CHAPTER 264: STARLIGHT AND SECRETS

The grand army hall was quiet, filled only with the faint draft rustling the heavy banners suspended along the stone pillars. Caius and Commander Altan sat opposite each other at a massive, carved stone table, seated as absolute equals.

Behind Caius stood Old Bones, a silent shadow draped in dark robes. Across from them, behind Altan’s chair, stood Supreme Warden Chaghan, Nyzech, and Bruga, their postures rigid and hands near their weapons.

A long, heavy silence stretched between the two leaders. Neither spoke, their formidable presences filling the hall in a quiet battle of atmosphere.

Suddenly, a fissure of golden-white light tore through the air above Caius's right shoulder. The dense thread cocoon residing in his Mind Sea sent a spatial ripple into the physical world, bursting open to reveal the Eclipsed Tri-Ocular Sovereign. The three-eyed crow flapped its wings, perching casually on the back of Caius's chair. Its once pure-black obsidian feathers were now dusted with brilliant, starlight-like silver specks, serving as a direct result of absorbing Caius's newly evolved Solar-Obsidian origin core.

Altan’s serene gaze drifted upward. From the high wooden rafters above, a low caw echoed as Altan’s own war-crow glided down, perching on the edge of the stone table.

Caius's crow preened itself, expanding its wings to proudly flex its new silver-speckled plumage. Caw! Caw!

Altan’s crow ruffled its feathers aggressively, letting out a sharp, unmistakably jealous click of its beak.

Caius gave a soft, amused smirk. "You should bond with the bird. It has a useful gift, an overhead eye over the entire battlefield. A nice tool for a commander."

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Altan tilted his head, a rare look of hesitation touching his face. "Bond?"

"Talk to your kin," Caius instructed his crow softly.

The Tri-Ocular Sovereign leaned forward, its three eyes glowing with a faint silver cadence as it uttered a series of rhythmic, ancient caws. Altan’s crow listened intently, its body quivering until its hidden third eye flared with light. With a wet click, Altan’s crow gorged out a glowing, translucent essence bead onto the table, nudging it toward Altan's bare hand.

Altan stared at the essence bead, torn by the weight of taking a spirit-bond from a wild entity.

Caius easily read the subtle hesitation in the commander's mind. "A tool is a tool. Accept the free gift."

Altan reached out, letting the essence bead melt into his palm. As the spiritual link snapped into place, both three-eyed crows let out a synchronized, triumphant cry. Taking to the air side-by-side like old friends, the two birds flew out through the grand archway of the hall to tour the open skies of the realm.

Refocusing his attention, Altan locked his clear eyes onto Caius. "What do you need to know? What is your query?"

With a flick of his wrist, Caius projected a fine weave of glowing mana threads into the center of the table, forming a precise, three-dimensional image of the Mordrakh, their draconic features, dark scale patterns, and shadow-drenched aura rendered in painstaking detail.

Altan studied the flickering illusion closely. "Please wait."

Closing his eyes, Altan sank into a deep, meditative state, accessing the ancient memory banks stored within his five Pillar Cores and the heritage of the Veyuun Sect.

An hour passed in complete, unbroken silence.

Finally, Altan opened his eyes, a glint of grave understanding reflecting in his calm gaze.

"The Mordrakh," Altan began, his voice calm yet heavy with ancient weight. "They are not mere beasts or standard monsters. They are drake half-breeds, corrupted bloodlines descended from the ancient Black Dragons, born directly from primordial darkness. Their very existence is woven from shadow and chaotic mana."

Caius leaned back in his chair, his golden-and-obsidian eyes narrowing slightly as he took in the revelation.