★7§4.28
The atmosphere is Draconic, peaceful, and normal, unlike those three. And for the first time in my life, I saw a real Dragon, Kalidorian Dragon. Dragon-kins of different Lineage, shapes, and size were flying around doing their daily Draconic life. Most of them kept their Draconic form, and very few made use of their humanoid form.
"Naturally, wild Dragons spawn here. They're not 'wild' wild but wild."
(Not jail, jail, jail. Breaking Bad, Walter White reference:)
"They spawn naturally without any help from a third party. This is a birthing place and home for wild Dragons."
Tikvah explains. A Dragon comparable to the Cannibal in size just flew past us without care, some little ones followed by, etc. It's really hard to tell what each and every Dragon-kin was doing.
"What's the difference between these ones and others?"
Vera asked.
"Nobility and status. The ones here are sentient like any other, can create a humanoid form, can use, learn, create and copy magic of all sorts, have freedom, etc. It's literally too much to count. But nobility and status are what sets us apart."
"Status like what?"
"Dragons in here don't bother about military, political, and social affairs, and neither does our influence extend here.
They know I'm a Princess, but what's special about that? They bow to no one, not even the King or Queen. They're just free. Not King, Queen, knights, soldiers, civilians, nothing. Just free Dragons living in the wild."
"That's the freedom you want?"
I asked.
"If you paid attention, I never said the Queen was my mother. I belong to nature, I belong in the wild. I simply hatched in the Kingdom ruled by Queen Leyvera. I'll explain everything bit by bit for you all to understand."
Her quick smile vanished at the sight of the storm ahead.
"Skyborn Tempest, Varnok. A storm that yields to none, including the Monarchs themselves."
She said, fear bleeding from her words.
I glazed deep into the tempest, and I couldn't even see the Fragments because they were part of the storm. The visibility gets poor as I peer deep.
"They're isles scattered within the strom. I don't know how they made use of it, but it's there."
"I can see them. But they'll only slow us down. Stay here. Let me go check it out... "
"No. We're in this together."
Tikvah intervenes sharply.
"We move as one, as a team."
She extended her arm, and Vera responded by placing her hand on Tikvah's.
"What are you waiting for?"
She asked, noticing I was just standing there looking at them.
"What am I supposed to do?"
"It's a gesture for a team."
She garbage my hand and placed it on top of Vera's.
"Am I supposed to feel something?"
I asked, ignorant of this Draconic ritual.
"We're supposed to cheer or chant, but it'll consume valuable time."
"It's only a matter of seconds so we can find something to say."
Vera added.
"Hmm...Tikvah means hope, Vera means faith, and Wú Jí means limitless. TIKVEEWOO CREW, limitless truth, and hope bound together forever!"
She cheered.
"It's long, sorry."
She shrank, embarrassed.
"No. It's ok. We say it together, okay?"
"Yeah."
Vera answered, and I nodded.
"One, two, three..."
"TIKVEEWOO CREW, limitless truth and hope bound together forever!"
We said out loud together as a team before turning to face the storm... together.
"The storm is said to have five layers, each providing different difficulties than the others. What we're looking at is the Outer Howl. It's hundreds of kilometres from eyesight, but it stretches deeper."
Tik explained. The howling was distorting her voice, but I heard it loud and clear.
"Thanks for the heads up. It's windy, so use those scarves I gave you back in Parvak."
Immediately after that, they avoided eye contact, which means
"Great. You misplaced it."
I duplicated mine and gave them. We wore it simultaneously, ready to face the Skyborn Tempest, Varnok.
"Stay close."
I lead the way into the Outer Howl.
The first 100km was safe but things started to change from low frequency infrasound to supersonic gales that induce deafness and vertigo, I was able to tell because I reconstructed my body to feel the effects without letting it overpower me. Other than that, the...
<
I turned and saw no one behind me.
<
I went back in the same direction, holding onto the thin signature left from the disturbance.
I heighten my senses and focus solely on their magic signatures. In minutes, I found someone hiding themselves in their broad wings.
<
"Hey!"
I called out even though she couldn't hear me.
<
<>
I clicked my tongue.
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<
Entares suggested.
<
I approached the shivering little Dragon, the cloak reacting to my plans and unpinned itself, creating a dome-like barrier around us. It was tight but peaceful and normal.
"Hey, Tik. Are you alright?"
I asked.
"Yeah. I just felt silence, and the next thing I knew was I was all alone."
<>
I walked over and crouched in front of her.
"You're scared. It's okay to be sacred."
"Are you scared? I guess not. There's nothing that can shake someone like you."
"That's my image on the outside. But just like anyone, I feel fear. Have you ever felt so much dread you couldn't breathe, think, or move?"
She flinched but didn't open up.
"I guess not. Being strong means experiencing things beyond the norms. That goes the same with fear. So yeah, just like you, I'm subjected to feelings."
It doesn't have to be true, but to change the mood, I have to appear flawed like anyone.
"You know what I do whenever I'm nervous?"
She didn't answer, but she's demanding it.
"I know a few ways, and I'm going to share them with you. The first way is to name it out loud. I'm afraid of Mordryth, I'll die, I'm terrified of Varnok or anything. Doing this moves the feeling from the primitive amygdala toward the rational prefrontal cortex where you can walk with it.
The second was as easy as breathing. Breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for a second, and exhale for 6 seconds.
The last method is to occupy your mind with something. It's easy too, use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique. Notice 5 things you see, 4 things you feel, 3 things you hear, 2 things you smell, and 1 thing you taste. This works well in forests or places with a lot of obstacles. Can you do any of them?"
She nodded. I can feel the sound as she's using the breathing technique.
(Demon Slayer:)
"I'm afraid of the storm! I'm afraid of Varnok!"
She said out loud, doing the breathing technique again.
"I see darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness, darkness. I'm feeling cold, warm, cold, warm. I can hear my voice, the storm, my heartbeat. I can smell the royal scent on my clothes, royal scent. I can taste the sweetness of my tongue."
The moment she finished, her wings flung open, and there she was, hugging her knees, hiding from the storm.
"Well done. How do you feel?"
"A bit... okay."
"Good."
I smiled, her cheeks turning red in response.
"I have to go look for Vera."
"Is she missing?"
"We got separated from each other, so yeah."
"Wait, right ..."
"No. I'm coming with you."
She stood up.
"Are you sure?"
I asked, rising to meet her height.
"Yeah. TIKVEEWOO CREW always looks out for each other."
<
"Ok. Protect her, cloak. Or whatever your name is."
The twilight cloak flowed like liquid shrouding her small frame, the hood covering her head also. With the scarf in place, she's totally safe.
<
"Here."
I gave her my hand, she hesitated for a moment before taking it.
"Let's go."
Vera's signature was like a dying candle in the middle of this storm.
She might be in danger so I have to hurry. I can levitate without issue, the cloak following my steps, twisting gravity carrying Tikvah around. Flight wasn't a problem, and I was able to locate Vera on one of the isles. She was walking unnaturally and exhausted, but her destination was the cave.
We descended, the cloak replicating itself, creating the dome around her.
"Hey, are you alright?"
Obviously not. She turned, faced fully wrapped.
"Yeah."
"I lost sight of you all. After roaming without senses, I saw this isle, so I decided to take a break before heading out."
"Well, let's get some rest before heading out."
"No. We can't waste valuable time here."
"Yes, we can't. But getting back into the storm exhausted will only bring bad news."
"Wú Jí kun is right. As much as I hate to waste time here, we can't continue with you in this state."
"Hope you're not thirsty or something. Because we're not getting any of that soon."
"What am I, a human?"
She asked, annoyed.
"What about you, Tikvah?"
"We eat and drink, but that doesn't mean we need it to survive. I'm good."
"Good."
I sat on the ground.
"We can wait for now."
"While we're at it, I think I can use this time to tell you something about us, Dragons. What do you want to know, Wú Jí kun?"
"The Nobility System."
"Alright, here's the original version of the Void Dragons' Nobility System. They copied us, after all. Before anything else, you need to know how Kings and Queens are chosen.
Usually, they're the direct descendants of the Monarchs, the founders of Nobility in Kalidor. Each Monarch created a Lineage, and each Lineage chooses its most suitable child to inherit the throne."
"So there's more than one King?"
"Yeah. Every Lineage has its own Dynasty, and each Dynasty has one or more Kingdoms, each with its own ruler. All except the Olyssar Lineage, which only have Queens. The reason is simple: their Monarch is the Deepmother, Eternal Yanara."
"Eternal?"
Vera asked.
"The Monarchs are irreplaceable. They're been here with us since the first generation of Dragons. So Eternal is the perfect fit for them."
"The Deepmother. What does that mean?"
I asked.
"I can't disclose the roles of each Monarch but Our Eternal is widely known throughout Kalidor. Excluding the Dragons is Sylith. She gave birth to more than half of Kalidor's Dragons. The Empire of Thal is the largest Empire in all of Kalidor."
"Including Dragons of different Lineages?"
"Yeah. When she creates, she doesn't choose the Lineage for them. She lets Kalidor himself decide."
"Heh?"
"Um."
She nodded.
"Random Dragons don't just spawn out of thin air. Kalidor creates and maintains balance with or without the help of a King, Emperors or Deities. The Emperors/Empress are just the tiles the Monarchs use when engaging in political affairs."
"What about the Dragon Deities?"
Vera asked.
"Sorry, we're talking about the Nobility System."
I straighten. And she nodded. I'm the one demanding the knowledge, not her, so only I can twist the story.
"Proceed."
(Note, Rulers = King/Queen.)
"Ok. Now that you know who the Rulers represent, we can move forward to the Nobility ranks. Naturally, the children of Rulers are called Prince or Princess. That still applies in Kalidor, though there are powers far above even Princes or Rulers. Do you want me to start with Higher or Lower Nobility?"
"Lower."
"Alright. Starting with the bottom of Lower Nobility:
Knight – warrior nobility sworn to protect their liege's lands, all militarily associated.
Marquis / Marquise – nobles ruling border territories, given small forces to defend against invasions and secure the frontier. Kalidor, which had little to zero internal turmoil, this class is mostly ceremonial, though they hold authority in castles.
Those two form the Lower Nobility. Moving up to Higher Nobility ..
Prince / Princess – children of Rulers. Influence varies: Royal Princes have dynastic importance, while ruling Princes govern small states. A regular child like me is just a Princess with no real influence.
Duke / Duchess – rulers of large territories (duchies) within a Kingdom. Castles aren't the Ruler's primary residence; a Kingdom can have ten or more. Dukes often have more influence than some Princes, though they can also hold Prince/Princess titles.
Archduke / Archduchess – a step above Dukes. They control vast territories, sometimes semi-sovereign, and can even overshadow the Rulers in power. But only one Archduke has that position. Sovereign Boriel."
"Adrian."
"Yes. He's a prominent figure, and I'll tell you why he's special.
King / Queen – head of a Kingdom, sovereign over all nobles within it. One per Kingdom.
The next rank is trickier. They often act above Rulers, governing major territories or ruling in a Monarch's stead.
Grand Duke – There's no Grand Duchess, so we eliminate that title. It typically rulers of large duchies, sometimes nearly as powerful as Rulers. Exceptional Dragons, like Grand Duke Lancelith, can govern an Empire itself in place of the Monarchs.
Grand Prince / Grand Princess – tied to Dynasties by blood. A Dragon crowned Grand Prince is blood-related; outsiders or non-nobles reaching this tier are made Grand Duke instead. Functionally similar to Grand Dukes, but the title reflects lineage.
Let me break down the regional terms. A Monarch has an Empire and Dynasty. Dynasties are normally the Lineage line itself, e.g., Olyssar. But the Dynasty isn't a physical place like an Empire. This makes an Empire and Dynasty almost the same thing. The Empire has several Kingdoms, each with its own Rulers e.g. Queen Leyvera.
These Kingdom contains duchies, countries, nations, or cities. And each of them can have a castle.
<
"How are the Grand Prince / Grand Duke chosen?"
"The Monarchs chose them. Most are based on achievement in the past. You're going to ask about the High Sovereign tiers, right? Well, I'll tell you but I think we've gotten enough rest."
"Yeah. We shouldn't waste the little time we have in storytelling. Let's go."
The duplicate cloak wrapped around Vera.
"Hey, I don't need it."
"I didn't tell her that."
"How do we know which way we're supposed to go now?"
Tik asked an important question, but I've already set reminders.
"Look."
I pointed into the distance, and my clone was pointing in a certain direction. They both seem surprised, but it's the only way.
"Magic isn't so stable, so I used clones. Let's go."
With multiple clones, each giving us a specific direction before dissolving. Eventually, we made it where I was before turning back.
"This was where I noticed you two were missing. I can take it from here."
My voice wasn't able to reach them, but the hoodie does a good job of transmitting my message. In no time, we made it past the Outer Howl because Tik told us what she knew.
To be continued...