Ruling as the Next Dragon Sage!

"I…I didn't forget what you asked me," I bring up. Vaniti turned and looked directly at me.

"You know, what you asked. What you are to me. It hasn't left my mind,"

Vaniti looks, and slowly but surely, a red blush appeared on her face. I noticed before she did, and still, maybe perhaps due to her lack of facial recognition, didn't recognize it.

"I-I thought I told you to forget about it," She reaffirms.

"It's…stupid, anyway." She looks away, and with that, I decide not to push further into it. If she says it's stupid, then it's stupid.

Despite every neuron in my brain telling me to respond with, let me respond with a stupid answer, then. But I'm pretty sure I don't have to suave delivery to pull that off. If anything, she might actually think I have a stupid answer to give.

I could've said it, though. Right there. Just tell her, Ryuuzen. You mean more to me than just being my Consort.

But what would that even imply? Even entail? That I see herself as something more than that? Pfft, even I know that's wrong…but my heart tells me otherwise.

Go on, tell her. I really could. See how she disregards and laughs at you. Additionally, I'm here to teach and guide her. Not have some middle school crush on her.

But I didn't say anything. At all.

Because…I'm prone to saying the worst thing possible even with the greatest intention.

And if I go ahead and do say the wrong thing.

I'm worried Vaniti might leave.

For real.

We perched on top of the estate, both of us. I had the natural balance to, thanks to Dragons already having the ability to perch on anything as if we were anti-heroes literally. I'm assuming that Vaniti, through the Nightstalker Subclass, also taught her some level of balance as well.

I turn towards her, "You sure they don't see us? Or…sense us?"

She nods. "I'm sure. The Nightstalker passive lets me and a few others to stay in the shadows and become near-invisible with anyone I consider allies. Unless they had some…high level of mana sensory, I would assume, then there's no way to spot us out."

"Yeah…I hear you."

We watched Cloudjumper, Koga, and Sultan in their large clearing of a garden. A great water fountain in the middle, sigils were decorated on the ground. Vaniti tilted her head in confusion towards it…and yeah, I would be confused too because Sultan's angle here is…unpredictable.

"Sigils on the ground…? That can happen? I thought it only conjured during high-tier spells?" She asked.

"Guess you haven't heard of a familiar before."

"Familiar?"

I nod, "Yeah. Going to keep it brief and short. Beings, spirits, or otherwise entirely mythical animals, you can summon by having a contract with them. The contract usually depends on who you are summoning. I figured Sultan, at his old age, would probably have a few tucked in his back pocket just in case."

"...would they be strong?"

"Probably. Could be weak, could be stronger than me. Keep your expectations low if it isn't anything crazy,."

She nodded, and my pointed ears twitched. Even from way high up here, I could channel in on their conversation. Eavesdropping, I'm pretty sure the subclasses of Thief, Rogue, and even Nightstalker have it.

Even better for Vaniti who's an spirit elf and can pick up on more chatter in greater ranges, but I don't think she's unlocked that passive yet.

Regardless, we hold our position as I listen intently.

Sultan focuses on the sigil, gleaming with golden colors and multiple sub-circles before. Cloudjumper, still in her armour, flexed out her gauntlet hand before looking directly at Koga.

"Can't believe you let a little Spirit Elf bully you into submission," She begins. Sounds prideful, sounds like deflection, sounds like her. Because even she flinched at the slightest movement coming from Vaniti.

"Does that make sense, Knight Cloudjumper? To pick a fight we surely don't need? Whatever ally Sovereign Ryuuzen has is far around our level."

"So? You would rather cower in fear and run with your tail tucked between your legs?" Cloudjumper placed her hand on her hips and took a step closer towards Koga. Her face already demonstrated how disappointed she was in the Admiral.

"Have you dragons never heard of a tactical retreat a year in your long, exaggerated lives?" Koga shot back. Taking also a step closer.

"Don't confuse me for some lame serpent or annoying Dragonoid, as a Dragonkin, it's simply not in our DNA to retreat." She says.

Yeah…I don't think that really much speaks for all Dragonkin, Cloudjumper, but please, go ahead.

"We are the pure pinnacle of all Dragonkind, the last thing I would want to do is retreat. But of course, be surrounded around those who are significantly weaker than me."

Koga then threw his hands up in the air, not in defeat, maybe more like in annoyance. "Fine, then do so. Go ahead and fight them by yourself,"

He then turned and walked away. Not looking at her any further. It was pretty far, but I think I could make up some irritation on his face.

"Nobody is going to bring back your corpse if you do."

Cloudjumper's wings spread entirely, covering a great length. Her gauntlet and bare hand both clenched, her anger rising completely from Koga's words. Her teeth were glaring, biting into her lip as minor blood leaked out.

Vaniti and I looked at each other, completely. She rocked a deadpanned expression as I only looked amazed. How angry could you be at something like this? Does she have something to prove?

Then, her eyes scoured through the area, high and low. Before…

Locking onto us.

Both Vaniti and I held our breath. There's no way she sees us, right? No way. Vaniti did say that the passive is just…nearly invisible.

But then she looked around, glossed over us as if we were just in the way. Okay…she didn't notice us. Great.

Sultan held out his hands, breaking his concentration and halting his chanting. "Cloudjumper! Don't! The last I need is my ace to run into a predicted outcome."

Then, she turned towards the Chancellor, disregarding the Admiral.

"Of course—I forgot, you can see the future, can't you? What did it show you?"

"I saw the future, that in that moment, all of us had perished and died."

My blood ran cold.

My instincts flared before my thoughts caught up.

My ears…are they…deceiving me?

Can…wait, so what Jonah and I suspected was actually true…?

Chancellor Sultan…he can actually see the future?