Chương 1270: 1300 - A Meeting of Dragons

Artorion's celebrations were going to last a long time, that much Leon knew. Even his most reserved vassals, the Ancestral Harts, would let loose in such times. He was of a mind to stay with them as long as he could, visiting many of the forums throughout the city and helping his people to know him, to feel his presence, but there was a burning desire within him, something else that he needed to do before joining his people.

To that end, soon after dusk, he took his mother, Nyra, and Nyra's escorts to Nestor's lab, leaving the rest of his family and the leaders who'd accompanied him to Belicenion to fill in for him while he was gone. Nestor's lab was much as he'd expected it to be, given that it had barely changed at all in more than a century.

Staffed primarily by labor golems and only a small number of assistants, it was something of an organized mess, the dead man largely devoting his time to whatever had taken his fancy in any given moment. His main lab was filled with tables containing various half-finished enchantments, most of which Leon knew would never work and were mostly Nestor attempting to iterate on other designs.

Other tables were covered in parts for golems, giants, Ulta suits, or all three, while still others held several different types of materials, from thunder wood to Aurichalcum. It was more difficult to understand what was going on with those, but Leon thought a clue lay in how several pieces of thunder wood amber had been shaped to resemble the Ancestor Gem.

As he entered with Serana and Nyra—the latter's escorts remaining outside—Leon spied the dead man himself quietly staring at an intricate projection of what Leon recognized as segments of the ancient rune that lay at the center of the Ancestor Gem. Beside him stood a handful of large golems, including the one that Nestor had stored the gem itself within.

"Nestor," Leon called out as he made his way over. Nestor didn't even look up, his golem frame remaining locked on the projection before him as if transfixed.

"I come with important guests."

"Important enough to disturb my work?" Nestor grumbled.

"Yes," Leon said without hesitation. Though he had no tongue, Nestor made a sound like he was clicking one, then turned away to properly face Leon, Serana, and Nyra.

"Who are they?" he asked, his tone bored and mildly annoyed.

"Rude," Nyra murmured.

"Greetings, Rude," Nestor sarcastically responded. Smoothly, he turned to Serana and asked, "And you?"

"Unappreciative of your tone," Serana growled.

"Given your actions against Leon, you're lucky we don't burn you to ash."

"That's a long name. My condolences to you for having such foolish parents as to saddle you with such a name."

"My boy," Serana said as she turned to Leon, her golden eyes flashing with rising irritation, "since he's not human, I can break his legs, can't I?" Fighting to suppress his smile, Leon replied, "Not yet. But if Nestor continues as he has… we'll see."

"No loyalty within the Clan," Nestor continued grumbling, though Leon was familiar enough with him to know that he was joking—as much as he could joke, at any rate. In a more serious tone, Nestor asked, "So, you're disturbing me. Why?"

"For one," Leon answered, "to introduce you to these two. Nestor, this is Serana of the Great Black Dragon Clan, my mother. And this is Nyra of the Great Gold Dragon Clan."

"Your aunt!" shouted Nyra, aggrieved.

"Your aureate aunt!"

"Something like that," Leon said with a barely repressed grin.

"Mother, Nyra, this is Nestor, the shade of an ancient member of my Clan."

"Your introductions need work," Nestor stated.

"I am Nestor, son of Jason Keraunos, Prince of the Thunderbird Clan. I'd list off my many titles, but I haven't the care to."

"A son of Jason Keraunos…" Serana said as she studied Nestor closely. Leon had already brought her up to speed on his life, at least for the most part, and hadn't neglected to include Nestor. He'd told her of Nestor's attempt to steal his body, and that he'd pardoned Nestor for it given his usefulness. That pardon was only reluctantly accepted by her, which she made readily apparent enough.

"You bear more important titles than that, such as 'body thief', and 'Clan traitor'."

"You think you are in any place to judge me?" Nestor coldly hissed.

"The Thunderbird Clan is beyond your judgment. Completely."

"You are judged by my son, not me. In that, you are luckier than you would have ever been in my Clan." Serana smoothly replied.

"How much do you know about my Clan?"

"I devote no thought to your Clan. Nor to yours." Nestor's faceplate was largely featureless, not even possessing eyes, but somehow, he managed to level a withering glare at both Serana and Nyra.

"What a touching meeting," Leon interjected as he noted Serana and Nyra start to get heated.

"Nestor, we'll have much to discuss when we're not… posturing. For now, I want to see the Ancestor Gem." Nestor's face snapped to Leon, his disbelief visible in his body language.

"I mean it," Leon confirmed.

"Bring it out." Nestor dramatically sighed, then turned to the storage golem behind him. As he did, Nyra asked, "What's the Ancestor Gem?" In contrast to Nyra's mild curiosity, he could see building anticipation in Serana's eyes as it was revealed what he'd brought them here for. She had told him that the Great Black Dragon rarely, if ever, communicated with his Clan, but after revealing the Ancestor Gem to her weeks ago, she knew that that was coming to an end. And now, that time had come.

"I'll show you," Leon said as Nestor opened the golem and brought the gem out. The gem was much as Leon had last seen it: silver-blue lightning and black fire with a hint of red within whirling around a black core haloed in white. However, the gem had been removed from its lupine trappings, but that didn't seem to have compromised the gem's main function.

"Where's the rest?" Leon asked, still concerned despite how unaffected the gem seemed to be without the rest of the amulet.

"I determined all of that to be unnecessary," Nestor said, "so I removed the gem. Those bits are still around here. Somewhere."

"You'll be putting in some effort to make sure that they're not lost," Leon lightly scolded, to which Nestor just crossed his arms and stepped away from the table, silently inviting Leon to inspect the gem, which he was eager to do. Hesitantly, Leon reached out for it, lightly brushing his fingers against the gem's crystalline surface. At the same time, he channeled the power of the Great Black Dragon and fed it into the gem alongside a current of origin power. The gem responded.

The power it had absorbed from him, the power it retained, pulsed, calling out to the originator of that power. If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. A moment passed, and Leon wondered if the Great Black Dragon was going to refuse to show. His heart skipped a beat at the thought.

'Don't make me look like a fool in front of them…' Another moment passed. Then a third. Finally, after what had seemed to Leon like an eternity, light flashed, and the Great Black Dragon stood before them in human form. He didn't look particularly happy to have been summoned, but he was there.

'Does he even get a choice in the matter?' Leon idly wondered as he calmed his racing heart.

"Why have you disturbed me?" the Great Black Dragon asked, his voice low and rumbling.

"Happy to find you in your usual mood," Leon replied.

"Should mean everything's fine. Anyway, I wanted you to meet some people…" He glanced at Nyra and his mother. Nyra looked confused, but he could see rapidly dawning realization on his mother's face.

"This is the Great Black Dragon. Ancestor, this is Serana, my mother, and Nyra, a descendant of the Great Gold Dragon." Deafening silence was the response from everyone. Serana stared at the Great Black Dragon, her mouth agape in disbelief, no amount of forewarning or explanation on Leon's part having properly prepared her for this experience.

Nyra, meanwhile, shifted focus from him to the Great Black Dragon and back again so quickly and so indecisively that Leon was almost worried that she was in danger of breaking her neck. The Great Black Dragon, on the other hand, seemed hardly interested in either of them, an impression that he was quick to confirm.

"Is that all? You have disturbed me for this?"

"You spend all day flying about the Mists of Chaos," Leon sharply retorted.

"Meeting some of your descendants and the descendants of your brothers is the least you can do if you aren't going to permanently die." The Great Black Dragon sneered.

"Rein in that arrogance, boy."

"Are dragons not arrogant?" Leon asked with a smarmy grin.

"You're so insistent that I rely more on what I've inherited from you, but when I do, you find it objectionable."

"Rein it in with me," he clarified.

"I am your superior, your better."

"Bold words for a dead man. Or dragon." Interrupting them, Serana darted in to ask, "You are my Clan's Ancestor? Our progenitor?" Turning to her, the Great Black Dragon replied tiredly, "I won't deny the truth." Leon's eyes almost bulged out of their sockets, and it took an inhuman amount of self-control not to call out the blatant hypocrisy.

"H-How?! You told me about it before, but to see it for myself… How?!" Serana asked, her eyes almost as wide as Leon's, though out of shock and wonder rather than incredulity.

"I discovered this gem on a remote plane close to the Nexus," Leon explained, this part more for Nyra's benefit than Serana's, his tone flat as his glaring eyes remained locked on his least favorite Ancestor.

"Seems to allow our Ancestors to enter the physical world. So far, I've been able to speak with both the one before us and the Thunderbird using it."

"Can it…" Nyra whispered, her eyes now flickering between the Great Black Dragon and the gem.

"It seems to require origin power to use," Leon said, to her obvious disappointment.

"But I'm sure we can figure something out. It was functioning well enough on the plane I found it on, and I doubt that many of their people had achieved Apotheosis." Nyra nodded, while Serana began to question the Great Black Dragon.

"Ancestor, it's an honor to meet you! Can you answer my questions? Where have you been? What has prevented you from speaking with the Clan? Is there something we can do to fix it?" Her questions continued on in what seemed like an unending flow, while the Great Black Dragon spared Leon a baleful look, silently cursing him for leaving him with the descendant he'd discarded for 'wasting her potential'.

Leon smirked and left him to his fate, heading off to the side with Nestor while leaving the two dragons with Great Black.

"Have there been any changes?" Leon asked the dead man, tuning out the others for the time being.

"Specify," Nestor all but commanded.

"With anything," Leon replied, not specifying at all.

"Anything at all that you want to update me on?" Nestor hummed in thought, the sound echoing through the metal and thunder wood within his constructed body.

"Not particularly. If you want a political update, speak with your ministers. I have been here for the past few months, working on the Ancestor Gem."

"Then update me on that front," Leon pressed. Nestor raised a hand to his faceplate's chin and said thoughtfully, "I've been focusing on the ancient rune. I initially thought that the structure of the gem itself was important, and while it certainly is, the ancient rune is far more so." He waved at the thunder wood amber chunks on a nearby table.

"On further study, I believe it may be possible to use the malleable nature of thunder wood amber to create copies of the gem itself. I've put that research on hold, however, until I've gotten a handle on that ancient rune."

"That's better than where we were before," Leon replied, the initial impression of the gem being that it was a unique thing that would be next to impossible to duplicate. If that wasn't the case…

"The rune is complex," Nestor continued.

"I wasn't exaggerating when I said that I could study it for thousands of years. My insights have been minimal so far, but I've at least mapped most of it out."

"That's a good start." Leon cocked his head and asked, "Have you brought anyone else into this?"

"Not as yet," Nestor replied.

"I have… some thoughts…"

"Few statements have ever filled me with as much dread…" Leon let the barb pass unremarked, choosing instead to push on.

"The Ancestral Harts are some of the most communicative with their Ancestors. It might be worth it to bring Sar, or maybe a few other Harts in on this. We don't have to study this thing alone, especially if you're not confident you can figure it out without spending ten thousand years studying it."

"Now you're blowing my words out of proportion," Nestor said, affronted.

"I'm going to give you more time," Leon said sternly.

"I'll give us more time. And if we can't figure this out, then we'll bring in some people to help us. Harts. Ravens. Anyone else talented in enchanting."

"That would be… unwise."

"For any practical reason? Is the gem going to explode if we add too many powers to it? Will we all suddenly die of Aesii poisoning if a few more minds are brought in to ease this load?"

"It's foolish to share power," Nestor countered harshly." Especially with vassals."

"I get that," Leon said with a dismissive wave of his hand, "but these are no mere vassals. These are some of my most trusted advisors and supporters. I'm not going to open this up to anyone who shows up." Nestor continued to stew in silent disapproval, so Leon added, "Just figure out this rune's secrets yourself, and we won't have to resort to anyone else. However, given the other work I have for you, you may be grateful for the help…"

"What other madness do you bring me now?" Nestor asked with no small amount of exasperation. Leon smirked proudly.

"The Belicenian Games have been productive—more so than I ever imagined. Among other developments, I met with the Great Dragon Clans— obviously —and they shed some light on my black lightning." Nestor kept it subtle, but Leon noticed him lean in slightly, his faceplate turning to focus more on Leon.

"It's… death." Nestor's head cocked after a moment." Death?" he asked, his frown audible even if it wasn't visible.

"What does that mean?"

"I wouldn't mind a little elaboration on that, myself," Leon said.

"Ryonos, Prince of the Great White Dragon Clan, said that it speeds along whoever I strike with this into death. He said that it was similar to Aesii that he'd studied. He said that the power is anathema to life, and that is why it harms me when I use it."

"I've never studied life and death," Nestor admitted.

"But I'd have thought that holding power over death would kill the wielder. No living being can call upon the powers of the beyond, which only the Ancestors have command of."

"It seems I'm unique in that regard," Leon said with a cheeky grin.

"There's… another thing. Related. How much do you know about black Heartwood seeds?"

"Black?" Nestor asked.

"Heartwood seeds aren't black. They're gold."

"I have a black one," Leon stated.

"I'd bring it out now, but…"

"Show me," Nestor demanded, and Leon complied. So into the Great Black Dragon were Serana and Nyra that they didn't even notice when the rather rotten box containing the black seed was summoned. Immediately upon sensing the aura emanating from it, Nestor took a step back, his arms coming up as if to ward away the cold and gentle aura seeping from the cracks in the box.

"I can't," he said, horror creeping into his voice, which itself sounded almost strangled.

"Get it away…!" Leon immediately pulled the box back into his soul realm.

"What's wrong?" he asked. Nestor groaned, his metal body sagging slightly.

"I felt… a pull," he said, his voice hoarse.

"I… It was unpleasant." With growing concern, Leon asked, "Are you all right?" Nestor leaned against the nearest table for a long moment, Leon only growing more concerned as the silence stretched.

"Yes," he finally answered, and Leon let out a sigh of relief.

"That concerned about me, are you?" Sarcastic though the question was, Leon treated it seriously, and seriously did he answer it.

"Yes, Nestor. I am concerned about you, despite my many reasons not to be. Don't let it go to your head." The dead man gave him a single amused chortle in response before they came to a silent agreement to move on.

"I won't be able to study that thing," Nestor said.

"I believe… I may be too close to passing beyond. I have no body to stave it off, this power you say is 'related' to death." Leon frowned deeply. He'd been counting on Nestor for help—and he supposed he might still be, but not in the direct way that he'd hoped for. He wasn't keen on bringing anyone else in on it, either, so at least in the study of death, he might just be on his own…