Deep within the heart of the Theocracy of Hopelys, far beyond the human kingdom's borders, stood a cathedral so grand it made the one in Laurentia look like a roadside shrine. Towering obsidian pillars stretched endlessly upward, disappearing into shadowed heights. At the far end of the nave, a colossal mural dominated the wall.
A majestic dragon, wings spread like storm clouds, loomed behind a blindfolded woman holding golden scales. Her eyes were covered by a strip of flowing white cloth. From behind that cloth poured a pure, living light — soft yet piercing, ancient and watchful.
Johannes knelt alone in the center of the vast hall, his thin, crusty face illuminated by that divine radiance. His knees ached against the cold marble, but he did not move.
The light spoke. Not with words carried on air, but with sound woven directly into the light itself — a warm, resonant voice that vibrated through bone and soul.
"Tell me, Johannes… did anything interesting happen in the human realm?"
Johannes smiled awkwardly, the expression pulling at the deep lines on his aged face. He kept his forehead pressed to the floor.
Of course you already know, he thought. You always know.
Still, he answered carefully, voice full of practiced reverence.
"Many things, O Blessed One. The humans held their little Awakening Ceremony. The boy… Auther Claymanson… he awakened."
The light pulsed gently, waiting.
Johannes continued, eyes gleaming with hidden excitement.
"I've found somebody better than this old sock wait till he hears I want to see him boiling with jealousy." that was all he could think about.
A long silence followed. Then the light spoke again, almost amused.
"How was your day your holiness?"
"You already know the answer to the question you wish to ask. Why waste my time with useless words?"
Johannes lifted his head slightly, still kneeling. His old eyes sparkled with cunning.
"Forgive this lowly servant, O Light of Hopelys. I simply wished to hear it from you. How high do the ranks go among dragon-kind?"
The light seemed to pause, considering.
"From Epic… to Supreme. That is the highest rank currently known to exist."
Johannes' smile widened, though he kept his head bowed in perfect reverence.
"Then… what if, in that insignificant little race of humans… there existed a being whose rank has never been seen before? Not even by dragon-kind?"
The light instantly flared blood red.
The entire cathedral trembled. The temperature spiked. Johannes felt the pressure bearing down on him like the weight of a mountain, but he only pressed his forehead harder against the cold floor, deepening his bow.
The light burned hotter, furious.
"Explain."
Johannes spoke carefully, voice steady despite the oppressive aura.
"The boy awakened as something beyond Supreme. The words that appeared above his head were… Divine Rank – Supreme Magus. Something entirely new. Something the system itself had no prior record of."
He paused, then added with calculated humility:
"I thought it wise to report this directly to you. After all, nothing can be hidden from your sight."
The red light slowly dimmed, returning to its usual golden-white. But the air remained thick with tension.
Johannes stayed low, silently thinking to himself:
Even you can feel fear… yet you call it reverence. How demeaning this must be for a proud dragon like me — kneeling and flattering a light. But power is power.
He kept those thoughts buried deep.
The divine light finally spoke again, its voice colder now.
"Watch the boy closely. Report everything. If he truly carries something new… then the balance may soon shift."
Johannes bowed even lower, his crusty forehead scraping against the marble.
"As you command, O Blessed One. But blessed one news this wonderful doesn't like being contained are you sure that merely keeping an eye on him is enough?"
"Do you want me the proud guardian dragon to the holy shrine to compete with some lowly race over a mere weapon?"
The glass hummed vibrating from sheer power as Johannes' knees quacked even as he kneeled, standing before a fully realized supreme ranked dragon even a mere fraction of it's brilliance was too much for the old fox.
"That is not what I am suggesting your holiness all that I'm saying is that those vile angels who challenge us in our belief of faith might take the opportunity to lure the stupid creature in and if given the proper time to develop I dread to think of what a nuisance the insect might cause." He deliberately played down the disastrous consequences he knew it could destroy all of Dragon kin.
"You might have a point I cannot let my name as a guardian for my faith be sullied by those filthy angels do anything in your power to make sure that boy is completely ours got that."
"Yes your holiness," he took a slight pause the light turning golden as it started calm "may you have a glorious time wherever you are."
The light dimmed until only faint rays remained. Johannes stayed kneeling long after it had gone, a hungry smile slowly spreading across his aged face.
He calmly walked outside the cathedral
"That guy is so pretentious does he even understand what that boy falling into the wrong hands could mean, we just kill him but if he comes to our side it will be a currency unlike any other we might be able to rid ourselves of self righteous idiots like the guardian and take over this lowly world and I'll be right there the only one with his hands on the trigger."
He continued walking till he met a youth green leaf like hair coupled with short horns tat looked more like stubs, he was casually leaning on a wall looking at the arch roof.
"Tron our moment to rise is coming once we are done with the pointless bureaucracy we will set off to collect our weapon."
"Shouldn't you temp the boy with a female dragon not me I doubt I could infiltrate his heart that quickly."
"Aren't you tired of the usual plan, a woman bringing wreck to a king, that's too predictable he would see that coming from a mile away but for a lad who lived without knowing his father and only hearing of his grandeur you a heroic swordsman is very easy to imprint on you the personality of a father figure."
Tron looked at him with a blank expression before going back to staring at the sky.
"You will surely die from your wickedness."
"I'm sure I'll live longer than you."
"Pretentious old man." Tron said before starting to walk away, these two were disciple and master, Johannes was the arch-bishop for the human region and Tron was to be his successor.