Chapter 176: Oath of the Dragon

Orion’s gaze swept across the endless green canopy before them, his voice carrying the weight of ancient familiarity. “This place is called the Verdant Expanse. My territory. It borders the Demon Lord’s domain to the east.” He gestured vaguely toward the horizon. “If you fly from here, following the mountain range until it curves south, you will reach the Wastelands within days rather than weeks.”

Adam’s jaw tightened. “So those bastards teleported us halfway across the continent.” He exhaled slowly, forcing down the surge of anger. “At least we’re closer to where we need to be.”

He turned to Orion, meeting those ancient golden eyes with genuine gratitude.

“Thank you. For the information, for healing us, for… not killing us.” He placed a hand over his chest, a gesture of sincerity. “I owe you a great debt.”

Orion’s lips curved into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “Do not thank me yet. We made an agreement—answers in exchange for service. You have received your answers.” His golden eyes sharpened. “Now you will fulfill your part.”

Adam straightened, his expression hardening with resolve. “I understand. I’ll accept whatever task you set.”

“Whatever?” Orion’s voice carried a note of challenge.

“Whatever it is.” Adam met his gaze without flinching. “I gave my word.”

Orion studied him for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Very well. Then my request is this: kill Ignis. Right here, right now.”

The words hung in the air like a blade.

Adam’s eyes went wide. Ignis, who had been leaning against him, jerked backward as if struck. Her flames flickered wildly, confusion and hurt warring on her face.

“W-What…?” Adam’s voice cracked.

“You heard me.” Orion’s expression was utterly calm. “Kill the drake. That is my price.”

Ignis’s face crumpled. She looked at Adam, then at Orion, then back at Adam. Her voice came out small, wounded. “He’s… he’s not nice after all…”

Adam’s hands clenched into fists at his sides. His voice, when it came, was rough but steady.

“I can’t.”

Orion’s eyebrow rose slightly. “Oh? You said ’whatever.’ Are you going back on your word?”

“No.” Adam met his gaze, unflinching. “I’m not going to kill Ignis. Not for any reason. Not for any price.” He took a breath. “I know I made a promise. I know I said I’d do whatever you asked. But I can’t do this. So… I’m breaking my word.” His voice dropped. “I’m sorry.”

The silence stretched.

Then Orion laughed.

It wasn’t a cruel laugh—it was warm, genuine, the sound of someone genuinely amused. His golden eyes crinkled at the corners, and for the first time since they’d met, he looked almost… grandfatherly.

“Ehh…?” Ignis’s confusion was palpable. “What’s happening?”

Orion’s laughter subsided into a satisfied smile. “I was testing you.” He folded his arms, studying Adam with something that might have been approval. “You agreed to my terms far too easily, young man. A being who accepts any task without question is either a fool or desperate—and both are easily exploited.” He shook his head slowly. “I wanted to see if you would truly sacrifice a companion for a promise. If you had, I would have known you were not worth my time.”

Adam stared at him, processing. Then, slowly, a wave of exhaustion washed over him. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long, relieved sigh.

“That… was not funny.”

Ignis’s flames flared with indignation. “Hey! You scared me!” She stomped her foot, pouting furiously.

Orion’s amusement didn’t fade. “It was necessary. You are both too trusting. Adam, you made a binding agreement without knowing what I would ask. Ignis, you accepted potions and elixirs from a stranger without question.” His gaze swept over them both. “If I had been an enemy, you would already be dead or worse.”

Adam couldn’t argue with that. He’d been so desperate for answers, so focused on Alice, that he’d let his guard down. Orion was right—it was a dangerous mistake.

“You’re right,” Adam admitted quietly. “I’ll be more careful.”

Orion nodded, satisfied. “Good. Then here is my actual request.”

He reached into his robes and withdrew a letter. It looked ordinary enough—cream-colored parchment, folded neatly, sealed with wax. But as Adam took it, he felt it immediately: layers upon layers of magic wrapped around that simple envelope, protections so dense they made his fingertips tingle.

“This needs to be delivered,” Orion said. “To someone in the Demon territory.”

Adam studied the letter, turning it over in his hands. “Who’s it for?”

“A man named Luddict.” Orion’s voice carried a note of something—concern? worry? “He is… an old acquaintance. We have communicated regularly for centuries, but recently, his responses have stopped. I need to know why.”

Adam looked up. “And you want me to deliver this personally?”

“If you can. The seals will prevent anyone else from opening it—they’re keyed to Luddict’s unique signature. But getting it to him…” Orion paused. “That is the difficult part. The Demon territory is not welcoming to outsiders. You will need to be careful.”

Adam tucked the letter carefully into his Pouch of the Hoarding Gnome, feeling the weight of its magical protections settle among his other treasures.

“I’ll do it.” He met Orion’s golden eyes. “Consider it done.”

Orion’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction at Adam’s acceptance. A slow, approving nod acknowledged the weight of the promise.

But Adam held up a hand before the ancient dragon could respond further.

“Before we leave for the Demon Lord’s territory… I have to be honest with you.” Adam’s expression was steady but apologetic. “We can’t go directly there. Not yet.”

Orion’s golden eyes narrowed slightly. “Oh?”

Ignis stepped forward, nodding emphatically. “He’s right! We have people we need to find first! Lilith is all alone back where we got teleported from—she’s strong, but even she can’t fight everyone forever.” Her flames flickered with worry. “And we promised to help Princess Elise. She’s cursed and being hunted by a Lich and her own family wants her dead and—” She stopped, realizing she was rambling. “We just can’t leave them.”

Adam placed a hand on Ignis’s shoulder, grounding her. “What she said. We have companions who are still back there. They might be in danger right now. And we made a promise to Elise—to help her break her curse.” He met Orion’s gaze directly. “I don’t break my promises. Not to anyone who’s earned my loyalty.”

Orion studied them for a long moment, his ancient face Expressionless. The garden around them seemed to hold its breath.

Then, slowly, a faint smile touched his lips.

“Loyalty to companions. Commitment to promises.” He nodded slowly, as if confirming something he’d already suspected. “These are rare qualities. Especially in one as young as you.” His golden eyes softened almost imperceptibly. “It is… perhaps fate that you arrived here when you did.”

Adam blinked. “Fate?”

Orion waved a dismissive hand. “A word. A concept. Do not dwell on it.” He straightened, his presence shifting from casual to formal. “If you have obligations to fulfill, then fulfill them. I would not ask you to abandon those who depend on you. That would make me no better than the entity that hunts your companions.”

Ignis brightened visibly. “So you understand?!”

“I understand that you are not tools to be used and discarded.” Orion’s voice carried weight. “You are allies. And allies who keep their word are worth more than any army.”

Adam felt warmth bloom in his chest—gratitude, respect, and something like hope. “Thank you, Orion.”

“However.” Orion raised a finger, his expression turning serious. “To ensure that you do not… forget our arrangement, I will need more than your word.”

Adam straightened. “What do you mean?”

Mana coalesced in Orion’s palm like morning mist catching first light. Golden, warm, impossibly ancient—it swirled into being with the quiet confidence of something that had existed long before Adam drew his first breath and would remain long after his bones turned to dust. The light pulsed once, twice, and then held steady, waiting.

Adam and Ignis watched, transfixed, as the golden light took shape—a complex pattern of runes and sigils that floated in the air before them.

“What is that?” Ignis whispered, her draconic senses tingling.

“A contract,” Orion replied calmly. “An Oath of the Dragon. It is how my kind formalize agreements that cannot be broken.” He gestured, and the golden pattern drifted toward Adam, sinking into his chest without resistance.

Adam gasped.

The sensation was strange—a deep, invasive pressure that seemed to reach into the core of his being. It felt like something was etching itself onto his very soul, leaving a mark that would never fade. He looked down, pulling aside the bandages on his chest. There, just above his heart, a faint outline was forming—a white dragon, coiled and majestic, its form slowly becoming visible against his skin.

“What…?” Adam breathed.

“It is a marker,” Orion explained. “A physical manifestation of our agreement. It will remain as long as you honor your word.” His golden eyes met Adam’s. “But if you break your promise—if you fail to deliver that letter, or if you betray my trust—the Oath will activate. It will consume you from within. You will simply… cease.”

Ignis’s flames flared protectively. “That’s—!”

“It’s fair.”

Adam’s quiet words cut through her protest. He looked up at Orion, his expression calm.

“You’re trusting us with something important. We’re strangers who wandered into your territory and picked a fight with you. You’ve healed us and given us answers we desperately needed.” He touched the fading warmth on his chest. “This is just insurance. I understand.”

Orion’s gaze held something like respect. “You are remarkably accepting of your own mortality.”

Adam’s lips curved into a faint, humorless smile. “When you’ve faced as many near-death experiences as I have, you learn to accept the possibility.” His voice was steady, unbothered. “Besides, I don’t intend to break my promises. So the Oath is just… a formality.”

A long pause. Then Orion laughed again—that same warm, genuine sound from before.

“You are truly fascinating, Adam.” He shook his head slowly. “Very well. Go. Fulfill your obligations. Find your companions.” He gestured toward the east. “And when you deliver that letter, the Oath will fade on its own.”

Adam nodded, “I’ll do it. I promise.”

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