The world did not end.
Lucien found that mildly disappointing.
Considering the events of the last several days, he had begun to expect reality to collapse whenever something sufficiently dramatic occurred. A crimson eye had appeared in the sky. An entity called an Architect had attempted to reclaim him. Five ancient dragons had descended upon House Arkanis and collectively acknowledged him as their king.
And yet, despite all of that, the world continued spinning.
There was something strangely offensive about that.
The Dragon King remained outside the shattered walls of the estate, its massive golden eye fixed entirely upon him. Even from this distance, Lucien could see his reflection within that ancient gaze.
A child.
Ten years old.
Small.
Fragile.
It was difficult to reconcile that image with the person everyone else seemed convinced he had once been.
"You appear disappointed," the Last Witness observed from within the Infinite Mindscape.
"I expected something more."
"More?"
Lucien gestured vaguely toward the dragons. "This feels insufficient."
The old man stared at him for several moments before slowly placing his teacup down.
"Lucien."
"Yes?"
"Five dragons just acknowledged you as their sovereign."
"I know."
"The Architect attempted to drag your soul beyond reality."
"I'm aware."
"The Dragon King called you by your title."
Lucien considered this.
"Perhaps my standards are unusually high."
The Last Witness suddenly developed the expression of a man who had just remembered several unfortunate things.
"Oh."
"What?"
"Nothing."
"Master."
The old man sighed heavily.
"Your standards have always been problematic."
Lucien frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means that, during your fourth life, you once described the destruction of a minor pantheon as 'moderately entertaining.'"
Silence.
"I refuse to believe that."
"You also complained that their leader had delivered an uninspired speech."
"That at least sounds reasonable."
The Last Witness pointed accusingly at him.
"See? That's exactly the problem!"
Lucien decided not to comment.
Outside, the Dragon King lowered its head further. The movement alone generated enough wind to uproot several trees surrounding the estate.
The other dragons remained silent.
Waiting.
Watching.
There was something unsettling about being observed by creatures older than recorded history. It felt less like being seen and more like being remembered.
The pale dragon moved first.
Unlike the others, its body seemed partially translucent, as though it occupied a space only adjacent to reality. Every movement left faint trails of starlight lingering in the air.
"He has forgotten."
Its voice was unlike the Dragon King's.
Softer.
Almost mournful.
"Of course he has," the Dragon King replied.
"He always does."
Lucien crossed his arms.
"I can hear you."
"We are aware."
"Then perhaps stop discussing me as though I am not present."
The Dragon King's enormous eye narrowed slightly.
"You have become smaller."
"Yes, we've established that."
"And more argumentative."
"I find that difficult to believe."
The dragons collectively fell silent.
Even the Last Witness chose not to comment.
That, more than anything else, concerned Lucien.
Cassian slowly rose to his feet beside him, his expression caught somewhere between disbelief and exhaustion.
"Am I hallucinating?"
"No," Lucien replied.
"That's unfortunate."
"Agreed."
The Lord of House Arkanis spent several seconds staring at the dragons before speaking again.
"Do they all speak?"
"Apparently."
"Wonderful."
There was a long pause.
"Lucien."
"Yes?"
"If another ancient cosmic entity appears tonight, I would appreciate prior warning."
"I'll do my best."
"I suspect your best is inadequate."
"That is an entirely reasonable assessment."
Cassian looked strangely pleased by that answer.
Interesting.
His father was becoming easier to understand.
The Dragon of Flames finally spoke. Unlike the others, its voice carried an unmistakable sense of amusement.
"I like this incarnation."
"You liked the previous one as well," the silver dragon pointed out.
"I also liked the one before that."
"You liked all of them."
"They were all interesting."
Lucien's eye twitched.
"Would someone care to explain why the dragons are discussing my previous lives as though they personally knew them?"
The Dragon King was silent for several moments.
Then, quietly—
"Because we did."
The answer struck with unexpected force.
A memory surfaced.
Broken.
Incomplete.
A younger version of himself sitting atop the Dragon King's head while arguing with something that resembled a mountain.
"You're cheating."
"I am a dragon. We consider that a cultural tradition."
The memory vanished.
Lucien nearly stumbled.
Seraphina immediately moved to steady him.
"They're getting stronger."
He looked at her.
"What are?"
"The memories."
Ah.
That.
"Is there a way to stop them?"
"No."
"Wonderful."
"On the bright side, they become less painful eventually."
"Eventually?"
She hesitated.
"After the first few centuries."
Lucien stared at her.
"There are moments when I genuinely forget how old you are."
"There are moments when I wish I could."
That answer carried considerably more weight than it should have.
Before Lucien could respond, the dark dragon suddenly lifted its head.
Every dragon immediately fell silent.
The atmosphere changed.
The Dragon King's expression hardened.
"Someone approaches."
Cassian frowned.
"The royal army?"
"No."
The dark dragon's voice carried a note of genuine displeasure.
"Something considerably more irritating."
A moment later, Lucien felt it.
Pressure.
Not ancient like the dragons.
Not oppressive like the Architect.
This felt...sharp.
Like a sword hidden behind a smile.
Space itself distorted above the estate.
A figure stepped through the resulting fracture.
He appeared to be an old man dressed in simple blue robes. His white hair reached his shoulders, while his eyes seemed to contain entire galaxies.
Most importantly, he appeared deeply annoyed.
"There you are."
Silence.
The stranger's gaze settled immediately upon Lucien.
"I leave for approximately twelve thousand years, and somehow you've managed to start another incident."
Lucien blinked.
"I'm sorry?"
The old man ignored him entirely.
"Do you have any idea how difficult it is to meditate when dragons are screaming across reality?"
The Dragon King released a low growl.
"You are late."
"I am exactly on time."
"You have always been late."
"Only because your sense of time is fundamentally broken."
The two ancient beings continued glaring at one another.
Lucien slowly turned toward the Last Witness.
"Who is that?"
The old man had gone completely still.
"Impossible."
"What?"
"That's impossible."
"Master."
The Last Witness stared at the newcomer with an expression Lucien had never seen before.
Something dangerously close to shock.
"No."
"Would someone please explain?"
The stranger finally noticed everyone else's presence.
"Oh."
His gaze landed on Cassian.
"You must be the father."
Cassian, to his credit, managed to maintain his composure.
"And you are?"
"An old friend."
The answer was immediate.
Then the stranger looked toward Lucien once more.
"Though, admittedly, he currently lacks the necessary memories to appreciate that distinction."
Lucien was beginning to develop strong opinions regarding mysterious immortals.
"You knew me."
"I taught you."
That caught him off guard.
"No."
"Yes."
"I already have a master."
The stranger paused.
"Oh."
For the first time, he appeared genuinely surprised.
"Really?"
The Last Witness slowly stepped forward within the Infinite Mindscape.
"That would be me."
The newcomer froze.
Silence.
Then—
"...You're still alive?"
"I could ask you the same question."
Lucien looked between them.
"You know each other."
The two ancient beings continued staring at one another.
Finally, the newcomer sighed.
"Of course you would survive."
"And you would continue being dramatic."
The old man placed a hand over his chest.
"I am deeply offended."
"You'll recover."
Lucien rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I feel as though I've missed something important."
"Several thousand years, actually," Seraphina said quietly.
Helpful.
The stranger turned back toward Lucien.
"Regardless, introductions are in order."
He smiled.
"There was a time when people called me many things."
Lucien suddenly had a very bad feeling about this.
"The Keeper of Stars."
The dragons lowered their heads.
"The Wanderer Beyond Time."
The Last Witness closed his eyes.
"And, on particularly formal occasions..."
The old man's smile widened.
"...your grandfather."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Lucien stopped breathing.
Cassian stopped breathing.
Even the dragons appeared momentarily stunned.
"What?"
The old man blinked.
"Oh."
He glanced around the room.
"He doesn't know, does he?"
The Last Witness sighed.
"No."
"Ah."
There was a brief, awkward pause.
"Well," the old man said cheerfully, "this is going to be an interesting conversation."
Lucien stared at him.
Then at the dragons.
Then at the Last Witness.
Finally, he looked toward the heavens.
For reasons he couldn't explain, he had the distinct feeling that the universe was laughing at him.
Unfortunately...
He was probably right.