Chapter 87: The Thunder That Almost Fell Silent
Ay did not wake gently.
There was no slow return to awareness, no gradual easing from darkness into light. His body jerked—violently, abruptly—as the seal embedded deep within his flesh ignited with purpose. It was not a comforting mechanism, nor a kind one. It was a safeguard forged for a battlefield, designed to wrench its bearer back from the brink whether he welcomed it or not.
Pain lanced through him.
Electric. Blinding.
His lungs dragged in air as though they had forgotten how to breathe, his chest heaving sharply as his eyes snapped open.
For a single, disorienting moment, he did not know where he was.
The shadows of the nightmare still clung to the edges of his mind—the suffocating darkness, the monstrous presence, the fear that had reduced him to something small, something helpless.
Then—
reality settled.
The familiar shape of his office came into view. The heavy desk. The tall windows. The faint scent of ink and parchment. The distant rumble of thunder beyond the mountains.
And in front of him—
Naruto.
Ay froze.
Not because of fear.
Not entirely.
But because he recognized him.
This Naruto was different.
The one from the nightmare had been… wrong. Twisted. Cold in a way that felt like something wearing Naruto's face rather than being him. That thing had spoken like a ruler of ruin.
This one—
stood still.
Grounded.
His presence was vast, yes—overwhelming in a way that pressed faintly against the edges of Ay's awareness—but it was controlled. Contained. Like a storm held perfectly within the sky.
Ay exhaled slowly.
"…You're real," he muttered, more to himself than anything else.
Naruto's expression did not change, but there was a quiet understanding in his eyes.
"I am," he said simply.
The silence that followed was heavy—but not hostile.
Naruto stepped forward slightly, his voice calm, steady, as though speaking to someone recovering from battle.
"It's over," he said. "For now."
Ay's jaw tightened.
"…That thing—"
"—has retreated," Naruto finished. "I forced it out of this world. It won't be able to act like that again for some time."
Ay listened.
He believed him.
That was the unsettling part.
There was no need to question it. No instinct to challenge the claim.
Because deep down—
he had already seen what Naruto could do.
"…You took care of it," Ay said slowly.
Naruto inclined his head once.
"I did."
Ay let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
The tension in his shoulders loosened—just slightly.
"…Then," he said, his voice rougher now, "thank you."
The words did not come easily.
They never did.
Gratitude, for a man like Ay, was not something offered lightly.
But this—
this had not been a battle he could win.
Naruto accepted it without reaction.
"I'll help when needed," he said. "You don't have to ask."
There was no pride in the statement.
No arrogance.
Just a simple fact.
And somehow—
that made it heavier.
Ay nodded once.
But he did not speak further.
Because there was something else.
Something far more important.
His gaze shifted—just slightly.
"Mabui—"
The name had barely left his lips—
when the doors burst open.
The sound was sharp, sudden, cutting through the tension like a blade.
Mabui stood at the entrance.
For a moment, she did not move.
Her eyes locked onto Naruto first—instinct, awareness, calculation flickering across her expression as she took in the scene in an instant.
Then—
she saw Ay.
And everything else ceased to matter.
Naruto stepped back.
Not abruptly.
Not dramatically.
He simply moved aside, his presence receding just enough to allow the moment to unfold without him.
"I'll leave you to it," he said quietly and left without a sound.
Ay barely registered the words.
Because Mabui was already moving.
She crossed the distance between them in an instant, her composure breaking entirely as she threw herself into his arms.
"Ay—"
Her voice cracked.
That alone told him everything.
Ay caught her without hesitation.
His arms wrapped around her tightly—too tightly, perhaps—but he did not loosen his grip.
Not even slightly.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
They simply held on.
As though letting go might somehow undo the fragile reality that they were both still there.
Still alive.
Still real.
Ay exhaled slowly, his grip tightening once more as he pressed Mabui closer.
"You're here," he muttered, as though reassuring himself. "You're fine."
Mabui pulled back just enough to look at him.
Her usual composure—the calm, calculated sharpness she carried like armor—was gone.
In its place was something far more vulnerable.
"I thought—" she began, then stopped, her voice catching. "I thought I lost you."
Ay's expression hardened slightly.
Not in anger.
In refusal.
"You didn't," he said firmly.
She shook her head faintly, her hands tightening against his arms.
"That thing—it wasn't normal. It wasn't anything I've ever seen."
"I know," Ay replied quietly.
For a moment, they simply looked at each other.
Then—
Mabui leaned forward.
And kissed him.
It was not elegant.
Not measured.
It was desperate.
Relief, fear, and something deeper tangled together in a single, unrestrained moment.
Ay did not hesitate.
He returned it just as fiercely.
When they pulled apart, their foreheads rested briefly against each other, their breaths uneven but steadying.
"It's over," Ay said again, more quietly this time.
Mabui nodded.
"…For now."
The words lingered.
Because neither of them truly believed it was the end.
Only a pause.
A fragile one.
The door opened again.
This time—
without force.
Storm stepped inside.
She had felt it.
The disturbance.
The shift in the air.
The faint echo of something wrong that had rippled through the land itself.
She had come without hesitation.
Prepared.
Ready.
But what she found—
was not battle.
It was this.
Her parents—standing together, closer than she had ever seen them.
Not as leaders.
Not as figures of power.
But as something far simpler.
Far more human.
Vulnerable.
Storm stopped.
Just inside the doorway.
For a moment, she did not speak.
She had never seen them like this.
Not once.
Ay noticed her first.
His gaze shifted, softening slightly as he gestured toward her.
"Storm."
There was no command in his voice.
Just invitation.
She stepped forward.
Slowly.
Uncertainly.
"…I felt something," she said. "A disturbance. What happened?"
Ay exhaled.
He did not release Mabui entirely—but one arm loosened enough as he reached out and pulled Storm into the embrace as well.
For a brief second—
she stiffened.
Then—
she allowed it.
Her body relaxed slightly, though her mind remained alert.
"…A demon," Ay said.
The word carried weight.
Storm's eyes sharpened immediately.
"A demon?" she repeated.
Ay nodded.
"It was summoned," he continued. "Not naturally. Not by accident."
His jaw tightened.
"It targeted me."
Storm's breath caught slightly.
"And you—"
"I survived," Ay said simply.
There was no boast in it.
No pride.
Only fact.
"Because Naruto arrived in time."
Storm went still.
Her gaze shifted slightly—toward the space where Naruto had been moments ago.
"…Naruto," she repeated quietly.
Ay's expression darkened—just a fraction.
"He forced it out," he said. "Without him…"
He did not finish the sentence.
He did not need to.
Storm understood.
Her chest tightened.
The thought came unbidden—
I could have lost him.
Her father.
Without warning.
Without even knowing.
Her fingers clenched slightly.
"…I see," she said softly.
The room fell quiet again.
But this silence—
was different.
Not heavy.
Not suffocating.
Just… still.
Ay tightened his hold on both of them slightly.
-------------------------
The garden of the Lightning Palace had always been a place of contradiction.
It was carved from stone and thunder—built high upon the jagged cliffs where the winds howled without restraint—yet within its walls, there was an attempt at calm. Trees stood in careful formation, their roots anchored deep into the mountain as though defying the storm itself. Water flowed in narrow channels, guided by precise craftsmanship, its quiet murmur clashing faintly against the distant rumble of lightning beyond the peaks.
It was not peace.
But it was controlled.
And for Ay, that was enough.
He sat at the center of it, his massive frame resting upon a carved stone bench that had been designed more for durability than comfort. His arms were folded, his posture relaxed in appearance—but the tension beneath it had not fully left him.
Not since that night.
Storm stood nearby.
Not beside him—but close enough that the distance felt intentional rather than absent. Her gaze moved constantly, sweeping the garden with quiet vigilance. She did not fidget. She did not pace. But there was a readiness in her stance, a subtle shift in the air around her, as though the sky itself lingered just behind her shoulders, waiting.
Darui stood further back, arms crossed, his usual laziness replaced with a sharper awareness. His eyes did not miss movement, shadow, or sound.
And Bee—
Bee leaned against a tree, arms folded, watching everything with an ease that only someone who had lived through too many battles could possess.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
Ay exhaled slowly.
"…Hmph."
Storm glanced at him.
"You should be resting," she said.
Her tone was calm.
But there was something beneath it.
Concern.
Ay scoffed.
"I've rested enough," he replied. "I'm not an old man yet."
Bee chuckled softly from his place by the tree.
"Yo, old man still kicking, ain't ready for the grave,
But got demons knocking, better learn how to behave."
Darui sighed.
"…This isn't the time."
Bee shrugged.
"Never a bad time for truth."
Ay did not respond to them.
His gaze had shifted upward—toward the sky beyond the garden walls, where dark clouds rolled endlessly across the horizon.
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then—
"…I'm glad you're all here."
The words were simple.
Unadorned.
But they carried weight.
Storm stilled slightly.
Darui's posture straightened.
Even Bee's expression shifted—just a fraction.
Ay did not look at them as he spoke.
"I don't say this often," he continued. "But I know what I have."
There was no embarrassment in his voice.
No hesitation.
Just acknowledgment.
"And I won't lose it."
Storm stepped closer.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
"You won't," she said.
Ay's lips twitched faintly.
"…Good."
The moment passed quickly.
Because it had to.
Because the world did not allow men like Ay to linger in softness for long.
His expression hardened once more, his thoughts shifting back to the matter at hand.
"…This changes things."
Darui nodded immediately.
"It does."
Ay leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on his knees.
"I thought Naruto was the problem," he said bluntly. "A single force disrupting balance."
His jaw tightened.
"The Otsutsuki were a future concern. Something to prepare for."
His gaze darkened.
"But now—demons."
The word lingered.
Heavy.
Unwelcome.
Storm spoke this time, her voice measured.
"You knew of them."
Ay snorted.
"Stories. Legends. Things used to scare children and entertain old men."
His eyes narrowed.
"Nothing worth my attention."
He paused.
Then added quietly—
"I was wrong."
Darui shifted slightly.
"This wasn't just any demon," he said. "From what Tsunade reported… it was Lord Loss."
Even Bee let out a low whistle.
"Ancient terror, old and grim,
Not the kind you spar on a whim."
Ay's hands clenched slightly.
"…And I was the target."
Storm's expression sharpened.
"The Hell Girl," she said.
Ay nodded once.
"That means it can happen again."
The air grew heavier.
Because they all understood what that meant.
Not a battlefield.
Not a war.
But something quieter.
More insidious.
A curse.
"If someone calls for it…" Darui said slowly.
"…She will come," Ay finished.
Silence followed.
Storm's fingers curled slightly at her sides.
"And if Naruto isn't there next time?" she asked.
Ay did not answer immediately.
Because the answer was obvious.
And he did not deal in lies.
"…Then I die."
The words were blunt.
Final.
Storm inhaled sharply.
But Ay did not flinch.
"I'm not afraid of death," he continued. "Never have been."
His gaze lifted again, steady and unyielding.
"But I won't leave things unfinished."
There was iron in his voice now.
Resolve.
"There's still too much to do."
Darui nodded.
"Then we prepare."
Ay leaned back slightly.
"…We need knowledge."
Storm glanced at him.
"You're thinking of the Pandora Continent."
Ay nodded.
"They deal with demons openly. If anyone understands creatures like that—"
"They would," Darui finished.
Bee tilted his head.
"Demon kings and cursed lands,
Sounds like trouble, not just plans."
Ay grunted.
"Trouble or not, we don't have a choice."
He fell silent again.
His thoughts already moving ahead—calculating, adjusting, preparing.
A meeting.
Information.
Power.
Balance.
Everything had shifted.
And he needed to move faster.
Before something else came for him.
Before something else took from him.
The sound of footsteps broke the stillness.
Darui turned first.
A messenger approached, stopping at a respectful distance before bowing.
"My Lord."
Ay did not look at him immediately.
"Speak."
Darui stepped forward slightly.
"He came from the other continent," he said.
Ay's gaze sharpened.
"…Pandora?"
"Yes."
There was a brief pause.
Then—
"The Emperor of Pandora requests a meeting."
The words settled into the air like a stone dropped into still water.
Ay finally looked at him.
"Emperor?"
Darui nodded.
"The continent has been conquered in the last two months," he explained. "Unified under a single ruler."
Ay's brows furrowed slightly.
"…That fast?"
"Yes."
Darui's expression remained serious.
"His name is En Sabah Nur."
The name carried weight.
Even unfamiliar, it felt—
significant.
"My Lord," Darui continued, "our men attempted infiltration."
Ay's gaze narrowed.
"And?"
"They were found."
A pause.
"But not killed."
That—
caught his attention.
"They were sent back."
Ay leaned back slightly, considering.
"…Interesting."
Darui nodded.
"From our reports, he is powerful. Extremely so."
Storm spoke quietly.
"And he wants to meet you."
"Yes."
Ay's eyes darkened slightly.
"On my territory," he repeated.
Darui inclined his head.
"He requests permission to enter the Land of Lightning."
Silence followed.
Long.
Measured.
Ay thought.
Not like a warrior.
But like a ruler.
This could be a trap.
A test.
A declaration.
Or—
an opportunity.
Finally—
"Send the response," Ay said.
Darui straightened.
"You'll accept?"
Ay nodded once.
"I'll meet him."
Storm's gaze sharpened.
"You trust him?"
Ay let out a short, humorless chuckle.
"No."
He stood.
Slowly.
The air seemed to shift slightly with the movement, as though even the storm beyond the mountains had taken notice.
"But he's coming here," Ay continued. "That means he's either confident…"
His eyes narrowed.
"…or curious."