NOVEL NEXT Chapter 20: Property of Lukas Drakos
One Day Before Departure
Lukas and the Lady Kaitlyn Drakos stood in front of the Kraken. The Cthulhu was on his knees, a smug look on his face. The Kraken had been kept in the dark as they decided what to do with him and waiting in silence must have been torturous. But it was worth the wait because the taste of potentially being free from his shackles must have been sweeter than honey.
These were the Kraken's conditions. He would help them search for Rodan and when they did find him, he would be set free. Once freed, the Kraken would swear another oath on the River Styx to never return to Linemall.
"Do you swear that Lord Rodan is alive and well? And that you know how to find him? And that you will tell us how and guide us to where he is?" Lady Kaitlyn Drakos asked.
"I swear it on the River Styx. And do you swear that I will be released, pardoned for all the crimes I have committed against the kingdom of dragons and even after Rodan is found that the dragons will not try and take my life out of vengeance? That I will be able to live out my life for the rest of my days without being hunted by your kind?" The Kraken's eyes searched Lady Kaitlyn's own, perhaps hoping to see if he could take a peek into what was going on in the Royal Consort's mind.
"I swear it on the River Styx that you will be spared and that the dragons will not seek out revenge by taking your life. Only under the condition that you never return to Linemall and never reveal its location no matter the circumstance. And I mean that. You will kill yourself before you give up the whereabouts of this Kingdom." Her voice, her eyes and her expression betrayed nothing.
The Kraken glanced towards Lukas Drakos yet his expression too seemed to be completely neutral. There was no deception at play or so he thought.
"Very well. I agree to those terms. May Styx oversee this oath and punish those who break it." The Kraken nodded and rose from where he knelt.
Lukas reached to unlock the shackles that bound his arms together, letting them fall to the floor with a metallic thud.
The mood had changed. The chaos of their battle had faded, and in its place, something quieter lingered—a current of understanding that passed between the two warriors who had tested each other's limits and survived it.
Lukas approached the Kraken slowly, his hand curled around a small pouch of deep navy velvet. "You fought well," he said, the Lordling's voice carrying that weighty calm only earned through victory. "I want you to accept this gift. I had it made specially to commemorate your freedom."
Lukas opened the pouch and revealed a pendant: a sea serpent carved from jade, sleek and coiled, its eyes set with glints of silver. The craftsmanship was intricate, delicate even. This was no small gesture, the expertise behind its creation made its significance clear.
The Kraken stared at it, his expression unreadable for a beat too long. Lukas moved closer, and without hesitation, reached up to loop it around the Kraken's neck. The giant humanoid flinched but did not move away. It settled on his broad chest like it belonged there, catching the ambient shimmer of the sea around them.
"It's a symbol," Lukas told the Kraken, stepping back. "A symbol of survival, of strength and of respect. You fought well. In another world, you might have beaten me."
The Kraken let out a low chuckle, like the bubbling of a submerged volcano. "You exceeded my expectations as well, Lukas Drakos." The Cthulhu muttered. "Always two steps ahead of me."
There was a silence that passed between the two before the Kraken finally spoke up.
"This… this means something, doesn't it?" The Kraken held the pendant between his fingers, a rare softness flickering in his usually stormy eyes. "We're equals now. Brothers of the sea."
Lukas smiled and it truly seemed like a genuine one. No longer was there aggression and hatred in those eyes, now there was a firm admiration that could be clear to see in this Dragon's eyes; the Kraken felt touched.
"Yeah," Lukas replied with a quiet laugh under his breath. "I guess you could say that."
The Royal Consort cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable by the sudden budding bromance that had blossomed out of seemingly nowhere between Lukas and the Kraken.
The Lady was holding a scroll that glowed faintly with the light of the ancient Draconic tongue. "We will need an official document to present to the court. This will be recorded and officially taken down as a part of the Sea's history." she declared, unrolling the parchment. "By law and legacy, all parties involved must imprint their mana within this scroll to make it an official part of Linemall's history.."
The Kraken glanced at Lukas and nodded, placing his palm over the paper.
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This was a confirmation of what was to come for the future. Perhaps the two of them could finally put this feud that had started with their ancestors all those eons ago to an end. Lukas followed suit and the two allowed their magic to flow from the depths of their soul into the parchment paper.
The scroll glowed gold, then sealed with a hiss like the deep ocean's breath.
The Lady Kaitlyn Drakos drew a stamp from her robes and handed it to Lukas.
Lukas took it from her and lifted the Drakos Family Seal: twin sea serpents coiled into a crest, ancient and unmistakable.
The Kraken watched, nodding in approval.
This was history being made right here.
They would finally bring an end to the generational hatred that had been passed down, dispelling this never-ending cycle of hatred.
With a single motion, Lukas stepped forward and pressed the glowing brand onto the Kraken's forehead. There was a flash of blue fire, a burst of energy, and a sizzling hiss as the sigil burned into place.
The Kraken flinched, blinking hard. "What the bloody hell was that!?"
Lukas leaned in, grinning. "Just sealing the bond, brother."
When it came to forming a contract between an intelligent familiar and its master, three conditions needed to be met before it was set in stone:
Firstly, there was a need for Proof of Ownership.
The subject must willingly accept or wear an enchanted item that signifies ownership or belonging to the contract initiator.
The pendant had not been a gift given out of respect. In actuality, it was a nametag. Behind the pendant, engraved were the words: "Property of Lukas Drakos – Please return to owner if lost and do not release into the wild." And now that pendant hung around the Kraken's neck
Thus the first condition was met.
Secondly, there needed to be an Acknowledgement in the Transfer of Power.
Both parties had to leave a mana imprint on an official contract, witnessed by a member of high standing or authority. This ensured the contract's legitimacy and registered the familiar bond in the eyes of the law.
This contract was overseen by the Lady Kaitlyn Drakos, Royal Consort and Head of the House Drakos.
Thus the second condition was met.
Finally, there needed to be a Brand of Binding.
A ceremonial seal carrying the family crest or sigil of the initiator must be physically stamped onto the subject, acting as a magical tether between master and familiar. The branding had to leave a permanent visible or spiritual mark to complete the bond.
House Drakos' Sigil—a pair of entwined sea serpents—was now magically branded onto the Kraken's forehead.
Thus the third and last condition had been met.
The Kraken reached up, fingers wrapping around the pendant and pulled, only to feel an invisible resistance. With a grunt, he tugged harder, but the necklace refused to budge. Panic flickered in his eyes as the Cthulhu pulled again, harder this time, his voice rising in confusion. A soft chime echoed from the pendant as if mocking him, reacting to his defiance with a serene glow.
Lukas, arms folded and trying very hard not to laugh, simply shook his head at the Kraken's hopeless struggle. "It's a leash, my friend. You...are now my familiar."
The Kraken froze. His pupils shrank. "...NO, THIS CAN'T BE!"
The Cthulhu yanked again, veins flaring beneath his skin—but the pendant remained around his neck, as unyielding as the ocean floor. Lukas leaned back against the walls of the Kraken's holding cell, arms crossed and a wicked grin spreading across his face like storm clouds over calm seas.
"Alright, who's a good boy?" the Lordling asked, savoring every syllable, "I want you to start doing cartwheels around this cell now. Don't stop until I say so."
The Kraken froze, his towering, muscled frame trembling with disbelief. "You can't be serious."
But the pendant pulsed again and suddenly, as if possessed, his limbs moved of their own accord. One clumsy cartwheel. Then another, wobblier than the last. By the third, his massive tentacle arms flailed like sails in a storm.
The Royal Consort chuckled softly behind her hand, her eyes gleaming with ancient mischief. Lukas was already doubled over in laughter, tears brimming as the Kraken attempted a fourth cartwheel and nearly crashed into the wall behind him.
The room echoed with the sound of Lukas' uncontrollable laughter, a deep, unfiltered roar that bounced off the coral pillars and shimmered through the magically lit waters.
The Kraken lay sprawled across the floor, tangled in his own limbs, his voice a pathetic whimper as he moaned, "Please…stop this, I beg of you."
"Continue cartwheeling for the next hour and remain in your cell until further notice. We leave tomorrow. I expect you to be ready then. Do not even think once about escape. That is an order."
The pendant glowed faintly on the Kraken's neck as if mocking him for his stupidity.
As House Drakos' Sigil shimmered like a brand of poetic justice on his forehead, Lukas' laughter rose again, louder than ever before. The Kraken sobbed in defeat, but Lukas couldn't hear him, not over the sound of triumph echoing through every bone in his body.
The Kraken was now the sole property of Lukas Drakos.