A Failing Bond: 3

"I see. I killed two birds with a stone." He spat his anger seethed words, "I found the source of the smell and an intruder."

The woman on her knees flinched at his words but dared to meet his angry golden irises with her obsidian ones.

"It wasn't a little mouse, rather a dragon in my home." His hold on her hand tightened. "What do you want to say about it? Iian, daughter of the Great Aide, what are you doing here?"

"Iian, I am just Iian. No need to mention my father with my name," she spoke, irritated by Ignia's choice for the introduction.

"That wasn't an answer." He asked, "What are you doing here?" The young man bared his canines at her, showing his disappointment filled with anger.

Iian glared back with no intention of backing down.

Mrs Moon looked at the two friends arguing. Her brows joined in worry. It disheartened her she couldn't interfere. Right now, she was on bad terms with her son and Iian committed a crime by eavesdropping on their conversation. So, even she didn't know what he would do to Iian as a punishment.

Both stared at each other, trying to pin down the other.

Iian yanked away her captivated arm and stood on her feet, meeting him at eye level. Her arms brushed away the dust from her white sundress, detailed with black flowers. Her silver hair flowed past her shoulders because of her movements. And then, her eyes found her friend, filled with curiosity, bright but wary.

Ignia sized up Iian's willowy but strong physique with his muscular, though lean, body. Iian showed him a punch that would connect to his face if he tried anything funny. The tanned man stepped back a foot, huffing, giving her the space.

Golden glared at the pitch-black ones with sheer ferocity. Ignia had bright colour features against the female. He was short-tempered and she, his opposite. But that didn't mean that she would keep quiet about what was wrong.

Just like the two faces of the same coin, they differed. But then again, the coin is of common origin.

Calm or short-tempered, both shared the same spirit. Not one of them was ready to back down without a fight.

Iian began to mumble. "You are joining King Rael Ozmer? You're joining the Rebellion Frontier?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"That shouldn't concern you." Ignia resisted from disclosing anything.

"It should. It should concern me as your best friend. As your friend, it matters. Why are you joining the other side? Why are you joining someone who is going to wage a war again?" She clasped him on his biceps so that he wouldn't save away from answering.

"He is ambitious," he replied. "Rael Ozmer, King of the Nyctoph Clan, is a very ambitious person. He has something that my dad lacked."

"What has it to do with ambition?" Iian asked as her eyes searched for answers in his.

His sudden fiery pupils dampened with a thought that she didn't know. Mrs Moon also became uneasy about what was to come after.

"My father didn't sacrifice himself to save the universe by giving it a chance to choose an emperor."

Iian's demanding voice quivered soon. "You say someone killed the late Emperor?"

Iian couldn't believe her ears. They were already in a turbulent period, and this piece of information could fuel the flames. It could lead to even greater chaos than one that was then.

"Yes." Mrs Moon came forward.

"How?" her body trembled as she stared at Ignia.

"The Throne killed him."

"The Throne…"

It was insane. Never in Dragonix's history has the Throne itself killed the Emperor. Imagine the chaos. Who could think of such a possibility?

Iian couldn't say any words. Mrs Moon lowered her gaze. She, too, said nothing. And both of them could feel the anger radiating off Ignia.

"Why?"

"He lacked a powerful ambition, because he was rather too kind for a ruler. The spirit of Throne killed my father because it found him incompetent in its eyes." He spoke the words through his gritted teeth. "The Throne killed my dad. It'll kill all the dragons. Throne endangers the dragons and this universe! We should wipe it out!"

"That makes you opt for the rebellion?" Iian asked, shaken by the revelation.

"Yes, that makes me opt for King Rael Ozmer of the Nyctoph Clan."

"Ambition..." she chanted the word, again and again, feeling the addiction Ignia felt through that single word.

"Then will this ambition lead us to a war?"

"I'm certain."