Chapter 118: Shadows And Scales

Chapter 118: Shadows And Scales



By "barrier," Kaelan was referring to Hazerion's bloodline ability, 'Scales of the Overlord.' Unlike the other dragon clans, the royal one didn't inherently possess the exact same dragon crest. Instead, they possessed parts of the full crest that the first proud dragon overlord, the dragon god, had all over his body.

What this meant for them was that each royal family member would possess the crest most compatible with them. However, it wasn't impossible for a royal family member to be born with more than one crest at the same time, as was the case with the second heir, who had three crests on his body.

Although there were also cases where a member born with one crest later awakened another, such instances in dragon history can be counted on one hand.

Hazerion's expression seemed to change slightly as if the question somewhat unsettled him. He looked slightly downcast, although the rest of his generals couldn't tell because they hadn't known him for long. Kaelan, who had always been by his side, could instantly tell, although he chose to say nothing of it.

~'I'm sure he's trying as hard as he can. Asking like that must have put pressure on him.'~ Alister heard Kaelan thinking to himself.

....

Hazerion's gaze lingered on Kaelan for a moment before he rose from his throne. "Kaelan," he said calmly.

"Follow me."

Kaelan immediately bowed, his armored fist once again crossing over his chest.

"As you command, my lord."

He replied, rising swiftly to his feet. He moved, following Hazerion as they exited the throne

room.

As they passed through the massive golden doors, Kaelan glanced briefly back at the throne

Neli'raj leaned forward from where he stood. His presence was unsettling, his expression twisted into a grin that barely concealed his psychotic tendencies.

Neli'raj's voice was sharp and taunting as he asked, "So, are we all doomed to die then?"

He chuckled, his eyes gleaming with a perverse kind of amusement.

"If our lord cannot master his ability in time, will we all be reduced to nothing by the darkness?"

The question seemed to hang in the air, his words causing the air in the throne room to suddenly feel uneasy. The other generals exchanged glances, but no one spoke.

Neli'raj seemed to enjoy the discomfort he had caused, his grin widening as he watched for their reactions.

Lyria, however, did not flinch. She gazed back at Neli'raj.

"We are warriors..."

"...we face death every day. If it comes to that, we will fight to our last breath. But do not underestimate our lord. He may be young, but his resolve is strong, and his potential is vast. The darkness is formidable, but so are we."

Neli'raj's grin faded slightly, but he quickly grinned widely again, his eyes narrowing as he gazed at Lyria.

"Oh please, spare me the warrior crap. You, I, and the rest of us here all know we're nothing but cowards. We didn't want to die facing the darkness, and that was what drove us to swear our loyalty to the first heir."

"Hoping his barrier that somehow protected him would do the same for us."

"I mean, how wouldn't we? We were terrified. Imagine a formless monster that not only ended the previous Overlord but took each of our clan heads out with him as well. That thing ended my father, and he already scared me to the point I couldn't look at his face, so something taking him out completely shook me to my core."

"Though watching the old man die was a delight in all the chaos, the face he made at the end got my blood all hot and pumping!"

Neli'raj's dark chuckle echoed through the throne room, his twisted grin still plastered on his face. He tilted his head slightly, his eyes narrowing as he observed their reactions. Suddenly, another general stepped forward, he gave of a high and mighty aura. His hair was a deep crimson, matching the embers that flickered within his fiery gaze, a pair of deep red horns on the sides of his head.