In the beginning, Aletia was a world of chaos. Mortals were but the playthings of the godlike beings known as the Five Lords of Heaven. Only one refused to join his brethren’s game: Surtr, the Black-Winged Lord, a solitary monarch who ruled the skies with unassailable might.
One day, the black dragon furled his wings and descended to earth. Why, none could say, but to see a Lord alight in their midst, the people could not help but speculate. It was simply his whim, a king claimed. He had come to fill his belly, a priest declared. He had descended from on high to lay waste to all living things, the nobles lamented. As suspicion abounded, fear took root in their hearts, at last inciting them to violence. They swallowed their terror and set out to slay the dragon. Yet all their attempts met with failure...until at long last, a boy named Hiro Oguro met Surtr and bore witness to his battle with the Demiurgos.
“What’s got you lookin’ so glum, brat? Power’s what you wanted, ain’t it? C’mon, let’s see a smile.”
The great dragon brought his colossal head closer. A snort all but knocked Hiro off his feet. By all rights, it should have sent him flying, but Surtr’s strength was much diminished. His duel with the Demiurgos had been a clash for the ages, a titanic struggle beyond mortal ken, and after three days and nights of battle, the Lord was close to death.
“Is the Demiurgos dead?” Hiro asked.
Surtr expelled a pained sigh. “I’m still kicking. I’ll bet he is too.”
The black dragon’s belly lay open. Blood poured out across the ground, enough that one might have taken it for a lake. Here and there, grisly shapes that looked unpleasantly like viscera rose from the pool, although it was too dark to be certain.
“Why the long face, brat? Told ya, didn’t I? Can’t kill a Lord. Looks bad, aye, but it’ll close up in no time, you’ll see.”
Hiro did not feel convinced in the slightest, but he could only assume Surtr knew better than he did.
The black dragon shifted listlessly, lowering his head to rest his jaw on the ground. “Ain’t quite the same kind of immortality you’ve got, but never mind that. Once I’m fully abdicated, this’ll be all yours.”
“But how are you going to...?”
Surtr’s enormous mouth cracked open, revealing rows of pointed teeth that looked sharp enough to draw blood. From between them snaked a long tongue, upon which rested an orb.
“Each Lord has what’s called a core. Like those hearts you humans have, but harder to break.” He cocked his head, visibly choosing his words with care. “Well, more like you couldn’t if you tried. Ain’t nothin’ in this world can destroy ’em.”
Hiro frowned, uncertain what to do. The Lord seemed to expect something from him, but he couldn’t fathom what that could be.
“Hey, don’t look at me like that. You know how the world works. You eat or get eaten. There’s only two things to do with this kind of power: usurp it and make it yours, or abdicate it and leave it to its own devices.” Surtr paused. “Assuming you can take it, of course. If you can’t...”
“Then what happens?”
“Then you die, brat. What do you think? ’Course, you don’t gotta worry about that. Got a bit more goin’ for ya than the average vessel, see.” Surtr seemed uncertain whether to stop there but finally continued. “Fail and it’ll be business as usual for a vessel. I’ll be in control, and you’ll be a shell.”
“How’s that any different from dying?”
“You forgot what you’re trying to do here, eh? Can’t go splittin’ hairs when you’re out to kill a Lord. ’Sides, these things can go both ways. Fight back hard enough and it might be you who ends up on top.”
“Could she do the same? If she could hold on...”
“No chance. I told you, you’re a special case. Not every vessel’s lucky enough to be a fiend. In fact, Lords usually take steps to make sure they can’t fight back.”
Hiro sensed what Surtr was referring to: the black malevolence eating deeper and deeper into Rey’s flesh at that very moment. He grimaced, recalling the torment on her face.
“Vessels die young,” Surtr said. “No exceptions. This girl you’re out to save... She’s sick, you said? That ain’t a sickness. It’s a Lord’s curse, and there ain’t no cure.”
Hiro was well aware. Rey was at the mercy of a being too powerful for anyone to defy. That was why he had sought out Surtr’s strength.
“Say I did agree to take your power. What would I do then?”
“Devour the other Lords’ cores. That’ll weaken the curse. As I say, odds are you’ll lose yourself along the way. But if you really wanna save her, right now, that’s your best shot.”
“Only weaken it? How can I break it?”
“Devour all the Lords, make ’em all one, and you’ll know what to do. But you’ll have to stomach enough power for a god, and that’ll cost you dear.” Surtr fell silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his voice was grave. “That a price you’re ready to pay?”
“I’ve always been ready. That’s what I came here for.”
Hiro did not hesitate. His eyes were devoid of doubt. All that mattered to him was Rey’s safety, her happiness, her survival. The friendship he had found in Surtr was a happy twist of fate, but he had come here for power. From the beginning, it was written that one of them would have to die.
“Good. Then just promise me one last thing.”
The orb lifted from Surtr’s tongue. Shining with a brilliant light, it slipped inside Hiro’s chest.
“What— Agh!”
Hiro had only a moment to register surprise. His vision flickered as some violent force rattled his brain. He thought he was going to pass out. Agony squeezed his cranium like a vise, but he managed to fight the pain and hold Surtr’s gaze.
“Do this right, brat,” the lord growled. “Save her...and don’t die until you do.”