Chapter 376: Day Two

Uriel walked toward the room where the other wives stayed, looking excited even though she tried to keep it under wraps.

She assumed they would be sleeping by now, given how late it had gotten. But when she stepped inside, she found them still awake.

Laela and Arianna were in a bed at one of the corners of the room, watching their children play.

Tristan and Andrea toddled around with wide smiles on their faces, their tiny hands reaching toward Gaia, the Archon Goddess who had birthed them.

The goddess knelt on the floor with them, her expression warm and patient as she played along, creating small sparkles of light that made the babies giggle and reach for the glowing wisps.

Laela noticed Uriel first. She looked up and caught the subtle glow on Uriel’s face.

Arianna followed her gaze and saw it too, and they smiled at each other knowingly.

They had known the moment Aiden and Uriel left the Citadel earlier that evening. In fact, they had encouraged it and wanted Aiden and Uriel to have that time together, especially after everything that had been weighing on them both.

So when Uriel came back now, they were excited.

Laela moved first, followed by Arianna toward Uriel, circling around her with matching grins.

“Well?” Laela said with a teasing tone. “How was it?”

Uriel’s face flushed red. “I—what are you—”

But then Arianna’s eyes widened. She grabbed Uriel’s hand and lifted it up.

On her finger was a ring.

The same kind of ring on their own hands.

For a moment, there was silence, then both women went wild with jubilation.

“Eiiii!” Arianna shrieked, in a voice that was high-pitched and filled with excitement.

Laela let out a squeal that made Tristan and Andrea turn their heads in confusion.

They grabbed Uriel’s hands and pulled her into the center of the room, as they both talked over each other at once.

“He proposed?!”

“When did this happen?!”

“Let me see it again!”

“It’s so beautiful!”

Uriel laughed, and her face was bright red now as she tried to answer their questions. “He gave it to me at the dining table.”

Laela pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes shining with emotion.

Arianna nodded. “I can’t believe he did it tonight! I mean, I knew he would eventually, but—”

Gaia watched from the floor with an amused smile, still holding Tristan in her lap. The baby boy clapped his hands together as if celebrating too, though he had no idea what was happening.

Eventually, the excitement settled just enough for them to sit down together. Uriel sat between them, still smiling as they admired the ring on her finger.

“I’m so happy for you,” Arianna said softly.

Laela nodded. “We both are.”

Uriel looked at them both, her eyes warm. “Thank you. For encouraging us to go tonight. I didn’t realize how much I needed it.”

Their chatter continued for several more minutes through that night, filled with laughter and lots of teasing as they celebrated together.

———

The early hours of the next morning came quickly.

The six champions from Dragonhold stood in a circle within the hall. Katherine, Aeris, Rin, Innis, Talen, and Ursula all faced each other as the rest of the kingdom watched from the sides.

Ursula stepped into the center of the circle and raised both hands. A whitish blue magic circle formed beneath their feet right after.

“Mind Link,” she said.

The magic spread outward in a pulse, connecting each of the six champions in an invisible web of shared consciousness.

It wasn’t intrusive as none of them could read each other’s thoughts, but they could now communicate instantly, share images, and coordinate without speaking aloud.

Right then, the first sun of dawn came up and they all vanished from where they stood.

∙

They made another reappearance outside the fortress shortly afterwards, along with other champions from the other kingdoms.

There was a bit of chatter amongst the champions before Ursula turned her attention to them. Her voice carried clearly as she addressed them.

“Listen carefully,” she began. “Today is not like yesterday. We are not charging in recklessly. Stay close to your partners. Stay in pairs. Do not engage unless you have no other choice.”

She paused, then added, “We from Dragonhold will be watching from every corner of the field. If you get into trouble, we will come. Trust that.”

Most of the champions nodded in understanding.

But then a voice cut through the silence.

A warrior from Jogunmount, a broad-shouldered man with a scar running down the side of his face.

“We don’t need your help, Dragonhold,” he said. “We already know how to go about today.”

Ursula said nothing in reply, and her expression remained calm. No one else gave a reply to the remark either.

∙

Not long after, everyone quickly split up into pairs and began moving.

The four dragon riders nodded at each other after mounting their dragons.

Katherine settled onto Qasag’s back and ran her hand along his neck. “Ready, boy?”

Qasag let out a low rumble in response.

Aeris sat on her own dragon, Slyrak. A massive 85ft red-scaled beast with amber eyes.

Rin’s dragon was smaller but faster, with sleek silver scales. She leaned forward and whispered something to it in Dragon Tongue.

Innis sat on her dragon with her hands gripping the reins tightly. Her dragon was green scaled with emerald eyes, and it shifted beneath her as if sensing her nervousness.

Then, all at once, they lifted off into the skies with a resounding roar that echoed across the battlefield.

The other two champions; Talen and Ursula headed out on foot. Talen adjusted his katana at his side and glanced at Ursula. “Let’s move.”

She nodded, and they disappeared into the Inner Zone.

Day Two had officially just begun.

∙

The four dragon riders floated through the skies as their dragons circled above the battlefield in wide arcs.

They surveyed the terrain below with careful attention.

From up here, they could see everything. The dense forest to the northwest. The mountain ridge to the north. The river cutting through the southern section.

And scattered across the landscape, champions from every continent, already beginning to clash.

Katherine’s voice came through the Mind Link. Spread out. Cover as much ground as you can.

The others acknowledged and began to move in different directions.

Qasag let out another roar as Katherine guided him toward the eastern section of the field. Below, she could already see movement; the flashes of colored robes, bursts of magic, and the clash of weapons.

Back at the Citadel, in the room where the Dragon King’s family watched, Laela and Arianna each held their babies, gently rocking them as they breastfed.

Laela watched the screens showing the battlefield and said, “I wonder what their strategy is.”

Arianna nodded, her eyes following the movements of the dragon riders above. “I just hope they don’t get eliminated today.”

Uriel stood nearby watching the same screens, her arms crossed and her expression focused.

Outside the citadel building, on the edge of the island, Aiden and Ambrose stood side by side, watching the battlefield unfold below them.

Ambrose glanced at Aiden. “The dragon riders are impressive.”

Aiden nodded. “They are. But this is just the beginning.”

Ambrose looked back down at the field. “Do you think Valaross will make it through today?”

Aiden was quiet for a moment. Then he said, “They will. But it won’t be easy.”

∙

Aeris flew through the skies on Slyrak and after a while of survey, she saw them.

Two champions of Valaross in yellow robes were surrounded by four warriors in orange robes. Nazanda.

The Valaross champions were back-to-back, desperately trying to fend off the attackers. One of them was already bleeding from a cut on their arm.

Aeris’s eyes narrowed.

She rubbed her dragon’s side gently and spoke in Dragon Tongue, prompting it to angle its wings downward into a descent.

Aeris stood up on the dragon’s back, balancing with perfect control as the wind whipped past her. She drew her twin blades from her sides.

Then she jumped.

Diving down toward the battlefield like a falling star, with her blades held ready and her eyes locked on the enemies below.

The wind roared in her ears as she fell.

And the Nazanda warriors never saw her coming.

——​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A/N: Thank you guys for making it this far. I apologize for how slow this has been but I’ll make it up soon.

Bear with me

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep