Drakon leisurely gulped down a goblet of scorching mead, listening to the report of one of his underlings.
He was currently inside the citadel of his clan, in a private room, away from prying eyes.
"I'm sorry, Young Master. The search for anything with potent flames came up empty."
The underling's voice trembled, obviously aware of his master's temper. The more his subordinate spoke, the darker Drakon's expression became.
Eventually, once he realised the servant did not bear any good news, he dismissed them with an angry wave of his hand.
The Ember heir gritted his teeth, his polychromatic eyes crackling like a blazing hearth. He clenched his fists tightly until his knuckles turned white.
These days, Drakon found it difficult to suppress his rage.
Especially after that darned dog belonging to Celeste all but disappeared from the Sanctuary, taking that sacred phoenix with him. Just recalling the sheer gall Alden had to leave, sent a new wave of fire exploding inside his core.
How dare he deprive him of that phoenix!
How dare he get in the way of loosening his bottleneck!
Drakon stewed internally, a raging cauldron about to erupt.
Suddenly, just then, an ear-shattering crack resounded from somewhere. He flinched, the goblet in his hands trembling, affected by the sheer volume of the noise.
His rage abruptly cooled.
Drakon felt a hint of unease and dread.
The Ember heir set his drink down.
Just as the goblet touched the table, the door to the room burst open. Drakon immediately snapped his neck to the entrance.
There, he found a pale guard trying to catch their breath.
"Y-Young Master, the Sanctuary is under attack! The Barrier is breached and no longer active!"
Drakon's gaze constricted.
All the hair on his body stood on end.
"The Dark Elves have launched an intense offensive against the mundane people, armed with countless Snow Tigers. The Elders are currently mobilising all our forces as we speak, but it may take some time. They have instructed us to keep you inside the Citadel."
Drakon took in all the information with a hint of shock.
The Dark Elves were attacking?
And how had they managed to dismantle the barrier?
Eventually, Drakon relaxed, recalling how the sentry had said they were attacking the mundane members of the Sanctuary. That meant things were fine, right? As long as too many did not die, such that they could still prove useful by doing menial jobs that were beneath him and other mages, then the Embeir heir wasn't inclined to care all that much.
That was… until a certain idea came to mind.
What if fighting against the horde of Dark Elves and Defiled helped him get rid of his bottleneck?
What if, after undergoing so much combat in such a short amount of time, the blasted obstacle would magically come undone?
Suddenly, Drakon was very eager to fight.
His flame-like pupils burst to life.
As he stood up, his authoritative voice swept through the room.
"Nonsense! I will not be confined here! As a member of the Four Clans, I must protect the citizens under my purview."
Drakon purposefully made his voice deeper and posture grander, mirroring a valiant hero.
The guard sent him a sceptical look.
He internally clicked his tongue.
The Ember heir sighed.
"Look, you can try to stop me, but I'm going either way. Won't it be better if you guys come with me, that way you can ensure my survival?"
The sentry hesitated.
And so, after some more persuasion (threatening), Drakon left the citadel of the Ember Clan under the supervision of his protective detail, composed of numerous Adepts and Experts alike.
Burst after burst of fire left his feet as he sped along, leaving a wave of steam in his wake. The guards copied their master's [Flame Dash], and soon, after a little travelling, they discovered a large mob heading towards them.
Drakon thought, looking at the helpless and worthless mundane.
He sneered internally.
Then, he abruptly froze, his eyes widening. From afar, he discovered a cloaked young man diving into the throng of panicked humans. Numerous tentacles moved around his figure, gently pushing them out of his way.
A pitch-black phoenix rested on his shoulder.
The latter was what attracted Drakon's attention the most.
This was what he had dreamed of every night for the past month.
To somehow, somewhere, stumble upon Alden's familiar again.
And what better time than this!?
A seed of a plan formed in Drakon's mind.
"Keep your distance."
Celeste fired off arrow after arrow, slowly losing strength in her limbs.
She remained determined, however.
It would not do for a Chosen of the Divine Sovereign to falter.
It would not do for them to show weakness.
It would not do for them to fall.
As such, Celeste kept up the relentless pace, even as her body protested.
What was a little fatigue to a life she could potentially save?
By now, most, if not all mundane humans had rushed past her.
There were still a few trying to hobble away, impaired by disabilities or old age, but for the most part, she was alone.
Just like she had been ever since Alden left.
Ever since he sacrificed himself for her.
'Oh, Al. I miss you terribly.'
Celeste groaned internally, her muscles on fire. She didn't know how much more of this she could take.
However, in the next moment, she realised she didn't have to worry about that anymore as the army had advanced much closer to her. In her concentration, she didn't notice just how near they had gotten, so any hope of retreat was now off the table.
Celeste let go of her bow, a tired expression on her face.
At this distance, her arrows were pretty much useless.
She no longer had any need for her bow.
Throwing the weapon away, she gritted her teeth and summoned the last embers of her mana, dead set on making her final stand.
'Come at me, you wretched abominations!'
Just as a great number of Snow Tigers were about to pounce on her figure, the shadow of a dirty cloak blocked Celeste's hazy vision. Squinting, she peered closer, finding multiple dark tentacles thrashing wildly around the mysterious figure.
Then, the individual looked back, and a pang struck her heart.
They looked remarkably like Alden.
In her final moments, it seemed fate wanted her to dream about what could have been.
She sighed a little sadly.
Just then, the figure spoke, his voice eerily similar to that of her childhood friend.
Eyes that twinkled with mirth and tender affection.
Celeste gasped, unable to believe her eyes.