactly where gravity had stripped away the last remnants of his dignity. Extending a hand, Atherius smiled gently.

"Need some help?" Hunter looked up hesitantly, his face already flushed bright red with embarrassment.

"... Thank you." Before he could accept the offered hand, another voice sliced sharply through the moment.

"Seriously?" The horned woman approached with her arms folded across her chest, wearing an expression of open amusement.

"Can you not manage a single run without tripping over your own feet?" Hunter lowered his eyes. Whatever confidence he had displayed only moments earlier disappeared. He quietly accepted Atherius's hand and allowed himself to be pulled upright, never once meeting anyone else's gaze. Atherius's smile vanished. He turned slowly toward the woman.

"Enough." His voice remained calm, yet every word carried unmistakable authority.

"He's a man who has endured more suffering than either of us ever have. He deserves a little patience." The woman merely tilted her head before a mocking smile spread across her face.

"A man?" she repeated with a quiet laugh.

"Do you actually believe that?" She stepped closer, her eyes never leaving Atherius.

"The great hero who failed to save anyone... still pretending people are simply people." Her attention shifted toward Hunter.

"Him?" She pointed directly at him.

"An ordinary man?" She slowly shook her head.

"No."

"He's Fate's chosen consort."

"There is nothing ordinary about him." This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. With deliberate, unhurried steps, she circled Hunter as though examining some priceless artifact rather than a living person.

"He isn't a man. He's a tool. A living key. A weapon we're using to reach our destination." Atherius's fists tightened until the leather of his gloves creaked beneath the pressure. Without warning, he crossed the distance between them in a single stride. His hand landed firmly upon her shoulder as dark talons extended from his fingertips, puncturing fabric and skin just deeply enough for crimson droplets to form. His eyes became frighteningly cold.

"Take one more step toward him..." His voice was barely louder than a whisper.

"... and I'll remind you exactly why history once called me a god." The woman's grin only widened.

"A god?" She reached toward her belt and slowly drew a narrow crimson dagger, lazily spinning it between her fingers as though the threat amused her.

"Oh..."

"... have you forgotten?" Her smile sharpened.

"They used to call me the Devil." The atmosphere changed. The air itself became suffocating. Hunter stepped backward while the others tensed without thinking. Even the wind seemed reluctant to move, as though nature itself understood how catastrophic the next moment could become. Then a lone figure calmly stepped between them. Callum. He said nothing at first.

His polished ivory armor reflected the afternoon sunlight while strands of golden hair swayed gently in the breeze, completely at odds with the suffocating tension surrounding him. Quietly, he placed one hand against Atherius's chest and the other against the woman's shoulder. Neither gesture carried any force.

"That's enough." His voice remained steady and composed.

"We came here to save your friend..."

"... not to watch you destroy each other." Atherius lowered his gaze toward the hand resting against his chest. Something unreadable flickered across his eyes before his claws slowly withdrew and the tension drained from his body. His expression softened, and the last traces of his draconic features faded as he returned completely to his human appearance.

"... You're right." He bowed his head slightly.

"My apologies. My companion and I have... an unresolved rivalry." A faint smile touched his lips.

"It tends to become rather confrontational." He finally met Callum's eyes.

"... Thank you." Callum smiled back.

"It wasn't anything special."

"I just don't think fighting among ourselves helps anyone." For a brief moment, Atherius genuinely smiled. It was not the polite smile of a guide trying to reassure his companions, nor the amused grin of a seasoned warrior entertained by an unexpected turn of events. It was simply the quiet, sincere smile of someone who appreciated what he had just witnessed. Callum then turned toward Hunter. The dark-haired man stood several paces away, his eyes fixed silently on the ground as though avoiding everyone around him.

After a brief hesitation, Callum took a step closer.

"... Hey." Hunter slowly looked up.

"My name's Callum," he said with an easy smile, extending his hand.

"It's nice to finally meet you." Hunter froze. His gaze lingered on the offered handshake, studying it in silence for several long moments before he slowly shook his head.

"... I'm sorry," he whispered.

"It's better if I stay away." Without offering another explanation, he turned around and quietly disappeared between the surrounding rocks. Callum watched him leave before glancing back toward Atherius.

"... What's wrong with him?" Atherius's smile faded as he followed Hunter's retreating silhouette with his eyes.

"... His ability." Callum frowned.

"What about it?" For several moments, Atherius remained silent, carefully choosing his words before finally answering.

"Most abilities are simply powers. Hunter's..." He paused briefly.

"... is alive."

"... Alive?" Atherius nodded.

"It once belonged to someone else. His wife." His gaze remained fixed on the path Hunter had taken.

"The woman who gave him that power died long ago, yet part of her refused to leave. She still clings to him, but not as a soul. Not entirely. She has become something bound to the ability itself." He sighed quietly before continuing.

"The problem is that she no longer understands the difference between friend and enemy. Whenever someone grows close to Hunter..." His expression darkened slightly.

"... she sees them as a threat. And Fate always answers her jealousy." Understanding settled across Callum's face.

"So..." he murmured.

"... she's basically his spirit?" Atherius chuckled softly.

"I suppose that's the closest comparison your world possesses, although our source of power differs entirely from yours. Here, both my abilities and Hunter's are only pale imitations of what they truly are." Callum looked thoughtfully toward the sky.

"So that's why everyone here feels... different." Atherius nodded.

"Our strength comes from somewhere far beyond this world." Callum smirked.

"And where exactly would that be?" The sage only smiled mysteriously. He had already begun walking away, and only one final sentence drifted back toward the group.

"A place so distant... that none of you were ever meant to exist there." Callum blinked. The words lingered in his thoughts long after Atherius had disappeared, but before he could pursue the conversation, the sage had already rejoined the others.

"... Mysterious people," Callum muttered with a sigh before making his way back to the group. Evelyn tossed him a bottle of water.

"Any luck?" Callum caught it one-handed and took a long drink before shaking his head with a quiet laugh.

"Not even a little. They somehow answer every question by creating three new ones." Ceasar barely seemed to hear the conversation. His entire focus remained fixed on Tyrus as countless holographic windows floated around him, streams of code racing across the displays faster than any ordinary person could possibly read.

Thousands of diagnostics, structural analyses, memory scans, power distribution maps, and internal simulations unfolded simultaneously, each second generating more information than most computers could process in hours. Yet Ceasar absorbed everything effortlessly. Then... He suddenly stopped.

"... That's strange." Callum lowered the bottle.

"What is?" Ceasar zoomed in on one specific section of the data, his expression growing increasingly uncertain.

"I've... never seen architecture like this." With a gesture, he activated a projector. A massive holographic model of Tyrus materialized before the group, rotating slowly as the machine separated into layers. First came the heavy outer armor. Beneath it appeared an intricate network of servos, hydraulic muscles, reinforced cabling, reactors, and countless mechanical organs that seemed impossibly advanced. Then the third layer appeared. Silence settled over the group.

Nestled peacefully within the very center of the machine, curled inside its core as though asleep, rested the translucent outline of a human being. Yuki stared in disbelief.

"... Ceasar."

"What exactly am I looking at?" He slowly shook his head.

"I honestly don't know." His voice carried uncertainty.

"I've never encountered technology... or biology... that functions like this." Footsteps approached from behind as Atherius stepped beside the projection. He studied the hologram with quiet fascination before smiling faintly.

"... So."

"That's what he looks like now."

"I always wondered." Ceasar turned toward him.

"You already knew?" The sage nodded.

"Only fragments. But enough." Stepping closer to the hologram, he pointed toward the human silhouette resting inside the mechanical giant.

"The machine and the man were never originally the same being. His name... was Rex."

"He piloted Tyrus for many years." His voice softened.

"Eventually... he died." No one interrupted him.

"But Tyrus didn't."

"The machine continued functioning." He paused again, as though even now the story sounded... odd.

"Something happened. Whether through hatred, grief, or simply an impossible refusal to accept death... Rex's soul merged with the machine." His eyes remained fixed on the sleeping giant.

"The AI disappeared."

"Or perhaps... it surrendered."

"No one truly knows."

"What we do know is that Rex became both pilot and machine. Body, soul, and intelligence ceased to exist as separate things. Everything became one." Ceasar continued staring at the hologram.

"... He rewrote his own operating system." Atherius nodded.

"Exactly. He reshaped the machine into an extension of himself. Afterward, I know very little. Only that whatever army killed him... ceased to exist."

"There were no survivors." Silence settled over the valley once again. After several long moments, Ceasar slowly turned toward the unconscious titan.

"If that's true... then the one we fought earlier... wasn't Rex." Atherius's expression became noticeably more serious.

"No." His golden eyes rested upon the sleeping machine.

"That was merely the damaged AI responding to trauma." He folded his arms, his voice lowering almost to a whisper.

"The real Tyrus..." His eyes narrowed.

"... is infinitely more terrifying."