NOVEL NEXT Chapter 21: Departure At Last
Zero Days Before Departure
It was finally the morning of their departure.
The room that they had gathered in lay buried deep within the palace, far beneath the crashing tides and marble towers. It was an ancient chamber carved directly into the heart of a coral reef that pulsed faintly with living energy, its veins glowing softly with draconic runes that shimmered in hues of turquoise and seafoam green. The walls were smooth stone, overgrown with silvery barnacles and glowing kelp that swayed as though alive, whispering secrets long forgotten.
"Your first priority is ensuring you return alive. You three are the future of our Seas. You will lead the next generation to greater heights so I will say it again: it is imperative that all of you return to us safely. Finding Rodan is secondary if it means that you three are able to get back to us in one piece, understood?" the Royal Consort reminded them for the fourth time in a row.
Lukas, Katrina and Jesse nodded.
In the center of the room stood the portal itself—a towering arch of obsidian entwined with gleaming sea serpent carvings. At its apex, a single gem hovered: a translucent aquamarine crystal, humming with dormant power.
His mother had explained that this was how they would begin their journey to the outside world.
This portal was not merely a relic, but a sacred bridge—a gift forged in the earliest days of dragon-human diplomacy. This portal led to the Ilagron Kingdom, one of the Four Great Kingdoms of humanity and the only Kingdom that had not betrayed the dragons during the Great War.
The Ilagron bloodline had once walked side by side with dragons, and the old stories spoke of vast gardens where children rode on the backs of young wyverns and shared food with their scaled neighbors beneath open skies.
In the Kingdom of Ilagron, the bond between human and dragon was a pact of respect, not fear—a remnant of a better time before war and betrayal shattered everything.
"Your second priority is ensuring that you all remain in your human forms. There is no situation where you should ever reveal your true identities. You will no longer be in Linemall once you cross that threshold. Out there, dragons are not revered. They are hunted, hated, and sold piece by piece. Your horns, your scales, your blood—they'll see them not as symbols of nobility, but as rare commodities. If you're discovered, they will fear you. They'll call you monsters. And if they don't kill you outright, they'll chain you, break you, and parade you around as pets or force you to become weapons of war." The Lady Kaitlyn warned, her voice as stern as ever.
Katrina and Jesse's faces paled just a slight bit, imagining what awaited them beyond that portal.
But Lukas knew that the Lady Kaitlyn was right, she had not said all that just to scare the two young dragonborns into being more careful. She needed to shatter all false hope of a reality where dragons were once hailed as legendary creatures by humanity for that reality was long gone. She spoke of the reality that they now lived in. But Lukas had a feeling that the two younglings would never understand the real weight of Lady Kaitlyn's words until they saw it for themselves. Until they witnessed the harsh reality of the real world where humans would not hesitate to do acts unspeakable to their kind.
The Lords of Linemall had not allowed any of their people outside to the rest of Hiraeth in centuries. Not since the Great War's End. And that had been done to protect the draconic kind from what the rest of the world would do to them if they had the chance.
"Hide what you are. Speak as humans do. Live as humans do. And I say this because your first loyalty is to your kingdom." The Royal Consort's gaze darkened, her voice turning somber, almost hollow. "You do not speak of Linemall if you are surrounded or if you are captured. If there comes a moment where the world demands our secret in exchange for your lives then you will die for this Kingdom. And you will do it without hesitation. Because if Linemall is found, it won't just be you who suffers. Every wyvern, every child, every last dragon who sought safety here will burn for it. You must swear this on the River Styx."
"I swear on the River Styx." They all declared.
"Then may Styx herself oversee this oath and punish those who break it." The Lady Kaitlyn whispered, finalizing the oath.
The Royal Consort's expression softened as she reached into a velvet-lined case carved with the sigil of House Drakos. Inside lay three delicate bracelets, each adorned with a single deep blue pearl that shimmered like starlight caught in ocean depths. The Lady held them with a reverence that made even the air feel still.
"These are the Tears of the Sea," she whispered. "These were tears once shed by the first of our name: Thalorian Drakos. When his children left the safety of Linemall to walk among the humans, they left their father to make a name for themselves in Hiraeth. Just as I must now let you children explore the world beyond Linemall, Thalarion knew he had to allow his own offspring to leave the nest." Her gaze met Lukas', then Katrina's and Jesse's, lingering on each one.
The Royal Consort stepped forward and clasped the bracelets gently around their wrists.
"If the way to the portal is lost…if you are stranded, hunted, whatever it is: you must find your way back to the sea. Break the Tear. The ocean will answer, and you will be carried back to our waters, to safety, to us." Her voice softened as she added, "When Thalorian Drakos wept, these tears became a promise. They became our promise that no matter how far you go, Linemall will never abandon you."
For a moment, the ever-composed Lady Kaitlyn Drakos let her guard down. The old dragonborn gestured to her granddaughter to come closer. As Katrina stepped forward, armored and resolute, the Lady Kaitlyn pulled her into a tight embrace.
"You're so much like him," she whispered, voice cracking just slightly as her hand trembled against Katrina's back. "Too brave for your own good." The weight of centuries pressed into that hug—the grief of loss, the fear of history repeating, and the desperate hope that this time, she wouldn't have to mourn another child of her blood. For once, the cold edge in Kaitlyn's eyes melted into something raw and vulnerable. "Promise me, Katrina… promise me that you will come home," she breathed. "No matter what. Find your father and bring him home to us."
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Lukas watched as Jesse too went to his father and his brothers, who had also gathered here for their departure.
For a moment, Lukas stood there without a word; allowing the two younglings to have this moment with their loved ones. Lukas continued to watch the weight of emotion swirl in the room. He would not allow any harm to come to these two younglings. It was his responsibility above all else that they were able to return to their families, regardless of what happened during this expedition.
He stood there, waiting...
Alone.
But what Lukas had not come to realize was that things were different now.
Selene, his mother, stepped forward and drew him gently into her arms.
There was no grand gesture, no rousing speech—just the warmth of a mother's embrace and the kind of silence that said everything, more than words ever could hope to say. Her fingers curled tightly around the back of his cloak, as if afraid to let go again.
"You were gone for so long," the wyvern murmured, her voice trembling like a tide holding back a storm. "I don't want to lose you again."
Lukas clenched his jaw, but it didn't stop the sting in his eyes. One tear slid down his cheek before he could stop it, caught quickly by Selene's thumb. He held her tighter, burying his face into her shoulder, just for a moment.
"I'll come back," he whispered, softly but surely. "I promise."
"Then I will pray for your safe return until then, my son." His mother got on her tiptoes, kissing his forehead gently and caressing his cheek.
He would miss her. Even if he had only truly known her for months now, he had grown extremely fond of this wyvern. She had done so much for him, more than he deserved.
That was not an empty promise that Lukas had made. He would return to Linemall.
As the final farewells echoed into silence, the Lady Kaitlyn Drakos stood before them, her presence regal and commanding and her eyes sharp with the weight of duty once more. Her guard was up again, that moment of emotional vulnerability a distant past.
"You may be gone for years," the Royal Consort began, "and the path to finding Rodan will not be short, nor kind. But you must return, no later than eight years from now." She paced slowly in front of the portal, her gown catching the magical shimmer of the runes below.
"The Draconic Summit awaits," the Lady declared. "It is held once every decade, a sacred gathering where the leaders of Linemall come together under the guise of tradition. But it is far more than just a simple ceremony. It is politics. It is where our power will be tested and our influence shaken."
Her eyes locked with Lukas'.
"With your victory over the Kraken and the revitalization of the Seas' economy, your return has captured the attention of the other Ruling Houses. If you do not show face, the Seas will lose its seat at the table. And worse: its voice among the Council of Linemall." Her hand rose, gesturing to the shimmering gateway. "We will hold our own until then but you must return before the Summit. With or without Lord Rodan. Farewell."
The portal pulsed with an otherworldly energy, its surface rippling like liquid light. One by one, Katrina and Jesse drew closer to the portal, and with each movement, the air crackled with an intense surge of magic.
The first, Katrina, passed through effortlessly and a burst of radiant energy erupted from the portal. Jesse followed suit, an excited look on his face.
As they crossed the threshold, another wave of magical force swept outward, leaving behind a lingering hum that resonated through the air; a tangible reminder of the immense power the portal held. Each step into the unknown was marked by these brief but powerful flashes which held immense magical energy, just showing how much magical energy was needed to make instant teleportation like this possible.
As the portal shimmered with its ethereal light, Lukas stepped forward, ready to follow the others into the unknown.
Before he could enter the portal, a firm hand gripped his arm.
Lukas turned, meeting the intense gaze of Lady Kaitlyn Drakos, her expression unreadable yet heavy with unspoken weight. The others had already stepped through, their silhouettes fading into the mist. The Royal Consort had meant for the other two to step into the portal first, for what she was going to say was meant for his ears only.
"Lukas, if Lord Rodan has truly betrayed our people…if my son has done the unthinkable, then you must do what is right for our people.." Her eyes hardened as she spoke and Lukas realized that she did not say these words with ease. But as the righteous ruler of these Seas, Lukas knew the Lady Kaitlyn had to be the one to make the hardest decisions for the sake of her own people. "You must kill him. He cannot live if he is a threat to Linemall. Do you understand me?" Her words lingered in the air, leaving Lukas with a chilling realization of the possible severity of the decision he might have to make ahead in the future.
"I...understand you." Lukas whispered under his breath, his voice filled with uncertainty.
He was not sure whether he should respect her for putting her people above all else or if he should fear her for she had just ordered him to kill her own son if necessary. The Lady Kaitlyn Drakos was a dangerous woman.
Lukas turned to the Kraken who had been standing there motionless, obeying his orders without uttering a single word. He had made it clear that the Cthlhu was not allowed to speak unless spoken to and the Kraken did not looked pleased which was unsurprising; an hour of doing cartwheels would do that to you
But Lukas?
The Lordling grinned from ear to ear, more pleased than ever with the fact that this fearsome enemy of the Drakos Family was now his own familiar. With a swift motion, Lukas grasped the Kraken by the arm, his grip like iron and with a determined thrust; he propelled the massive creature forward and the Kraken stumbled through the swirling threshold of the portal with a force that made the air crackle.
There was no time for further hesitation.
As the large humanoid creature disappeared into the light, Lukas took one last look at the world they were leaving behind. He winked at them before leaning back and letting himself fall into the glowing light. "Farewell. We'll be back before you know it. It'd be like we never left."
As Lukas passed through, a surge of raw energy enveloped him and for a fleeting moment, the world seemed to blur into a whirl of colors and light.
Lukas had no idea what to expect on the other side but it was about time he got to see what the rest of Hiraeth had to offer!