Fate of the Rothschild

Dietrich Rothschild was taking care of a few loose ends when he heard the familiar sound of the side door of the mansion open as the servants filed out, having been alerted.

Two rows of servants stood by the pavement, waiting for the carriage to arrive.

Ah. It was that time already. Taking off the glasses that he'd been using to read reports, Dietrich rubbed his eyes. Though the glasses were meant to make things easier on the eyes, that didn't mean that the mental strain wasn't there.

He hated paperwork.

Dietrich had arrived home only a short while ago. Having learnt that his mother was out doing some of her obligatory shopping, he had taken to the study to take care of a couple of things.

Getting his things in order, Dietrich left the study that he'd been making use of, heading down.

He was just in time to witness his mother entering from the front entrance, taking off her hat and coat.

"Mother, you're home," Dietrich said.

"Dietrich," Blanche said in greeting. She didn't even look surprised that he was home. "Meet my younger brother."

"Mother, I-" Dietrich cut himself off, baffled. "Your younger brother? Since when have I had an uncle? Why is this the first time I'm hearing about this?"

It was only then that his mother moved slightly, revealing the form of a small child that had previously been hidden behind her.

Needless to say, Dietrich was stunned into silence. He almost felt like he was having a strange dream.

Alec was similarly baffled. She really introduced him as her younger brother. Also, what did he just say?

That man up there who looked like he was in his early twenties was her son?

Alec looked between Blanche and Dietrich, unable to compute.

"Big sister, you're sure you're not siblings?" Alec said, completely genuine. If anything, she looked like she was barely a few years older than Dietrich, if not the same age.

Blanche's smile grew, and she couldn't resist pinching his cheeks. "How cute. Yes, that's my son."

Blanche saw the way Alec's eyes cut to Dietrich again, and could tell he wasn't quite convinced, which made her feel ticklish. Such a dear. He was completely genuine as well!

Dietrich watched with growing bafflement as his mother doted on the young boy in a way that he hadn't seen since he and his brother had been a child.

The smile on her face was so wide, as if she had met a long-lost relative that she hadn't seen for a long time.

To put it bluntly… he felt a bit jealous?

"Is this child of… unknown origins?" Dietrich said, trying to be tactful. After all, it wasn't the child's fault that he'd been born…

Blanche looked at her son dryly. "He's not a bastard child, if that's what you're asking."

"Mother!" Dietrich said, glancing at Alec.

Blanche rolled her eyes. "Please, Dietrich. Alec is an intelligent child. I'm sure he's already heard all manners of curse words worse than the one I've used."

What he gleaned from his mother just left him feeling more confused. Just who was Alec, and where did he come from?

"Then, grandmother and grandfather had another child at such a late age?" Though it was possible, he never thought that they would suddenly have a child. Wait. Backtrack here. Alec didn't look anything like his grandparents, so -

Blanche sighed like Dietrich was being particularly slow today. "No, Dietrich. I picked him up today on the streets. Right, Alec?"

Alec nodded.

Dietrich pinched the bridge of his nose. Just what was his mother thinking?! Dietrich was usually able to predict her movements quite well, but he felt like he'd stepped into the twilight zone today.

All of a sudden, he found himself with an uncle that was younger than he was.

Dietrich felt his thoughts swim before he inevitably gave up. He now had an uncle that wasn't even in the double digits in age.

It was impossible to change his mother's mind once she'd made up her mind, so that was a lost cause. Since it was already an unchangeable fact, he might as well just accept it sooner rather than later…

"Excuse my manners, Alec," Dietrich said as a peace-offering.

"Uncle," Blanche cut him off.

Dietrich took a deep, steadying breath. "Excuse my manners, uncle."

Whatever response Alec had been about to say was cut off by the sound of an earth-shattering roar.

The roar, loud as it was, was evidently from a far distance away and nowhere close to them, but was startlingly loud nonetheless, almost as if something had roared in their ears.

Alec didn't even want to think about just how off balancing that roar would be had he been nearer.

Was this what the Ash Phoenix was heralding?

No, that couldn't be it. By now, the Ash Phoenix had made its nest under Alec's shirt, dozing. Had the so-called predicted death carnage scene approached, he doubted that the avian creature would be snoozing right now.

Blanche and Dietrich had already rushed out of the mansion, so Alec followed after them after he checked that the Ash Phoenix was still sleeping.

There, in the far distance, Alec could see a faint outline of a massive creature with wings. It was hovering in the area where they had evacuated earlier.

Despite knowing that Henry and Philip should have already returned back to the inn as per their earlier agreement, Alec couldn't help but think about the gruesome scene of so many deaths in that area.

With the earlier tremors, there should not have been anyone left in the area. Small mercies. Alec had no doubt that the previously flourishing street filled with high-end goods would be completely decimated.

Alec could only link what he'd felt earlier deep underground to that creature that was still hovering in the air.

"Goodness. What is that?"

Blanche shook her head. "It's above the city's protection barrier now, so we should be safe still. Otherwise, I have no doubt that the creature's attack would cause a staggeringly high number of casualties."

"No," Dietrich said, refuting her. "I have my doubts about that being a creature. With those large wings and streamlined body, it looks like a dragon from the tales of the old."

Blanche squinted. "You may be right. In that case, even the city's protection barrier will not be enough to safeguard our city."

Just as Blanche was about to bark out orders for preparations for the worst, the dragon let out another roar as it flapped its wings harder, moving it at a fast pace.

Dietrich sucked in a breath. "It's coming this way! At the rate it's flying, it will reach us in two minutes."

Blanche's face was grim.

There was a thundering sound of wings beating in the air, almost lazy, like the dragon was taking its time to approach. Despite its easy elegance and majesty, the speed at which it approached was faster than any of the winged creatures that Alec had seen carry cargo.

With white, almost silver scales, the scene the dragon made as it approached was awe-inspiring.

Even at a distance, Alec could make out the giant scales that made up the dragon's body, each looked like the most delicate work of art that a craftsman had painstakingly produced after much blood, sweat and tears.

Alec had never seen anything like it. Whatever books that he might have read describing a dragon's presence and aura paled in comparison to seeing the real thing.

The feeling was all too familiar to Alec, who had unintentionally caught a glimpse of it earlier, perhaps even being the one to finally allow the dragon to break out from deep underground.

Why was it there? Had it been sealed against its will? Collared like a slave to a wall that had no say of its own fate?

Strangely enough, Alec didn't think that the dragon was here to hurt them. Of course, neither did he think that he had managed to form a connection with such a great, utterly vast being, no matter how weak its magic had been before this.

Before Alec could think it through, the dragon was already upon them.