"So? What’s happening in the Main World?"
Kael asked as he looked at Veylara sitting in front of him. They had all returned from the prison and were now sitting in Kael and Lavinia’s quarters.
The room’s atmosphere was a little off, mostly because Elira and Arlan were much quieter than before. Kael could see that even though the two hadn’t gone against their mother, they would still need time to completely accept what had just happened.
And he understood why.
After all, to them, he was never Kael Dragonborn, or a man who was being protected by a Steel Dragon. To them, he was a Hero they had taught, scolded, and laughed together with.
It was obviously difficult for them to see him as that same boy, not when they had just knelt in front of him.
Of course, Kael wanted to tell them to be comfortable, to act like nothing had happened, that he couldn’t care less about formalities and stuff, that they would always be his dear friends he valued, but—
He could tell those would only be empty words, especially in this world.
Not to mention...
There was no time.
At least not now. He was obviously going to buddy up with them later, in a... lighter atmosphere.
"A lot."
And while Kael was thinking all this, Veylara answered his question.
"Tell me."
Kael requested. He had been dying to get a proper update that he could trust.
"Xenthalor is now openly using the Power of Corruption."
"So not even hiding it anymore, huh..."
"They stopped hiding the moment you revealed their beast. They are much more open now. They are continuing their experiments, and they are making progress. Their corrupted beasts have gotten stronger now."
"What about control? Can they control them?"
Kael questioned curiously.
"Yes."
Veylara nodded with a solemn look on her face.
"That is their primary selling point. They say they have ’completely understood’ the ’Energy of Dawn’. They guarantee it does not harm the beast, which I highly doubt."
Kael’s face turned solemn.
Lavinia, however, narrowed her eyes at something else.
"...selling point?"
She tilted her head and frowned.
Veylara understood what she was trying to ask, and she nodded.
"Yes, they have opened the Energy of Dawn to the rest of the world. Anyone who is willing can come in and test it on their beasts.
The rank, strength, or age of the beast does not matter.
They ’empower’ any beast."
"That would... tempt many..."
Lavinia narrowed her eyes at those words.
And Veylara nodded again.
"Many smaller nations are already dealing with Xenthalor in secret."
Those words did not surprise Kael and Lavinia.
People craved strength.
And what they craved even more was a simple, fast way to get that strength.
The Power of Corruption, or as the people of Xenthalor called it, the Energy of Dawn, gave people exactly that.
It would work instantly.
And in times as desperate as this, when Corrupted Beasts were spreading more and more, attacking more and more towns and villages, the weaker nations that had no way to defend themselves would only have one desperate choice.
Plus, once they saw good results, once they saw their beasts become stronger without any clear side effects—
They would all flock to it.
Kael could see that happening. Heck, he had seen it happen, right in front of his eyes. He himself brought people to his side by only offering them food. What would those people not give in return for instant power?
Honestly, some would think it was foolish not to take Xenthalor’s offer.
"What about the Grand Council of Gold?"
Lavinia questioned curiously. Veylara’s face showed a faint trace of disgust at that name.
"They continue trading with Xenthalor."
She answered. Again, that answer did not surprise the two.
The Council was never ’loyal’ to the world. They were only loyal to one thing, and that was profit. If trading with Xenthalor profited them, they would even sell themselves, let alone their beasts.
"They claim they are neutral. They say trade must continue even during political tension since cutting trade would harm common people, and at some level, they are correct. Drakthar may be able to make do without Xenthalor’s artifacts, but the rest of the world cannot."
For a moment, the room turned silent.
Even though Veylara only confirmed what Kael and Lavinia could already guess, things felt even tenser now that it was confirmed.
"So Xenthalor is using corruption openly, smaller nations are dealing with them, and the Grand Council of Gold is still feeding them resources."
Kael leaned forward and exhaled deeply.
"Yes."
Veylara nodded.
"What about the major powers?"
"Drakthar, Zephyria, Eryndor, together with the Church of Feraos, publicly oppose Xenthalor. They have already formed an alliance and have threatened to wage war against Xenthalor in the name of Nerathis’s Survival, however..."
"However?"
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"It has been months. Why hasn’t the war started yet?"
"The price of war is too high.
No one’s willing to be the first one to pay it.
Not to mention, there is also Twilight that worries them. We still know next to nothing about Twilight. A war would weaken every kingdom. If Twilight moves during that time, things could become... worse."
Kael narrowed his eyes at those words. Veylara looked at him, then she just sighed.
"The Alliance against Xenthalor exists in words, not in action. They meet, they argue, they accuse, then they meet again, then again and again—
Without any proper conclusions."
No one trusts the others completely. Drakthar does not trust Zephyria. Zephyria does not trust Drakthar. Eryndor claims to stand for justice, but even they have their own interests.
Then there is also the matter regarding the Guardian Beasts. No one wishes to move their Guardian Beasts first.
The smaller nations are afraid. Some want protection from the major powers, but some are already secretly dealing with Xenthalor. They sit in meetings and nod along, but they don’t do anything important.
It...
It is a mess."
Veylara shook her head, as if just thinking about it all was exhausting.
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