The passing of time before the storm Final Part: Rules and Truth revealed

**Rules**

* One year and six months from arrival to the Capital *

Ashes was on the roof of one of the towers of the Masters' headquarters. He sighed. He had a somewhat downcast expression on him, as if he found out something.

"What will I tell her?"

Recently Ashes finished his training session with the Shadow Element Master, who had asked him a question that made the gray-scale dragon nervous.

"I have been informed that you have been leaving the Capital with young Gladis several times throughout the year. Both are very close, right?"

Ashes finished drinking water from a container he had bought for himself.

"Uhm ... Yes, we are very close." Ashes looked away of black dragoness's eyes, who upon noticing this suspected that her student was hiding something from her.

Ashes and Gladys has had their relationship in secret, only one knew about this.

"I think I should have said it from the beginning. We, the Masters, are forbidden to have any love relationship until we pass the title on to someone else and this also applies to postulants."

This took Ashes by surprise.

"As you are not a postulant for the title, this rule does not apply to you, but it does to Gladis. She will have to be expelled if the other Masters find out."

Master Senka hit the nail on the head. With just one expression from Ashes, she had deduced what he was trying to hide.

She put her hand on the gray dragon's shoulder.

"Sorry, Ashes, but it's the rules. Talk with her."

"Fine."

Ashes withdrew with an expression of sadness and pain. This was hard for him and it would be hard for Gladis.

Back in the actuality, he was thinking about what he would say to Gladis. He remembered what she told him when both met, when she told him that her dream was to be one of the Masters and he remembered how hard she has been trying, impressing Master Gelio. Probably, she will be selected.

"Here you were"

Ashes recognized the voice of his beloved ice dragoness.

Gladis landed on the roof, kissed Ashes on the cheek, and sat next to him, but he didn't react.

"I've been looking everywhere for you. I asked Magnitos if he knew where you were, but ... Ashes?"

Her expression changed to concern when she saw Ashes's face, who was biting his own lip struggling to speak.

"Sorry." It was the only thing the gray dragon could say.

"What's wrong, Ashes? You're worrying me."

"The rules don't allow our relationship."

"I found out about the rules not long ago." Gladis spoke a little sad "I didn't want to tell you, but I've been thinking about it and I'm going to-"

Ashes realized what Gladis was trying to say and cut her off.

"Gladis, don't say that! What about your dream, what about all the effort you put into getting to this point?"

"But I ..." A couple of tears fell from Gladis's eyes.

"I don't want this to happen either, but it is what it is. You will be expelled if we continue with this."

"But what will happen if I inherit the title of Elemental Master?"

"Then I will wait for whatever it takes. I will be by your side, but not in the same way we would like. There is still a long time to know the answer, but if the opposite of what you say happens, Gladis, would you like to spend the rest of life with me, to be my life mate?"

Gladis gave him one last kiss on the lips, responding to the proposal with an action. Ashes had to put his left hand against the roof to support his body and Gladis' body, who when kissed him pounced on Ashes, and with his other arm hugged her, They enjoyed that last moment of their relationship.

When they parted, Gladis got up and wiped her tears. she walked to the edge of the roof and took one last look at Ashes and said goodbye to him.

A few seconds passed in silence until he decided to speak.

"I know you are there, Master. Is what I did okay?"

Ashes knew that Master Senka was hidden with the 'cloak of shadows' that was proper to the shadow element.

The black dragoness stepped out of the 'cloak of shadows' and looked at Ashes.

"I completely understand what you're going through, young Ashes. In the past I too wished the rules could be changed."

"... That doesn't help."

From that moment, Ashes and Gladis had been met less. The ice dragoness continued to improve her abilities and rank first among all postulants, narrowly beating second, blue-scaled ice dragon, Gladio.

When two dragons share a feeling so strong as the love, separation can be very painful and more when it is a young love.

The rules imposed from centuries ago are impossible to change.

**Truth revealed**

* One year and seven months after arriving to the Capital **

"¡Hey, Lectro!"

The Master of the wind element was knocking on the door of the office of the Master of the electric element, who was sleeping under a pile of notes.

"¿Huh?"

Master Lectro was awakened by the call that the wind dragoness made.

"¡Come in!"

The door opened and the wind dragoness entered the room.

"Wow, you do have a mess here"

Master Lectro yawned.

"I know. Finally I have been able to translate all the content of this book into our language and everything agrees with the drawings. By the way, what were you coming for?"

"The Grandmaster asked me to advise you that we will meet just now to discuss a new sighting of those creatures."

"Perfect! I'll clean myself and I go there."

** Time skip until the reveal **

"After a year and almost seven months since the discovery of this book, I have managed to translate it. It contains a lot of key information to create a plan against these creatures to avoid casualties. I will proceed to talk about the content: "

«It is unlikely that anyone will find this, but I will already be dead when you have this book in your hands. My name is Ademaro and I leave this to future generations if something should go wrong in this latest battle. The names of those creatures are Staldiers, creatures created by Egeon, our enemy and who has covered the world for four hundred years. These aberrations are divided into four classes: vigilant, heavy, general and distant. The former usually recognize the terrain first and are the weakest. The heavy ones always carry a large mallet made of rocks and covered with small pieces of draticite, their armor is also covered with this material. The third, general, most of them can speak and are in charge of planning the attacks, at the same time they are much stronger than the previous one mentioned and have draticite in their armor. The distant have the same strength as the vigilants, but they tend to use ranged weapons with dangerous precision. Almost all the elements affect them with the exception of fire and electricity.».

"That's what you describe about the creatures. Now I'll continue on to the part you describe about the crystal bearer."

«I am the first and I hope the last one to wear this thing. This was specifically created to stop Egeon and seal his soul for this massacre to end. This crystal, in case something has gone wrong in the sealing, will pass to my offspring with the task of stopping Egeon and bringing peace once more to the world. It is a reddish crystal that will always remain close to its bearer and only he or she will be able to have contact and in case someone else grabs it, will receive an energy discharge.».

The Shadow Element Master Senka remained thoughtful trying to remember the description of the crystal that Master Lectro described.

"Lectro, can I see the drawing of the crystal?"

Master Lectro handed the book into her hands. When Master Senka saw the drawing, a memory came to her where she had seen one very similar to the one portrayed.

"Is something wrong, Senka?" The Grandmaster asked.

"My student, Ashes, is owns that crystal, or at least one very similar to the drawn here."

All the Masters except for the Grandmaster, who remained calm, were shocked at the revelation the black-scaled dragoness made.

"Are you sure, Senka?" The Grandmaster asked again. He watched as the shadow dragoness nodded. "Lectro, is there anything else to say?"

The electric dragon denied.

"The rest was unintelligible. But I can say for sure is that this book was written during the lost era."

"Fine. You can retire." He addressed all the Masters.

The Grandmaster was uneasy inside at the possibility of the resurgence of a very ancient enemy.

The storm that will sweep away is approaching ...