Chapter 394:Unsuccessful meeting.
The next morning, the atmosphere within the Dragonic Palace was completely different.
The relaxed mood that had filled the island during the previous day had disappeared almost entirely. Representatives who had spent the previous evening exploring the city were now dressed in formal clothing, accompanied by attendants and guards as they made their way toward the great council chamber.
Atheline walked beside Lilith through the enormous corridors, their footsteps echoing against the stone. Their little fox had been left in their quarters this time. She had spent most of the previous evening eating, sleeping, and wandering around the room, and Lilith had decided that she was better left somewhere comfortable rather than bringing it into a formal gathering of rulers.
When they entered the council chamber, Atheline immediately noticed how many more people were present.
The High Elven delegation had arrived in greater numbers than before. The Demonic Kingdom was represented by King Seragus and Prince Lucifer. The Human Continent had several representatives from its different kingdoms, while the Beastmen Continent had sent both beastmen and dwarven representatives.
The dragons themselves occupied the largest section of the chamber.
At the very front sat Draco von Silven and Queen Eliana. The atmosphere was serious, but it wasn’t hostile. Everyone understood why they were there.
The corruption had changed. That alone was enough to make even the most powerful rulers pay attention.
Atheline and Lilith took their seats.
Draco eventually stood.
"Thank you all for coming."
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, yet it carried through the entire chamber without difficulty.
"The reason for this gathering is already known to everyone present. The emergence of the new corrupted variant has forced us to reconsider several assumptions we have held regarding the current spread of corruption."
He paused.
"The situation is no longer confined to isolated regions."
Several representatives nodded.
"The ocean is changing as well," Draco continued. "Reports have been received from several territories regarding abnormal activity beneath the surface."
A representative from the Demonic Kingdom spoke.
"Our water-elemental observers have confirmed that the corrupted have begun appearing in the ocean."
Murmurs immediately spread across the room.
"However," the representative continued, "the numbers remain relatively small. We have not yet observed anything resembling a large-scale migration."
"That doesn’t make the situation reassuring," one of the human representatives said.
"No." The representative shook his head. "It doesn’t."
Several people began discussing the matter at once.
Atheline listened quietly.
The Blood Sea had already begun spreading. The corruption had reached the mainland and there were reports of missing villagers.
The Beastmen and Human Continents had both experienced increased activity. nd now there were corrupted creatures appearing within other ocean. It was becoming increasingly difficult to determine where the corruption would appear next.
Draco eventually raised a hand. The room became quiet again.
"Before we continue, there is another matter."
His golden eyes moved toward Atheline and Lilith.
"First, I would like to extend my congratulations."
Atheline blinked.
"For what?"
A few people smiled. Draco laughed softly.
"Both of you have reached the peak of the Mystic rank."
The room became noticeably quieter. Atheline leaned back slightly. Lilith remained composed, although a small smile appeared on her face.
"Word travels quickly," Atheline said.
"Among dragons?" Draco smiled. "Very quickly."
Eliana added, "Reaching the peak of Mystic is not something that happens often. It is worthy of recognition."
Several representatives offered their congratulations. Lucifer was among them, grinning openly.
"You didn’t tell me you had reached the peak."
Atheline glanced toward him.
"You didn’t ask."
"That’s not fair."
"It is." Lucifer shook his head. "Still, congratulations."
Atheline nodded.
"Thank you."
Then Draco looked toward another section of the room.
"However, they are not the only recent Mystics among us."
Atheline’s attention shifted. A woman rose from among the human representatives.
She appeared to be in her late sixties, although there was something unusual about her appearance that made her difficult to age accurately. Her hair was gray, and her expression was sharp.
She stepped forward.
"My name is Seraphine." She paused. "I am from the Kingdom of Gladia."
Now Gladia was under the authority of the Dark Elven Kingdom. Seraphine’s eyes moved toward Lilith, then Atheline. There was no attempt to hide her resentment.
"I apologize for appearing late." She continued. "Fifty years ago, I entered a ruin."
A murmur spread across the chamber.
"I was not expecting anything extraordinary. It was supposed to be an abandoned structure discovered by a group of explorers."
She gave a bitter laugh.
"I was wrong."
"What happened?" someone asked.
"I entered, and I didn’t leave." Seraphine’s expression became distant. "I remained there for fifty years."
Atheline frowned.
"How?"
"A temporal distortion."
The answer came from Draco.
Several people looked toward him. The Draconic King remained seated.
"The ruin probably existed outside normal time."
Seraphine nodded.
"To me, only a few years seemed to pass but when I finally escaped..." She looked around the chamber. "Fifty years had passed."
That explained why no one had known about her.
Seraphine continued.
"I spent that time surviving, found records, earned techniques, and eventually..." Her eyes hardened. "I reached the Mystic rank."
Several representatives exchanged surprised looks. Atheline glanced toward Lilith.
Another Mystic.
But Seraphine wasn’t finished.
"I returned to find my homeland had been taken."
Her eyes settled directly on Lilith.
"You."
The room became quiet.
"You took control of Glafia."
Lilith didn’t react.
"It was either that or go to war with our kingdom," Lilith said calmly.
"That doesn’t make it yours."
"If you want war we can go for it. My people have been craving blood for some time."
Seraphine’s expression darkened.
"You will one day pay for this."
Atheline remained silent.
He understood her resentment. From her perspective, she had entered a ruin believing she was leaving her kingdom behind for a short expedition. She had emerged fifty years later to discover that everything had changed.
The people she knew were gone, the government she remembered no longer existed, and the kingdom now answered to Lilith. It wasn’t difficult to understand why she was angry.
But Lilith didn’t appear interested in arguing.
"Your feelings are your own," she said.
Seraphine looked away.
"Perhaps."
Draco allowed the silence to linger before continuing.
"There are two more individuals who should be introduced."
Two figures rose from the High Elven delegation. The first was a man. He possessed pale blonde hair and bright eyes. His presence carried an unmistakable light Aether.
"This is Caius." Draco introduced him. "He is a High Elf who recently reached the Mystic rank."
Caius bowed.
"An honor."
Atheline studied him for a while before shaking his head. It seems the universe was determined to match them on not leave it’s darlings behind.
The next to stand was a Dark Elf woman dressed in the robes of a saintess. Her silver hair fell down her back, and her eyes carried a calm but powerful presence.
"This is Yander."
The room became quiet again.
"The Dark Elven Saintess."
Yander bowed.
"I recently reached the Mystic rank as well."
Atheline glanced toward Lilith. She seemed equally surprised.
Caius spoke.
"We discovered a ruin."
"Both of us." Yander continued. "We were separated from our travelling groups. Each of us entered different sections of the structure and remained there for some time."
Caius nodded.
"By the time we escaped, we had both advanced."
Atheline couldn’t help finding the situation strange. Another ruin and another pair of people suddenly appearing after spending an unknown amount of time inside one. It was becoming difficult to believe that all of these discoveries were unrelated.
Yet before he could say anything, Draco spoke again.
"There is a reason I know about these developments."
The chamber became quiet.
Draco’s expression changed.
The pressure around him increased slightly.
"I have finally advanced into the realm of Sovereign."
Several of the younger representatives visibly stiffened. Atheline already knew that Draco was powerful, but he had never heard him openly declare his Sovereign rank.
"My authority is the Sovereign of Ice."
A faint chill passed through the chamber. It wasn’t an attack but merely the natural pressure of someone standing at a realm far beyond the Mystic rank.
Atheline remained calm. Lilith did as well.
Draco looked around the room.
"I mention this because I have personally sensed several unusual changes occurring across the world. Some of them began before the new corrupted variant appeared. Others began afterward."
His eyes narrowed.
"We do not yet understand whether they are connected."
The discussion continued for hours.
The representatives debated the Blood Sea. They discussed the corrupted appearing in the ocean.
They talked about missing villagers, increased activity on the Human and Beastmen Continents, and the possibility that corruption might be spreading toward previously untouched regions.
Some suggested sending larger armies. Others argued that doing so might accelerate the spread.
The dragons suggested observation, the humans wanted action, the elves wanted more information and the demons remained cautious.
Eventually, the arguments became circular. No one possessed enough information to make a definitive decision.
Draco finally brought the discussion to an end.
"We have discussed much but we have reached few conclusions."
There were several tired smiles around the chamber.
"We will continue tomorrow."
No one objected.
The representatives began standing. Atheline remained seated for a moment, watching everyone leave.
A whole day of meeting and somehow, they were no closer to understanding what was happening.
Lilith stood beside him.
"Come."
Atheline rose.
As they walked out of the chamber together, he glanced once toward the figures who had been introduced that day. Somehow, that bothered him more than the corruption itself.
Because Atheline had begun to suspect that the ruins appearing across the world were not random.
And if they weren’t random, then someone, or something, might have been guiding them toward a purpose none of them understood yet.