"What did you do, Elf?!" the middle head of the dragon roared, its voice echoing through the forest.
"I can kill you easily and have my friend absorb your core. But I need soldiers. So join me, and you'll have your fire and all the food you'll ever need," Aaron replied, his voice calm and authoritative.
The three heads exchanged glances, then landed on the ground, their massive forms shaking the earth.
"How will you get us food?" the middle head asked, its voice laced with suspicion.
"Simple. Some monsters will surely oppose me this noon. I know you understand the rest," Aaron said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
After a moment of hushed discussion, the heads turned back to Aaron.
"Okay, we'll join you. But what if we betray you in the end?" the left head asked, its voice laced with a hint of defiance.
"Trust me, you won't dare have that thought. The moment you do, you'll be six feet beneath the ground," Aaron said, his eyes flashing red for a brief moment before returning to their normal state.
"Also a demon. How surprising," the middle head said, nodding slowly.
Aaron drew an Alliance Circle and threw it at the dragon. They placed their claws on it, and the circle vanished.
"If you're starving, meet me at the center of the forest at noon," Aaron said, tossing the three stones back to them. The dragon swallowed them whole.
The space behind Aaron and his group distorted, and a gateway appeared. They walked through, and the gateway closed behind them.
"What a kid. Your hunger almost made us lose our lives!" the right head yelled at the left.
"That kid has the powers of countless powerful figures... Or maybe a god reincarnated into this body with his full powers," the middle head mused.
"Forget all that. All I know is, we get to eat at noon. Only two hours left," the left head said, its voice filled with anticipation.
"Where do you think he's going next?" the right head asked.
"To the sea, I guess," the middle head replied.
"Sea? That's far from the forest," the left head reminded.
"I know. But you can only get there through this forest. Think about this: if he can make that bastard submit to him, he'll be invincible," the right head said.
___
Aaron and Protean emerged from the gateway, which had appeared above the vast blue sea. They looked around, seeing only an endless expanse of water.
"I hope those two focus on the mission instead of chasing each other," Protean said, his voice laced with concern.
"They won't," Aaron replied flatly, his gaze fixed on the sea below. "This bastard doesn't want to reveal himself." He raised his hand towards the sky.
BOOM!!
Red lightning bolts descended from the clear blue sky, striking the surrounding water and creating massive waves.
-Who dares disturb my slumber?!- a deep, angry voice echoed from beneath the sea. Aaron and Protean watched as the water rippled, and a massive head emerged.
The two enormous eyes, larger than Aaron himself, scanned the area, locking onto Aaron and Protean. The eyes glowed blue with anger.
-You puny beings dare disturb my sleep...-
"Shut up and show yourself. We have business to discuss," Aaron interrupted, his voice firm.
- "...." -
The creature was stunned for a moment, then roared.
-What audacity!! Do you know I'm the king of the sea?!-
"I said 'shut up'! And come out!" Aaron yelled, his irritation growing. "If you don't come out, I don't care about killing every living thing in this sea," he threatened.
The head plunged back into the water. In the next instant, a massive tentacle shot towards Aaron, only to be sliced off by Protean.
"You dare attack!" Aaron said, his voice filled with rage. "Then it's on you!" The sky instantly turned crimson, and countless red swords materialized, their blades pointing downwards.
-Calm down, calm down, calm down.-
A man with long red hair and a tail, holding a trident, emerged from the water.
"You angered me, and you'll pay for that," Aaron said, his voice cold.
"Sorry, I thought my enemies sent you. I'm King Mali, the king of the sea folks. But..." Mali observed Aaron, his eyes narrowed.
"This sea is between the first and second continents, and no one knew we existed. So how did you know about us?"
Aaron sighed. The swords vanished, and the sky returned to its normal state.
'This is "Sword King," a forbidden spell. Only one person has it, and that's the forefather of the demon race,' Mali thought inwardly.
"I'm building a kingdom, and I need allies," Aaron said, his voice calm.
"Allies?" Mali asked, stunned. "You killed countless fish with that first attack. What makes you think I'll accept?"
"That's a small price to pay. If you refuse, I'll just kill more, including you. Maybe ask the merfolks or even the sirens. They'll be happy to be under me and have control of your territory," Aaron threatened.
"How the hell do you know about all the ancient races?! And you sound like you know how to get in touch with them all!" Mali exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
"Of course. When the gate of the abyssal opened, it released them all into this world. Think how powerful I'll become if they're all under me," Aaron grinned.
"You're still young, but you already have the dream of controlling this world. Don't you think the races will refuse?" Mali asked, his voice laced with skepticism.
"Hahaha, I'm hoping they do. I thought the only way to be safe is to be the strongest, but I'm already the strongest. Then I gained a piece of ancient knowledge. This knowledge is the main reason I'm looking for powerful allies. Now... Will you join my kingdom?" Aaron asked.
"Okay, young man. Do I have the honor of knowing your name?" Mali asked.
"Emperor Aaron," Aaron replied, drawing the Alliance Circle.
Mali placed his hand on it and nodded.
"Good, we'll be going to the sirens now..." Aaron said, and he and Protean vanished.
"Who really is this kid? Such powers..." Mali thought, then looked around at the dead fish floating on the water's surface, and sighed deeply.
___
On a beautiful island, distant from the three continents, a group of breathtakingly beautiful ladies sat on the shore, singing a beautiful but sad melody that carried for hundreds of miles.
"What a beautiful song," Aaron said, his voice filled with admiration.
The five ladies turned to their right in shock, seeing a young boy and a dark elf smiling at them.
"A kid?" The sirens were taken aback.
"Why does everyone keep calling me a kid?" Aaron grumbled.
The five looked at each other in shock, then chuckled lightly. Without hesitation, they began singing again, hoping to entice Aaron and Protean.
But after singing for a while and seeing the two still smirking at them, one asked with a frown.
"Why can't we control your minds?"
The two smirks widened.
"Because we aren't men, and you guys are still weak,"
They said in unison, stunning the sirens into silence.