"What's wrong with me?" Runaan pleaded for an answer from Eladreas only to see a look of bewilderment from his face.
"I-I-I don't... don't know what's happening to you right now," Eladreas stated plainly. Looking at Runaan's eyes that showed traces of blood pouring from his tear ducts. He looked down and saw the scorch mark on the ground and was further confused.
'How is he changing so soon, is this because of his bloodline?' Eladreas thought to himself, careful to not mention anything he shouldn't to Runaan or prying ears that may be nearby. Runaan's existence other than being a human child was still meant to be a secret.
***In the village of the dragonkin in the forgotten woodlands***
"What's going on? Someone's awakened to their blood right? There hasn't been anyone born to the village in the last ten years. Why is there a new bloodline being awakened?" An elder seer said to himself as when he felt a calling from his bloodline. "There's never been such a strong connection."
The bloodlines of clans in this world were all connected through a form of spiritual connection birthed through their blood. However, only those who inherited stronger connections to the blood could sense others of the same lineage.
The elder seer was in the middle of his secluded meditation near the village's eternal dragon's flame. The genesis flame that was left behind from the original dragon king, Tyros, Lord of Fire. Tyros was the last dragon to be seen in this world.
3,000 years ago, Tyros had been banished from Alterra by the goddess Tiflos for betraying her and having children with humans. Tyros was bound by heavenly rules by coming under contract with the goddess to inherit her genesis flame.
The contract to gain the genesis flame of power is what allowed Tyros to rule as the dragon king over the other dragons of the world. It mattered not if the dragons belonged to the races of fire dragons, water dragons, earth dragons, or sky dragons.
Having the genesis flame of power under his control, his strength prevailed over all other dragon's strength. The flame melded with his soul and it was a flame that could never be extinguished having a portion of the goddess' power contained in it.
As such, Tyros' soul could never die or be extinguished. The flame burning in front of the elder represented the connection all dragonkin held to the original dragon king. It was also what connected them all together.
The shared blood that they hold with Tyros is what generates the clan's power. The stronger their inheritance to the dragon's blood, the stronger their connection to the genesis flame of power.
However, the strength of the genesis flame formed a seal of its own on the bloodlines of the dragonkin. Its power was too great for the meager bodies humans held at birth, and only when the body was strong enough would their bloodlines and connection to the flame be released.
Whenever a bloodline of the dragonkin was unsealed and their lineage was awakened, the genesis flame sitting before the elder would flicker and crackle the space around it. It was sending out waves of spiritual connection to the awakener, and it caused the elder to be confused.
There was currently no other person alive in the dragonkin clan that could sense the awakening. The others who could sense the awakenings of their bloodlines in others had all since died from the coup de'tat that happened just over 5 years ago.
The elder when thinking back on the past became very melancholic when he thought back onto his nephew's death, the death of the clan's last leader, Roland Dragonsblood, the personification of the clan's strength and honor.
"Elder Aeneas, patriarch Rathgar is calling for you." A servant of the leader's house had appeared and stood behind the elder in the doorway of the shrine that housed the genesis flame. There was a barrier of sorts that prevented entry to the shrine from certain people.
The barrier was set up to restrict and prevent people who weren't from the direct bloodline of the Dragon King. All branch families we unallowed to enter the shrine. Those who had tried to force their way into the shrine had their mana channels and meridians burned from the outside in.
The burning was so severe that it looked as though they were branded with lightning bolts. Sering their flesh from the outside and leaving permanent charred channels throughout their bodies and were crippled forever.
There were even cases where the bloodline of the branch families was removed and burned away from their families, essentially banning them from being part of the clan, removing their lineage and subsequent power from them.
Throughout the 3000 year history of the dragonkin, there were only a few cases that the branch families tried to usurp power. However, they all ended horridly.
"Rathgar's calling me, what could he want now?" Aeneas was often annoyed by Rathgar because of his betrayal of his own brother, caused by his jealousy and his brother's achievements. 'Wait a minute... could Saris have had her child? Did she escape successfully from the woodlands and Rathgar's pursuit?' Aeneas immediately thought of Saris...
'If she got away, and had a child, the child would only be 5 years old, but that's much too soon for him or her to be awakening. They shouldn't be awakening until they've at least hit the age of 10, and that's assuming they're geniuses in their cultivation Aeneas' eyes flashed a gleam at that though.
"Elder, I don't know what he could want with you. I am not in a position to assume things." The servant stated plainly bowing his head slightly.
"Tell Rathgar that if he wishes to speak with me, he needs to come to me. I am the last elder of this clan, he dares to order his elder! Hmph!" Aeneas hoarsely ordered the servant. Releasing a slight amount of killing intent because of his anger.
The servant had instinctively stepped back with a shudder, feeling the seriousness and anger from the clan's elder. "Yes, elder Aeneas!"
Returning to the main house, the servant debated internally on how he should approach the new patriarch. He knew Rathgar to be a hotheaded person over the last 5 years of serving him, but he didn't know if his anger would erupt from not having the elder at his beck and call.
However, he knew if he said nothing or lied, he'd likely end up reprimanded by the elder and could end up in the clan's prison. 'I'm just the servant, he won't kill the messenger right' he thought to himself.
"Patriarch Rathgar, the elder has instructed me to inform you that you are to seek him out for an audience, not have him seek you." The servant had stated in the clearest way he could think of to the patriarch that would move the blame towards the elder and not himself.
*Hmph* "That doddering old fool is still worried about that damned tradition is he. Fine then, I will go to him this time. I'll make him realize I am even more capable than my brother!" Rathgar was speaking to himself.
The servant released a quick and silent sigh, he'd been spared from the patriarch's ire by moving the irritation towards the elder.
He was reflecting on the clan's old wive's tale, that if the genesis flame is to be left unattended by the dragonkin main bloodline, the old contract would be broken and their connection to the flame would be broken.
Leaving the clan's main house, Rathgar went straight to the shrine that was constructed by ancient krosis trees. The shrine was indestructible in today's world, as the method to harvest these trees has been deemed impossible.
It was believed that only the dragons were capable of harvesting ancient krosis pines and using them as they saw fit. However, it was more precisely that the claws and scales that shed from dragons were capable of harming krosis trees.
"You still believe that the flame will die out if we leave it be, old man?" Rathgar taunted Aeneas.
"Watch your tone with me boy!"