(Sowhere within the mountainous interior of Planet Tithia)
After disembarking the ship, Leo was wordlessly escorted away, flanked on either side by unfamiliar guards whose eyes betrayed a strange blend of weariness and reverence.
Their expressions hovered sowhere between cautious respect and quiet fear, as if unsure whether to salute him or arrest him.
The Twelfth Elder walked just ahead, offering no explanation and no words, his silence as deliberate as it was oppressive.
Their route wound through multiple checkpoints, each more fortified than the last, with layers of magical wards, sentry constructs, and elite personnel standing watch, as eventually, they boarded a hovercraft that veered off the main path and entered a concealed passage carved between the mountains.
It was only then that Leo began to grasp the gravity of where they were going, for the terrain they travelled through now beca eerily silent.
After every couple dozen trees that they passed Leo spotted a new surveillance artifact mounted on a tal pole, as well as the presence of increased numbers of human sentries.
’I’m probably going to et soone very important,’ Leo deduced, as the layers of security had made it clear to him that no-one passed this area unless they were supposed to.
Eventually, he found himself arriving at a small cottage built in the lowest point of a scenic valley that was surrounded on all four sides by tall mountain peaks, in what had to be the ultimate spot for a recluse to live his life.
The structure itself was simple, it looked like a peaceful retreat from the outside that was made from white stone and natural cent, with quiet waterfalls flowing nearby.
However, although it seed like a place housing a quiet sage who would be imnsely powerful, Leo felt underwheld when he finally ca face to face with the owner of the house who was a luxuriously dressed old man barely a bit more powerful than the Twelfth Elder at the Transcendent Tier.
"Greetings, First Elder..." The Twelfth Elder said, as he removed his ceremonial mask and revealed the sharp, calculating eyes behind it.
The other man, an elder with gray eyebrows and a broad, tranquil face, nodded in response.
His posture was upright, dignified, and completely relaxed, as if Leo’s arrival did not excite or faze him at all.
"Greetings Lord Twelfth, you’re right on ti," He replied with a smile, as he gestured for the two to follow him to the back garden, where the three of them took a seat around a small teakwood table that housed a very expensive tea set.
The duo said nothing at first.
Not to each other. Not to him.
Instead, they exchanged a few looks and small nods, silently communicating as they poured hot water, adjusted the leaves, and gently stirred the cups.
Their movents were slow, thodical, and precise, reflecting years of practiced coordination, as they moved like old generals who had fought a hundred wars together.
Leo sat stiffly, watching them from across the table, his expression blank but his patience fading.
He didn’t want tea.
He wanted to be done with this bullshit eting as fast as humanly possible and be on his way to et his family, but the two pricks were testing his patience with their slow movents and long silence.
"Done..." The old man eventually said, as he passed Leo a cup of freshly prepared tea with a calm, polite smile.
"Sorry for the wait," the man said softly, his voice unhurried and composed. "Please enjoy my hospitality."
Leo accepted it, his fingers curling around the cup.
He didn’t take a sip, but he didn’t refuse it either.
"We’re pleased to have you here, Leo," the first elder continued, as he took his own cup of tea in his hands and gently inhaled the aroma.
"I apologise for insisting that you co and et first before eting your family, but trust when I say that I hope you won’t hold it against , for it will be best for both of us if we put this behind us.
Going forward, we must learn to function not as adversaries but as allies, joined at the hip, so to speak, so it’s best for us to put such hostilities behind us as fast as we can."
He paused and nodded once to the Twelfth Elder, who cleared his throat and continued from there.
"I’m sure you have your doubts. Your questions. And plenty of frustration," the Twelfth Elder said with a practiced tone. "We won’t pretend otherwise. But we’ve invited you here so we can address those feelings openly. Because, like it or not, from this mont on, our futures are linked far more deeply than you may realize."
He leaned slightly forward.
"As you’ve likely been told, the bloodline you carry is not ordinary. In this universe, talent is impossible to improve after birth. It is inherited, shaped by ancestry, and refined through training."
"I could father a million children and not one might surpass the Monarch tier. But your lineage, your inheritance, is different. You are a direct descendant of the Tiless Assassin."
Leo didn’t react outwardly, but his silence was no longer passive, as he began to listen intently.
"Within the current generation of our Cult," the Twelfth Elder continued, "there are only a handful of individuals who share that bloodline..... seven to be exact.
Lord Soron and his two children.
An orphan boy nad Aegon Veyr.
Your father. Your brother. And you."
He paused and let the implications settle.
"Lord Soron’s children, though promising, lack the capacity to reach the pinnacle. Your father and brother, we believe their potential has already hit its ceiling. Which ans there are only two individuals truly qualified to be nad Dragon: Aegon Veyr and you." The Twelfth Elder explained, as the first elder, who had remained silent during this explanation, finally spoke again, this ti with a sharpness in his voice.
"Veyr is a genius. A terrifying one. But he has no morality. No empathy. He sees the Cult’s people as pieces to be moved, tools to be used and we cannot entrust the Cult’s future to soone like that." The First Elder said, as he locked eyes with Leo and stared into him with an intense gaze.
"Aegon’s bad attitude is the reason behind why we are here today, because instead of him, we want YOU to be the next Dragon."
The First Elder said, as he let those words sink in for a while.
"We understand that you are not motivated by glory or by loyalty," The Twelfth Elder picked back up.
"So let speak your language."
He leaned closer across the table, his voice growing firm.
"The Dragon is the Cult’s ultimate warrior. The hope of its people."
"There are twelve secret techniques within the Cult of Ascension. Each one mastered and preserved by one Elder, who passes that technique down to only their successor, the cult’s next patriarch, or the Dragon.
With only the Patriarch or the Dragon, getting the opportunity to learn all twelve..." The Twelfth Elder explained, as Leo ford a ntal image in his mind.
"Each technique is like a star in a constellation..... Individually powerful, but absolute together!" He said as he clasped his hands together.
"If you are nad Dragon, you will inherit them. You will be trained in all twelve, and you will beco the ultimate warrior that is unrivaled at the sa tier.
You will beco an assassin unlike no other, and you will have capabilities that far surpass even the most genius warriors of the righteous faction!"
Leo’s brow furrowed slightly, but his interest was no longer hidden. The shift in his gaze was subtle, but both elders noticed it.
Personal strength mattered to him, as it was the one of the things that he actively strived for in life.
"We know power is your priority," the First Elder said, almost gently. "And if you join us, truly join us, we will help you beco the strongest being in the universe, that much I promise."
"And that’s only part of it," the Twelfth Elder added, smoothly stepping back in. "Cooperate with us, and your family will be treated like royalty. They will be protected, cherished and given resources beyond imagination.
Their safety and their status within the Cult will be unparalleled."
"As long as the Dragon walks among us, his family will be considered sacred."
The two of them let the words sit there for a mont, heavy in the air.
"We know from Mu Fan’s assessnt of you that there are only two things you care about in this universe, which are personal strength and family....."
".... And we are offering you a chance to get the best for both," the First Elder finished, his voice calm but unwavering. "All we ask for in return is for you to beat Veyr and beco the next Dragon at any cost necessary...."
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