What is it?
Arrack’s words entered Jhanku’s mind but were ignored.
The billions of years old S Grade ruler of ten thousand sectors pulled every part of his prodigious attention away from the many thousands of conversations and details of state it was attending to and focused it all upon the young dragonkin hovering there in the middle of space above Dostril.
Jhanku’s first thought was: He shouldn’t be here. What kind of trick is this?
There was just no way that Xavier Collins could be here.
There was a myriad of security measures in place preventing beings from simply waltzing into his sectors, let alone here at the heart of his empire, without being identified. The man shouldn’t have been able to use a portal to appear here, either. There was a portal lock in place around the entirety of the sector. Well, it wasn’t a strictly a portal lock, as portals could still be created if they were authorised…
But how could this man, this child, have possibly circumvented such a thing?
It doesn’t matter how he got here. That can be sorted out later with the heads of my security.
His focus narrowed, scanning the entity. Except, he couldn’t scan them. Somehow, this little C Grade’s veil was too powerful for him to penetrate. Yet again, that was something that shouldn’t have been possible.
Jhanku wasn’t frightened. How could he be frightened by a C Grade, even if this C Grade had somehow been able to defeat Arrack? His great-great-grandson may have been A grade, but that didn’t put him anywhere near the same league as an S Grade, especially not one as powerful as Jhanku.
Most Denizens in the universe didn’t even know there was an advancement beyond A Grade, and the S Grades of the inner sectors liked it that way.
No, he wasn’t frightened by this development; he was irritated. Even a little angry. Such an oversight shouldn’t have happened…
But once that irritation and anger dissipated and his shoulders dropped back down to a relaxed position, the realisation hit him that this was a good thing. How could it not be? Xavier Collins had powers Jhanku didn’t understand. He’d already tried to capture the young dragonkin without success—he glanced at Arrack, keeping the disapproval from his gaze—but now that the child and walked straight into his web, there would be no stopping Jhanku from capturing him again.
And this time, he would handle the interrogation personally.
There’s no way he will be able to resist me.
Arrack’s soul apparition, his spirit, still stood in front of Jhanku’s throne, but he’d stopped communicating after Jhanku stopped responding to him. He was no fool, he knew talking more would only irritate his great-great-grandfather.
“He’s here.” Jhanku grinned.
Who… who is here, Grandfather?
Jhanku stared up at vaulted ceiling of his ridiculously high throne room. “Xavier Collins.” He projected the image from the Observation Crystal into the room.
Arrack stared at it. The spirit took a step backward, fear on his face. Not possible! He… he should be dead! I blew my cores. He should be dead! He’s come for me, to avenge Palini. He’s come to reap me. Come to give me a true death!
Jhanku raised a single eyebrow at his great-great-grandson. “Do not talk like a fool. Remember where you are, who you are speaking with. Xavier Collins can’t make it down to the planet, nor could he make it past me. Nothing will happen to you. Nothing could happen to you.”
The spirit swallowed. Such an involuntary, alive gesture looked strange on a soul apparition, but the fear seemed to quickly bleed away; Arrack gave a slow nod to his powerful ancestor and spoke no more.
Arrack’s fear confused Jhanku. Yes, the A Grade had just been killed by Xavier Collins—a fact that still puzzled Jhanku greatly—but Arrack couldn’t be so foolish as to think that anything could happen to him here?
Still, while Jhanku might not be afraid himself, he couldn’t help but feel a slight touch of wariness. What he’d said was true. There was no way Xavier Collins could make it down to the planet or make it past him. But it was curious that he’d made it this far in the first place.
And why had he come?
Jhanku had been keeping a close eye on the human-turned-dragonkin. He’d heard of the stupid risks the boy had taken, time and time again. Risks that would have killed anyone else, and yet only ever made him stronger.
Had his success turned him so insane that he thought he could waltz into the inner sectors and come back out alive?
No. Jhanku shook his head. As insane as the young dragonkin was, there had to be some sense in him to have come this far. More likely, he’d realised the seriousness of his situation. He might have been able to defeat Arrack and escape from that base, but he knew there was no way he’d be able to escape Jhanku’s wrath.
So, he’d come here to strike some sort of deal—that could be the only logical answer.
But why is he using a time dilation field, and how did he get it through the planetary shield? That shield can stop time distortions. And there’s a secondary shield around this palace that can do the same…
He sighed. There was no point standing there and thinking these things in his own head. He couldn’t let this disrespect carry on any longer.
Jhanku couldn’t create portals, and he didn’t have the ability to teleport. Such abilities never seemed important to him. He activated a spell and rose from the ground, floating up through the air. There were many open windows, allowing a fresh breeze to roll through into his throne room. He passed through one of those windows and altered the speed he was moving at.
He rocketed up through Dostril’s atmosphere until he was hovering in space across from the insane dragonkin. Whatever Xavier Collins thought he was going to get out of this, he’d made a terrible mistake coming here.
The dragonkin’s dark, leathery wings flapped slowly as he hovered there in space, though they didn’t need to. He could have just floated there. It must have been some affectation, some part of his image that he liked.
Jhanku didn’t summon his staff. To do so would have been to admit that there was a reason to. That this young dragonkin posed a threat to him. And he did not.
But there was something strange about the man. Something deeply… wrong. There was an odd feeling in the area, too, something he couldn’t place, as though he were being watched by many eyes, and none of them were eyes that he could see.
Another thing that shouldn’t have been possible.
Jhanku couldn’t remember the last time he’d gone into a situation feeling such a wariness. And there really was no reason for him to feel this way. Though he was beginning to wonder if, somehow, this was a part of an elaborate trick.
But what kind of trick would it be?
Jhanku raised his chin and wondered what the right course of action would be in this situation. There was no doubt in his mind that he intended to capture the young dragonkin, but he was curious to know why he’d come here in the first place. There would be no harm in letting him talk, would there? He was about to summon a device that would allow him to speak to the man even in space when a bubble of atmosphere appeared out of nowhere in a flash.
For a moment, he didn’t breathe, wondering if somehow the atmosphere could be poisoned. Then he almost chuckled, thinking himself a fool to even worry about such a thing.
“Xavier Collins,” Jhanku said, staring at the young dragonkin. The man wore dark, flowing robes that fluttered as his wings flapped lazily in the pocket of atmosphere’s air. The wind from those wings flapped Jhanku’s own purple robes, making them billow behind him. “Why have you come here?”
Xavier Collins smiled. He didn’t look afraid. Another thing that unnerved Jhanku. “Isn’t it obvious?”
Jhanku frowned. “You can’t possibly expect me to strike a deal with you, not after what you did to Arrack.”
Xavier Collins tilted his head to one side. “Yes, I noticed Arrack had returned to you. Tell me, did you listen to his full accounting of events before coming up here?”
Noticed? Jhanku thought. There was no way a pitiful C Grade could penetrate his planetary shield, let alone his palace’s shield, to sense the soul inside his throne room. Even another S Grade would have trouble piercing that shield with their spiritual sense. He must be bluffing. He simply can’t have sensed him there.
Then again, the man’s veil shouldn’t have been this powerful either. Jhanku should have at least been about to use Identify on him. It made him wonder…
Is this man even here?
Jhanku was well aware of the ability the young dragonkin had to make drones, but all the same he should have been able to use Identify on a drone even more easily. And a drone couldn’t explain the time dilation field that surrounded them, the field that had impossibly penetrated through his planetary shield. Jhanku’s eyes narrowed. “Whatever trick you playing, it won’t work in your favour. I need only think it, and you will be within my grasp. Coming here was the most foolish thing you’ve ever done.”
“There’s no trick, Jhanku. I have come to challenge you.” A portal opened behind the man, springing to life in an instant.
The portal was a powerful one. Intergalactic, from Jhanku’s cursory examination. Such a portal would have taken at least a hundred of his time mages several hours to conjure, and yet Xavier Collins didn’t seem to even create it at all.
It just… appeared.
A C Grade, even one as unique as this, shouldn’t have been able to make a portal here at all.
Despite all the things Jhanku couldn’t explain, despite the weirdness of the situation, he threw his head back and laughed at the young dragonkin’s words. He laughed for an inordinate amount of time. When he finally stopped, he wiped a tear from his cheek and smiled. “Rumours of your insanity have not been exaggerated, Xavier Collins. First, there is no way you could defeat me. Second, why would I agree to such a challenge? It would delight me to kill you, but not before I have taken those secrets from your mind.”
“You will accept my challenge because you know you can’t take the secrets from my mind. Arrack’s time mages tried and failed.” The young dragonkin tapped his forehead. “There are measures in place ensuring my memories cannot be extracted, before or after my death. And there is nothing you could do to me that would ever have me give them up. I assure you.”
“Oh.” Jhanku’s smile deepened. “We have ways of making you talk.”
Xavier Collins smiled in return. “Not me, you don’t.” He raised a finger. “But, if you accept my challenge and defeat me, I will give up every secret I have. I will reveal it all to you.” He lowered his chin, gaze locked on Jhanku, the smile gone. “You will have everything you’re after.”
Despite himself, Jhanku was intrigued. Clearly this was some sort of trick. That was abundantly clear. Perhaps the boy was in league with Jhanku’s enemies. Had he struck a deal with one of the other S Grade rulers amongst the inner sectors? A deal that would have them become his champion in this challenge?
Before Jhanku could ask, a notification appeared in his vision, detailing the challenge.
Xavier Collins has issued you a System Sanctioned Challenge.
Challenge: Defeat Xavier Collins in his own domain.
Reward: All the secrets held by Xavier Collins will be revealed by the System, even if the challenge should result in his death.
Particulars of the Challenge: The Challenge must take place in the ruled domain of Xavier Collins. While Xavier Collins can use the resources of his empire to fight you, no one from any other sector within this universe is allowed to join the fight.
Do you agree to this challenge?