Vacuse's plan was to find a way to kill his father after the battle so he could focus on building the family.
He thought it would be easier to kill him once he had used up his strength after the battle, but things did not go as he wanted, and the biggest thing was that Drenvar was now a half step to Sovereign Ascended.
Which meant he had Authority and Law now. He would not be easily killed unless Vacuse himself reached a higher rank.
"...The Dragon Lord keeps even more secrets than I expected... nice play, Drenvar... nice play!..."
With the battle done, things began to move fast.
Allies' bodies were separated from those of the enemies, and mass burning began right there and then.
Vacuse himself got busy as he began to issue orders. Those that were captured were to be chained at Last Tooth fortress, while some had already begun transporting them to Kragthar and even Standpoint fortress.
That was something that left a lot of the observers surprised. Why were the Vorrakyn behaving as if they had won the war in the Western Region?
Shouldn't they be preparing the little they had against the other two Dukes who were on their way?
Why were they cleaning up? Why weren't they preparing for the war? Could it be that the Vorrakyn had already given up since their full strength was already cut in half when fighting the Red Leaves?
Or did they have other tricks to play?
But no matter how the observers tried, they could not think of an answer to the questions they sought.
And it was not only those who were observing who were perplexed. Even what remained of the Vorrakyn army were feeling somewhat drained. They were wounded, the last of their victory high fading from them as they realized what would happen next.
The whole battlefield reeked of depression and urgency as if everyone was just doing what they were told to keep themselves busy, to stop thinking of what was to happen next.
By nightfall, the battlefield had settled down and soldiers were back in their tents. Smoke from the burning corpses pit rose into the air... roasted meat and ash.
But a strange atmosphere hung above the camp. Even with all the loot and gains they had, they were all on edge.
"Dragon Lord... this time, we cannot even fall back or surrender. The Dukes will wipe us out."
Of the eighteen Commanders, only eleven remained. They looked tired and worn out as they sat there around the table that once belonged to the Duke of Red Leaves.
But unlike before, they dared not show disrespect before the Dragon Lord, as they understood that his power was far above them and he could crush them all so easily.
It was also one of the reasons why most of them had not turned tail and begun running.
High Commander Rhydian Vorrakyn was also there, as well as his sister, Skya Vorrakyn. They sat on both sides of the Dragon Lord while Vacuse sat on a chair a little far from the whole table.
They were all that remained of the Vorrakyn forces.
Before, when such a meeting had happened earlier in the day, the Commanders had been filled with desperation and urgency. They looked at the Dragon Lord with arrogance. But now, the only thing that was left in their eyes was weary acceptance.
The Dragon Lord did not speak for a long time. His eyes were a little glazed.
Being that close to death would cause that.
"You have all done well this time. Thank you for upholding your honors for my family. Thank you, Vacuse, you brought this plan out and made it possible.
"Now. We have to decide on the aftermath."
Everyone listened to his words attentively without interrupting. "The Duke of Red Leaves is no more. Although this happened because of his actions, it is undeniable that he has made us weak. He made the Western Region weaker for this."
The Commanders sat up. And that was because of what they heard from the Dragon Lord's voice. They got their answers on what was going to happen next.
Vacuse also took note of it.
The Dragon Lord spoke not just as a Dragon Lord, but as a Grand Duke.
He meant to see the war to the end.
"You all go and rest. Tomorrow, things will change."
A mood of acceptance settled into the room as all the Commanders realized that there was nothing to do but wash their necks. The Dragon Lord was mad and meant to throw his remaining force to fight two Dukes.
They stood and bowed to the Dragon Lord before they left, each of them already thinking of how they wished to spend their last night in the world.
The High Commander turned to Drenvar with a raised brow. "It seems as if you have given up."
Drenvar smiled. There was tiredness in his eyes and lots of things that Vacuse really could not name. "It is hard to hold the Vorrakyn up on shoulders, brother.
"For years I was filled with hatred and hopelessness as more of our territories shrank, and even the Lords of the Region showed their disrespect.
"I endured years of mockery from the Frexon, and I kept myself going with the thought of planting my flag on their highest tower. But now that I have killed him, I realized that I have given too much of myself for the family."
Vacuse blinked at the silence that followed.
He had not expected Drenvar to say something like that, because it sounded almost like he was regretting being the Dragon Lord. And what did he mean by giving too much of himself to the family?
The High Commander and Skya were just as shocked. They looked at the Dragon Lord as if they were seeing him for the first time.
But then Drenvar shrugged. "But I cannot pretend not to enjoy the power that came with it. That was simply the price. And now, the power is about to be destroyed or rise to higher height.
"I am about to be destroyed... or become the Dragon Lord of the Western Region."