The elder's eyes flashed with a flicker of radiant orange light as he looked down at Aaron with pride, a smile wrinkling his aged face.
"You remind me of me in my youth, kid. Ah, the good ole days…"
Staring off into space for a moment before glancing around slowly, he sighed.
Then, shaking his head, he stepped away from Aaron.
"Lloyd, fetch the healers. I don't want word of this spreading to the Guild."
The man addressed a guard who stood at the door, his commanding presence making the poor lad shiver until he retracted it slightly, allowing his subordinate to leave.
Moving towards the bed, the elder sat down on the edge, his old bones creaking as he relaxed.
The blond-haired boy himself could only watch in confusion—and awe—as he finally got a chance to think about the situation, realizing that another powerhouse had just appeared before his very eyes.
I knew that this was a possibility, but for it to happen so soon and like this…
Clearing his throat and opening his mouth to speak, Aaron looked at the man with respect while tipping his head.
"Sir… May I ask who you might be?"
Already under the assumption that he was a member of Thorn's crew, he braced himself for the answer; however, he furrowed his brow at the response.
"Don Urude. Knight Captain of Chrone Castle."
He paused, noticing the surprise across the challenger's face.
"You thought me to be the first-mate of Lord Thorn's crew? Heh, you aren't the first to improperly connect the dots."
Muttering something quiet to himself after that, he leaned backwards, stretching out on Alaric's bed while the real owner groaned in the corner, rubbing his neck.
"Technically, I am bound to the Ghostship he wields through the subordination pact, but it's more of a mutually beneficial agreement. I gain a prolonged life through the vessel, and he gains my knowledge and sword."
As he said that, he drew his blade from its sheath, the magnificent sheen nearly blinding Aaron, who gazed at it without any eye protection.
The edge was finely tempered to precision, with arrays of diamonds embedded into the surface, making it unbreakable under normal means.
Momentarily engrossed by the magical weapon that throbbed with mana, the boy quickly snapped back to his senses, a question forming on his lips.
"Prolonged life?"
Narrowing his gaze at the query, the silver-bearded man chuckled in a self-deprecating tone, answering with haste.
"Through whatever contract he made with that old goddess he mumbles about every so often, he has been able to control life itself."
There was a silence as Aaron processed his words, a cold dagger clinging to his core as if begging to be unleashed.
"Then… How old does that make you?"
Ignoring the rude connotations of the inquiry, Don answered without much thought, as if it were simply a passing comment.
"One hundred and seventeen as of December this year."
He smiled, watching the turquoise-eyed boy's mouth drop.
"I know, I don't look a day over seventy, right?"
Increasing the pressure he was exuding, he was given a speedy nod from the challenger, another laugh coming from his chest.
Exhaling heavily and looking up towards the clock hanging on the wall, he sighed, then stood up, cracking his back.
"Don't cause problems anymore."
With that, he turned to Alaric, who flinched at his gaze, his neck covered in red fingerprints left from the man's grip.
"I swear upon the name of Life, if I hear of you using magic within this castle again, I will personally gut you and study your corpse."
Shuddering and turning pale, the noble nodded at a speed that exceeded human limits, his fear evident.
The Knight Captain himself only shook his head, tensing his muscles, and then spoke one last time towards Aaron.
"I'll be at your tournament. Give me a good show."
Then, he turned on his heel and vanished, only the gust of wind left in his wake blowing through the room deafly.
Alaric and Aaron were left alone with the half-asleep guard, who groaned in pain, as a healer rushed in through the door.
Feeling that the situation had come to an end, the blond boy didn't hesitate to excuse himself from the chamber, not even attempting to make eye contact with Raphael's twin again.
That was rough…
Resuming his fatigued walk towards his own accommodations, he felt Penelope stir awake inside his head.
『Go to sleep already… That mana earlier was related to the Goddess of Life, and I'm not in the mood to get my fortune read anytime soon…』
Instantly falling into a slumber again, she left Aaron with the cryptic god-talk once again, making him sigh as he inserted his key into the door.
Turning the lock gently, he made his way inward, making sure to seal the door behind him tightly to account for revenge plots.
Each bedchamber was equipped with state-of-the-art defense seals forged by artisans in the Sea of Souls.
Only a Sea King could even hope to scratch the first layer of the barrier, allowing complete privacy for the challengers.
Glancing over his massive space with a tired grin, he walked towards his bed without delay, collapsing into a heap of exhaustion.
Tomorrow is finally the time to meet…
Closing his eyes and thinking once again, he gently drifted into his slumber, the strange encounter mere minutes ago fading away like leaves in the fall.
I can see them in person…
…
There was no sound at the bottom of the sea, a mysterious silence clinging to the very existence that stood tall.
Thousands of individual chains that glowed with a cosmic luminance bound the man to a prismatic altar, his form flickering with every movement.
Like always, he stared into the mirror granted to him by sheer coincidence, an item carried by the sea itself.
His eyes watched the slumbering Aaron Grimstall inside his bed, the boy's blond hair still speckled with streaks of turquoise.
Sighing heavily, he turned his head to glance at a creature of impossible size which lay behind him, its gaze locked on the projection of the child.
"This is who he has chosen? Is this really the successor?"
The being's voice echoed through the void, the Old Man's eyes flickering as he responded slowly.
"Indeed it is, Watcher. Now you must return to the border before your time is up. There are no excuses for your behavior this time."
There was no hint of his usual cheerfulness as he addressed the tentacle-faced beast coldly, his familiar smile gone like the wind.
Around him in the darkness, there were no stirrings, nor gazes that fell upon the pair as they spoke, an abnormality for the eons of imprisonment he had faced.
"That seven-headed beast has sent you a message, correct?"
Speaking in a low growl towards the Watcher, the elder attempted to raise his hand, only to be blocked by the shackles.
Shifting uncomfortably, the towering monstrosity laughed, answering the man's question without much fear.
"Yes. He asked me to tell you of his return in the hope that you would side with him after he devours this realm. He is prepared to offer asylum for that boy of yours in his new world that he seeks to create."
Turning his incredible gaze away from the prisoner, the creature stared into the darkness as if afraid that something was watching the Watcher himself.
However, he was instantly distracted by a humorous burst of laughter from the man at the altar, his elderly face turning from stern to amused.
"Devour this realm? He is truly foolish to believe he could defeat my caretaker when he couldn't even face the Architects. There is no reality in which he is a threat to the Dimension of Waves, while I still draw breath."
He stomped his foot into the seafloor, causing the tectonic plates to shift and reform the foundations of the Abyss yet again.
The colossal being himself chuckled at the Old Man's response, replying with a comment of his own.
"Nidhogg's ambition is truly unchecked. Perhaps he will end up erased like Orochi this time. He, Madness, and Izmania do not understand how lucky they were not to encounter the original wielders in their prime."
Rubbing the scars that coated his chest, the giant began to stand up slowly, his head not reaching the surface despite his height, as he stood in the deepest parts of the Abyss.
Nodding his head slowly, the Old Man spoke calmly, his wrinkles glowing in the faint light produced by the chains as he bid farewell to the Great One.
"Stay well, old friend. You are perhaps the only visitor who speaks to me anymore outside of the mindscape. Even the gods do not come to gloat their victories to a shackled man without a will to live."
Sitting down to make his binds loosen up a bit, he looked upwards, to the microscopic dot he imagined to be the moon.
Throughout the Abyss, there were only a handful of days when the false sky could appear; however, when both the Watcher and the one who controlled the mist were away, anything could happen.
"Watcher. Do you know when the descent is planned for him?"
Turning back to one of the Ten Great Ones, the elder awaited his answer silently.
The beast let out a short laugh before replying in a whisper.
"January 1st. The day of Convergence."