72. Those Once Bound By Oath and Duty

"Err…"

[Err…]

Kenos and I droned.

"So… you're from… the city Rahad built to protect the Nemen, right?" I asked while the two other giant knights walked up to me as well.

One of them, an angry looking woman, had a rather familiar looking thin black crown around her head, but I paid it no mind.

"Yes. Although that place… is but a faded echo." Thneia said with lowered eyes.

"I see… umm… could we have this conversation somewhere more private?"

"Of course, your highness." Thneia said but the Draconic Knight next to her clicked her tongue before looking away.

I tilted my head, but I couldn't wallow in my confusion for too long.

"Serylea, could you lead those guys somewhere nice and comfortable?" I asked and Serylea curtly nodded before leading the twenty seven other knights to a building on the outskirts of Coh.

It was a place of lodging for soldiers but I just needed them to stay there while I sorted things out with Thneia.

I led her to the coliseum where I created furniture large enough for them to sit on at the arena's center.

Large orbs of light illuminated the arena while we all sat around a dark table.

Thneia inspected the table before looking around.

"You really are his son… although something isn't quite right." She said while locking her eyes with mine.

Her eyes were like twin orbs of a fire that hurt to look at, not because it was bright. It just felt like an endless maelstrom of malice was swimming within them.

Something that would have made me seize up and freeze in the past, but that was then.

I let out a fake cough before explaining my circumstances.

"Mmm…" Thneia droned.

"There is no way I am serving a goat." The other knight spat.

The last of the three, a man who's head was covered in scars, simply crossed his arms and remained silent.

"Even it has Royal blood running through its veins?" Thneia asked.

"Are you even listening to yourself?"

"I am and I have made my decision, Llana. If you are so dissatisfied with it, ask the prince to relieve you of your duties. He seems like the understanding sort."

The one known as Llana glared at me before standing up.

Yna stood up as well prompting Llana to stare at me with a face that was a mixture between bewilderment and disgusts.

"Prince of the Rendaro… some prince he is… to be able to stomach being in the same city as this faux gold whore." Llana hissed as the air grew colder.

This, I could not tolerate.

I needed to show Thneia and her friends how much I valued Coh without making enemies of them.

"Ms. Thneia…" I droned and Thneia lowered her head.

"Deal with her as you see fit-"

I didn't even wait for her to finish her sentence as I raised my hand.

Now, I had expected the Kommáti to appear and show their strength to Llana, but to my surprise, Nel suddenly appeared before punching Llana in the face, sending her crashing into the side of the coliseum with so much force, I'm sure all of Coh was awoken by it.

Nel didn't even give Llana a chance to react as he stepped on her face.

He then placed his Lance on her neck before doing something that made the blades of the lance part, allowing plumes of white smoke to rise from with the spear.

"Enough!" I yelled with a frantically beating heart.

Nel raised his head before taking several deep breaths.

He was wearing the MSDA-Y-MK3. A version of armor I'd specially made for Yna, but fortunately enough, it could be made to fit other knights and so I made two just for him and Anhai.

Nel, in this armor, looked far deadlier than before.

Like an actual Raven of death, perched atop its prey.

He turned to face me before grinning as his eyes glowed.

"Forgive me, lord Katsíki. I got a little carried away." Nel said with a deep bow.

"Get off me, bastard!" Llana yelled prompting Nel to look at me.

I nodded and the Raven walked away from Llana, who quickly stood up before unsheathing her sword which began glowing a bright red as the air grew ever colder.

"Ms. Llana, that was your first and only warning." I said while squeezing my sweaty hands.

Llana glared at me before looking to Thneia for answers.

Her face twisted as though she was in pain after seeing that Thneia hadn't even turned around and was still facing me.

"Fine! Do whatever you want but I refuse to bow to livestock. Men!" She barked while looking up at the coliseum's edges.

"Men?" She called but was met with only silence.

"That was your last chance. Ms. Thneia, I'm assuming you don't want to lose a dear comrade, so I won't kill her." I said while raising my arm again and just as my fingers rose and Nel's eyes burnt, Llana fell to her knees.

"Fine, asshole! I give up." She cried as she dropped her sword.

No.

I needed to make an example of her.

I couldn't just let her get off scot free.

That being said, she and her comrades were something called Draconic Knights.

They would prove invaluable in the coming war but I still had doubts about them.

I needed to know more, but I couldn't do that with Llana barking like a mad dog.

"Nel, take her to Site A." I said clearly.

Nel nodded but just as he reached out to grab Llana, she picked up her sword before pointing it at Nel who simply raised his Lance.

"What are you going to do to me?" She asked with wide eyes.

Several Kommáti then appeared around her, but just as one of the reach out to grab her, she cleaved him in half with her sword which was now white hot.

"Nel!" I cried prompting the Raven to kick Llana in the stomach.

The mad Draconic Knight then screamed wildly as she was grabbed by several Kommáti and in the next instant, she disappeared along with them.

Nel looked at me and a frown formed on his face instantly after.

"Mmm?" I sounded before looking at my hands to find that they were blackened.

I sighed before turning my enraged eyes towards Thneia who glared at me with palpable amounts of animosity.

"Has this changed anything?" I asked while smoke rose from my nose and mouth.

"No." She said curtly.

I nodded while creating a barracks for Thneia and her men on the eastern side of lower Coh.

"Ower."

"Yes?" Ower asked without materializing.

"I created a place for Thneia and her men. Make sure it's ready for them." I said before turning to face Yna, who sat by my side.

I placed my sweaty hand on top of hers as she glared at Thneia.

"A Kommáti… how long does it take to make one?" I asked.

"Not long. I have several in training and a few that are ready for deployment." Yna said with dim eyes.

"Alright." I sighed before facing Thneia once more.

"I'm sorry, but can we continue this conversation tomorrow? I am beyond exhausted." I said with a weak smile.

"You need not apologize, your highness. Oh and please feel free to call me Thneia. Same for Rix here. We are naught but your humble servants." Thneia said with a shallow bow.

I nodded before facing Nel who had a proud look on his face.

"Go back home!" I yelled.

His face twisted in sadness but regardless, he nodded before promptly disappearing.

I was pretty sure Nel could only use Light and death magic, so someone must have teleported him from place to place.

I shook all unnecessary thoughts before accompanying Thneia and all of her men to their new lodging.

It was a pretty big and grand place.

I modeled it after various European castles while integrating some Rendaro architecture which mean the floor and walls were made from thick slabs of darkness similar to the slabs of stone the Rendaro used. I also made every doorway and stairway twice as big to accommodate Thneia and her comrades.

They had three rooms specially made to fit them and Llana would take hers… once she learnt to pay Coh the respect it was due.

Yna and I eventually returned to our cabin and we wasted no time in getting undressed and falling asleep.

.

..

"Wanna run away with me?" I groaned. My voice muffled by Yna's breasts.

"If you want to-"

"It was a Yes or No question."

"Yes." Yna said as her heart thumped softly in her chest.

"Wrong answer. You were supposed to give me some a long speech about perseverance and whatnot." I said before popping my head out of the blanket.

I then looked at Yna, who's eyes had turned purely white again.

I nodded to myself and kicked away the blankets.

"Alright! Let's deal with those Draconic weirdos!" I yelled while dramatically pointing to the south.

We got dressed and promptly exited the cabin.

We then made our way to the Draconic Barracks and I raised a brow upon seeing Thneia and Rix standing in the courtyard in casual clothes.

This didn't make them look any less intimidating, but it was a nice change.

Also, thanks to his casual shirt, I noticed that Rix had a rather large scar that went across his neck.

Thneia noticed me and promptly walked towards me before deeply bowing.

"Thank you for-"

I raised my hand.

"No need. Now, let's get back to business. I'd like to start by knowing more about your past before we talk about the future. Would you kindly follow me?"

Thneia nodded before following Yna and I into Coh with Rix in tow.

Everyone we passed understandably gave Thneia and Rix various stares as we made our way up into upper Coh.

We eventually arrived at Farin's door and I knocked on it as the sun brilliantly lit up Coh.

"Hello, lord Katsíki." Serylea greeted.

"Is… is he gone already?" I asked as a deep ache filled my chest.

Serylea nodded and I sighed in response.

This wasn't the time for sulking and so I took several deep breaths before raising my chin.

"Did he leave anyone behind?".

"Yes. Just one." Serylea said.

"Bring them out here. I wanna document everything Thneia teaches me."

Serylea nodded before rushing away. She returned with a small man who held in his hands a book.

"Follow me-"

"May I make a suggestion, your highness?" Thneia asked.

"Go ahead."

"Lady Yna can use space magic, no? She could take us to Rahadiya where the city could provide the perfect backdrop for our session."

I looked up at Yna who signed before pointing at a clear spot in the street.

"Everyone stand there." She instructed and we all complied.

"Where is it?" Yna asked.

"One thousand four hundred kilometers west."

Yna's eyes widened.

"Are you not able to make the trip, knight of gold? Or should I call for one of my men?" Thneia asked with narrowed eyes but this wasn't the time for passive aggressiveness.

"Ahem! It took Serylea quite some time to reach Rahadiya, but the trip back was surprisingly quick. Which means you have a talented space magician. Get them so that we can get this over with." I snapped.

Thneia looked at me. Her reptilian eyes narrowed.

"My apologies. Although I'm sure you understand my feelings towards humans." She said.

"Do I understand your feelings? Yes. Is this the time to deal with them? No. So stop wasting everyone's time and take us to Rahadiya." I said.

Thneia deeply sighed as the air grew cold.

"Of course. Rix." She called and like that, we were in the desert.

It took several seconds for my mind to catch up with the situation, but just as I realized what was going on, we transferred locations again.

This happened a few times and we passed what looked like a few towns and cities that were deep in the desert.

I would have asked about them but I pocketed those curiosities aside.

We eventually found ourselves atop an enormous building that overlooked an ovular stone city only the city had been shattered into pieces with cracks in the ground that led into a never ending blackness.

I looked up and saw large boulders and buildings floating mid air.

I then heard a rather familiar sound behind me and so I turned around and loudly gasped upon seeing a vast ocean before me.

The sun clearly illuminated everything allowing me to take it all in.

A seemingly endless body of water.

I turned to Thneia, who's face was ever so slightly twisted.

"What happened here?"

"War. Allow me to start in the very beginning." Thneia said as I created chairs for everyone to sit on.

We all got seated while staring at Thneia who looked up, seemingly in thought.

"The great Rendaro King, Rahad, set out to work almost immediately after the first Collison occurred. He started by gathering three of the largest tribes from his home world in the east. He then created what would become Iana, the official Rendaro capital while establishing communications with mankind. Talks went smoothly and the two races even allied against us dragons. However, even though relations between the Rendaro and Humans hadn't soured yet, King Rahad was apprehensive about man's true nature and so he traveled here to build a backup city for Rendaro to escape to should mankind ever betray his trust. However, upon arriving, he found a group of humans who were completely different from those who were in Lanceberg. You see, the humans in Lanceberg not only managed to erect multiple cities across the continent and build an entire nation after the collision, but they managed to do all this before the three races ever made contact. This meant the humans in Lanceberg were leagues ahead of the Rendaro in terms of development. King Rahad found it suspicious that not only were the humans he found here developed in a completely different manner, they didn't even speak the same language as those in Lanceberg and they had different customs and cultures. The king placed aside his suspicions and helped the humans erect a city and with their help, that city would one day become Rahadiya. The King eventually returned east where he tended to the warring Ia and Foph tribes all while protecting his own tribe. Decades passed and the signs of mankind's betrayal quickly grew clear. Man was and will always be a ruthless and reckless animal who'd rather no one have something if it means he can't and so, after the battle atop the Araena mountains, the king returned and began evacuating his Nemen brethren. He would have saved the Ia and Foph, but I'm sure you already know how peculiar they are." Thneia said.

"As Rahadiya grew, so did its population which was divided evenly between humans and Rendaro. Once the Great War began, relations between the two races soured. This division was worsened by the fact that the Nemen viewed Rahadiya as their rightful home. A view the humans also had for themselves. Fortunately, all conflicts were settled peacefully in the old parliamentary building, the very building atop which we sit. This civility wouldn't last forever, many decades passed and just as the Great War reached its climax with the defeat of the Dragon royal family, things here reached their worst. People murdered each other for the pettiest reasons and the Old Guard was a biased organization that only helped solve Nemen cases since they primarily consisted of Nemen men who still thought they deserved Rahadiya. This all culminated a battle where they very city was torn apart as space magicians warped the very fabric of reality beyond the point it could heal from."

I let out an understanding hum before realizing something.

"What about you guys? Where do you fit in all this?"

"Ah… remember when I said that king Rahad was suspicious of mankind and all their advancements? One of his fascinations was the knights of Lanceberg. He wondered where all their strength and vitality came from. His curiosity one day got the better of him and so, after aiding mankind in one of their many battles against us dragons, he managed to steal the corpses of several knights. He then brought them here and created a special group of Rendaro, the Knaughtis, who dedicated their lives to reverse engineering the Knights. And as for us specifically? We were the Dragon King's protectors and we fought alongside him and his son as they battled the Golden Prince and his Helma knights."

"You fought against and survived an encounter with not only the Helma but Caligo as well?" Yna asked with a genuinely shocked expression.

"Yes, but barely. Not long after the battle ended, our wounded bodies were dragged across the desert by a certain opportunistic group of Rendaro. They had, for the longest time, wondered what would happen if one transferred the life-force of one being to another body. They had mastered the art of creating knights and they wanted to make whatever improvements they thought necessary. The problem with transferring life-force from one being to another is that the other body must be empty, or dead and transferring life into a dead body usually just ends up creating a less decomposed dead body. The Knaughtis quickly learnt that this was because once a person died, an irreplaceable part of them was lost. Almost as though when one dies, the binds that tie them to this plane are severed. This wasn't the case for us dragons. Since our life-forces are unimaginably larger, the death process for a dragon is lengthy to say the least. Anyway, the Knaughtis transferred us into the bodies of three freshly made and freshly dead golden knight class Rendaro. They then used healers to ensure our bodies had enough surplus life energy to adapt to the changes our bodies had to make in order to accommodate our life-forces and that is the story of the Draconic Knights. The story of Drákosyngenís. Well, our men are but normal Rendaro who underwent augmentation but that's the gist of it."

Yna and I stared at each other for a moment.

"Why didn't you stop the conflict that ended up destroying this place?" Serylea asked.

"We weren't allowed to interfere by two laws. The first law stated that we were only to be deployed to deal with outwardly threats. The second stated that we were never to take orders from any singular party and so we could do was watch as Rahadiya tore itself open-"

Thneia stopped as Rix tapped her shoulder.

Thneia looked back at the Draconic Knight before narrowing her eyes scarily.

"Well, we tried our best not to intervene, but Llana had other ideas. You see, when Rahadiya was still a thriving city, Llana temporarily abandoned the way of the sword and lived as the Dark Priestess. The woman who would endlessly pray to the Dark Flame. She tended to followers who were of both races and so when the civil war began, she tried doing her best to save them but we had to stop her from doing too much since if the either side saw us helping the other, it'd lead to even more conflict."

"So you forced her to watch her people die." I muttered.

"We all lost something in those dark days." Thneia said stiffly.

I looked out into the eastern horizon as the sun slowly set.

"You were bound by duty… and that led to inaction…" I said before standing and facing the leader of the Draconic Knights.

"Then as Katsíki, vessel of Kenos, prince of the Rendaro, I relieve you of all your duties."