Chapter 202: The Lonely Search

The dragon clan was once again in an uproar.

Word spread fast, and in true draconic fashion, the first thing a few of them did was talk rather than think.

Funny enough, the parents of that dragonling—the same one who had threatened to destroy his own core—actually had the audacity to criticize young Kael for not being upfront about having a mate.

Surprisingly, the young dragon who hadn’t said a word since the entire ordeal began finally spoke. His voice was calm, almost detached, yet sharp enough to cut through the tension that filled the hall.

“Then you better address that with the elders,” he said, “Because I still remember their laughter during that ritual. Funny how the same ones encouraged all this.”

He shrugged like it wasn’t a big deal. And yet the words dropped like molten gold on cold stone.

Realization dawned on those scheming elders, and everyone could see the strain on their faces as they tried to keep their composure.

Kael’s first remark was scathing—and it seemed like it would continue being that way for the years to come.

Even Riley, listening to the story, almost choked.

Because what the hell? That was savage.

But then again, the mental image of a younger Kael saying it with that same unflinching expression made Riley’s brain short-circuit. The thought that young Kael might have been stinking cute flashed across his mind, and he immediately wanted to throw himself into the nearest abyss. What kind of person thought that about someone who was clearly gung-ho and terrifying even as a kid?

Clearing his throat, Riley tried to focus. “Is this how the others learned about your mate? Because I remember that during the last gathering, they were all certain Seris wasn’t even close to the right dragon.”

“In a way, yes,” Kael said. “Because after shifting the blame to the elders, the same dragons couldn’t help but come up with reasons why they couldn’t make the news public. In the end, they were forced to say that they hid it because it was a black dragon egg.”

Riley blinked. “Oh. Oh, that’s… wow.”

The shock had rippled across the dragon clan at the time, spreading like wildfire. But once the initial outrage faded, reality set in.

If it had truly been a black dragon egg, then where was the mate?

At that point, Lord Karion and Lady Cirila finally understood why their son had been so adamant, why he had let the whole debacle play out in silence instead of stopping it from the beginning.

And while they did chastise him for letting things escalate to that point—reminding him that a mating bond was not something to be taken lightly—Kael had only smiled faintly before replying,

“I know, Mother. Haven’t I been saying the same thing?”

The words carried no bitterness, only quiet exhaustion.

His parents exchanged a long look, the kind that held both shame and understanding, before finally apologizing.

They admitted that Kael wouldn’t have been pushed into such a dangerous situation if they had simply listened to him from the start.

But just because it became widely acknowledged didn’t mean it got Kael any closer to the truth.

If anything, it only helped him in one very specific way—repelling unwanted advances.

As the heir, Kael was supposed to be every ambitious dragonling’s ideal match. But after that infamous incident, no one dared to repeat the same mistake. The precedent had been set, loud and clear.

No one wanted to end up splattered against a wall because they couldn’t take a hint.

Still, the real question was why Kael allowed the news about his mate being a black dragon to spread in the first place.

For one, he wanted to borrow other people’s hands—dirty or not.

If others were worried about this mysterious mate, then it wouldn’t just be him searching. There would be others scouring the continent, investigating every rumor, chasing every possible lead.

And Kael, patient as ever, simply needed to keep track of their movements.

Eventually, their efforts might lead him to what he was looking for.

Sure enough, interest exploded.

Many wanted to find the egg—some out of curiosity, some out of greed, and others because it was the mate of the heir himself. If they could somehow use it as leverage, then they’d surely get something worthwhile.

It turned into a race, each faction mobilizing its own search parties, their motives ranging from noble to self-serving.

And it wasn’t entirely irrational. The bond was still faintly active, after all. That meant the egg was out there somewhere.

This mindset drove the first year. Then the next.

And the next ten after that.

But as the seasons turned and the years piled on, the once-crowded path began to empty.

At first, Kael had allies. Companions. People who believed in the search. But as time went on, one by one, they fell away. Some gave up. Some found better things to do. Others simply stopped believing.

The path grew lonelier and lonelier until it was just him—first walking beside his parents, and then, finally, alone.

Ten years.

Fifty.

A hundred.

Two hundred.

Five hundred.

Nine hundred years.

And still, nothing.

At some point, Kael began to think it was all cursed. That the forbidden flames had left a stain on everything connected to that day, making the trail impossible to follow.

By then, others had stopped searching entirely, convinced that the mate would never return.

Politically, it must have been difficult for his parents to endure—the whispers, the pity, the endless speculation—but Kael couldn’t really care for all such talk or his reputation.

He survived with his own purpose intact, uninterested in their politics or the title of dragon lord that everyone else seemed to think mattered.

Then, one day, as though guided by some lingering intuition, Kael returned to the place where he had first found the egg.

Only this time, he understood something he hadn’t back then.

The area he had explored as a reckless youth wasn’t just some dilapidated area. They were the ruins of the black dragon clan’s estate.

And now, standing there centuries later, he finally saw what he had missed before.

The glamour.

It was everywhere. Subtle but powerful, weaving illusion through the ruins so thoroughly that anyone who stumbled upon it would only see a rather desolate, mundane space.

No wonder no one else found anything. They probably couldn’t even see the ruins for what they were.

More than that, like most dragons, they probably couldn’t care less about such a place.

Not that Kael had been any better. He knew nothing back then. But after losing the egg, he had spent centuries chasing knowledge—any scrap of information that could explain what had happened.

And when he tried to cross the boundary this time, he couldn’t.

The barrier rejected him completely.

Kael stared, the faintest scoff escaping him.

So that was it. The barrier hadn’t been defective at all. It was the egg that had let him in before.

The realization hit hard.

If he hadn’t gone outside the nest that day—if he had chosen to explore anywhere else—then maybe the egg would still be there. Concealed. Safe.

Maybe it would have hatched in time, grown strong, and found him again someday.

But that was wishful thinking.

Now, all he had left was the faint, stubborn thrum of a bond that refused to fade completely.

It was still there, deep within him, quiet and constant.

Yet somehow, even that small grace felt undeserved.

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