Drakion’s eyes swept across the shattered remains, the air thick with silence and forgotten history. The once-golden city now lay broken, crumbled by time and scarred by battle. Yet as he glanced up at a cracked monument, he could still faintly read the name etched into it—weathered, nearly lost to time.
"Golden Dragon City."
Drakion could feel the aura of solemnity and sorrow emanating from the ruins as he observed them in silence.
It seems the city didn’t escape either, Drakion sighed.
The city spanned between sixty to sixty-five miles in length, spiraling across the ground like a coiled dragon—only now, it resembled a wounded beast, buried in ruin.
"Let’s enter," Drakion said, and they moved forward, treading cautiously into the Golden Dragon City.
As they crossed the threshold, they were met with absolute silence—unnerving, suffocating. Not even the sound of wind stirred. Drakion glanced around warily, hoping to sense if anyone else had entered this city before them.
He stepped into one of the buildings—and what met him was a scene of decay. Collapsed structures, broken arches, and walls that bore the scars of violence and age. He couldn’t count how many buildings there were—this city was vast, and nearly every structure had fallen into ruin.
As they continued their slow walk through the city, Drakion noticed something chilling: there was no lingering aura, no trace of life or presence. Even when he searched through the buildings, they were completely hollow—nothing remained. Not even treasure. If he found anything remotely valuable and tried to touch it, it would crumble into dust.
Tall structures loomed above them—some still standing—but their surfaces were cracked and fading. The deeper Drakion moved into the city, the more devastating the destruction became. It was a graveyard masquerading as a civilization.
Then, suddenly, footsteps.
Every one of them halted as the sound echoed toward them from ahead.
"I thought I smelled something from here," a frustrated female voice rang out.
They looked in the direction of the sound—and when Drakion laid eyes on the approaching figure, his expression twisted. Then, he smiled faintly.
It was none other than Lyla.
She strode toward them with an irritated look on her face, which quickly transformed into a playful grin the moment she saw them.
"No wonder the scent felt familiar," Lyla giggled. "I didn’t expect to meet you here. Looks like fate has once again brought us together," she said with a cheeky smile.
Drakion, upon seeing her, had the overwhelming urge to rip that smile from her lips and crush her neck in his hand. But he clenched down on his wrath and kept his composure.
As for the dragons, they were stunned. Their gazes shifted between Drakion and Lyla, clearly confused by her familiarity with their emperor.
And when they saw that mischievous smile of hers, someone like Blaze—the DracoWolf—had his ears twitching with suspicion. The rest of them exchanged strange glances, an unknown thought forming behind their narrowed eyes.
"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Drakion asked, brows furrowed in confusion.
"Nothing," they coughed, quickly turning their eyes away and creating distance from him. Drakion didn’t catch the hint—they weren’t buying his innocent act.
"I wonder how you got here," Drakion said coldly, the chill in his voice obvious.
"How’s that little thing down there doing?" Lyla grinned.
"Well, thanks to some trash, it’s learned never to associate with garbage again," Drakion replied coolly.
Lyla’s face tightened. Her eyes flared. "Did you just call me trash?"
Drakion shrugged, nonchalant. "I never said you were trash. I said, ’thanks to some trash.’ I didn’t mention any names."
He tilted his head slightly. "Unless, of course... you’re the trash?"
Lyla snorted in frustration, refusing to take the bait. "Oh yeah, by the way... did you guys see what happened at the entrance of the Skeleton Dragon area?" she asked, her brow raised.
Drakion paused, carefully reading the inquisitive gleam in her eyes. She was fishing for something—no, more than that. She was testing him. Her eyes flicked toward his golden irises. She was searching for confirmation.
If he answered with "What do you mean?", it would give her all the confirmation she needed. She was trying to connect them to the dragons—and not without reason.
The number matched. The aura. The masks. Everything aligned. Yes... she suspected.
"Fuck that system and fuck Drakion. They were the ones who caused this," Drakion growled internally.
[Host should not frame this innocent system, or you will face the consequences.]
"Yes, we were there," Drakion said with a calm nod.
"But I didn’t see you," Lyla raised her eyebrows, suspicion flickering in her eyes.
"Why would we be in the open? We stay in the shadows," Drakion chuckled, his voice low and amused.
Lyla touched her chin thoughtfully, narrowing her eyes before nodding slowly.
"Are you the only one in the city?" Drakion asked, his gaze sweeping over the eerily empty surroundings beside them.
"Not really. There are others in the city too, but just that..." She suddenly paused, her words trailing off.
"Just that what?" Drakion asked, his voice edged with curiosity and faint irritation.
"Well, I was wondering why I should even tell you," she snorted. "I was supposed to mind my own business."
Before Drakion could say a word, she had already turned and walked off, leaving him standing there—surprised and slightly stunned. He hadn’t expected that from her.
He turned to the others and the rest of the group. "Let’s get moving."
He didn’t care if Lyla chose to withhold information. He didn’t even want to be associated with her, especially now that she had come dangerously close to uncovering their identity.
As Drakion and the others continued moving toward the center of the city, he began to notice a shift—more people were gathering, converging from all directions. He was mildly surprised, but his nod betrayed a hint of satisfaction.
He was heading in the right direction.
And then, as he finally reached the heart of the city, his breath caught.
A large crowd stood gathered—but that wasn’t what stunned him.
The true shock came when his eyes landed on what they were all staring at.