"I take it he wasn't possessed, then?"

"Shut up and just pay attention," an embarrassed Reela mind-whispered to me, before turning back to the commotion going on ahead of us. Her paranoia turned out to be unfounded, as the messenger turned out to be completely in control of himself and not taken over by the white blob, a statement corroborated by Elder Dusk who was already present and violently arguing on a raised platform with what looked like twenty other dragonkin.

After all that ruckus, I had been summoned to a high-level meeting involving the elders and other important figures of dragonkind, though my appearance seemed to mark the end of the proceedings as the majority of dragons flew away from the open field where the meeting was held right as I arrived. Oddly enough, despite being within sight of the remaining dragons, which seemed to only consist of other elders, Reela, myself, and that arrogant messenger, I couldn't overhear any of their conversation, something I assumed was done intentionally.

"Do you have any idea why I'm here?" I asked Reela, curious as to why my presence was necessary.

"The aliens are more threatening than we assumed, and your power has been proposed as a potential solution, if only temporarily. Some wish for you to tame the aliens so they can be examined and their weaknesses discovered."

My mind instantly rejected the notion. I didn't want the most powerful race in the world to have even more power, even if that would come after the current threat was dealt with. For all their claims about being the pinnacle of the world, I hadn't seen any proof that dragons were able to resist the temptation of more power better than any other race. In fact, if I were given the chance, it would probably be better if I just killed any of those aliens I came across, to remove the possibility altogether.

Dragons were already the strongest beings on the planet, they didn't need more power. Beastfolk preferred relying on their own strength and eschewed external means, for the most part. I couldn't see them utilizing these parasites. The same was true of the elves, who were rather isolationist and kept to themselves the majority of the time. But humans, who already had a history of enslaving other races? Yeah, it was better for everyone if these aliens were eliminated with extreme prejudice and not viewed as a tool to gain more power.

Holy...these things are just living tamer collars, aren't they? All you'd need to do is tame one, send it after your enemy, and watch them succumb to the parasite in moments. Yeah, we need to get rid of these things quick.

"Before I even try and untangle that mess, you mind explaining how the aliens are more threatening?"

"...I shouldn't be telling you this, so keep it to yourself, alright?" I simply looked at her and she rolled her eyes in response. "Fine, you do have plenty of experience keeping secrets, I guess. A group of those aliens have bypassed the defenses and entered the northern continent. The voranders have been tolerated, but remaining passive and watching these two invaders combining their prowess is simply a calamity waiting to happen."

That was...bleak. Voranders were bad enough on their own, and given my own experience with the alien blob, I could safely say that they were a very real danger as well. Them landing on the northern continent, which was all vorander territory, was a bit of a 'cloud with a silver lining' situation. While it was undeniably bad news that the voranders would essentially be getting a power-up, at the very least, none of the other races would be the ones who succumbed to the alien threat. Fighting parasitized versions of any of the other sapient races, or god forbid, a dragon, would be...disheartening, to say the least.

"What other abilities do these aliens have?" She glanced at me, raising an eyebrow ridge in query, something she definitely picked up in her own classes since her return. "If all they could do was control bodies, it wouldn't elicit this level of crisis." She nodded, and was about to speak when a different voice answered my question.

"They drain their host's soul of life force for short-term power, accelerating the host's death, and assume control over the body afterwards." Elder River interjected from his position on the platform. "They may possess other abilities, but we haven't found anything else in the short time that we've been aware of them."

Right, and the other elders can't just go out and eradicate them all since they're needed on defense in case any other threats attempt to take advantage of the chaos and worm their way in as well.

The argument between the elders seemed to be heating up, as I could feel the essence around them flaring up before retracting, an action that told me their emotions were affecting them in a way that shouldn't have been possible, given the vast experience had with controlling themselves. Were things truly that dire to evoke such emotion?

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"There are layers to this, boy," came Elder River's voice out of nowhere, grabbing my attention. "You just need to do as you're told, and leave everything else to us. Oh, and keep working on your veil. If I can sense your feelings from here, your thoughts aren't too hard to guess either."

I awkwardly nodded and smiled as he rejoined the conversation, leaving me to my thoughts, which incidentally caused me to question Reela. "Actually, why are you and that messenger guy here too? What role are you meant to play in all this?"

"Ugh, don't remind me. I'm only here for two reasons, to watch over you, and to observe how decisions are made among the elders." I glanced at the dragons ahead of us who were getting very close to each other's personal space. Claws and fangs were on the verge of being bared, something I felt Reela had enough experience with. "That colossal mountain of pride is Tuvir, a descendant of one of the other elders who's in my generation. His parents have brought up the idea of having us be mates, and my father is considering the idea, which is why I see him everywhere I go, trying to get closer to me, even acting as a courier. It's just so...ugh."

"And that bluetail you mentioned before? Another prospective mate?"

"Not anymore, thank the ancestors. If I had to deal with two like him, I'd go mad." She glanced at Tuvir, who instantly noticed Reela's gaze on him and stared back at her intensely until she simply gave up and closed her eyes.

I didn't have long to think about the similarities between human and dragon courtship before the elders simply disappeared, leaving an empty space where they stood a second before. Even Reela's annoying suitor was taken, leaving me and her alone...until an exasperated Elder Dusk teleported back to our side and sat down, for once acting like a tired old man as he closed his eyes and did nothing, staring into the sky. I let him be, giving him space to deal with whatever consequence he was dealing with as a result of this most recent incident.

"I...I have lived my life knowing that the greatest strength of dragonkind is our unity, a weapon far more trustworthy than any spell or claw. That is why we retreated from the world so long ago, to prevent needless deaths and work together to create a way of life that our ancestors and our descendants would be proud of." He looked at me, and his face was a blank mask...save for a slight wet spot on the corner of his eye.

Huh. Dragons are capable of crying. Did I know that?

"In response to this trespass, the council has decided to increase our security measures on all fronts, which includes mandatory training for those of age, more frequent patrols....and...removing any and all outside influences." It took a moment for me to understand, but I felt my stomach drop when it did.

Ah. As in me. It does sting a bit, having them lump me in the same category as those alien parasites, but...that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to high and mighty dragons, isn't it.

"How much time until -"

"Now."

"Bastards. Oh, that slipped out accidentally, didn't mean to say that! Then, do I at least get some food and water? That desert on your doorstep isn't exactly known for its hospitality."

"Wait, they're...kicking out Rhaaj?! But why? He didn't even do anything! That's not fair!" Reela pleading on my behalf did genuinely touch me, but it was in vain. I was getting kicked out and that was that. Maybe that's why they brought me here in the first place, to see if they could somehow use my Control ability for themselves. In the end, the reason didn't matter, whether it was really out of paranoia, xenophobia, discrimination, racism, elitism, or like they said, to protect themselves. I really regretted handing over the tamed parasite to them now, seeing as I was getting kicked out in exchange. I do feel a tiny smidgen of anger, but...I have a feeling the dragons are their own worst enemy, regardless of what lurks out there beyond the stars. All that pride and self-righteousness contained in this tiny little pocket dimension, egos are bound to clash and spark. Who knows, maybe in the not-too-distant future, that spark might turn into a little flame that leads to infighting and civil war. Or maybe I'm just rambling and overthinking to cover up the fact that I'll be alone again.

"Let's get going, then, shall we? I've got a couple plans I'm already behind on, given how long I've been staying here."

"No..." Reela's soft whimpers went unacknowledged, a meaningless protest...and a thoroughly unnatural rebellion against her draconic instincts to obey the hierarchy. A passing thought to implant a suggestion in her mind came and went, and Elder Dusk pushed my chest before I knew what was happening.

A searing pain where he touched me threatened to split me in two, sending me convulsing to the floor, roaring in agony. It was even worse than before thanks to the presence of my core, which only barely managed to hold itself together. After the bout of torment that could only be soul pain, I felt my wrist become lighter as I lay quivering on my back, only seeing the illusory blue sky of the dragon lands. "Your status among the beastfolk has been rescinded, as has your bond with my descendant. From this point forth, you are no longer welcome among the dragons, and will be treated as an enemy if you are seen in these lands again."

I only had enough time to barely make out Reela beside me, her shaking hands and knees just managing to hold her up, before I felt myself teleported. A glimpse of the surroundings told me we were in the entrance hall where I had first arrived months ago, when I felt space warp twice more. The scenery changed rapidly, just enough for me to recognize a flash of golden yellow, and then a nondescript field of green grass and blue skies. I could feel the lower ambient essence, and I knew I was in the outside world once more.

My status and accompanying token identifying me as a friend to the beastkin was taken. More worryingly, the bond between me and Reela signifying our mentor-disciple bond was severed, something the world itself allegedly bore witness to, and which had been destroyed in a matter of moments. Yet another testament to the power of dragons.

I pulled myself into my inventory, and instantly felt better, disregarding the reason why in favor of making a plan to get out of the beastfolk continent entirely. This deep in the beastfolk continent without that token, I would likely be deemed a poacher purely on account of being human. How is it that I keep offending these important people by virtue of simply existing? At this rate, I'll find myself unwelcome in the elven continent as well. Although, there is one place that welcomes anyone, regardless of identity.

The greatest battlefield on this planet, where thousands die every day. A forested jungle corrupted by the presence of voranders and turned into the stinking cesspool of misery and blood, a veritable hellscape.

Well, before I go straight to the worst option, I might as well see what the elves have to offer. After all, according to a certain someone, I'm bound to leave this planet sooner or later. Might as well see the sights before I head out.

I can take stock of my supplies for the trip later, but first...sleep.