The power that flowed in him left him trembling. Before, he had the power to the sun. That was what his Draconic core contained but now?
"Interesting. My new affinity merged with other one," Kaedros mused. "Are there two types of sun?"
He eyed his core again with his mental energy and he almost flinched. The core was now a baleful ball of rolling energy that twisted into each other.
Unlike his previous sun, there was nothing gentle and warm about it. The new sun looked resentful and full of oppressive aura.
Before he knew what was happening, Kaedros standing alone in the middle of the choosing circle once again almost as if what he witnessed was a dream.
"You sure took your time," the attendant muttered, barely opening his eyes.
Kaedros shrugged and stepped out of the circle, heading over to lean against a nearby chair beside Drakar.
"So, you got mage, huh?" Drakar's eyes were hard.
Mages always acted like they were something special, but when it came to real combat, they relied on warriors to protect them long enough to cast anything useful. Not many people like Ascendants that are mages.
"Is that a problem?" Kaedros asked flatly, his eyes narrowed, the blue in them ready to melt away to reveal the golden red beneath.
Drakar stood and walked up to him, his aura like sharp daggers. "No problem. Just don't go thinking you're hot stuff now that you've got a fancy class."
"Why?" Kaedros tilted his head. Why was this man suddenly acting hostile?
"I saw you cozying up to the women in my team. Don't think you can slither your way in just because you've got an Ascendant now. You're still a low stage, rank one, confused, naive boy." Drakar's eyes narrowed with disdain.
Anger flashed in Kaedros' eyes. The foolish human was acting up because of a flesh bag? Humans are nothing but warm food to fill his belly.
For a moment, he considered how Drakar's heart would feel in his hand.
'..who said I wanted to join your pathetic team?..'
But Kaedros wasn't in the mood to expose himself—or kill anyone just yet. He forced a tight smile. "I'm not interested in joining your team."
"But you are interested in our women?" Drakar gestured accusingly.
Interested? In them? Esmera was a healer, maybe useful, but Kaedros felt nothing beyond that. No attraction, no interest. Maybe if she served herself up, roasted and covered in hot honey, a lot undercooked..then, he might want to eat her.
"I'm not interested in anyone," Kaedros replied coldly.
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.
Drakar could usually tell when someone was lying. But this time, Kaedros was telling the truth.
With nothing else to say, Drakar wagged a warning finger in his face. "Just stay away."
Kaedros almost regretted sparing him as Drakar walked away, his movement fluid and calm, his presence almost undetectable.
"As if I want to join your team," he muttered. His mouth watered as he stored his scent in his head. One day.
A throat cleared nearby. Kaedros turned to see the attendant holding a pen and paper. "Name, age, and path?"
"Kael, age eighteen. A Mage." he said smoothly.
The attendant eyed him with mild surprise. Most came for their choosing between ten and sixteen. Eighteen was late. Too late. The odds of even being an Ascendants by then were slim, much less a Mage.
Still, he scribbled the details down. "Alright, that's it. Move along so I can handle the next."
"Of course," Kaedros replied, then paused. "Where do I register for the bounty hunter's Association?"
The man waved dismissively. "You're already in it. Just look around. Read the signs on the doors or something."
So many people begging to be eaten, Kaedros thought as he stepped outside.
He wandered with no destination in mind, thinking about his unexpected fortune. To think, he'd actually acquired another class.
He had thought he'd be stuck waiting years to start advancing again while his siblings reach higher heights than him.
But the timing, the Codex. The new powers in his core. it was too perfect. Far too perfect. There was something definitely up and he hated it.
The feeling of having chains warped around his head filled him and he gritted his teeth.
Kaedros froze and a dark glint entered his eyes. Still, whether it was fate or manipulation didn't matter. What mattered was the power in his hands.
With power, he could choose what he wanted. He could reach where he never dared to dream about and pulled down those who made him into a runt.
And this is only a seed? Kaedros was ready to devour the whole tree.
☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆
Kaedros wandered the hallways of the bounty hunter's Association until he arrived at the large chamber he had passed when entering.
The space buzzed with activity, bounty hunters, both Ascendants and ordinary humans, moved across the polished stone floors, weapons strapped to their bodies or carrying flies as it might be, they all walked with urgency.
The most crowded spot in the hall was the massive black wooden board fixed to one wall. Dozens of bounty papers were pinned to it, fluttering slightly with each passing draft. Most were posted by the Celestial Order.
Drawings of monsters, some impressively detailed, others laughably crude, decorated the parchments. Certain bounties specified that the creatures should be captured alive. Others didn't care if the monsters came back dead, so long as they came back.
Kaedros's gaze stopped on one particular paper. A poorly sketched image of a golden Dragon.
The resemblance to him was unmistakable.
"I wish I could read the human language," he muttered darkly, eyes narrowing at the insult of the amateur drawing.
The technique language used in rituals and magic was the only written form he could read fluently, as it was used by almost all beings in the world, the mundane human script remained alien to him.
Still, he understood the basics: that board was his gateway to blending in, and blending in meant survival.
Although Kaedros looked down on humans, it would be foolish to underestimat them. There are powerful beings among the humans, Ascendants that have reached great height.
And since he couldn't just return to the Draconic city just yet, he needed to build his powers as he blend in among the humans.
He need not stand out. He needed to pretend to be a newbie who just to match his current Advancement Stage of rank two. Then he could start advancing from there.
No attention drawn.
He needed someone, a low-level human, clueless about paths, techniques, and especially him. Someone who could handle the reading, pick missions, and serve as a convincing cover. A newbie like him.
A servant of sort.
He scanned the room.
Most of the bounty hunters around him were above rank two, seasoned, confident, and probably able to see through him in an instant, they would noticed he's not a newbie.
He scanned again, slower this time... and found her.