Nightmare ripped open the last remaining hut with his razor-sharp claws. Although Nightmare wasn't as tall as a full-grown dragon, he did stand nearly nine feet tall.
"Oh my god!"
"No no no no no"
The two lieutenants stumbled backward in fear. Nightmare moved his head closer to the two lieutenants, the hot smoke coming out of his nostrils brushed past the two lieutenants. Like many other bandits, they peed themselves. They never thought they would see a dragon this much closer.
The fire reflecting on its crimson red scales made him more terrifying.
"Let's go for a ride" Nightmare's rage-filled growl almost made the two lieutenants faint. He swept the two bandits off the ground before flapping his red wings to take off. The wings sent a shock wave that was powerful enough to put out the fire around him.
Nightmare flew higher and higher into the sky. Realizing how high they are in the sky, they stopped struggling under Nightmare's clutch. If they were to be put down by the dragon, they couldn't even imagine the output.
"Where...where are you...taking us?"
Nightmare didn't answer as he continued to soar through the sky. After flying for another ten minutes, Nightmare started to descend. The bandits expected the dragon to bring them to the sect except the dragon brought them to the middle of the forest. Although they were flying for only ten minutes, they crossed several kilometers.
Everywhere the bandits turned, there was nothing but trees. The thick canopy barely let the light through, hence their surroundings were dark and gloomier. The moment Nightmare released them, their instincts to escape kicked in as they tried to crawl away.
However, an invisible force prevented them from moving any further. Soon, the force lifted them up in the air. The bandits hovered in the air while Nightmare began to interrogate them.
"Tell me where Quinn is and I'll grant you a quick, painless death or I'll slowly roast you two like chicken and eat you"
Nightmare's body began to glow more and more, indicating the dragon's flame forming inside his body.
"He's in Royal land, meeting someone. That's all we know!"
Nightmare was slightly taken aback by surprise. He never expected the two lieutenants to break so easily. The bandits he interrogated before either tried to fight him and died or never answered him until Nightmare roasted them alive. Ever since Jack was found dead, he was hunting the bandits day and night. He blamed himself for not being there when Jack was murdered. The guilt drove Nightmare crazy.
After decimating many bandits camps in the forest around the sect, Nightmare finally found the leader of these bandits, Quinn. Considering they had no leads whatsoever in the murder of Jack, Nightmare targetted the bandit leader who's responsible for all the bandit camps around the sect. He wanted to find the murderer before Gaya comes back. Jack was an annoying little brother to her. The whole sect was afraid of telling Gaya about Jack's death. Including Nightmare, everyone knew she would go berserk.
His death affected the entire sect more than anyone would imagine. Jack was one of the disciples who never left the sect even when the sect was on the verge of closing. He was loyal to the core.
Nightmare stared at the two bandits for a few seconds. The look in their eyes told Nightmare that they weren't lying.
"Please, let us go!"
"Please"
The bandits begged Nightmare to let them go. If it was before Jack's murder, Nightmare would have found some mercy in his heart but after he saw Jack's body, he felt no mercy for kings like bandits. The more he grew, the more he understood the meaning of Ghost and Gaya's words. They always told him to be ruthless and unforgiving. After Jack's death, he realized why. There was someone in this world who was ruthless enough to kill a kind, loving person like Jack in cold blood, so he knew what this world would do to people like Ghost, Gaya, and him.
"No" Nightmare sent a puff of hot breath towards the flowing pirates. The bandits tried to wiggle but the hot breath melted them in a blink of an eye.
Even their bones falling onto the ground were partially melted by Nightmare's breath.
He felt no pity for the bandits. As far as he was concerned, the sect would be safer with fewer or no bandits in the forests. With another flap, he took off into the sky, it was time for him to return to the sect.
************************************
Except for a few black clouds of smoke coming out from the forests, the mountains of the Sunrise sect looked calm and beautiful.
"Have we reached the sect yet Felix?" Diana was sitting on seat' edge of the carriage with Ethan by her side.
"We will soon, my lady"
The old man driving the carriage said with a chuckle. This was the tenth time she had asked the question. After asking the old man, she opened the window to see the view outside. What she saw outside mesmerized her and Ethan. The last days of winter always had a calming beauty to them.
The roads were previously blanketed by snow but now, there were more puddles along the road than snowbanks.
The little sprouts coming out of the snow-covered trees seemed like little babies waving at them. The sound of birds chirping sounded louder than the wheels of the carriage itself. Perhaps charming was the name to the effect the birds provided for them.
"Is it me or does the carriage feel less bumpy?" Ethan asked. Even when he was traveling in Pentown, the carriage would be bumpier but After they entered River town, the ride was extremely comfortable and smoother.
"It's the paved roads, my lord. The masons who paved Royal land, the same masons paved these roads too"
"Oh?" Ethan was pleasantly surprised. Unlike Diana, he had little idea about the sect's current state of affairs. Diana did say the Sunrise sect was not as declined as before but he never expected the sect could afford the masons of Royal land.
"Wow"
"Wow indeed Lord Winston. My friend's niece recently got into the sect. She tried to get into the MorningStar first but the teachers who came to oversee the selection rejected her. The little girl was pretty heartbroken"
Every time Ethan travels with Felix, the old man would make his ears bleed with stories, gossip, and all sorts of things. Most of the time, Ethan would pretend to be cultivating or just nod without paying any attention to the old man. However, now he was genuinely interested to hear everything about his son's sect.
"Couple of my buddies who often travel to the Sunrise sect recommended it to my friend. I don't know how but he convinced her daughter somehow to apply for the sect and now every time he sees my buddies, he would take them to free meals "
"Why?" Ethan asked. The old man turned back for a moment sensing the genuine curiosity in Ethan's voice. It made the talkative old man even more talkative.
"You see my lord, the girl was at the Formation core stage when MoriningStar rejected her. It wasn't a surprise, considering those people only take the best of the best and the girl certainly isn't one. Formation core at age twenty is mediocre at best. However, after joining the Sunrise sect, she reached the Body Refining stage level 5 in just three months and that's on par with some of the talented noble kids. Apparently, all the disciples in the sect are getting free pills and potions to help with their cultivation. I mean, many nobles are lining up in the sect to buy those things yet the disciples getting them for free"
The old man paused for a second and went on,
"The sect has to thank Ghost for their change of fortune. I don't think another 5-star Alchemist would be willing to give his pills and potions for free, even if they were his brothers and sisters of the same sect"
His words about Michael put a smile on Ethan's face.
"Have you seen him, Felix?"
"No, my lord. But I heard great things about him, do you want to hear it?"
"Yes...I mean, it's to know more about figures such as him" Ethan quickly hid his jumpiness. Wanting to pour out the stories in him, the old man didn't notice anything weird about Ethan's curiosity.
"Stop!" Just as the old man was about to talk about Ghost, they heard a shout as the old man stopped the carriage quickly. Diana slightly put her head outside the window to see a young man in a full black uniform walking towards them. The young man's black dress kinda resembled the dress her son wore. Soon, the security carriages following Ethan's carriage came to halt as soldiers of the Winston family surrounded Ethan's carriage as they were trained. Yet, in front of thirty guards in full armor, there was no fear in the young man's eyes.
"What's all this?"
The young man asked Felix, his voice neither arrogant nor afraid. Instead of letting Felix sort everything out with the young man, Ethan himself stepped out of the carriage.
Only after seeing a Core Strengthening level 8 cultivator, the young man's calm expression changed.
"Kid, why did you stop us?" Ethan asked,
"How may I address you, sir?"
"It's Lord Winston of the Proud House Winston. We are going to meet with Sunrise Sect Leader Claire" one of the guards answered the young man,
"With all due respect, Lord Winston, the sect is closed to outsiders. Sect Leader Claire and Nightmare's orders"
"Closed? Why?" Ethan asked with a confused face. He wondered what made them close the sect as it was pretty unusual for a growing sect to close their doors on outsiders.
"Recently one of our brothers was killed in the vicinity. Until we find who was responsible for such evil deed, the sect is closed-"
Roar!
The young man stopped talking as the Winston soldiers immediately retrieved their weapons after hearing a thunderous roar. Even Ethan clenched the sword hilts on his waist when he heard the roar.
A few seconds after the roar, a huge shadow cast down on them, darkening the area.
"What the?" Ethan's jaw dropped as he looked up at the sky to see a dragon descending.
"Dragon!"
"Protect Lord Winston!"
'
"Dragon attack!"
"Holy gods!"
The guards immediately surrounded Ethan and the carriage with the swords in their hands. Felix the old man was as pale as a white paper looking at the dragon. When the dragon landed on the ground, Ethan saw its crimson red eyes staring at everyone.
"Stand down" the young man shouted at the guards before they could do something stupid like attacking a freakin dragon.
"Who are these people?" the dragon's voice made the guards even more terrified,
"You've grown little dragon"
Nightmare's vertical slit pupil became rounded when he heard a familiar voice. He stared at the carriage standing on his two legs.
"Lady Diana!"
"Dian, go inside" Ethan ordered but still, his wife stepped outside the carriage with a smile on her face.
"Lady Diana" Everyone was stunned to see the dragon tilt its head looking at Lady Diana. Gently brushing off Ethan's hand, she walked forward with no fear in her heart.
************************************
((Michael's action will be resumed in the next chapter))