Pelion remained hovering in the air above the hall, the black fla bird beneath him slowly flapping its wings.
He looked down at Darius and gave a satisfied smile. "What a good choice, Lord Darius."
His tone carried clear amusent. "Trust . Joining us is a very wise decision."
Darius stood still in the center of the hall.
The earlier confrontation had already drained so of the tension from his face, but the frustration in his eyes had not disappeared.
Pelion leaned forward slightly on the back of the bird.
"For now," he continued, "you should co with ."
His smile widened. "The Chira Lord is waiting."
Several of the Draconia elders exchanged uneasy glances when they heard that title.
Darius frowned. "What about my territory?"
His voice carried a trace of impatience.
Pelion chuckled. "Of course, the territory remains important."
He casually gestured around the hall. "But the mont you join us, it is no longer just yours."
Darius’s eyes narrowed.
Pelion continued speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"The Draconia territory will now belong to the Black Chira as well."
He shrugged lightly. "So we will be sending people here soon."
He leaned back again on the bird’s neck. "Don’t worry. They will help stabilize things."
Darius frowned more deeply. "That wasn’t exactly what I asked."
Pelion smiled lazily. "You wanted protection. You get protection. That’s the deal."
Darius stayed silent for a mont.
His gaze drifted briefly toward the ceiling where Garion and the others had escaped.
Then he looked back at Pelion. "That demon earlier..."
Pelion tilted his head slightly. "What demon?"
Darius’s brows furrowed. "A demon suddenly appeared in this hall."
He pointed toward the place where the creature had stood earlier. "He accused the Draconia Clan of working with demons."
Pelion’s expression barely changed. "Hmm."
He rubbed his chin slightly. "That could happen."
Darius’s eyes sharpened. "What do you an?"
Pelion shrugged. "We do have demons within our ranks."
He said it casually, as if discussing hired rcenaries. "So of them are useful."
Darius’s expression darkened slightly. "So that creature might have been yours?"
Pelion waved a hand dismissively. "Maybe. Maybe not."
He leaned forward again, clearly not interested in the discussion. "Either way, it doesn’t matter."
His eyes glead. "What matters is that you made your decision."
He pointed toward the exit of the hall. "Now co. The Chira Lord does not like to wait."
Darius remained still for a mont, his fists slowly tightening before relaxing again.
Finally he exhaled quietly. "...Fine."
Pelion grinned. "Good."
He straightened up on the back of the black fla bird. "Then let’s go et him."
The bird spread its wings again, filling the hall with dark heat as it prepared to take off.
---
Garion’s gravity burst carried the three of them far away from the Draconia Clan.
They landed on a rocky ridge several kiloters away.
Sorien was the first to turn toward Garion, his face clearly irritated.
"Why did you pull us away?" he asked sharply. "Draconia has openly allied with demons."
Dahlia nodded imdiately, her anger still fresh.
"Yeah," she said. "We should’ve crushed them right there."
Her fists were clenched, and her eyes were still fixed toward the direction of her forr clan.
Garion raised both hands casually. "Relax."
That single word made Dahlia glare at him.
"Relax?" she repeated.
Garion shrugged. "We were three people standing inside an enemy territory."
He pointed back toward Draconia. "And now they’re backed by sothing called Black Chira."
He looked between the two of them. "Co on. Let’s think realistically."
Sorien frowned, clearly unhappy about the retreat. But after a few seconds, he exhaled slowly. "...You are not wrong."
Garion nodded. "Exactly."
He crossed his arms. "For now, I want to understand sothing."
He looked directly at Sorien. "What is this Black Chira thing?"
Sorien’s expression beca more serious. "You could say they are a demonic faction."
Garion raised an eyebrow. "A demonic faction?"
Sorien nodded. "And their power has already reached the level of a Grand Faction."
Dahlia blinked slightly. "So they’re on the sa level as Solmira or Draconia?"
"Yes," Sorien replied.
Garion rubbed his chin. "I see."
He let out a small breath. "No wonder you were surprised when you saw that Pelion guy."
Sorien nodded again. "You have no idea how troubleso that faction is."
Garion tilted his head. "Then explain."
Sorien looked out toward the horizon for a mont before speaking again.
"The people in Black Chira follow one of the worst cultivation paths ever created."
Garion’s eyes sharpened. "Oh? What kind of path?"
Sorien answered slowly. "It is called the Demonic Chira Cultivation Path."
Garion repeated the na quietly. "Chira..."
Sorien continued. "The path fuses humans with demonic beasts."
Dahlia’s brows furrowed. "So that’s why they call themselves Chira."
"Yes," Sorien said.
He crossed his arms as well. "From what we know, the process is extrely dangerous."
His voice grew colder. "Most people who cultivate that path lose their minds."
Garion nodded slowly. "But they gain power."
Sorien looked at him. "Yes."
Dahlia frowned. "So they beco monsters."
"Exactly," Sorien said.
He paused before continuing. "Only a few manage to retain their sanity."
Garion raised an eyebrow. "And those are the leaders?"
Sorien nodded. "Those who keep their minds beco the higher ranks of the Black Chira."
Dahlia let out a quiet breath. "That explains Pelion."
Garion looked thoughtful. "So the strong ones are the sane monsters."
Sorien nodded again. "And that is what makes them so dangerous."
Garion crossed his arms and looked toward the distant horizon.
"I see," he said slowly. "Interesting."
He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"So instead of training their bodies and cultivating the normal way... they just fuse directly with beasts?"
Dahlia frowned slightly. "That sounds insane."
Garion shrugged. "Insane, yes. But also efficient."
He glanced back at Sorien. "I’m curious now."
His eyes narrowed with interest. "I wonder who created that cultivation path. To think soone could co up with sothing like that."
Sorien stayed silent for a mont before answering. "The creator is the leader of the Black Chira."
Garion nodded. "That part was obvious."
But Sorien continued. "And at the sa ti..."
He looked directly at Garion. "...he is just like you."
Garion blinked once. "Just like ?"
Sorien nodded calmly. "Another otherworlder."
For a mont, the wind was the only sound on the ridge.
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