Chapter 536: The Dawn of the Dragon.

“Should we… really let this happen?”

Kael asked with an uncertain look on his face. For the first time in the last few days, he looked… nervous, uncomfortable even.

After all, Imperia had told him everything that was happening, everything… Vandra did.

The Dawn of the Dragon.

This was the name of the ’cult’ that Vandra had created. Yes, this was no longer a simple joke Lavinia had made at first—Vandra had actually formed a cult that truly believed in him and thought of him as their God.

And its name wasn’t the only thing Vandra had given it.

Vandra had… gone quite far.

Kael’s cult had a literal symbol.

The Root of Radiance.

The symbol came from the ’Divine Tree’ Kael and the group had brought. The ’Divine Tree’ was already perceived to be godly the moment it was brought. The people felt its ’Divine Aura,’ even those who didn’t believe in Kael were no exceptions.

And since the Divine Ration’s production had stabilized after the tree was planted, the belief that it was a real thing only became stronger.

Thus, Vandra used it as the cult’s symbol.

In the symbol, two curved tree-trunks form a symmetrical arch, representing the twin pillars of existence—Day and Night. Across their tops stretches a horizontal vine, shaped like the beam of a divine scale.

Hanging from the left side is a sun sigil—a circle with eight spiked rays, representing radiant creation.

Hanging from the right side is a crescent moon, facing downward—symbol of reflection and… decay.

Beneath the vine, the intertwined roots spiral together into the head of a sleeping dragon, its eyes closed, its horns curling inward to complete the circle.

*Picture*

Vandra made the symbol easy to carve or stitch, making it far simpler than other emblems in the world. According to her, anything related to her God did not need to be overly complex—it simply needed to have a meaning—which her cult and its symbol did.

According to Vandra, her cult sees existence as a living scale, ever tipping between Creation (the Sun) and Destruction (the Moon).

The Dragon, her God (Kael), is not evil or benevolent—he is the Personification of Balance itself.

The cult even had its own doctrines:

When light burns too bright, shadow must swallow;

When night lingers too long, flame must burn.

And according to Vandra and the cult members, Kael, the Dragon (their God), had finally descended into this world because the night had lingered for too long—especially for the Velmourns.

It had been twelve hundred years. The Velmourns had already repented for the things they had done when they were in power. Since the God was angry at them, he came to them in the form of Drakthar, the Kingdom that represents Dragons themselves, and now, when the time to repent was complete—when it was finally time for the Velmourn people to rise—

The God returned again, this time in the form of Kael and his Dragons.

This was the ’story’ Vandra had come up with, and since it went so ridiculously well with everything that had been happening and everything that had already happened, more and more people—even those who were skeptical at the beginning—were starting to be convinced.

The entire thing that Lavinia gave only a little spark to, in hopes of getting something out of it, had turned into a huge movement, a movement that… was going way beyond what Kael was expecting.

It had… created people who were… no longer loyal to the Velmourns.

Yes, the Dawn of the Dragon, though it originated from the Velmourns, was not on the Velmourn side.

They only followed their God and his words. This was also the reason the Stonefang announcement went so well.

The cult members agreed almost instantly. They understood that if their God suggested it, they only needed to follow. Questioning him was beyond the power they held.

They… had truly left everything to Kael and had become blind followers.

And this was what scared Kael so much.

But…

“It is not something you can stop, especially now.”

Lavinia shook her head. Then the mage looked into Kael’s eyes and—

“Not to mention, you need this. They are the reason you are able to do what you are doing right now. If it weren’t for them, then let alone bringing the Stonefangs and settling them here, you would have been stuck trying to convince these people to let go of their past hatred while a combined army of the tribes would be standing outside the walls, prepared to crush us.”

Kael turned silent at those words. He could imagine this happening without much difficulty. Even when he brought the Stonefangs through the walls, he had seen how the Velmourn soldiers looked at them—even those who treated him well when he first joined but were not part of the Dawn of the Dragon were the same, glaring at the Stonefangs as if they would attack the moment they got the chance.

This was not easy.

The Dawn of the Dragon was needed.

Kael was just… having a difficult time accepting the responsibility that was being shoved onto him.

“Now stop worrying about it.”

Suddenly, Kael’s mind snapped out of his thoughts as Lavinia gently held his hand and—

“I know what you are worried about. I know you fear this breaking out and turning into something far outside of your expectations when it gains more power—maybe even something darker, something that harms the people instead—but…

That won’t happen.

Not when you are standing here.

Because no matter how much power the cult gains, you will be the one who has the control, always.

We will make sure of that.”

Lavinia spoke as her purple eyes shined in a reassuring manner.

“And… what about when we are no longer here?”

Kael asked in a low voice. Lavinia had already created a sound barrier using Spirit Magic, so the elderlies wouldn’t be able to hear him, but he was still being careful.

Both he and Lavinia knew the truth.

Nerathis was only a… ’minor world.’

A sort of training facility used to produce a… ’Hero,’ a Hero that would eventually return to protect his own world from the ’real’ enemy.

It was clear that no matter the case, both Kael and Lavinia would leave Nerathis eventually. As for whether they would be able to return or not… it wasn’t clear.

Yes, Kael agreed that as long as he was here, he would be able to keep an eye on the cult and ensure nothing went south. His Ants would make sure of that. He would know their every step clearly and the moment any member became corrupt or even showed signs of it—he would punish them accordingly.

But what happens after they leave?

How was he going to manage the cult then?

Without their God, what would the cult do?

Just as Kael had all these questions popping up in his mind—

“We will destroy it before we leave.”

Lavinia spoke, her eyes shining with a determined light.

“What…?”

Kael narrowed his eyes, but Lavinia just shook her head.

“Stop worrying about things so far away. Our biggest concern right now should not be what will happen in the far future—it should be regarding the present.

We should be thinking about what is happening right now.

And right now, you need to talk to the elders who have been waiting for you.”

Lavinia spoke as she turned and pointed at the elders, while her other hand erased the barrier she created.

The elders smiled at Kael, as if waiting for him to address them, and Kael…

“I hope you all have been fine.”

He smiled lightly and greeted them politely.

In an instant, he was surrounded again. The elders weren’t part of the Dawn of the Dragon and they were uncomfortable knowing that the entire Stonefang tribe was just a few kilometres away from where they were and would be living there from now on. But at the same time, these people—just like the members of the Dawn of the Dragon—trusted Kael, so they did not doubt or question him.

They didn’t even show their dislike of the Stonefangs and actively talked to Kael about various topics. Some of them even offered to personally go to the Stonefangs together with Kael and teach them how to cook the Divine Rations so they could do it for themselves.

An offer Kael was grateful for.

So after distributing the food, Kael and Lavinia, together with six willing elders, moved to the Stonefangs.

The elders, after reaching the quarter that now belonged to the Stonefangs, were quite nervous, but they trusted Kael and walked in. The Stonefangs didn’t welcome them warmly either—their wary gazes were on the elders no matter where they went.

Kael remained with the elders the entire time, then talked to the Stonefang Chief about the food. Then, he pointed at the elders and took the role of translator while the Stonefang Chief called a few Stonefang elders who were… comparatively more comfortable with the idea of learning from a Velmourn.

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