Chapter 111: C110 – Secret

When Dirk felt his soul tremble, his awareness was actually cast into the Mana Dimension. He could see Eldritch Primordial, and he radiated pure hate. 

The Dark Dragon had actually appeared there as well. It was coiled behind and around Dirk, glaring at Eldritch. 

Then, there were millions of tentacles that suddenly shot towards them. Dirk could feel the absolute suppressive power of that barrage. A single one of those tentacles could wipe him from existence. 

{It's like your intelligence has regressed further!}

The Dark Dragon roared at that moment, and with a breath of darkness, destroyed every single tentacle. 

Damned Dragon! 

{It's futile, Eldritch! This child has usurped Source Mana by your will. You intended to lure him and eat him, but now, here I stand! By my power, he shall take everything from you, just as you took everyone from me!}

No! You cannot stop me! You lack what it takes to destroy me!

{You're right. I don't have the Source. But it is no longer I who will destroy you! You just keep on hiding, you ugly squid! Your day of reckoning is fast approaching!}

Silence!

With rage, Eldritch Primordial continued to attack the Dark Dragon who protected Dirk. 

At that moment, in the real world, the actual Dark Dragon looked back down at Dirk. It shot down toward him until its massive face filled Dirk's vision. 

{You, human child named Dirk Strider. With my power, you shall become capable of usurping the Dark Elemental Source Mana without that squid's interference! I shall entrust you with this goal, and you shall do so in order to grow your power! Primordial Light!}

<I am here.>

{You know what to do more than I! Prepare your child, for I shall call down Sovereign Divine!}

<It will be done.>

{Good! Oh, how I have waited for this day!}

With another bout of laughter, the Dark Dragon flew in circles in the sky. 

{War shall rage!!}

And with another gleeful declaration, he disappeared across the horizon, becoming one with the night's darkness.

The entire city was silent. Then, Dirk suddenly saw something. 

In the Mana Dimension, the Dark Dragon coiled around Dirk shot into his soul. Then, a mark was engraved on his chest. It was that of the dragon, and it was alive with its power. 

Then, Dirk returned to reality. The same mark was engraved on his skin, becoming a tattoo that sat over his left chest. Dirk felt the sting, but it was otherwise painless. Not only that, but the small wound on Dirk's soul was healed, removing that dull eternal pain. 

<Attention! Dirk Strider has attained the Blessing of the Dark Dragon Primordial.>

<Pandora Vanadis. Await my word.>

"...Understood."

Pandora slowly nodded, still processing what was happening. Dirk wasn't much better, and he looked questioningly toward Pandora.

"We... need to talk. I guess things are happening faster than I thought."

"You think?"

"Pandora!"

There was a sudden shout, and the Vampire Queen flew over. Those below could only hear roars as the Dark Dragon spoke. But those nearby, such as the Vampire Queen, Pandora, and Dirk, heard all those words clearly. 

What was spoken by the Dark Dragon was beyond important. Such information, at first glance, involved the fate of the world. 

"Both of you, come with me."

"Oh no you don't!"

Suddenly, another woman shot over. It was Cecilia, and she gazed threateningly at the Vampire Queen. 

"He's not going anywhere without me!"

"...Your son has been spoken to by the Dark Dragon Primordial. We must-"

"I don't care! If you want to speak with him, then I will be there as well!"

"This information cannot-"

"Mother! Let it be."

Pandora shouted before Cecilia and her mother could argue further. With a scrunched face, the Vampire Queen glanced at Pandora before sighing. 

"Fine. Come along. This discussion cannot wait."

Saying that, she flew back into the ballroom. Duke Kyre followed, as did the other three. 

...........

A small isolated meeting room with a single table.

The Vampire Queen sat at the head of the table. Duke Kyre sat on her left, Pandora sat on her right. Dirk sat next to Pandora, and Cecilia sat next to him. 

"Dirk."

While they were sitting down, it was Pandora who spoke to him. She was quiet, but spoke openly. And she spoke in English. 

"Don't say anything about Primordial Light, or the Record talking to us."

"Why?"

"It's one of my secrets. I have a Stigma called The Record of Life that allows me to communicate with the Light Dragon Primordial, otherwise known as the Record."

"...Alright then..."

Dirk was unsure of how to respond to that bombshell of a secret. Communicating with the Record itself? What kind of power was that?!

"Dirk?"

Cecilia suddenly called his name. Everyone obviously had fantastic senses, so they could hear their words. Problem was, they couldn't understand the language. It was odd for these two to know an entire separate language when they had never met before tonight. 

In fact, from beginning to end, all interactions and the entire relationship between Dirk and Pandora were baffling to everyone. The two were supposed to be complete strangers, yet they had done so many odd things, the worst among them creating a Blood Pact. 

Dirk hesitantly glanced at his mother. He knew all these odd happenings warranted an explanation. And if it were anything else, even knowledge about his Pure Soul and Eldritch Primordial, he would tell her. But this... this was about his past life. It was too big of a secret.

"...Give me a second, mother."

Dirk said that as everyone stared at him and Pandora. Then, he started speaking in English again. 

"How do we explain this?"

"I'm debating about just telling them."

"That we're from another world?"

Dirk was a bit surprised. He didn't think Pandora, the deviously smart madwoman, would actually reveal such a big secret. She was someone who kept as many things to herself as possible, revealing information only when absolutely necessary. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she trusted nobody. It took someone like that to do what she did on Earth. 

Pandora nodded calmly. 

"Yes. It would answer many questions related to our abnormal natures. It would also raise even more questions, as well as decrease the trust these people have for us. It would make them skeptical, but it would make sense seeing as it's the only thing to explain why we're so familiar. But at the same time, it could threaten our lives. It would also make the situation even more confusing considering the recent declaration of war by the Dark Dragon Primordial. But... I think I know how to make it work. Your mother trusts and loves you, right?"

Pandora glanced at Dirk, who nodded rather quickly. They both trusted each other deeply. 

"Good. My mother, the Vampire Queen, also loves me, so I'll use that. I want us to only tell our mothers about this. Keep that Duke Kyre out of this particular loop. He's the only loose end that could lead to unknown variables. If it's only our mothers, then we're safe. Can you do that?"

"...Yes."

"Then let's."

Suddenly, Pandora turned to Duke Kyre. 

"Duke Kyre. I have something that I wish to speak to my mother privately about. Cecilia Strider, your son also has something he wants to tell you privately. There's another room for you two just next door. So, Duke Kyre, if you could give us some privacy."

"..."

The Duke, as well as Cecilia, looked at each other confusedly. After the Vampire Queen remained silent for a second, he stood and exited the room. Dirk also led his mother out of the room, entering another nearby. 

The two entered an identical isolated meeting room.

"What's this you need to tell me?"

Cecilia asked after the door closed. They didn't sit, instead standing next to the table. 

Dirk looked at his mother. He thought back to his life so far, all the abnormalities he displayed as a child. It would all be explained. But at the same time, his mother would know that he wasn't the person she thought he was. 

But he steeled himself. He trusted her. 

"The reason Pandora and I know each other..."

"Yes?"

"...I'm from another world."

Dirk spit out the words, though with great difficulty. He felt odd just saying them. 

"I used to live another life on another world. When I died there, I was reborn here, as your son, Dirk."

"Another world..."

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Cecilia mumbled, spending some time to comprehend what he was saying. Eventually, things began to click in her brain. 

Dirk continued. 

"I kept the memories of my previous life when I was reborn. So from the time I was a baby until now, I always remained, mentally at least, the person I was in my past life. I was always fully aware, and it wasn't long until I understood the language of this world. But I acted my age so as to not draw suspicion."

"..."

Cecilia was silent for a while, slowly nodding. Gradually, she came to ask a question. 

"Who... were you, in your past life?"

"I was a soldier."

Dirk spoke with a frown. He didn't like his memories from Earth. 

"I wasn't a normal soldier either. I was something they called a Supersoldier. From the time I was a child, I was trained to be the most effective killer."

"...Your parents-"

"I didn't have any. At least, none that I knew of. I was an orphan who was abandoned, and picked up by the ones who create Supersoldiers."

"That sounds a lot like what Asura does."

"It's exactly what Asura does. Except my world didn't have magic. Anyway, I had lived that life of a soldier until I died."

"How old were you when you died?"

Cecilia asked this question, unsure of what to expect. If she were being honest with herself, this was a weird situation. But she was just taking it as it came.

"I was 18 years old when I died. I'm close to being the same age now as I was then. So I was an adult. Technically, my mental age is 34 years old."

"..."

"It's why I was so weird back then, as a child. I was always training, and since I was a soldier, I had skills I shouldn't have. And those people I killed during my dungeon dives... It wasn't difficult to kill them. I had done it easily, but I had been worried about what you thought of that. And when I was brought to Asura's mountain, I was confident since I was trained to ignore pain. While I still had trouble... with the Emperor's help, I was able to get out."

Dirk scratched his head. Back when he escaped Asura's mountain and learned about the Emperor who helped him, he had known then that his escape wasn't entirely by his own skill. It was Cecilia and the Emperor who gave him the chance. It allowed him to escape that hell, that which could hurt someone who could ignore pain by using magic and attacking their mind. 

"Anyway, I guess I was never technically your child..."

"Don't say that!"

Suddenly, Cecilia snapped. She grabbed Dirk's face, both gently and forcefully. 

She looked into his eyes. 

"Don't ever say that again. Dirk, I don't care where you came from or who you used to be. You are my child. Do you understand that?"

"..."

"Say yes, right now."

"...Yes."

Dirk couldn't help a small smile from surfacing. Seeing his stifled happiness, Cecilia pulled him in for a hug. 

"...It's weird, I'll admit that."

She spoke with a whisper.

"It's weird to think that I gave birth to a young adult. I've been through many things, and this is by far the strangest. But... It means nothing in front of the bond we have. We've both grown. Neither of us are the same as we were back then. But through everything that's happened, I've always been your mother, and you'll always be my son. Past life or not. Call me greedy, but you're mine now, and I'm not going to allow anything to change that."

She separated with a smile, combing back his hair. 

Before he could respond, she tilted her head.

"Is this how you looked back then too?"

"...Because of magic, I actually look better than back then."

"Of course. But a world without magic... That's crazy. Anyway, tell me where Pandora fits into all of this. I'll assume the language you two spoke came from this other world, because it surely doesn't come from here."

Cecilia took a seat as she spoke, prompting Dirk to sit next to her. 

"Yes. And Pandora was... she used to be an enemy, actually. We tried to kill each other on many occasions. In fact, we both died together, both our souls being taken to this world and reborn."

"Enemies? Then why are you so friendly? Or, I saw how you wanted to kill her, but that quickly changed."

"I did want to kill her when I saw her. But truth is, it was because of her that I was able to be reborn at all. I hold a little gratitude for that, and among other reasons, I no longer wish to kill her."

"And why did you make a Blood Pact?"

"Because... well I'm not entirely sure. I don't think I can say that the situation was conducive to rational thinking. But either way, I suppose it represents our promise to work together. Those people from my old world... There's a chance that they may come here."

Dirk explained the portal, how he and Pandora actually died by entering it and came to this world. 

"She's been making preparations in the inevitable event that they recreate that portal and launch an invasion. And although this world has magic... the devastation they can wreak even without magic is astronomical. So I need to help her and prepare. But now, there's another reason to work with her."

"The Dark Dragon."

"Yes. I don't understand what happened there, but its words about war aren't comforting. Something is coming, and Pandora has certain secrets that make her aware of the oncoming crisis. That, combined with her intellect, make her someone worth working alongside. She's not an enemy, to me at least. And neither of us want to be each other's enemies. In fact, she really wants to support me. From our past lives, she knows what I'm capable of."

"...Alright."

Cecilia nodded. She was beginning to understand the situation. And while she rethought all her memories with Dirk, it didn't change the fact that he was still her son. 

Most importantly though, Dirk had only been 18 years old when he died. He had lived an especially short life, without any parents, and forced to fight on the battlefield as a mere teen. When she thought about how he had basically repeated his past life when he was taken to Asura's mountain, she was heartbroken. 

But things were finally making sense now. And regardless of his past, he was still her child. Even with his past life, he had grown and become someone capable of telling her these secrets. There was no doubt of their bond as mother and son. So as far as she was concerned, this information didn't change much. 

But that also meant she needed to reevaluate Pandora. They had a serious relationship, and not the good kind. Unfortunately, Cecilia could only leave things to her child who knew Pandora best. It at least seemed like they were cooperating well, so far. 

"There's something else I need to tell you, mother."

"What is it?"

Cecilia focused on Dirk who suddenly spoke again. 

After that, he went on to tell her about his special Trait, his Pure Soul. He also told her about Eldritch Primordial and their hostility. That, combined with the Dark Dragon's words, made her understand several things. There was also the added detail of Asura knowing who Eldritch Primordial was. 

After that, Dirk told her about his other Traits, such as Adaptable Genes and Cybernetic Enhancement. While he couldn't exactly explain the technology since he didn't know much about it himself, he was able to paraphrase and use metaphors to explain it. That gave her an idea of the things he was granted upon being born in this world. 

With that, Dirk had explained basically all he could. There wasn't anything else other than specific details he could tell her about himself. He had spilled every secret. Now, Cecilia truly knew who he was, inside and out. 

Of course, she was very happy with this. As she hugged him gleefully, Dirk suddenly saw something in his vision. 

<Pandora Vanadis is awaiting your return.>

It was the Record that spoke directly to Dirk. He was unsure how to feel about that as he brought his mother out of the room and back into the main meeting room. 

Cecilia knew that Pandora had also spilled the beans to the Vampire Queen, so when she walked in, she and the Queen glanced at each other with weird gazes. Pandora also looked at Dirk, a small smile on her face. 

She spoke in English.

"So how much did you say?"

"Pretty much everything, other than detailed specifics. And you?"

"I said enough."

"..."

Dirk was quiet as he sat down beside Pandora. Cecilia sat with him, giving Pandora a weird glance. It was unbelievable that this girl had died together with her son, and she was reborn as the Vampire Queen's daughter. If Dirk was lucky, then she was graced by the gods themselves. 

Neither of the two mothers could say anything about speaking another language either. Both of them now knew the relationship between Dirk and Pandora. 

Once Duke Kyre walked back into the room, the Vampire Queen got back to business. 

"...We need to discuss what we do from here. Pandora?"

"There's one thing that will determine what happens after tonight. It all depends on Duke Kyre and the will of Emperor Horizon."

Pandora leaned forward, her red eyes gazing deep as Duke Kyre.

"Duke, or should I say, General Kyre. I want territory that leads straight to the Dwarven Haven. I have the armies to fight for it. Now, you haven't made any sort of concessions or attempted to negotiate for territorial rights at all. It leads me to believe that the Emperor is willing to go to war over this particular slice of land. For what reason, I don't know, but it surely must be very important. So important that it will either result in every nearby empire becoming hostile with the Horizon Empire, or, it will result in the leaders of every Empire becoming personally hostile with your Emperor. There's a secret that he is personally hiding."

"..."

Duke Kyre was silent, almost as if confirming her guesses. This didn't make her smile though. She maintained a cold stare. 

"Your Emperor isn't giving up. A secret of the world is being kept on the island in the center of the Central Sea. This involves people like my mother, and she will surely pay your Emperor a visit sometime. So for now, I'll stay out of it. When you go back, tell your Emperor this: I don't care about the secret he is hiding. I only want the territory. If he wants me to stay off that land bridge, then I'll do so. He can even monitor it, maybe station a small standing army there. I don't care. But I want that territory. With the secret on that island off the table, he'll surely be more open to negotiating. Maybe there won't need to be a war. Although, I am very much willing to begin one."

Finally, Pandora smiled a bit. Dirk wanted to say that her madness was leaking a little, but he just kept silent. 

Duke Kyre had a mean gaze as she spoke again. 

"Emperor Horizon has four days to give me a response. We either negotiate for the territory, or we fight. If I don't hear anything, or get a redundant, unsatisfactory response, then you'll hear from me again through the blades of my army."

"...Then I guess there's no reason for us to remain here."

Duke Kyre grumbled and stood. He had lost the discussion, but he was a general, so this didn't matter much. Still, he didn't like how cunning Pandora was. He saw her as a threat.