Chương 418: Tyrant of Domian

(Tyrannosaurus POV) A massive beast slept peacefully inside the small cave. It had just finished a good meal, so there was little reason to do anything but rest. Its breathing was slow and steady as it lay in the dark. In this part of the region, it was the strongest predator, and nothing could truly challenge it. The only creature that sometimes disturbed its land was the annoying Magma Borne, but even that wyvern had never driven it away. The Tyrannosaurus's ear suddenly twitched. Something was coming.

Its eyes stayed closed as it listened to the soft steps against the stone. They were slow and light, and from the sound, it could tell they belonged to a human. That was strange. Its senses were among the best of its kind, yet it could not sense the human at all. There was no presence, and not even a clear scent. For a moment, it thought the sound might have come from a loose rock, so it ignored it and returned to its rest. But the footsteps kept coming, growing closer with each step.

The Tyrannosaurus's breathing slowed as it wondered why a human would come here. Then a voice reached its ears.

"I should leave." The Tyrannosaurus stopped breathing. Its eyes snapped open, and its huge skull slowly turned toward the cave entrance. There, standing outside, was a young human boy. The beast stared at him in confusion.

'How can I not sense him?' That question bothered it more than the boy himself. Anything that could slip past its senses was worth watching, so its curiosity soon overcame its caution. The Tyrannosaurus began to move. Its huge body crawled through the cave, thick legs scraping against the stone as its skull slowly emerged into the dull daylight. Dark grey scales covered its body, marked by countless scars. Some were fresh, while others were so old that they had almost faded into its hide.

It made no sound as it stepped forward and simply watched the boy. The boy swallowed and quickly drew both blades. The Tyrannosaurus tilted its head.

'Does he not know what I am?' It continued forward until more of its body entered the light. Then its legs straightened, and the beast rose to its full height. It was nearly thirty meters long and more than fifteen meters tall, making it huge even among its own kind. Yet the Tyrannosaurus still sensed nothing from the boy. Only the strange human stood before it with his weapons drawn. The beast tried another method.'' Boy.'' It reached toward his mind with telepathy, but nothing happened.

There was no link and no reply. It tried again with the same result and narrowed its eyes.'' So normal communication doesn't work either.'' A low snarl escaped its throat, making the boy jump back. The Tyrannosaurus froze. Ah. I didn't think I would need to use this again. Slowly, it opened its enormous jaws. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Human. Why are you here?" Its voice rumbled across the crater, making the boy stare up in shock.

"You can speak?" The Tyrannosaurus rolled its eyes.

"I prefer not to." The boy blinked, then carefully sheathed his blades and raised both hands to show that he meant no harm. The Tyrannosaurus watched him for a moment, finding his behaviour strange.

"I am sorry," the boy said.

"I came here because I was curious about what was inside this crater. I didn't mean to disturb your sleep." The Tyrannosaurus studied him closely.

"You are telling the truth, but I still have questions." The boy nodded.

"I'll answer them as best I can."

"First, what is your name?" The question caught the boy off guard. He hesitated before answering.

"It's Vale... sir?" The Tyrannosaurus's expression softened slightly.

"Well then, Vale. Why can I not sense you?" Vale swallowed. He looked unsure of how to explain it himself.

"I've never met anything like this before. It's because of my power. My Enigma is sealed, so I can't be sensed. It's the same for him." The Tyrannosaurus raised a scaly brow.

"Which deity are you connected to? I have never heard of such a power." Vale hesitated before answering.

"The deity I'm connected to is known as Kealix von Eskarion." The name echoed through the Tyrannosaurus's mind.

'Kealix...' Its face stayed calm, but something inside it changed.

'How does he know that man?' The beast studied Vale more closely.

'Kealix has only one known heir, and his power does not work like this.' Its eyes narrowed.

'Is the boy lying?'

"Boy, Kealix does not possess such a power. Even if his abilities were sealed, that would not explain what I sense from you. But now I am curious. How do you know him?" Vale stayed silent.

"If you do not wish to tell me where your power comes from, that is your choice," the Tyrannosaurus said.

"But I will not let you leave until you answer that question." Vale swallowed. He still didn't understand why the beast cared so much. As far as he knew, Kealix was linked to his soul. He was the source of Vale's power and the being he had met during his first trial. Who else could it be?

"I met him during my first trial." The Tyrannosaurus went still.

"That is impossible." Vale took a small step back.

"How do you know?" The beast stared at him for several seconds before answering.

"Because I was once his servant." Vale's eyes widened.

"Long ago, I served beneath his banner. But you know me by another name." The Tyrannosaurus lowered its huge head. Something ancient filled its eyes.

"I am the fifth fragment of the Original Arcana, the card of Tarot. I was once known as the Tyrant." Vale froze. If the creature was telling the truth, then it was far more than a powerful beast. It was something on the level of the High Priestess: a fragment of the Original Arcana and a demigod in its own right. The Tyrant stared down at him.

"So I ask you again. How do you know my master?" Vale clenched his fist. He had no answer that would make sense.

"I can't explain it. I only know that he is connected to my soul." He raised one hand, his voice becoming more desperate.

"Please. If you don't believe me, then meet him yourself." The Tyrant stared at him for a long moment. Then it slowly lowered its skull and moved closer until its massive forehead rested against Vale's raised palm. The beast remained still as its ancient mind reached into Vale's soul, searching for the link he had spoken of. Then it found nothing. For a moment, there was only silence. A faint chuckle escaped the beast as Vale looked up in confusion.

The Tyrant raised its head again, and its expression had completely changed.

"How marvellous." The beast looked down at him with clear amusement.

"So you weren't lying. You were simply so sure that you mistook your belief for fact." A small smile formed across its enormous jaws.

"How cute." Vale swallowed.

"So... you believe me now?" The Tyrant nodded.

"I do. And knowing this, you have my full support." The enormous beast slowly lowered itself before Vale. Then, before the boy could react, the ancient Tyrant bowed its massive head.

"Our dear heir."