Once, the Dragonheart family had fiercely asserted their dominance across the continent. The former Emperor waged a relentless conquest against the nearby territories of Eldenfren, and one of the key figures in this incursion was Frederick Dragonheart, the former Patriarch. By his side stood Alentor Dragonheart, who was then the Commander.
Alentor had been groomed by his father to succeed him as Commander, a position he attained at the remarkably young age of 33 and held for half a century. Under his leadership, the Dragonhearts brought countless glories to Dragonheart—also known as the The Kings of the West—and victories to the Empire. When Frederick vanished, the house plunged into brief turmoil, compelling Alentor to act as temporary Patriarch until Frey turned 18 and could officially take over.
This glimpse into Alentor's past made Ardiel realize that Alentor might have been the strongest person in the Empire at one time. As a renowned Battle Tyrant in his prime, Alentor was among the few Dragon Vessels who fully mastered the advanced stages of Manifestation. If anyone could train Ardiel properly, it was this old man casually brewing tea before him.
"Have some tea," Alentor offered, pouring a cup of jasmine tea. "This is Plum Blossom tea from the Eastern Islands. I heard The House of Hiragi personally cultivates these blossoms. Try it."
"Thank you, Elder," Ardiel replied, bowing his head slightly as he carefully took the cup. As he sipped the tea, the warm, subtle sweetness with a gentle tartness danced on his tongue.
"How is it?" Alentor asked eagerly, his face alight with expectation.
"It's good!" Ardiel exclaimed, feeling a surge of calmness flow through him with just a sip.
"Allow me to examine your constitution first. Don't mind me, just drink the tea," Alentor instructed as he walked towards Ardiel and placed a palm on his back, right where the Dragon Mark was located.
Ardiel felt the elder's power entering his mana channels, slowly flowing through his entire system, including his heart.
"Hmm, this is new," Alentor raised a brow as he observed Ardiel's body. "Your heart is covered in runes, just as Ravenia said. This is certainly interesting. Did she mention anything about it?"
"No, even Grand Elder couldn't find anything about it," Ardiel replied. Ravenia and Eleonore Dragonheart had the deepest understanding of the complexities of the Dragon powers that vessels could harness. They have regularly monitored Ardiel's situation since he was born.
"I figured the runes act as an amplifier for the mana in your body. It's like a storage and an engine at the same time," Alentor deduced as he removed his hand from Ardiel's back.
"What does that mean, Elder?" Ardiel asked, curiosity and concern mixing in his voice.
"It means you have the best foundation for someone who wants to be an Archmage. You can harness greater amounts of mana. I bet those freaks from the Magic Tower would do anything to get their hands on you," Alentor said with a smirk.
The thought of the Vermillions doing experiments on him made Ardiel shiver with fear.
"Tch, you don't need to worry about that. They wouldn't dare as long as this old man is still here, would they?" Alentor smirked, unknowingly showing the menace that had been slumbering inside of him.
"Anyway, since you're a special case, we'll use a different training method for you. But it will be enough for you to catch up to your siblings as quickly as possible," Alentor concluded.
Ardiel brightened up as he heard he could catch up with his siblings, finally he could proudly say that he's a Dragonheart, bearing its name with much more pride now.
"I like your eagerness. I hope you keep it that way once we start tomorrow," Alentor said, a fierce aura enveloping him. Though faint, it was enough to send shivers through Ardiel.
As he thought, Alentor still has that fierceness that he was known for, just that all the years he spent as part of Council allowed his battle aura to become dormant, and made him more gentle compared to his past glory.
Despite being in his early 90s, Alentor still maintained his posture, not to mention the dormant powers coursing through his channels. While he was past his prime, it didn't take away the fact that he was still formidable.
Alentor was part of the reason why the Dragonheart family retained its high status in the Empire. Normally, such families would meet a decline at one point, but it was different for them. Even Eleonore, the last Matriarch of the family, was still living, reaching the age of 107 and outliving two Emperors.
To have a force spanning five generations, anyone would think twice before disturbing the powers lurking in the Avalon Range. That's why their reign over the east remained untouched.
"On your way back, make sure to stop by Auntie Eleonore's cottage and deliver this to her," Alentor said, handing Ardiel a small crate filled with different flavors of tea. The combined aroma sent him into extreme calmness.
Ardiel bid his goodbye to the elder and walked his way towards a stoned path made of crushed limestone tracing the middle of the woods. Alentor's cottage was located in the restricted area of the territory, where a Dragon vein was located, the same as with the Grand Elder.
The woods reminded him of the forest in the Spirit Realm, brimming with mana but not as concentrated. He wondered when he would come across the opportunity to go there, probably not that long, given that he now has a connection with Exzhen.
He didn't spend that long before arriving at a beautiful bricked cottage surrounded by wild meadows and a rose hedge serving as the wall guarding the yard. The cottage itself didn't look fancy nor grand, unbefitting for someone who takes the role of the Grand Elder, but Ardiel knew this was a match with her personality.
As he got near, he saw that the old woman, with her white braided hair and plain farmer's clothes, was trimming the rose hedge, gazing at the flowers with so much care, as if cutting the wrong stem would result in devastation.
"Why are you standing there?" the soft-spoken elder said without even looking in his direction. He hurried himself and quickly approached the most respected woman in the family. He bowed courteously and greeted her with a smile, "Good Morning Grand Elder."
"Oh for dragon's sake, just call me Grandma when it's just the two of us," the woman chuckled at the unexpected formalities.
"Elder Alentor wants me to give you this," he placed the small wooden crate on the ground and took a garden scissor he found on top of the garden table.
He'd been here quite a few times before, and each time he would find his grandma either trimming her beloved garden plants or drinking tea from the veranda.
This was a side of the Grand Elder known to only a few individuals.
"So how was your meeting with Alentor? What's your impression of him?" She asked while still keeping her gaze on the white roses.
"He looks awesome and intimidating," Ardiel answered honestly. It was indeed his impression of Alentor.
"Intimidating? That brat?" Eleonore chuckled, seemingly occupied in her thoughts, "Well, it makes sense that younglings would see him in that light. After all, he did cause quite a ruckus in his prime years, though it wasn't to my liking—such barbaric behavior." Then suddenly, a glint of bitterness appeared in her eyes as she recalled moments from the past.
Eleonore was known for her calm demeanor; it was what Ardiel's father had inherited from the Grand Elder. For her, the chaos that whirled in the continent a few decades ago left a bitter taste.
Her time as the matriarch focused on building peaceful connections with other territories. When her grandson, Frederick Dragonheart, was appointed to power, those years were glorious for knights, but it was the opposite for her.
She wasn't a battle maniac like the previous line of family leaders, but her prowess placed her among the strongest members ever born in the family. That very power was dedicated to stabilizing the balance of power in the Empire.
"Oops, don't cut that one," she interrupted, pulling him away from his thoughts. He thought that the Grand Elder had eyes that could see nature from a different perspective, like how she just stopped him from cutting a stem as if she knew it would be bad for the plant.
"Sorry," he said.
"Well, I think this is enough for this morning. Would you like to have lunch with this old woman?" the Grand Elder asked.
"I would love to," he answered quickly, eager to taste his great-grandmother's cooking again.