Supreme Magus

Chapter 3358 A New Page (Part 1)

"I hope you are recovering from your bad experience. How is your ancestor adapting to her new life?" Quashol asked.

"My imprisonment was indeed bad but at least it didn't last long." Solus replied. "M-enadion has a lot to process but she's doing better by the day, thank you for asking" "What about you, Tista? We missed you on the battlefield."

"I'm doing fine but I'm still too weak." She released her aura which had just started to show lighter streaks amid the deep violet. "I wanted to come. I wanted to stand by the Brood's side and save Solus.

"Yet without an armor and a stronger core, I would've been nothing but a burden. It pains me to admit that my absence did more good than my presence would have.

"I see." Quashol had never met Tista in person and had expected her to be no inferior to Lith. Her weak aura and puny armor, however, told a different story. "Don't apologize. Putting the lives of others above your pride was the right thing to do.

"And don't worry about missing a single battle. You are still young and there will be plenty of time for you to catch up with us old fools. Valtak believed in you enough to list you among the candidates for the next Father of Fire and I believe in him.

"Keep working hard and master your abilities. The day when someone aside from the Fire Dragons can teach us something new about our inner fire will mark a new page in Dragon history. Valtak believed that someone might be you.

"It's more than most of us can say." Quashol shook Tista's hand and moved on to Kamila. "Lady Verhen."

"Patriarch Quashol" They didn't have much to say to each other so they just made small talk about. Elysia.

"Lith." The Elder Wyrm offered him his hand and Lith promptly shook it. "I can't help but notice the Hatchlings' wings. Did they too awaken their bloodline?"

The kids' groans answered his question but Lith expanded on it.

"No, that's just Leegaain's doing for the occasion. After my sister and I awakened ours, however, I think it's only a matter of reaching the deep blue core. I don't know if Aran and Leria also have to Awaken or if the natural development would be enough."

"Interesting" Quashol nodded. "Your blood is quite p-"

"Really?" Aran and Leria jumped in front of Lith, demanding an explanation. "Are you

sure?"

"Sure, no." His words made them aww. "But between your reaction to both Leegaain's Dragon Dance and my Demon Dirge, it's safe to assume it's likely. On top of that, I bet that Grandma and Grandpa bringing your Divine Beast to the surface often is stirring your bloodlines."

"Really?" The kids jumped in excitement again.

"Look at me." Lith replied. "No one, and I mean no one sparked my life force once yet I became a Tiamat at the deep blue. I'd say you are leagues ahead compared to me at your age."

The children broke into an improvised celebratory dance that ended the moment they remembered where and why they were. The chuckles from around them helped jog their memory.

"I see, thank you for the information, Uncle Lith." Leria straightened invisible wrinkles on her dress to regain a modicum of composure despite the horse having already bolted out of the stable and reached the nearest city. "I apologize for my interruption, Patriarch Quashol."

"Don't worry, little one." He patted her head. "As I was saying, your blood must be quite potent. It's very unusual to recover what a foolish ancestor has so foolishly discarded. No one should suffer the consequences of a single scrap blood's idiotic decision." "Unusual might be my middle name but I must agree with the Royals' choice. Tiamat has a better ring to it." Lith inwardly sighed in relief, Quashol's words had taken a huge burden off his chest.

Scrap blood wasn't an insult directed to him or the children, but to those who had reneged on their Divine Beast bloodline. Like Zoreth.

'It explains why most Dragons dislike her. I was worried someone might bully the kids but in hindsight, it was silly of me. No one, Dragon or otherwise ever mistreated me even when I was just a Wyrmling and a potential lesser Dragon.

'Quite the contrary, they were welcoming, if not enthusiast or envious.'

Quashol introduced Irslak and Ananta to the kids. Both patriarchs complimented them for their wings and powerful cores for their age.

Once the sun reached halfway past the horizon, the tables with food were removed and the area surrounding Valtak's corpse was cleared, making space for all the guests. Valtak's friends, family, and most of the patriarchs took turns to give him a brief eulogy. There wasn't much time until dark so to let everyone speak, they had to be concise and on point.

Most of them talked about their first encounter with the Father of Fire or the event that had turned master and apprentice into friends.

Lith decided not to go. He had known Valtak only for a short time and didn't want to ruin the nostalgic mood by taking the stage.

"The Dragons may know Valtak's death isn't my fault but their hearts don't care about that. Their pain is too fresh and I can't say anything that wouldn't make it worse! Lith

thought.

"This is the twilight of Valtak, Father of Fire." With a wave of Erghak's hand, Fire Dragons

stepped forward, storing all the treasures inside dimensional amulets.

Even the mountain of gold and artifacts that had been Valtak's bed was taken away.

"His flame is reduced to embers. His life is over. Yet he is not gone." Erghak pointed at the corpse that still stood at the center of the cave. "He will always be with us through his teachings, words, and friendship.

"As long as we remember him and honor him through our actions, Valtak will live on. It is our duty to pass his memory on our descendants so that his flame will ignite again in

their hearts."

A second wave of his hand moved the piles of objects that would be burned in place of Valtak's corpse near to it, like a cold embrace.

"Before we bid our last goodbye to his physical form, let's take a moment to tell him how much he meant to us. You can approach Valtak and touch a relic of your choice, not the body." Erghak looked straight at Aran, reminding him of his earlier blunder.

"It might seem cruel, but we don't want to risk that our pain and grief reach Valtak. We don't want him to come back for us and defile his body and memory by turning himself into an undead."

Aran nodded and the Fire Dragon continued.

"The relics, instead, will store our feelings along with those Valtak already instilled in them. Once burned by our Origin Flames, our negative emotions will be cleansed and only our love and affection will reach him beyond the veil."

Upon his signal, everyone stepped forward, taking one item from the pile of objects and holding it tight. Some whispered their message to the relic while looking at the majestic corpse of the Father of Fire, others kept their eyes closed and their heads down in a silent conversation.