Ep 17. Dear. Be Quiet. (1)

 

Bruton looked to his side, studying the figure beside him.

Brilliant streaks of white hair glowed faintly in blue, reaching just beneath her chin. Two blue eyes gleamed like the night stars. She was significantly taller, and noticeably more feminine than before. But most importantly, the two black horns jutting forth from her head and the dragon tail covered in pure white scales made sure no onlooker would mistake her origins.

Admittedly, morphing smaller features of their human body was an easy task for elder dragons. Facial features, hair lengths, even height or skin color…they could largely manipulate it to their heart’s content.

But even Bruton had never heard of a dragon being able to alter their physical age and gender at will.

On top of that, even her clothes had changed; the previous childish mage robe was nowhere to be found, now replaced with an ornate blue and black dress stretching down to her ankles.

‘Dragonlord…Serenis.’

Bruton’s doubts began to waver at the sight of Serenis’ return to her presumably original form. The human boy that had suddenly appeared at their nest was nothing short of unconvincing, but the figure he now beheld was unmistakably his kin – kin that possessed a depth he could not possibly grasp.

Once the dragons rose to their feet again, Serenis broke the silence with a lightened expression as she faced her three kin. 

“To be honest, I expected questions.”

The three dragons looked at her uneasily. Ilias was first to speak up.

“Can we…ask?”

“As much as you’d like.”

“Um…”

Bruton briefly spared a glance towards his stammering daughter. Having so many questions, it seemed like she was finding it difficult to choose one – especially before the dragonlord’s looming presence. With the evident regality accompanying her, the younglings found it a tad more difficult to speak their minds freely now; after all, the little boy had suddenly become an unmistakable elder before their eyes.

Finally, it was Bruton who interjected.

“The orb. It truly was your heart, yes?”

“It was.”

“And the tribute just now was…for whom exactly?”

“…The dragonkin’s second lord, and perhaps its last. Or if you’d rather, an elder who loved you all dearly.”

“The last? But you’re here right now.”

Serenis let out a soft laugh at Ilias’ question.

“I cannot be the first and third at once, child.”

‘…An elder.’

Bruton looked towards the ceiling that revealed the morning skies. Had it been anyone else, he would’ve struggled to believe that a loving elder would devise such a wretched place.

But if what Serenis was saying was true, then there must’ve been a reason why they deemed it fit to seal the first lord’s heart away in such a location.

“Let us talk elsewhere. The sun’s risen, our wings have returned, and…if I delay any longer, I fear my life will once again be in danger.”

Bruton could almost picture his wife, waiting at the door with a gentle smile…and a weapon in hand. She hadn’t been present when Serenis had appeared at the valley, and likely had no clue where her entire family had gone.

‘I truly hope she didn’t wait overnight…’

“Yeah, let’s go! I’m hungry.”

“Could literally eat an iron bar right now.”

“Isn’t that cannibalism for you?”

“Shut it.”

While Serenis couldn’t agree more that they’d stayed here far too long, she looked towards Ilias once more.

“One last thing before we depart…Ilias, I recall you mentioning that this was a treasure hunt.”

“Huh? Well, we found the treasure, didn’t we? Your heart’s right where it should be!”

“But you yourself haven’t gained anything for your efforts.”

“Hehe, that’s alright. It was fun! I saw lots of cool things, got to fight weird enemies…even got to break Raizel’s wrist.”

“Why’re you saying that like it’s a good thing?”

“What? I don’t get to break your bones every day.”

The dragonlord snickered at the response. She never could’ve made it this far without the three dragons’ aid. In her eyes, their efforts were worth far more than just praise and gratitude.

“I’m glad to hear that, but it wouldn’t be fair for all of you to conclude this venture as a simple passing of time.”

Serenis then stretched her arms out slightly.

“Expand your senses. With the air’s dense mana no longer present, your surroundings should be much easier to read.”

“…Um…”

“…Uh…”

The two younglings avoided her gaze at the insistence. Serenis exchanged glances between the two of them, her confusion evident.

“…Is something the matter?”

“I, um…never quite learned how to do that.”

“I rely more on my physical senses.”

With both Ilias and Raizel out of commission, Serenis looked to Bruton.

“…Bruton, not you too?”

“I…I’m able to read the air’s mana just fine, my lord. Though, I don’t notice anything peculiar nearby.”

“Are you reading the mana within the other paths?”

“Why, yes.”

“With no mana to supply their traps, there shouldn’t be anything peculiar within them. Focus your senses downwards.”

“Downwards? Hm…oh, there indeed seems to be something. They’re…”

A visible frown crossed the elder dragon’s closed eyes. He tilted his head, confused as to what his mana was sensing.

“…Metals?”

Serenis snickered as she reminisced how her son would hide his favorite meats under a rock, only to forget about them until they’d rot. It seemed that his habits hadn’t changed until the very end.

‘Vulka always did hide his most prized belongings beneath other things.’

The dragonlord hovered one of her palms out, facing downwards. White bolts began to crackle at her hand, gathering into a small ball of condensed energy. Soon after, the ball exploded downwards in a torrent of white light, cleanly blasting through the floor’s ice – and a couple more layers of ice behind it – revealing faint glimmers in the distance far beneath.

“It’d be foolish to let any go to waste. Come.”

Serenis’ white wings unfolded as she hopped into the pit she’d created. Ilias followed immediately after without a single question.

“Ilias!...You can never exercise too much caution in a place like this…”

Bruton sighed as he, too, unfolded his wings. Until he felt something heavy wrap around his waist.

Raizel had attached herself to his side.

‘…Ah. She was exercising caution after all.’

Ilias had learned her lesson on their way here. He hadn’t.

Bruton groaned as he struggled to maintain flight with the added weight, descending far quicker than he normally would’ve.