Chapter 121 - Inter-clan Tournament!

When I found myself back at the Driad's Enclave, inside Elder Jarukir's living room, multiple questions were raised by Eden and Kiara.

“Verath! What happened?” they shouted.

One one side, Elder Kronos was looking at me thoughtfully. “I presume you were in Nilfloria?”

I was too disoriented to answer. I was still wondering why Navra had dragged me into Nilfloria so suddenly just to tell me all of this? What had changed his mind? Was there something even more he was not telling me? And in the end, the true reason behind my reincarnation was flimsier than I thought. It seemed almost like a lie.

And what was that screaming near the end when he had summoned all those blue flames around the both of us? Had someone been killed by Navra? If so, why had I not even seen that someone? Was it some kind of illusion magic, or perhaps some magic which rendered me unable to sense that someone? The scream had also sounded like it came from a female...

I stopped wondering, and finally nodded to the deathly silence that was in the room. Eden, Kiara, Xalanth, and Aria were all looking at me, waiting for me to answer. “Yes,” I simply said.

Elder Kronos became silent, and looked even more contemplative. He was staring at me with unusual intensity. “It seems like the meeting for the centennial renewal of the Unity Treaty has ended,” he said. “Did you see the other six Eldests there?”

“I didn't, just Navra and...” I paused, unsure of whether to continue.

“And?”

“A woman named Sabrial vral Lethios, the leader of the Slayers.”

“What are you both talking about,” Eden interrupted. “Just what is Nilfloria?”

Elder Kronos sighed a little. “I do wish Eldest Navra would stop doing such impulsive things. It is hard for the rest of the Elders to clean up his mess. Ah well, the secret is out, but I will hold everyone in this room to not speak of Nilfloria to the others.”

Everyone around the room nodded, including the two Driads. I did wonder about Elder Kronos though; for him to speak of a secret before the two Driads told me that he must have had a high amount of trust in the two creatures.

“Have you not wondered why you do not see many dragons around the territories?” Elder Kronos asked.

“Isn't that because of the First Tribulation,” Kiara replied sharply. It was the first time I had ever seen her angry or use a sharp voice.

“You should not blame your father so much, little one,” Elder Kronos said in a soft voice. There was a slight weariness to his voice that could not be hidden.

Little one? I thought to myself. It was the first time I had heard Elder Kronos call Kiara that. Was it due to the fact that Elder Kronos had replaced Eden and Kiara's father as their broodkeeper? I realized that I did not know much at all about Eden and Kiara's past—I had been avoiding that topic due to their unwillingness to speak of it.

Beside me, Kiara was clenching her fists, her body tense with anger. An angry expression was seen, and her golden, white and red tinted eyes were drawn into a glare. Beside Kiara, Eden looked as if there was a mix of emotions running through her. Anger, depression, sadness, and perhaps regret, I observed.

“I hate him with all my heart, for he forced all of my brothers and sisters to kill each other!” Kiara shouted. “It was only when Eden remained that I chose to rebel!”

Eden fell into an even deeper silence, most likely thinking of her past memories.

“Every dragon who has passed the First Tribulation went through that ordeal, little one. You and your sister are possibly the only two who survived, except for dragons who are born as bonded twins.”

Xalanth and Aria, the other female dragon of our team, watched with their own mix of emotions. They knew first-hand of the First Tribulation; the two of them, after all, had most likely undertaken it.

I was the only one with a calm, indifferent face. It was an irony to think that dragons, gigantic monsters in the eyes of humans, would have even more emotions than me, a former human. It made me all the more aware of the fault in myself.

I felt a warm fire through from the bond I had with Seraphine; it was most likely her way of telling me of her presence, her companionship.

No words were needed. Just that alone was enough.

Perceptive, I thought to myself. It was either that or the bond I had between Seraphine and I was more sensitive than I had initially thought. I felt somewhat undecided of what to think of that bond. The slightly increasing changes to my emotional capacity felt unfamiliar to me. I felt like a blind man grasping at straws, looking to describe colors I had never seen before.

“There is a reason behind the First Tribulation,” Elder Kronos continued, looking at each and every one of us in the eyes. “All of you, no doubt, know of the Greater Races, but what you do not know of is the Unity Treaty made in Nilfloria between all the Greater Races and the many other races.”

We waited in silence, wondering at what this treaty was, though I already had some clues as to what it was.

“The Unity Treaty, made between all the Greater Races, the Fae, and the many other races, is a self-imposed binding rule to limit the populations, so that there shall never be an outbreak of massive, global inter-realm wars again. Most of the dragons who have not passed their 1000 year mark do not know of the Unity Treaty. ”

“Do you know why there are not many older dragons to be seen in our territories?”

Elder Kronos brought up a good point. I had always been wondering why there were not very many older dragons. I had only attributed the cause to be the First Tribulation, the fact that dragons only mated once every 20 years, and that most dragons did not live past a thousand and a half years old.

“It is because most of the older dragons live in Nilfloria, intensively training themselves,” Elder Kronos continued. “You see, once a dragon soul passes its 1000 year mark, the dragon must undergo the Ultimate Tribulation. Many dragons do not come out of it alive, and those who do, will live longer and become more powerful, yet few of the dragons who come out alive will live more than a thousand and a half years.

Elder Kronos chuckled softly to himself. “Even I do not know how much longer I will live. A few years, the next week, or perhaps a few more centuries? None of us Elders and the Eldests who have passed the age of 1500 years know when we will die. We only await hell, the place of concept we go to when we die.”

I was surprised. Did Elder Kronos not know of the Realm of the Dead? Perhaps only Navra knew of it, and the Goddess of Death. It was an interesting thought, which I would need to ponder more about later.

And the Ultimate Tribulation?

Did that even apply to me, a human soul with two other integrated souls inside a dragon's body? It was a thought worth pondering. I would need to ask Navra when I see him again at the Inter-clan Tournament.

“Your words are nothing!” Eden shouted out loud, finally breaking her silence. “Why should we kill our own brothers and sisters just because of a mere Unity Treaty? We have plenty of lands! Why can't we expand our territories?”

“I agree,” Xalanth added in. “Why must we even have the First Tribulation?”

Kiara looked thoughtful and after a short moment, she added her agreement.

Elder Kronos replied calmly. “If we expanded our territories, many of the other Greater Races would start protesting. Even the Fae Realm, which you have no idea of, would interfere with this world. And the Slayers, the most warlike race, would gladly pounce at such an opportunity. Then the Curatix, the self-proclaimed Justice and Protector of the Realms, would not remain silent.”

“Why don't we expand our territories to the other Realms then? Just like you mentioned, it seems we have territories in Nilfloria,” Kiara argued.

“There are a multitude of races in the other realms, even in Nilfloria, that are not part of the Greater Races. Some of them are even as powerful as the Greater Races,” Elder Kronos replied.

Arguments and questions passed back and forth between Elder Kronos and us, with Aria and I the two exceptions who were listening and observing intently. It made me think that Aria was most likely reserved, or perhaps somewhat like me.

Finally, the arguments came to a stop with Elder Kronos final say.

“Enough,” Elder Kronos said with finality, a tone that would allow no objections. “I do not wish to argue with dragons who are not even of five years of age yet.” He turned toward the two Driads who looked withdrawn, as if wanting to have nothing to do with the conversation.

“I apologize for this display made before the both of you. I thank you for your hospitality, and I trust the both of you to keep silent of what has transpired today,” Elder Kronos said in a polite voice, though it must have sounded more like an order to the two Driads.

“No, it is fine. I am glad you trust the two of us this much, Elder Kronos,” Jarukir replied. Beside the grandfather was Mareivea shortly nodding in agreement, her light-brown antlers bobbing up and down.

With a nod back, Elder Kronos said, “We shall take our leave now. I hope the two of you will not mind me using magic here to directly go back.”

“You are welcome to, Elder Kronos,” Grandfather Jarukir replied.

“Thank you for your hospitality,” Elder Kronos said.

Magic soon enveloped all six of us, teleporting us out of the Driads' Enclave.