Chapter 473: Of All People

The cratered grounds of Wyrmfall should’ve felt peaceful with how silent and undisturbed the area had become.

And yet, to the two female Dravaryns, the silence felt less like peace and more like waiting for a judgment that was completely out of their control.

It was one thing for Ilyss, who in her own opinion hadn’t amounted to much to begin with, to look and feel like shit.

But it was a whole other thing to confirm that they might genuinely be in serious trouble when someone as normally put together and dignified as her aunt had been reduced to a similar state.

Then again, Ilyss never thought there would come a day when someone as powerful as Kael would be fighting for his life like this.

And all they could do was hope that Riley Hale, her new in-law, could somehow perform some sort of unprecedented miracle.

Please.

Please save him.

At this point, Ilyss couldn’t even remember how many times she’d internally pleaded for the exact same thing.

But she definitely remembered the moment she almost screamed those prayers out loud after having to catch her aunt when Lady Cirila suddenly staggered backward.

Because the threads of mana surrounding Kael and Riley were fraying.

Yes.

Those fragile-looking yet clearly powerful threads that had bathed the surrounding area in light were suddenly coming apart, particularly around the two men.

Maybe they would’ve been able to handle seeing at least that much.

But what were they even supposed to think when it didn’t stop at the threads fraying?

The growth of the already massive tree was slowing down as well.

Instead of its glowing roots continuing to extend as they had earlier, they were beginning to curl inward, almost as though the entire thing was retreating.

"No, no... please..." Lady Cirila muttered.

Her hand blindly reached toward the light before stopping just short of the threadlike leylines, too terrified to actually touch them.

They’d been doing better earlier.

So why?

What was wrong?

Just what was happening?

Ilyss tried desperately to keep her breathing steady as she physically supported her aunt, making sure the other woman didn’t completely collapse even while she was internally blaming herself for being too late.

If only she’d—

But she didn’t get to continue thinking about anything as a thunderous explosion suddenly detonated in the distance.

"!!!"

Both women’s heads snapped toward the sound.

For mortals, that distance probably would’ve been far enough not to immediately care about.

But even exhausted and unable to use their mana, they were still dragons to their very cores.

They couldn’t simply ignore a potential threat that would inevitably reach their ears whether they liked it or not.

Despite the distress they were already drowning in over the cocoon behind them, Lady Cirila and Ilyss immediately went on high alert, their gazes zeroing in on the active horizon.

Several immense figures were locked in a violent altercation against the dark sky.

Lady Cirila squinted into the distance before her voice dropped gravely.

"Ilyss, you said we can’t use mana this close, right?"

"Yes. I remember being told we shouldn’t interfere with the change—"

Another massive explosion shook the air.

This time, Ilyss’s eyes widened when she finally recognized one of the figures heading straight toward them.

Her uncle.

For one brief moment, an overwhelming rush of emotion washed over her.

Another member of her family was alive.

After everything that had happened, just seeing Lord Karion again nearly made Ilyss forget what was happening around them.

Unfortunately, that relief didn’t last long.

Because it quickly became obvious that her uncle wasn’t simply flying toward Wyrmfall.

He was in the middle of forcibly keeping everyone following him in line.

And judging by the brutal, uncompromising way Lord Karion was dishing out attacks, those dragons behind him definitely hadn’t come to help.

"We need to make sure they don’t get anywhere near this tree," Lady Cirila declared.

The exhaustion on her face remained, but her expression had already hardened like iron as the determination to protect Kael and Riley flared back to life.

Ilyss wanted to point out just how impossible that sounded when both of them could barely move properly.

They couldn’t use mana, partly because they weren’t allowed to do so this close to the formation, but mostly because they were already far too spent to risk it.

Their bodies were practically falling apart.

And now, there were actual dragons heading straight for them.

But even as those doubts crossed her mind, Ilyss realized her feet were already moving.

So much for impossible.

She stepped forward beside her aunt.

The walk became a hurried stride before both women broke into a full sprint, heading straight out to meet the incoming enemies as far away from the tree as possible.

__

Meanwhile, several beings and factions were already heading toward that massive aerial tree.

Some were there simply to understand what was happening, while others intended to capitalize on whatever changes might come from it.

But within that same group was one particular dragon who didn’t just want to gain something from being a first mover.

He wanted to find something he could use to take revenge on everyone who had wronged him.

As the true rightful heir to the red dragon clan, he simply couldn’t allow all those people who’d treated him like dirt to continue living as though nothing had happened.

Not only had they humiliated him, but they’d also taken everything that should’ve belonged to him from the moment he was born.

Yet when he tried to take back his birthright, even those green dragons had betrayed him, leaving him with no reliable allies.

He’d nearly gone crazy over it.

All those people who used to flock around him had disappeared the moment he actually needed their help to reclaim what had been stolen from him.

So now, he finally understood.

He would have to take the reins himself.

Unfortunately, while his desire for revenge burned with immense passion, he still couldn’t act on it just yet.

He simply didn’t have enough power to fight everyone who’d wronged him.

Worse, he was now an exile, forced to run from those who would likely fear his return enough to make sure he never got the chance.

What else could he possibly do at that point?

However, just when he thought he’d have to struggle for much longer, the red dragon, who happened to be right outside the borders of the Dravaryn Dominion, suddenly felt an intense amount of mana blanketing the entire area.

Naturally, he immediately went to investigate.

And what he saw emerging from Wyrmfall of all places was unbelievable.

Now, as someone who used to know far more than most people, how could he possibly fail to recognize that something like this was an opportunity he couldn’t afford to miss?

In fact, maybe this was the break he’d been waiting for all along.

Because had he never been cast out of his clan, he wouldn’t have been in the perfect position to reach Wyrmfall fast enough.

Maybe, for once, something was actually working in his favor.

And so, determined to claim that mysterious source of mana for himself, the deposed heir of the red dragon clan immediately flew toward the wyverns’ nest.

It didn’t take long for him to realize he wasn’t alone in the sky.

Several other beings were heading in the exact same direction, including various dragons who had clearly reached the same conclusion he had. His only advantage was approaching from a different angle while the others seemed too entangled with each other to focus entirely on reaching Wyrmfall.

Still, whenever someone managed to pull ahead, he forced himself to go even faster.

No!

He couldn’t possibly allow them to get there first!

With the pressure mounting, the red dragon raced forward as the distance between him and Wyrmfall rapidly disappeared.

Explosions were already echoing through the surrounding skies by the time he drew close.

But just as he prepared himself for whatever confrontation was happening ahead, he was genuinely surprised to see a relatively small figure sprinting directly toward him.

For a moment, it didn’t make any sense.

Then the scattering dust and debris finally cleared enough for him to see the approaching figure properly.

The red dragon froze.

Because of all the people he could’ve encountered here, he couldn’t believe he was staring at the very person he considered the true origin of all his difficulties.

Ilyss Dravaryn Vathros.