Dragon King: Throne of Demons and Gods-Chapter 183: Act III, Scene V: Velvet Farewell

Somewhere far from the chaos of the dreamscape, deeper than the waking mind could reach, a quiet illusion held strong.

Not a battlefield, nor a nightmare, just a memory, too warm to question.

Aurus stood still in the soft sunlight, the breeze brushing over him like an old friend. Around him, the others moved as they always had.

Darwin laughed as he lobbed a wooden ball toward Mahvindra, who caught it with a calm ease, four arms folded into grace.

Lloyd sat beneath a swaying tree, muttering to himself as he scribbled onto a scroll, stopping only to glance up with disapproval.

"We're off schedule. Again."

Sylphera rested nearby, her staff across her lap, head tilted back slightly. Her pale eyes didn't see the sky, but her lips moved as if she listened to something deeper.

The foxkin flicked her tail, flipping Aurus's coin pouch in one hand while wagging a teasing grin in his direction.

"Penalty fee's gone up," she said. "You're behind by at least a week of jokes."

Aurus smiled, the kind of small, simple smile that hurts when it fades. For a time, he let the peace wrap around him. He joined the banter. Let himself pretend. But the stillness inside him didn't last. The illusion cracked, not in the world, but in him.

Darwin noticed first. He always did.

"Something wrong, Aurus?"

Aurus exhaled slowly, but his eyes lingered on Darwin.

The big man stood with his usual casual ease, arms crossed, that grin never quite leaving his face.

Darwin had always been the loud one, the cheerful one, someone who cracked jokes when the others brooded, who carried the weight of the team like it weighed nothing.

But more than anything, Darwin had always seen through people. He never asked directly, never made a show of concern. He just noticed. And when something felt off, he would ask softly, like now.

"This isn't real," Aurus finally said.

The group paused. The laughter stopped.

He looked at them all, each face too familiar, too kind. And yet, his gaze grew distant.

"This place... this moment... all of you." His voice cracked. "You're not real."

The foxkin blinked, her grin fading.

"Wait—what? Are you okay? You're not making sense. You hurt somewhere? Did you hit your head again?"

Mahvindra gave a low hum of concern.

"You sound tired. Are you… Alright?"

They gathered around him. Eyes waiting, worried, familiar.

"You're all illusions," Aurus said gently. "This is a dream made by a Demon Lord. The Slumbering King. He's wrapped me in this place… used my memories to trap me."

There was silence.

"No offense," the foxkin said slowly, "but that's one of your weirder excuses."

Mahvindra crossed his arms, voice low.

"You believe this? That we are... illusions?"

Aurus's voice faltered, but he stood straighter.

"Yes. I know this because I remember. You all died. Most of you, except for Sylph. You've all been killed by the new generation of Demon Lords. I wasn't strong enough to stop it. That's why I'm here now. Because I'm still trying to fix what I failed to protect."

Another pause. Then Sylphera stepped forward. Her steps made no sound. Her presence made the silence feel less empty.

"Are you sure?"

Her hand reached out, fingers brushing gently against his cheek.

"I don't see the world, Aurus," she said, her voice soft and clear. "But I can feel the sorrow in your chest. If you're speaking from your heart... then I believe you."

He closed his eyes, the touch grounding him more than the dream ever could.

Darwin scratched his chin.

"Well... if this is a trap, it's a damn beautiful one. I mean, I still remember yesterday... But you really took your time there."

Lloyd folded his scroll.

"You should have told us sooner. But I suppose... it took you time to believe it yourself."

The foxkin shrugged, eyes glinting.

"I always knew you were dramatic. But this? This takes the prize."

Mahvindra simply nodded.

"If your path leads forward, we won't hold you back."

Aurus lowered his head, his throat tightening.

"I'm sorry I stayed so long. I knew the truth. I knew what this was. But even then... I didn't want to let go. I missed all of you so much, it hurt. So I let my guard down. I let myself believe in something I knew wasn't real. Just for a little while."

He looked up, expecting reproach, but instead saw only calm faces and soft smiles.

"You're all taking this... far better than I thought," he said, almost laughing through the weight.

Darwin shrugged.

"We always trusted your gut more than our own eyes. If you say this is a dream, then it is. Doesn't mean we can't make the most of it."

"Besides," the foxkin added, flicking her tail, "if anyone was going to get emotionally scammed by a dream demon, it'd be you."

Aurus laughed. For a dream, they still knew him well. And maybe that's why it still hurt to say goodbye.

Sylphera wiped a tear that wasn't there on his eye.

"It's just like you to get caught in something this dumb."

The others chuckled softly.

"You always were the sentimental one," Darwin said.

"A tactical liability," Lloyd added dryly. "With a heart too soft for his own good."

"And that's why we followed you," the foxkin said with a grin. "Even into dumb dreams."

Aurus looked at them, and something inside him ached. He had known it all along. This wasn't reality; it never had been. But the laughter, the rhythm, the comfort of old jokes and shared glances, it had all felt so right.

"I suppose I should leave now?" he asked, voice tight, a half-smile on his lips.

Darwin stepped forward and placed a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Same way you always break through anything."

Lloyd stood, scroll tucked under one arm.

"Make a mess of reality, like you always do."

Mahvindra raised two fingers, a quiet gesture.

"Our spirits walk beside yours."

The foxkin flicked his coin pouch at him.

"And next time, drinks are on you. All of them."

Sylphera tilted her head, her faint smile holding more weight than words.

"So it's only the two of us? Well, don't you dare die before me. I'd hate that more than I'd admit."

Aurus took a deep breath, his chest rising as something stirred inside him. The pain in his heart stayed, but behind it was something stronger. His will.

Light burst from him like a flame catching wind. The sky twisted. Trees cracked and fell. The world shook like glass about to shatter.

Then it did.

The dream shattered with a soundless crash. Everything turned white. The field vanished. The warmth, the laughter, all gone in a flash of sparks.

Aurus drifted through silence, falling gently.

He landed quietly on a wooden stage, surrounded by falling embers of light, like tiny stars fading out. The floor beneath him was soft velvet, dark and soundless.

He looked up.

A massive theater surrounded him. Endless rows of empty seats curved around him like a giant shell. Shadows sat in the corners. The chandeliers didn't move, but they glowed faintly, pulsing like soft breaths.

Above the center stage, a huge figure floated, half a body, part skeleton, part puppet. Its face was a white jester's mask with no mouth. It looked frozen in place, like something waiting to speak but never could.

Its arms hung like broken bones, elbows resting on an invisible ledge. Below the chest, there was nothing, just swirling darkness.

Two bright white eyes shone from the mask.

Aurus didn't need a second to identify the creature. The monster hiding above them from the beginning.

The Slumbering King.

He looked straight at him, then bowed his head.

"I'm sorry," he said. "For ignoring you. But I had to honor them first. Now… I'm ready."