Cathan Leywin Pov
My eyes opened as if I had just blinked, yet it felt like I had been sleeping for days. I sat up in my bed, a mixture of feelings weighing down my shoulders. My fear of not being able to protect my family. My fear of not surviving this war.
"Is everything all right?" Azrael asked, standing on his perch next to my bed.
"Yeah, I'm fine," I lied, running my fingers through my hair.
My hair was shorter than Arthur's since Viska burned it a few times, but my hair still looked good. I swept my hair to the side. My hair looked the same way it did during Xyrus academy.
"Come in," I called out, sensing a presence on the other side of the door.
A man that appeared to be in his late twenties, dressed in black clothes underneath a thin leather armor used by scouts, came in. He dipped his head in a respectful bow before relaying a message.
"General Leywin, the meeting place with the Alacryan messager has been decided. Commander Virion has asked me to inform you to get ready to meet with the messenger along with him and Lord Aldir."
"Got it. I'll be out in ten minutes," I replied, getting out of bed.
"Shall I send over a maid to help you get ready?" He asked.
I shook my head. "No need."
"Very well." The man left after another bow, closing the door behind him.
I wore a black suit and a white shirt. This shirt redistributed the impact of an attack making the impact hit my entire body rather than just one spot. It behaved similarly to vests that cops wore in my old world. The suit was designed for stealth since it had the ability to change how it looked. If I cover my entire body with mana, the outfit would immediately return to my dimensional ring, leaving me with my shirt and pants.
"A rather dapper appearance for one about to fight in a war," Virion remarked as I approached him and Aldir with Azrael right beside me.
"Thanks," I winked, smoothing my sleeve.
While Aldir's wardrobe practically lit up from the amount of gold and gems it contained, Virion wore a simple black robe as he was still in mourning over Director Cynthia's murder. Only a few days had passed since that day, but Virion appeared to have aged a century during that time.
Studying the black metal spike jutting out of Cynthia's, we all knew that the assassination was done by one that possessed the powers of the Vritra Clan. It was unlikely that an actual clan member had performed the attack since that would jeopardize the no-asura agreement in the war, but that didn't mean one of their descendants couldn't have done it.
"The ships are about a day away from reaching our shore, Arthur, Cathan. Are you ready to meet this messenger?" Virion asked.
"Are you ready?" Arthur asked back. "You're not going to kill the messenger, right?"
Revealing a faint smile, Virion shook his head.
Aldir stepped forward in front of the glowing teleportation gate. "Good, then let us depart."
'Are you okay, Cathan?' Azrael spoke through our bond.
"I'm fine, Azraey. Other than the fact that you call me by my name now,' I replied, stroking his head.
'Grandfather said that it's important that I uphold the dignity of the dragons.' My bond held his head up high as we came out of the teleportation gate that Aldir had conjured.
'Well, I can't say you weren't cuter before when you used to call me "Papa,"' I smirked.
'Don't worry. I still see you as my papa!' He comforted, perching on my shoulder.
"I still don't feel right about doing this meeting without any backup," Virion said warily.
We were in a small clearing just above the town of Slore. The occasional moist breeze carried with it a strong smell of the sea, making me sticky despite the frigid air.
"If this messenger has the audacity to act against us, I will have every right to intervene," Aldir assured, a slight smirk appearing from his lax expression as his single opened eye stared straight ahead.
"With the way, the Vritra's side has been planning everything—breeding asura half-bloods, creating mutants with our continent's mana beasts, and now the ships—I can't imagine how long Agrona has been planning this. And I can't shake the feeling that this war is more of a game to him than some passionate endeavor."
"If it has ever been easy to predict Agrona, he never would've gotten this far," Aldir acknowledged reluctantly. "Since he, like all the other asuras residing in this world, is prohibited from participating in this war directly, he's been coming up with ways to go around that by being the almighty hand that moves his chess pieces—at least for his side."
"And who is the almighty hand that moves the pieces for our side?" Virion asked with a raised brow.
"And here I thought I was traveling with the commander of the entire war." I rolled my eyes.
"Snarky brat." Virion scoffed.
"All right," Arthur intervened. "Is this the meeting place?"
"Of course not," Virion let out a sigh, tying back his long white hair.
"This is the farthest I can take us before we traverse to our real destination," Aldir clarified. "Our destination is in the middle of the ocean."
"Lead the way," I gestured.
Aldir's feet slowly rose from the ground as a milky aura covered him and Virion. Soon, it lifted Virion into the air as well. Virion's lips shut tight as every muscle in his body tensed like a cat picked up by its scruff.
Arthur and I followed suit by manipulating the atmospheric mana around us to fly. Azrael flew in front of us, with Sylvie on his back. I sped up forward after noticing something.
"So mighty dragons are afraid of the ocean," I smirked, seeing Sylvie tremble while staring at the ocean.
"I've always hated baths," Sylvie grumbled.
"I'm quite sure this is more than a bath," Azrael remarked.
***
Aldir and Virion had stopped above the clouds, waiting for us to catch up.
"I'm sure I don't need to say this to you, but I will anyway. No one knows how much the Vritra know, so it'd be wise to keep your true strength hidden during this meeting." Aldir's voice rang uncomfortably in my ear as if he was whispering right next to me.
"That won't be a problem for me. I'm not sure about Arthur, though." I smirked.
As we fell beneath the layer of clouds below us, plummeting through the blanket of white, the moisture in the air dampened the clothes of everyone except for me eventually, though, I spotted the shimmering ocean gently rippling in all directions.
Despite the phenomenal view of the never-ending stretch of water, my gaze instantly focused on the dark specks littered across the ocean to my right. About a few dozen miles north, I could see the fleet of Alacryan ships heading toward the shore near Etistin City, the capital of Sapin.
'Look below,' Azrael pointed out. Floating on top of the ocean was a pitch-black platform about the size of a small house.
As we descended just a few dozen meters above Virion and Aldir, I could make out two small figures that had blended in with the platform they had been standing on from afar.
"They're there," Arthur said aloud. "But I don't think they're ordinary messengers."
Arriving atop the platform with a soft landing, the three of us, with Azrael and Sylvie behind me, walked toward the center, my jaws clenching at the sight of the two supposed messengers.
"Welcome to our humble abode," the taller of the two sneered, his thin arms spread wide open.
Virion narrowed his eyes. "We assumed that we'd be meeting with a messenger. That position seems to be beneath both of you."
"I'm flattered, but at this moment, we are mere messengers!" He replied with an exaggerated smile while his companion remained silent.
Examining the two Vritras, despite their ancestry and blood, the two couldn't be more different. The one on my left stood just a bit taller than me with a ramrod-straight posture. The Vritra had deep-set eyes underneath heavy lids, giving a mysteriously charming quality to his stern face. With his neatly-cropped head of ash black hair and his tight-fitting black armor underneath a lavish purple cape, the Vritra looked like someone out of every female's dreams if it weren't for the pair of horns jutting out just above his ears.
The other Vritra stood well over two meters, towering over everyone here despite his hunched posture. His long, thin arms dangling by his sides as though his arms had popped out of their sockets. This Virtra didn't wear armor; instead, thick dark bandages covered his body underneath a shabby black mantle that perched on his shoulders. Messy bangs peeked out from underneath his tattered hood, accentuating his peculiar appearance.
"I am Cylrit, and this is Uto. It is an honor to meet you, Aldir. We retainers have heard much about the famous asuras in Epheotus." As if Virion, Arthur, and I didn't exist, Cylrit's gaze locked onto Aldir's, but even that wasn't out of respect. "I trust that you will uphold the pact and remain a noncombatant?"
I couldn't help but be surprised at how casually he had mentioned that he was a retainer. That meant that he was one of the leading figures in this war that are allowed to fight—just beneath the five Scythes.
"Assuming that your side will do the same? Then yes," Aldir answered, his stare just as piercing as Cylrit's.
"It's a shame. I wanted to try fighting an asura, but I guess I'll have to settle for slaughtering a few thousand of you lessers," the Vritra named Uto spat, locking his eyes on Arthur, Virion, and me.
The lanky Vritra took a step toward me, craning his neck down with a sneer. "I get why Mr. One-Eye and Grampa Elf are here, but I didn't expect to see the boy wonders, Arthur and Cathan Leywin, gracing us with their presence."
"I could say the same for you. To what pleasure do we owe the retainers for showing their faces here?"
"As Cylrit said, we didn't want to send an innocent messenger to get captured and tortured for information. Because that's what I'd do." Uto's slanted red eyes peered into Arthur, searching for signs of fear or anger.
Before Arthur could retort, I returned his provocation with a smirk. "I can't wait to find you on the battlefield."
He replied with a murderous gaze, his lips spreading into a wicked grin. "Why wait? I love slicing through children's flesh the most."
"Uto! Enough," Cylrit reprimanded.
"What?" Uto shrugged innocently. "Mr. One-Eye here can't touch us anyway."
"Neither would I want to touch any filthy lessurans," Aldir answered as he peered into the lanky Vritra's eyes. "Now. Since we didn't come here to exchange frivolities, get on with your message and disappear from my sight."
By the slight twitch in Uto's brows, I could tell his attempt at provoking Aldir had backfired. However, before the lanky Vritra had the chance to respond, Cylrit stretched an arm in front of Uto to stop him.
"The message that His Majesty has tasked me to deliver to the leaders of Dicathen is simply this: Surrender the ruling family, and we will give mercy to those who deserve it. Continue resistance, and our army will eradicate everyone on this without discretion," Cylrit recited, his gaze still only on Aldir.
"You call those terms?" Virion burst out. "That's a one-sided ultimatum!"
Uto revealed a cocky sneer as he dipped his head lower to be eye-level with Virion. "Be thankful you even have the choice. Don't worry. If you decide on the first option, I promise to be extra gentle when slicing off your head."
Cylrit stared daggers at his companion. "They didn't send us here to incite a fight, Uto."
"That was never my intention, just a friendly warning of the upcoming battle," the lanky Vritra replied but then turned to Virion with a perverse grin. "I hope to meet you and your granddaughter, Elf King. I'll make sure to enjoy myself thoroughly as you helplessly watch."
In a flash, his fist made contact with Uto's jaw. Tessia's grandfather had already activated his second phase, a shroud of black covering his entire body and head, but I could still make out the rage in his eyes.
Uto's head immediately snapped back at the blow, lifting him off the ground and blowing off the hood that had been covering his head.
"That kinda tickled," the lanky Vritra growled, cracking his neck. Uto's nose jutted out at a weird angle, but my eyes didn't move away from his horns.
It was the familiar chip on his left horn. The chip that the Lance, Alea, had made.
"Was it you?" I asked, my voice dripping with malice as I approached Uto.
Each step forward I took, the self-control that had kept me from remaining neutral during this meeting faded. Mana surged out of my body like a storm, shocking the Vritras and snapping Virion from his outrage.
"What was that, pup?" Uto snapped, his eyes furrowed in impatience.
"The lance in the dungeon that had all of her limbs cut off," I clarified, my voice icy. "Was it you?"
"Ahh," the Vritra voiced, his lips curling upward.
Just by the tone of his voice, I already knew the answer. Taunting Virion and using his granddaughter as fuel was one thing but the fact that he was responsible for Alea's horrible torture now gave gravity to his threats.
"That pretty little elf? What if it was me, brat?" Uto smirked.
I released my presence and aura. Something I never did before, seeing that I've always hidden both. Virion struggled to stand as even Uto and Cyrlit seemed wary of my presence.
"I still remember how the spikes were behaving around the field. They all came from shadows. That's your power. Isn't it? Creating metal spikes from shadows." I stated with a smirk as Uto's eyes widened.
"How did you-" Uto started, his words filled with rage and confusion.
I opened my mouth to respond, but Aldir gave me no chance to act on my impulses, appearing in front of me with a stern gaze. "This is what he wants you to do. Don't let him provoke you."
I let out a deep breath. I knew Uto was provoking us on purpose—anyone with half a brain could see that. As for whether it was with forethought or because he was just that impulsive, I had a feeling it was both.
Swallowing the bitter taste in my mouth, I ignored Uto. Facing Cylrit, Arthur asked, "Was there anything else that we need to discuss? Or was that predictable threat all that you came here to say?"
"You will be given two days to decide," Cylrit answered callously. "If the three royal families of Dicathen haven't offered by then, we will take that as your answer."
"We'll show ourselves out," Virion shot with a glare as he casually smoothed over the creases on his robe.
"You should've heard her scream," he laughed chillingly. "It almost made me want to keep her alive, so I could continue making her scream, you know?"
Aldir caught my gaze as he prepared to fly back, but I stopped him. Imbuing ice, lightning, and sound attribute mana into my palm, I raised my arm and whipped around to face Uto.
The thin beam of the fused elements pierced through the narrow gap between the retainers, creating a crackling gale in its path. As the ray shot past them and into the water, the ocean split from the force of my spell. The waves instantly froze over before a current of electricity shattered the ice into shards of sparkling glass.
I could see Uto's expression slowly crumple into that of doubt and shock while even Cylrit's cold face showed surprise as the sound wave blasted the ice shards towards the ships destroying a few.
"Whether or not we decide to go forth with the war, I hope to meet you again, Uto. Also, she's alive with her core and limbs all working completely fine." I turned back around as the shadowy platform we had been standing on convulsed.
I flew behind Arthur, Virion, and Aldir. I held back the urge to turn back around. Staring at Virion's face, lined with worry and frustration, I could tell he was thinking about the retainer's words.
"You're not considering their offer, right?" Arthur asked as we ascended above the clouds.
"No, but if they were to keep true to their word, imagine how many lives will be saved," Virion said, the creases between his brows thickening.
"Their fate will be worse than death." I sighed.
"That's a big if to be sacrificing you and your family's lives for." Arthur scoffed.
"They're right," Aldir chimed in. "You know what becomes of the world under the Vritra's rule. Even Epheotus won't be safe from harm if Agrona is able to populate two continents with races mixed with his blood. It'll be a matter of a few generations before they strike against the rest of the asuras as well."
"I know," Virion sighed. "I'm not looking forward to the protests that'll undoubtedly form from my choice, though."
"You're going to tell everyone?" Arthur asked.
"Trust is hard to gain, yet so easily lost. How much would they trust us if they realize we're using their lives as gambling tokens against the Vritra." I stated as Tessia's grandfather nodded solemnly.
"Not much," Arthur admitted.
When Aldir had first come to Dicathen, killing off the Greysunders' in one sweep and taking us to train as soon as he had arrived, I figured he would try and control Virion like some puppeteer in the background. However, Aldir protected and advised Virion, never forcing him to take action. That said a lot about the respect the asura had for him.
As we flew back to the western shore, Virion coordinated plans with a mental transmission artifact for the public speaking that would supposedly take place tomorrow.
Just from the bits and pieces of the conversation I managed to pick up from Virion murmuring into the artifact, it seemed like all the leading figures in the war would be present at the speech.
The generals, the royal members of the three races, and other influential noble families will be standing beside Virion as he starts his speech. The generals are the six lances, Arthur and myself.
***
"How do you suppose we find our parents?" I asked, veering right into a random hallway in hopes of running into someone that would know.
"Searching for mana signatures seems over the top here and would probably alarm some of the mages," Sylvie chimed. "How about knocking on every door until we find someone that can tell us?"
I took another right at a path and ventured further down until a familiar sight caught my eye. A wide archway led to a patio garden outside of the castle. I never thought I'd see such an open deck on a flying building.
The vast orange sky of a beautiful sunset, dimmed by the transparent barrier surrounding it, illuminated the area. Children were playing on the neatly-kept grass lawn, some sparring with friends, others simply chasing each other.
What made me stop was the sight of the towering dark-brown bear playing amidst the scampering children. I spotted an uncomfortable Ellie just beside her bond, talking to some blond-haired boy her age.
Puffed out chest, chin held high, a fake smile that didn't reach his eyes. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was trying to flirt with my precious sister.
"Azrael. You know what to do." I stated, my voice grim.
"Stick him. Make him scream like a castrato," Arthur and I grinned evilly.
Our almighty and vicious dragon bonds scampered towards our sister. Azrael was asking me in my head what a castrato was while picking up the boy from his shoulder and flying him away.
"Azrael, Sylvie?" Ellie exclaimed when she noticed the little white fox scampering towards her. Her face lit up when she saw Arthur and me. "Cathan, Arthur?"
The children—all nobles that had come here for safety—whipped their heads, dropping whatever they had been doing. Some of the parents nearby, seated on the patio chairs talking to one another, turned around to look at Arthur and me.
As we walked toward our precious sister, I could feel everyone's eyes following us. Ellie scooped up Sylvie and embraced her tightly before looking back up at us. "You're back already?"
"Yup," I smiled, glancing around at the onlookers.
"There's not a noble in Dicathen that doesn't know who Arthur Leywin is, and there isn't a single girl who doesn't know who Cathan Leywin is." she giggled. "You should see how those nobles treat me."
"So that's what it was. I thought we had done something wrong to your friends here." Arthur let out a chuckle.
"Why am I the only target of the girls?" I grumbled.
"Arthur is always dressed like a farmer and always acts cold. You're always nice and dressed elegantly." Ellie shrugged with a smirk.
"I'm not cold." Arthur protested.
"You are." Ellie, Sylvie, Azrael, and I all deadpanned at once.
"Never mind—that's not important. It's good that you're here right now. You've got to stop them," Ellie amended, shaking her head.
"What? Stop who from what?" I could hear the worry in her voice as I created a sound barrier around us.
"It's Mom and Dad," she said solemnly. "They've decided to join the war."
A/N: Chapter 60. Pog.