Chương 1352: 1382 - Awake and Alive

Leon's return to Artorion was nothing short of triumphant. He led the fleet while in Thunderbird form, and as he flew over the city, the people, having already been informed of his victory over Alderion, roared their elation to the sky. He answered with thunder, and as the fleet slipped over the eastern mountains, he and his people only grew louder. The fleet was a shadow of what it had been mere months ago, especially since Leon, after inviting them to celebrations, demobilized his three Despots.

Ingrid, Archelaus, Illum, and all their attendant mages and arks separated and returned to their homes, though Archelaus had intimated to Leon that he would be visiting sooner rather than later. Leon's acclaimed position was hardly stable since he was only thirteenth-tier, but Archelaus had promised to help him secure it. Leon was grateful, but far more concerned with rebuilding his Kingdom than with forcing other Nexus Lords to accept him as an Anax.

But even before then, with his city finally and properly secure, they would have to celebrate their victory and mourn their dead—and there was a significant amount of the latter to see to. So, Leon soared over his city, letting all of his tension bleed out as the wind blew through his feathers. Behind him, his exhausted fleet maneuvered into protective formations while Miuna's jellyfish and the three dragon flag arks were directed toward the south, where the guest palaces were located.

For almost an hour, Leon remained in the sky, flying alongside anyone else who could also fly, but the duties of a King didn't stop for long. Eventually, he flew in for a landing in the private wing of Westmount Palace, meeting his wives, Paladins, and several attendants waiting for him.

"I was about to fly up there myself to drag you back down," Elise teased.

"You should've," Leon replied, his grin rising to match hers.

"I'm not so certain that I would've hated it." Elise snorted before briefly embracing him.

"We're done?" she whispered into his ear.

"For now," he whispered back.

"No more fighting. Not for a while." Her arms tightened before she released him, and her smile could've lit up the entire Void. And then Cassandra darted in, throwing herself into Leon's arms.

"Don't give her all of your attention…" she softly chided.

"I won't, I won't," Leon said as Elise scoffed, half amused and half affronted. Leon hugged Maia and Valeria too, both women less verbal but clearly wanting as much attention as Cassandra, and when he pulled back, Valeria said, "The dragons are with your mother."

"I expected as much," Leon replied, doubting that anyone, even Fargrim, would've delayed visiting Serana. He turned his head and addressed Daryun, his nearest Paladin.

"Take this to Nestor. Have him bring the Ancestor Gem to my mother's healer's ward." In a flash of light, Leon conjured Alderion's halberd and handed it to Daryun, who bowed before disappearing in a flash.

"The gem?" Elise asked.

"Why do you need that? Is there something one of your Ancestors needs to do in the physical world?"

"Do you think the Great Black Dragon doesn't want to meet his descendants?" Cassandra asked Elise.

"Knowing him, I doubt he cares overmuch." Elise shrugged, her emerald eyes momentarily leaving Leon before swiveling right back, boring holes into him as she waited for his response. Leon began walking toward the chamber where his mother was still resting, and his ladies and Paladins matched his pace.

"While I was flying up there, the Great Black Dragon asked me to do this. I'll admit that I was skeptical, myself, but there's no harm in this."

"He didn't tell you why?" Valeria asked, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

"He refused," Leon stated.

"I asked. Multiple times. At this point, I'm rather curious myself. I'd probably still be flying if he hadn't asked this of me." [I'm surprised the old lizard wants to reveal something like this,] Maia said. [I'd thought he would rather sleep all day or whatever he does than reveal that he can speak with people using that shiny rock.] Leon's lips quirked upward.

"I was surprised, too. But if it means he's going to take a more active role at least for now… I can't say that I'm too upset. As much as I don't like him, there are quite a few answers locked away in his head that I want…"

'If only he'd be more forthcoming with those answers…' he silently groused. It didn't take long to reach their destination, and when they arrived, they found that the entire hallway outside of Serana's door was filled with people, few of them belonging to Leon. All of them were dressed in black, gold, or blue, and when he arrived, all seemed to collectively inhale.

"Prince Leon," one stated, sounding more like it was a careless exclamation than a greeting. He was one of those dressed all in black and had obsidian-colored scales running up the sides of his face. It wasn't difficult for Leon to see why he'd been standing where he was, as, at the twelfth-tier, he was one of the stronger mages in the hallway, and had been likely left there as some kind of guard.

Biting back some cutting remark about the dragons finding the security in his palace wanting, he said rather coldly, "It's 'King' Leon. Who might you be? And why are you standing between me and my mother?" The man backed off a step, his already pale skin growing a shade or two whiter as Leon's Paladins fanned out behind their King, all eyes glaring accusingly into the dragon-packed hallway.

"We are attendants of the Patriarchs…" the black-scaled man said.

"My father honored me with the name of his father, Faras. I have served the Great Black Dragon Clan for millennia, and the Patriarch himself ordered me to keep watch over this hall…" Leon's eyes flickered to the few Tempest Knights who'd been there when he arrived, standing uncertainly amidst all of these dragons. The leader of the detachment he'd assigned to guard his mother's chamber subtly nodded, confirming what Faras had said, at least.

"Well. Are you going to try and stop me from proceeding?"

"We would never," Faras hurried to state. He glanced over his shoulder, and the other dragons squeezed themselves aside to make room for Leon to reach his mother's door. Leon almost thanked them, but caught himself before allowing the words to pass his lips. He didn't need to thank anyone for getting out of his way in his own palace, let alone when he was on his way to visit his mother. He passed them silently, holding himself back until he reached the door.

Cassandra, however, growled as she followed, "You can watch the hall from the adjacent courtyard, don't you think?"

"It is rather uncouth to be crowding around the door like this," Elise added, her tone light despite the obvious chastisement. Leon paused at the door, watching Faras glance at the other two twelfth-tier mages—one dressed in gold, and the other in blue—and after a moment, they bowed slightly in his—or the door's—direction, and then led the others back the way that Leon and the others had come until only Leon's party and the assigned Tempest Knights remained.

He gave his wives a thankful smile and then entered the room. Only his family, including Anzu, followed him, while the rest of his Paladins and his wives' attendants remained outside. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it When he entered, he found only other dragons within—Fargrim was kneeling by his daughter's bed, while Jennifyr and Nyra stood by Serana's feet. Rayos and Ouros were closer to the door. All glanced over when Leon led the way inside.

"Leon!" Jennifyr quietly exclaimed as she rushed over.

"What happened to her?"

"We would all like to know that," Ouros stated as he gave his daughter a stern look, and Jennifyr, who'd been about to grab Leon's shoulders, bashfully stepped away. Leon squeezed her arm, then passed her to join Fargrim at Serana's bedside, while his wives and brother remained by the door.

"Triton had a weapon made by a Universe Fragment. Princess Miuna told me that it was forged by Anax Selachi, a fourteenth-tier Lord of a rather mercenary persuasion, forging weapons using his Universe Fragment for favors or rewards."

"I've heard of him," Ouros snarled.

"I've contemplated taking his Universe Fragment many times. It is almost worth it to bring war to the King's Ocean just to liberate the Tenebric Glacier from his undeserving hands."

"War at this time is hardly the best option," Rayos stated, Nyra squawking in protest but silenced by a single glare from her father. Her reaction, however, paled in comparison to Fargrim's. His aura thickened around him, and the air in the room became hard to breathe. His killing intent was so intense that even Leon felt a chill run down his spine, while his wives and brother shuddered by the door.

"His creation touched my daughter…" he hoarsely growled.

"If I lose her… I will annihilate everyone responsible…" There wasn't a shred of doubt in Leon's mind that he would do exactly as he said he would, and it seemed like his fellow Patriarchs felt the same, as both looked like they wanted to say something. Leon, however, beat them to it.

"It doesn't seem like that may be necessary…" Fargrim rose from where he kneeled and turned to face him, something in his eyes that seemed a mix of desperate hope and imperious demand. Leon continued, "While I was flying less than an hour ago, the Great Black Dragon himself told me to fetch something and come here. I have one of my Paladins getting that very object. He wouldn't say what he wanted to do with it, but I suppose we'll find out in a few minutes…"

With his magic senses, he knew that Daryun was already on his way back from Nestor's place, having wasted no time at all, even with the skies above Artorion still choked with Ravens, Hawks, Eagles, and anyone else who could fly and celebrate at the same time. As they waited, Leon, Elise, and Cassandra explained in greater detail what had happened to Serana—how Triton had carved a corridor through the mist with a rune, and how Serana had confronted him, only to lose.

They'd barely covered that much when the door opened again, and Anzu met Daryun at the door. Daryun held out the gem, and Anzu took it, closing the door as Daryun stepped back into the hall. Then, under the curious gazes of Rayos, Ouros, Jennifyr, and Fargrim, and the eager stare of Nyra, he brought it to Leon and gingerly placed it in his hand.

Within the gem, Leon saw his swirling power—that of the Thunderbird and Great Black Dragon remained closer to the exterior, while the abyssal darkness of what he'd thought at first to be black lightning, and now knew to be death itself, remained in the center.

His fingers closed around the gem, he stimulated the power of the Great Black Dragon, and without any further prodding, the Great Black Dragon manifested with them, appearing 'in the flesh' with his judgmental, dismissive, arrogant glare already fixed in place.

"Ancestor…" Fargrim gasped as he first took a step back in shock, and then fell to his knees. Rayos, Ouros, and Jennifyr could only stare in shock, while Nyra almost vibrated with excitement.

"Quiet," the Great Black Dragon demanded, and silence fell upon the room. He then regarded Serana coldly, though his words were a touch warmer than Leon had come to expect from him.

"This girl was, until her son was born, my descendant with the greatest potential. My power inundated her greater than anyone else before her." He turned his golden glare upon Fargrim.

"You stunted her growth and stymied that potential. Of all my descendants, I regard you as among the least, the most base, the shortest-sighted." Every word broke Fargrim further, and when the Great Black Dragon finished his brief castigation, Fargrim all but collapsed.

"My descendant," the Great Black Dragon said as he turned his eyes back to Serana, "awoke several days ago, though only in her soul realm. I have kept her there since, fixing that shattered potential." Leon's eyes widened even as his heart skipped a beat.

"You… you… you couldn't have said something?!" he demanded.

"I am saying it now," the ancient dragon responded, not giving Leon's anger any more consideration.

"I aided the Thunderbird in adapting Krith'is' enchantment to work on more than just a single bloodline. I have worked for even longer to ensure that it works on my blood, and that of my brothers." For the briefest of moments, his eyes flickered in Rayos and Ouros' direction. And then he spoke the words that sent a shockwave through Leon's mind.

"I have succeeded where all other attempts have failed." As if on cue, Serana stirred, and all desires to question the Great Black Dragon further were put on hold. Fargrim straightened up and took his daughter's hand as she began to shift beneath the sheets. Her golden eyes flashed open, and Leon felt an outpouring of power. Scales crawled up her face, and she shot upward, pulling her hand from her father's worried hold.

"Leon…" she gasped.

"Outside, now!" She stumbled toward the door, and Leon rushed to her side, helping her as Anzu and his wives practically tore the door from the wall in their haste to get it open, and then shot out into the hall to clear it. After a few steps, Serana got her legs under her, but still clung to Leon as she led him out into the same courtyard that the rest of the dragons were milling about in.

Despite not being in the hall as their Patriarchs had ordered, no one said a word as Leon helped the Great Black Dragon Clan's Princess out into the open air. No one said a word, even as the Great Black Dragon himself followed Leon's family and the dragon Patriarchs. Once she was in the center of the courtyard, Serana released her death grip on Leon and took a few more steps, more black scales forming along her arms.

Leon watched in sheer disbelief as his mother's body suddenly expanded, tearing through her clothes to reveal the rest of her body covered in sparkling black scales and rippling outward. Her hands formed claws, her face lengthened into a narrow snout, horns sprouted from her head and curled backward, and a tail sprouted from the base of her spine. Most dramatically, four enormous wings exploded from her back as her body continued to grow, forcing everyone back further and further.

She didn't come even close to the size of the Great Black Dragon, but she grew large enough that Leon was concerned she wouldn't fit in the courtyard when she was done. But as her transformation came to an end, she took up about three-quarters of the space within the courtyard.

"I already shared with her all needed muscle memory," the Great Black Dragon stated. Leon had been so captivated by her transformation that he hadn't even noticed his Ancestor appearing beside him.

"It… works?" he more asked than stated.

"For her, yes," the Great Black Dragon said. Before anything more could be said, Serana roared and flexed her body. It was lither, more streamlined than even the Great Black Dragon's was, and he wasn't particularly bulky for his size to begin with. Her wings were more swept back, while her horns more gracefully protected her neck compared to his. With a few uncertain wingbeats, she reared back, screeched happily, and shot into the sky.

Without a moment's hesitation, Leon followed her, assuming his Thunderbird form once again. The rest of the dragons began to roar as they launched themselves into the air. The three twelfth-tier mages revealed themselves to be dragons themselves rather than dragon-blooded Clan members as they assumed their draconic forms, smaller than Serana's and with only a single pair of wings. As Leon caught up to his mother, he felt her aura flexing, growing, and then, like a snapping line, it suddenly spiked.

Serana roared again, and a thousand pieces of glittering black onyx appeared around her, proving even beyond her aura that she had ascended to the thirteenth-tier.

The valleys of the eastern mountains weren't quite as deep and dense as those in the west, but they were still quite heavily wooded. With resources for reconstruction and scouting so heavily strained by the sheer scale of work they had to do, sweeping over the hundreds of wrecked arks and trying to find everyone who'd fallen assaulting or defending Artorion and vanished into the brush was slow going.

However, Sky-Watcher, a Bear who'd made a living hunting and scouting around these peaks, and his partner, Skips-Over-Leaves, a Hawk who specialized in search and rescue, worked as quickly and efficiently as they could. Sky-Watcher had brought them to what could only be the place where Iron-Striker and the Jaguar had fought against Triton, judging by the scale of destruction around them.

Ruined arks, great rents torn through mountainsides, and the corpses of dozens if not hundreds barely visible in the mulched underbrush.

"They fought… that way…" Skips-Over-Leaves whispered, following the battlefield as best as he could, directing them back in Artorion's direction. Sky-Watcher followed him, passing several ruined arks and deeper into the mountain forest, soon leaving much of the more obvious destruction behind. Soon, they began passing enormous ice javelins, hidden beneath the enormous trees above them and rockslides around them.

Hours passed as they searched around this area, looking for any sign of where the Chancellor and Marshal may have landed. Neither was hopeful, reasoning that if either of them were still alive, then they would've made their way back to Artorion by now. But as they passed one nearly-buried javelin, Skips-Over-Leaves paused.

Sky-Watcher thought it was because of the deafening roar that he heard echoing from Artorion's direction, but Skips-Over-Leaves crouched down and used his power to shift much of the soil and rocks and other debris around the javelin away. Sky-Watcher was about to ask what he'd found when a hand appeared, and then a body, and then two bodies. The javelin had struck both, one looking like he'd been shielding the other.

Sky-Watcher's heart sank, and he nearly collapsed from both finally finding what so many search parties had looked over, and at putting all hopes and fears to rest. But then, the body partially shielded by the other twitched…