A Failed Hero's Voyage Chapter 20: Chapter 20: When Stars Collide

Read chapter 20 of A Failed Hero's Voyage by churro on NovelPedia.

Atherius stood motionless upon a fractured mass of earth drifting through the void, its jagged edges crumbling slowly beneath his feet while the celestial dragon loomed before him, vast and unstable, its form flickering between radiant white and devouring black as though reality itself could not settle on what it was. Without warning, its jaws opened, light condensing within like a collapsing star before erupting outward in a beam of absolute darkness that tore through space as it surged toward him, consuming everything in its path. He did not move, at least, not at first. Even as the attack closed in, devouring the void between them, Atherius remained still, unflinching, until something deep within him, something primal, undeniable, snapped into focus. A single instinct cut through everything else. Move. His body responded instantly. Time seemed to fracture as his perception sharpened to its limit, the certainty of death pressing against him with suffocating clarity. He launched himself sideways with explosive force, but the beam was faster, inevitably faster, and as he narrowly escaped its full path, it brushed against him with indifferent finality. There was no impact. No resistance. Only erasure. Mid-motion, his gaze dropped, and his breath caught. His right leg was gone. Not severed, not destroyed, but removed so completely that for a fleeting, disorienting instant, even the idea that it had existed felt uncertain. Then his divine affinities surged into action, reconstructing flesh, bone, and armor in rapid succession, forcing reality itself to comply as his body restored what had been lost. Even so, the conclusion was unavoidable. That attack could kill him. He landed heavily on another drifting fragment, his breathing no longer steady, his chest rising and falling as sweat gathered along his brow. Below him, the dragon watched in silence, and smiled. “What’s wrong, hero?” it asked, its voice laced with quiet mockery. “Surprised I am not like my father?” Atherius lowered into a crouch, forcing his breathing under control despite the tension tightening around him. When he rose again, his expression had hardened, sharpened into something cold and deliberate as energy gathered in his hand, condensing into a weapon of pure, radiant force. “If killing you is what it takes to reach the devil,” he said evenly, “then so be it.” His eyes narrowed as his awareness extended outward. He could feel it now, clearly. The distance between them was thin, dangerously so. Not gone, but close enough that even the smallest margin carried weight. The dragon chuckled, a low, pleased sound. “Very good,” it said. “You would make mother proud, Atherius.” Atherius exhaled sharply, a faint, humorless grin tugging at his lips despite himself. “And what,” he asked, “do I have to do with your mother?” For a moment, the dragon said nothing. Its gaze deepened, something heavier settling beneath its expression before it finally answered. “More than you realize.” Atherius frowned slightly, the question forming before he could stop it. “Did I kill her?” There was a brief pause, just long enough to matter. “Yes.” The word settled heavily between them, unanswered questions lingering in its wake. Atherius let out a slow breath, then straightened, his focus returning to the present. “Then at least tell me your name,” he said. “If one of us is to die here, I’d rather not do it against a stranger.” The dragon regarded him in silence before responding. “I possess only one name. I am half of a whole, my first name does not belong to me.” Atherius tilted his head slightly. “So there is another.” “Yes.” the celestial dragon answered. He nodded once. “Then I’ll settle for what is yours.” The dragon’s presence seemed to sharpen as it spoke, its shifting form steadying just enough to give weight to the name it carried. “Dracronith,” it declared. “The Celestial Dragon of the Void.” Its gaze locked onto him, unyielding. “And you, hero?” Atherius leaned forward slightly,