Familiar

A jolt of unease bubbled in Alden's chest as he heard the unexpected knock. 

He cursed. 

His expression darkened slightly, recalling the scout who got away. 

Closing his eyes, Alden tapped into his senses.

…And sure enough, he sensed multiple fiery signatures standing outside the door. 

While that could be attributed to how common the Fire Element was in the Territory of Flame, Alden didn't think so. 

Instead, he was nearly certain that it was his failure of not finishing off the last scout coming back to bite him. 

Alden gritted his teeth. 

Exhaling, he let a composed and unfazed mask appear on his face. 

"I'll get it."

Quickly standing up, Alden walked to the door. He didn't give a chance for anyone else to get out of their seat. 

It was better to be proactive, rather than reactive. 

Ignia's worried cry echoed after him. 

He smiled, reassuring his bond. 

Alden instructed her to stay with Celeste, hoping to use his childhood friend's status if things went awry. 

Taking a deep breath, he stopped at the egress.

After a second's hesitation, Alden made sure his composed expression showed no cracks before he gripped the door handle, and slowly opened the door. 

*** 

"This house seems familiar…" 

Drakon muttered under his breath. 

He stared at the finely built orange-reddish house and mused. 

Beside him, his distant cousin Swiftly fidgeted nervously. 

Drakon paid the scout no mind, his mind more preoccupied with investigating the source of familiarity. 

Several guards stared at him warily, obviously perturbed by his unexpected visit. 

Drakon ignored them though, knowing they could not touch a hair on his head. 

It was a perk of his status as the heir to the Ember Clan, one he had long since become accustomed to, and even abused on occasion. 

Drakon licked his lips as he recalled Swifty's report of his scouting mission.

After taking him to one side, his distant cousin revealed that he had encountered a young man who had bonded with a phoenix as a familiar. 

Drakon's interest was immediately piqued. 

Not because of how rare phoenixes were, or how useful it could be if he had it as his familiar. 

Rather, the heir focused more on the potency of its flames. 

As a creature born from Fire, a phoenix's affinity to that element was undoubtedly high. 

Perhaps, even greater than the extinct Dragons. 

It was for this reason that Drakon wanted to get his hands on the small bird. 

It would doubtless aid him in overcoming his current bottleneck. 

…The one, he had spent so long trying to conquer. 

Idly, he fiddled with the golden ring on his left finger as he instructed Swifty to knock on the door. 

After a few seconds, they heard the sound of calm footsteps approaching. 

Then, the door opened. 

And when it did, Drakon knew exactly why this house felt familiar. 

Staring at the young man with dirty-white hair, crimson eyes and a composed expression plastered on his face, Drakon inwardly laughed. It seemed Celeste's puppy was still following her around to this day, even after she had become a Chosen of the Divine Sovereigns. 

The Ember heir internally shook his head, a little impressed by Alden's conviction to stick around such a dazzling star. He also pitied the fool, as he would amount to nothing more than an obstacle barring Celeste's path. 

A path… that was destined for the very top. 

"How can I help you?" 

Hearing Alden's calm tone, a grin stretched on Drakon's face. 

"We have a matter that we would like to discuss. It involves you and your… family. May we come in?" 

Drakon nodded his head toward Swifty, hinting slightly at the matter. 

The heir kept his tone pleasant. 

'For now,'

He mentally added. 

Drakon did not want to offend Celeste by barging into her home. 

It was better to be polite. 

Once inside, he could apply a little pressure if the situation ever called for it. 

Drakon saw Alden's face twitch ever so slightly, before he stepped aside and let them through. 

"Of course." 

The Ember heir grinned at the young man's attempt to display some mock calm. 

Inwardly, Drakon knew Alden must have been rattled. 

Walking through the corridor, Drakon paid no attention to any decorations or furnishings on display. 

They would never hold a candle to what his clan had, so there was no need to even bother. 

Entering the living room, several pallet sofas greeted Drakon, draped with cushions. 

To his right, a modest dining table occupied the space. 

Several figures sat around it, the most prominent being a blond-haired young lady with fair skin and emerald eyes. 

Drakon nodded politely to Celeste. 

Then, his eyes instinctively moved to the source of heat his senses were picking up. 

Glossy feathers as dark as night.

A plumage of similar colour. 

Its amber eyes... which were filled with sparks of intelligence peered back at him warily.

Drakon felt a sense of awe as he gazed at the noble Fire creature. 

Even though it was still just a baby, the Ember heir knew it would grow to be a powerful phoenix, especially since this was his first time seeing such a pitch-black one of its kind.

Nevertheless, Drakon did not care about the colour. 

…All that mattered to him was if he could use those special flames to rank up. 

Taking a seat on a pallet sofa, Drakon made himself at home. 

Swifty sat nervously beside him, his eyes darting cautiously across the place. 

'Buffoon.' 

Drakon thought. 

He could see the scout's intentions from a mile away.

However, since it did not get in the way of his plans, and even could perhaps bolster them, he let it be. 

"What would you like to drink?" 

Drakon shifted his gaze to Alden, his lips curling into a small smirk. 

"Do you have any scorching mead?" 

Alden nodded. 

"Excellent. Please get me and my cousin, Swifty, one cup each." 

While Celeste's puppy played the role of a good host, Drakon watched as Celeste, and the people he presumed to be her mother and father, stand up and walked to the other side of the living room where he sat. 

Soon, the three of them sat down, and some seconds later, Alden returned with the drinks. 

With that, everything was in place for the discussion to begin.