Reawakening: Primordial Dragon with Limitless Mana-Chapter 56: You have a role

"Why are you here?"

That was the first thing Hades asked when he saw her.

Long whitish-grey hair, aged yet wise eyes, and a light shroud over her head.

Her presence alone was enough to show she wasn’t some ordinary mage.

She had appeared without warning. And yet, her aura wasn’t threatening. Hades could tell—she meant no harm.

He’d seen her face in the papers a few times before. So he knew exactly who she was.

But the question remained—why?

"Didn’t you come here to see me? And now that I’m here, you frown?" she said with a soft smile.

Hades blinked, caught off guard. "You knew?"

"I knew the moment you stepped into town. My eyes were already on you."

Luna quietly brought a chair for him. He was still far too injured to stand for long.

Hades gave her a small, grateful nod and sat down.

"Were you the one who saved me from that dragon?" he asked.

Artimus leaned back against the wall, arms relaxed, and tilted her head. "So you really don’t remember? You scratched the surface of your powers for the first time, didn’t you?"

Hades narrowed his eyes. "How... do you know that?"

He hadn’t said anything out loud. But from the way she had earlier mentioned dragons, it was clear—nothing about him was hidden from her.

The Sage’s eyes lowered as she leaned forward.

Lifting both her hands, she spoke gently, "These hands once carried you—when you didn’t even have your eyes open."

"...!!" Hades’s eyes widened in disbelief. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?

Luna instinctively covered her mouth, thinking the same thing.

But Artimus quickly caught the misunderstanding and corrected herself. "No, I’m not your mother. I was just the one who carried you away from her. So you could live."

Hades leaned back in his seat, processing her words. "Then... you know who my real parents are?"

The Sage nodded slowly. "I know far more about you than you think. But I’m afraid... I can’t tell you. Not yet."

Hades sighed. "Why am I not surprised..."

Even the voice inside him had said he wasn’t ready. He had expected this answer. Still, it was frustrating.

What exactly was he missing? Was he not strong enough? Not mature enough?

"You need to find that out yourself, young master," the Sage replied.

Hades flinched at the title. Young master?

Luna, uncertain, asked, "Did you... hear our conversation?"

The Sage shook her head. "No. But you’re wondering how I knew you were a phoenix, right?"

Luna nodded. She had crafted a spell that concealed her phoenix nature from the world—hiding every trace of it deep under layers of magic.

"Well," the Sage said with a knowing look, "these eyes have seen too much to miss something as rare as you."

Luna didn’t fully understand her answer—but somehow, it made sense.

Artimus had been alive for centuries. She had witnessed wars, peace treaties, the rise and fall of many kingdoms. It wasn’t hard to believe she had seen every kind of creature that walked the earth.

"Can you please keep it a secret?" Hades asked, his tone serious.

Artimus shrugged. "Sure. It’s not like I’ll gain anything from telling the world."

Hades let out a quiet breath of relief.

He knew how rare phoenixes were. And if word got out, Luna would be hunted for her blood, her power—her very existence.

Until he was strong enough to protect her from anything...

Her secret needed to stay hidden.

A quiet moment passed between the three of them.

Then, Hades finally asked, "What’s the reason for your visit? Were you just... worried about us?"

He didn’t truly believe that was the case.

Artimus suddenly hopped off the table. The sudden movement gave them both a mild jump scare—especially considering her age and the height of the table.

Oh right. She was quite short, too.

Yet, she landed gracefully, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Without a word, she slowly walked toward the window, hands folded behind her back.

"I won’t be around much longer," she said softly, staring outside. "I’m growing old... and when I’m gone, the pact will vanish with me."

Both Luna and Hades already knew that. They had heard whispers about it from several others.

But hearing it directly from her...

That was different.

The protector of humanity was fading.

And the sadness that came with that realization... carried a deep undercurrent of fear.

Luna quietly stepped forward. "Can you tell us more about the pact? How did you even manage to convince them?"

She’d always been curious. The Sage clearly wasn’t human, yet she fought for them. And the dragons... actually listened to her?

Artimus gave a faint smile, her gaze distant.

"I helped stop a war... and saved the life of someone very important. In return, they offered me many things—even immortality. But I chose instead to repay the kindness once shown to me by humans."

Luna noticed how she avoided the deeper details, but she didn’t press further. Something about Artimus’s tone told her it wasn’t a story easily shared.

Then the Sage turned her head slightly and looked at Hades.

"You understand what will happen... once the borders between the realms are lifted, don’t you?"

Hades’s eyes narrowed. His expression grew heavy.

"There won’t be a realm for humans anymore."

The Sage nodded slowly. "Humans are allowed only limited growth. They’re resilient—clever, even brilliant. But in the kind of war that’s coming... their intelligence won’t be enough to save them."

She turned to Hades, her gaze unwavering.

"And I believe you don’t want that to happen."

Hades looked down, drawing a slow breath into his lungs. The weight on his shoulders felt heavier than ever.

"Can I really bring any change, Lady Sage?"

Artimus stepped closer, her voice calm but firm.

"Only you can bring that change, Hades."

She paused, letting the words settle before continuing.

"You are the deterrent that holds the balance of the world. The threat no dragon dares to ignore. And because of that... you will live. Even if millions stand against you—remember, you’ll have allies too."

Hades felt her conviction in every word, but what grounded him in that moment wasn’t her wisdom. It was the gentle hand of Luna that slipped into his.

Hades took a deep breath, his heart now much calmer when he asked, "How long do I have?"

"Ten years...at most I could give."

Hades nodded, "I still don’t know how long the path ahead is, but I promise, in ten years, I will become the pillar as strong as you are."

Artimus fondly cupped his cheek, "You will be better than me. I know it. You are destined to be the ruler. The apex."

Bringing her hand down to his chest, she added, "Just never forget these human emotions you have attained in these years. They are very crucial for your journey."

Hades gave a firm nod.

He now had a far more important reason to focus on his growth.