Chapter 865: Orion becomes Gideon’s disciple
"My Father? Are you a friend of my father?" Orion was stupefied for a second but then remembered something and asked. "Forget it. What do you mean by Lyra was never really here? Was she an illusion?"
Gideon’s voice softened as he explained. "Illusion and reality, both. Everything you saw—this dungeon, the girl, her story was all constructed from a lingering spiritual echo, buried in this place. This place isn’t a dungeon, Orion. It is Lyra’s tomb. Lyra was real... once. She was a girl who entered this dungeon many years ago and got caught by a mage, who used her as an experiment. As she was imprisoned here, she encountered four people, but she still couldn’t make out. In the end, she killed herself to free her evil self, but little did she know that once she had done it, the curse placed on her evil self was activated, letting her go berserk, like an animal that lost its sanity. By the time she had managed to kill the mage, her spirit was exhausted, and she died soon after."
"So, she is a remnant of her past," Orion murmured. "Now, it all makes sense."
Gideon nodded. "This trial was born from her regrets. And had you let her kill herself and awaken the evil self, you could have been in grave danger. Of course, not that I would let you die, but still... You changed her mind and gave up on sacrifice, rewriting her story. There are many other stories like hers, and I use this method to test the qualified individuals."
"Does my father know about this?" Orion asked, furrowing his brows.
"Yes," Gideon said. "He disagreed at first. But I insisted and convinced him."
"Why?" Orion whispered.
Gideon looked at him without flinching. "Because I wanted to see what kind of man you were. Whether you would cling to power or stand by someone powerless. Whether you would run... or offer yourself."
He stepped closer.
"You could have walked away, Orion. You had every reason to. But you didn’t. Someone like you is bound for greatness as long as you are given power and guidance."
Orion felt like the room was spinning.
Gideon extended a hand. "I want you to become my disciple, Orion."
Orion stared at the hand for a long time.
Then, finally... looked up. "What would you have done if I had chosen myself in the end?"
Gideon shook his head. "Then, you will fail. I will knock you out and send you back to your hotel, erasing the memories from here. But I was confident that you wouldn’t because you’re Azrael’s son. Azrael is someone who might not care about a stranger’s woe, but if he is connected to someone, he goes to any length to protect them, and I can see you inherited this trait."
Gideon couldn’t help but smile, taking his hand as he got up, "I accept."
The violet key behind them shattered into sparks, and the dungeon walls collapsed, light pouring in from nowhere, dissolving the illusion around them.
And when it faded, Orion found himself outside, somewhere in the streets of Graena City.
Later that evening, the city of Graena stretched out beneath the night sky like a lake of trembling gold.
Neon signs blinked against the dark, and street lamps flickered in and out like fireflies. Yet, high above it all, in the penthouse suite of a hotel, Orion lay awake in bed.
The sheets were tangled around him, tossed in frustration.
No matter how much he turned, rest eluded him.
His eyes were open, staring blankly at the dark ceiling.
But it wasn’t noise that kept him up.
It was Lyra’s voice and the memories he had with her, even if it was a short one. Her laughter. Her trembling hands reached for the crystal. Her smile as she fell unconscious in his arms. Even knowing it had all been part of a trial, the real Lyra had gone long ago, he couldn’t shake the sensation that she had been real.
He turned again.
Then, suddenly, a whisper brushed past his ear, calm, powerful, familiar. "Orion..."
Orion’s eyes snapped open. "Hmm?"
As he looked around, the voice once again spoke, "Come to the balcony."
"Dad?"
He shot upright and, barefoot and silent, walked across the soft carpet and slid open the glass door. The wind kissed his skin as he stepped into the cool night air.
And there, leaning casually against the edge of the railing, stood a tall, shadowed figure. It’s his dad, wearing a long coat and a hood.
Orion stared, stunned. "Dad? What are you doing here? At this time..."
Azrael didn’t look at him immediately. His gaze was cast out over the city, eyes reflecting the distant lights like fading stars.
"Before that, tell me..." Azrael replied with a question instead. "Why are you restless?"
"I... couldn’t sleep." Orion scratched the back of his head. "It’s the dungeon. I keep thinking about it."
Azzy turned to him now, his expression unreadable. "Do you blame me for it?"
Orion blinked. "No! Why would I? It was... strange, sure, but... I don’t blame you. It was an experience I’ve never had before."
He looked away, hands curling slightly. "I don’t know, Dad. I can’t forget her face. I know it was an illusion, but it felt so real. Maybe it is because I never had such an experience before. Or maybe it is because I felt connected to her. Or maybe it is something else. I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Dad. I was fine until dinner, but as I slept, it just came to my mind."
Azzy gave a beat of silence and then said. "Honestly, son, I’m really proud of the choice you made in the end."
Orion looked up—surprised, maybe even comforted.
But then his father added, "But I’m not happy about it."
Orion’s lips parted. "Dad?"
Azrael’s eyes hardened in seriousness. "Orion, you were willing to sacrifice yourself for a girl you didn’t even know. As an Arcana Master and a fellow human, I might be proud. But as your father?" He exhaled through his nose. "I’m... not happy."
Orion didn’t know what to say.
"The dungeon is not real, but your actions are real. What if one day in the future, you really get trapped in the dungeon and go through a similar situation, just thinking of the scene that you are sacrificing yourself, itself scares him more."
He turned again toward the city, hands resting on the rail.
"But still... I’ve never believed that a parent has the right to shape a child’s entire future, or atleast when one is an adult. And you’re old enough to make your own decisions. Old enough to fight, to love, to decide your own fate. That’s why I didn’t stop Gideon. I don’t intend to stand between you and him. So, whether you follow him to the Louver or study in the academy, I’ll leave your future in your own hands."
He turned back and reached into his coat, pulling something out. "But, coming to the matter, the primary reason for my visit is to give you this. You earned it."
He handed it to Orion without a word.
Orion took the book carefully, feeling the weight in his palms. As he opened the page, he saw that it was written in pen ink, not a printed one. And he could smell that the ink is fresh, meaning it is written quite recently.
"What is this?" Orion murmured, already drawn in.