the last sovereign of infinity

The first thing Lucien noticed was the silence.

Not the ordinary kind.

This silence was wrong.

The bells had stopped ringing. The wind no longer moved through the ruined streets. Even the distant sound of dragon wings had vanished, as though the world itself had paused to listen.

Something was waking beneath the city.

He could feel it.

Every instinct within him was screaming the same warning.

Run.

The Dragon Bloodline reacted immediately. Golden scales spread across his skin, climbing his arms and neck like liquid sunlight. His heartbeat deepened, becoming something ancient and powerful.

And beneath that heartbeat...

Something else answered.

Slow.

Patient.

Hungry.

The black door within the Infinite Mindscape continued to open.

Not quickly.

Not forcefully.

It was simply...opening.

As though it had always known this moment would arrive.

The Last Witness stood before it with both hands raised, entire constellations orbiting around him like chains of light. Sweat covered his brow for the first time since Lucien had met him.

That disturbed Lucien more than the city waking around him.

"Master."

"No."

The old man's answer came immediately.

"Whatever you're about to ask, the answer is no."

"I wasn't going to ask anything."

"Good."

Silence.

"...I was going to demand answers."

"Then the answer remains no."

Lucien considered arguing.

Unfortunately, a city-sized tremor interrupted him.

The ground beneath the golden road shifted.

Stone cracked.

Far below, something moved.

The sensation was difficult to describe. It felt less like an earthquake and more like the world remembering that it possessed bones.

The ruined towers began to tremble.

Dust fell from ancient rooftops.

And from somewhere beneath the city, Lucien heard breathing.

Deep.

Slow.

Impossible.

Aiden had gone pale.

"I would like to formally state that I dislike this place."

"Your objection has been noted," Orion said.

"Excellent. Does that mean we're leaving?"

"No."

"Then I fail to see the purpose of noting it."

The old immortal ignored him.

His gaze remained fixed upon the city.

"I haven't felt this presence in a very long time."

Lucien looked toward him.

"You know what's beneath us."

It wasn't a question.

Orion was silent for several moments.

Then—

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I was hoping it would remain asleep."

That wasn't particularly reassuring.

Seraphina stepped closer to Lucien, her silver eyes fixed on the streets ahead.

"The city is reacting to you."

"That seems to be a recurring problem."

"No." Her expression remained unreadable. "This time, I don't think it's your fault."

Lucien raised an eyebrow.

"Remarkable."

"I know."

Vaelith laughed softly.

The sound carried easily through the silent streets.

"It was never his fault."

The words felt heavier than they should have.

Lucien found himself looking at her despite his better judgment.

There was something deeply unsettling about Vaelith.

Not merely because she had killed him.

Though that certainly contributed.

No, what disturbed him most was the familiarity.

Some part of him recognized the way she stood. The way she spoke. Even the way she smiled.

It felt like remembering a scar.

"What is beneath the city?" he asked.

Vaelith met his gaze.

"The last thing you ever imprisoned."

The black door shuddered.

Lucien heard the voice behind it laugh.

"Oh, she's going to tell him. This should be entertaining."

He chose to ignore it.

"I've imprisoned many things?"

"You've existed for a very long time."

"That isn't an answer."

"No." Vaelith's smile faded. "It rarely was when you said it, either."

Again.

Everyone kept speaking to him as though he were someone else.

And perhaps that was the problem.

Perhaps he was.

The city shook once more.

This time, the tremor was accompanied by sound.

Stone grinding against stone.

Something enormous moving beneath the foundations.

The Dragon King descended from the clouds.

He landed outside the city walls with enough force to crack the mountainside, his massive form dwarfing even the ancient gates.

For the first time since Lucien had met him, the dragon looked uneasy.

"Leave."

The command echoed directly through Lucien's soul.

Interesting.

The Dragon King had thus far been remarkably consistent in encouraging him to move toward dangerous things.

The change in strategy was concerning.

"Why?"

The golden dragon's eyes remained fixed upon the city.

"Because it remembers you."

"I've noticed."

"No."

The Dragon King's voice grew quieter.

"It remembers what you did to it."

Silence.

That...

Was significantly less encouraging.

The dark dragon landed beside the Dragon King, its black scales drinking in the surrounding light.

"It should not still exist."

"Clearly, it disagrees," Orion muttered.

The ground split apart.

Everyone froze.

A crack appeared in the center of the city, beginning near the gates and stretching toward the distant palace at its heart. Golden light spilled upward from the depths, illuminating the ruins from below.

Lucien felt his blood run cold.

Not because of the light.

Because he recognized it.

It was the same color as his eyes.

"No," the Last Witness whispered.

Lucien immediately disliked that tone.

"What?"

The old man slowly lowered one hand from the black door.

"That isn't possible."

"Master."

"That isn't possible."

The city cracked open.

And something looked back.

At first, Lucien thought it was another dragon.

Then he realized his mistake.

It was an eye.

A single eye larger than the palace itself.

Golden.

Ancient.

And filled with an emotion he could not understand.

The eye blinked.

Then focused entirely upon him.

"Oh."

Lucien stared.

"Oh?"

The Last Witness looked uncharacteristically disturbed.

"I had forgotten about this."

"You forgot about a city-sized eye?"

"In my defense, it has been several thousand years."

The eye continued watching him.

Then, slowly...

It narrowed.

The emotion in its gaze suddenly became recognizable.

Annoyance.

"Impossible," Seraphina whispered.

Vaelith's expression softened.

"It remembers."

The eye blinked once more.

Then a voice emerged from beneath the city.

It was not spoken.

It simply existed.

A sound too vast for mortal language.

Yet somehow, Lucien understood it perfectly.

"YOU STILL OWE ME AN APOLOGY."

Silence.

Absolute silence.

Lucien blinked.

"I'm sorry?"

The eye narrowed further.

"THAT IS NOT AN APOLOGY."

The Last Witness suddenly found the stars within the Infinite Mindscape incredibly interesting.

"Master."

"I refuse to become involved."

"What is that?"

The old man sighed.

"Your first prisoner."

Lucien stared at him.

"My what?"

"Technically speaking, your second."

"MASTER."

"Fine."

The old man rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Lucien, meet Eternity."

The city-sized eye blinked.

"THAT IS NOT MY NAME."

"It is the one I remember."

"YOU CALLED ME MANY THINGS."

The voice seemed to pause.

"MOST OF THEM WERE INSULTING."

Lucien had several questions.

Unfortunately, the entity beneath the city continued speaking.

"YOU BROKE MY HORN."

"...What?"

"THEN YOU CALLED IT CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT."

Silence.

The Dragon King closed his eyes.

Orion looked as though he was attempting not to laugh.

Seraphina had gone completely still.

Even Vaelith appeared amused.

Lucien slowly turned toward the Last Witness.

"Did I really say that?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"You were very proud of it."

The eye beneath the city narrowed once more.

"I DISLIKED YOU IMMEDIATELY."

"That seems reasonable."

"THEN YOU IMPRISONED ME FOR THREE THOUSAND YEARS."

"...Less reasonable."

The city trembled.

"YOU SAID IT WAS FOR MY OWN GOOD."

Lucien was beginning to develop concerns regarding his previous selves.

"You have to admit," Orion said, "that does sound like him."

"I DO NOT KNOW WHO 'HIM' IS."

The entire city shook.

"I ONLY KNOW THE SMALL ONE STANDING ABOVE ME."

The eye focused on Lucien once more.

"WHY ARE YOU SMALL?"

"I've been asking myself the same question."

"DID YOU DIE AGAIN?"

"Apparently."

"DISAPPOINTING."

The Last Witness coughed.

"Eternity has always been somewhat blunt."

"I gathered."

The city-sized eye continued studying him.

Then, unexpectedly—

"YOU LOOK TIRED."

The concern in its voice caught Lucien completely off guard.

"You remember me."

"I REMEMBER EVERYTHING."

Something painful moved through Lucien's chest.

"Why?"

The eye was silent for several moments.

When it finally spoke, its voice had grown quieter.

"BECAUSE YOU ASKED ME TO."

The words struck harder than they should have.

"YOU SAID SOMEONE SHOULD REMEMBER."

The black door behind the Last Witness fell silent.

Even the voice beyond it stopped laughing.

The city seemed to hold its breath.

And for one impossible moment, Lucien saw it.

A younger version of himself standing before a creature larger than worlds, smiling despite the blood running down his face.

"If I forget..."

"YOU WILL."

"Then remember for me."

The memory faded.

Lucien looked back toward the eye beneath the city.

Something warm and terrible settled in his chest.

"Oh."

"YES."

"I think..."

He hesitated.

"I think I owe you an apology."

The city fell silent.

The eye blinked once.

Twice.

Then, to the complete astonishment of everyone present—

It began to cry.

Golden tears larger than buildings fell into the depths below.

"IT TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH."

And somewhere behind the black door, something that wore Lucien's voice whispered with unmistakable amusement.

"He's always been sentimental."

For once...

Lucien found that he agreed.