Ep 174. Get To Work. (3)
Irospect, Serenis had never spared the time to properly take a look around the Dragon’s Valley since her awakening.
Her previous visits had all been rather short-lived. It didn’t help that she’d been far too occupied to spare the time for a proper tour during those times.
But with Eline having to examine Raizel, there was little to do but wait – and when Bruton aher had called for her, she’d thought it a much better oute than lounging around doing nothing in their .
And as Serenis observed the valley on their way, she began to notice striking simirities between past and present.
‘…Some things haven’t ged, I see.’
After their short flight, Bruton aher had nded onto the valley floors to lead the rest of the way on foot.
And the road itself was nothing remarkable: t valley walls stood oher side, with the occasional shrubbery decorating their surface. A stream of water occupied most of the floor, leaving only a narrow stoh for the dragons to follow along.
It was almost exactly the way Serenis had remembered.
Finer details aside, the valley’s overall yout had remaihe same. This particur trail was especially easier to recall as it served a number of purposes before, including a practice ground for hatgs learning to fly, and a path that other races often took wheering or leaving the valley.
‘And at the end of this trail was…’
As if to answer her thoughts, the two leading elders came to a halt. Bruton turo face the dragonlord behind him, gesturing towards the structure ahead.
“Lord Serenis, my apologies for the sudden summoning. The other elders were requesting your presence as soon as possible.”
“…The elder kin? Here?”
“Yes. They’re waiting for your arrival inside.”
“…”
Serenis let out a small snort before turning to Bruton.
“And are these elders aware of the structure’s purpose? Seeing how it’s stood through the millennium, I don’t suppose its purpose has ged.”
“…It remains unused most of the time. But to my knowledge, the structure is…a guest hall.”
“…”
It was a structure that’d been built to receive nons traveling to and from the valley.
It’d served as a gate to the valley for those who weren’t dragonkin: all paths that led deeper into the valley began here, and those that cked the ability to fly had no choice but to pass by this structure. It was where the kin would wele their guests or strike down guised intruders.
Heo choose it as their meeting pdicated the underlying message quite btantly.
“…A guest, is it?”
“…”
As Bruton aher fell silent, Serenis briskly walked inside. She was quite eager to see the faces of those that were waiting for their lord’s arrival.
…Corre, their guest’s arrival.
? ? ?
“Dragonlord Serenis.”
“…”
“Speak. That was your name, was it not?”
“…Hah.”
Serenis s the irony of her title.
Despite referring to her as their lord, the gathered elders were atop higher stations, each occupying a seat above Serenis’ eye level. The dragonlord herself was standing on the tre of the stone floors, much alike to a sinner iion.
Soon, she raised her gaze to meet those falling upon her.
“And to what do I owe this pleasure…elders?”
“We’ve called on you to discuss your as.”
After the short ahe gathered elders looked to the one ire.
There, a stern-looking elder dragon was staring down at his guest from above, golden eyes gleaming in the darkness of the hall.
“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. As you may know, I am Xerun – I believe there won’t be any disagreement in g that I speak for the ey of our kin today.”
“…”
One, Serenis had no idea who this was.
Two, she was already disagreeing – just not verbally.
But heless, the elder dragon tinued uninterrupted.
From his seat, the speaking elder’s quiet voice rang throughout the hall, sileng that of the others.
“First, on behalf of the dragonkin, I once again to offer our si gratitude. Dragonlord Serenis – by your deeds, the kin were able to recim those we’ve thought to have lost. If it weren’t for your as, no doubt they would yet remain imprisoned, held at the mercy of those human invaders.”
“Strange. Despite your words, I’m brought to think that this isn’t a celebratory occasion.”
“…It is not.”
A brief pause ensued as the other elders shifted unfortably. Even Bruton aher seemed uneasy despite standing at Serenis’ side.
“Dragonlord Serenis. While we’re grateful for what you’ve done, you’ve wrohe kin just as well. We’ve called on your preseoday to address them.”
“…”
Serenis narrowed her eyes in silence.
There was a myriad of things that came to mind – but all of them were events that had transpired a millennium past. They weres that Xerun would have knowledge of.
But soon, the elder began to crify his words.
“Upon your first appeara the valley, you’ve cimed to be our king – perhaps a wrong in its ht, but not as dire as the events that followed. That day, you’ve trespassed into the kin’s forbidden grounds, together with Bruton and his daughters. And there, you’ve stolen a possession of the dragonkin.”
Serenis’ expression quickly twisted in ridicule.
And, soon enough, she turo Bruton with that same expression.
“…Bruton. I thought you’ve since expio the others what happehat day.”
“I have, my lord. Several times at that. And…I’m afraid it aplished little besides my exclusion from the cil.”
“Then-“
“Dragonlord Serenis. I am not yet finished.”
Once again, Xerun’s eg voice silehat of others.
“Because of your as, the never-melting ice of our forbidden grounds has begun to melt. And not only have you cimed the dragonkin’s treasure as your own, you’ve tinuously broken the kin’s seclusion with two of our younglings – one of which has returned gravely hurt due to your antics. You’ve even brought outsiders into our homes, again without our permission.”
Muddled words desigo frame. Exaggeration of truths, or fabrication of what’s actually happened.
A, Xerun’s words were by no means pletely false.
“Dragonlord Serenis. Return what you have stolen, aore the forbidden grounds to its former state.”
“…”
“As you’ve acted in the best i of the dragonkin, we shall not ask further sequences of your wrongs. We only ask that you restore what has been taken.”
Serenis quietly balled her hands into fists. She’d remained silent to hear the full text of Xerun’s argument, but frankly, it’d ridiculed her far more than she’d expected.
As the elder fihe dragonlord briefly gnced around the darkness of the hall.
Even excluding Serenis and the two elders at her side, there were at least a dozen elder dragons gathered around the hall’s upper seats. But none of them seemed to be in disagreement with Xerun’s verdior of what has been said.
And finally, Serenis turned around to look at Bruton.
The grey-haired elder wore a sheepish look. He stared into the empty ceiling, scratg the back of his head.
“…I tried to vihem otherwise, my lord. I’ve already told the others that the pit was not what we were taught it was. But…”
“I take it they weren’t keen on trusting your cims.”
“…No. And I should tell you that the others remain adamant on going nowhere he pit.”
A long sigh escaped the dragonlord’s lips.
The fact that she’d been called here into a hall purposed for the kin’s guests already implied much about how the other elders perceived their lord. The fact that they were all seated at a higher cil also indicated plenty.
And finally, Serenis looked to Xerun with a stern expression to deliver her answer.
“…I will not.”
“What?”
“I will not. The treasure you cim stolen has been mine from birth; the forbidden ground you speak of is but my own son’s grave.”
“…And on what basis do you suppose we’ll believe your cims?”
Xerun briskly rose from his seat. Golden wings sprouted forth from behind the elder’s back as he leapt from above.
Soon, he nded onto the floor to stand mere few steps away from the dragonlord iion.
“Do you take us for fools? That we’d truly believe in your tales of returning from the dead? You may have vinced Bruton, but your words will not blind us all. To our knowledge, you are but a human child who luckily happeo acquire the dragonkin’s treasure. You merely mirror our reduced forms, and ck the ability to bee a proper dragon.”
“…”
Serenis didn’t bother to correct Xerun; after all, it was only ret when she’d regaihe ability to take her proper form. And that was only possible after she’d absorbed Aymeia’s divinity.
But instead of correg the elder, Serenis only beamed a soft grin, allowing Xerun to tinue uninterrupted.
“Yet, we’ve chosen not to question your being as dragonkin – for we truly believed that you carry no ill will towards us. We’ve even chosen to refer to you as your cimed title. All we ask is that you return what you’ve taken to its rightful pce, as our predecessors have intended.”
“…By whose authority are you making this demand?”
“The collective authority of all elders.”
“And should I still refuse?”
“…Then you leave us little choice.”
As Xerun raised his hand, several dragons appeared from the shadows of the hall, eae synthesizing a deadly spell.
And, unlike Serenis who remained ever so indifferent, Bruton looked around wide-eyed with panic. Eveher seemed uneasy with finding themselves suddenly surrounded.
“Xerun! Cease this madness. Do you realize what you’re doing?”
“They are ag in the best i of our kin, Bruton.”
“…”
“As am I. As we always have.”
After the brief quip with Bruton, Xerun’s gaze focused bato Serenis.
“Dragonlord Serenis. Your ability to bend the kin to your will roots from speech. But such ability carries no meaning should yure be blown to bits before words are spoken – and this time, Raizel is not at your side to protect you.”
“…”
Once again, Serenis maintained silence – and this time food reason. One word, and all that’s left to do would be fighting against her own children.
With his tone growing in fidend authority, the elder dragon once again pressed his argument.
“I ask agaiurn what you’ve stolen, Serenis.”
Stern gazes locked in the air as Xerun and Serenis gred into each other’s eyes.
Ironically, both were looking to each other as an adult would at an immature child.
