The Twelfth Elder really did not wish to reveal Leo to the council today, as deep down, he still harbored the suspicion that Noah's death hadn't been an accident and that it was in fact orchestrated by one of the elders present in this room.
And yet, despite his resolve to stay silent, something about the Fourth Elder's words struck a nerve inside him.
For the fourth elder to claim that Aegon Veyr might be a better talent than Noah…
That wasn't just a stretch. It was borderline blasphemy.
Noah had already stepped into the Transcendent Realm before turning twenty-five, and was knocking on the door of the Monarch Realm by the time he hit thirty-three.
That made him not only the most gifted Dragon the Cult had ever seen, but the only one in history who might have reached the Monarch Realm before the age of thirty-five.
When the next closest to ever do it had only done so at fifty-five.
And while the Twelfth Elder prided himself on being a rational man, if there was one thing he could never tolerate— it was disrespect towards Noah.
Because unlike the rest of the room, who admired Noah as a legend or a symbol…
He had known him as a brother.
Not by blood, but by battle.
He had stood beside Noah on the frontlines. Had bled with him. Fought beside him. Laughed and nearly died with him.
And he had been there the day Noah fell.
So no matter how calm he appeared from the outside, the moment Aegon Veyr's name was placed above Noah's, something inside him quietly snapped.
And so, despite every instinct telling him to wait.
Despite the carefully-laid plans he had made to keep Leo in the shadows just a little longer.
He spoke.
"It's interesting you mention Leo… whatever, Second Elder," he said suddenly, his tone sharper than before, as it cut through the chamber with force. "Because he's the exact boy I have in mind as our next Dragon Candidate."
The room blinked.
Confused silence swept across the chamber like a chill breeze, as the elders turned ever so slightly, unsure if they had heard him right.
"Leo Skyshard," the twelfth elder repeated, slower this time. "The same boy who defeated four Grandmasters back-to-back in this year's Interstellar Circuits. The very talent that the righteous faction is hailing as their next generational prodigy."
He leaned forward, his voice calm but cold.
"He is, in fact… my candidate."
Scoffs followed.
Soft at first.
Then louder.
One or two elders even chuckled outright, until they noticed that neither the First Elder nor the Twelfth Elder had flinched.
As then their amusement began to suddenly die down, being replaced by disbelief.
"What nonsense is this?"
"Is he serious?"
"How could a boy from the righteous alliance be considered for the position of the Dragon?"
They complained, but no one interrupted officially. No one rose to object. Because deep down, even through the disbelief, some part of them understood that the Twelfth Elder wouldn't say something like this… unless he meant it.
And the First Elder's silence?
That said even more.
"Let me explain so that all your doubts may be addressed clearly," the twelfth elder said calmly, as he raised his palms above the table and made explaining hand gestures.
"Leo Skyshard is a boy that I've been nurturing in secret ever since I discovered that the ancestor's blood runs thick in his veins.
And based on every metric I've observed, I believe he possesses at minimum Semi-Divine potential, if not outright Divine."
Gasps rippled faintly through the room, but he continued without pause.
"I sent him to the Rodova Military Academy under a false identity, with his memories temporarily wiped and disguised him as a Mu Clan prodigy, so that he could receive the highest-grade awakening serums that the righteous faction had to offer."
"Because while we do produce our own serums, all of us here know the truth….. our concoctions don't come close to the righteous faction's in terms of purity or potency.
And if we want our future dragon to have the best possible foundation, then he needs to have the best awakening serum."
His words grew steadier, firmer.
"Naturally, the results spoke for themselves. His combat growth was unprecedented. The whole galaxy saw what he could do during the Circuits. But then… fate intervened."
He paused, just briefly.
"He was caught in the kidnapping incident and an operative from the Cult tried to eliminate him."
"But Leo survived, and he did not just survive, he demonstrated just how quick he is to think on his feet, as he survived a deadly attack against a Transcendent tier warrior and lived to tell the tale."
"He showed resilience, resourcefulness and the ability to navigate chaos, which I personally believe are qualities that every true Dragon must possess."
He paused again, this time a bit longer.
"After that? I orchestrated his exit from the Rodova Military Academy and arranged for him to join the Black Serpents on a special assignment."
His voice lowered slightly, drawing the room in.
"He is currently attempting to retrieve Noah's lost scroll."
A sharp inhale cut across the chamber.
"And if all goes well," the Twelfth Elder finished, "when he returns with that scroll in hand… I will bring him fully into the Cult's fold."
Silence followed.
As the room tried to digest his words.
Nobody expected Leo Skyshard to have such a background, and now that they found out, everyone felt too overwhelmed by the flood of information to react for a while.
"So the righteous faction's prodigy, is actually our hidden asset? Hahaha! This is brilliant!" The seventh elder said eventually, as he laughed and clapped his hands in joy like a kid.
"Nonono, don't clap for that, this is ridiculous!
Twelfth Elder, what the hell are you doing?
All Dragon Candidates must be nurtured within the Cult, otherwise how can we ever be sure about where their allegiance lies?
What if he builds genuine connections in the righteous faction and sells us out to them when it's more convenient for him?
How can you ever let him mix with them?
What is this irresponsible tomfoolery?" The fourth elder objected, as he did not seem amused by the twelfth elders' words at all.
"The fourth elder is absolutely right! Also, how could you send him on a mission to retrieve the scroll?
Dupravel Nuna will literally die before he gives up that scroll.
If it was possible to get the scroll from Dupravel, we would have gotten it already in exchange for his son, however, it's not possible.
Without the scroll Dupravel and the Black Serpents have no future.
They have made too many enemies within the righteous faction, and without the scrolls protection they won't survive for long—" The second elder added, as he did not seem amused by what the twelfth elder was doing either.
"Yes, yes! To send a boy on such a mission is suicide!"
"What do you know about it? Maybe he can pull it off! Afterall we do need the scroll don't we?"
"We also need the righteous alliance to shatter and break tomorrow, but will it just magically happen if we give the task to a Grandmaster kid?
What are you saying? Ninth elder? Where has your common sense gone?"
The elders began to squabble amongst each other like kids, as the twelfth elders' handling of Leo enraged many.