A low hum began to vibrate gently through Red and Blue's skin, subtle at first, but gradually rising, like an invisible pressure dissipating from the air.
Then, a statement echoed around them, one so disarming it made their knees buckle beneath them. They collapsed to the ground, not from pain, but from sheer relief.
"Be at ease."
And just like that, most of the fear clinging to their minds evaporated. A heavy weight lifted from their shoulders. It felt, oddly enough, like they were only now remembering how to breathe properly.
"You both managed to maintain your will to protect, even beneath my killing intent. It was an exceptional display."
The voice was soft, undeniably feminine, and it flowed directly into their minds, unspoken but deeply present.
"A-are you speaking to us?" Blue asked, her voice uncertain, the question hanging in the quiet that followed.
"Indeed," came the reply.
The realization struck them: the dragon hadn't spoken aloud. She was communicating telepathically.
"When I was told the time had finally come… and that Cosmo had chosen to send the two of you here… I admit, I was quite eager to see what kind of gems he had selected."
"You knew we were coming?" Red asked, still catching his breath.
"Of course," the voice answered without pause. "Though I must say, you've far exceeded my expectations."
There was a beat of silence before she added, in a lighter tone, "To share a humorous tale with you: the first time your captain met me, thirteen years ago, his immediate instinct was to calculate every angle from which he could bring me down… even if it meant taking himself with me."
Red let out a breath that was half a laugh. "We don't know much about the guy, but that… yeah, that sounds about right." He scratched at the back of his head, then looked up. "Still, may we ask who you are?"
"Ah… my apologies."
She shifted.
From her resting position, the dragon lifted herself upright in one smooth motion, surprisingly silent, despite the enormity of her form. Not a scale scraped. Not a claw tapped. Every movement felt too seamless to belong to a creature so large.
"I am known as Tzuri," she said. "Officially, I am what you would call a prisoner of war."
"Prisoner of war?" Blue repeated, furrowing her brow. "For Veil?"
The implication was baffling. What kind of war could Veil possibly be involved in? And what could warrant imprisoning a being like Tzuri?
"It's reasonable to believe so," Tzuri answered. "But the truth… is far more complex than you're prepared to understand at this point."
She paused, and her voice softened.
"Still, thanks to a certain woman, the conditions of my captivity have not been cruel, for me or for my son."
"Ark…" Red said slowly, the pieces starting to fall into place. "That makes… a bit more sense now."
"But why exactly did he send us here?" Blue asked.
"For two reasons, in fact."
Tzuri lifted her head, closing her eyes.
For a few long moments, there was no sound, no movement.
Then, something strange began to happen. Tiny fragments began to drift from her body, seamless, gliding bits of darkness, separating from her form and gathering before her. Slowly, deliberately, they came together.
And before long, ten black orbs hovered midair, suspended in silence.
Neither Red nor Blue was told what to do next.
But for some reason, the urge to collect the orbs settled in their minds all the same.
When they finished collecting the final orb, Tzuri's eyes eased open.
"Those are morphing scales," she began, her voice drifting like a current through the air. "Though they are no longer part of me, they retain the ability to shift in unison, acting as a single organism."
"Really? But how does that work?" Red asked, intrigue lighting his expression. "Wouldn't each scale have to be sentient?"
"Not quite," Tzuri replied. "Each one isn't independently aware. They function as a collective, attuned to the neural patterns of the closest compatible presence. With training, they can even be set to a base structure."
She paused to let the information settle. "They are also superior to Veil's standard-issue unique suits, designed to evolve with the wearer, adapting to shifts in biology and energy signature over time."
"That's incredible," Red muttered. "No wasted resources, no recalibration or constant replacements. It'd streamline so much."
"I grasped some of that," Blue said, half-confessing. "But if it's just about efficiency, why push yourself so far? That looked like it drained you. I doubt you'd go to those lengths just for convenience."
Red's gaze dropped, and now he noticed what Blue had already picked up on. Tzuri's figure was leaner than before, her tail resting heavily on the ground. At some point during the exchange, she had seated herself once again.
"There's no need for concern," she assured them. "It's only been a long time since I last detached a full set."
With a sudden shiver, she expelled a ripple through her form, like a beast drying after a plunge. Shimmering fragments, remnants of discarded scales, scattered across the floor, their soft clinks forming a strange rhythm.
"They'll regenerate soon," she added. "As for your question, these scales are more than adaptable armor. When worn, they can instantly converge around an area in response to threats, absorbing lethal force to protect the host. Several modern suit designs attempt to replicate this function with what you call nanites. But they're only ever poor copies."
She paused again, a subtle change overtaking her tone.
"And there is another key function, one more critical than the rest. These scales are uniquely responsive to time dilation."
At that, the room seemed to quiet.
Red and Blue didn't respond, because neither knew how to.
Tzuri exhaled slowly, and the atmosphere shifted once again. Her tone had settled into something more deliberate.
"This ties into the second reason I said you were sent here."
They swallowed hard, a tension settling over them as they braced themselves, preparing for whatever revelation was about to hit.
"Understand this," she continued, "until I tell you otherwise, what I'm about to disclose is information reserved strictly for newly sanctioned operatives of Veil. It concerns that continent."
"You mean the shadow continent?" Red ventured, the phrase tasting heavier now that it was being spoken aloud.
There was a pause. One long enough to make the silence feel unnatural.
"...It doesn't exist."