Thea watched as Ryle stared at the distant mountains, his expression unreadable.
The silence between them was heavy.
Finally, he spoke.
"Four years ago," he said, "my Dragonoid friend and I found an artifact."
She turned to him. "An artifact?"
Ryle nodded, his golden eyes dark with memory.
"It was buried deep beneath the mountain, in an abandoned ruin that only he could access. No full-blooded dragons could enter—it rejected our presence, but for Dragonoids… it called to them."
Thea listened intently.
"We retrieved it together. At first, we didn't understand what it was—just a golden sphere, etched with ancient symbols." Ryle's hand clenched into a fist. "Then, we figured it out. The artifact amplifies a half-blood's power, fusing their human intelligence with their dragon instincts."
A power like that—
"That's why they executed him," Thea whispered.
Ryle exhaled slowly. "Yeah. But before he died, he gave the artifact to his younger brother."
Thea tensed. "And now that brother is…"
"Planning a revolution."
Her heart pounded.
So this was what Ryle had been waiting for.
She had always known he left Dragon Mountain for a reason—he wasn't just wandering aimlessly.
But to think he had been waiting for a war.
"Back then, I thought I'd find a solution," Ryle admitted. "A way to free the Dragonoids without burning everything down."
He turned to Thea, his golden eyes sharp.
"But after all these years, I never found one."
Thea held his gaze. "...Because there isn't a perfect answer."
Ryle nodded.
"If I support the Dragonoids, they'll overthrow the mountain. The three ruling races—Sky, Earth, and Leviathan—will be wiped out."
Thea swallowed.
A massacre.
"And if I side with the ruling races…" Ryle's voice was quiet now. "Dragonoids and Wyverns will remain enslaved. Nothing will change."
A suffocating silence settled over them.
For years, Ryle had carried this impossible decision on his shoulders.
But now—
Now, he believed Valtoria might be the key to Dragonoid freedom.
Thea narrowed her eyes. "Valtoria…? You think they can help?"
Ryle didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he turned away, his expression distant.
Before Thea could press further—
"BOO!"
Thea jumped as a voice exploded behind her.
She spun around—
Only to see Dravenith in his human form, grinning like a lunatic.
"Dravenith!" she snapped, clenching her fists. "You—!"
Dravenith ignored her, turning to Ryle.
His grin widened.
"Ryle," he said, "the revolution starts tonight."
Ryle dragged Thea and Dravenith into a private room, shutting the door behind them.
"Alright," he said, "we'll let the Dragonoids start their revolution first."
Thea stiffened. "What?!"
Dravenith leaned against the wall, smirking. "I like this plan already."
Ryle ignored him.
"If we expose the plan too early, the Dragonoids will be hated even more," he explained. "The ruling races will crush them, and things will only get worse."
Thea bit her lip.
"But if the revolution spreads fear first…" Ryle's golden eyes gleamed.
"Then we stop them," Dravenith finished, understanding immediately. "And make me look like the hero."
Ryle nodded.
Once Dravenith gained the public's trust, he would use that power to start another revolution.
One that would take leadership from the corrupt rulers.
A revolution that wouldn't end in massacre.
Thea's heart pounded.
"...And if this plan fails?" she asked quietly.
Ryle's expression didn't change.
"Then we fight."
Thea exhaled.
She wasn't sure which was more terrifying—the revolution itself, or the fact that Ryle had already accepted war as an option.
A heavy silence filled the room.
Then, a deep horn echoed through the mountain.
A warning signal.
Dravenith straightened.
"It's starting," he said.
Outside, the night was silent.
But Thea knew—
Before sunrise, the mountain would be drenched in blood, but, not with Ryle's help.