2926 Ravages of War (Part 2)

"That's because you'd abuse it and you know it." The Guardian scoffed and activated the mind link, making a Warp Gate appear in the middle of the living room.

Elisya extended her arms, wanting Lith to bring her along, but her father just picked her from Shargein's arms, kissed her head, and then passed her to Kamila.

"The place should be safe…"

"I resent that!" Leegaain's rumbling voice echoed from the Gate.

"But I prefer going alone. I'm going to meet what's left of Valeron's family and it's going to be hard on us all. I don't want to risk Elysia activating the Dragon Scales and experiencing my pain or Valeron's. Please, take care of her while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, I will." Kamila nodded and kissed him on the cheek.

"Don't you mean we are going to meet Valeron's family?" Solus asked.

"There's no we this time." Lith shook his head. "It will be already hard for them to meet me. Facing the Golden Knight would make things harder."

"You are the Golden Knight?" Ufyl took a step back, remembering how many of her siblings Solus had sent to the resurrection chamber.

"My point exactly." Lith had the Seven-Headed Dragon go first, then Faluel, and he went last, holding Valeron the second in his arms.

Leari the Thunderborne, Ophius the Quetzalcoatl, Protheus, the Father of all Doppelgangers, and the remaining four of Thrud's generals experienced a roller coaster of emotion.First, joy for the unexpected reunion with their battle-brother. They knew of Ufyl's pardon, but they assumed that he would never learn of their survival like everyone else on Mogar.

Then, confusion from Faluel's appearance since they had never seen her in her human form but recognized her from her energy signature with Life Vision. They were just about to ask Ufyl if she was his jailer or one of his relatives when Lith stepped through the Gate.

Even from the isolation of Leegaain's biomes, they had watched the videos and read the articles about the War of the Griffons that were available on the interlink. They knew he was the one who had infiltrated the lost academy, dealing it the death blow.

They knew that it was because of him that the Forgotten had been released from the slave spell, making Thrud's army collapse. Without the power the Golden Griffon bestowed upon Thrud, she had lost to Sylpha and the True Queen's revolution had died with her.

They pushed Ufyl aside, unbridled rage burning through their veins as their bodies shapeshifted into the colossal forms of Divine Beasts. Only Protheus stood back. He had just reached the bright green core and knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the Tiamat.

Also, in the back of his head, he was afraid to consume another piece of Lith and be consumed by it. The last time it had happened, the Mad Queen had saved him and he didn't know if Leegaain would have done the same.

There was no way in or out of the Guardian's home unless he willed so and whoever attacked one of his guests was bound to incur his wrath.

The fury and outrage of Thrud's former Generals faded like mist under the morning sun when they noticed the baby carrier on Lith's chest and the silver-eyed baby who was clinging to him.

"Lyaba." Valeron smiled as he called them family in Dragontongue.

"My Liege." The Divine Beasts fell to their knees, crying.

They hadn't seen Valeron for months now and until that moment they had been afraid that as a part of their rehabilitation, the Guardian would keep him away from them to force them to let go of their past.

The baby was indeed their last tether with the Mad Queen and a constant reminder of their failed mission. More importantly, what remained of Thrud's loyalists could still rally under Valeron's name and trigger another War of the Griffons, a possibility that Leegaain wanted to nip in the bud.

Or so they thought.

The truth was that after Lith had entrusted Valeron to Salaark, she had kept him away from everyone but his handmaidens, Ophya and Vyla. Her goal wasn't to facilitate the rehabilitation of Thrud's former Generals nor did she care about the Kingdom.

She wanted Valeron the Second to grow under the real sun, surrounded by people who loved him because of who he was instead of what he represented. In Salaark's eyes, the love of the Divine Beasts for the baby boy was twisted and dangerous.

She didn't want them to tell Valeron stories about Thrud where she was painted like a misunderstood hero killed by ungrateful people. The Overlord was going to tell him the truth, but only in due time, when his personality would have been developed enough for that knowledge to not affect his sense of self.

To make Valeron the Second grow up as a normal kid instead of the heir of Arthan the Mad King.

Salaark's only care was to protect his sense of identity and not let his troubled family's past shape his future as had happened to the Mad Queen. Lith agreed with her and after adopting the baby, he had followed her lead.

"Stand up." Lith said. "Valeron is no longer the crown prince and he has never considered you as his servants. He thinks of you as family and has just called you as such."

Thrud's Bane ordering them around angered the Divine Beasts but his words still lifted their spirit. Almost.

"Is it true?" Ophius asked while looking at Ufyl.

"How should I know? I was a Hydra all my life. No one has ever taught me Dragontongue." After emerging from Thrud's Madness as a Seven-

Headed Dragon, Ufyl had spent most of his time on the battlefield, in the training rooms, or in the resurrection chamber.

His role as General and the War of the Griffons hadn't left him time to spend with King Jormun and learn about Ufyl's heritage as a full member of the Brood.

"It's the truth. You have my word." Leegaain walked between them to protect the innocence of his grandson and prevent the spilling of blood.

The Guardian was in his human form, that of a lean albino man, 1,75 meters (5'9") tall. His snow-white hair and skin flashed with gold as he moved under the artificial sun of the biome that made the room as bright as day.

His purple eyes shifted from coldness to affection as his vertical pupils moved from the adults to the child. Lith furrowed his brows as he noticed that under his usual pristine white lab coat, Leegaain was wearing a full suit of scale armor.

The black scales clearly belonged to his Dragon form, but Lith also spotted silvery streaks of Davross and black streaks of Darwen.

'Whatever Leegaain was doing until a moment ago, he needed his best protection against physical and magical harm.' Lith thought. 'That thing must be his Guardian equipment and I'm willing to bet he made it out of his own scales. The question is whether he just shed them or he ripped them put.'

'Nice insight.' Leegaain replied inside Lith's mind, making him flinch. 'As for your question, I shed them. For a Dragon, molting marks the moment when his scales are saturated with mana and can't store any more.'