The boy remained silent.
The two overwhelming auras continued to grow denser by the second.
The pressure became so immense that the very realm around them began to distort.
The air warped.
The ground trembled.
Even space seemed to bend beneath the weight of their presence.
The boy clenched his teeth.
“Damn it…”
Lady Nova calmly approached the table and took her seat.
Her expression remained serious.
“Before the struggle to survive settled in with us, and before your arrival, there were some… misunderstandings.”
She paused.
“Big ones.”
Nova’s eyes lowered for a moment.
“Regretful ones.
Stupid ones.”
She looked toward the boy.
“But I believe you have a better understanding now of who you’re dealing with.”
Suddenly—
BANG!
Nova slammed her hand against the table.
A small shockwave rippled through the air.
Her aura intensified.
The pressure became suffocating.
She turned her gaze toward Zuko.
“Now, what you did to his children…”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Of course, it was self-defense.
Protecting one another is what we dragons live for.”
She paused.
“And, to be honest, some of them were pretty useless.”
Nova’s eyes drifted toward the bottle of wine.
Then toward Vinhor.
Then back to Zuko.
“But General Kuro…”
Her voice became colder.
“He had absolute value.”
Nova’s expression briefly softened.
“He was my best killer.”
She hesitated.
“My…”
Her eyes lowered.
“…friend.”
The silence became heavier.
“Yes, he was mentally unstable.
But he had his uses.”
Nova’s eyes locked onto Zuko.
“And now he’s gone because of you.”
She leaned forward slightly.
“Do you understand?”
Zuko remained completely emotionless.
He stared directly at Nova.
Defiance burned within his eyes.
Nova grunted.
She reached for a cup already filled with wine and took a slow sip.
Then her attention shifted toward the boy.
There was a strange mixture of annoyance and pity in her expression.
“You have a price to pay, boy.”
Her gaze moved toward Vinhor.
“You’ve had enough time.”
She sighed.
“You’re getting lazy.”
Zuko opened his mouth.
But the boy spoke first.
His voice carried more weight than before.
“Alright, then.”
He leaned forward slightly.
“What exactly do you want?”
Nova remained silent.
She lifted her cup and took another sip.
Then she looked directly at the boy.
“How about peace?”
The boy raised an eyebrow.
“You leave this realm safely.”
Nova placed the cup down.
“But how does peace strike the mischievous little boy who entered this place and somehow managed to become tangled in a family conflict?”
She smiled faintly.
“Simple.”
“Just leave.”
Her voice remained calm.
“The dragons will protect you.
We’ll help you obtain whatever it is you’re searching for.”
She leaned back.
“Seek no quarrel with me, and I’ll gladly have none with you.”
Then her expression hardened.
“Of course, that also means Zuko stops trying to leave this realm.”
Zuko’s eyes narrowed.
His fists clenched beneath the table.
Vinhor finally spoke.
His deep voice carried across the realm.
“Yeah.”
He glanced toward Zuko.
“We already know what you’ve been doing.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Stop it.”
Nova slowly stood.
She walked behind Zuko.
Then, almost casually, she placed both hands upon his shoulders.
Zuko’s body stiffened.
Nova leaned closer.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
“But soon…”
Her breath brushed against his ear.
“You’ll realize your old ways are going to die.”
A chill ran down Zuko’s spine.
Nova returned to her seat with perfect elegance.
She crossed her legs.
“Then we’ll all be fine.”
She smiled.
“Hell, I’ll even sweeten the deal for you, Zuko.”
Zuko’s expression remained cold.
“I’ll let you keep the prisoner.”
His eyes widened slightly.
Nova chuckled.
“That’s right.”
She leaned back.
“I know you’ve sealed him somewhere in here.”
Her smile widened.
“You hot-headed son of a bitch.”
The moment she finished speaking—
BOOM!
The entire realm shook.
Dark clouds began forming overhead.
They twisted together.
The clouds slowly shaped themselves into an enormous face.
A thunderous voice erupted across the realm.
“WHY THE FUCK SHOULD WE BELIEVE A SINGLE WORD OUT OF YOU?!”
The boy’s eyes widened.
The voice continued.
“What have your gifts ever been worth, bitch?!”
Nova smiled.
“Oh.”
She looked upward.
“There he is.”
Her smile became almost amused.
“My stupid husband.”
Vinhor glanced toward the sky.
“Looks like he lost weight.”
The thunderous voice immediately returned.
“If she tells you light is darkness—”
The clouds shook.
“—she’s lying!”
Nova’s smile disappeared.
Her annoyance returned.
“What the hell kind of wisdom is that?”
She looked toward the massive face in the sky.
“Can’t you see past yourself?”
Her voice grew sharper.
“Can’t you see that we want the same thing?”
Silence.
Nova turned her attention toward the boy.
“Alright.”
She folded her hands.
“Here’s a deal I know you can accept.”
Her gaze became calculating.
“I’ll settle your problems with Zuko.”
She pointed toward him.
“End this little relationship with him.”
Then she looked back at the boy.
“The dragons will protect you.”
Her voice became almost persuasive.
“I know that’s really all you want.”
The boy remained silent.
She continued.
“Protection from the Abyss.
Assistance with whatever you’re searching for.
A place among one of the most powerful species in existence.”
She smiled.
“So…”
“What do you say?”
The boy chuckled.
Honestly—
It was a good deal.
An incredibly good deal.
The dragons were one of the most powerful species in existence.
If the creatures of the Abyss ever managed to influence the outside world, the dragons could potentially protect him.
But there was something else.
The boy wanted to see what would happen if he refused.
So he leaned back.
Then, with the most immature expression imaginable, he answered—
“No.”
Silence.
Nova’s eyes widened slightly.
She slowly exhaled.
A helpless sigh escaped her lips.
She looked toward Vinhor.
“Hey.”
She stood.
“Don’t take all day.”
Nova turned away.
Then—
She blinked out of existence.
Gone.
Vinhor chuckled.
Slowly, he stood from his chair.
The moment he did, the atmosphere changed.
The pressure surrounding the boy became suffocating.
Vinhor looked toward him.
“It’s about time we wrapped things up.”
The boy immediately stood.
Zuko remained seated.
The boy didn’t know what was about to happen, but every instinct inside him screamed that something was coming.
Vinhor stretched out his arm.
His fingers opened.
A black cube suddenly blinked into existence.
Brown patterns were etched across its surface.
The boy barely had time to react.
BOOM!
The cube slammed directly into his face.
The force sent him flying hundreds of meters through the air.
Vinhor vanished.
Then reappeared beside him almost instantly.
He grabbed the boy by the face and grinned.
“Hahaha!”
His voice was filled with excitement.
“I’ve been waiting for this.”
The boy struggled against his grip.
“You’re definitely not from here.”
Vinhor’s smile widened.
“We have a little thing called a price to pay.”
He tightened his grip.
“It means I get to knock you around for associating with Zuko.”
He laughed.
“You’ll pick it up soon.”
The boy gritted his teeth.
Then—
BAM!
He drove his fist into Vinhor.
Vinhor barely reacted.
Another punch.
Then another.
Vinhor simply shrugged off the attacks.
The two continued hurtling through the air.
Ahead of them stood a towering statue.
Neither slowed down.
CRASH!
They collided with the statue.
The enormous structure shattered beneath the impact.
Stone and debris scattered through the air.
Yet the fight continued.
The two figures blitzed across the sky.
Suddenly—
BOOM!
A massive wall erupted from the ground and stretched into the sky.
The boy reacted instantly.
He grabbed Vinhor by the hair.
“Got you!”
With all his strength, he slammed Vinhor against the wall.
CRASH!
The two slid down its enormous surface.
Black volcanic shards tore through the air around them.
They exchanged punches at point-blank range.
Neither backed down.
Finally, the boy was struck with enough force to send him crashing toward the ground.
Vinhor landed safely.
The boy hit the ground, rolled, and immediately forced himself back onto his feet.
Vinhor smiled.
He extended one hand.
Dark energy gathered within his palm.
A massive one-handed war hammer suddenly materialized.
Vinhor rested it against his shoulder.
His smile widened.
“Alright…”
He tightened his grip.
“Let’s see how you handle yourself.”