My Dragon Cultivation System: Rise Of An Empire

Aeron turned his eyes to Nyella, who stood on the wall, and she stared back at him. Both of them had questions written across their faces. They looked again toward the hydra that kept pulling back. Aeron glanced once more at Nyella, who shook her head slowly. Without waiting, he flew higher with Draco and followed the hydra.

Nyella turned to the generals behind her. Kasim stepped forward and said, "Finally, the war has ended, and we won."

Nyella shook her head. "This war is far from ending, they only retreated. They will be back."

Her eyes turned toward the kingdom of Dorch. Smoke still rose into the sky. Fire still burned in some places, and left black marks across the land. Bodies lay scattered everywhere.

Meanwhile, Aeron pressed on above the retreating creatures. He followed them far into the distance until it was dawn. Yet he did not stop. He wanted to know where they were going.

Then he noticed something strange. The hydra began to spread out. Some turned south. Others went north. Many moved east. Aeron frowned as he didn't understand anything. Still, he chose the smaller group heading east and followed them.

After a while, he saw them vanish into caves. One after another, the creatures entered the dark holes. Soon the desert was silent. The last tail slid into the rocks, and then nothing was left.

"So caves it is, huh," Aeron muttered. He turned Draco around and flew back toward Dorch.

When he arrived, he lost his breath at what he saw. There was still smoke all over the kingdom, though much of the fire had already died. Bodies lay piled in heaps. Soldiers still carried others in their arms, and were laying them on the ground. The ground itself was stained with blood.

Tears filled Aeron's eyes. They had lost so much. He looked further and saw skeletons, countless skeletons, scattered everywhere both outside and inside the walls of the kingdom. The land looked like a graveyard.

As he flew over, he saw the armies gathered together in the open. The soldiers of Blackland stood in rows, thousands upon thousands. The nomads were there too. The warriors of Ivarion stood shoulder to shoulder with the soldiers of Dorch, who had survived the destruction of their home.

It was a sight Aeron had never seen before, hundreds of thousands of soldiers from different tribes and kingdoms, all standing together.

Then Aeron flew with Draco to the dragon lair. The dragon landed with a heavy thud, and Aeron came down. He took a few steps forward, and the first sight he saw was Ronan and Yvarra waiting for him at the entrance.

The moment they saw each other they rushed forward. They met in the middle and hugged tightly, holding on like they would never let go.

"You are safe," Yvarra whispered as her voice was shaking.

Aeron held them close and answered, "Thank you… Thank you for staying alive. Thank you for surviving this war."

For a long moment, they clung together. Then Aeron pulled back, and he began looking around.

"What about the others?" he asked. "What about Nyella?"

"She is safe too," Ronan said at once. "They all went inside to the throne room with General Amber, who had returned."

Then Aeron made his way there too, and as he reached, a guard who was at the door pushed them open, and he stepped in.

Inside, the king was already seated upon his throne. The generals stood in their places, Amber among them. The nomads' chief was present, and so was the leader of the Blacklands, the one Aeron had met before. Yet Aeron hardly looked at them. His eyes found only Nyella.

She was standing near the side. At once Aeron rushed to her. Without a word, they fell into each other's arms and hugged tightly.

When they let go, the king rose from his throne. "There he is," the king said. "The almighty Dragonrider himself."

He stepped down from his throne and walked straight to Aeron. He took Aeron's hand firmly in both of his.

"I must appreciate you," the king said. "I saw what you did out there. You gave your very best to save us. Thank you."

Aeron shook his head slowly. His lips pressed tight, as if he wanted to speak but could not find the words. The king gave him a nod, then turned back and returned to his throne.

Aeron's gaze shifted and he saw General Amber standing across from him. Their eyes met.

"You are alive," Aeron said softly.

"Yes, I am, young Dragon," Amber answered with a faint smile.

The king lifted his voice again. "I must thank every one of you in this room. This victory could not have been won without each person playing their part with courage and skill. But some must be recognized especially. The Blacklands and their leader, who stand among us now."

Murmurs filled the hall. Aeron's eyes narrowed. "Yes," he said. "Master Odeg. We know very well who he is."

The room became silent. All eyes turned as Odeg stepped forward, taking two steady steps into the open space.

"I know," Odeg said. "I know we began on the wrong foot. You may say that it was because we did not understand the true danger you faced. We were blind to the enemy that stood before us. But now we know. We have seen. And here we are. Here I am, standing, ready to make amends. And I believe we already began, with how we stood by you in battle. Did we not?"

The hall was still. Aeron's eyes stayed fixed on Odeg. At last, he spoke.

"You succeeded in taking me off guard the first time," Aeron said. "But I have learned from that. And it will never happen again. I see you now. I see you and your people for what you are. And sooner or later you will make your intentions known to all."

"..."