Chapter 687: The Guardian Beasts’ Role.

"Be well."

Those were the last words Prince Edric Dragonborn spoke. Then all the remaining life force in his body ran out and he—

He passed away.

For the next few minutes, no one said anything.

Lavinia, Kael, and his children watched in silence, even Ferrakar was no different. They all stayed there, standing in silence in front of the man whose journey had ended.

"Kael..."

That was when Lavinia called out in a low, weak voice.

"What is it?"

Kael responded almost instantly. He didn’t know what he was supposed to do or how he should comfort her, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the complex emotions she must be feeling.

So right now, he only did what he felt was right and decided to do whatever Lavinia said.

"Can I... be alone with my brother for a while...?"

Lavinia requested.

That made Kael pause.

He stared at Lavinia, different streams of his mind thought about different ways he could try and make Lavinia feel better. Right now, however, he decided to follow the most prominent one of them all.

"Yes."

He spoke calmly as he stepped away, giving Lavinia all the space she needed.

Of course, his Ants still watched her, but only for security. Imperia explicitly ordered the Ants not to tell her anything that happened there unless it threatened Lavinia.

So in truth, Kael truly had left Lavinia alone.

Was it a good choice?

He did not know.

He still thought he should be there for her but...

"Sometimes, the best way to be with someone is to give them the space they need, Father."

Igni spoke in his usual, soothing, calm voice.

The Dragon knew exactly what troubled his father and had come to offer him some level of comfort. Kael smiled at that, then gently patted Igni’s head.

Slowly, the Bonds returned to the Sanctuary, then, once Kael was finally alone, he sat down in silence, waiting for Lavinia to return.

That was when it happened.

"Kael."

Ferrakar approached Kael.

"What is it?"

He stared at the Giant Dragon.

"You realize this is the beginning, correct?"

Kael didn’t say anything.

He still didn’t understand most of the things that had been said in that conversation, he honestly felt lost, so before saying anything—

"I want to ask some questions."

He requested of the Dragon.

Ferrakar seemed to know what Edric had been talking about, so instead of troubling Lavinia, especially now when she was going through so much, Kael decided to have a little chat with the Dragon instead.

"Is it about what happened?"

Ferrakar guessed correctly. Kael nodded at those words, his eyes then moved to the direction Lavinia was in and he—

"I need you to tell me everything you know about that sword."

That made Ferrakar pause for a moment, as if the Dragon was collecting his thoughts. Then, he too looked in the direction Kael was staring, the direction where the sword was, and he—

"Judgement of Feraos."

He began.

"It is one of the two strongest Relics in Nerathis. They also call these two Relics Feraos’s Favour.

These Relics were the reason the Dragonborns managed to defeat the Velmourns, despite the power the Velmourns held."

Those words made Kael frown.

"I thought that happened because of the Dragonborn Dragon."

He asked.

"No."

Ferrakar shook his head.

"My father, Vorgath, the strongest Steel Dragon to ever exist, protected the Velmourns. The Dragonborn Dragon was strong, but he wasn’t strong enough to best my father."

Ferrakar answered proudly. Kael, however, only frowned even more.

"But it wasn’t just the Dragonborn Dragon that Vorgath faced, was it? There were Guardian Beasts from other Kingdoms as well."

"It doesn’t change anything."

Ferrakar shook his head.

"Yes, the four Guardian Beasts were facing my father together, but what you need to understand, Kael, is that the Guardian Beasts never fight at their strongest.

Nerathis isn’t strong enough to survive a battle of that level."

"What does that mean...?"

Kael’s frown deepened.

"If the Guardian Beasts fought at their fullest, Nerathis would be destroyed before the victor could be decided."

"Then how did... Vorgath lose...?"

"He never lost.

My father surrendered so the Velmourns could survive."

Those words made Kael stare at Ferrakar. The Giant Steel Dragon, however, showed no emotion even though he was talking about his father’s death, almost as if the death did not affect him, not one bit.

But Kael could tell that was far from the truth.

Not that he pointed it out. If Ferrakar did not wish to talk about it, Kael respected it. Instead, he returned to the topic they were discussing.

"Why did Lord Vorgath surrender?"

And this time, he used Vorgath’s name with more respect.

That made Ferrakar look at Kael. For a moment, Kael noticed the slightest trace of gratitude in those piercing golden eyes. Again, Kael did not point it out or acknowledge it.

Ferrakar stared at him for a few good seconds, as if he was solidifying the opinion he already had of Nerathis’s Hero, then—

"Every battle in Nerathis is ultimately decided by its people, not the Guardian Beasts. The Guardian Beasts only protect Nerathis itself, not the people.

This is the reason the Steel Dragons protected the Velmourns despite them being tyrants who made life miserable for their people and pushed them to rebel."

"I thought Steel Dragons protected the Velmourns because they liked their violent nature?"

Ferrakar stared at Kael for a second, then—

"A few of my ancestors might have preferred that."

Those words made Kael stare at Ferrakar with flat eyes. Ferrakar momentarily avoided his gaze but then—

"Anyways, what’s important is this.

Tyrants or not, whatever the Velmourns were doing, it did not harm Nerathis, so the Steel Dragons weren’t wrong to protect them.

Similarly, the other Guardian Beasts weren’t wrong to support the rebellion.

That is the role of a Guardian Beast—

We guide the people.

We do not decide for them."

Kael heard those words and soon, his eyes changed.

"So because the Guardian Beasts are not the deciding factor—

The Sword became one."