Coin

ㅤ The monster that attacked the ship was far more powerful than it seemed at first glance. Eizen and Aifread's crew were no match for it. But no one was going to give up! As if steeling himself for the fight to the end, Eizen clutched the coin tightly in his fist. It vibrated… He had to let go, allowing a man with long, curly golden hair to emerge. Assessing the situation, he instantly destroyed the enemy with a powerful beam of energy. Unable to contain his surprise, Eizen looked at the coin—the image on it had disappeared. 'The Demon King… Dhaos?' was the only conclusion he could come to. "Where am I?" Having dealt with the sea monster, Dhaos turned to Eizen, who was standing closest. "The waters near Titania, on Aifread's ship." "What planet?" Confused, Eizen exchanged glances with Aifread. Dhaos had to clarify his question: "What is the name of this world?" "Ah… On such a scale…" Eizen was amazed. He never doubted his coin was special. But the tales about it being connected to another world were hard to believe. People had already concocted countless myths. Especially when the origin of something could not be determined. The world Dhaos found himself in was far from his home world and from Aselia. It was strikingly different from both. The spirits here were simply another race, independent of mana and coexisting with humans. "I can try to bring you home. However, I have no idea how you ended up here…" Eizen continued to stare at the coin, as if trying to unravel its mystery. Dhaos was silent for a moment, pondering his past, present, and future. Some memories returned bit by bit. Like the fact that… he was already dead. However, the mana seed had been successfully born, and Martel, the spirit of the Great Tree, had sent it to Derris-Kharlan—sooner or later, his world would be reborn. He could do no more anyway. Returning was pointless. And here, in this new world, it was as if he had found a second chance. As if it were a reward for all his suffering. "That is not necessary," Dhaos refused. "I will submit to the goddess of fate and remain where she has invited me, if that is her wish. If you require protection, I will provide it." Eizen hesitated, looking at the coin again. The Demon King… And the name from the legends matched. Dhaos really did look majestic, even as if he was drowning in darkness. But not in evil… in sorrow. And if Eizen could easily recognize him as a noble person of blue blood, then… the Demon King? Strong doubts overwhelmed him. "Then…" Eizen dispelled all doubts in his head: he himself had recently been thinking about the many things that legends don’t invent, "welcome aboard." Listening to them, looking at them in turn, Aifread suddenly chuckled. "And he's not, by any chance, your unknown brother, huh, Eizen? You have a sister, after all. Both of you have fair eyes and stern gazes, and your voices—there's no difference at all?" "Really?" Eizen was surprised. "Hm?" Dhaos asked silently. "They say people hear their own voices differently than those around them, so it's no wonder you didn't notice," Aifread laughed. Now that the danger had passed, and the new member of his crew turned out to be a good guy, he wasn't afraid to think about all sorts of nonsense. Eizen and Dhaos exchanged glances. They couldn't tell anything about the voice. But their appearance… Dhaos' features were definitely more graceful—a true tragic prince. Eizen's image, however, was built on his curse. 'No… Nothing in common!' they both agreed without speaking. However, during the long journey they got along well, supporting each other in battle. They had become the perfect team. 'Just like brothers!' Aifread continued to admire them, ignoring their racial differences. ㅤ