19.1
“A wise ruler.”
“One who would controls.”
“He who sees the truth.”
“Velerion.”
Velerion’s yellow eyes shot open when the voice of his mother ended in his mind.
Sweat poured over his forehead as he finished performing his last rites to his deceased father, solidifying the end of this whole ordeal that spanned across five years.
He was in his human form—as dragons often would be in as their true forms are rather inconvenient for gatherings—kneeling before a circular patio as he gave part of his mana to the ground as to pay his respects.
The other dragons behind him stood at a distance around him as they too mourned in silence for Lord Kharston.
This place was where all the dragons would gather in Courzer back when his father was alive. Where his father, Kharston would hold annual meetings and announcements to the other dragons, informing of the current status of events the mortal world and the measures that they would employ to navigate the world.
The meetings would usually last for few consecutive days, as it usually involved meticulous updates and upkeep of what had transpired in the world.
And ever since his childhood, Velerion had always followed his father along to all the meetings that his father Kharston would hold.
For the hundred odd years that he lived, he had done so without fail.
As of the past few gatherings, Velerion had held such meetings in place of his father as his successor. Though he indirectly became the ruler because of his Elder Dragon status and as the child of Kharston and Synthia, he could not help but notice the turn up rate of the dragons to his meetings was a far cry from back when his father was alive.
Today, however, was different.
Almost all the dragons, be it high or low statuses, had all turned up for this annual meeting that he held.
He looked a few meters towards his right, kneeling in a similar fashion as he was, was a girl with silver hair, his sister, Ephinelyth.
She was the reason the others had turned up.
Since she too was also heir to Kharston, by right, she too had the same right to inherit their father’s position as ruler of the dragons despite her age of 18 years.
However, shortly after their father’s ascension to the heavens, Ephinelyth’s participation in dragon society had turned from seldom participation to complete disassociation.
No matter how often Velerion sent word for her to show up, Ephinelyth never did.
Because she, unlike the other Elder Dragons, simply had no ambition that was given to her on the day she was born.
Word among dragon society that she was born on an unholy day that caused her to be such an unsociable being, some even spoke that she was the embodiment of a calamity that would destroy all of dragon society, there were even rumors that she secretly wished for the dragons to end.
But to Velerion, Ephinelyth was a constant reminder that he would never gain the respect from his own kind. With the appearance of this ‘black sheep’ among the ranks of Elder Dragons, his presence was quickly dismissed.
Even when he held the annual meetings to update the dragons on world events, he would always be flooded by questions that circulated Ephinelyth.
“Why has Lady Ephinelyth left us?”
“Is she truly the calamity that would doom us all!?”
“Why is she not with us!?”
“Did you usurp her as the position of ruler!?”
“Is that why she no longer appears to us!?”
“The ancient dragons have sent word that they do not trust your rule over them.”
“Mistrust is rampant Velerion, the people do not believe your position is supported by Ephinelyth.”
A flame ignited in Velerion’s mind’s eye.
Had he not held Petunia and Mizzy, the family members of the wyvern known as Zondrac here as hostage, Ephinelyth would have never made her appearance here.
Knowing Zondrac had once angered a few of the ancient dragons in his earlier years, Velerion initially wanted to bring the man who served under Ephinelyth and previously his father, Kharston, to get his sister to this year’s gathering.
That way, Ephinelyth would have to make an appearance to ensure Zondrac’s family’s safety from the scorn of the other ancient dragons.
That was how he kept his promise to the other dragons that Ephinelyth would show up today on the completion of his father’s rite of ascension. And most certainly gain her approval of him being the leader of all dragonkind.
One way or the other, sister. I shall rule the day.
Ephinelyth opened her eyes, indicating she too had ended her end of the ritual.
In truth, her presence today was not to complete her father’s rite of ascension.
All Velerion wanted was to show her presence before the other dragons, to show case that even he could have a hold on the rogue Elder Dragon known as Ephinelyth.
Evie knew that.
She was aware of her absence and her notoriety among her own kind that stemmed from her own birth.
The lower status dragons feared and dared not to look at her directly, the dragonborns only saw her as a deity like Velerion.
Even the ancient dragons—dragons who had lived their lives over millennia, was weary of her and kept their distance.
After all, she was, like her brother, an Elder Dragon, the apex of the apex. If they did anything to her, whose ambition was not predetermined by birth, they run the risk of her exerting her cruelty on them as her ambition. In their eyes, she was a loose cannon, an uncontrollable force of nature.
Of course, this was just their perception of Ephinelyth.
These same thoughts persisted from before she learned to control her powers until now. Her telepathy had informed her of such back then, and it still tells her such as of now.
Fearing what she might do if she felt disrespected, most of the dragons show up today.
She sighed in her heart before looking to Velerion, “I am done, where is Petunia and Mizzy?”
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, Petunia and Mizzy appeared beside Velerion as if he conjured them at his will.
Evie immediately went for them, fully intending to bring them back to their homes and leave this place.
Snap!
As quickly as they appeared, Velerion returned where Petunia and Mizzy came from, keeping them hostage.
“What is it, Velerion!? I have done as you have asked! I will now leave with the mother and child!”
At Ephinelyth’s response, an amused smile sprawled across Velerion. “And what if I refuse?”
“…”
Ephinelyth, seemingly aware of his intentional provocation, remained silent.
But Velerion would not allow such an occasion to go to waste. Who knows when would he be able to have Ephinelyth gather before an audience as large as this.
He even went as far as using Zondrac’s family as leverage, Ephinelyth would wise up after this incident and no longer make that option available to him.
“As one Elder Dragon to another! I ask of your recognition for my rule over dragonkind!!!!”
Velerion’s voice echoed throughout the entire area, making his intentions known to everyone present.
“Though I may be the first in line to inherit Father’s duties, much word has spread in your absence my dear sister. Word has it that my leadership position is self-proclaimed. Today, I ask of you to ascertain that this truth! The truth that I am the ruler of all dragonkind.”
Ephinelyth remained quiet.
For as long as she had lived, Velerion had only been nothing more than a nuisance to her life, if and only when he interacted with her, otherwise, she thought not of her brother.
Still...
She would have been fine had Velerion simply asked of her to support his rule over dragonkind ever since their father’s ascension.
Velerion however, was a prideful never once cordially asked her for favors, let alone in person, that half-wit would often send out lesser beings like lizardmen, messaging beasts or even the other lesser dragons who followed him to give her his commands.
Petunia and Mizzy were only convenient tools to Velerion to get Ephinelyth’s presence here. So long she was present, Velerion would not dare lay a finger on them.
Nonetheless, Ephinelyth had a strong distaste to bring outsiders into a family matter, especially when this was all just Velerion’s selfish ambitions.
Velerion was crafty, she’ll give him that.
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Kharston, their father had never implied who would be the successor to be the ruler of all dragonkind.
If Ephinelyth outright gave her blessing to Velerion, she would be outright announcing to all of dragonkind that she was in fact under Velerion’s rule.
That meant she would also give up her rights and status as Velerion’s equal.
Meaning Velerion, would become, in some sense, her overlord and ruler over her.
It would not diminish Evie’s power in anyway, but Ephinelyth would lose her protection over Zondrac’s family if Velerion ever decided he wanted to harass them for his own entertainment.
There also would be no end to the various attempts of the other dragons that would come after John should they ever discover his existence.
Demon or human, the dragons did view other races as beneath them, who knows if an overzealous dragon might do something to harm John out of pettiness.
Though she desired no power, she knew the importance of maintaining it. Ephinelyth did no need her mind reading abilities nor her mother’s clairvoyance to understand what would happen if she outright supported Velerion.
There was only one option she is left with.
“No, Velerion. You are not the ruler of me.”
The smile on Velerion’ face only widened.
“I take that as an issue of challenge direct to me, sister?”
In dragon society, only dragons belonging to the similar hierarchy or status are able to issue upfront challenges to another. It was the standard procedure to ensure a dispute would be resolved.
This way, infighting and backstabbing would lose their significance should a disagreement is unresolved.
“Correct.”
It had been Velerion’s aim this whole time.
To engage in a direct duel with his sister to ascertain his position and right as the ruler of all dragons.
After all, it was his birthright. His future, his purpose, his ambition.
No one, but Velerion would stand at the apex of this world.
If it meant usurping his sister and prove his dominance, the Elder Dragon will use whatever means to achieve a victory to gain the favor of his people and display his brilliance.
For this was the creed of the Magma Dragon, whose passion was as abundant and passionate as the molten rocks that runs beneath the very surface of this world.
Eager to start their duel, Velerion commanded the surrounding dragons to disperse, leaving only he and Ephinelyth the only ones at the center.
Their contest against each other would be through combat, where they would pit all their strength, magic, intelligence, and will against the other.
The rules were simple, as long there was no external influences in when the combat took place, whatever outcome that comes of it will be dictated by the winner.
Of course, since they were Elder Dragons, this meant that they collateral damage exerted on their surroundings would be quite massive.
Hence, the circular patio had been constructed by her father’s request. Whereby, its purpose was to serve a protective barrier to protect the external world from whatever would take place in it.
Their father may have constructed the dueling patio for the other dragons’ duels, but whether it withstood two Elder Dragon’s fighting remains to be seen.
Ephinelyth watched as Velerion summoned Petunia and Mizzy once more, transporting them a great distance away from the dueling grounds. Velerion was overzealous, but he was not mad enough to use the hostages he took against Evie in a one on one duel.
I’ll make this quick. Once I use his own fears against him, this will be all over.
Evie thought to herself as her eyes lingered on the soon-to-be setting sun, she was confident in her abilities, all she had to do was to penetrate the veils of Velerion’s mind and dig up her brother’s worse fears.
With a little mind magic, she could amplify his horrors exponentially and cause Velerion to paralyze and go mad from what he’ll be seeing.
To Ephinelyth, the Elder Dragon who was born with the ability to read minds, making permanent mind alterations, and destroying someone’s mental state was as easy as snapping a thin twig with her hands.
She could wipe the Immortal Empress’ mind and the Dezarith Empire’s records on John Sarvod and their plans of launching an all out war against the dragons in Courzer in matter of seconds. Doing the same to Velerion was just as easy, much less the act of amplifying her brother’s fears and force him to an immediate surrender.
Her goal was to end things quickly and leave with Zondrac’s family.
After all, she promised John.
She promised she would be by his side when the sun sets.
She had already wasted enough of her precious time entertaining her zealous brother and partaken in the rituals to honor their father.
“Let us begin, shall we?” Velerion spoke with open arms as he stood before Ephinelyth. The both of them were still in their humanoid form. “After today, everyone will truly recognize me for the leader I am. And I am sure you will too as well, sister.”
A sadistic smile clung to his face as he stared at Ephinelyth with the yellow eyes that he inherited from their mother. With a flick of his wrists, Velerion’s claws appeared on his fingertips, brandishing them before his very face as he stared at Ephinelyth.
“…”
Velerion took Ephinelyth’s silence as agreement.
Shoom!!!
At that split second, his legs blasted against the ground as a burst of wind blasted from where the Elder Dragon stood.
All everyone could see was a red auburn streak moving in the trajectory as Velerion sunk his claws at Ephinelyth. His speed, too fast even for the ancient dragons to register.
No doubt, even Ephinelyth who was supposed to be equal to him in raw power could see him coming.
After all, his power was fueled by the same emotions that guided him to reach his ambitions.
His relentless passion of being the apex of it all.
The more a dragon was committed to their purpose, the stronger their abilities became.
His claws swiped at Ephinelyth’s unemotional face, just when Velerion thought he landed the first hit, Ephinelyth’s figure simply disappeared like mist before his very eyes, leaving the Elder Dragon to stagger on his to feet as he frantically regained his footing.
“Petty tricks won’t bring you victory!!!” Velerion roared, causing the very ground he was on to shudder in his anger.
Not a second sooner, a kick that came from nowhere landed against his ribs, knocking him aside.
“Gah!!!”
Velerion made a swipe with his claws in the direction where the kick had come from, but much like earlier, his claws only made contact with the air as he was left all alone on the dueling grounds.
“Against someone like you, they just might, Velerion.”
Ephinelyth’s voice echoed throughout the battlegrounds like a ghost that haunted the very grounds that he stood on.
“Fight me face to face!!! I demand a direct confrontation!!!”
Angered by her unwillingness to show herself, Velerion’s palms sizzled with smoke, glowed in deep red as he balled them into fists.
“Here I am,” Ephinelyth announced as she showed herself before Velerion's eyes.
As soon as Velerion took a step towards her, Ephinelyth disappeared where she stood and appeared on his right.
“!!!”
And when Velerion turned his torso to face her, she appeared on his left.
“Stay still!”
The more Velerion moved in response to get closer to Ephinelyth, the faster she disappeared and reappeared in a different location.
By employing illusion magic and invisiblity, it was as if she were all around him at once.
The more Velerion sought to land an attack on her, the more frustrated he became, all he wanted was a direct duel with his sister to prove that he was the better one, but all Ephinelyth had been doing was nothing but to play silly tricks on him to anger him.
Clenching his teeth, Velerion called forth the very magic that he was born with, surging his mana to the ground, causing it rumble and boil in the exponentially rising temperature.
No sooner when he applied his mana to the ground, the circular patio cracked from his raw power, and from within the cracks, glowing crimson liquid of molten rocks came spewing forth, quickly devouring the very platform that he was on.
“No ground to stand on, Ephinelyth!!!”
Pew!!!
A gust of wind blasted against the ground, causing Velerion to grin.
The Magma dragon quickly took flight along with his sister, who concealed her presence. By unleashing molten rocks onto the ground he could take the fight into the skies where he knew he had the advantage.
“[Heat Signature],” Velerion cast his magic.
With the heat waves that sprouted from the magma below, he could sense and detect whatever objects with just the waves of heat alone, allowing him to locate Ephinelyth despite her pesky magic.
“I see you!” his eyes widened when his heightened senses that attuned with the heat waves indicated where Ephinelyth was.
Like a bolt of lightning he zoomed to where Ephinelyth was…
And by the time his eyes made sense of his sister, Ephinelyth was already readying her arms as she swiped with her strength at Velerion.
Shing!
Like adamintite blades, her claws made a sliver arc made its way across Velerion’ face.
“!!!”
Velerion, as fast as he was, could only move his body out of her trajectory at the last possible second, saving himself from her lethal strike with at the cost of a few crimson streaks across Velerion’s handsome face.
“Enough of this, Velerion!” Ephinelyth announced to him as she dropped her concealment magic. “You call yourself leader of dragonkind, but look at your own actions! Mother would be disappointed had she learn of what path your ambitions had led you down to. Do you think you are an inspiration to anyone!?”
Velerion tensed as a vein popped on his forehead, diving into Ephinelyth as he blasted bolts of magma at her.
Ephinelyth disappeared from Velerion’s line of sight, reappearing a few meters away from him, as Velerion tried to gauge her exact movements, Ephinelyth kept appearing and disappearing from his view.
“Stop this petty farce, Ephinelyth!!! Save your mind tricks and face me!!!”
By messing up with Velerion’ perception of time and short term memory, Ephinelyth could freely move about as she continued to speak to her brother.
“I understand your ambitions brother, I understand they burn as strongly in you as much as mine. But chasing it for the sake of doing so is an empty action in of itself. Our ambitions exists to guide us, not consume—”
“What do you know about ambition!!!”
Velerion spat as he still struggled to keep up with the images of Ephinelyth disappearing and reappearing all around him.
“You aren’t born like me!!! You will never understand the things I am meant for!!!”
Sick of Ephinelyth’s voice, Velerion’ body stiffened, no sooner scales emerged from his pale skin, his body grew to the large crimson reptile that was ten times the size of Ephinelyth’s dragon form.
“Mother, gave me, my future!!! She foresaw all of it!!! I AM THE LAST TO RULE THE DRAGONS!!!”
Velerion roared, the blast of heat that came from his breath rivaled a furnace’s.
“If you are not to deal with the responsibility of our kind and opted to be by the side of a lowly demon, I very well am the only one who is left!!!”
Evie bit her lip.
Though in raw power, the two of them were equal in potential, but as of now, Ephinelyth was unsure.
When he was in his dragon form, Velerion’s restraints on his logical self was almost close to none. Even more so now he entered this form of his with the full intent of defending his ambitions against Ephinelyth who was challenging him.
There was no telling how much the boiling rage that coursed through his veins amplified his power.
Ever since both their parents left this world, Velerion had become much more aggressive, more agitated, more absolute in his demands.
Whatever he desired, he wanted it that very second, and if one was in Velerion’s way, he would stop at nothing to destroy that person.
Like a child who was robbed of everything that he was told to become, Velerion lashed at the very world who he thought to he would be in servitude to.
Shadowed by his father’s greatness and shackled by the future that was given to him from their mother, it was clear to Ephinelyth that Velerion was doing all he could to achieve his dragon ambitions.
Velerius was a lost man, clinging onto whatever was left to him by his now deceased parents.
Even when he had lived hundreds of years, Velerius had not matured past his immature self.
Ephinelyth, however, was indifferent to this, she understood her brother’s idiosyncrasies. She herself, too, knew of an ambition that defined her identity.
However, the moment he brought in Petunia and Mizzy into their family squabble, a line had been crossed.
And now, presenting her brother with a humiliating defeat before all of dragonkind was the most merciful thing she could do.
Her patience was all but worn out.
Ephinelyth closed her eyes, with her innate talent over the minds of others, she honed in on Velerion’s mind, locking onto the deepest portion of Velerion’s subconscious, with the power that was within her, she skillfully stoked and wrought out whatever fears that plagued his mind and...
“GAHHHH!!!”
One nanosecond before she could complete her spell and ending this conflict, her brain was jabbed with piercing pain as visions of unspoken horrors flooded her.
Though being born a telepath, and having mastered her abilities at an early age, Ephinelyth’s mental defenses against mind magic surpassed each and every one.
No one, not even her mother, her father, and most certainly her brother, could unleash such a strong psychic attack against her.
Yet, here she was, tensing her entire body, convulsing as she did all she could to resist her mind from folding in upon itself, preventing herself from succumbing to the overwhelming power.
Could it be that Velerion had dabbled into…
No, that was not it.
Velerion knew of her talents, he was prideful but he was not beyond help. There was no possible reason that Ephinelyth could have received an attack that could even break her mental defenses.
In the midst of her body trembling from the overwhelming force, she saw many iterations of her own spell repeatedly jabbing at her mental defenses.
Seemingly for that one spell that she unleashed upon Velerion, an infinite amount of the same spell came rushing back into her mind.
A realization struck her.
Velerion must have known he could not defeat her in a duel and resorted to using more...indirect ways of dealing with Ephinelyth.
Despite his impatient personality, her brother was just as cunning as he was obstinate. The attack Ephinelyth received was not the result of her brother unleashing a psychic attack on her.
It was her own magic.
As though she was placed into a box made only of mirrors, and the spell she unleashed was a blinding laser that had an infinite amount of power that all converged back onto her.
Velerion have accumulated enough magic to coax his mind, condensing such a protective magic it deep in himself, with the sole purpose of retaliating against Ephinelyth.
Evie, who only wanted to end their clash played into Velerion’ hands for her impatience.
Her face contorted as she felt an overwhelming force threatened to crush her mind.
She would have used healing magic on herself to lessen the burden on her body, but if she dared take her attention off the world’s strongest mind magic that came in her way, she would very quickly become engulfed by it.
If her psychic attack was the most potent in the world, then she had to put up an equally formidable defense that she could to negate the effects of her own magic.
It took everything for Evie to resist it, her mind strained as it desperately tried to withstand itself under an indomitable force.
Suddenly, her mind went blank.
The magic she had been resisting finally abated, the worst was over. The unstoppable force was countered with just an equally impregnable defense.
The result left Evie drained of all her magic, her body lost all of her strength, her mouth bitter as she watched Velerion flapping his crimson wings above her with a victorious smile.
“I...”
All that she could do was watch the world around her accelerate as the hands of gravity dragged her to her fall.
Boom!!!
Her body crashed against the circular patio, leaving a sizable crater where she landed. She could feel the eyes from the other dragons, gasping in awe at what Velerion had done to defeat her.
Evie could give less of a damn about what others thought of her and what was their perception of her as the outcome of this duel.
Her eyes were focused on the setting sun in the distance, and an empty feeling ate away at her exhausted body.
John...
Her thoughts returned to John, who she had promised to return by sun down, sorrowful tears leaked from her eye as she realize she would once again fail to uphold her promise to him.
It was at that very second that Ephinelyth had lost both the duel, and her consciousness.
“Victory is mine, Ephinelyth.”