The Inner Odyssey

Chapter 21 Leaving

"In that case, you must go through me first to get the bird."

Staring at the broad-shouldered man with dark orange hair, eyes and a beard, Drakon clenched his teeth. Inside his core, waves of immolating heat boiled, ready to erupt at a moment's notice.

He was furious.

How dare they reject his goodwill!

A thousand mana crystals was not an ordinary sum, even for Drakon.

Nevertheless, he thought it was worth giving away if he could build a good relationship with Celeste and procure the phoenix.

However, no matter how much he tried, he had been thwarted at every turn.

Drakon gritted his teeth, his gaze spewing fire.

At a glance, he could tell that Celeste's father was an Expert mage.

...And a strong one, at that.

The heir's instincts informed him the burly man was not to be messed with.

However... Drakon also had a staggering number of Experts at his disposal.

With one command, he could order them to storm the house, and then Celeste's father would have only one choice: surrender.

He was reluctant to use so much force, though.

Aside from the fact that it was a waste of manpower - personnel that could be put to better use, either guarding the citadel, purifying corrupted cores or slaying harrowing Defiled - Drakon did not want to burn down any bridges just yet.

He gnashed his teeth together, a hint of jealousy and envy pricking his heart.

If only he didn't have this blasted bottleneck, then he would have already become an Expert mage, and would not need to require the strength of his underlings.

...He alone should have been enough.

The sense of frustration Drakon felt increased.

The flames inside his core stirred, restless and on the verge of exploding.

As he inhaled, the sheer effort it took to clamp down on his rage made his body tremble.

Gritting his teeth, Drakon sent a hateful glare towards the Expert mage.

He saw Celeste sporting a deep frown from the side.

He sighed inwardly.

With a final cold glance at Alden, Drakon turned around and headed for the door, leaving a few parting words.

"This isn't over."

***

He saw Celeste pout and throw a cushion at him.

Alden's smile widened, moving Ignia and himself out of the way of the projectile.

Time slowly passed in this manner, laughter and smiles all around.

The family of four were having a nice time, surrounded by warmth.

Soon, Alden was the only one left in the living room, alongside Alistair.

The two ladies had excused themselves, with Celeste wanting to study some herbology before beginning dinner, while Elara wished to check in on the plants growing in their garden.

The two men looked at each other briefly, their features turning solemn.

"You know he won't leave it at this, right? He'll keep trying and trying until he gets what he wants."

"I know."

Alden nodded, already aware that Drakon would not give up.

He mused that instead of a direct confrontation, the Ember heir would probably resort to more discreet measures.

'Brilliant...'

He sighed again.

Alden saw Alistair fidget slightly, obviously uncomfortable with something.

The young man's brow rose.

"What is it?"

"W-well..."

The Expert mage cleared his throat.

"Have you considered the possibility of Drakon using Celeste to lure you out?"

Alden's expression darkened.

His adoptive father was right.

There was a very real possibility the Ember heir would concoct a devious scheme involving Celeste to ensnare him into relinquishing his bond.

He gritted his teeth, clenching his fists.

"...I'm aware."

"In that case, even though it hurts me greatly to say this..."

Alden watched a pained expression appear on the older man's face.

"...I think you should consider leaving the Sanctuary."