Silas was deep into his meditation now. If he reached out with his spirit, he could tell everyone was there. Silas could feel the power flowing around him. There were a few people for each element, cultivating in the square. Then he could sense Maisy on the opposite side of Elder Shen from him, cultivating the air mana. He was losing focus. Silas shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to refocus.

Silas scanned the sky, narrowing his eyes and trying to focus, enhancing his sight. Just as he had gotten back into it, he heard a sort of silent waving noise. Silas opened his eyes and looked around as Elder Shen was already on his feet. He tapped on William's shoulder before standing up.

"What is it then?" William looked up at Silas and Elder Shen with a curious glance.

Shen held out a finger to William, quieting the man. "An attack," he answered William shortly. The aloofness, the tone of far awayness the Elder always had, was gone now, replaced by a sense of urgency.

Silas's group now had their eyes open, and they all moved to their feet. The rest of the Kunlun Sect were opening their eyes. They were preparing themselves as well when they heard the elder say there was an attack coming.

That's when Silas saw a massive snake-like creature moving through the air as if swimming in water. Saying it was massive was an understatement. The dragon was awe-inspiring. It was longer than the entire monastery, and it moved with such grace through the air. Silas couldn’t help but gape at the monster flying towards them as he looked up.

The beast had no wings that Silas could see, but it had enormous paws with four talons set towards the head and then in the rear. The creature was the most vibrant blue he had ever seen. Behind its head was a sort of mane of scales of varying colors of blue and purple and then massive horns poking up and curving towards its body. Streaks of red ran along the scales through the beast's body.

"Well, that's good," Elder Shen looked at Silas with a wide smile.

Silas looked to the Elder, cocking his brow. "I… what's good?" Silas was confused and wasn't sure how to respond. He asked the Elder in utter confusion.

"The dragon is still young. " The Elder's aloofness in his voice had returned now when his mood changed. He pointed up to the creature circling around the Monastery. "Do you see how bright the blue scales are?"

Silas squinted and tracked the dragon's flight, enhancing his vision. Finally, Silas nodded slowly. The rest of his friends were around the pair, now listening to what the Elder said. The sect members in attendance seemed unsure of what to do since their Elder was just standing there speaking to the guests and not taking action against the dragon.

"Dragons get darker as they age. That bright color means it is still young, which is good for us. They aren't as fierce, which is probably how the Heavenly Dragon Sect could track it in the wild," Elder Shen explained to the group.

"So, we don't have to worry?" Maisy asked, still looking into the air and watching the dragon circle. The creature was getting lower to the ground. She was holding the flute she used on the ship in her hand, ready to help the fight any way she could.

Elder Shen gave a laugh. "Oh, heavens no. It could wipe us out in a breath if it so chose. I think it was driven here, though."

"So…" Silas wasn't sure what to say. With a bit of mana, he took his war hammer from his storage ring and was now holding it in his hands.

"Did you know dragons aren't actually dangerous to men?" Elder Shen now looked at the group. He was still smiling, that sort of smile that said he didn't care what was happening around him. He was speaking a little louder now, speaking to his sect as well.

Of course, this man didn't care about some young dragon. If the things people said about this Elder Shen, he was the closest any living mortal had gotten to true immortality, at least without help from the Kami. One thing Silas had learned was that the only mortals who had truly become immortal were the ones the Kami chose from their tournaments. These Sacred Artists weren’t Celestials, but they were very powerful and had the power of the Kami who chose them.

"Rei, The Father created the dragons. The one who created all the Kami and the realms. However, he gifted them to his youngest child, Genki, as a present. Not very long ago, either." Shen looked at his sect now, who did not seem surprised by this information. Apparently, they were all taught about the Kami and how they were the actual deities of the world. Not some elaborate pantheon of gods the mortals worshiped.

"Something is going on with the Kami. There is a play in motion, and I am not sure what or what it means. Elder Shen was still explaining things as they were. The dragons have never been this wild. The Heavenly Dragon Sect is a newer sect that started with its unorthodox techniques."

Silas was further enlightened about how the real world worked versus how everyone thought it did. The one thing Silas didn't understand was how Elder Shen said the Dragon cults were new. As far as Silas knew, they had always been around for at least a millennium. Elder Shen answered the unasked question, though.

"When the first elders made their sects, picking the signs in the sky to be their guiding star. They made a pact not to create a sect based on the Dragons. Until this time, the Dragons were still near-mythical creatures known to be the gods' protectors. Mortals didn't have the right to make a sect based on such mystical and important creatures." He smiled, looking down at everyone.

Silas gasped. Looked down? Elder Shen was floating in the air. His eyes were closed, and he looked calm. Silas watched the Elder go higher and higher, and eventually, the Elder opened his eyes. His aloof, careless look was gone and replaced by a look of determination. A sort of anger that he didn't expect the Elder to be capable of. He was radiating such power that the people on the ground fell to their knees.

The Elders' own sect members put their foreheads in the dirt, but the group couldn't. They couldn't look away. Even their own Elder, The Old Man, had never displayed such power.

The dragon stopped floating in the air and now hung the large blue eyes, glaring at the powerful being floating up to meet it. It seemed like it was just a statue suspended by a fishing line. It stayed so still. Was the dragon scared? Surely the dragon had never seen a man float up to meet him before?

Elder Shen was now as high as the dragon was, looking into the creature's eyes. The Elder clasped his hands in front of him and gave the dragon a sacred artist's bow. Elder Shen was mighty, but he was meeting a dragon on the dragon's own terms. Respect would be required, or else he could be eaten or worse. What would be worse than being eaten by a dragon?

The dragon gave a low growl in response, narrowing its eyes.

"What are you doing, mortal?" The dragon asked Elder Shen.

Silas gasped. The dragon could speak?! No. It didn't talk. Its mouth never moved. The dragon was sending its thoughts to everyone around. If this was a young one, able to do this with their power, what in the world could the old dragons do?

"I have come up to say hello, Master Dragon, and to see what it is we can do for you," Elder Shen answered the dragon. Elder Shen's look of anger was gone, but Silas could feel anger coming from the man. The usual look of smiling replaced it. It seemed reserved, though, like he expected this peace not to last.

The dragon narrowed his eyes at the Elder and gave a soft growl. It stared at Elder Shen for a long time, and the earth seemed to pause as they stared into each other's eyes. Neither one of them backed down. Elder Shen knew, of course, that a dragon was to be respected, but he also knew it was to be feared. Still showing that he is scared. If the Elder was, would not be wise. Any chance of mutual respect he might gain from the dragon would be gone if he cowered.

"She… sent me here." The dragon trailed off and gave a low growl in his throat, looking off into the distance. "It doesn't matter why I'm here."

The dragon's lower half went towards the wall and set its feet on it, so it was no longer floating in the air. The claws crushed into the wall, sending stone and brick to the ground below. It left some of the Sacred Artists around scrambling away from the scene, so they didn't get crushed.

"Now, no Master Dragon, this Monastery is ancient by our standards. I would appreciate it if you didn't destroy my home," Elder Shen said, still floating in front of the dragon, smiling softly.

The dragon sighed and shook his head. "It is my job to carry out the wishes of the Kami."

The dragon didn't give Elder Shen a chance to respond. It took flight once more. At first, it was flying away from the Monastery. It seemed like it was flying away. Elder Shen lost that ever-present smile and came back and stood with the group.

"Sooooo…" William was the first to speak. "All that, and it's just goin' to fly away?"

"No, I expect it's just making a pass and getting in position to attack. I believe someone sent him here, but I don't know by whom. His Elders, perhaps." Elder Shen shrugged as if there wasn't a dragon currently turning in the air and bearing down on the sect he was the head elder of.

All around him, the sect members were shouting, giving commands, and moving weaker members to safety. Daiki was standing next to Silas, and The Beggars were looking at Elder Shen, waiting for orders or a command or something.

"I suppose even pacifism has its limits." Elder Shen looked at the group with a small smile before frowning. "We need your help if we wish this monastery to stand against a dragon."

He didn't have to finish talking. The group was already at the ready with weapons drawn and ready to face down the dragon. Likewise, William had his daggers, and Magnus used a guandao, a pole arm with a thick, curved blade on the end. It also had a heavy speared end on the other side. Daiki had his quarterstaff ready to join The Beggars in defending his home.

"I will do what I can from down here," Maisy told them. She gave a confident nod and held her flute.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Silas looked at her and saw a little worry in her eyes. This group had been through a lot before Silas joined them, but I don't think she's ever been head-to-head with a dragon. Silas himself passed out the last time he went up against one. Now, though, he had this new power in his veins and even some new techniques.

"Do we have a plan of attack?" Silas asked the group.

"Aye, same thing they used to do when the dragons used to attack the villages. Be too big a pain in the ass, so it scurries away," William answered quickly.

"Those tales aren't true, young cultivator," Elder Shen smiled. "But the reasoning is sound. This dragon does not seem like it wants to attack us, anyway. It may scurry away if we can pretend to be larger than we really are."

"Aye, yeah… Like we're fighting a bear." William responded incredulously. Respect went out of the window when facing down a dragon now.

Maisy ran off to help the body cultivators get inside. With her powers, she should be able to keep them safe. Silas only hoped she'd be able to do something to help them at the same time.

Elder Shen raised himself again, floating through the air, his loose-fitting clothing blowing in the night's wind. Silas could feel the power emanating from this man, and he realized what he felt before was nothing compared to what the Elder could do. The ground seemed to shake under Silas as the Elder worked his technique. The earth was coming up around the tower, holding his sect to protect them from the dragon's onslaught.

With a wave of his hand, earth shot up into a wall in the direction the dragon was flying at them from. The ground curved a mammoth structure over the Monastery blocking out the sky for most of the Monastery. Once it was near enough, it roared in frustration and had to fly up, spitting a breath of fire at the earth that gave a half shell to the Monastery.

"I think we're just following his lead," Magnus said, looking at Silas with a grin. "Come on, brother. Let's get that workout you've been itching for."

Then Magnus leaped, with William following closely behind him. They pushed off with such strength that they crushed the earth underneath them. They could get as high as the half dome Elder Shen created and then gave one more leap using as much madra as they could muster. Each of them could get on the tip of the tail as the dragon soared past. William and Magnus looked at each other, nodded, and then ran towards the head.

Silas grinned to himself for a moment and began cycling his mana. Maybe this shadow stuff would be more beneficial than he ever imagined. Wrapping his body in the mana Silas collected from his surroundings. Silas dipped into the shadows. Everything took on that familiar purple tint that he remembered from his time with Kenji in his lands, and he instantly thought of his wife and Reiko. This was the Silas he remembered. Powerful, determined, and able to rise to any challenge.

While being in the shadows, he could move from shadow to shadow with ease, forcing his body through them. Just as the moonlight hit the dragon's form and cast its shadow on the side of the mountain, Silas made his move. He pushed himself through, warping to the mountain. At that moment, Silas looked and saw William and Magnus running along the dragon, and they cast their own shadows. Another push of power, and Silas moved through the shadows in the world. In this world, up and down didn’t mean much and he could go where needed to, when he needed to. He was on the dragon now, coming from the shadows next to them, running.

"About time you decided to bloody join us," William grinned and looked at Silas, who appeared out of nowhere, then laughed.

Silas just turned his head and winked at William before using the technique once more and disappearing. The next time the pair saw him, he was at the head of the beast.

William laughed again. "Show off."

The dragon was flying around, making a large circle so it could attack from the other side where Elder Shen didn't have protection. That's when Silas heard the music. Maisy was playing her flute, and her notes filled the air, floating through the wind. He could feel the mana strengthen in his body, reinforcing itself. He almost felt like she was pushing him up a rank in power.

The dragon roared. Silas couldn't tell if the dragon didn't know that he had people or if it just didn't care. If this dragon was more potent than Elder Shen, then Magnus, William, and Silas must feel nothing more than ants.

Silas heard air flowing through the dragon and felt the dragon's head get hot. It reared its head and opened its jaws, readying to blow fire all over the Monastery. It was an exercise to hold themselves upright as the beast swam through the air, and Silas was doubly glad that Maisy was using her technique to reinforce them.

"No!" Silas shouted, pushing his madra towards his hammer and into the head of it. He had an idea, and he only wished it was only going to work.

Lifting the hammer up with both hands, he realized how good it felt to wield this hammer as he once could. Not having to drag or lug it, but using it as a proper war hammer. He sent his mana into the hammer, letting the mana flow through it. He brought his weapon back and over his head down before sending it striking it down on the dragon’s head. As he did so, he worked on the same principle for the palm strike. He tried to transfer his mana into the dragon to interrupt the creature's own mana and disrupt the attack.

The dragon coughed and sputtered. The flame that was in its jowls was gone. It even fell from the sky. Silas reached out and felt his mana flowing through the creature's body. On top of that, he seemed to have dazed the dragon for a moment as well.

The moment passed quickly, though, and the dragon roared once more. He flew more erratically now, clearly trying to throw them off its back. Silas looked back, and Magnus had his guandao buried in the back of the dragon holding on. Likewise, William was on his knees with both daggers buried to the hilts.

"Hold on!" he yelled up to Silas.

Silas scanned around and, not having a bladed instrument to stab into the dagger's hide, he wrapped his arms around one horn of the beast. The dragon was still soaring erratically, flipping around in large circles and rotating around, trying to fling the Sacred Artists from his back. Thanks to Maisy's music enhancement, they could hold on.

Silas scanned the skyline now for Elder Shen, and he, the Elder, was gone. Pacifists. Silas got a bitter taste in his mouth now. The Elder was the master of a sect known to help defend villages, but he could not protect his own. A sigh. Each Sacred Artist had to follow their own path, even if it was one who didn't fight.

The dragon was at its target now. They had to do something, and Silas had one play he could try. He could make a form of shadow. He did it in his spar with William. It was just a more miniature, more agile copy of himself. He wove the technique, making it up as he went but using the same principles he used to copy his form.

The fire blew from the dragon's mouth, raining down hell upon the Monastery. Silas watched in horror as he attempted to weave his technique in a last-ditch effort to stop the attack.

Daiki was on the ground, spinning his quarterstaff in front of him. Vines of wood were shooting out, trying to give the fire something to eat before it could get to the Monastery. Maisy had also changed her song. The wind was picking up above the Monastery, below the dragon. She was attempting to blow the fire away and leave them untouched. They both tried in vain. Daiki jumped out of the way just before the fire hit the ground and scorched the earth. The gardens of the courtyard erupted in flame.

There was another roar in the distance, or the echo of a roar. Silas strained his channels with this technique and tried to hold on to it for as long as possible. His arms were outstretched towards the shadowy gray form outlined in the dark, almost black violet. Silas was sweating, and he could feel his mana draining.

The dragon lifted his head, scanning for the source of the echo. It was another dragon, or well, the shadow of one. As large as this young dragon itself and flying in speed towards it. The dragon reeled, and in quick successive movement, it had brought its head back and turned in the air, flying away. In the commotion, Silas watched as Magnus and William fell. They'd be alright. They were powerful in their arts. The two of them got little done while they were on the dragon, anyway. Silas smirked. He was the one doing all the work.

His shadow dragon was chasing the proper dragon down. Still, Silas could feel the mana cycling through the dragon in another technique. Silas went wide-eyed as the dragon started to fade from view. He didn't want to fall, not from this height, after expelling as much mana as he had. He looked towards the ground, where shadows were being cast off by the fire that the Kunlun sect was furiously trying to put out.

Silas growled and yelled out, pushing his mana in one last technique before the dragon was gone. He couldn't release the shadow form technique he was using, or else the dragon might stay. Silas had to transfer himself to the ground, or he'd fall. With mana wrapping around himself, he began the technique and was gone from the world into the purple-tinted shadows. Gripping his hammer, he shifted to the shadow he had focused on.

The dragon was gone now, dematerialized from thin air, which he didn't think they could do, but what did a simple mortal know of the powers of dragons?

This transfer seemed to take longer than it usually did. Once Silas realized the dragon was gone, he released the shadow form technique of the dragon. Eventually, he pulled through to the other side and wondered where Magnus and William ended up. He hoped they were alright, but he wasn't sure he'd find out soon. His vision went dark. He stood there looking at Maisy and Daiki. They were running towards him.

______________________

"You ran?" The Dragon Elder looked at the youngling, who appeared in front of him. The Elder was in a cave sleeping before he was interrupted, and it spoke as soon as the young dragon appeared.

The younger dragon looked to its Elder and bowed its head in shame. "Yes, they had a dragon or something I couldn't fathom. It chased me down. I didn't know what else to do."

The Elder closed its eyes and gave a shrug. "No matter. You got them to the island. That is all that the young Kami wanted us to do. It might not matter anyway. It seems the rest of the family has Genki imprisoned in Lilith's realm. I doubt even her, with her tricks, will be able to escape easily soon."

"Forgiveness, Elder."

"As I said, it matters not. Don't show yourself around that monastery, or they will hunt you down. Hopefully, soon, this will be all over," the older dragon replied. It closed its eyes once more and drifting off into slumber.

The younger dragon backed up and faded away so he wouldn't interrupt its Elder any longer.

______________________

Genki was sitting in the middle of a massive graveyard, leaning against a tomb with gates with a heavy chain, locking them shut. She chose her look to reflect on her current surroundings. Black robes with purple embossed dragons on the sleeves and trim. Her hair was now black as well, and she almost looked like a twin to the depressed one, Minako, except that she did have violet streaks.

She sighed. She had been locked up here too long and could not figure a way out yet. The dragons had to be checked on. See if they had followed through with her plan. If everything went as she wanted, she would have the first Celestial in the mortal realm. While it wasn't her actual plan, it was an achievement.

Genki stood now, and in a flow of power and color, she had transformed into that snow fox she enjoyed being so much. Now, though, the fur was black to match her robes, the eyes a glowing violet. She stalked the graveyard watching the Reapers, which is what Lilith called her agents.

They seemed to assemble a few, ready to do a reaping. They went out into the mortal realm to collect souls who died. The Reapers were always busy. Mortals had such a short lifetime and were so soft. Genki rolled her eyes. Why did father doddle on them so much?

Genki lowered her head as an idea formed about how she possibly could get out of here. Genki would have to find a way out of here and move those pieces of the wand. Hopefully, her idiot siblings hadn't discovered her hideaway in her cave tunnel. Once she had the wand, she could change things how she wanted. Rival her father's powers, or maybe she could just go off and create her own world.