In that mysterious space, beyond the floating platform, there was nothing but endless darkness and endless silence, boundless and empty.
But then, light appeared.
At first it was only a faint glimr, like a single candle in the void. Yet it grew, spreading outward in ripples.
One after another, stars began to bloom. Thousands of them flared to life, bursting forth like flowers of fire, until the whole expanse shimred with a living cosmos. Their glow wove together into rivers of light, swirling galaxies painting the darkness with brilliance.
Draco, Ariana, Emilia, and even Mimi, all of them raised their arms, shielding their eyes from the searing glow.
A sound followed.
It was a deep, resonant ringing that rolled through the void like the toll of a divine bell. The vibration sank into their very bones, rattling their hearts with awe and dread alike.
And when the sound stopped and the light dimd a little, they finally dared to look again...
And in the sky, she was there.
Before them was a colossal being. A dragon, a primordial, a divine one.
She was so majestic and overwhelming, her presence alone eclipsed everything else in existence.
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Draco stood frozen, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing before he swallowed hard, unable to form a single word.
anwhile—
"My heavens..." Lady Ariana gasped, her voice barely more than a whisper.
"So this is... Lord Sialumis?!" Emilia’s words trembled out of her.
Before them lood a giant dragon, its body stretched vast beyond comprehension, its form woven from the pure light of the star itself. Four wings spread wide, feathers glimring with starlight, each beat stirring the cosmos around it. A great halo of radiance circled behind its head, like a wheel of burning constellations.
Sialumis gazed down upon them.
Her eyes were twin suns of silver fire, piercing and ancient. And with that gaze ca a weight, an invisible pressure that sank deep into their souls. Mortal hearts quivered, bodies trembled, and the will to stand crumbled before her majesty.
The Clan Head and the First Lady collapsed to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in reverence.
Emilia too fell, bowing low, her chest tight, her breath caught painfully in her throat. For a mont, she even forgot how to breathe at all, as though the act itself required the dragon’s permission.
Then, the great dragon stirred. Slowly, gracefully, she descended from her place among the stars. With each wing beat, her boundless form folded inward, her body shrinking, radiance condensing. From a size beyond comprehension, she diminished—hundreds, thousands of tis smaller.
Yet even then...
When Lord Sialumis at last set foot upon the floating platform, her presence still towered above them. Though she had shrunk, her form was still as vast as a castle, her wings folding like walls of light around her.
....
"Rise, my people, for I permit you to stand before ."
Her voice rang out once again, vast and resonant.
Draco, Ariana, and Emilia slowly straightened, though their spines felt as though made of stone. Even standing upright, they dared not look for long at the divine dragon before them, for her radiance pressed upon them like an endless tide.
anwhile... Mimi remained frozen stiff.
Holy shit... so this is Sialumis... her true form...
The little Noctifelis sohow managed to cling stubbornly to Emilia’s shoulder. Her small claws dug into the cloak, her fluffy tail puffed stiff, but her wide, glowing eyes never once left the deity.
Then, Draco took a step forward. His boots scraped against the platform as he bowed deeply, his crimson hair falling across his face.
"I, Draco Silvervein, the Fourteenth Clan Head of the Silvervein Clan, greet our divine Guardian Deity. May your light ever shield our clan, may your wisdom ever guide our bloodline, and may our bond never falter across the ages."
His wife and daughter followed his example, lowering their heads in reverence.
"It is such an honor to et you in person, Lord Sialumis," Ariana said softly.
And to that, Sialumis answered.
"Yes... I, too, wished to et you all. But forgive . The wounds I suffered long ago still bind to this sanctuary. Even now, my body cannot leave this place."
"But even so," Draco said, his voice steady despite the tremor in his chest, "it is our greatest blessing to receive your protection, my Lord."
Hearing that, Sialumis’s imnse eyes softened, their glow dimming to a gentle radiance. For a fleeting heartbeat, her gaze held warmth.
"Your words flatter , Draco."
But then, in the next breath, that warmth vanished. The light in her eyes sharpened, as her voice rolled out again.
"Now... let us cut to the matter at hand. Draco Silvervein, you already know why I summoned you, do you not?"
Draco stiffened as though struck.
"Y-Yes, my Lord!"
He stamred, his lips trembling.
"Good."
The dragon’s head lowered slightly, and the entire platform shook beneath the sheer weight of her gaze.
"Then speak. Tell why."
In an instant, Draco’s face drained of all color. Sweat trickled down his temple as he swallowed hard.
"Is it... because of what I did during my daughter’s first summoning ritual?"
"Indeed." Sialumis narrowed her luminous eyes. "As a beast tar, one chosen and blessed by the Goddess of Magical Beasts, you dared to harm one of her sacred creations? You dared to use a vile artifact to defile the bond between tar and companion? You have disappointed greatly, Child of Arzarenia."
Her words slamd into him like rolling thunder, reverberating through the endless darkness.
Draco flinched at every syllable. He bowed his head lower, unable to endure that divine glare.
"Well then, since you already know your wrongdoings," she continued, her voice as sharp and cold as frost, "will you accept punishnt now? Or do you still wish to speak in your defense?"
Draco opened his mouth. For a fleeting mont, it seed he might protest, might beg for forgiveness. But no words ca. His shoulders sagged, his pride and strength collapsing under the weight of guilt.
"No... it was my fault. I have nothing else to say."
Sialumis’s gaze deepened.
"Then if I strip away ten of your levels, will you accept it?"
"What?! T-ten levels?" Ariana gasped, her composure breaking as she rushed forward. Her eyes widened with alarm. "Please, Lord Sialumis, this punishnt is too much—"
However—
"It’s fine, Ariana." Draco raised his hand, stopping her firmly. "Only ten levels... that is already a great rcy."
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