"He was here. I can still feel his aura around us," said Keiran, the red-haired Elf.

Sylvar, the ashen-haired Ogre, asked, “And… Where is he now?”

Keiran looked away, “I don’t know.”

Sylvar responded in mild anger, “Well, that’s just great. What are we gonna do now?”

The mysterious group of six stood amidst the ruins of Hendrik’s burned-down house. After securing the 12 children inside the Eco-Sphere, Castiel had set fire to the house, along with the bodies of the victims.

Keiran and Sylvar started arguing between themselves when Master Turin knelt and touched the ground, “Something truly awful happened here. There is fear, despair, and hatred in the air and something more…”

The argument ceased, and everyone turned their attention to Master Turin. He continued, “A promise was made, a vengeful one or rather a challenge… to destiny itself.”

As the group discussed among themselves, two humans observed them from a distance behind a tree.

One of them said to the other, “First, that Azriel guy burned this place, and now this lot is here.”

The other one said, “They don’t seem like inquisitors from the Capitol.”

“Because we are not,” said Goren, suddenly standing behind the two.

The two humans tried to unsheathe their swords, but Goren grabbed both of them by the neck and chanted, "Dragon Art: Blink Step." He teleported in front of the group and dropped them on their backs. “Found these two watching us. They were talking about some… Azriel who burned this place down.”

Keiran rushed towards them, demanding, “Where is this Azriel now?”

“Heh! Fuck off! We ain’t tellin you nothin,” said one of the humans.

Keiran didn’t appreciate the response and jumped on the guy with a small knife, pointing it millimeters away from the guy’s right eye. “Tell me, or I’ll start cutting pieces off of you.”

The other guy, lying beside him, panicked with the sudden shift of his surroundings. He started blabbing in fear, “I…..I’ll tell ya. I’ll tell ya. Weeks ago, Mr. Azriel and another guy met with our boss and then came here. The next day, when we came to check this place, it was already burning, and there was no one here. Tha… That’s all I know. Pl…Pl… Please don't kill me. Please!”

Master Turin grabbed Keiran’s hand and forced him to step back. “Relax, Keiran! We don’t know if this Azriel is the one we are seeking.”

Keiran, while sheathing his knife, replied, “It’s a lead nonetheless!” He then turned to the blabbermouth cowering in fear. “Take us to your boss!”

The group of six followed the two goons to meet with Blackthorn. Before they could reach Blackthorn’s Villa, Damian came out of the gate after providing Blackthorn with new magistones to auction off. As Damian was about to pass them, one of the goons recognized the clothes and the mask Damian was wearing and pointed at him, “That’s him! He knows. He is the one who came with Mr. Azriel that day. Yes! That’s Mr. Damian.”

Suddenly surprised, Damian unsheathed his sword immediately, “Who the hell are you people?”

Keiran sensed Castiel's aura lingering on Damian and was sure they were on the right track. So, he called out, “Wait! Wait! Good sir, we mean you no harm.”

Seeing an opportunity, the two goons ran off.

Damian was surprised to be called out of nowhere. In his mind, he saw the situation as six masked weirdos surrounding him for an attack. So, he held his sword in the right hand and pulled his gun, holding it in the left hand, ready to go crazy at any moment.

Damian said, “If you are thinking of killing me, you are sorely mistaken. I can kill the lot of you before you even make another move.”

As the situation unfolded, a female with a newly magically grown hand was watching it happen from a rooftop nearby. Master Turin sensed being watched and turned to see, but he found no one. The female was gone, but the lingering feeling of eyes following them remained.

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Damian didn’t want to take any chances. He fired at Keiran, “Bang! Bang.” Keiran moved in time, and the first bullet missed him by inches, the second one only grazing him. The situation was becoming worse every second as they were attracting too much attention.

The loud sound of the gun going off made people anxious about what was happening on the road. In the meantime, Goren saw an opening and blinked right behind Damian, karate chopping at his neck and knocking him out.

Master Turin spoke, “Gentlemen, we are too exposed. Pick him up. Let’s find a secure place to talk.”

Goren put Damian on his shoulders, and Keiran picked up his gun and sword. Upon picking up both weapons, Keiran noticed the runes on them, making him absolutely sure that they were closer to finding the person they sought.

Keiran showed the gun to others with enthusiasm, “Guys, look… look, these rune-cra…….”

Keiran got silenced by Master Turin, “Put them away, now! Did you not hear what I just said?”

Finally realizing the situation, Keiran put the weapons inside his storage ring, and the group left the area, entering the biggest inn they could find and renting the largest room, using the gold in Damian’s possession.

Rebecca, the woman who had been spying on the group from the rooftop, had been following them since she saw them inside Hendrik’s burned house. She was here for Blackthorn’s auction that had ended a week ago. She had stayed to enjoy some free time when the news of some insignificant mage’s house being burned down came to her ears. At first, she ignored it, but her intuition said otherwise, and she found the group there.

In an alley, Rebecca was talking to herself, “That was a gun… a fucking gun, but I made sure to take all the weapons from Xander. Then how? How?.......... Could it be that……. That Damian fellow was a spy? Come to think of it, we never did find any of their spies……… It must be! It must be! Xanderian Spies were given guns too and they are still at large.”

Rebecca was right on the spot this time. Castiel had given guns to Drakkar to give them to his most trusted spies, and he had given the first gun to his son, Damian.

Rebecca continued muttering, “Grandmaster won’t be happy about this. Gotta do something.”

Rebecca saw and heard everything happening on the street, so she decided to follow Damian and find his associate Azriel, who she believed was another spy. But she had lost both the group and Damian’s trail. Rebecca continued her pursuit, weaving through the crowded streets, tracing the group she had observed moments ago.

Despite her agility and stealth, the mysterious group seemed to have vanished into the labyrinth of the city. The elusive nature of her targets frustrated her, but Rebecca was determined to find everyone.

Meanwhile, inside the rented room of the inn, Damian lay in bed, unconscious. The rest of the group waited anxiously for him to wake up. The atmosphere in the room was tense, laden with uncertainty and a palpable sense of urgency.

As Damian stirred, slowly regaining consciousness, the group exchanged glances. Keiran stood at the front, hoping for a civilized conversation this time. Master Turin, with a calm demeanor, observed the situation, ready to intervene if needed. Goren stood by, his massive frame imposing a silent warning, while the rest remained seated, seemingly indifferent to the unfolding events.

When Damian finally opened his eyes, confusion and wariness flashed across his face. The unfamiliar surroundings and the presence of the masked individuals added to his disorientation.

Before he could react, Sylvar spoke, his voice resonating with a mix of concern and authority, "Easy there, friend. No need to panic."

Master Turin added, "We saved you from a potentially dire situation out there. Let's have a civil conversation, shall we?"

When Damian saw the same masked people, he got up in a disarrayed fighting stance, his apprehension heightened when he noticed his weapons were not on him. To ease his tension, Keiran approached him and spoke, "Here, Mr. Damian, your weapons. You can have them back."

Reading the atmosphere of the room, he observed the group's sincerity in returning his possessions. As Damian received his weapons, a sense of calm gradually washed over him. However, their actions took an unexpected turn as they decided to remove their masks and hoods, revealing their faces. Each member stood exposed, offering Damian a glimpse of the diverse beings united by a common purpose.

As Damian took in their different colored hairs, his eyes widened at the sight of their vertically split, lizard-like eyes. Stunned, he blurted out in shock, "Just like Castiel...."

The revelation struck Damian with considerable force. When Castiel had exerted his power by tearing Hannibal in two, his eyes and hair had taken on the same distinct appearance as everyone in this group. After hearing about it from Damian, Castiel had come to understand that this transformation occurred when he accessed an extraordinary amount of his bloodline ability or strength.

However, after calming down, his eyes and red hair had reverted to normal. But now, standing before Damian, the group showcased these eyes and hair, without exerting any powers, leaving him utterly confused.

The impact of Damian's revelation echoed in the room, and Keiran hastily inquired, "What do you mean by 'just like Castiel'?"

Damian quickly composed himself, and instead of answering, countered with a question of his own, "What are you?"

A tense silence settled in the room, reflective of the mutual lack of trust between Damian and the group. Recognizing the necessity to establish trust, Master Turin stepped forward and decided to address Damian's inquiry, breaking the silence, "We are Dragonoids!"