Far to the south, another princess was about to take on the leadership of the Red Dragon Clan. Many in the clan opposed the idea, though Serazar and Siferina were on her side; there were also many supporters of Valraz.
"Don't worry. It's true that the Red Clan hasn't had a leader for a long time, given how many years your predecessor spent in captivity. But you rightfully earned this position," Sheraza encouraged her daughter as she dressed in the traditional red cloak worn by all the rulers of the clan.
"Yeah, I wanted to change the clan for you and others like you, but I didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon." The hands of the Red Princess trembled with excitement.
"You're mistaken if you think that all the Red Dragons are satisfied with the way things are. Even among the older generations, there are many who want to level the dragons regardless of their origin. Serazar supported you not just because, he, too, wanted to change everything, but he was afraid of Ultraz."
"Oh, I know, Mom. But the fate of our clan's future will depend on my words."
In the main hall of the clan, the disputes did not subside. Not only the five great dragons ruling the clan were present, but also all dragons from the elder five generations. The hall was almost evenly divided, but there were still more supporters of the red princess.
When the girl in a scarlet mantle entered the room, everyone fell silent. She stood out from the council members; at another time, a half-blood like her would have been inevitably executed for audacity, but this was a different case. To put an end to all the gossip, Serazar was the first to speak.
"Well, everyone is gathered, so we can start the meeting," the dragon rose from his place and addressed the assembly. "Many of you have already heard the news, and I can confirm it. Seleria, Sheraza's daughter, with the support of her comrades, killed the ancient dragon Ultras."
"Hmm, that's quite a statement. She did only half of the work," Valraz grumbled dissatisfied under his breath but fell silent after a disapproving look from his brother.
"From ancient times, our law has not changed: the strongest should rule. I admit that I would have never dared to challenge my brother, knowing the vast difference in our strength. But these young people were not afraid of him and managed to defeat him. I believe we should acknowledge Seleria as the new ruler of the red house," the dragon concluded his speech and sat back in his place.
The spectators immediately began to protest. No one wanted to see a half-blood as their ruler, and Serazar's words seemed like a foolish joke to them. Until now, most believed that the council would only praise Seleria for ridding them of the tyrant and let her go in peace. Making her the ruler was unthinkable. Gradually, the discontent among the crowd grew.
"Allow me to speak for myself!" The red princess attracted the attention of the council. "I know you don't want a half-dragon to become your ruler, and it's based on your ancient traditions. Traditions that arose from Saraza's belief in the superiority of the red dragons over all living creatures and from Ultras' hatred towards all living beings. Look at yourselves, the ancient great clan of red dragons, fixated on your traditions and valuing only the generation in which a dragon was born; now, you've turned into a band of slave traders! Where is your greatness and pride when you treat your own children and grandchildren as slaves, selling them like mere objects? I used to be interested in the clan my mother came from. I believed you were noble creatures, messengers of ancient gods. But after learning what your "greatness" has come down to now, the thought of having any connection with you repulses me!!"
"How dare she!!" "Who gave this half-blood a voice!" "She dares insult the clan we were going to entrust to her; why do we need her?!" In the crowd, only outraged cries were heard. It took Seleria a couple of minutes to turn everyone present against her. Only Serazar and Siferina looked at her with bewilderment.
"BUT! Let's cast aside all the foolish prejudices instilled in you by the past ruler's hatred. The law is that the strongest should rule, a law established by the Dragon God Saraz, and you obeyed it without question," the girl broke into a satisfied smile. "Well then, I'm ready. If you pitiful, self-absorbed lizards consider yourselves better than me, I accept any challenge from you! If you believe yourself a worthier candidate for the ruler's position, step forward, and I'll beat you until the thought never crosses your mind again. Don't want to serve a half-blood? Then I'll make you my slaves! And you'll do everything I command!"
Intensely growing paler, Sheraza, who stood behind her daughter, exchanged glances with the lords. But Serazar only broke into a satisfied smile.
"Brother, and you'll let this audacity go unpunished!?" Valraz boiled with anger.
"And why not? She said that only those who disagree with her right to power challenged her. And I have already expressed my opinion," Serazar replied nonchalantly.
"Tch, you've always been a coward. But if you don't care about our traditions, then I'll kill her myself!" Valraz leaped over the podium and stepped into the center of the room. "You brought this upon yourself."
"I knew there was no avoiding this. You better embrace your true form if you dared to challenge me," Seleria merely smiled at her opponent's face.
"Don't make me laugh, pitiful mortal!" The dragon took a deep breath and unleashed a stream of flames at the girl.
The council hall was quite large, but the flames covered almost a third of it. However, to the red dragons, it was unlikely to cause any serious harm.
As soon as the flames subsided, Valraz rushed towards the princess to strike before she could recover from the first attack. He dealt a blow that could shatter the bones of an ordinary human, and Seleria was thrown with force into the exit, crashing into the massive doors.
The scarlet mantle, singed by the first attack, slowly burned away, revealing the girl in a distinct red dress, the attire of an Academy apprentice. But there was something else under the mantle that protected her from the blow.
"Too weak for a mighty dragon," Seleria discarded the remnants of the mantle, spreading wings woven from crimson flames. The council gasped involuntarily at such a sight; few knew about the power awakened within the half-blood. "Let me show you what only half-dragons are capable of."
The crimson flames began to envelop the girl, taking the form of scaly paws on her hands and feet. She became like a half-transformed version of Ragni, with slight differences typical of the red tribe.
"Your flames are just a pathetic imitation of Saraz's power, and I'll never acknowledge it," Valraz turned both hands into claws and leaped towards his opponent, but before he could strike, a wall of crimson flames appeared out of thin air, throwing him back.
"You are so foolish and impulsive, even for your age," Seleria caught up with him in one leap and sent him flying with a strike of her hand, sending him soaring under the dome of the hall. "You are so easy to provoke. Without your breath, it would have taken me a little longer to create so much crimson flame. Well, thank you for your help."
"Darn," Valraz spread his wings and tried to regain his footing, but something grabbed him and slammed him to the ground. A tail made of flames extended and easily reached him even from ten meters away.
"See, you can never defeat me," Seleria approached her victim, and he tried to escape. Then the princess gathered all the crimson flames into one leg and transformed it into a massive paw the size of an ancient dragon's. Lightly stepping on the struggling opponent, the girl pressed him to the ground, not letting him move a finger. "Ultras couldn't handle me, and you don't even possess a tenth of his power. So, do you have anything else to say, oh great dragon lord?"
The girl increased the pressure and pressed the dragon harder into the floor.
"To hell with you," Valraz mustered all his strength but could only raise himself on his elbows with difficulty. "If you want this clan of weaklings, take it. I will never submit to a pathetic half-human like you. You can consider me leaving the clan!"
"Hmph," extinguishing the crimson flames, Seleria stepped aside and pointed to the door. "That's your right. But I won't allow you to take any of your 'servants' or 'slaves' with you. Only what you can carry in your hands will go with you. Everything else belongs to the clan."
"I'd rather spend the night on the streets than acknowledge your rule. If there's still any pride left in the red dragons, follow me. I won't rest until I destroy this foolish reign."
The ancient dragon headed for the exit, and only fifteen dragons from the council followed him. After the display of crimson flames, even staunch opponents of Seleria began to fear her, if not respect her.
"Alright, so those who stayed are satisfied with the current state of affairs. First of all, I want to introduce some changes to your 'laws and traditions,'" the girl said the last phrase with a particularly sarcastic tone. "Firstly, the caste system based on the generation in which the dragon was born is abolished. You will no longer have voluntarily or forcibly servile 'slaves.'"
The reaction was immediate, and the clan's elite were outraged by such a prohibition as it effectively deprived them of their main privileges.
"Quiet! I'm not finished yet!" Seleria stamped her foot, and the murmurs immediately ceased. "Are you really disgusted by the thought of being equal to each other? You consider yourselves descendants of ancient gods, the noblest creatures in the world, yet you behave worse than wild beasts! Even the humans you despise don't treat their children like this. That's why I'm also introducing the second rule: all young dragons, regardless of their lineage, have the right to equal education. Now all young dragons will study together on equal terms, regardless of which generation they were born into!"
This next rule caused even more outrage among the ranks of the old, stubborn dragons.
"Silence!" Once again, the princess had to calm the crowd. "If we want to change the clan, we must start with the rising generation. But of course, those dragons who previously could not receive a proper education due to their status can now begin their training. Also, I would like all dragons to choose representatives who could fully express the opinions of the entire clan and propose new changes that would benefit the clan's development. The opinions of both the older and younger generations will be equally significant. And most importantly, I want you to stop treating half-dragons with contempt. In the human world, they are treated no better than in our clan, so I want them to find refuge here at least. I understand that you cannot change your worldview in an instant, but gradually, I want you to break down this wall of misunderstanding with other races, be it other dragon clans, humans, half-dragons, or even your own descendants. These are all the changes that I would like to implement, at least for a start."
The dragons were outraged and even offended, as all these laws essentially equated them with those they used to consider second-rate.
"I understand that you disagree with these innovations, but I only want to make the clan better. If you haven't left with Valraz, perhaps deep down, you have already considered the changes that need to happen. You can always leave the clan; I won't stop you, but at least wait until the new laws start bearing fruit. I have many responsibilities besides being the head of the clan, so I won't be able to stay here. Therefore, I want to leave the control of my orders to Sifirina and Serazar. I'm sure they want what's best for the clan, just like me. I also trust them to select the first representatives for the clan's general assembly, which will include representatives from the younger generations. That's all."