CHAPTER 196: BURIED BY TIME

Riley, who had been listening to the story that honestly got him chuckling earlier, suddenly went stiff.

Because when Kael said he realized it had been the wrong move, Riley, who had been following the tale of the past, became extremely nervous.

It almost became difficult to ask his next question.

"Why?" he managed to say quietly.

Kael scoffed, leaning back a little, looking as if he still felt incredibly stupid even after so long.

"Because I didn’t know that I was the only one who could see the egg’s true characteristics."

"!!!"

Riley blinked at him, confusion spreading fast.

Kael sighed and continued, "I had been too young to know that such a powerful glamour existed. I wasn’t even aware that to everyone else the egg appeared as an Iron Dragon."

"What?!" Riley gasped, his hand flying up to cover his gaping mouth.

His mind was reeling. There were so many questions he wanted to ask—like how Kael could see through the glamour as a dragonling. And more importantly, black dragons?

Kael could see the way Riley’s face twisted as he tried to hold back his curiosity. For someone who already had his blood running through his veins, what else was there to hide?

So Kael began to explain.

And Riley, who had thought he had seen and heard everything, couldn’t quite believe what he was hearing.

The Black Dragons.

Just like the rest of the dragon species, the black dragons had once roamed Eryndra freely. But unlike most of the others, the black dragons—together with the golden dragons—were said to resemble the primordial dragon the most.

Riley gawked as Kael raised his hand. A small spherical barrier of magic appeared between them, and within it, the elements shifted and changed in a mesmerizing sequence.

Water shimmered first, then a hurricane formed to represent wind. Lightning cracked inside the orb before flames of different colors danced across its surface.

And then Kael said that, similar to his family, black dragons could also wield different elements and the blue flame—a mark of those blessed by the primordial dragon himself, the same being who had given up his immortality long ago.

Riley’s jaw nearly dropped.

In his mind, black dragons obviously had to be strong and proud. So how could a history nut like him not have heard about them before?

Apparently, it was because the black dragons, who had originally been another ruling clan and held the Dragon Lord’s position at the time, were wiped out in the war that gave rise to the Wyrmfall of today.

Wait.

Riley’s world was collapsing on multiple fronts.

Not only was he listening to a story where the dragon he liked—and massively thirsted for—had once been engaged to an egg, but now the history and facts that everyone had spent years memorizing and writing about were apparently wrong.

He had almost died studying for those exams, and now they were all wrong?!

Has he—no, have all of them—been living an actual lie?

Well, apparently, yes.

Fuck.

Moreover, surprise, surprise, but the annual accords were apparently all rooted in that missing chunk of history!

Gobsmacked, flabbergasted, and completely stunned, Riley raised a hand toward the dragon lord, tilting his head left and right as his brain began to overload with questions.

"Kael." Riley couldn’t even muster the energy to sound unthreatening. "Are you telling me that Wyrmfall didn’t use to be like that?"

"Yeah," Kael said simply. "It was the result of a long-standing battle between the different magical races. One side against the factions that aligned with the Wyverns. The war lasted for several thousand years. Some periods were more turbulent than others. But it’s how Wyrmfall turned into a wasteland, with its leylines destroyed beyond repair."

Riley blinked at him, his mouth opening slowly. "You’re telling me a war that lasted for that long didn’t even appear in any historical text?!" His voice was rising now.

"Of course, it probably appeared," Kael replied calmly. "It’s just that they’d likely be described as localized battles or fragmented accounts. Most people wouldn’t have known how long the war between the wyverns, dragons, and eventually everyone else had been going on."

"But what’s pertinent to what you’re curious about is how the war ended. The main reason why the other races relinquished authority to the dragon clan was because of the great sacrifice of the dragons—most notably, the black dragon clan."

"!"

Riley swallowed hard. "Sacrifice?"

"Yes," Kael said quietly. "Against an abomination that had tried to change the laws of creation. You can just imagine what it was like, fighting something immortal that wouldn’t give up."

He paused, eyes darkening as if recalling something he had never truly forgotten. "And what it took to deal with that creature was a sizeable force from the dragon clan, including my ancestors and every one of the few remaining black dragons."

He leaned back slightly, his tone becoming thoughtful. "From what I’ve been told, it was because the black dragons were especially gifted in runic arts. It was mainly thanks to them that the longest war finally ended."

Riley listened intently, brows furrowing.

"Then how come no one knows about this?" he demanded. Riley thought that for such a great feat, shouldn’t they be on every single cereal box?!

Kael almost smiled at the twig’s indignation on someone else’s behalf, but his answer came steady. "Because when the new leaders came together to decide on what to do, they chose to bury everything about it. They hoped it wouldn’t be repeated again."

"Huh?!" Riley’s voice cracked.

"It wasn’t particularly erased, but they elected not to continue passing down its tale for several reasons."

"With the authority of the dragons of today, one would think we’re infallible," Kael continued. "That if a crisis happens, I’d probably be able to solve it myself. Because that’s what history tells everyone."

"It’s bullshit, as you know."

"But the shift of power agreed upon by the leaders of the past was to make it easier for everyone to check on each other while creating a sense of security."

He turned his gaze toward the far wall, voice lower now. "Because how do you think everyone would feel after learning that it took nearly the extinction of dragons and the near collapse of every other race to stop such a catastrophe?"

Riley stared at him, speechless.

Kael looked back at him, golden eyes steady. "But then imagine learning all of that as a descendant of the now struggling yet eternally vindictive wyverns. What would you think?"

Riley’s eyes widened as the thought sank in. He muttered under his breath, "That maybe I can do it again. Without the same dragons, won’t it be possible to succeed this time around?"

Kael nodded. "Mn."

"Because unlike humans, magical beings don’t particularly care to avoid repeating history. With such long lives, someone would undoubtedly be bored enough to attempt a better version of what failed."

Riley thought that was such a horrible concept but after living for thousands of years even heroes might just live long enough to turn into villains.

"However, just because that part of history wasn’t passed down doesn’t mean those who remembered would magically forget about it."

"So to the remaining members of the dragon clan, the black dragons have been elevated—deified, even."

Kael gave a tired smile. "So now, you could just imagine everyone’s reaction to my claim back then."

Riley groaned softly. "Ah, shit."

Even with his limited experience in politics, he couldn’t help but curse.