"Elder," Areon spoke, his voice now more composed, carried by a touch of confidence. He had calmed down at least outwardly. The initial shock of meeting a high-ranked spirit had settled, and he now tried to act with the dignity expected of someone from a prestigious bloodline. "Is there truly a trial here?"
Kaeryndor didn't reply immediately. He simply stared at the boy with an unreadable look before answering with a nod and a low rumble in his voice.
"Yes."
He then narrowed his eyes, the seriousness in his tone becoming unmistakable.
"But listen well, boy this is no mere test. Fail, and none of you will leave this place. Not by force, not by plea. The moment you stepped here, you agreed to the rules I set. Even if you carry the blood of dragons, even if you are kin... I will not show mercy."
"Everyone fate here depends on you."
The air around him grew heavier not with killing intent, but with the pressure of divine conviction, a statement bound by oaths and ancient purpose.
"You must've read the words I carved into the sacred tablet, yes?" Kaeryndor asked, folding his arms over his massive frame.
Areon blinked, his throat dry. That calm he had gathered a moment ago? It started to fray.
If a Saint says this is serious... then it's not just serious. It's a death sentence if failed.
So no one can leave this place now?
Behind him, the group that had barely begun to relax now tensed again, beads of sweat gliding down foreheads. A low murmur of unease spread like wildfire.
Selena's expression hardened. Her eyes sharpened, her lips pressing into a line.
"If it comes to it... I'll use that," she thought, her hand instinctively brushing against the runed seal hidden beneath her gloves. But she didn't act yet. Not without cause. Not in front of a Saint its better if things didn't came to that.
"I understand, Elder," Areon finally responded, his voice low but resolute. He bowed respectfully.
"I will do my best not to disappoint you." Even if he didn't have the full picture, he could at least respond with grace and honor.
Kaeryndor gave a simple grunt of approval and turned.
"Good. Then follow me."
As his towering figure moved forward, the very stones ahead of them giant, ancient sculptures began to tremble and shift aside on their own. The earth rumbled as though responding to his will, revealing a narrow stone path hidden beneath.
Areon instinctively turned to look back at the group, worry flashing in his eyes.
Kaeryndor, without turning, raised his voice.
"You all stay here."
The words weren't a request they were a command, and one that shook the group down to their cores.
His finger then pointed directly toward Areon... and then toward Selena.
"You, boy. And you, girl... You both come."
His golden eyes briefly flared.
"If the boy fails, the girl shall be tested next."
A stunned silence followed. The others nearly gasped aloud. Even the Saintess' guards looked as though they wanted to object but none dared to speak.
Selena met Areon's gaze. She gave a slight nod, letting out a slow sigh.
This was happening.
"Saintess!" Nyla called out, her voice trembling, uncertain.
Selena turned her head over her shoulder and replied calmly,
"Stay here. That's an order. I'll be fine."
"But..."
"I said I'll be fine. I'm well protected," she replied with soft finality before stepping away from the group and walking beside Areon, following Kaeryndor.
The moment they reached the spirit's side, Areon asked a lingering question that had been clawing at his thoughts.
"Senior… was that altar in the northern field your creation? The one that demanded a thousand elemental cores as offering?" His tone was cautious. Suspicion still lingered in his heart.
Kaeryndor paused.
His brows twitched.
Then, he... sighed.
He pinched the bridge of his nose, his voice suddenly filled with awkward frustration.
"No. That ridiculous altar wasn't my doing. And the fee of a thousand elemental cores?" He looked genuinely embarrassed.
"That was that damn rude kid's idea. The same one who convinced me to prepare for your arrival in the first place."
"…Huh?" Areon blinked, utterly baffled.
Even Selena, usually composed, narrowed her eyes sharply. A thought began to flicker at the edge of her mind.
Kaeryndor caught their reactions and chuckled dryly.
"Judging from your expressions… I take it you haven't met him yet."
He shook his head with clear exasperation. "Well, I'm not surprised. With a personality like his, it's a miracle anyone can tolerate being around him."
Areon furrowed his brows.
"Elder, forgive my bluntness… but who are you talking about?"
His patience had reached its end.
"Well i don't know his name, But it was that crazy kid," Kaeryndor began, his voice holding an amused undertone, "I can't tell whole story so i will translate his words for you. Kaeryndor said.
"In easy words that lunatic said he knows someone worthy enough… someone he believed in so much, that he brought them here just to claim the Dragon Heart we'll i didn't trust him but again."
He gave Areon a dry look. "But judging by the fact that you're standing here... maybe he wasn't entirely full of nonsense."
There was a brief pause.
Kaeryndor chuckled softly, shaking his head, his ancient golden eyes gleaming with something akin to nostalgia. "I must say, for someone so arrogant, rude, and disgustingly brash… he sure seems to care a lot about you. To offer someone a chance at the Dragon Heart that's not something done lightly. You must be very close friends or… something strange relationship with him."
He glanced at Areon.
He paused, then scratched his chin as if recalling something odd. "He even called you his greatest enemy but somehow still insisted you were the only one deserving of it. Hah! Strange lad. His words made no sense, but his conviction was so damn loud I could feel it shake the pillars. Kaeryndor added with a smirk, "I think his personality is just disgustingly poor at expressing what he truly feels."
There was a strange softness in the way Kaeryndor spoke now. As though, after centuries of solitude, he had finally found someone he could speak freely with. The words kept tumbling from his lips, unfiltered unstoppable. As finally found his kin to freely speak with.
If Razeal could hear him now, he'd probably die laughing.
"This old dragon must've lost his mind," he would say, most definitely.
"For me...?" Areon blinked, stunned. "Who... who could possibly do something like that?" Some very complicated expressions apeared on his face. his heart thudding louder with each passing second.
"You don't know?" Kaeryndor looked genuinely surprised. His brows arched high, as though that answer had blindsided him. "I thought you would know immediately when I said that."
Selena, who had been listening silently all this time, suddenly leaned in slightly, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. Who might this kind soul be? Only angel's can do this right? She was interegued to say the very least.
"It's the boy... with long royal purple hair. He was here just a while ago."
He tilted his head, frowning slightly. "Didn't I mention it?"
"HUHHHHHHHH??!!" Areon practically screamed, his brain short-circuiting as the realization struck.
His mind raced flashes of memory clicking in his mind Remembering. A figure in the trees Hidden in the tree leaves top above. Just before he got teleported as waiting for them.
His voice cracked, "Razeal?! That bastard?!"
His jaw dropped. An invisible explosion of question marks seemed to erupt around his head. He looked like he had just been told the sky was green and gravity no longer existed.
"Why the hell would that guy do this?! Gifting me a Dragon Heart? That's insane!"
Even Selena's jaw dropped, her mouth agape in complete disbelief. She blinked several times, then rubbed her ears as if trying to make sure she'd heard right.
"What the fu~"She bit back the rest of the curse but couldn't hide her shock. A Saintess wasn't supposed to speak like that, but this moment didn't care about titles.
"Razeal?! Razeal Virelan?!" she hissed. "Giving someone the Dragon Heart?! Has the world turned upside down?!"
Kaeryndor raised an eyebrow. "Ah, so that is his name."
"No, no, no, Elder there must be a missuderstanding!" Areon interjected quickly, waving his hands. "That can't be him! And didn't you say once someone enters this place, they can't leave i have seen that guy outside so it's definitely not him?!"
"And that person," Areon continued rapidly, "Purple hair, yes but that person... he would never do something like this! Not in a million years!"
His voice cracked slightly, overwhelmed with denial. The sheer absurdity of the thought made his brain itch.
Kaeryndor blinked. Then raised a finger casually. "Hmm? Oh, no, I'm sure it was him. Don't worry about the 'no leaving this place' part I made an exception."
"You~wait, what?!" Areon nearly stumbled backward.
Kaeryndor's smile was easy, almost too casual. "Ah, yes. Normally i don't break rules. But in his case… we signed a Blood Spirit Contract."
Areon's pupils dilated. Selena instinctively took a step forward.
"A what?"
The dragon said, entirely unbothered. "We signed a Blood Spirit Contract. That boy... he was insanely confident.
"He gambled his life. Set conditions himself that he'd personally bring the one worthy of the Dragon Heart here in one hour. That you, would pass dragon heart test and earn it. If he failed to these conditions…" Kaeryndor paused dramatically, then tilted his head with a smile. "…he dies. Simple."
He paused, his lips curling into a rare, genuine smile.
Kaeryndor chuckled again, the sound deep and reverberating like thunder on a mountain peak. "It was... heroic. Even for someone like me, prideful and ancient—I couldn't help but be impressed by that boy."
There was silence.
And then
Areon?
"HE DID WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAT??!!"
The Saintess screamed.
The air trembled at her outburst. Selena's expression was a perfect picture of absolute, earth-shattering shock. Her eyes were wide, glimmering with disbelief. Her mouth hung open, trembling slightly.
"HE WHAT?!"
Her voice cracked in half as if her brain was refusing to process the words. "He bet his life on that?! For Areon?!"
"...He did what?" he finally asked in a whisper.
---
Ahhh, finally wrapped up these damn chapters. Pulled an all nighter it's literally 2 AM.
Huge shoutout to mac_joe257 thank you so much for the Golden Tickets!
Seriously, support like that is the only thing keeping this author alive right now.
Thanks for reading, everyone!
Don't forget to drop Power Stones and Golden Tickets they mean the world and keep the grind going.