Serendipity (Veldora x TBATE)

07 | Pre-Play

"Those cowardly lions have confined themselves in a cage of their own free will. Even though the lion is supposed to be the 'king of all beasts.'"

— Rize Kamishiro

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I've lived for a long time, and most of it I spent causing unreasonable chaos and destruction. It was simple, primal, and for the longest time, satisfying. I've seen enough of humanity—my frequent victims—to know how they work as a group.

At first, I saw only weakness in their persistence. I could never understand why my brother was so fascinated by them. They'd rebuild after every calamity, like ants reconstructing a trampled hill. But as centuries rolled by, I found myself curious.

These fleeting beings are full of contradictions. They wage devastating wars, then weep over a wilted flower. They build grand systems to impose order, yet their defining moments often sprout from chaos—revolution, inspiration, love.

I was puzzled.

Perhaps that's why I'm drawn to them—to their struggle against the entropy which I represent—even as I terrify them. They're as chaotic as I, in a sense. The irony isn't lost on me. After thousands of years of sowing discord, I find myself intrigued by the concept of purpose. Not the petty aims humans cling to, but something grander.

Without chaos, order stagnates.

Without destruction, creation loses its urgency.

~🐉~

Veldora versus all the lances plus Arthur Leywin and the royal children of the human kingdom. The standoff for such a battle of epic proportions was, suffice to say, very tense. The air was rigid yet electrifying, equal parts burning and heavy. It was the conflicting mana storm coming from the lances at work, but Veldora still had his own magicules suppressed.

Veldora's surroundings were still cratered aside from the perfect circular ground he stepped on. But then, he took a step in the empty ground. His enemies tensed at this, clutching their weapons even tighter. But Veldora never fell to the ground. He walked, step by step and one after another, on a clearly empty air.

"Every time someone is disadvantaged in the world, it is because of their lack of ability," says Veldora as he paced around the battlefield. He continued, "The weak are trampled. They are overrun. They are afflicted. So, tell me, humans, which of us is disadvantaged here?"

The lances tensed further, questioning just what kind of psychological move Veldora was on, but they can never point his words to any deeper reason other than to converse, or perhaps amuse himself. Moreover, his tone was still so casual and unhurried—as if he was unbothered by everything.

The lance Aya, in particular, gulped as she heard Veldora's words.

"Thinking I'm in a disadvantage because of this set-up is just ridiculous, is what I mean," he said, looking directly at the elven lance whose thoughts he voiced. The other lances looked at Aya, then back to Veldora. "And no," he added, waving his hand dismissively. "I haven't read your minds, it's just that your emotions are so susceptible that I might as well be able to hear it—smell it, even."

The lances and the council alike can never wrap their heads around Veldora. They spent a great deal of assets investigating his origins, but they can never find any trace. There was no record of him other than the time he suddenly showed up at Xyrus Academy, effortlessly intruded into the barrier, then slaughtered all the attackers. After making a show for himself, he registered as an adventurer like nothing happened.