Silence possessed a peculiar weight.
Lucien had discovered this on several occasions throughout his existence—assuming, of course, that the Last Witness wasn't lying about the whole "multiple lifetimes" affair.
The silence that had descended upon House Arkanis was unlike anything he had ever experienced.
Hundreds of people stood frozen in the courtyard.
No one spoke.
No one moved.
The shattered remains of the Dragonheart Crystal lay scattered across the marble platform like fragments of a forgotten age, still glowing faintly with residual mana.
And above them all, lingering in the air like the afterimage of a dream, was the memory of a dragon bowing its head.
To him.
Lucien would have preferred if it hadn't.
It complicated things.
A great deal.
"I believe," the Last Witness said thoughtfully, "this qualifies as an overreaction."
Lucien kept his expression carefully neutral.
"An overreaction?"
"Indeed. You awaken one ancient bloodline and suddenly everyone starts staring. Mortals are so dramatic."
"You seem to be forgetting that an enormous spectral dragon just appeared in the sky."
"Yes, but in my defense, I expected two dragons at most."
That wasn't particularly reassuring.
Cassian Arkanis descended from the platform with measured steps, though Lucien noticed the faint tension in his father's shoulders.
Interesting.
For the first time since his rebirth, Lord Arkanis appeared genuinely unsettled.
"Everyone will leave."
His voice carried across the courtyard like a blade.
Immediately, the gathered nobles erupted into protests.
"Lord Arkanis, surely an explanation—"
"That was a Dragon Manifestation!"
"The Crown must be informed!"
"Silence."
The single word struck the courtyard with enough force to crack the marble beneath Cassian's feet.
"I said," he repeated quietly, "everyone will leave."
It wasn't a request.
One by one, the nobles departed, though not without casting wary glances in Lucien's direction.
Fear.
Curiosity.
Greed.
He recognized the expressions.
People had a tendency to become remarkably interested whenever power entered the equation.
It was one of the few constants of existence.
Only the immediate members of House Arkanis remained.
Aiden looked as though reality had personally offended him.
Elara, meanwhile, appeared delighted.
"Big Brother!" she exclaimed. "You have a dragon!"
Lucien considered this.
"I don't believe that's how this works."
"Oh."
She seemed genuinely disappointed.
Cassian studied him in silence for several moments before speaking.
"Come with me."
The words were directed solely at Lucien.
His father turned and began walking toward the manor without waiting for a response.
Lucien followed.
Naturally.
He suspected refusing would create additional complications.
Behind them, he could hear Elara arguing with Aiden.
"I want a dragon too."
"That's not something you can ask for."
"Why not?"
"Because that's not how bloodlines work."
"Are you sure?"
"...No."
Lucien found himself almost smiling.
Children remained strange.
The study of Lord Cassian Arkanis was considerably less intimidating than Lucien had expected.
Bookshelves lined the walls, containing volumes on history, magic, and political affairs. A massive window overlooked the distant mountains, where the storm had finally begun to subside.
Cassian closed the door behind them.
"Sit."
Lucien complied.
For several moments, neither spoke.
Then—
"What are you?"
Ah.
Straight to the point.
"I beg your pardon?"
"The Dragon Manifestation."
Cassian's expression remained unreadable.
"That has not occurred in the recorded history of this world."
Interesting.
"Then perhaps your records are incomplete."
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Silence.
The room suddenly felt colder.
Cassian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That was an unusual response for a ten-year-old."
Unfortunate.
Lucien made a mental note to be more careful.
"My apologies. The ceremony was...unexpected."
His father continued to study him.
"You have changed."
There it was again.
Everyone seemed intent on noticing.
"People change."
"Not overnight."
Fair.
Cassian moved toward the window.
"When your mother died, I believed the gods had taken enough from this family."
Lucien blinked.
That wasn't where he'd expected the conversation to go.
"Father—"
"Then you failed your first Awakening."
There was no anger in his voice.
Only exhaustion.
"I watched my son become the object of pity within his own home."
Interesting.
His memories of Cassian Arkanis had painted the man as distant.
Cold.
Uncaring.
Reality, it seemed, was more complicated.
"Today, a dragon bowed before you."
Cassian turned toward him.
"Tell me honestly, Lucien. Do you know why?"
Lucien considered the question.
Could he explain the Infinite Mindscape?
The Last Witness?
His apparent collection of previous lives?
Probably not.
"No."
It wasn't entirely a lie.
To his surprise, Cassian nodded.
"I thought not."
"You believe me?"
"No."
That was fair.
"I believe you don't understand either."
The distinction was subtle but important.
Before Lucien could respond, a sharp pain suddenly shot through his chest.
He froze.
The sensation was brief.
Gone almost as soon as it appeared.
But for a moment...
He had heard something.
A heartbeat.
Slow.
Ancient.
"Ah."
The Last Witness sounded unusually serious.
"What?"
"Your bloodline is stabilizing."
"What does that mean?"
"It means your life is about to become significantly more inconvenient."
Again, not reassuring.
Another heartbeat echoed through him.
This time accompanied by a voice.
"West."
Lucien's eyes widened.
"What?"
Cassian frowned.
"What did you say?"
"...Nothing."
"West," the voice repeated.
It was deep.
Ancient.
Unmistakably draconic.
"Come west."
The pain vanished.
Lucien slowly exhaled.
"Was that—"
"Yes."
"The dragon?"
"Yes."
"Wonderful."
"Lucien."
He looked up.
Cassian was watching him carefully.
"House Arkanis will be receiving visitors."
"Visitors?"
"The Crown."
Of course.
Naturally.
Because awakening an ancient bloodline and summoning a phantom dragon wasn't enough excitement for one day.
"The King will want answers."
"I imagine he will be disappointed."
For the first time, Lucien thought he saw the faintest hint of amusement in his father's expression.
"Perhaps."
A knock interrupted them.
"Enter."
Steward Elias stepped inside, looking considerably less composed than usual.
"My Lord."
"What is it?"
The old steward hesitated.
"There have been...reports."
Cassian's expression hardened.
"What kind of reports?"
"Approximately one hour ago, the Dragon Shrine in the capital began emitting golden light."
Silence.
"The Temple of Flames has confirmed that every dragon relic within their possession has become active."
Lucien didn't particularly like where this was going.
"And?"
Elias swallowed.
"The Western Peaks."
For the first time, genuine alarm appeared on Cassian's face.
"What about them?"
"There are witnesses claiming..." He hesitated. "Claiming that a dragon was seen flying above the mountains."
Silence descended upon the room.
Lucien felt an overwhelming urge to blame someone else for this.
Unfortunately, he appeared to be the common denominator.
"Impossible," Cassian said quietly.
"That was our conclusion as well, my Lord."
The Last Witness began laughing.
Not chuckling.
Laughing.
"Oh, don't start."
"I'm sorry." The old man sounded anything but apologetic. "It's simply been so long since I've seen this happen."
"Seen what happen?"
"The Return."
Lucien didn't like the sound of that.
"What return?"
The Last Witness was silent for several moments.
"Dragons are peculiar creatures."
That wasn't an answer.
"Do you know why there are only three dragons left in this world?"
"No."
"Because the rest followed you to war."
Lucien stopped breathing.
"What?"
"Oops."
"Oops?"
"I may have revealed that slightly earlier than intended."
Lucien stared blankly at the wall.
There were moments in life when one simply had to accept that asking further questions would only lead to additional problems.
This was one of those moments.
Unfortunately, he lacked that particular wisdom.
"What war?"
"The last one."
"That means nothing."
"It did to the several trillion people involved."
Lucien closed his eyes.
Somewhere in the distance, thunder rolled across the mountains.
West.
The voice had said west.
His hand unconsciously tightened.
Whatever waited for him there had been waiting a very long time.
Cassian's voice pulled him from his thoughts.
"For now, you will remain within the estate."
"Am I under guard?"
"No."
"Then what am I?"
His father was silent for several moments.
When he finally spoke, there was something unreadable in his expression.
"My son."
The answer caught Lucien off guard.
"I see."
"No, I don't believe you do."
Perhaps not.
Outside, the storm had finally passed.
For the first time in three days, sunlight broke through the clouds.
Far beyond the horizon, hidden among the distant peaks of the western mountains, something ancient opened its eyes.
And smiled.
Somewhere deep within the Infinite Mindscape, the chains surrounding the black door rattled ever so slightly.
The Last Witness set down his teacup.
"Oh dear," he murmured.
Lucien immediately regretted asking.
"What?"
The old man looked up at the stars.
"I believe," he said slowly, "your problems have just learned where you live."
And somehow, Lucien suspected that was significantly worse than dragons.