Legacy of the Dark Sage

"Earth Dragons are indeed powerful beings," Aron agreed, joining them to stand close to the window. He also looked at the group of young talents and added, "Among the different types of dragons, Earth Dragons are among those who possess great defense, stamina, and raw strength."

Cade and Jared nodded in agreement, recalling the things they read from the Regis Archive.

In fact, Kyran had a chance to read some of that information in the Regis Archive, but because he was forced to leave his clan to escape from the Royal Army's pursuit, he did not finish reading all the volumes about the different types of dragons.

"However, you have to take into consideration that among the several types of dragons, the Earth Dragons also have a very gentle temperament. They will not cause harm to others unless they are provoked," Aron continued, glancing at his grandson with a faint smile.

"...I'll keep that in mind."

Unspoken but palpable, Aron's advice to Kyran not to provoke the Earth Dragon Tribe hung in the air. It wasn't a lack of faith in his grandson's judgment but a recognition of the volatile situation in the hall once Aillos made his announcement. Tensions were high, and it was only a matter of time before a test of strength would be inevitable.

As the tension in the hall mounted, it became increasingly clear that a test of strength was on the horizon. In such a situation, even the most peaceful creature would be compelled to defend their tribe's honor.

The four fell silent as they continued to survey the hall.

Fifteen minutes later, the atmosphere in the hall shifted as the tribe patriarchs began to arrive in quick succession. The once festive mood dampened, signaling the end of the young talents' free exploration and the start of a more serious phase.

"It's almost time for us also to make an appearance," Aron told them when another half an hour passed. "We should get ready."

Cade, Jared, and Kyran nodded in acknowledgment.

"Go to Sisi's room and escort her, Kyran," Cade told him. "As Lord Aillos recommended, we must always stay by her side once we enter the hall." Explore more at empire

Jared sighed and shook his head, "I'm starting to get nervous here. Most of the people there already knew about Sisi, right? The moment she enters, everyone will know who we are."

"Even if we don't enter with Neah, we'll still stick out like a sore thumb with the colors of our clothes, eyes, and hair. There are representatives from the Night Dragon Tribe, but rather than having black hair and wearing black uniforms to represent them; their dark scales have a blue tint. That's why they are recognized with the dark blue and silver colors."

"Even so, being the receiving end of the glares of all those people..." Jared shivered and looked at his nephew. "They look like humans, but they are real dragons, you know? Real-life dragons!"

Aron and Cade could only shake their head helplessly at Jared. Though they did understand where the latter was coming from. In the Human plane, the dragons were thought to no longer exist. Though the Regis Clan thought otherwise, the fact that they had not seen a genuine pure-blooded dragon in the Lower Realm could not be denied.

Then, suddenly, they were thrown into a hall full of these dragons. Their appearance could be misleading, but if something happened, then would they suddenly decide to release their disguises? They would definitely die without even knowing how and what happened.

"You don't have to worry about that, Uncle," Kyran assured Jared. "Though they harbor negative sentiments about our family, they respect Lord Aillos and Lady Ames. They will not act brazenly under their noses. Besides, even the hall is protected by a powerful array that prevents dragons from transforming back to their true forms."

But then his eyes narrowed and inwardly added, 'Though I don't think the same can be said with the dome's array.'

Kyran had yet to see the inside of the dome, but because it was meant to be a place where requested spars between dragons would commence, restricting their transformation could hinder their ability to use their full strength. Moreover, the size of the dome was huge, but he sensed the space inside had been enchanted to ensure the space could accommodate two young dragons' spar.

If there was one thing Kyran learned about dragons when they fought, they did not care about destroying their surroundings as long as they got to beat their opponent to a pulp.

"Alright," Cade clapped his hand, signaling the end of their talk, before turning to look at his son. He lowered his hands and said, "If they request a spar, just do what you must do. In any case, I'm not worried about you being at a disadvantage just because you can't turn yourself into a dragon but don't overdo it.

I know Lord Aillos said to show them everything you've got, but you also need to know when to stop."

"Meaning I should know when to give up the fight to win the war."

"That's right."

"Okay."

"With that said, let's go."

The four left the room and parted outside. Aron, Cade, and Jared made their way to Aillos's room while Kyran went to find Cyneah. Aillos assigned two female quilins by her side, but they were non-combatants— having more unicorn blood on them than dragon blood— and could not really protect her when something happened. At most, they could only sacrifice their lives to help Cyneah escape.

Of course, an incident where they would be forced to sacrifice their lives would not really happen in the Dragon Plane, not under Aillos's watch.

One of the female quilin waiting for Cyneah was Soreen. When Kyran arrived, she kept giving him a look as if he was a very bad influence on their lady. Her attitude toward him made him realize just how much Cyneah could easily win the affection of others.

Could such an ability be natural for a Soul magic user?

It was possible.

Just like how Kyran could send beasts weaker than him running in the opposite direction once he appeared.

Kyran looked at Cyneah and was once again stunned at her mesmerizing beauty. Since they agreed not to have her participate as one of the Regis's representatives, the color of her dress was not black. Instead, she was dressed in a flowing golden silver gown that glistened whenever she moved. In fact, her dress was as eye-catching as her mirror-like eyes, which reflected all the lights around her.

Her light brown hair was gorgeously braided and hung seductively on one side of her shoulders.

Seeing how Kyran and Cyneah looked like a perfect example of contrasting colors with their dark and light combination was quite a sight.

Contrary to the dazzling aura that hung around Cyneah was an obvious frown on her face.

"What's wrong?" Kyran asked, wondering why she looked displeased.

"...Nothing."

However, Cyneah refused to share her thoughts and simply turned her head to one side. She then said, "Let's go. I don't want us to be the last ones to enter the hall."

Kyran furrowed his brows. He was confident in his ability to read Cyneah's thoughts just by observing her actions. But at the moment, he did not know why she was displeased. And he felt that she would get more annoyed if he insisted on asking her.

"...Okay."

Unfortunately, Kyran's curt response only deepened Cyneah's frown.

Soreen and the other female quilin, named Harrien, shook their heads in dismay.

Unlike Kyran, they knew why Cyneah was displeased. But they were not about to tell on her. Frankly, any decent male being should be able to guess why their lady was in a foul mood. She and her life partner were about to attend a very important gathering, yet he barely said anything the moment he arrived.

Lady Ames, Annette, and Rin even dolled her up, but Kyran did not express any approval. Moreover, because of Cyneah's lack of sight, she could barely make out Kyran's silhouette. She wanted to see him so badly but could only be content with seeing his outline.

Cyneah wanted to see how Kyran looked in formal wear after hearing the servants' positive comments about him and the others. They said that even as a human, they looked very dignified and handsome.

'If only father could teach me how to do that spell he did before,' she thought helplessly.

The spell Cyneah referred to was how Euan shared his sight with her in a meeting back in the Lower Realm right after Kyran's disappearance.

Unfortunately, Cyneah could not find the right moment to talk to her father about the spell.

Kyran took Cyneah's hand and gently placed it on his right arm. He then leaned close to her ears and whispered, "You look too beautiful. I'm having second thoughts about taking you to the gathering."

Cyneah immediately flushed up to her ears. She glared at him in response and inwardly thought, 'I could not say the same to you because all I see is....'

She shook her head inwardly and forced her gloomy thought at the back of her head.

Kyran obviously knew why Cyneah was displeased. However, he did not want to make her even more miserable and pretended not to notice.