If Isha's favorite hobby was watching her sister and Leon bicker until they were frustrated, then Claudia, the Sea Dragon Princess, had her own peculiar habit: she made a point of remembering Leon's routines and preferences, only to appear suddenly when he least expected it.
This time, her timing was as flawless as Leon's own knack for arriving at the most critical moment. It was true what they said: birds of a feather flock together.
Claudia stood on a rock above Leon, her long blue hair flowing softly in the sea breeze. She held a dignified posture, her arms crossed over her chest, her elegant tail swaying gently behind her. A knowing smile played on her lips, as if to say, "So you do realize you've been freeloading off me."
Leon scratched his head awkwardly, offering a sheepish grin in return.
"We're all family here. There's no need to keep a strict tally of who owes what."
"Family?" Claudia retorted, her smile turning sly. "Then how about you give me that six-winged 'pet' of yours as a family gift?"
The dragonhawk, standing beside Leon, tilted its head in confusion. ??
"Absolutely not," Leon refused immediately. "This is my essential transportation, especially for navigating your territory. And he's not a pet."
"Oh?" Claudia raised an eyebrow, amused. "Then what would you call him?"
"A champion of justice," Leon declared with mock solemnity.
Claudia couldn't hold back a light laugh. She shook her head, deciding not to engage further in his nonsense. She knew from experience that Leon could keep up such silly banter indefinitely.
"So," Claudia began, her tone shifting to business as they walked deeper into the sanctuary, "what have you come to 'take' from me this time?"
Leon's expression grew serious.
"To be direct, Elder, I have finally encountered Shadow."
He had spoken to Claudia about Shadow before, explaining his relentless pursuit across the continent. She had been sympathetic and had promised her assistance whenever he needed it. Now, however, was the first time he was formally seeking her help specifically regarding this enemy.
Inside the grand hall of the Sea Dragon Sanctuary, Leon recounted his entire experience in the Flaming Valley. By the time he finished, Claudia and the assembled elders wore expressions of deep shock.
"You're telling us," Claudia summarized, her voice tense, "that the exiled Empress Elizabeth used knowledge granted by Shadow to resurrect the ancient and immensely dangerous Flame Demon?"
Leon nodded grimly. "That's correct. But it was more than a simple resurrection. Elizabeth exploited the unique magical environment of the Flaming Valley to grant the creature near-limitless regeneration. I was lucky to escape with my life."
He continued, his voice low with concern. "If Shadow possesses the knowledge and power to revive a threat as formidable as the Flame Demon, I fear he may be capable of resurrecting even greater ancient evils."
One of the elder warriors, a seasoned veteran named Paladin, furrowed his brow in deep thought. He had spent decades on the front lines and possessed an almost instinctual sense for coming conflicts.
"The closer we get to the truth, the more perilous this battle becomes," Paladin rumbled. "A truly uphill fight."
"When facing an opponent like Shadow," he elaborated, "the more of his capabilities he reveals, the more variables we must account for. Calling it a 'tough fight' is a profound understatement."
Claudia nodded in agreement. "Yet you overcame the Flame Demon, proving this was not your ultimate challenge. Something else must have happened to drive you to seek our help so urgently. What was it?"
Leon clenched his fists, the memory clearly weighing on him.
"Shadow said something to me... He said that I am an obstacle to the return of a 'Great Being.' That I must be eliminated for this being to be revived."
This statement sent a ripple of murmurs through the council of elders.
"A 'Great Being'? What could that mean? Why would I be a hindrance to its return?" Leon's voice was thick with frustration. "I cannot connect myself to anything of such cosmic significance. That is why I've come to you, Elder. I was hoping you might have some clue in your records, even a forgotten rumor, anything that could point me in the right direction."
Claudia frowned, her mind racing through millennia of draconic history.
"A 'Great Being' returning..." she mused aloud.
"Do you have any leads, Elder?" Leon pressed, hope flickering in his eyes.
After a long moment of reflection, Claudia spoke.
"For the Dragon Clan, the only entities that could be universally considered 'Great' are the Dragon God Tiamat, and the Primordial Dragon King, Noah."
While the dragon clans were often divided, their reverence for the progenitor, Tiamat, was universal. She was the ancestor of all dragons, a symbol of ultimate strength and divinity. Even after tens of thousands of years, her legacy remained untouchable.
Meanwhile, the Primordial Dragon King Noah was a legendary figure credited with single-handedly ending a catastrophic civil war in the ancient past. Little was known about Noah's origins or how they attained such immense, near-divine power. It was as if Noah had been sent by the heavens solely to save the dragon race before vanishing from history.
For centuries, Noah's whereabouts were a complete mystery, until Constantine's expedition to the Far North a few years ago uncovered ruins that held fragments of Noah's legend, reigniting interest in the enigmatic savior.
Claudia shook her head lightly.
"As a dragon, I find it impossible to believe that Shadow, or any mortal force, could possess the power to revive Tiamat. The very idea is ludicrous. To put it in perspective, reviving Tiamat would require power equivalent to shattering the entire Samuel continent with a single blow."
Her analysis was interrupted by a timid tug on her sleeve. It was her younger sister, Charlotte, Leon's kind-hearted foster mother.
"Um... Sister," Charlotte whispered, "your example might not be the most comforting. While reviving the Dragon God is indeed implausible, Leon is—"
Claudia reached out and flicked Charlotte's forehead gently.
"Hush, Charlotte. Don't undermine your own disciple."
Charlotte rubbed her forehead, pouting slightly before offering Leon an apologetic smile. Leon chuckled softly, giving her a reassuring look to show he wasn't offended.
He turned back to Claudia. "Elder, I understand your point. But if Shadow's 'Great Being' isn't Tiamat, could it be the Primordial Dragon King, Noah?"
Claudia bit her lip, considering it carefully before shaking her head once more.
"I cannot say for certain. Historical records about Noah are incredibly scarce. Despite their legendary status, there is shockingly little concrete information about them in our archives."
She paused, then offered her own theory.
"In fact, I do not believe Shadow's 'Great Being' is either Tiamat or Noah."
"Why not?" Leon asked.
"Because of what Shadow said: 'You, Leon, are the greatest obstacle.'" Claudia emphasized. "Neither the Dragon God nor the Primordial Dragon King have any direct historical or mystical connection to you, a human Dragon Slayer. Therefore, I believe this 'Great Being' must be something else entirely."
She continued, her voice taking on a scholarly tone.
"It could be an entity from within the deeper, more obscure annals of dragon history, something lost to the cracks of time. A being whose records are even more fragmented and hidden than those of Noah."
Claudia let out a soft sigh of frustration.
"Unfortunately, deep historical research is not my area of expertise. I am sorry, Leon. I do not have the specific answers you are searching for."
Leon let out a deep breath he hadn't realized he was holding. He managed a small, grateful smile. "That's alright, Elder. You've already helped a great deal by ruling out possibilities and sharing your knowledge."
"But..." Claudia added, a new thought striking her.
Leon's ears perked up at the word. "But what, Elder?"
"But while I may not have the answers," she said, a glint of insight in her eyes, "I know of someone who is far more likely to. Someone who hoards knowledge like a dragon hoards treasure."
"Who?" Leon asked, leaning forward.
"The master of the Twilight Tower, in the neutral Sky City."