Lex felt no fear surrounded by millions of soldiers and an unknown owl coming towards him who was in the same realm as him. Even before he reached the Nascent realm, he did not take foes at the Nascent realm too seriously.
Even though he was in his fairy body, which he was not entirely familiar with, and was nowhere near the peak of his power, he was absolutely confident. In fact, he was even confident about the fact that what he was feeling was appropriate, and it was not overconfidence.
If, after everything he had faced and overcome, he could not face such a tiny challenge, then he should feel ashamed.
One thing Lex realized was that, though most of his abilities became inert in this form, he still had his sword intent, which was one more reason to make it stronger.
An owl suddenly appeared in front of them, the aura of its realm wrapped around it like protective armor, and it glared down at Lex and Ollie.
""How dare you desecrate the back of a noble Shadow Talon? Are you ignorant of the magnitude of your trespass?"
Lex would have expected to face a massive owl. Technically speaking, compared to Lex's body, it was. But in reality, it was just the size of a normal owl.
"Relax, we have a temporary agreement. He is just giving me a tour of his estate. This is not really the appropriate way to talk to guests, you know?"
"Your justification falls short! I shall exact retribution for your transgression!"
Ollie panicked, and was about to defend Lex. The large owl also gathered its energy to strike down Lex. Before either of them could do anything, Lex flapped his wing. Or rather, he wiggled the shadow that was his wing.
The result was sufficient. Motes of shining fairy dust appeared, dazzling the infinite plane of shadow, attracting the attention of every living being that exhibited the plane. What they saw was a shadow disappear from the back of Ollie, and reappear on the back of the threatening owl.
Lex extended his hand forward, coated in his sword intent, and grabbed the back of its neck right below its skill, freezing it in place.
Lex was completely unaffected by its power. Instead, his warm and happy aura was radiating off of him, forming a complete dichotomy from the scene that unfolded everyone.
"I said, this is not how one talks to guests."
Lex's voice reverberated across the darkness, suppressing every other shadow, whether it was alive or not. Lex felt a faint suppression on his power, and realized that in a particular plane, everything had to exist in that form. His sword intent was also taking the form of a shadow.
But when he tried to use a Glyph to magnify his aura, the way he had done to enter the sealed domain, there was a resistance, and a strange feedback from the plane itself. Lex could overcome the resistance, he felt, but if he did so, both he and the owl he was grabbing would be ejected from the shadow plane, and returned to the regular plane of existence.
In truth, Lex expected to be at a disadvantage in the shadow plane. But as it turned out, it was pretty easy to align all of his spirit energy to a specific form when he was already in its associated plane. Maybe it was a fairy thing.
For a few moments there was silence, but then Ollie finally broke out of his stupor.
"Majestic guardian, the esteemed royal Lex graced my back with my consent. His essence exudes a natural air of nobility and authority, a quality discernible to me in my capacity as a Marquis. Your actions have been precipitous. Extend an apology to rectify this so that we may foster harmonious ties. The Shadow Talons are not so arrogant that we can look down on the rest of the realm."
Lex could feel the trembling shadow in his arms. It was furious, obviously. No one liked to be threatened, and that was even more so for those who thought themselves at the peak of power. But that did not mean he was going to tolerate a bad attitude. If it apologized, he would let it go. If it acted against him once more, it would get more than just a warning.
"Regardless of the circumstances, the dignity of the Shadow!" the shadow roared, and its power surged.
It tried to resist Lex, and launched some kind of attack against him. Big mistake.
Lex forcefully employed his Glyph, which immediately kicked both of them out of the shadow plane. They reappeared near where Lex had entered, and back in his proper physical form, Lex felt much better. Then the Glyph appeared but… it was not really a Glyph!
It looked like it was made of thousands of grains of fairy dust fused together, and its power was much more intense despite the lack of Domination!
The owl squealed and was pressed onto the ground. It was resisting fiercely, and Lex could feel that its power was not so negligible. In fact, he may have underestimated its power a little bit, though it was still no problem for him to face. But the greatest abnormality in the situation was just how effective his Glyph was.
If he didn't know any better, he would begin to suspect that he was perfectly replicating how a Glyph was supposed to be used by a dragon using actual Dragons Might!
No matter how noble or powerful the Shadow Talons were, they were not comparable to the might and dignity of a dragon. Even if that dragon was actually just a fairy. The situation confused Lex a bit, but he doubted anyone could explain it to him, at least right now. This might even be outside the realm of understanding of Pel.
Hundreds of shadows suddenly transformed around Lex, turning into owls. Many of them had formidable auras, with four or five of them even in the Nascent realm. But outside of the shadow realm, Lex was even more relaxed, so he just stood still.
But it wasn't the best idea to offend a massive dynasty while he was trying to keep his fairy clone hidden, so he had to think of a way to de-escalate things.
"There, I guess I'm not your guest anymore. I think we should find a way to talk things out. There's no reason to make enemies needlessly."
"You speak with wisdom. Mutual benefit awaits us through a shared understanding. Yet, to proceed, you must first consent to one of our conditions," said an owl with brown feathers that carried streaks of white in them. It looked kind of cool, Lex had to admit.
No, focus on its words, not its coolness.
"What condition? I have to remind you that I was attacked unprovoked, so if your condition is too demanding, I might not feel like obliging."
The owl sighed, as if it was not caught in a tense situation, but rather an annoying one.
"The truth is, we Shadow Talons boast a rich and illustrious lineage. Riding upon one's back without earning the honor is a grievous affront. Unless you undergo our rites of passage, many Shadow Talons, particularly the elders, will not forgive this offense, despite any pleas. However, should you complete the rites successfully, earning the approval of our entire race, you will not only gain recognition but also our friendship."
Lex rubbed his chin and thought about it.
"So you're saying if I pass through these rites, I can explore your dynasty without any issues? That sounds interesting. But you also have to understand. I was provoked even though I was being friendly. The Shadow Talons might be proud, but I am not someone who can be accosted easily either. How can you make this up to me?"
If Lex gave in too easily, it would actually reduce his prestige in the eyes of others. Instead, making them pay a heavy but not unbearable price would actually make them feel relieved that he agreed to go along with their rites.
Although it might seem simpler to just directly agree to go through the rites, if he portrayed himself as weak then who knows if problems would follow him. This was a common mistake many characters in novels, especially the MC in "Gods call me Daddy" made, which is why they got attacked continuously. They didn't create proper deterrents.
The owl underneath Lex's feet struggled a bit, as if it wanted to speak, but Lex kept him thoroughly suppressed. This guy was trouble, so it was best if he kept his mouth shut.
"We uphold our traditions, so it makes sense that you do yours. We acknowledge the breach that occurred, since you declared yourself a guest when you came. I trust we can reach a resolution."
A small round of negotiations took place, and Lex remained unperturbed even as thousands of owls appeared around him, as if there was no pressure on him to accept. As if they were not strong enough to sway him. It was easy, since it was true.