When the man raised his head, Kelama had already distanced herself from him and returned to the center of the crater, where the bodies of the three dragons still lay unconscious. But as if it didn't matter whether they were alive or not, Kelama began to float and ascend, somehow carrying the bodies with her.
It didn't take long for a glow to envelop the man's vision, and Kelama's human figure vanished, replaced by the same white dragon he had seen collide with the ground and ruthlessly incapacitate the three dragons.
When she was high in the sky, a gigantic bubble formed around the bodies of the three dragons, compressing them to occupy the smallest possible space, regardless of comfort or well-being. As soon as it was ready to travel, Kelama sent a warning to the man who was still standing in the same place.
"You will return to the 34th Academy and report today's incident. Send a summons to the regional Council informing them that this Lady will be overseeing the case, under the special supervision of Grand Lord Akachi Toyosaki. Additionally, tell them that locating the whereabouts of Dragon Lady Silvana Ferrete is the top priority."
Without bidding farewell to the Frost Elf and without confirming his understanding of the message, Kelama immediately shot away at high speed, albeit much slower compared to the speed she had reached when alone.
The Elf, still in shock from everything that had happened in the last few hours, waited several minutes in that same spot, staring at where Kelama's silhouette had disappeared. Only after nearly 20 minutes was he able to digest everything and recover enough to start moving toward the nearest city.
As he traveled, he continued to process the events of the day enough to grasp the weight they would carry for his future. After all, all at once, his teacher had committed a serious crime, his colleagues would potentially be executed or face equally harsh punishments, and, ultimately, he had proven himself useless in every aspect.
As a highly-rated Frost Elf with top grades in all subjects, his future had been bright as long as everything went as planned. He had even secured the tutorship of a renowned Dragon Lady; just that alone would have been enough for him to surpass 70% of all competitors.
Moreover, he would also have access to study resources and learning opportunities that would allow him to advance rapidly in his career. Not to mention the various aspiring Dragon Ladies he could partner with, all with tremendous potential for when he reached the level of Consors.
So many lost opportunities, so much wasted potential, so much joy and hope for a bright future swept away from his horizon… Everything slipped through his fingers like grains of sand or water that could not be contained, no matter how much effort he made.
Now, the memories and expectations of that lost future were nothing more than hauntings that constantly terrorized and tortured his mind…
As he ran toward his destination, tears streamed down his face. But before they hit the ground, they froze on his face from the cold and relentless southern climate.
-------------------------------------
"So… These are the aspirants who were on the excursion with Lady Silvana. They are indeed young with great aura veins; no wonder she placed so much trust in them to bring all three on a single trip."
From the balcony of Kelama's house, Akachi was looking at the yard, where the bodies of the three dragons lay stretched out. He was meticulously examining them, even from afar, with the help of his magic.
With impressive skill, he guided a small wave of invisible aura that spread out and thoroughly traversed the massive bodies of the dragons, examining them internally and externally to ascertain each dragon's true condition.
"Aspirant Vivian, 352 years; Aspirant Antoniela, 338 years; and Aspirant Katarina, 362 years. All students of the 34th Academy and have been specially tutored by Lady Silvana for the past 20 years, but none of them managed to form a Master-Disciple Connection with her."
Next to him, Kelama waited patiently for Akachi's detailed examination while providing the information she had gathered from the documents available to her at home.
Documents that she received periodically from the 34th Academy as a way to approve or deny the admission of certain students. As well as documents for her to select the members of the Academy's faculty.
"And what about the young Frost Elf who was trying to distract them to contain the situation as much as possible while the three of them were fighting?"
"The young man's name is Yolfing, from the Frost Elf tribe of the south. I don't have concrete information yet, but he was a potential talent for the 34th Academy. A waste of potential at such a young age, lost simply by being involved in such an incident."
"I hope he hasn't jeopardized his potential. Being so close to an aura disturbance is certainly detrimental, but at least it was a minor incident, which is not lethal to non-draconian beings."
"Certainly, I hope so too… Now, Lord Akachi, should we awaken the aspirants?"
"No…"
With a nonchalant tone, Akachi turned his back and stepped away from the balcony edge, returning to sit on the couch and picking up his coffee cup.
"Let them remain in a coma for now, at least until we can ascertain the whereabouts of Lady Silvana," he continued after taking a sip of coffee.
"But, Lord Akachi, isn't it advisable to initiate the containment and reversal procedures for the aura disturbance? The longer they remain in this state, the worse they will become…"
Slightly worried, Kelama knew that the quicker they acted, the easier it would be to eliminate the aura disturbance. Even so, she understood that Akachi must have a reason for delaying the situation.
"I can't afford to wear myself out treating a Level 2 or nearly Level 3 aura disturbance; the little human sleeping in there is my priority at the moment." Calmly, Akachi placed his cup on the table and looked directly into Kelama's eyes.
"WHAT??… Lord Akachi, please reconsider. These children need urgent treatment."
Surprised to learn the reason Akachi would not treat the aspirants, Kelama raised her voice and seriously questioned him in an attempt to change his mind.
"Sigh I can't…"
"But why??? Why not save them now while it's still relatively easy? The human baby in there is fine and healthy; he can wait…"
"In fact, he cannot…"
"How can he not? He is perfectly fine and healthy…"
"He needs a Vitale, Lady Kelama. Otherwise, he will die within the next 15 hours."
"A Vitale? Impossible, Lord Akachi; at this age, he doesn't even have an aura core formed; he wouldn't withstand a connection, even in a life-or-death situation. Please, Lord Akachi, reconsider your priorities."
"In fact, he already has an aura core formed…"
"But… That's impossible… He's too young for that; it should take at least three years after birth for the aura core to begin forming in males of all other species. Only male dragons can be born with an aura core already formed." Shocked by the information, Kelama refused to believe what Akachi was saying.
"You're right, Lady Kelama, but that's the general rule, and as we know, there are exceptions to every rule. My hypothesis is that he suffered a mutation that led him to develop a core while still a fetus."
"…" Still refusing to believe the words she was hearing, Kelama could only stand there, wide-eyed.
"I don't blame you; this is a very rare case; I myself have only seen three similar cases in my long life. Even so, none of the previous cases survived more than two hours after being born."
Still holding the cup, Akachi lifted his head and began to gaze at the sky, which was being taken over by twilight. A few stars revealed their shine, and two moons of distinct colors began to remind Akachi of the time passing…
"This little human is an extremely rare case, Lady Kelama; he has survived only because he drained absolutely all the aura from his mother's veins, and even now, I am the one injecting aura manually into his core. But this method is highly delicate and far too inefficient; I can only keep doing this for another 15 hours. After that, I fear he will not survive."
"He drained all the aura from his mother's veins? That means…"
"Yes… He killed her before even being born. But since the fetus was already developed, someone decided to perform an operation to take the little one out of his mother's womb. In short, he is a Vetala…"
"For aura… Lord Akachi, vetalas must be sacrificed; why have you chosen to prolong his suffering? This is blasphemy against the Aura…"
"I'm doing this precisely to spare him from suffering… He would have died in that forest without a doubt, but aura decided to change his fate; I felt something in him… I felt a will to live; I'm sure of it. The very wisdom test showed that… He has enough willpower to defy his own destiny. If the aura within him shows this, who am I to deny it?"
"…"
Seeing that Kelama had no more questions, Akachi stood up and began to walk toward the door to enter the house. But he stopped when he reached the door, turned to Kelama, and said:
"Don't worry; we won't involve you in this matter any further. You have just shown yourself to be completely unqualified, Lady Kelama… Forgive me for my selfishness in involving you in all this. Please understand that the other two options were not viable, but I will certainly find a way for the little human sleeping inside to have a chance to enjoy the life he is destined to live."
"I… understand… I beg your forgiveness, Lord Akachi, but I can't help you in this situation."
"I will return as quickly as possible to address the aura disturbance of the three aspirants; just worry about finding the whereabouts of Lady Silvana and investigating further what caused this incident. I will take my leave; thank you for your hospitality."
Akachi did not wait for Kelama's response; he entered the house, went to the room where he had placed the baby to sleep, and then picked him up.
Exiting the house, he let the baby float before transforming into his dragon form. In his dragon form, Akachi created a bubble around the baby and made it stick between the larger horns at the center of his head.
Then he began to fly slowly to gain altitude while contemplating how to solve the problem that had just become more complicated… After all, the safest option had proven to be the least qualified for the task.
Now, only two excellent options remained for the task, but due to their own circumstances, they became extremely complicated to achieve. But then, he decided to bet on the baby's luck and hope that Aura truly favored the little human.
"We will go with the more difficult option, little human, but if all goes well, it will be the best choice for you. It might even exceed all my expectations, but that will depend on the strength of your destiny. But regardless of the outcome, may the will of Aura be done."