C5

Here's Chapter 5 of Scarlet Dragon King, where we'll bring Grayfia closer to Eric, tease the presence of the Primordial Sun, and show how divine forces are starting to shift.

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Scarlet Dragon King – Chapter 5: Ice and Embers

Grayfia Lucifuge stood alone on a balcony in the Underworld, high above the towers of the Gremory estate. The cold wind didn't bite her skin—it obeyed her. Her silver eyes reflected the stars above, but her mind lingered on the one who defied every law of existence.

Eric Aivor.

"You saw him," Sirzechs said as he approached, his voice calm but tinged with caution.

"I felt him," she corrected. "His presence is unlike anything I've encountered. He doesn't draw power from the world… the world bends around him."

Sirzechs nodded slowly. "Is he dangerous?"

Grayfia's lips parted slightly. "Only if forced to be."

She looked down at her gloved hand. It still tingled with the echo of their encounter.

"I don't wear chains. I burn them."

His words hadn't just been dramatic—they were truth.

And part of her… admired it.

—

Back in Kuoh, the Occult Research Clubroom was unusually quiet. Eric stood at the window, arms folded, watching the sunset again. But this time, his expression was unreadable—serene, yet intense.

Akeno leaned on the nearby desk. "You've been quiet since your dance with Shiva."

Eric tilted his head. "That wasn't a battle. That was her saying hello."

"She's beautiful," Akeno murmured. "Dangerous, but beautiful."

"She's one of the ten," he said.

Akeno raised an eyebrow. "And you knew that before she appeared?"

"I felt her," he said. "The same way I feel you. And Rias. And Koneko."

He turned to her, golden eyes meeting hers.

"You were chosen, Akeno. Long before you ever summoned lightning."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "You make it hard to stay mad at fate."

He walked closer, his presence pulling her in like gravity. "Then don't fight it."

She was about to answer when Rias entered.

"There's something you all need to see," she said, holding up a piece of parchment—an old, celestial document glowing with heat.

Koneko peered at it, frowning. "It's warm."

"It arrived through a flame-based summoning circle," Rias explained. "And it's not from any faction I know."

Eric took the scroll and unrolled it slowly.

The characters weren't demonic, angelic, or even draconic.

They were solar.

Ancient.

Older than Heaven and Hell combined.

The message burned itself into the air:

"The Sun awakens. She remembers the Scarlet Flame."

Eric's pupils dilated. The Dragon inside him stirred with a low growl.

Rias watched him carefully. "Do you know who sent that?"

He didn't answer at first. Then he whispered, "She's coming."

Akeno frowned. "Who?"

Eric's voice was a reverent murmur.

"The Primordial Sun. A goddess beyond gods. She nurtures life with warmth… and incinerates lies with truth."

—

Far above Kuoh, in the space between stars, a golden figure floated within a cosmic sea of fire. Her body shimmered like the heart of the sun—eyes closed, breathing slow.

But now...

Her eyes opened.

Gentle. Radiant. Eternal.

She reached toward the void, and where her fingers moved, galaxies bloomed.

"Eric…" she said softly. "My warmth returns to me."

And below, in a world unready for her love, the skies began to glow warmer than ever.