!~Ding~!
[Contract Invalid!]
[Cannot be formed due to your contract with #######]
After Victor signed the contract, Arkanis gave him a knowing smile and said,
“You see, unlike many other beings, Phoenixes possess a rare and unique bloodline ability… something that sets them apart from the rest of us.
It’s called ‘Rebirth.’
Even after they die, they don’t stay dead—they are reborn from their ashes, which is something we Dragons could never achieve. While we can live for thousands of years, the Phoenixes are true immortals.” His voice grew sharper with each word. “This made them a threat to us, especially to those of us who had enemies among them. Imagine… leaving our kin vulnerable to creatures who could kill them, then return to life and hunt them again for revenge.
We couldn’t allow that.”
Victor listened intently, noticing the anger in Arkanis’s voice. But there was something more beneath the surface, something Victor hadn’t expected… jealousy. ‘Are they… envious of the Phoenixes?’ Victor wondered. He knew Arkanis would never admit it openly, but the reason for eliminating the Phoenixes had to be rooted in more than just survival. It was fear, and perhaps, a deep-seated inferiority.
The Phoenixes had a power the Dragons could never touch.
“If they could come back to life,” Victor asked, curiosity gnawing at him, “what’s the point in killing them? If they’re going to be reborn, wouldn’t they just rise again after being killed?”
Arkanis let out a low chuckle, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips, “You think a power like that comes without any limits? Do you really believe such an extraordinary ability could be flawless?” His tone was almost mocking, as if he found Victor’s question amusing in its simplicity.
Victor frowned, his thoughts wandering back to Maelona’s bloodline. Her power, too, had its price—an equivalent exchange for anything she desired.
Nothing came without a cost.
Arkanis’s eyes gleamed as he leaned in slightly. “Yes, killing a Phoenix does allow them to be reborn, but…” He paused for dramatic effect, watching Victor’s expression darken. “That only applies to those with a pure, untainted bloodline.” Read the latest on empire
Victor’s frown deepened, “What did you do to them? How did you deal with the ones who had the pure bloodline?”
Arkanis waved off the question with a dismissive shrug, clearly uninterested in discussing the details, “Anyway…” he dodged the inquiry, redirecting the conversation back to his story. “What we didn’t anticipate was that someone would care enough to retaliate for the Phoenixes’ deaths. A man—no, a genius—who built this very castle. He was renowned for his technological advancements, someone who forever changed the course of history.
They call him the ‘Origin,’ and he was furious about the Phoenixes’ massacre.”
Victor raised an eyebrow, “The Origin Emperor?” he muttered under his breath.
Arkanis nodded. His hand moved to touch his shimmering crystal blue horns, “He didn’t just curse us with words. No, he created something—an exact replica of our natural horns. Then, he did the unthinkable. He ripped our real horns from us and replaced them with these… cursed ones, corrupting our bloodline completely.” His voice was laced with rage, his anger barely contained.
The throne room seemed to grow colder as Arkanis’s fury simmered beneath the surface. It took him a moment to compose himself before he spoke again, “I understand that what our ancestors did was wrong. The massacre, the fear, the jealousy… But do we still deserve to suffer for it after thousands of years? Is it fair that we remain cursed for what our forefathers did?”
Victor remained silent.
Arkanis took a deep breath and gestured toward the throne at the centre of the room, “The Origin Emperor left behind a system—a way to undo this curse. This system is said to have the power to reverse what was done to us. But for thousands of years, there has been one critical piece missing…” He pointed to the base of the grand throne, where a dragon sculpture stood, and at its base was a small, gleaming ring.
“The missing ring,” Arkanis continued, his eyes narrowing, “The Emperor hid it away somewhere, and we’ve been searching for it ever since. We’ve hunted down anyone connected to the Origin Emperor’s lineage… until now.” His gaze shifted to Victor, his expression hardening with a sense of finality, “Now… The only missing piece now is the bloodline of the Origin Emperor himself. That is the key to activating the system and breaking our curse.”
“I will tell that… but I still don’t have any information about the Origin Emperor… Most of what you’ve just told me, I already knew.” Victor said with a tired expression.
Arkanis frowned, his disappointment evident. “I don’t know what else you were hoping to learn. What I’ve told you is all that I know… or at least, it’s all that my father passed down to me.”
“I see…” Victor nodded thoughtfully. “Speaking of your father… I heard he was killed by a Phoenix a thousand years ago?”
Arkanis’s lips twitched, a brief flash of anger crossing his face, “Yes,” he replied through gritted teeth, “it was a duel between them…” His expression darkened as fury began to simmer beneath the surface. “She only won because of the curse! If it weren’t for that, my father would have killed her a thousand times over!”
Victor nodded, carefully observing Arkanis’s reaction. “And then she died at the summit, right?”
“Yeah,” Arkanis’s expression shifted to one of pride, his chest puffing slightly. “It only proved that she was unworthy to hold the empire. She couldn’t even survive the challenges of the summit.”
Victor frowned, a question forming in his mind. “Do you know who built the summit?” he asked, his tone curious.
Arkanis’s brow furrowed, “I don’t know,” he admitted with a slight shrug, his gaze narrowing as he shifted focus back to Victor, “I’ve already told you everything I know… Now, tell me who is th—”
“Wait!” Victor interrupted, a sly smile creeping onto his face. “There’s still one thing you haven’t told me…”
Arkanis raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And what would that be?”
Victor stepped closer, his eyes locked on Arkanis’s shimmering horns, “If those horns are supposed to suck out your lifespan… why are you still looking so young?”
Arkanis flinched a subtle twitch that didn’t escape Victor’s notice. It was the confirmation Victor needed to solidify his suspicions.
Victor had always found it odd. They called the horns a curse, and yet, these so-called cursed horns granted Arkanis the power to control vast numbers of Dragons. Was it really a curse? Or was there something else at play? And most puzzling of all—how was Arkanis still youthful while his father had grown old and withered? Arkanis had been around the same age as his son when his father was an elderly man. By all logic, Arkanis should be ageing as well.
Something was off… Something Arkanis were hiding… And everything seemed to lead back to the Origin Emperor…. but who was he?
Was he a phoenix lineage or something else?
Arkanis stared at Victor in silence, his expression guarded, as if contemplating how much to reveal. After a tense moment, he reached into his pouch and pulled out a small test tube containing a few drops of shimmering golden liquid, “Before my father died,” Arkanis began, his voice low and measured, “he discovered a way to extend our lives…”
Victor’s eyes fixed on the test tube, intrigued by the golden substance. He was about to ask more when Arkanis suddenly slipped the tube back into his pouch, preventing him from getting a closer look. “It’s a rare element found deep within the heart of our Empire,” Arkanis continued, “I need to take a dose of this every day to keep my life prolonged.”
“I see…” Victor nodded again, his curiosity growing. “What’s in it? What’s the composition?” he asked, but Arkanis shook his head.
“I’ve told you what I know about the Origin Emperor, and now…” Arkanis’s voice hardened. “It’s your turn.”
Victor softly nodded, ‘Yeah… I can’t probe him too much right now,’ he thought before raising his head and saying with calm confidence, “That person is… here.”
Arkanis frowned, not understanding. “You? What are you talking about? The throne already rejected yo–“
Victor smiled and spread his arms wide. “My friend… Aether!” he announced, his grin widening. “I’ll bring him to you, but in return, I want that liquid.”
Arkanis scowled, his suspicion deepening, “I don’t thi—”
Victor cut him off smoothly, “Let me assure you… I’ll make sure Sovereign personally protects him. No one will be able to lay a hand on him.”
Arkanis hesitated, his jaw clenched as he weighed his options. Finally, he gritted his teeth and snarled, “F-Fine!” In a swift motion, he tossed the vial toward Victor.
Victor caught it effortlessly, his grin never faltering. “Good deal. I’ll see you later, buddy~” he said with a casual wave, turning on his heel to leave.
Arkanis watched Victor walk away, his eyes narrowing, the muscles in his jaw twitching with barely restrained fury. But slowly, a wicked smirk spread across his face.
“Once I have him in my hands…” Arkanis muttered darkly to himself, “No one is leaving this Empire… Lowborn fool. He really believes he can outsmart me. I can’t believe how naive he is… Hah! Lowborns will always be lowborns.” His chuckle grew into a sinister laugh. “Does he even realize how much it cost us to hunt down just one descendant of the Origin Emperor? And now, it feels like I’m getting him for free! Hahaha!” Arkanis’s laughter echoed through the chamber.