Zara barely had time to react before her brother pulled her into a bone-crushing hug, so tight as if he was afraid that if he let go, she would slip away from his arms.
"You idiot, why did you run away without informing anyone?!" he said through gritted teeth, his voice crackling with raw emotions.
Zara opened her mouth and closed it again like a fish, as she had nothing to say. She missed her brother just as much as he missed her. This was the first time in her life that she had stayed so far from him.
Since they were young, the two had always stuck together, even though Drake was older than her by about four years. Countless times, she had doubted herself, thinking she was making the wrong decision and wanting to return, but it was only her strong conviction to grow stronger that kept her going.
"I tried going after you," Drake rasped and hugged her even more tightly. "But Father… Father stopped me."
"Let her be. Her leaving can actually be a blessing in disguise as a curse."
King Drakos' voice seemed to echo in Drake's mind.
"But the Dark Seas… what if they find out her true nature and try to hunt her down?" he protested, gripping the letter parchment left behind by his sister. It was wet, as if the writer had cried while writing it.
"Sometimes, we dragons just have to experience life—a little hardship," Drakos said, turning to the grand window overlooking the city of Frostpire. "If she can survive this and return, I promise she will return stronger than ever and will be a great asset in the competition of kingdoms."
Drake hesitated, then looked up. "What if she doesn't return?"
Drakos' shoulders became tense, though it was only for a brief moment. It had not gone unnoticed by Drake's sharp eyes. Some time later, he exhaled and said in a very quiet tone, "It's the gamble we have to take and wish the worst never happens."
"Promise me you'll never run away again."
"I... I promise. I'm sorry if I made you worry."
"Two family reunions in a row..." Nox sighed as he watched the dramatic scene with a somewhat helpless expression on his face, but he didn't really feel annoyed. Actually, he felt touched, and it reminded him of his family back home.
If I return, I will certainly hug them as well...
"Mother... I've not seen her for a long time. I wonder how she is." he mused as he glanced at the two siblings, who were still hugging each other.
Nox's eyes flashed sharply. He had never heard Zara mention her brother, even though they had spent the past few days traveling together. But he attributed it to her guarded personality.
Even though she was much more open with him, there were certain things she was not yet comfortable revealing—or maybe it was because he had never asked.
That said, Zara's brother was like a fortress, standing at an astonishing 6'3" with a lean frame, silver-blue hair like Zara's, and blue eyes that were eerily similar to those of the Frost Dragon King, Drakos Frostpire.
"Just one step away from the Legendary Tier." Nox mused, impressed at the sight. So far, every dragon he had come across was powerful and impressive in one way or another, which made him wonder how powerful the other dragon kingdoms were—the Flame, Lightning, Shadow, and Light Dragons.
"These guys really live up to their name as overlords."
And from the way it seemed, they were not the only ones, which meant that deep within the non-human territories, even more powerful entities existed. Nox's eyes gleamed.
"It seems after I handle the issues here and return home, I might come back and tour this continent."
Finally, Zara let out a muffled protest against Drake's chest. "I—I can't breathe!"
Drake finally released her and stepped back to examine her as if taking a good look at her. "You've lost weight. Don't worry—now that you're home, in no time, you'll get fat again!"
"Oi!" Zara blushed, feeling a sense of embarrassment rise in her heart. She instinctively glanced at Nox before burying her face in her palms in shame. "I wasn't fat—I was just chubby! Sigh…"
"Hmph. Okay, I hear you. Your journey here might've been very stressful, so I'll not tease you." He chuckled, stroking Zara's head.
Zara closed her eyes, enjoying the stroke, when her brother said, "So, won't you introduce me to your guest?"
"Oh!" Zara scratched her head as she gestured to Nox. "Meet my visitor. Nox, meet my brother, Drake Frostpire."
"Hi, I'm Drake. Nice to meet you." Drake said in a warm voice, a genuine smile on his face. It wasn't the fake smile merchants and backstabbers usually wore—this one was real.
"Nox," Nox stated as he shook Drake's hand with a warm smile of his own.
"So, I heard that you're pretty strong. Strong enough that even Father took an interest in you."
Zara's expression distorted when she heard this. Her brother, much like their father, was a battle freak. She could easily tell what was going on in his mind right now. So, she took a step between them.
"Drake, don't start," she said with a strict expression—which failed miserably, as she only looked even cuter.
"I'm flattered," Nox chuckled, scratching his head. "But I bet I'm not as strong as someone like Prince Drake."
"Oh, I doubt that." A fierce gleam shone in Drake's eyes, accompanied by a wide, maniacal smile—one Nox was all too familiar with.
"You doubt?" Nox, as calm as ever, raised an eyebrow as he held Drake's gaze.
"Yes. Father rarely takes notice of anyone. The level of interest he showed in you is something... not even the geniuses of the other kingdoms have received that level of attention from him."
"I see…" Nox mumbled to himself, a slightly dazed expression on his face. To be honest, he was also curious about the strength of a peak Emperor-Tier elemental dragon!
The only creatures he had faced so far were just normal magical beasts, and even they had proven to be a headache to deal with…
But that was before I leveled up… he mused.
"Now that I have about 1,729 mana points to play with, I should be stronger, right? And also… this might be the perfect time to impress the king."
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