Galaxy's First Ruler

To ask each other to dance in a Ball wasn't frowned upon.

Yet, Tyra's asking Aldrich for a dance raised a few eyebrows. Especially when just a few minutes before Harold had announced his and Amalia's engagement. It was apparent that even the couple had yet to dance together.

Aldrich saw the innocent smile on Tyra's face. Though the Law of Devil wasn't helping him in perceiving her emotions, Aldrich had been reading faces since his childhood. As he stared at Tyra, not caring for the time it was taking for him to reply, Amalia coughed and sweetly said.

"Ahem! Go on, one shouldn't make a lady wait for too long."

Aldrich was still holding the staff in his right hand. As he stood up from the chair, he put it behind his back. The Pillar of Footprints clung to his back with no need of straps.

Amalia, seeing this scene, giggled and mockingly said.

"Hehe! Will you dance with it on your back? Afraid if someone might steal it?!"

Dreamers not leaving their Items strayed wasn't unheard of. But the nobles usually had one or two FIRs on them to store spare Items which weren't equipped and couldn't be stored in Inventory. Only Aldrich's case was a little different, as it was related to the Ancient Relic.

Aldrich glanced at Amalia and gave out a smile that could have creeped the hell out of anyone else. The Devil's Oldest Change on his face did what it was best at, and amplified Aldrich's creepiness to a higher degree. Amalia's giggle suddenly turned into a wry smile as Aldrich nodded towards her and straightforwardly spoke.

"I will be back shortly."

Aldrich passed by Tyra and headed towards the open dancing area. The music was light and soothing, washing away the tense and weary atmosphere of before. The dance chosen for the occasion was the typical Basse Dance, or also known as the Low Dance.

Aldrich saw many couples moving gracefully in an almost gliding motion on the floor. At one end, he found Trifon's clone flirting with Sonja as he kept massaging his hand on her back. The Great Pretender was very versed in presenting his spoiled nature during ceremonies, it seemed.

Aldrich had never danced before like this, but he had theoretical knowledge of the dance. And his Agility gave him ample control of his body to fill the gap created by his lack of experience. As he kept walking into the thick of the crowd, couples parted ways to let him through.

When all thought Aldrich was walking towards the center of the dancing area, he took a turn and halted a few dozen meters away. This spot wasn't the best, nor was it any special in any sense. The only reason Aldrich had stopped here was that it was farthest from Trifon.

As Aldrich turned around, he found Tyra standing just a step away from him. There was no shyness on her face, nor was there any weakness expected because of her unwanted presence. For a moment, Aldrich felt like the entire reason for her coming to the planet was this dance.

"Please."

Aldrich extended his left hand for Tyra to hold. The black-haired girl was a full head smaller than him. But the way she took a step and from her body language, Aldrich theorized her original height must be taller than his own.

Accepting Tyra's invitation to dance was one of the most dangerous things Aldrich thought he had done in his life. But what happened next was even beyond Aldrich's calculations and guessing capabilities.

As Tyra's icy fingers touched his left palm, the entire world in front of Aldrich's eyes turned blood red.

Uwa-uwaaahhh!

The cries of a child rang all around, and Aldrich felt an incredible pain in his stomach. The pain was so agonizing that he couldn't even remain standing and fell on the floor. All the things and even air felt as if they had turned water. And for the first time, Aldrich feared the coming of death.

But just as the end seemed inevitable, a warmth came and enveloped Aldrich's entire body.

Uwahhhhhhn!!!!

The cries of a newborn hadn't abated, but within this heart-wrenching cry, a simple comforting sound came to Aldrich's ears.

"Shh! Shhhh! It's ok…"

This sound was relieving, and this sound was also the last thing he heard before everything went silent. The blood-red world receded, and Aldrich found himself standing in the same place. It was like all that had just happened was a thing farthest from reality and even illusions.

But not everything was gone along with that vanished world.

The ethereal and phantom cries of a newborn kept lingering around Aldrich, and in his heart, he despised the coming of that blood world again. From the corner of his eyes, tears fell under his mask, and Aldrich realized that the girl opposite him was crying too.

It seemed he wasn't alone to go through whatever just had happened.

'This is dangerous…'

Aldrich felt the phantom pains in his stomach and analyzed his condition. His mind raced as he riled up the Law of Devil within him and controlled his emotions. As the pain vanished, Aldrich stared at Tyra with his almost dead white eyes and asked.

"What did you do to me?"

By now Aldrich had found out that the Record of a Dreamer didn't show his or her full capabilities. There were other ways and secrets deadlier than RECORD given Skills and Items. But Aldrich's question didn't have any effect on Tyra.

The tears coming out of her eyes didn't stop, and unlike Aldrich, she didn't seem to have any control over her emotions. Her broken voice, along with a little saliva, came out, making Aldrich narrow his eyes.

"I… don't know… Sniff!"

Aldrich couldn't perceive Tyra's emotions, and seeing her Record, it didn't come as any surprise to him. But even then, it didn't take any scholar's brain for Aldrich to decide, as he thought to himself.

'She… isn't lying. This… What the fuck is happening?!!'