"Alright, I get what you're trying to say—but what does it have to do with us?" Tony asked, his voice edged with exasperation.
He turned to glance at John, who was staring at Eccaruss with that same unreadable expression. Sometimes, Tony had to remind himself this was still his little brother.
"But first," Tony continued, "what is this 'omniverse' you just mentioned?"
He waited in silence, eyes fixed on Eccaruss.
Eccaruss rubbed his forehead and sighed. He'd expected this question, but there were things they weren't ready to know… not yet.
"Sorry," he said at last, shaking his head. "I've already said more than I should. It's not time for you to learn about this."
Both brothers exchanged a glance—wordless agreement—and turned back to Eccaruss, pressing him again for answers.
"Silent."
This time, Eccaruss's deep voice rolled through the cavern like distant thunder.
A deep, rumbling force burst outward from him like an unseen explosion. The ground cracked beneath their feet. Dust shook loose from the cavern ceiling. An invisible wall of pressure slammed into them, forcing Tony and John down as if giant hands were pressing on their backs.
John's knees hit the stone hard. His breath caught in his throat, every muscle straining against the crushing force. His vision blurred at the edges, the weight pressing on his chest like a boulder.
What… is this?
Beside him, Tony's hands were digging into the rock floor just to keep from being flattened completely. His teeth clenched, but he couldn't stop the tremor in his arms.
Who was Eccaruss? Once, even gods had obeyed his command. Now, with only a fragment of his soul left, his suppressed power was still enough to bring low tier individuals to thier knees.
The air itself seemed to vibrate with his presence.
John's lungs burned. It was like being dragged underwater with no hope of reaching the surface. The realization hit him hard—until now, they had taken this man's restraint for granted.
"ROARRRRRR!"
Suddenly a deafening sound tore through the suffocating silence.
A shadow moved.
The black dragon—battered, wingless—lifted its head. Its eyes locked on Eccaruss, blazing with fury. Its chest heaved as it forced itself upright, each movement sending blood spilling from open wounds.
It took a staggering step forward, planting itself beside John.
The aura still pressed down like a storm, but the dragon didn't care. It bared its fangs, a deep growl rumbling in its throat—a clear warning.
Eccaruss blinked in surprise. Of all things, he hadn't expected this.
This big guy… is angry for the one who injured it? Seriously? What kind of soul seal did John use?
A faint, amused smile tugged at his lips as he shook his head.
"I've said too much," he said finally. "The rest, you'll learn when you're ready. For now… you're not qualified."
The suffocating pressure vanished as quickly as it came, the sudden absence leaving both brothers gasping for air.
"Instead of worrying about things you can't control," Eccaruss added, his tone almost casual now, "why don't you check on your pet? At the rate it's bleeding, it won't last much longer. My work here is done—you can handle the rest."
With that, he simply vanished.
John stared at the empty space, his fist clenching. I'll get stronger… strong enough to uncover every secret of this so-called omniverse. That's a promise.
Tony stepped up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't beat yourself up. We'll get strong one day—and then we'll show that old man what we're capable of." He smirked.
"Yeah. That's true."
Shaking off his thoughts, John turned toward the dragon. The creature lay unconscious, its massive body still bleeding in places. He remembered how it had stood up for him earlier. Their fight from before suddenly seemed irrelevant.
Walking closer, John placed his palm gently on the dragon's head and closed his eyes.
"Recovery."
A brilliant green light surged from him, flooding the entire cavern. Tony had to squint and shield his eyes, unable to see through the radiance.
A minute later, the glow faded. The dragon now stood tall, fully healed, even its once-torn wings restored to flawless strength.
"Thank you, master, for helping me," the dragon rumbled.
"Don't mention it. And don't call me 'master.' Call me John—or sir—whatever you like."
"Alright, master."
"I just said don't call me master."
"I will follow your command, master."
"You… Forget it." John rubbed his forehead helplessly.
Tony burst out laughing. "Hahaha! You've got yourself a nice pet, John. I still can't believe it—you have a dragon as a pet!"
"Jealous?" John smirked.
"What? Jealous? Me? No way." Tony crossed his arms and turned away, though his tone wasn't convincing.
"By the way," he added after a pause, "have you thought of a name for it? You can't just call it 'dragon' every time, right?"
John glanced at the dragon, then looked thoughtful. "Hmm… a name, huh?"
For a moment, he fell silent, running through possibilities in his head. The dragon lowered her head slightly, watching him with curious eyes. Then, a small smile spread across his face.
"Nyx," John said finally. "Your name will be Nyx, meaning goddess of the night."
Tony blinked, caught off guard. "Nyx? Are you sure about that? And wait—do you even know if it's a male or female?"
"Of course I know," John replied without hesitation. "She's been talking to me for a while now. Didn't you hear?"
Tony's brow furrowed, and he shook his head. "Hear what? I only heard your voice. That's it."
John smirked faintly. "Guess that's something only I can hear, then."
Tony looked at the dragon again, still processing, while Nyx let out a low, approving rumble at her new name.
"Alright, it's time for us to leave," John said, his voice calm as he started walking ahead.
Tony lingered for a moment, his gaze drifting toward the massive Bahamut dragon. "Uh… what about this big guy—"
He stopped mid-sentence.
Right before his eyes, Nyx began to emit a strange black glow. The light pulsed, growing darker and more intense until, within moments, her entire form was encased in a smooth, egg-like shell.
Tony blinked, his mouth half-open. He turned, ready to call out to John—only to find that John had stopped several steps back. He wasn't moving. His eyes were closed, his expression unreadable, as if he were deep in thought… or somewhere far away entirely.
"...What now?" Tony muttered under his breath.