Supreme Magus

Chapter 3716: All Out of Anger (Part 1)

Lith had fought and bled for the baby boy instead of giving up on him.

For that, Valeron felt safe only in the Mansion and only near Lith.

"As you wish." Leegaain believed he had failed his children only a few times in his life, but this was one of them.

Everything about Valeron was wrong. From how he had been conceived to how his life force had been altered in Thrud’s womb by mixing Arthan’s Madness with ambrosia. Yet he was still the son of Jormun, one of Leegaain’s firstborns.

The Father of All Dragons couldn’t forgive the Mad Queen for burdening the baby boy with her cursed legacy, no less than he could forgive himself for not protecting him from the Awakened’s fury.

’Thrud made her choice just like I made mine, and Valeron now has to pay the price for them. The only difference is that I have to live with it.’ Leegaain inwardly sighed as he Warped to the allegedly secret lab of the Hydra bloodline, past their allegedly impregnable defensive arrays.

"Grandfather." More than one Hydra raised their weapon upon the stranger’s appearance and then dropped to their knees.

Even in his human form and without releasing an iota of his aura, Leegaain’s presence resonated with the blood coursing through the Hydras’ veins. To them, he was the beginning of the Dragon race and its apex.

As long as he lived, the Dragon race’s future was ensured, and new bloodlines would come to life and thrive.

"At ease, my children." The Guardian, who looked like an albino man, said. "I’m not here to disturb your work. I’m here to take the Doppelganger Protheus with me."

The Hydras looked disappointed at those words. For a moment, they had hoped the Father of All Dragons had come to recognize the value of their research and help them to tap into the true power of their bloodlines.

Little did the Hydras know that Leegaain considered what they were doing an abomination no better than Thrud’s work.

Leegaain despised the Harmonizers and every machine that filled the vast hall of the lab. They were all proof of the failure of his children and his own as a mentor.

’Look at them, trying to pluck the fruits of Forbidden Magic in the attempt to make up for the millennia they wasted wallowing in self-pity.’ He thought. ’Faluel and Ajatar are on the right path, and it didn’t require any of these obscenities.

’Only introspection, thorough study, and a bit of help. Still, it’s better than nothing.’

"Master Leegaain, it’s a pleasure to meet you." Baba Yaga and Lochra Silverwing gave their old mentor a deep bow.

Whenever Ripha or Solus didn’t need them, the two white cores worked with the Hydras to clear the path to Dragonhood. When the research reached an impasse and the Hydras didn’t need them either, Lochra and Yaga worked on new Harmonizers for the undead with Ripha’s help.

"Always nice to see you, girls. Care to join us for tea?" Since they all lived in the Verhen Mansion, Leegaain found it pointless to stick to formalities.

"With pleasure." Both women chuckled at being called ’girls’ at their age. "Is Val still upset?"

"Yes. I’m here on an errand for him." Leegaain replied.

"Here’s your guest, Grandfather." Xubari, the lead Healer of the facility, gave the Guardian a deep bow and shoved the Doppelganger forward.

"You should treat Protheus with more respect, child." Leegaain’s nostrils flared in annoyance. "He’s still my guest and under my protection. I allowed him to come here and help you. Every insult to him is an insult to me."

Unlike Valeron, Protheus was under the aegis of the rules of Leegaain’s hospitality. It gave the Guardian an excellent pretext to vent his fury.

"I’m sorry, Grandfather, I-" Xubari and every Hydra in the hidden lab felt death touching their shoulder.

Baba Yaga, Silverwing, and the rest of Thrud’s former generals were spared from the experience, but the anger of a Guardian terrified them nonetheless.

"Do not apologize to me." The ground rumbled just enough to make Leegaain’s displeasure clear. "Apologize to him."

"Please, forgive me, lord Protheus. I was just trying to please the Father of All Dragons." Xubari bowed to the Doppelganger.

"It’s fine." Protheus replied, shapeshifting his form into those of all the Dragons he had sampled. "I understand how you feel. In a way, he’s also my grandfather."

"You are a scary little kid, kid." The Guardian studied all the Dragon forms with his Leegaain Eyes. "Valeron wants to meet you. Do you accept his invitation?"

"Thanks for your courtesy, Lord Leegaain, but if my little brother needs me, there is no need to ask." Protheus kneeled to Leegaain. "Please, bring me to him."

One moment they were there, and the next they were not.

According to the arrays, there had been no security breach or Warp Steps.

"Damn, one day we’ll all be like that!" Xubari puffed his chest out with pride. "Back to work. Miladies."

"Pompous little asshole." Baba Yaga chuckled.

"He can afford to." Silverwing shrugged.

***

"Val!" Meanwhile, back at the Mansion, Protheus rushed to the crib and held the baby boy in a warm embrace. "You have no idea how much I missed you."

"Propro!" Valeron couldn’t pronounce the Doppelganger’s name, hence the moniker. "Missed you!"

The two shared a heartfelt reunion through the Dragon Scales, but only until Valeron remembered the reason for that meeting.

"You knew?" He asked, his teeth turning into needle-like fangs.

"Knew what?" Protheus asked in confusion.

"Oh, yeah. My bad." Leegaain touched his shoulder and brought the Doppelganger up to speed with a mix of Dragon Scales and mind link.

"Those dilly best buds! If they weren’t already dread, I’d farming bill them!" Protheus roared in outrage before noticing the Guardian’s autocorrect.

"Language, kid." Leegaain narrowed his eyes. "Now answer his question. Don’t worry about the complexity of language. I’ll ensure Valeron can understand everything in age-appropriate terms."

"Thanks, Grandfather." Protheus nodded, and the Guardian didn’t object to the moniker. "Yes, little brother, I knew. I knew since the beginning, and I’ve fooled you long before Verhen took you in.

"It started after our father, Jormun, lost to Verhen. Also, I’m sorry, little brother, but I don’t regret doing it. I’d do it again, if necessary."

"Why?" Valeron was hurt and surprised by Protheus’ determination.

"Because mother asked me to." The Doppelganger replied to the first of the many questions that Valeron had expressed with a single word. "She didn’t want you to know that Father had died and lose your smile.

"She lied to you about father’s death to protect your innocence, and I helped her because I knew that pain myself and couldn’t stand the thought of sharing it with you. I obeyed Mother’s orders and deceived you from the beginning because I wanted you to be happy, little brother."

That piece of information shocked Valeron’s young mind beyond what he believed possible. His mother had started the deception, and his brother had willingly helped her. Valeron felt his anger rise and spread like wildfire.

He was angry with Thrud for not taking Leegaain’s offer to abandon whatever she was doing and live peacefully with the rest of the family. He was angry because Thrud’s choice had led to Jormun’s death and destroyed their family.

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