Chapter 293: A Cold Reality

"W-what is going on?! D-dad, it's you right? But you're dead! How is this possible-" Drake gasped, still holding his Father by the collar of his shirt.

"Get the hell off me! Who the fuck are you?! And what are you doing in my house!" his Father roared in a slurred voice.

Drake grimaced, smelling the potent stench of alcohol on his breath.

"What are you doing?!" he growled, "Hitting a child?! Are you insane?!"

"What of it?!" his Father scoffed, "What I do to my own flesh and blood isn't any of your business! Now! Get the hell off me!"

His Father pushed him backward with considerable force. Drake staggered, wincing from the surprising power of it.

When his eyes opened, his Father and Atticus were gone.

Drake looked around, feeling his chest where his father had shoved him.

"What the hell was that? It felt real… But… My Dad would never…"

"Oh but he would…"

A voice whispered into Drake's ear and instantly he spun around, but found nothing.

He kept his eyes peeled, scanning the surroundings. His confusion mounting.

Drake knew he was inside some sort of quest zone or temporary area like the tutorial. But what he couldn't understand was seeing his long passed father and a younger Atticus. Not only that his skills and magic were not working, leaving him feeling entirely naked without his constant aura sweeping the area.

"What the hell was that? Is someone there?"

Drake blinked and suddenly he saw another boy in front of him.

"Is that…? Me…?" he muttered.

He slowly approached the boy who was kneeling down with something cupped in his hands.

This is when I found the butterfly… That means… Drake thought, looking to the side. And sure enough he found his younger brother, Travis, bringing over a dirty aquarium filled with sand.

"I got it like you asked, Drake," Travis said with a slight lisp.

Drake's face put on a small smirk, remembering his brother had just lost his front teeth a few days earlier. But he soon tried to interact with the pair remembering this must be something to do with the quest.

"Hey, you two," he asked, however both the boys ignored him.

"Nice! Oh, it's dirty… Put it down so I can clean it up!" little Drake said.

Drake's eyes widened and he rushed to stretch out a hand to stop his younger self.

"No! Don't-"

Then Drake felt an agonizing pang in his head, the surroundings flashed and warped suddenly as his younger self's foot came down on the aquarium.

The aquarium changed. Suddenly it became a younger boy, cowering and screaming with his hands raised to protect himself. Pulling back on Drake's younger self was a small girl he didn't recognize in tears.

"Dwake! Dwake! Stahp! He said he was sowwy!"

Drake moved to stop his younger self, his hand passing through the young boy as he tumbled forward. He swiveled quickly to face his younger self only to see a face that should never be on a boy. A face of stark rage.

He had to stop his younger self, if he didn't, he might seriously harm or even kill the other boy.

"I said stop!" Drake shouted again but he was unable to stop himself, his hands passing through the boy like he was trying to grab smoke with his bare hands, "Susmaryosep!"

He tried once more to grab the boy, only to pass through his younger self again. When he rose, the scene had vanished for a second time.

"Am I losing it…?"

"I think we both know what's going on."

The same voice from before whispered behind him, making Drake spin to the side to find the owner.

"I've had enough of this crap! I knew the system was bad but even this is a level above for shit jokes! If you want to test me, just throw monsters at me! Stop showing me things that never happened!"

The voice came again, "Oh but I'm not… We are just… Remembering."

Suddenly the voice became solid, no more was it the whisper in the dark that Drake could barely hear out of view.

He pivoted on his foot and came eye to eye with an inky purplish smoke, two golden sun-like eyes looking back at him.

"Hello, Drake," the smoke hummed.

Drake stared back at the figure for a moment. Then quickly thrusted his fist forward, square between the figue's eyes. But his hand passed through it just like it had with his younger self just seconds earlier.

"That's rather rude…" the smoke chirped, quivering as it coalesced again into a figure.

"No more rude than an unwelcome guest."

The smoke's eyes widened as it looked behind Drake at the new voice.

Drake also jumped to the side, bringing both figures into view in front of him. This second voice was owned by a similar smoking figure, however this one held deep blood crimson eyes and was outlined in gold.

"Do not meddle with my fun, Asuran," the golden eyed smoke hissed.

"You have no say here, Dragon…" the other said evenly, then its head turned, the smoke's eyes gazing right back at Drake, "You can not see us for what we are yet… Han Kol… What is your plan…"

The second figure seemed to be speaking to itself and came to a conclusion on its own as it waved a hand, turning back to the golden-eyed smoke.

[Quest Update! Ghosts of the Past]

Journey through the demise of the Asuran race.Recall the memories of your past through clear eyes.Forge the makings of your legacy.

"The great King has not yet removed you from this place, so I have no right to eradicate you. However I will be observing. How you found your way into branding an Asuran and traveling with them here is curious, but know that he is no longer yours to play with. Every Asuran is family and our pride will not let you have your way."

The golden figure vanished, leaving Drake bewildered and with the golden eyed and far less golden glowing, purplish smoke.

The remaining figure scoffed.

"Such arrogant talk for a lowly mercenary… And to ruin my fun," it sighed, the smoke forming its figure wisping back and forth, in what looked like a shrug, "Here I wanted to play more. But now that you know I'm not part of this place, I suppose it will be hard to do much of anything."

Drake relaxed slightly, although still greatly confused about the coming and goings of these ghostly figures he had no choice but to follow the quest's directions if he wanted to leave. He had to get back to his planet or body. Just get back.

"Don't care what you do. But have any idea what I'm supposed to do now, Smokey?" he asked.

"Smokey…?"

"I can't keep calling you smoke-like thing or golden eyes can I? So Smokey or would you prefer Regis? I just guessed you would be mad at being compared to a dog," Drake smirked.

Smokey's golden eyes thinned, "You dare act in such a way to a Dragon? Do you know who-"

"Nope! Don't know, don't care right now," Drake waved his hand in front of his face, "Can't tell who you are any damn way so. Got any ideas?"

"This is a Legacy Chamber and a Legacy Quest…." Smokey grumbled, "I could tell you nothing even if I knew," it paused, "...Did you not hear the part where I am here to impede you?"

"I did, but it's in your best interest to help me along right? Get to know more info if you do."

Smokey's eyes widened briefly, then scoffed, "The quests will be changed and received as you require them. Why are you in such a rush to remove yourself from this place? Has something happened on your little dirtball?"

Drake smiled, "None of your damned business lizard."

[Quest Update! Ghosts of the Past]

The scenery shifted in the blink of an eye. The dark surroundings were painted over by vast golden wheat fields and an orange setting sky. In the distance birds chirped while trees swayed in the breeze.

The laughing of children came and went on the other side of the stone brick fence.

[Follow the Asuran children at play and hear of the battle against the Father of the Void]

Reward: Experience.

Drake looked at the surroundings, the scenery reminding him of something out of a historical movie about ancient times.

"Quaint isn't it? Ran'tu Kai…." Smokey whispered in Drake's ear.

"Ran'tu Kai…? Where have I heard that before- The Asuran homeworld? But why would I have memories of…" Drake began but bit his tongue, a small sliver of uneasiness bubbling up, Atticus's voice beginning to blister his mind.

"Do you even remember your childhood? Can you even recall what happened?"

Smokey's voice came out in a grumble, refocusing Drake.

"It has been centuries since I have come here last…"

Drake's eyes thinned.

A Dragon on the Asuran homeworld…? He thought dubiously.

"I thought you guys were the ones putting the hit on the Asurans and the other races?" he asked.

Smokey remained silent.

The sound of the laughing children grew louder and Drake's curious gaze was pulled away by surprise as several small children passed through his body.

"Awwwwwww grosssssss….. Is it going to be like this the whole time?!" Drake groaned, "Holy shit, does that kid have… four arms?"

The children running through the field stopped as one of them caught another and they tumbled to the ground.

Drake's eyes widened as he saw the face of one of the small boys.

"What is this..?"

But there was no reply from his ghostly companion. Instead Drake heard another child's voice yell out from behind him.

"Dwake! Stop wanning so fwast!"

Drake's head turned, a girl with golden wheat hair, and vivid scarlet eyes panted as she struggled to keep up with the older kids. He felt his heart drop into his stomach and his knees became weak.

A gnawing truth at the back of his mind was clawing through as Drake turned back to the boy.

It was not an exact match, the boy's skin was tan and his hair a deep brilliant gold. With two deep crimson eyes. But if the boy instead had black hair and blue eyes, it would be a perfect match.

"T-that's me..?"

Drake's eyes swam as he felt himself become even more unsteady.

"That can't be. I-i'm… I was! I'm human! I remember every birthday since I was six. I remember fighting over toys and the fucking remote control with my brothers! Jumping on bunk beds, getting in trouble for ringing neighbors doorbells…" 

Drake continued to list his memories as if reciting memorized lines from a storybook that he had read a million times.

He shook himself upright. It had to be the system playing tricks on him. Or perhaps not sleeping for weeks on end had finally caught up with him.

"Celine," the boy grumbled, "I told you to stay home with Mother. You are too small to follow us."

"Bwut I want to gwet stwong too!" Celine protested.

Drake moved closer to the children to hear better.

"You are too young Celine. You know what father and mother would say."

"Then why do you gwet to twain! You're as small as me!"

"T-that's because… I'm going to be a great warrior like father someday!"

"A great warrior eh?" a voice said from behind Drake.

The children's heads all turned to the voice. Oo's and ah's coming in swaths as they looked at the man.

The possibly younger Drake and his sister gave troubled expressions of children that had obviously been caught doing something they were not supposed to.

"B-brother…"

"It is dinner time, Mother sent me to find you two."

Drake was stunned, "I-I… No. This quest is playing tricks on me. I'm human. I might have been forced to turn into an Asuran because of that bitch but I was born a human. My only other brother is…"

He stopped, his words refusing to escape his mouth. Atticus's words from the summit again rattling in his mind.

"We are not family!"

Drake shook himself to focus on the new person. This, older brother, stood tall. Tan skin like Drake's younger self and hypothetical sister. Golden hair and blood red eyes. The man's features were defined and he had noticeable scars on his exposed arms,chest, as well as a small cut on his chin.

"Drake, Celine. Let's be going. Father is here as well," the older brother said.

Small Drake's face lit up, "He's returned?! Will you both be going out again? What accolades did you receive Darri?!"

Darri grabbed young Drake, placing his arm around the boy's head and dragged him, lifting his younger sister Celine up on his shoulder with the other arm.

"I will tell you of my great feats over dinner! These two fists did more than any Asuran against the Insect Queen's hoards!" Darri laughed.

Drake was still dumbstruck, following the distancing siblings walking down the road. He turned to ask Smokey once more what was going on, but saw the purplish figure in a posture that looked as if it was biting on its hand in frustration.

"Smokey..?"

Smokey grumbled in a low voice, "Darri…" then turned to Drake, their golden eyes glaring as if something had come to mind.

Before Drake could delve further, Smokey wisped after the siblings, forcing Drake to follow if he wanted any answers.

Once they had caught up to the siblings, they had already seemed to be closing in on their home. A sizable red mud tinted building with open air windows without glass, a chimney with grayish smoke billowing out slowly from the top. And the smell of some kind of meat Drake had couldn't name but smelled.

Nostalgic.

But Drake was even more confused.

"Isn't this a planet introduced to the system since the beginning? Asurans are Primordials, why in the world would they have no system buildings? I didn't even see any on the way here either," he said, asking himself more than his ghost-like companion.

"Asurans hate the system," Smokey said flatly, "They only allow themselves to grow through it as a way to unlock their potential as fighters. And whether that is why they have their particular problem or not as cosmic karma… Some might say the system hates them just as similarly."

"Problem?" Drake parroted.

Smokey moved to follow the siblings inside the house, Drake once again following for answers.

The sound of indistinct chattering touched Drake's ears but he was left so disoriented at who he saw inside that the conversation from the people were disconcernable.

Drake was also taken aback. Smokey was standing right in front of the person who had frozen him in place. Their ink-like purple hand made of smoke moving to touch the man's face.

The man stood several heads taller than Smokey. And was the spitting image of the statue Drake had once seen in the system church. Long hair of gold, blood ruby colored eyes. Attire that looked strikingly similar to Drake's own armor.

"Han…" Smokey said softly, their hand passing through Han Kol's cheek.

Once it had, Smokey's hand shuttered even as a ghostly spector. The wisping ink-like smoke seemed to convey just how hurt, frustrated, and angry they were. Smokey then turned, looking at the woman across the room.

The woman smiled happily as she set the table. Dark raven black hair, so dark it turned a shade of purple. Skin a shade lighter than her children. And a joyous expression that lit up the room.

But Smokey growled at the woman, a sound Drake had never heard even from the most angry of beasts he had faced.

Smokey lunged with both billowing smoke hands outstretched, screaming, "ALTORIA!!!" before a moment later passing through the woman's visage and disappearing from view.

Drake waited, watching the happy family talk but hearing nothing. He was still in so much shock the words couldn't reach him.

But he didn't have to wait long before Smokey rose up through the table the family ate at.

"I had my suspicions the moment I saw Darri. But now I am certain," Smokey said coldly.

"Certain of what? Of this confusing and obviously bullshit quest?" Drake scoffed.

"You haven't got a clue do you? Han must have wiped your memory and concealed you… That explains… No. He could not have made this chamber and quest while also protecting you. Perhaps another…"

"Concealed me? Why would the Asuran King do anything like that, he doesn't even know-"

"Are you really such a fool to not see what is right in front of you?" Smokey shouted, cutting Drake off, "You are not only a true blooded Asuran. But you are of Royal Blood… Perhaps the last."

"Last…?"

"You are no common Asuran. You are the son of Han Kol Asura, the last Great War King of the Asuran race."