Rion and Volain finished their meat hunt and decided to separate when they were near their housing areas. They wouldn’t need to strategize as the two didn’t want to reveal all their secrets to each other despite the friendly front they were keeping up. They would have to fight sooner rather than later.

“That holding power of yours is convenient.”

“It is.”

“Have you tried using it in combat?”

“Like shooting projectiles out of my domain? It’s possible but not combat effective.” Thawing rocks from it would be a decent attack, but he had an earth affinity, which was more effective and versatile.

“Understandable.”

“Also, Tiffany has some issues with me throwing houses at people. Bigger items cost proportionally more mana or something. Powering them with force also costs more mana.”

“Is that so?”

“Now dropping things from above is fair game.”

“I see. How long are you just going to use fire during this tournament?”

“Probably until we fight.” Kyrion answered.

“The fights won’t be fair.”

“Yeah, if the numbers have truly dropped. Then chances are the next match won’t be fun unless we make it fun.”

“Meat Fire.”

“Yes.” Rion nodded, and the two split at Volain’s lodgings.

Rion, now free, felt something clawing at the inside of his skull. The first assassin arrived a moment later.

“You’re dead, Rion.” A pink-haired beast raised a giant club and brought it down on the back of Rion’s head.

The club shattered on impact as Rion slowly turned with a tired expression.

“You’re pretty weak, bud.”

“You broke my club!”

“So… You were trying to kill me right?” Rion cracked his neck.

“Of course!” The pink-haired man picked up a rock and brought it down to Kyrion’s head.

The rock connected, and only dust remained.

“Do you know who I am?”

“Competition.” The brute focused power into their fist.

“And you think you can kill m–”

The punch connected and the brutes wrist was broken against Rion’s jaw.

“You broke my wrist!”

“Uh-huh.” Rion grabbed the man by his head and began to spin. As the brute was moving at a reasonable speed. Rion launched him to the elven detainment facility, then watched as the defenses activated and various spells turned the man into ash.

“That was supposed to be the prison.” Kyrion felt guilty for all three seconds before a second brute appeared.

“You killed my brother!”

Kyrion poked the man in a spot near the back of their spine and knocked them out. “So weak.”

Rion then proceeded to drag the unconscious brute across the city. Which would have been a bad idea if he had intended to avoid conflict

Something clicked as he beat one of the brutes bad enough that they started crying. Bad enough meant he didn’t knock them out in one hit.

“These brutes are bloody children! Why the hell do you have a beard!”

Kyrion shook the crying brute with the bearded face of a man in his fifties and a receding hairline.

“I hatched like this!”

“What type of human hatches!”

“I am no human! I’m a dragon!”

“Ah…” Kyrion slapped the dragon and sighed as they passed out. Then he threw them into a prison in his domain, bringing the total number of brutes in his domain to seventy-four.

“The bigger the clutch the weaker the dragon in its infancy. Which meant more attention was required early on. Usually to keep them from eating each other.”

----------------------------------------

Kyrion scowled as he was back at a meeting. Only the people present were different.

Gamodren, a black knight, White Fox, and a red-haired girl with piercing golden eyes were standing on one side of the table. Headmaster Caeden, Cecil, and Charles were on the other side of the table.

“Um… There’s team Triple C and the Republic’s Snakes. Where do I fit in this?” Kyrion sighed as he closed the door and let his form shift back to its natural state. If he needed to deal with the knight and red-haired brat, he would. He wanted to be in a clear state of mind, not the aggressive nature of Rion’s default.

“Are you going to summon two bodies for us?” Kyrie asked, finally able to exert his voice again.

“It’s been boring. Ever since you got stronger, it became harder for us to speak to you.” Kyra stated her consciousness floating upside down in his consciousness.

“Don’t you dare go self actualizing and become a split personality.” Said an irritated Kyrion.

“Huh? But.” Rion was having an existential crisis.

Kyrion started laughing. “I’m messing with you. Though on a serious note. I can’t fully merge with you while pretending to be Rion, our natural state will be faster and we’ll regain what was lost sooner rather than later. You have everything up to meeting that scarf, now it’s time you recall a bit more about the other plane.”

“Now go back, Gamodren has withdrawn a dagger.”

Kyrion blinked and dove to the side as a chicken bode buried itself in the wall where Kyrions head had been.

“Oi”

“Looks like your back student.” Gamoden nodded.

“In more ways than one.”

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“Perfect. Gamodren, what can you tell us about the new threat?”

“Dragons mature at a rate different than humans, and half dragons mature at a slower rate than dragons. In that regard it appears that your enemy has unleashed a hoard of six year old half dragons. Alpirdran, what is your purpos?”

“We are here to ensure the Beastblood empire wins. Brother, why have you brought me here?”

“To understand.”

“Huh?”

“Look at the red haired man right there. Doesn’t he look familiar?”

“I don’t…Daddy?”

“Oh abyss!” Kyrion dove to the side as a pillar of ice erupted from under his feet.

“Care to explain?” Lin asked.

“Kyr-gi-os!” Kyrion seethed as he attempted to open a portal. He was being anchored.

“That’s my daddy’s name, yes. But I’ve only seen paintings.”

“Is that so?” Lin nodded an apology to Kyrion and sighed.

“Who is that?” Cecil asked.

“He’s one of my shards, and an enemy I need to dispose of.”

“So not daddy.”

White Fox looked at her with a smug expression. “I’m sure he’ll adopt you if you ask. Or look desperate enough. He’s the type to shelter every war orphan he comes across.”

“Wait…Something sounds off. But I don’t know what.”

Gamodren grimaced and twirled a smoking pipe. “Back on topic. For reasons Involving my own life, pulling out of this tournament will probably result in my assassination. As things become clearer, I will realize that I’m no longer under that compulsion. For example, the Black Knight goes to stand next to Drisil’s headmaster.

The black knight slowly walked around the table, stopping near the headmaster.

“Now please remove your helmet.”

The helmet was removed, revealing a more mature female face with more refined features that were quite familiar. She’d clearly gotten much stronger.

“Die, progenitor!” The red-haired lunged across the table only for her face to connect with an invisible wall.

“Uhh…Gamodren? What the hell was that?”

“Huh?” Kyrion moved his hand to the side, pushing the wall and the strange brat to the side.

“What the hell, was that?” Cecil asked

“Bloodline compulsion.” Headmaster Caeden said stoically.

“Explain.” Kyrion looked between the father and son on opposite sides. They had maintained that position since the conversation.

A hooded figure had replaced Cere’s position and stayed silent.

“My siblings and I are infused with a bloodline order from the egg, that order is repeated on our hatching. That order above all else is to be followed, except for when under certain conditions. Should killing a Proginiter go against another bloodline order, or by someone with enough willpower to delay the command. The latter are killed to make an example to the former. Usually, but the urge doesn’t leave, it whispers constantly when one is in sight.”

Ceres put her helmet back on, and the whirling brat slowed to a stop. She then looked around in confusion. “Where did it go?”

“Regardless, I needed Ceres to see to understand a few of our previous interactions. Now that it’s done. To the main matter, I have recently gained access to an ability that lets me absolve my mothers orders from my siblings. Doing so however will instead make them subservient to me instead. A prospect that sickens me, thus the only viable solution would be if my former student agreed to let me keep them in his domain. Where they can grow and be somewhere our mother couldn’t reach them.”

“How many are there?”

“Around a hundred and five as far as I can tell. Ten have died, Charles has captured fourteen, Cecil one, father has found one in a soulless state by mysterious circumstances and saved another.”

“Soulless? Does that mean what I think it means?” White Fox shook his head.

“Someone destroyed the soul but left the body intact. Just ripped it out. I don’t know if that one attacked the wrong ranker but.”

Charles shot Kyrion a look. “Have you been ripping out souls lately? Master?”

“I only killed one…on accident. I threw them at the prison and they got incinerated by its defenses.”

“I saw that…The prison thought it was an attack and a well-concentrated mana blast,” the hooded man said in a neutral tone.

“Ignorance is an effective killer. Well now you know.” Gamodren didn’t seem bothered.

“Did you run into any more?”

“I have about seventy five in my domain currently. After I threw the first one they just kept coming.”

“You didn’t antagonize them.”

“Abyss yeah I antagonized them. They’ve been killing people. They attacked me first.”

“Mmmhhmmm.” Gamodren moved on. “So we are nearly through. The last few are stronger than the rest so be on guard.”

“Stronger?”

“Alpha’s are stronger than the rest. Cecil faced one and almost lost a leg.”

“Ceres, saved my life. I underestimated them due to their size and familiar hair color.”

“That’s an Alpha. The one being pressed against the wall is what I’d call an Elite. A step up from the Alpha’s and usually the first mother kills.”

The red-haired half-dragon looked at Gamodren in horror.

“She hasn’t made an example out of any of you yet?”

“She killed a few of the runts but left me alone. I was supposed to be her favorite.”

“She wouldn’t.”

“She would, in fact I believe your power is the only thing keeping you alive. Apparently she lost two anchors and can’t afford to send their leader to this world.”

“Is that so…”

“Strange how two anchors mysteriously disappear.We aren’t pushovers.”

“Fox…”

“I’m technically a merc your guys hired. My contract is about to expire. Time loops aren’t covered.” White Fox looked to Charles.

“It was an oathbound contract. If not paid by the end of the month the failing party will lose a portion of their holdings and influence which will come to me in any way I desire. The month ends in five days.”

“On the day the tournament ends.” Cecil nodded

“Correct.”

“The incursion will follow as well.” The hooded figure said.

“How can you?”

“I’m different from most. Certain laws don’t apply to me.”

Charles looked at Kyrion before Gamodren. “Do you know who kidnapped my grandson?”

“You have a grandson?” Kyrion was dumbstruck.

“I’m old, Kyrion. I have a son that’s around the same age as your parents.”

“But aren’t you?”

“Your grandfather had his kids relatively late.”

“Please don’t fight here…Both Lok and Cordelia are childhood friends of mine. To be fair I think Kyrion and Sinbad are friends as well.”

“Sinbad?! I don’t see it.”

“We both have blue hair.”

“But he gives off a slothful air that you couldn’t pull off without me being dead.”

“Only while you’re around. Can’t show weaknesses to someone I am destined to serve.”

“You don’t trust me like I don’t trust you. You know something I don’t, and I recently heard a tale of two stowaways. The source wasn’t very truthworth as they tried to kill me when I let my guard down to listen.”

“Most of it is true. But it isn’t one many alive still know. Do you know why?”

“I will choose to remain ignorant of the story’s truthfulness.”

“Good, now, then, two of my students killed about three of those lizards. They attacked our own the night before and they dealt with them soundly. I don’t imagine teaming them up would un-burn that bridge.”

“Ok… I get most of this. But why is there a hooded figure here? Who are you? Kyrion, why do you trust these people with your identity?”

The hooded figure removed its hood, revealing a pale white face with a black sclera and murky green eyes. A single goat’s horn protruded from the right side of his head, allowing black hair with a crimson tinge to appear. “He’s I was looking forward to that rematch.”

“Ah well that figures.” Cecil looked to White Fox.

“Hmmm? I personally invested in your group succeeding. I am the fox that was sent to guard the henhouse.” White Fox reached for another cookie and proceeded to bite down on air.

“It appears he’s run out? Ceres, you need to be on top of things.” Charles stated

“Why would…” Ceres looked to Kyrion, who had been quietly chewing while everyone was distracted.

White Fox looked up and followed Cere’s gaze to an empty area in the room. “You didn’t!”

Kyrion stealthily returned five of the pilfered confections.

“Looks like you have a few cavities. More than a few. How did you get your teeth so sharp anyways.”

“I hate you!” White Fox bit down on the hand, hovering around his mouth, surprising Kyrion as it was strong enough to break his skin.

“Interesting.” Kyrion couldn’t move his body, and his regeneration had been shut off. Then suddenly, Kyrion watched as his hand opened a portal and removed the well-hidden cookies and some pre-packaged sweets that Kyrion hadn’t remembered putting in there.

White Fox opened his portal, shocking all the present practitioners and watching as they were placed into his domain. “There, replaced. I no longer hate you.”

The blood in Kyrion’s body returned to its normal state, and his regeneration closed the wound.

“That is an interesting power. You can make wounded enemies use their mana can’t you.”

“Allies as well. Sometimes I’ll notice an attack and force a dodge or barrier spell. I can also dig anything I want out of those special places we have. So long as I know it’s in there, but I don’t have to be specific.”

“I think I get it. Charles, you’re secretly an old man that looks young!”

“Where did that come from?” Charles tried and failed diplomacy.

“It’s fine, I get it. Being called old sucks. But you don’t have to change the subject.” Kyrion said, trying to escape the other existential crisis White Fox was putting him through. Would he know if snacks he didn’t remember were stolen?

Rion’s scarf seemed to shift as though fearing for its meal ticket.

A clap took Kyrion’s attention away as the opposing team left the room, followed by the headmaster and Cecil. Leaving Kyrion alone with Lin and Charles.

Charles bowed and turned around, his presence absent.

Kyrion scowled. “So…Did you know that we were betrothed?”

Lin raised an eyebrow as she hadn’t expected that question. “Eh?”

“Well it was a bit ago and even my memory is fuzzy.”

“You’re asking this way too late in the game. Did you forget?”

“Uh… to be perfectly honest, I did not know that when we met,” Kyrion said honestly before the light left his eyes. I didn’t recognize you, and to be honest, those years are the hardest to recall. Between the unicorns hopping around, random flashes of light, and colorful trees, I can’t tell the truth from a dream.”

“Did you give me that orchid on a whim?”

Kyrion would not admit that the purpose was to see her flustered or that he had a serious hoarding issue when it came to the plants he created. “If you’re asking if I knew you were coming, then the answer is no. But I did believe a flower of such beauty would be right at home with you.”

Lin’s face began to redden before a chill passed over her, and she sighed. “You don’t do this with every pretty girl you see, right?”

Kyrion felt like he was suddenly standing on a knife’s edge. He didn’t hesitate. “You are a special case. My heart may have been moving faster than my brain.”

“You wouldn’t have any other special cases? I’ve seen the way some of your teammates and the black knight look at you.”

“Ceres is family, although she’s practically a toddler in terms of knowledge and common sense. Who else is there?”

“The other princess in your life.”

“Best friend’s sister who had an odd fixation on beating the snot out of me. Although I discovered the sister part recently.”

“Just like Nicole then?”

“Yes in the sense that they are obsessive and annoying in their pursuit. I was perfectly fine being friends with Nico.”

“What about Tiffany?”

“I saved her life and she’s kept an eye on me.”

“Last girl I have to worry about would be Hel then.”

“You’d need to worry about Eden, long before even considering Hel.”

“She thinks of you as an adoptive father, so no.”

“Wait…Do I have kids now? I thought they were the headmaster’s problem.”

“Who saved them, fed them, and was there when they needed someone.”

“I did the first two, then passed the baton to the headmaster.”

“Uh huh. Don’t think that you can just hand out your obligations. Bastion copies you, try to be a better example.”

“He doesn’t copy me.” Kyrion said as he shifted into Rion, his bones moving under his skin.

“He does think you’re a hero.”

Rion scowled. He’d need to check in on the kid sooner rather than later. Any heroics he’d do would probably do more harm than good for everyone involved.