“A dragon?” Silas exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Knowing him, a tale was already brewing in his mind—Silas the Dragonslayer.

“The western realms were once known as the land of abominations,” Theros began, “a derogatory term for early mages who couldn’t control their powers and often wreaked havoc on the small folk. Back then, people hunted our kind like animals, and many mages sought refuge in Vixengaard, a city that my forefathers built as a haven for all mages. There, they learned to tame their magic and use it to bring order to a chaotic realm. Tired of being hunted, we became the hunters, marching through the western realms and uniting them under one name: Vixen’s Veil, a land where mages were free. We defined and strengthened our borders with the Freehold, the Kingdom of Men, and No Man’s Realm, and we opened sea trade with the Republic of Merria,” Theros rambled on until Silas interjected.

“Are you doing the thing again? Talking a lot without saying much?”

“This time, my words hold meaning,” Theros smiled before continuing. “Mages finally found their place in the world, and Vixen’s Veil became one of the four great realms. But being the largest realm on the continent and a new political power had many drawbacks.”

“Second largest realm, you mean?” I interrupted. “The largest one is the Fey Dominion in the eastern realms.”

“The books you’ve read must be ancient if they still claim the Fey Dominion is larger. While the fey stayed cooped up in their little forest, the mages of our realm expanded and conquered many lands afterward.” Theros corrected me, though he did not convince me; we would have to agree to disagree. He continued with his story. “I’ve strayed from the subject again, I apologize. As I was saying, having the largest territory on the continent meant having the largest population. Our new political power couldn’t rule over all, especially since the non-mages despised us. They said it’s the strong who rule. What a lie. It’s compassion that breeds love, and power that breeds fear. Both are useful, but our predecessors used only power to subjugate, claiming compassion was for the weak. But I believe it takes great courage for the strong to embrace compassion, to be weak for a moment and enjoy a lifetime of power. The weak respect the powerful only for so long, but compassion creates bonds that the weak will share until the end of time. Our predecessors have done unimaginable damage to our reputation, and for their sins, we still repent to this day,” the old man explained, his words leaving the room in a profound silence, broken only by the sound of breaths drawn in between his pauses.

“And do you consider yourself compassionate, Archmage Theros?” I questioned.

“A bit more than the rest, yes,” he replied.

“Was it compassion you showed when one of your mages was being assaulted? Or when a member of a noble family was humiliated?” I provoked, glancing at Lilith to see her reaction. Her gaze, filled with revenge, briefly shifted from me to the old man before returning. I wanted her to know it wasn’t just me who had humiliated her; it was the entire table.

“You are the man people fear, but never respect. My compassion would be wasted on you, for eyes filled with hatred will never see it. The same thing happened to our ancestors; years of being hunted for simply being themselves led them to rule as tyrants. They passed the hatred they received onto their subjects, and because of that, mages are still feared today. Every step we take could be the wrong one, and each misstep could undo everything we’ve worked so hard for. Vixen’s Veil houses many races, cultures, and religions. One group stands out in particular: the Dragonsworn Conclave,” Theros said.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Dragonsworn Conclave? Are those assholes still around? I thought they were eradicated a long time ago,” Orion interjected, his words dripping with loathing.

“They were thought to be, yes. But a few months back, some were spotted salvaging dragon bones. When captured, they took their lives, screaming, ‘Scales will rise, bones will shake; the dragon’s wrath we shall awake!’”

“Could someone explain who these people are?” Silas asked, voicing my unspoken question.

“They were once the greatest threat this realm faced. They sought to usurp the political power our ancestors had established, believing themselves to be descendants of dragons and the only pure mages of the realm. After their defeat, we believed most of them went extinct; we couldn’t have been more wrong. They allied with demons and inhabited another dimension where they hid for many years, amassing armies beyond anyone’s imagination. Dragon bones and carcasses began disappearing throughout Vixen’s Veil, and their coalition with the demons made their intentions clear,” Theros explained.

“Necromancy. They want to resurrect the dragons and use them as mere puppets for their selfish reasons,” Orion growled, his tone seething with anger as lightning sparked around his fists.

Blythe, a fellow lightning mage, was especially intrigued. “Another lightning user, eh? Is it magic?” she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Orion didn’t respond, ignoring Blythe, which made her grit her teeth as sparks of lightning flickered across her skin.

“And you want to send us into this dimension to solve the problem for you?” I asked.

“You must think highly of yourself to assume you could solve this on your own. The problem is far greater than you realize. We’ve sent countless mages into the rift, and none have returned. But what’s intriguing is that the mages we sent are not dead; their magic still pulses within these gems.” Theros pulled several pouches from under the table, scattering an array of glowing gems across the dark wooden surface.

Each gem glowed brightly in a multitude of colors, the light pulsing like a heartbeat.

“Why do we have to open the gate from the inside? Why don’t you just invade the way you plan to send us in?” I questioned.

“The rift is the only entry point to their dimension. It’s highly unstable, allowing only a few to pass through at a time; we would just lose more mages. As for the gate, one cannot create a bridge between worlds without understanding the destination. We need to gather information from within their dimension, and our previous attempts have failed,” Theros clarified.

“So you want to use us as test subjects?” Silas jumped up, slamming the table.

“Well, it’s not like you have a choice. Agree to our terms or be sent off to Heaven’s Hold; your decision,” Theros said proudly, stroking his white beard.

“I can’t speak for the others, but I’ll agree to your conditions once you completely heal Kaela,” Orion demanded.

“That would mean she would accompany you into the unknown. Are you alright with that?” Theros questioned.

“She’s been with me through everything; I’m not going anywhere without her.”

“Very well, Orion the White. What about the rest of you?” he asked, turning to Silas and me.

“I’ll go as well,” I decided, sensing that a certain man awaited me on the other side—a man whose life was mine to claim.

“I...” Silas hesitated, then gathered his courage and merrily exclaimed, “I’ve already decided to follow Valerian wherever he goes, for wherever he goes, adventure follows! Evil mages and dragons in another world? Sounds like a fine adventure to me; I shall go!”

“What a peculiar bunch,” the old man chuckled, then addressed the rest of the mages. “Shall we vote? Those in favor of granting the Fatebound Vow to these brave men, raise your hands.”

Immediately, four mages raised their hands. Theros was in favor, along with Blythe, Onyx, and Luna; Lilith’s hand remained down.

“This concludes it; you are granted a Fatebound Vow, a chance at redemption for your sins,” Theros declared with authority as he rose, prompting the entire table to stand. “You may choose one mage to accompany you—aside from those at this table, of course.”

“My ember?” I turned to Lyra, who stood silently behind me. “Would you like to accompany me to another world?”

“I...” She struggled with her words, feeling the weight of everyone’s gaze. Lilith’s eyes, in particular, bore into her with fury, a vein throbbing on her forehead.

“I would.” Lyra finally said, her distant gaze fixed on her former master. She finally broke the chains that bound her and embraced freedom.