The announcement did not echo like thunder. It was calm and flat, spoken in the same neutral tone the system always used. That made it worse.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Aren lay still, staring at the sky. The blue looked the same as always. No fire. No cracks. No divine eyes. If he ignored the burning in his chest and the faint glow of the system screen, he could almost believe nothing had changed.
Kael pushed himself up slowly. His hands trembled. He touched his face, then his chest, as if checking whether he was still real.
"A dragon," Kael said quietly. "It told everyone."
Aren did not answer right away. His head felt heavy. Thoughts moved slowly, like they were wading through mud.
"Is that bad," Aren finally asked.
Kael laughed once, short and hollow. "That is the worst thing it could have done."
They sat there in silence. Dust drifted through the air. The ruins were gone, crushed into broken stone and shallow craters. The path they had taken in was no longer clear.
Aren's system screen shifted.
[Quest Update][Heir of the Broken Throne][Condition: Revealed]
Aren frowned. "Revealed to who?"
Kael looked at him. "Everyone."
As if to prove it, the air around them rippled. A sharp sound followed, like something tearing open. A circular gate appeared a few meters away, glowing pale blue.
Aren's heart dropped.
"That is a teleport gate," he said.
Kael stood up fully now, though he still looked unsteady. "Not a normal one."
The gate stabilized. A group of people stepped through, one after another. They wore dark uniforms, different from the Dragon Suppression Unit. Their armor was lighter, marked with silver symbols instead of blue.
The woman in front had short black hair and sharp eyes. She scanned the area quickly, then focused on Aren.
"There," she said. "That is him."
Kael moved in front of Aren without thinking. "Stay back."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Interesting reaction."
More gates opened.
Another group arrived, then another. Different uniforms. Different symbols. Some wore robes. Others wore heavy armor. All of them looked toward Aren.
"This is bad," Aren said.
Kael nodded. "They felt it. The announcement. The mana shift."
A tall man stepped forward from one of the groups. He smiled, but his eyes were cold. "A Dragon Tamer," he said. "I never thought I would see one alive."
Aren swallowed. "I am not what you think."
The man laughed. "That is what they all say."
Another voice cut in. "Do not listen to him."
A woman in white robes stepped out from a different gate. Her expression was tense, but her eyes were not hostile. "He is untrained. You will kill him if you provoke him."
The man scoffed. "That is the risk of power."
Kael's eyes flickered gold for a brief second. The ground beneath his feet warmed.
"Back away from him," Kael said. "All of you."
The tall man noticed the flicker. His smile widened. "Ah. The dragon."
Several people shifted their stance. Weapons were half drawn.
Aren's system reacted again.
[Multiple Hostile Entities Detected][Threat Level: Extreme]
Aren stood up slowly. His legs still felt weak, but standing felt better than sitting like a target.
"Everyone," Aren said, his voice shaking slightly. "I do not want to fight."
The tall man shrugged. "That is unfortunate."
The woman in white raised her hand. "If you attack him here, the balance will break."
"Balance," the man replied. "You mean your balance."
Tension thickened the air.
Then someone clapped.
A slow, deliberate clap.
A new gate opened, larger than the others. The mana around it was heavy, refined, controlled. A single figure stepped through.
He wore no armor. No uniform. Just a simple dark coat. His hair was silver, his face calm, his presence overwhelming.
Everyone fell silent.
Even the hostile ones straightened.
"That is him," Kael whispered. "I remember him."
The man looked at Aren. His gaze felt like it went straight through him.
"So," the man said. "The heir awakens."
Aren felt his chest tighten. "You know me."
The man smiled faintly. "Not you. What you carry."
The system screen flickered violently.
[Authority Conflict Detected]
The silver haired man raised his hand slightly.
The screen froze.
Aren's breath caught.
The man's eyes narrowed in interest. "Ah. You can still see it."
"Who are you," Aren asked.
The man tilted his head. "You may call me Regent Halverin."
The tall man from earlier bowed slightly. "Regent."
Others followed.
The woman in white hesitated, then bowed as well.
Kael stiffened. "I remember chains," he said. "And fire. And your voice ordering it."
Halverin looked at him calmly. "Then you remember correctly."
Kael's hands clenched. "You hunted us."
"We contained you," Halverin replied. "Just like Lyra Voss did."
Aren's heart sank. "You work together."
Halverin nodded. "Different branches. Same goal."
Aren took a step back. Kael matched him.
"You announced it to the world," Halverin continued. "That was clever. Now no one can erase you quietly."
"That was not my choice," Aren said.
"I know," Halverin said. "That is why you interest me."
The woman in white spoke again. "Regent, if you take him now, the seal may collapse completely."
Halverin smiled. "That is the risk of delayed solutions."
He turned to Aren. "Come with me."
Aren shook his head. "No."
The word felt small, but he said it anyway.
Halverin's smile faded. "You do not understand. Every power in this world is watching you now. If you stay free, war will follow."
Kael stepped closer to Aren. "Then let it."
Halverin's eyes flicked to Kael. "You are barely holding yourself together. One more release and you will lose your mind."
Aren felt the bond react, pain flaring briefly.
"Do not threaten him," Aren said.
Halverin looked surprised. Then amused. "You protect your dragon already."
The system flashed again.
[Bond Strength Increasing]
Halverin's expression sharpened. "That should not happen this fast."
A distant rumble rolled through the ground. It was faint, but deep.
Everyone felt it.
Aren's heart skipped.
The system displayed a new message.
[Unknown Dragon Activity Detected][Location: Multiple]
Kael's eyes widened. "Others," he whispered. "They are waking up."
Halverin's calm finally cracked. "That is impossible."
The ground rumbled again, stronger this time.
Far away, something roared.
Then another.
And another.
The sky darkened, not with clouds, but with mana.
Aren felt something inside him respond. Not fear. Recognition.
The system spoke again, louder than before.
[Hidden Faction Revealed][Dragons: Active]
Halverin stepped back slowly.
"This changes everything," he said.
Aren looked at Kael. Kael looked back, fear and determination mixing in his eyes.
The system displayed one final line.
[World Event Initiated][The Age of Silence Has Ended]
And somewhere beyond the horizon, the first dragon took flight.