Chapter 886: Prelude To The Exhibition
"Master! Master! Master!"
Ater could feel the weakened effect of his communication link with his Master, which meant one of two things:
Someone was interfering... or his Master had blocked him out.
'Did something happen? Of course... This is around the time that the whole plan with the Dragons would reach its maturity date.'
That meant the Dragon Lords Exhibition was already in progress-if it hadn't concluded already and Rey's plan to send Alicia back to Earth would have already been carried out.
'Maybe... did he go with her?!' Ater's eyes bulged.
No... his Master would never do that! It was obvious that Rey loved this world too much to abandon it. 'Plus... I can still feel a faint link, which means he's still here.'
Ater calmed himself and decided to reason everything as calmly as he could.
"What should we do now, Ater? Should we check on Rey?" Esme's voice interrupted his thought process, and he nearly shot her a deadly glare.
'What do you think I'm trying to do here?!'
He would have ripped her to shreds if not for the fact that his Master had specifically told him not to harm her, and in fact he was supposed to protect her. These were all in the restrictions that Ater gladly accepted from Rey, and breaking them would result in his certain death.
As such, even though he didn't want to, Ater had to remain nice to her.
"Silence. I'm trying to focus her-"
~ZZZTZZ~
As soon as he uttered those words, he felt a modicum of his connection with Rey restored, and he heard a jumbled message from his Master's thoughts.
Before he could process all of it, though, a stern instruction echoed into Ater's mind.
"Stay right where you are and don't leave until I'm done here."
Rey's voice seemed angry.
No... he was furious!
The rage that burned in those few words was enough to send a chill through Ater's body as he listened.
"B-but Master-!"
Before Ater could finish those words, their communication network was severed, and Ater was left completely stranded in his position.
"What happened? What did Rey say?" Ater was once again disturbed by Esme, whose
concerned face was annoying for him to look at.
'None of your business!' He wanted to yell at her, but instead decided not to.
She wasn't worth the effort-not anymore.
'Right now, the important thing to consider is what could have happened to Master while I was away... as well as how to relieve his anger towards me.'
Ater already knew about Rey's growing distrust towards him-one which began after he met with The Oracle.
'It's just one of the ways this world wants to purge me, but...'
Despite the wedge that had formed between them, Ater had managed to regain Rey's trust by restricting himself with so many bothersome commands and even giving Rey the liberty to control him as he wished.
For example... what happened just now.
'I can barely move, and it seems I'll be unable to leave this place until Rey arrives here or commands otherwise.' He sighed.
This was all due to the restrictions that he had willingly collected.
'The trust I worked so hard to cultivate is in a damning place right now, and I am still without the necessary information I require to take any meaningful steps.'
He was stuck.
'Master... I don't know what has happened during the time I have been away, but...' His eyes narrowed as a few thoughts flowed in his mind.
'... I hope you are fine.'
At that precise moment, Ater felt a sensation that caused him to nearly enter convulsion. His eyes lit up instantly, a bright gleam of red bursting from within.
"Guarrrghhh!"
He gripped his chest, feeling a hot sensation burning him from within.
He recognized that feeling anyday.
It was something akin to a severance between himself and his Master, one that could only happen if the latter was no longer in the world.
Rey would never leave H'Trae, which meant his life was at risk. Even if he was going to leave H'Trae for some reason, it was Ater's duty to prevent him from doing so.
Either way...
'Master... Master is in danger!'
************
[Earlier That Day]
"The three of you have trained well under my tutelage, and you've even exceeded my expectations in many ways."
The White Dragon Lord, Frey'ja stood before her three disciples-students of the Dragon Academy that she took under her wing four months ago after the conclusion of the Academy's
tournament.
R'ai, Luc'ia, and Ad'oni.
These three students showed a lot of promise and had grown freakishly powerful in such a small amount of time-two of them especially.
"As promised, the most exceptional two will join my Squad and participate in the Exhibition today. As for the one who got last place, you'll still come with us and serve as a spectator."
That's right!
Today was the moment that Frey'ja and the other Dragon Lords had been waiting for after such a long period: the moment that could possibly shift the balance of power in the Empire.
"R'ai and Luc'ia... you are welcome to the White Squad."
Both students-no, disciples-knelt respectfully before her and bowed their heads in
submission.
As for the last one, she looked at him with pride.
He was still plenty strong, impressive in his own right, but he simply didn't hold a candle to
the other two.
"I already reserved a seat for you among the audience."
The Exhibition took place in the Capital, and it was only open to an exclusive audience-the high-ranking members of Dragon Society. That meant Ad'oni was still going to experience the luxury of high society and would learn immensely from watching the strongest in the Empire as well as their subordinates duke it out.
Ultimately, it would be a good learning experience for him.
No, for everyone.
"We will depart immediately." She said with a bright smile. "Are you ready?"
The three raised their heads and looked at her with absolute certainty-resolve burning deep
within their eyes.
"Yes, Master!"
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading!
My blood is pumped, honestly. We are slowly reaching the climax of this Arc, and I can't wait
until we reach the breaking point of this novel.
Be expectant.