Teokess Territory, Hollow Manor - Mansion of the Chieftess
"Chieftess has discovered another power?" an elderly lady, covered in thick clothing, spoke with a gentle voice after witnessing lightning break a branch of a dead tree. She stared openly at the young lady who was seated leisurely on the ground full of snow.
The young lady looked exhausted. But her skin glowed brightly like porcelain. Her face conveyed a naïve and innocent aura but the gaze of her eyes contradicted the ignorance. There was wisdom mirrored within the black orbs. It is undeniable that beauty was etched in every detail of her appearance.
"It's not yet perfect. But, it's enough to inflict damage. However, it consumes a lot of energy as I am still young. It is not an ideal power to use in fighting."
The elderly looked content upon hearing this response. "Who would have known that our ordeal ten years ago would lead us to become a formidable tribe today, no one dared attack our territory! We humans are always grateful for the chieftess' help."
"Don't mention it. I am also using you for my benefit. We dragons rarely ascend to immortality. So, I do not think of becoming an immortal. But, I want to attain the highest power of my kind. The power to manipulate time. By staying in this mortal land, I am slowly reaching my goal."
This young lady was not interested in mortal affairs and territorial disputes. Her objective was far greater than gaining authority over the people. This was the reason why Teokess remained a tribe, not expanding their territory only defending against their enemy.
It was said that dragons hide their real names. They only shared it with their fated mate. The young lady was the same.
Ten years ago, it was her coincidental passing of this land when Teokess fell in desperation. It was a timely arrival.
She was in her dragon form when the tiger beast ruler invaded the empire. Thus, the enemy fled and changed direction upon the sight of her.
The humans looked up to her as their savior. When she morphed into a human form, her first words were, "What is this place called?"
"My lady, it is called Teokess. This place is already abandoned. You can name it, however you want." The humans believed that she was the prayer that they longed for. As such, they offered them with warm hospitality.
"Teokess? What a strange name for this kind of place"
"Since we were born, this place is already called Teokess, my lady."
"Oh… Do you know? Teokess in my dragon tongue is related to fire. To name this cold place after a fire is but an irony. However, I like it. Let this be the name that you shall address me from now on."
The humans find her simple-minded and easy to talk to. They reported their situation to her and pleaded for her help.
"I will help you protect your land. But let me stay here in return as I am trying to uncover a mysterious power." There was no air of arrogance in her tone. Even if she had the power to dominate the people, she sounded as if asking permission from them. As such, humans arbitrarily appointed her as their tribe leader.
The lady dragon easily adopted the name of the place as hers. Chieftess Teokess, tribe leader of the cold land.
But, she suspected that whoever named this territory Teokess, must also be a willful dragon who wants to challenge the rules of nature.
Even though the morphed dragon appeared young, she was wise beyond their expectations. Under her leadership, the land slowly changed.
Humans had never imagined such changes to occur in their territory, but they accepted it with enthusiasm.
On the southern and eastern parts of the tribe, the snow melted. The south became farmland and gardens. She provided them with seeds to plant and grow food.
The eastern area became the place for training combat warriors. She even gave them a drop of her blood and taught them the basic magic of using fire, water, and wind. She also personally trained them how to fight.
In terms of benevolence to the humans in the Teokess tribe, this lady dragon was rather unparalleled.
~~
"Chieftess! Chieftess Teokess, an outsider is approaching our territory. It is still far. But, it looked like a flying dragon," one of the tribe warriors reported. He also bowed to the elderly lady on the side.
The elderly lady gestured for the warrior to leave. "My lady, this time, there are major empires ruled by dragons. As far as I know, Dacloures and Unsfiervie had their emperor dragons. The former is an old dragon and was hinting at an invasion of the latter. It is said that two dragons would attack the Unsfiervie Empire in two months."
"I see. Then, that flying dragon must be from the Unsfiervie Empire. He was probably thinking of challenging me to form an alliance."
"That must be the case, my lady."
"I have no interest in wars. Owning a vast territory is irrelevant to my goal. But, if he possesses something that is related to my goal, he can be our ally. Tell the warriors not to fight it. Even if they have the ability to fight against beasts now, we cannot waste our resources. Only one dragon, I will face it myself."
In the blink of an eye, the Chieftess' figure vanished before the elderly lady could speak her response. In fact, this lady dragon has a lot of power. Amongst them, she was also knowledgeable about teleportation.
~~
The thick cloud formation in the sky suddenly rippled. Then a voice followed.
"Here is not a place for your sightseeing."
Emperor Unsfiervie abruptly halted his movements upon hearing the voice. He suddenly morphed into a human form and landed on the ground, just a step away from both territories, both not yet trespassing.
The two beings briefly looked at each other, trying to examine both physique and prowess.
"The leader of Teokess is a beauty to behold. This visit is a gain for me. My apologies for this unannounced visit. I am Emperor Unsfiervie and have no ill intention against your territory."
"Emperor Unsfiervie is a master of flattery. Even if you have ill intentions, you won't be successful." There is certainty in her words but it does not bear arrogance. This tone made the emperor slightly taken aback.
"This emperor is named 'Phyr', what is the name of the tribe leader? May I have the opportunity to hear it."
This response was unexpected. It would be very rare for a dragon to share its name as they might be subjected to becoming a contractual beast and reduced into a servant instead.
However, he it could also be considered as a form of emperor's sincerity. The lady dragon could only shook her head.
"I have no name to offer but Teokess as the name of my land."
"I see. Then, it's tribe leader Teokess. I've heard rumors that the tribe leader possessed Dual Prowess of Extremes. I am a fire dragon. This emperor wishes to challenge you to a battle and see how powerful it is."
A smile appeared on the lady dragon's face. She looked even more ethereal despite being in a human form. "Your information is wrong, emperor. Since you are the head of an empire, it is disappointing that you actually trust the rumors."