Akevorax looked between the two a few times and then realised Adret never left either, her position behind the clan lord made it hard to see her smaller figure though. She stood quietly with her head lowered and eyes closed.

“Is something the matter, clan lord?” It now irked him that he still did not know either of these two dragons’ names, but very few across all eight worlds actually knew such things.

Names aren’t that important at these levels too, any title or word could represent them without any induced confusion.

She looked down at him before saying, “The matter of the dragonstone remains at hand. We intended to use that information as a test, confirming if your True Will appeared momentarily in your battle, but the fact itself was never made up. Casstilandri spent a few days within the trial ground to simulate mutations for your bloodline… Her mental state spiralled out of control, but that’s not your fault.”

Akevorax didn’t even need the conclusion, in fact stating it himself, “Every simulation failed and resulted in collapse?”

“Yes, so you do understand why we cannot give you the dragonstone.”

“Except you’re just wrong. Do you honestly think that puny thing can simulate mutations when even the Nexus can’t manage that? Not even that, it struggles with evolutions, yet you wanted to try your hand at mutations?” Akevorax rolled his eyes at the two dragons, not placing their words in his eyes as a core basis of his pride came into play. The Nexus’ ability was above all, he never once doubted that fact. Demigods, supremes, primordials, Great sages, Exeters…

None of them truly exceeded the Nexus.

And that’s where his name came from. Only one true end existed in this universe, and his greatest achievement would come on the day he surpassed it.

However, evidently the two dragons didn’t agree, if anything this information slightly lowered the Nexus’ ability in their eyes. A reasonable thought process, but incorrect. He could think of at least a few reasons the two dragons came to completely incorrect conclusions as well. The first reason being whatever process Casstilandri employed completely overlooked how the draconic nature of his body naturally focused enhancements onto non-destructive parts.

It should be reminded that this endurance is not ‘alive’ by any means, it simply functioned as according to whatever aided itself best. In this case, stable mutations always appeared where possible.

“What do you mean the Nexus struggles with your evolutions though?” Said the first elder, on second thought not once having heard of this situation.

“That’s something I can’t reveal. But how about we take the easy route instead of a child trying to convince you otherwise. Nexus, what are the expectations if I take the dragonstone?”

[Unpredictable. To answer your actual question, death has a near null value]

“Show them the message too, it’s annoying to convince others,” Akevorax threw out without reservation, the two adult dragons now looked down on the wafer-coated dragon in front of them with even further confusion. It was already beyond all expectations that he awakened a True Will at such a young age, but now came a bit of information which hadn’t been seen in their clan for centuries now.

Actually, given his age it might as well be millennia.

The clan lord finally asked that all-important question, “You’re contracted with the Nexus?” She hardly expected the prompt in her vision to exist, she rarely called on her status these days, let alone asking menial questions to the Nexus.

But the words in front of her lost all its robotic and standardised response. Rather, it felt like a real, breathing individual wrote them… Something which only occurred under one circumstance.

His nodding excited the two supreme tiers, as though the treasure before their eyes somehow duplicated in an impossible process, but Akevorax still somehow did it. In that flurry of emotions, the first elder couldn’t help but ask, “Your Authority level?” A question he immediately regretted as it asked a rather personal matter, but could no longer rescind as Akevorax heard it.

“Three,” he briefly replied.

At this stage, the repeated bountiful awe he inspired fell off harshly, only because they adapted ever so slightly to his more outrageous achievements now. If anyone heard this response, along with his real age, they’d simply assume he lied. The two of them, and Adret who quietly listened off to the side, also would have presumed such a thing. But his direct evidence from the Nexus, as well as incomprehensibly great power, all convinced the two supreme tiers otherwise.

They knew the normal power available to a young adult dragon, and Akevorax completely smashed those limits out of the park.

“We do apologise for this all then. Though, we would have claimed it anyway, just to get a reaction from you,” said the clan lord, who quickly hid her astonishment with a slight joyous smile. Akevorax rolled his eyes in response, only to see an item suddenly appear in front of him.

A very smooth grey piece of stone carved into a triangle with curved edges. Its surface contained no details, ornaments, not even words to its victor. What Akevorax slated to obtain since his first day, and funnily enough he actually obtained it in the end.

The dragonstone, quite literally named like so many other dragon-related things.

Akevorax couldn’t help but comment on it, having read descriptions of this item several times now, “It really is just a stone in appearance, I thought it’d be more like a gemstone.”

On the other hand, the first elder explained, “It’s a waste of time to modify its appearance, but prepare as much as you can prior to absorption. As for the other matters at hand. Firstly, the clan won’t exile you, leave and come as you please. And we completely rescind all requirements for you to join the clan or marry Adret, even if those things meant nothing in the first place.”

He packed away the stone as the explanation came and nodded in response, happy to finally have that problem dealt with.

Unfortunately, the other side rose to rebut the first elder, “We can’t let him go so easily, Akevorax’s power is almost unseen amongst dragons. Clan lord, you mustn’t let go of him!” She spoke emotively with great caution, but all her words felt artificial in his ears.

Akevorax’s eyes rolled as he waited to see the two adults’ reactions.

The direction took a turn he never predicted, as she replied to the younger dragon, “Adret, learn your failures for once. Perhaps that human wizard was right, just because you were isolated and suffer from the mentality of a child does not mean I should accept your joke of a behaviour.”

“But clan lord… I only did my best for the sake of the clan.” For a faint moment she voiced some concern and worry, but moments after dropped all that emotion for a robotic and dry reply.

“That’s why you’re a joke. Single-minded in your desire to be an adequate tool, but you’re far from that, closer to a hindrance than anything of use. If you don’t wish to be a dragon then I see no need to treat you as one, so tell me, what should I do with a tool who serves no purpose? Don’t answer that. you are no longer an internal member of the clan, do whatever you please,” her words cut into the young dragon who never expected this resolution. An overwhelming question hung over her head as an uncertain future returned.

She didn’t know what to do… She never had. Without direction, she panicked, looking about to the various faces and only growing increasingly worried as the clan lord turned away. Adret’s heart pounded, not with resentment or sadness, but pure anxiety as she resembled a child left alone in a forest by their carer.

Unwilling to lose that source of direction, she called out, close to crying with her wavering tone, “Wai– Wait! Mother, please! I won’t mess up next time. I’ll ensure the clan’s wishes are fulfilled!” She scrambled forward, Akevorax nodding with open eyes as the development veered slightly off track.

He wondered how exactly Mala would’ve reacted to this information, this would make a good story later on.

However, the clan lord, Adret’s mother in a twist of events, did not turn around to face her almost begging child, speaking coldly, “Our clan has enough tools, competent ones at that. You ran away from the next step for far too long, and I allowed your attitude without reason. It was entirely your decision to accept that lunar energy, and yet you refuse to use it meaningfully. How are you anything but useless in that case?”

Final words said and done, she took a single beat of her wings and vanished through a seam in space above the platform. Only the first elder and both younger dragons stuck around, everyone silent without even a hint of a desire to communicate.

“I’ll be taking my leave then. There’s nothing else for me up here,” Akevorax only spoke towards the elder, lacking intention to even interact with Adret until she changed in some way. The words specifically hinted to his continued stay at the Dragonlands for the foreseeable future, at least until he finished with the stone and any other materials of interest to him. Knowledge in the library naturally included in this part.

Once he left, the first elder teleported away shortly after, leaving Adret atop the mountain alone. The veil of night and its bright, shining stars illuminated her, but at the same time, looked down on her just like her mother’s gaze.

It could be said everything went perfect for Akevorax. For her, not so much.