Meanwhile, somewhere else, there were many people and races that were eyeing the Phoenix Festival, or more precisely, they were watching the flames that carried the power of rebirth, healing both mundane and awakened people alike.
"They are quite extravagant, aren’t they?" a voice spoke into the air. It was the same voice that had been keeping watch on Melissia, the same presence Nyra had faintly sensed earlier.
"Yeah, not even a month has passed since they had their bloodline awakened, and already they are using the Flames of Nirvana like a showpiece," another voice replied, slightly irritated.
The voices belonged to Bjorn and Tyris, the young black and green dragons. They were among the five who had once pursued Ash and fought him.
Now, in their human forms, they hovered in the sky with small horns and hair that reflected their dragon colors. Tyris was holding a large amount of candy and snacks, sampling everything with delighted curiosity as she watched the scene below.
Using a high-ranked concealment artifact, they quietly observed the festival, from its grand beginning to the flames burning brightly at its center.
"Though I would say... these humans are quite peculiar in making these sweets. They are really nice. I stole their recipe, I will try to make them when I return," Tyris said happily, her voice carrying a dreamy note as she imagined eating countless sweets of her own making.
Bjorn only looked at her with a darkened expression, his face pale with the memory of her cooking.
Being her friend, he and the other three had suffered through her so-called meals many times. To her, poison was nothing more than another spice that brought out flavor. She truly believed adding poison together with its antidote made food both safe and delicious.
What she never understood was that her unique taste buds were not the same as everyone else’s. For the rest of them, her food was nothing short of torment, a harrowing memory none of them wanted to relive.
...Oh Dragon God... save us from her cooking...
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" Tyris asked, narrowing her eyes when she noticed his stare.
"N-Nothing. What do you think we should report to the Elders? I don’t think we saw anything particularly useful, except that the rumors about another mythical bloodline surfacing are true. But it will still take a long time before they completely shed their mortal shells and truly become a mythical beast clan."
Bjorn quickly shifted the subject, not willing to get trapped under her questioning gaze.
"We will just report that. After all, we are only here to observe. There are already too many things happening on our own side, and I doubt the Elders would be free enough to concern themselves with this right now," Tyris replied casually, munching another sweet.
Bjorn’s expression grew more serious at her words. The conflict that had divided the dragons was still locked in stalemate, but the adult dragons were beginning to stir from their slumber, with half of them already awake. The signs of coming chaos were clear.
"Whom do you support?" Tyris asked suddenly, her voice quieter as she looked toward the flames that danced fiercely at the center of the city.
Bjorn shook his head slowly and answered, "I support no one but the dragon race as a whole. If we dragons also lose our unity and turn against one another, then we will be no better than humans. These lesser beings fight among themselves endlessly, blinded by reasons such as gender, religion, and countless meaningless divisions. They do not see how ugly it is. I do not want to see dragon blood reduced to that level. For that, I will try to mend the rift between the Elders. But before that, we must first uncover the true cause behind their divide."
A silence settled between them. Tyris stopped eating, her eyes lingering on him for a moment before shifting away, though her thoughts were still caught by his words.
"I see..."
A faint blush rose on her cheeks.
What an idiot...
****
But....
Dragons were not the only ones watching the festival with their analytic gaze, for there were many criminal organizations lurking in the shadows, hidden enemies with their own motives, and... even the demons.
"It is true, my lady. The bloodline of those Crimson bastards has awakened once again." The Visionary’s voice carried clear hostility, and the air around him seemed heavier because of it. It was rare for him to lose his calm, yet now the bitterness in his tone revealed the depth of his anger.
The Eternal Flames were not just fire. They were the nemesis of all demons, a force that burned through demonic energy and left nothing but purity in its wake. To demons, the flames were agony and erasure, and to see them being displayed so openly during a festival was like mockery.
The visionary was also quietly furious at himself, for he had not been able to see something this important happening in the future. Instead, this information had come through Marbas, the demon general tasked with gathering intelligence.
Fate is constantly shifting, and even now the tangled threads have not been restored... if it continues like this, then they may never be restored. Something must be done before the pattern becomes completely unreachable....
His gaze drifted toward the throne where Lady Lilith sat in place of Orien. Her presence alone made the chamber feel heavier, as if every heartbeat belonged to her. She was calm and composed, her expression both serious and thoughtful, yet there was a sharpness in her eyes that suggested her mind was weaving through countless plans at once.
Among all the Overlord demons, her power was second to none. With a single thought, she could stir deep emotions in the hearts of others, ensnaring them in lust and then bending their will until they no longer remembered it as their own. Entire armies could fall under her control. And yet, despite her power, she remained loyal to the Demon King and the Demon Prince, a loyalty sealed by bloodline itself. To break it would mean losing everything she possessed.
"Hmmm....."
Her soft hum lingered in the air. She weighed the possibilities, and the silence itself felt heavy. After a time, she turned her gaze back to the visionary. His role had shifted more toward that of an adviser in recent days, for his power was tied to fate itself, and fate was now in complete disarray.
"Is there still no contact with the Prince...?" Her tone was level, but there was a weight behind the words.
The visionary shook his head, his face grim. Ever since the discovery of the Heart of the Abyssal God, the Demon Prince had not returned. Before leaving, he had given strict orders not to follow. The only solace was knowing that he was still alive, something every demon could sense through the bond of blood.
The lifeblood of the royal family carried a presence that all demons could feel, and when one of them perished, that pulse of command was extinguished instantly. Since the number of royals was few, it was not difficult to tell.
"Hmm. Then leave the humans and those red birds alone for now. Focus instead on the creation of ’that’ thing. Once the Prince returns with the Heart, our plan can finally begin in earnest as long as we can make ’that’ thing. And when it succeeds, the flames of those red birds would not be our concern."
The visionary lowered his head at the command, though his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"The dwarves are working tirelessly, my lady. Every great blacksmith has been bound to the task. However, there is a problem."
Lilith tilted her head slightly, a subtle gesture telling him to continue.
"We discovered who was behind the destruction of the dwarven city. It was the same boy, Ash Burn, and the human Ray Dawson. I suggest we eliminate them both immediately. I cannot understand why the Prince refuses to allow their deaths. According to—"
The words cut short as a crushing pressure fell upon him, pinning him to the floor. His knees struck the ground, and his breath grew ragged; his body drenched in sweat within moments.
Lilith’s cold eyes settled on him, her voice soft but merciless. "Do not question the will of the Prince. If he has chosen not to act, then there is a reason. Still, I will not deny they are troublesome. Therefore, I will give the order in his stead. Both Ash Burn and Ray Dawson are to be captured alive, but only after they are completely neutralized."
The pressure lifted, and the visionary exhaled heavily, trembling slightly before a deep smile crept onto his face.
"Yes, yes, certainly, my lady. We will capture them both before the Prince returns."
The visionary straightened himself slightly, his voice carrying a trace of eagerness now that the weight of her pressure was gone. "We have also managed to uncover details about the anomaly named Ash Burn. It was comparatively harder to obtain, and the information was scattered. But after much effort and countless hours, we finally compiled everything into a complete record."
As he spoke, he carefully extended a dark leather-bound file toward her. The air seemed to grow heavier as it reached her hands.
Lilith opened it with deliberate slowness, her eyes gliding over the contents. With each page, her expression shifted, and then a dangerous smile curved her lips. The look in her eyes sharpened, and for an instant, the aura surrounding her throne seemed to ripple.
Interesting..... what a crazy little kid....
A soft laugh escaped her at first, but it quickly grew. "Hahaha... HGHHAHAHAHAHA.... HA AHHAHA!"
Her laughter echoed across the chamber, rich with amusement but also carrying a sinister promise.
****