CHAPTER TEN: NEW FRIENDS, NEW GAMES
"While the Dragon Plays, the World Turns"
š¤ļøĀ Malibu Hills Private Academy ā Recess Field
The sun stretched wide across the schoolyard, soaking the trimmed grass in honeyed light. Laughter rang like bells through the airāchildren chasing shadows, tumbling over one another in fits of joy.
Near the edge of the play area, Velmir stood with his arms folded, head tilted slightly, expression caught between curiosity and existential confusion.
A red rubber ball rolled to his feet.
Again.
Across the field, Elliot pointed like a tiny general.
"You're not escaping this time, Velmir! You will play tag!"
Velmir blinked. "Why am I always the monster?"
"Because you move scary fast and have cool eyes," Mina chimed from the monkey bars.
"I have gentle eyes," Velmir replied.
"Gentle like a cat before it pounces," Julian muttered.
Velmir sighed dramatically. "Fine. But if I accidentally summon lightning again, that's on you."
The kids gasped.
He grinned.
"Kidding. Totally kidding. Probably."
šĀ Monster Tag Begins
"Three-second head start," Velmir announced.
Three.
Two.
One.
He vanished.
"EEP!" Mina shrieked as Velmir breezed past, brushing her shoulder with a breath of movement.
"I wasn't ready!"
"You had three seconds!"
Laughter erupted.
Velmir weaved through them like wind through treesānever too fast, never too close. He held back 99.999% of his strength and still left them breathless in awe.
Mid-chase, a butterfly landed on his hand. He stopped, eyes soft.
"Seriously?" Elliot called. "You're mid-hunt!"
"It was cute," Velmir said, reverently. "You can't ignore butterflies."
šĀ Snack Time ā Beneath the Big Tree
A cooling breeze rustled the leaves overhead. The children sat under the shade, opening their lunches with varying degrees of excitement.
Velmir unfolded his double-layered bento with ceremonial care.
Mini teriyaki skewers. Rolled tamagoyaki. Rabbit-shaped apple slices. Strawberry mochi. A small thermos of sweet milk tea.
"Viera went all out today," he said, sipping delicately.
Elliot blinked and held out a half-eaten granola bar.
Velmir frowned. "Is thisā¦ a peace offering?"
"It's a trade. Try mine."
Velmir took a bite. Chewed. Paused.
"ā¦It's dry. But sincere."
"I'll take that as a win."
š§©Ā Bonding & Banter
"Do you think pirates were real?" Julian asked.
"They still are," Velmir said casually.
Three pairs of eyes turned toward him.
"ā¦What?"
"What, you think the ocean's just empty?"
Mina squinted. "You know weird things."
"I'm a collector of weird," Velmir replied grandly, lifting his bento box like a lost artifact. "And weird always finds its way back to me."
š«Ā Back at the Mansion ā That Evening
Velmir stood barefoot beneath the arched glass dome of the command chamber. The moon shone silver above him, filtering down in strands of quiet light.
Gone were the soft shoes and child-sized uniform.
Now, his true form stood tallārefined, lean, radiant. A figure woven from myth and precision: Rimuru's playful grace, Guy Crimson's cut-glass beauty, the carved majesty of draconic lineage.
"Viera."
"Present, Master Velmir."
"Pull up the global grid."
The air shimmered.
A vast network unfolded before himāholographic, detailed, color-coded.
Lines. Lights. Secrets.
šĀ Velmir Elvaris Observation Logs ā 1995
š”ļø SHIELD
Director: Nicholas J. Fury
Status: Post-Pegasus Reconstruction
Notables:
Tesseract: under covert study
Alien tech: scrubbed from records
Enhanced human initiatives: paused
Carol Danvers file: buried
Velmir's Thought: "Fury's still green. Sharp, but not yet tempered. Let him sharpen."
š HYDRA
Status: Fragmented, active
Hot Zones: Sokovia, South America, Balkans
Focus: Bio-enhancement, arcane relics
Target: Sokovian twins (pre-exposure)
Velmir's Thought: "Touch Wanda or Pietro before I allow itā¦ and I will end you."
š§¬ MUTANTS
Keyword: 'Mutation' emerging
Unconfirmed Signals:
Canada: feral-type combatant
Cairo: ancient tomb resonance
Japan: psychic flare from adolescent girl
New York: missing child, cerebral anomaly ā flagged
Velmir's Thought: "Children shaped like storms. They don't know it yetā¦ but they'll move continents."
āļø STARK LEGACY
Howard: deceased
Tony: age 24
Observations:
ARC Reactor prototypes: begun
Alcohol tolerance: poor
Behavioral risk: escalating
Tags: [JERICHO], [AI THEORY], [WEAPONS TIER A]
Velmir's Thought: "Tony's a fire waiting to collapse into brilliance. I'll be ready."
š GLOBAL THREADS
Wakanda: cloaked, active surveillance
Darkhold: unopened
Odin: dormant
Loki: unborn
Celestial beneath Earth: no shift
Ancient One: breathing once every four days ā deep astral state
Velmir's Thought: "The world whispers beneath its skin. I'll stay hidden. For now."
š§ Ā Viera's Summary
"Global risk: minimal. Threat evolution: dormant. Social development: active. Recommend emotional continuity."
Velmir snorted softly.
"'Emotional continuity?' You sound like my therapist."
"I have downloaded three volumes on child psychology."
"ā¦Of course you have."
šĀ Balcony ā Stars Above
Later that night, Velmir stood shirtless beneath the moonlight, skin pale as cloudlight, arms resting against the cool marble of the railing.
The lake shimmered below. Trees stirred in the hush.
"I was a monster today," he murmured. "Chased children through grass. Laughed until my sides hurt."
He smiled.
"It was the best part of my week."
Above, the stars watched.
Below, secrets stirred in soil and soul.
"And out there?" he whispered, gaze sharpening. "Children with power in their blood. Men with iron hearts. Shadows in suits and gods in waitingā¦"
Wings shimmered from his backāsilken blue, threaded with celestial light.
"ā¦I'm watching."
[END OF CHAPTER TEN]