Legacy of the Dark Sage

"A few months ago, the Solis Clan attacked our plane, bringing a few of their allied clans along. They withdrew before any conclusion was made, and we did not suffer many casualties, which is why I decided not to nitpick at them. Moreover, it was confirmed that they did not attach under The Emperor's orders because he had left the Higher Realm then.
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If we had retaliated after that, an open war would have already started between our clan and the Solis Clan upon The Emperor's return."

Not waiting for the congregation to contemplate his initial words, Aillos continued with his speech.

"However, as you have recalled, about a month ago, The Emperor came here to visit."

The atmosphere inside the Tempest Hall turned grim upon Aillos's reminder. Every dragon remembered that time, especially after experiencing The Emperor's pressure even when he was still outside their plane.

"I have not made any statement as to why The Emperor came then because I don't want to cause unnecessary panic among our people.'

Aillos paused, his eyes narrowed slightly as he continued, "But that is my mistake. I should have told everyone what happened..."

He proceeded by telling them why The Emperor came then.

The patriarchs of the Water Dragon and Golden Dragon Tribes were enraged as soon as they learned that The Emperor demanded to hand over the Dragon Clan's representatives who had participated in that year's Tower of the Ancients hunt. His reason was simple: it was because of the rumor that they were the ones who caused the tragedy.

Aillos continued to explain that the only reason The Emperor stepped back was because there was an urgent matter he had to deal with. From this, it was evident that he had not given up on taking the dragon clan representatives into custody.

"The Emperor also mentioned sending an invitation wherein he expected that I attend rather than my daughter as she has been for the past several years."

All patriarchs and second-in-command knew immediately that whatever the invitation was for, The Emperor did that to exert his authority over their leader, the Dragon Emperor. They knew that he planned to show the rest of the clans in the Higher Realm that no one should dare defy him— and the Dragon Emperor was not an exception.

Obviously, The Emperor did that because of the several setbacks his clan had been through against the Dragon Clan.

"Thus far, that invitation has yet to happen," Aillos continued after pausing and letting his words sink into their heads. "And this is because he has found clues to what he desired the most."

Most of the patriarchs and second-in-command in the hall heard about the recent events in the Higher Realm. They were all displeased at how most clans had wrongfully accused the Dragon Clan of being behind it. However, before they could voice their displeasure to their Lord, Aillos had announced a Grand Gathering.

Because of this, they reigned in their discontentment, believing that Lord Aillos announced it so they could tackle the issue.

Just by listening to Aillos's speech and judging from the direction of where it would lead, they were correct about why he announced a Grand Gathering. Of course, they knew it was not the only reason.

But none of those things were significant at the moment. Because they caught on to Aillos's last statement, and their expressions turned serious.

Before Aillos united, all the dragon tribes knew that he and his tribe of Sky Dragons were hiding in the Lower Realm— particularly in the Human plane. They also heard that they were hiding because his tribe discovered the Heart of the Cosmos and wanted to keep it away from The Emperor. After all, everyone in the Higher Realm knew that the latter desired it, as well as the four Ancient Magic Cores.

Since Aillos brought up the subject, they finally pieced together many recent events and guessed why he suddenly accepted the Regis Family into their clan.

Every elder in the Dragon Clan knew that Aillos had left the Heart of the Cosmos on the Human plane. He even left a thousand combat quilins to guard it. Those elders belonged to different tribes; thus, the patriarchs of the tribes they belonged to more or less knew about it. Aillos might not be keeping it a secret, but it was a subject that was not openly discussed among dragons.

Those quilins guarding the Heart of the Cosmos, or the Shaiha, as they were more familiar with, were rumored to be still in contact with the Regis Family. But after a thousand years, and with Aillos cutting all connection him with that family after the death of his only human friend, Zane, news about the Regis Family and the Shaiha had also been lost.

In a sense, Aillos was not worried about the Shaiha falling into the hands of the wrong people, even if he was no longer actively protecting it. This was because the Human plane was hard to find, even for a mage from the Higher Realm.

Besides, a thousand quilins could quickly destroy a plane or two in the Lower Realm guarding it. No one would dare attempt to covet it. More importantly, information about the Heart of the Cosmos was only available to Sovereigns in the Lower Realm. It was rare for non-Sovereigns to learn of it. Even if they did, they only thought it was a legend or a myth, unattainable.

However, that did not seem to be the case anymore.

If The Emperor had found clues to the location of what he desired the most, he probably have found a way to the Human plane and, thus, discovered the Shaiha.

If the Regis Family had possession of the Shaiha, it was no wonder that Aillos would want to protect them. The only way to protect them was to officially accept them as part of their clan.

For the record, all dragons were in agreement that it was dangerous for anyone to receive the Shaiha. Thus, they would not want The Emperor to have it— he was the last being they would like to have it.

The Emperor found the Shaiha was one thing, but what if he also found clues to the four Ancient Magic Cores? They knew little about them but knew that only humans could possess them.

Actually, this was no longer a case of 'what if' since The Emperor had recently declared that he was after someone whom he called the 'Void Master.'

There was only one being who could receive such a title; that was the one who possessed the Void core and could use Void magic.

"Looking at your expressions, you may have already guessed what I am trying to say. But I assure you that you are still far from understanding the whole situation," Aillos continued after a short pause.

"I asked all of you here today because I want us all to be on the same page. I don't want you to hear rumors or receive information from untrustworthy channels. I want you all to hear the truth from me."

A tense silence followed after that, and it appeared that some of the young talents even held their breaths.

"The first clue The Emperor found is about a human who possessed the Draconic core."

Immediately, the hall erupted in another muffled discussion.

What was their Lord telling them?

Should it not be the Void Core?

More importantly, why did he mention the Draconic core rather than the Shaiha? If the Regis Family was involved, should he not mention the latter rather than the former...

The moment this thought crossed every dragon's mind inside the hall, the realization hit them, and they all turned their attention toward the table where the Regis representatives were seated.

For such an obvious clue, yet they failed to see it. How did they end up becoming dull-witted?

Aillos smiled wryly at how everyone in the hall shifted their attention to the Regis representatives. He had expected some of them to have guessed it, but apart from those who already knew about Kyran, none had truly considered the possibility that another Dragon Lord would be born among the Regis Family.

"What's with that look?" Aillos asked, addressing all the patriarchs and the second-in-command. "Is it that hard to believe that a new Dragon Lord will be born among my daughter's family?"

Some wanted to speak up and voice their thoughts. However, they could only keep their thoughts to themselves for now.

"I bet you all thought that the Dragon Lord Zane only became one because I taught him and gave him some of my blood. But that is not the case. He inherited the Draconic core, which awakened because of my blood. Since this is the case, his descendants can also inherit it."

He looked at Kyran, who returned his gaze calmly.

"But that is not the only clue The Emperor discovered," Aillos continued, returning his attention to the congregation.

"He also found a clue to the Shaiha's new master."

"!"

A gasp of shock and fear filled the hall. This was because they would rather have The Emperor find clues about the Ancient Magic Cores than the Shaiha. After all, The Emperor's body constitution differed from a human's. Even if he found an Ancient Magic Core, he could not absorb and utilize it thoroughly.

But if The Emperor got hold of Shaiha, that would be a different story.

"Thus, as someone who wanted to protect the Shaiha, I have decided not to allow The Emperor to do as he pleases anymore."