It had been only a few days since the events at Caelum had transpired, yet they clearly had far-reaching consequences. Even in Pergrande there was a certain tension lingering in the air. The mysterious absence of the Dragon Knight had been an evident sign that something was about to happen, and it left the people restless.

Ryuko had been in her domain, yet for some reason had chosen isolation, as if she had been troubled by something. Although it seemed that she had been planning something, for Drakkon had been summoned to the throne room of the order. Even now it was evident something had happened, because the moment the man opened the door leading into the Dragon's sanctuary the presence of voidal magic was clearly there. The mana in the air was thick and filled with the essence of the void.

"Ah Drakkon, you have heard my summons, thank you for coming."

Standing at the window overlooking the keep the Dragon Knight had been waiting for him, yet there was clearly something different about her. Her scent seemed different, while it still carried traces of the Dragon, it seemed to be intertwined with another scent, one that was heavier and might remind Drakkon of a divinity like his father, if not for the fact the scent carried that same twisted corruption as the void did.

"I hope you found your entertainment in the void~ Come, have a seat, we have much to discuss."

She turned toward her throne and made a slight waving gesture, causing a similar looking seat to emerge a few meters opposite of it. Perhaps a gesture of some sort? Either way, she approached the throne and took a seat, her gaze turning back toward the man.

"It might come as an unexpected request, but I would like for you to take over the leadership of the order." She paused, as she waited for the information to process and then continued her explanation. "Your abilities as a Dragon Slayer likely already made it evident, but I am no longer my old self, because I took a gamble in the Void."

She smiled weakly, her gaze still focused on the man as she continued. "While you and the others were fighting Darkfang I went with Y'shaari to try to retrieve an ancient relic that was hidden underneath the castle, it was a magical tool of immense power, a wish-granting Chalice called the Holy Grail."

She paused for a moment, thinking of how to explain the rest a bit more clearly. "Y'shaari hoped to use it to corrupt me into becoming a servant of her master, a ploy I had anticipated so I wished to gain the power to usurp the void. A dangerous wish that led me to be remade into a being that is both Dragon and divinity, I guess if you use simple terms calling me a Void Dragon with the powers of a Deity would have been correct."

She took a deep breath before she continued. "Yet my body needs time to adjust to this new existence, and during that time I will lack the power to openly lead the Order. It is for that reason I'd like for you to take over. I wish to focus on my recovery so that by the time we can strike into uniting the entirety of Pergrande under our banner, I am back at my full strength."

Of course there was something else. "Of course in return I have two gifts for you. The first is the revelation of the fact Dragonkin will return to Earthland soon. I am planning to use my powers over the void to create a pathway to lead them home."

And then it came. "And for the other gift, I will give you that which you requested of me last time and let you try to devour the Monarch's power within me. I'm not certain if you will be able to inherit it, since my power is inheritedly a Dragon's magic rather than a slayer, but it is worth a try.

Drakkon had to deal with things that he had to take care of. Being the boss of the Yakuza Clan had its perks, but at the same time, it seemed like things needed his presence, so things could be resolved. Still, he had other things to take care of as well. The guild he was in was one that he had wanted to see succeed. That was why when he was being summoned by the Dragon Monarch, he had simply cut through the open space in front of him and walked through it to end up in Illingrad. Of course, he wasn’t on his own, Hai accompanied with him as he wondered what their guild leader needed for them today.

He had arrived within seconds as he had put his Yamato back in its cover. He had opened the door that led to the throne room, and there he would see Ryuko greeting him. She had sensed him coming, but she could have easily smelt him too. Either way, it was fine, and he would embrace the welcome with a smile on his face.

“Not a problem, glad you called. What can I help you with today Ryuko?” He asked him her.

She was the Monarch Dragon Slayer, but even then, he felt her an equal. He was curious as to why he had been summoned, but he was not annoyed or bothered by it. Instead, he looked at her as she was by the window. It seemed like something was surrounding her, like darkness that he could only see and enjoy.

“Ah, yes, I did. There were a lot of people I knew there. I even got to see someone’s lover in action. Not that I was impressed, but he was suitable for her for the time being.” He said this to Ryuko as he gladly took a seat on the creation that was made by Ryuko.

He had been referring to Lumikki and Knuxs. He cared for Lumikki, but his phobia that she would change him and bring him to become a different man pushed his idea to be with her away. Drakkon had her the request she had made. His eyes blinked a few times, confused by the request. He wanted to speak but was left speechless as he waited for her to explain more.

When she was done, he nodded understanding the reasoning. Ryuko as she was now was not fit to lead, if people found out that she had been weakened at the moment, they would attempt to strike and Dragon Order, and problems within themselves would occur.

“I see, so things had gone in a way that puts us in a bind for the time being.” He said as he allowed her to continue to speak.

She had told him about the fact that Dragonkin would be returning to Earthland soon. If that was the case, was there a chance for him to become one? If he did, then would he be able to gain the ability to wield Dragon Slayer Magic? It would make him far stronger than he was that was for certain. The second thing Ryuko mentioned was the one thing he had anticipated. She was offering him to take in the Dragon Slayer magic that she had currently.

“I see, so Dragonkin is returning here, which means more of your kind to persuade you to join the Order. If I became one, with the power of Chaos within me, I wondered how things would unfold.” He thought about the idea.

“And as for devouring your Monarch Powers, let’s how things go. I just need to simply touch the side of your head, if you allow me to.” He said waiting for her to give him permission to do so.

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Ryuko nodded her head slightly in return to Drakkon's words about the raid. "I'm glad you returned safely, the void is quite unpredictable in nature, and just like chaos it is difficult to establish control over it." A slight nod followed as she pondered about her words. If the void was unpredictable, then it was best to always expect the worst when dealing with it, although it was that type of mentality that had gotten her this far when dealing with it. "Indeed, I will need time to adjust to my newfound powers, and although we have a brief respite thanks to the eyes of many having turned toward Iceberg, it will be only a matter of time before we proceed with our own plans."

She paused for a moment, a hand reaching for her chin as she pondered about Drakkon's thoughts. "I am uncertain, although the dragons will return the concept of a mortal- ah a non Dragon to become a Dragonkin is not something I heard of before. Even I was a dragon from birth, and although Maple will be able to gain the magic of a Dragon through me, I do not know if that would allow her body to physically adapt to the existence of a Dragonkin. If anything- I don't even know how our offspring would be."

She laughed weakly at the thought. "But I shall look into it and shall inform you if I find a way for one to become a Dragon. There are stories of slayers who became dragons over time, but I have yet to find the root of what caused this." When Drakkon explained how he could devour her powers she nodded her head lightly, shifting lightly so she was leaning forwards, closing her eyes for a moment. It was at that time she continued to speak.

"Although, who knows if you'll be able to draw upon my newfound powers once I learn to wield them. It would be interesting to find out, but right now it seems the power is still dormant, perhaps a testimony to why I'm feeling exhausted after my return from the void."

With her response given she decided to wait and see if Drakkon could properly wield the power she possessed as the Monarch Dragon. If anything she had to admit she was curious about the entire concept of it.

Drakkon was glad that Ryuko was fine though. He tilted his head looking at the woman and wondered what was going to happen in the future. The power that was seeping out of her was weak, but at the same time, it looked yummy. Still, if he became the Guild Leader, he would be the Monarch, and with that, he wanted to make sure that the Guild itself grew. That meant he was going to have to recruit new prospects, but who would catch his attention?

One thing is for sure, he wanted other Dragon Slayers within the order. He wouldn’t just leave it at that, no he would find rare unique abilities that only he could grow. He heard her words and it seemed like she was uncertain. He was fine without it, of course, him being a Demi-God was enough for him as he didn’t about his roots until recently.

Still, one thing he was happy about was that she allowed him to absorb the powers that he asked for. It was different than how he approached things prior.

“It is worth a try, I say. And when the time comes it will be interesting honestly to see if I can. So, where do you plan on staying? I know you will be going somewhere to gather your strength, but it would be interesting to know. I guess I can keep an eye on the location, and bring Maple to you from time to time.” He said as another thing had come up.

There was someone else that he would either take with him or leave behind. He wondered if he would have to take care of her too. She was the closest to a Kin that Drakkon had, she had pieces of his power within her.

“Will Tia be going with you as well? Or do you plan to leave her here? I figured I should be aware of everything I can.” He said to Ryuko and once she had answered him, he touched the side of her head.

He closed his eyes as his eyes moved quickly from side to side. There were three spells, that she had that he saw as interesting. This was her power, it was insane, powerful, yet delicious. His eyes opened up when he felt it entering him, and he leaned back on the chair that she had created for him. Hai flinched a bit as he wondered if his father was okay. It seemed like he was, which brought him to relief. Still, what was going on was beyond him right now.

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Ryuko nodded her head lightly at the question. "It is a fair question to ask: I will be staying in Pergrande, although unlike before I will take a different form to conceal my identity. Only Maple, Tia and you will be aware of this."

As she spoke she waited for Drakkon to lean back into his seat and rose up from her own, a step sideways being made as she made a light waving motion with her hand, as if to conjure her disguise.

"To the world I am just Veles now, a wandering scholar with a vested interest in Pergrande's historical sights. Although rather than calling it a illusion, it is closer to a shapeshifting disguise."

A moment passed as she smiled briefly at his inquiry. "Tia will be staying here a a liaison for us, since we are connected I can easily communicate through her during the times I am hiding. Meanwhile I think it is best I will let Maple enjoy the freedom she is so fond of, I made sure that she can easily track down my trail through our unique bond, but I don't wish to make her think our home is a gilded cage."

She paused for a bit, a hand reaching for her cheek as she pondered. "Although for accommodation I do plan to return to the Voda River, the region is quite lush in forests and wildlife, so it will be a place Maple can enjoy wandering around, and I can rest undisturbed. There is a particular part of the region where I hid a cottage, the animals keep away due to my presence, not to mention my powers do allow me to slip away and escape quite easily from unwanted company."

She chuckled softly after which she continued. "Perhaps by the time the war unfolds we will have been able to bolster our numbers a little, and trained these within our ranks. Or I should better say: you~ I will be forced to retreat into the shadows for a bit, because I expect Y'shaari and her master will be quite displeased that I usurped some of their power. Then again, I'm sure the feeling between us in mutual in the sense that we bend the knee to no divinity. Doesn't matter if the god is from the Void or another realm."

A grin lingered on her lips as she added the last part. "After all, respect has to be earned." She paused for a moment and heaved a soft sigh. "Although Tia might be a bit grumpy about it all, lamenting about the fact that I need to hide myself so I can regain my strength, but pride has its time and place."

He would swing Enma and his katana would hit with such force, that it caught the man by surprise.


Drakkon heard what she would be doing, and he nodded. It seemed like she would still be around. That was good to hear, and that meant he didn’t have to worry about Maple being worried. That was good, and it was then that his Guild Leader would change her appearance to a different one. He blinked a bit as he found things like this interesting. It seemed like her alias was Veles and what she would be doing would allow her to learn more about Pergrande.

It seemed like Tia would stay behind, which he was fine with. She was a Dragon that Drakkon didn’t mind protecting. As for Maple, it seemed like she would allow her to do what she pleased. That was good, but he would make sure that Maple would become stronger than she was right now.

Still, knowing that he would be able to find her whenever was a good thing. He was sure she would be fine, and in the meantime, he would prepare to raise the strength of the Dragon Order. He laughed when he heard the fact that they do not yield to any divinity. That was for sure, as he loved to live his life free from all of that.

“I will make sure to strengthen the guild. There is one person I already have in mind. I don’t know if he will say yes though, but he doesn’t seem too stubborn.” He paused for a second before continuing on.

“Yeah, I cannot wait to see what occurs in the future to come, I’m sure I will not be bored, just like recent events.” He said to Ryuko.

He laughed again when he heard about Tia being grumpy about Ryuko’s sudden action.

“I can understand why she would be, but at the same time, I’m sure she will come to understand why. I guess I will be here to entertain her actions.” He said to her as he thought about something.

“I was wondering is Maple the only exception of non-Dragon abilities to join the guild? It’s what I am for those who wield Dragon Slayer and Dragon-Like abilities, but I wanted to make sure.” He was curious to know her thoughts about that.

Drakkon wanted to approach Toga and see if he wanted to come to his side, but he wasn’t sure how the elemental fire dragon slayer would react to his invitation.

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