In the Stellar Void, a war had taken place... the life of the so-called Prime Sector was ending.
"W-What happened here?" Li Mei asked, arriving at the end of time, the place where the universe converged after her hundred thousand years of training. The skies turned black, and all the worlds began to converge.
The last grain of life, the final spark.
"You're late," she heard on the wind from the man lying on the ground. Many women lay fallen... her sisters, friends, mentors, and confidants of thousands of years, all... absolutely all were dead... and only the Dragon Lord remained alive, completely debilitated and missing one of his arms.
Li Mei ran to him, her heart clenched by the devastating sight. The pain in her eyes was evident as she knelt beside him. "What happened? Who did this?"
The Dragon Lord tried to muster a smile, but the pain in his eyes was profound. "Angra Mainyu... with a power we could not foresee. He was different, his eyes were..."
She held his hand, trying to channel her energy to heal him, but she knew it was too late. The damage was irreparable. "I should have been here. I should have fought by your side."
He slowly shook his head. "No, Li Mei. You were where you needed to be. Your training... your strength... is the only hope left.
You must continue... you must survive."
Li Mei felt tears stream down her face. "I can't do this alone. I need you." The Dragon Lord squeezed her hand with the strength he had left. "You are stronger than you think. Always have been. Use what you've learned, use the strength within you.
And remember, you are never alone. We are always with you, in spirit." He said, smiling even on the brink of death.
Something that could kill a Progenitor of a Race, something that... at least they knew what it was. How could she, of all people, do anything? She was a coward, she fled, hid to train, and when everyone needed her, she failed, she wasn't there. No matter what he said, that fact wouldn't change.
She closed her eyes, trying to contain the pain that threatened to consume her. "I promise. I promise I won't let this be in vain. I will avenge all of you."
He smiled one last time, his eyes losing their light. "Go, Li Mei. Save what remains... and if you still feel guilty, seek me out, I will surely reincarnate," he said for a second, before his last breath.
He transferred all his energy to her, his body consumed by a cocoon of power. Still holding his hands, two black horns grew on her head. "If I return, I will look for you."
With those words, the Dragon Lord exhaled his last breath. Li Mei felt her heart break, but she knew she couldn't succumb to the pain. She stood up, looking at the ruins of what was once a great empire, her tears drying as determination grew within her.
"I will avenge you. All of you," she murmured to herself, as the energy around her began to pulse with renewed intensity. "Even if I become a demon."
With one last look at the devastated battlefield, she channeled her energy and disappeared in a flash of light, determined to fulfill her promise. She turned and, with her new strength, sealed all the corpses with her golden power and walked through eternity alone, carrying all kinds of hatred, resentment, and most of all... regret.
In a few years, the Prime Sector destroyed itself, and Angra Mainyu never appeared before her again.
"I still remember that day," Voralith heard. This time, "Azi Dahaka." She said, seeing that the man beside her was speaking to her and not his former self. "It seems you've been through a lot," he commented, still with a mischievous smile. "I still wonder, did you spend all these years alone?" he asked, pulling a playful face.
"Why are you here?" Voralith questioned. However, she did not receive a direct answer. "Why indeed? Perhaps to remind you of your failures?" He raised his arms. "Damn... back to being irritating," she muttered.
"Hey, don't be like that! It's been years since I saw you!" he said, still looking like a teenager. "Has your mental age regressed to fifteen?" she asked with a serious look.
"Hm? No, I just don't want to be a grumpy old man, especially since you remain so majestic. I need to appear younger." He smiled, and Voralith just... placed her hand on her forehead and closed her eyes. "Damn cheeky Dragon," she said, "You should loosen up more, Li Mei. You're still too serious, try to be a little more sentimental." He spoke, but with a serious tone.
"Master, just tell me what you want. I'm sure giving me a Legacy wasn't for nothing." She said.
Azi Dahaka stared at her for a moment, his smile fading. "Right, right," he said, snapping his fingers. In an instant, the environment around them changed again, transporting them to an ancient and sacred Temple.
"I don't have much time, I just wanted to tell you a few things before you return, my predictions were probably correct." He said, looking deeply into her eyes. "Did you become a Spirit to be able to move through all the Sectors?" he asked, and she nodded. "I see... then probably I and the girls have already reincarnated somewhere." He said, and Voralith's eyes almost popped out of her head.
"W-WHAT DID YOU SAY???" She quickly stood up and screamed at him, who was startled and fell backward, "Hey, you idiot! I'm not deaf!" he shouted back, but she didn't stop. "YOU! HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS?" She yelled, he quickly covered his ears, not hearing as loudly as he should.
"You wretch! Calm down!" he said quickly, using force on her, but... "Damn, you're already much stronger than my previous self." He said, "EXPLAIN YOURSELF!"
"Hm? Isn't it obvious? I just left our souls inside you, knowing you, you would find a way to go to another sector, and between dimensions when passing near the cycle of reincarnation my soul could leave and reincarnate a few times." He said, simply... said... and Voralith was paralyzed... Just thinking that...
Of course, she had thought about it, but now... it was almost a confirmation. Dante could be...
"Wait... your reincarnation..." She murmured, "Seems you might have already met... Well, it wasn't different from what I expected, after all, I said I would find you. Although it's no longer me." He said with a crooked smile, as if regretting something. "Well, it looks like my mission is coming to an end." He said as his body began to disintegrate, slowly turning into golden dust. "WAIT!
YOU CAME HERE JUST TO SAY YOU REINCARNATED?!" She roared as she saw his body disintegrate.
He just smiled at her, "You're the last one who survived, I needed to at least come to remind you how much we all loved you, and to remind you of your regrets." He smiled as his entire body began to turn to dust. "Live a life without regrets, little Mei." He said, "Or rather...
Voralith, and see you soon." He said, and with those final words, his body completely disintegrated, scattering into the wind of the temple.
Voralith stood there, gazing into the empty space, watching the golden dust drift toward the sun. Her heart grew heavy, her eyes welled up, and small droplets began to fall down her face. The weight of the memories and his words hit her with brutal force, but they also filled her with something she hadn't felt in a long time.
"I will live a life without regrets," she murmured to herself. As the golden dust continued to float around her, she stood up and began walking through the temple, ready to face what she should have confronted long ago.
"Dante..." she said, her heart clenching for a moment. She ignored the feeling and, in an instant, she appeared inside the Imperial Palace, completely transformed. Her body was stronger, her horns more beautiful with golden accents, and she had evolved in some way. "Legacies... still so mysterious," she murmured, but then...
"Where have you been?" The strong voice of a man came from behind her, so threatening that Voralith, a Demonic Dragon, trembled with fear.
Behind her stood Dante, his presence about to explode. His entire body was burning, but his eyes were fixed on her without any wavering, demanding answers from an immense abyss.
"Dante..." she began, trying to maintain her composure despite the fear she felt. "Answer me, Voralith. Where were you? I searched the entire Kingdom for you! Flew in every direction! I looked in forests, seas, mountains, volcanic areas!" He spoke quickly, as if...
he was desperate.
Voralith initially thought he was angry because she had disappeared, but... he was more than angry; he was worried about her. He didn't give her a chance to respond and simply hugged her tightly. "You wretched dragon, don't ever do that again!" He roared while hugging her by the waist.
Dante was prepared to be thrown away, crushed by a giant claw, or simply receive a blast of fire, but...
He felt only the woman hugging him back, very strongly.