There were many things Lucien was willing to accept.
Reincarnation, for example.
Ancient dragons recognizing him on sight was admittedly unusual, but he had adjusted.
An immortal mentor living inside his soul had required a period of adaptation, though that was primarily due to the old man's personality rather than his existence.
A giant hand reaching through a crack in reality itself, however, was considerably more difficult to rationalize.
Especially since it appeared to know his address.
The hand continued descending from the heavens.
It was impossible to accurately describe its size. Distances became meaningless when observing something that large. The clouds parted around it as reality itself cracked beneath its presence.
Every instinct Lucien possessed was screaming at him.
Run.
The Dragon Bloodline within him stirred violently, responding not with fear but with something far more dangerous.
Hatred.
Pure.
Ancient.
Unreasonable.
He had never hated anything before.
Not truly.
And yet, the moment he laid eyes upon the hand, an emotion older than memory itself erupted from the depths of his soul.
"ENOUGH!"
The voice did not come from the Dragon King.
Nor did it belong to the Last Witness.
It came from him.
No.
Not him.
Someone else.
Someone wearing his face.
Lucien staggered as images flooded his mind.
A battlefield beyond the stars.
An army of impossible beings descending from fractures in reality.
A man standing alone before them, his golden eyes burning with fury.
"I HAVE KILLED YOU ONCE!"
The memory shattered.
The hand paused.
For one impossible moment, Lucien could have sworn it had looked at him.
Then—
It retreated.
The crack in the sky sealed itself with a sound like breaking glass, leaving only silence in its wake.
Nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Even the Dragon King remained motionless.
"What..." Cassian began slowly, "...was that?"
An excellent question.
Lucien would have appreciated an answer.
The Last Witness, meanwhile, had quietly finished his tea.
"I see."
Lucien narrowed his eyes.
"You see?"
"Indeed."
"Care to elaborate?"
"No."
Naturally.
The Dragon King's voice echoed through his soul once more.
"It recognized you."
"I'm beginning to suspect that's a bad thing."
"It is the worst thing."
Wonderful.
"Would anyone care to explain?"
Silence.
Lucien sighed.
He was beginning to notice a pattern.
Whenever something terrible happened, everyone around him suddenly became remarkably reluctant to provide information.
"I assume this has happened before."
The Dragon King was silent for several moments.
"Once."
"And?"
"The stars never recovered."
Lucien decided not to ask for clarification.
He suspected he wouldn't enjoy the answer.
Below the western mountains, the Dragon King slowly folded his wings.
"You need to come to me."
"There seems to be considerable disagreement regarding that plan."
Cassian immediately looked toward him.
"Absolutely not."
The response was instantaneous.
Interesting.
Lucien hadn't realized his father was capable of such speed.
"You heard that?"
"No."
"Then how—"
"I am your father."
That...
Was not an explanation.
"The western mountains are forbidden territory."
The elderly mage nodded.
"The last expedition sent into that region disappeared approximately four hundred years ago."
"Only four hundred?" the Last Witness asked. "My, they made impressive progress."
Lucien chose to ignore that.
"And yet," Seraphina said quietly, "he still needs to go."
Every eye in the room turned toward her.
The silver-haired girl remained near the window, her mismatched eyes fixed upon the distant mountains.
"The Dragon King wouldn't have awakened otherwise."
Cassian frowned.
"You seem remarkably informed for someone your age."
"I've had time to study."
That was perhaps the least suspicious answer she could have provided.
"How much time?" Lucien asked.
She looked at him.
"...A while."
The Last Witness snorted.
"A while. That's one way of describing twelve thousand years."
The room remained blissfully unaware of that particular revelation.
Lucien, unfortunately, was not.
"I'm sorry. How old did you say she was?"
"Technically?"
"Yes."
"Older than your current civilization."
Lucien slowly closed his eyes.
"Of course she is."
"Something wrong?" Cassian asked.
"Everything."
That answer, at least, was honest.
The remainder of the day passed in a blur of activity.
Royal messengers arrived shortly after sunset.
Apparently, giant hands emerging from the sky tended to attract attention.
Who knew?
Lucien had been temporarily confined to the estate for his own protection—a decision he found mildly ironic given that ancient cosmic entities appeared perfectly capable of locating him regardless of geographical limitations.
He was currently seated in the library.
Or rather, attempting to read.
In practice, he had spent the last twenty minutes staring at the same sentence while contemplating the unfortunate trajectory of his existence.
"You're brooding."
"I prefer the term contemplating."
"It's brooding."
Lucien ignored the Last Witness.
Outside, rain had begun to fall once more.
The storm was lighter this time.
Almost peaceful.
"You've been unusually quiet."
The old man raised an eyebrow.
"Have I?"
"Yes."
"Interesting."
"Master."
The Last Witness sighed.
"Very well."
He set down his teacup.
"The thing beyond the Door has noticed you."
"Yes. We've established that."
"No, Lucien. I don't believe you understand."
The old man's expression had become serious once more.
"It has spent billions of years searching for you."
Silence.
"What is it?"
The Last Witness was quiet for a very long time.
Then—
"You."
Lucien blinked.
"What?"
"The thing beyond the Door."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
The old man smiled sadly.
"I was wondering how long denial would last this time."
"This time?"
"Your previous record was approximately two centuries."
Lucien stared blankly into space.
"I refuse."
"Reality remains unconvinced."
Before Lucien could formulate an appropriate response, the library door opened.
Seraphina stepped inside.
"I thought I'd find you here."
"Why?"
"You always liked libraries."
The words were spoken so casually that Lucien almost missed their implication.
"You keep saying things like that."
"Because they're true."
"I don't remember you."
"I know."
There was no anger in her voice.
Only sadness.
"Then why continue pretending otherwise?"
That, finally, caused her expression to change.
"I'm not pretending."
Silence stretched between them.
"You once told me something."
Lucien resisted the urge to sigh.
"Did I?"
"Yes."
She moved toward the window.
"You said memories aren't what make us who we are."
Interesting.
"That sounds surprisingly insightful."
"It was immediately followed by you falling asleep in the middle of a conversation."
"Ah."
"Apparently, destroying realities was exhausting work."
The Last Witness burst into laughter.
"I remember that! You insisted naps were a fundamental right of existence."
Lucien decided there were certain aspects of his previous selves he would prefer not to inherit.
Seraphina smiled faintly.
"There he is."
"What?"
"For a moment, you sounded like him."
An uncomfortable sensation settled in his chest once more.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
"You miss him."
It wasn't a question.
Her smile faded.
"Every day."
The honesty of the answer caught him off guard.
Outside, thunder echoed across the mountains.
For reasons he couldn't explain, Lucien suddenly found himself asking a question he'd had no intention of voicing.
"What was he like?"
Silence.
Then—
"Lonely."
The answer wasn't what he'd expected.
"He laughed more than people realized. He hated losing arguments. He once spent six months teaching a dragon how to play chess because he refused to accept defeat."
The Last Witness coughed.
"It cheated."
"It did not."
"It absolutely did."
Seraphina ignored him.
"And despite everything..." Her voice softened. "He always came back."
Something inside Lucien hurt.
He didn't understand why.
"He sounds troublesome."
She laughed.
"Exceptionally."
The room fell silent once more.
Then, quietly—
"I'm glad you're here."
Lucien looked up.
"What?"
Seraphina met his gaze.
"I was beginning to think I'd be waiting forever."
Before he could respond, the Dragon King's voice suddenly echoed through his mind.
"Lucien."
"What?"
"Look outside."
Lucien turned toward the window.
The rain had stopped.
The clouds had parted.
And above the western mountains, five dragons now stood beneath the moonlight.
Watching.
Waiting.
The Dragon King lowered his head.
"The others have arrived."
The Last Witness slowly closed his eyes.
"Oh dear."
Lucien was beginning to hate those words.
"What now?"
The old man smiled.
"Your family reunion has begun."
And somewhere deep within the Infinite Mindscape...
The black door opened a little wider.