For a while, the entire council chamber remained engulfed in noise, as elders bickered and interrupted one another without pause, their voices rising and falling in overlapping waves— each man more adamant than the last, as the room split clean down the middle over Leo Skyshard's candidacy as the next Dragon.
His talent, of course, was never in question.
They had all seen the boy fight in the Interstellar Circuits.
They had all seen him defeat four Grandmasters back-to-back alongside hundreds of billions more.
And hence, they understood that in terms of potential, very few could contest what he was capable of becoming—
But talent was never the problem to begin with.
The real concern was his loyalty.
Because the Fourth Elder's concerns weren't without merit either.
As how could the Cult place its most sacred future in the hands of someone raised beyond its walls? Someone not nurtured within its codes, its values, its ways? Someone who'd grown up breathing the enemy's air, drinking their potions, and training under their banner?
How could such a person ever be trusted?
And yet, the counterargument couldn't be dismissed either.
Because when it came to foundation-building… The righteous alliance simply did it better.
Their awakening serums were purer.
Their academies were more advanced.
And their resources, whether spiritual, educational, or infrastructural…. far outclassed anything the Cult could offer its rookies.
Sending Leo to Rodova, in that light, wasn't betrayal.
It was strategy.
It was foresight.
And yet, in the end, none of that mattered.
Because no matter how logically the Twelfth Elder had planned Leo's path…
No matter how reasonable his arguments behind sending him to Rodova were…
There was still one question he couldn't answer.
Which was—
When the time came,
When the stakes were highest and the world demanded a choice—
Would Leo Skyshard raise his blade for the Cult?
Or would he aim it at them?
"I'm telling you! Such a candidate cannot be trusted. The twelfth elder in his inexperience has ruined a great seed.
It's a shame that we could not groom Leo Skyshard from the ground up.
But I say it's too late to start now" The Fourth Elder said while slamming his palm on the conference table, as he forcefully gathered everyone's attention towards himself.
"I will die before I let an outsider become the next Dragon….. you all can count on that!" He concluded, as he delivered this last line with incredible passion, trying to rile up the room.
However, while he expected the sentence to have a resounding emotional impact, it was countered immediately by the third elder, who was not pleased by the fourth's hardline stance at all.
"If the boy returns with the scroll, then I will personally make him Dragon.
And if it has to be over your dead body, then I will carve you in half to make it happen.
Without the scroll, no future Dragon can become the next Timeless Assassin anyways.
And hence, whoever is able to retrieve it, should get the right to become the next Dragon!" The third elder said, as his words caused many to nod in agreement.
The fourth elder frowned under his mask, as he was not happy with how his passionate statement was immediately countered, however, he doubled down on it and said…. "Very well, if a Grandmaster level warrior is really able to bring back the scroll then I will support him! But if not, then his candidacy cannot be accepted under any other circumstances!"
There was a pause after that.
A rare and fleeting pause—
One of those that didn't feel empty, but rather heavy.
As the Fourth Elder's final line hung in the air, thick with challenge, thick with pride…
And yet, this time, it wasn't met with outrage.
It was met with quiet calculation.
Because at that moment, even the most skeptical voices in the room were forced to acknowledge the unspoken truth, that if Leo Skyshard really did manage to return with Noah's scroll…
Then he wasn't just some promising warrior from the other side, but rather a Cult legend in the making.
And so, finally, the First Elder leaned forward.
Not to scold, not to praise, but to settle this debate for now, as he said, "In that case, let us not waste more breath debating what none of us can prove tonight."
He looked around the chamber, eyes sharp even behind the veil.
"The council will issue a conditional ruling."
He paused.
"Leo Skyshard shall be accepted as the next Dragon—"
The chamber stiffened.
"Only if he returns to us with Noah's scroll within the next twelve months."
"And if he fails…" he continued, eyes briefly shifting toward the Fourth Elder,
"Then Aegon Veyr will be crowned in his place, as long as he does break through to the Transcendent realm within the same timeline."
The room stilled again.
No one moved.
No one objected.
Because the proposal—
As impossible as it might have sounded at first…
Felt fair.
It was a test.
A proving ground.
And it gave both candidates a chance to earn the title, not through politics or any underhanded tactics.
But through merit and action.
"I accept," the twelfth elder said, as he bowed his head slightly.
"As do I," the Fourth Elder replied after a beat, though his tone was cold, restrained, and tight around the edges.
The First Elder leaned back.
"Then it's settled….. and we can conclude the meeting here today for now," He said, as he stood from his chair, prompting the others to follow in silence.
The scribes nodded enthusiastically towards one another from the center of the chamber, their quills scratching furiously as they recorded the outcome of today's meeting, their record books noting everything that had been spoken, so that no one could refute the records later.
The conditions for the next Dragon to be chosen had been set, and 12 months later, either Aegon Veyr or Leo Skyshard was sure to be crowned as the next Dragon of the Cult Of Ascension.