“I can smell a Dragon,” a man who was nothing more than a shadow said.The Shadow stood over a trembling man whose chest had been crushed inward by what appeared to have been a single devastating blow. Blood ran from the corners of his mouth as he struggled to breathe.“Please… please… please! Don’t kill me, please!”The Shadow smiled almost gently.“But I must. Your beast is a truly unique one. The Pathway is a very special one. What’s the beast called again? Ah! I can’t remember, but it’s one of the best defensive around here, right? As a B ranked leader of the Clan, you have the strongest, right?”Bodies covered the ground around them.None appeared to have died peacefully.Some had their limbs twisted into unnatural positions, while others had their spines torn from their bodies. Several chests had been smashed open, and a few corpses had been compressed into grotesque balls of flesh.Yet there was one injury that every dead body had in common.A small wound could be found low on

“You can do what you want,” Arthur said.Quinn gave a sharp, almost mocking smile.“…I can do what I want? What if I want your head, eh, dear father…”He turned toward the room, and his gaze settled on Craton.The man who had wanted him dead.To be honest, Quinn had never had any particular grudge against Craton before today. The moment Craton threatened his life, however, things had changed. And now that Craton wanted what Quinn possessed, leaving him alive would be a foolish mistake.“Craton. You said you want my life, yes? You can come and have it,” Quinn said, his voice cold and firm.The room stirred.Everyone turned toward Craton.The color drained from his face as he glanced toward Duke Jarred, but the Duke did not even acknowledge him.“I… that is… I didn’t mean…!”“Enough!”Quinn’s voice thundered through the hall.He began walking toward Craton, his pace steady.“Where’s your dignity as a Drakemont? Why are you stampeding? Stand by your word! You want my life? Then you can h

Quinn soon realized that being an heir involved far more than simply giving orders. There were things an heir was expected to do, and perhaps more importantly, there were plenty of things he was expected not to do. There were rules, responsibilities, and countless details that came with his new position.Immediately after the Pathway Conclave ended and everyone was dismissed, Captain Yemi came to Quinn and took him to his new wing in the palace.Captain Yemi was the commander of the defensive squad, one of the many squads that made up the Dragon Guard responsible for protecting the Dragon Lord and the palace. The Dragon Guard had several squads beneath it, but the defensive squad was one of its core forces. They were directly responsible for keeping the Dragon Lord and his heir alive, or at least making sure neither of them died when a fight broke out.They were also the true elite of the Drakemont family, commonly known as the Dragon Knights.If the family were still at the height of

The next few days passed in a blur.Quinn spent most of his time in his room, trying to learn everything he could from Syrax. Unfortunately, the little Dragon was just as lazy as he was stubborn. Rather than teach Quinn anything useful, Syrax would sleep and occasionally offer some vague advice such as, “…only your mind can show you the way…” or, “…meditation will do you lots of good.”What good meditation would do for him was never explained.Syrax simply went back to sleep, and even when Quinn managed to shake him awake, the Dragon would spend his time training instead of teaching.The only thing Syrax ever praised was Quinn’s control over energy. Even that praise came with an expression full of disdain.“…our control isn’t bad. But that’s it. You’ll need to work even harder if you want to use the Void. It demands precise control because once you lose control, you’re dead…”Quinn absorbed every piece of information with greedy eyes. He wanted more power, and every bit of knowledge h

Quinn’s mind raced as he tried to figure out who the man was. His single eye narrowed as he studied him, searching through the memories of his past life.Apart from Arthur, who else possessed enough authority to make the Dragon Guard obey him without question?A rumor he had heard in his previous life suddenly came back to him. Quinn immediately asked Syrax, ’..what did this man look like to you? What does his aura feel like?..’’..Dragon…and Dragon kins twisted into each other. I’ve never seen anything like this before. I can feel the pathway on him! How is that possible!..’Quinn took a slow breath as the answer finally became clear.“You are Varyn Drakemont, the Watch and commander of the Dragon Guard!”Varyn raised his brows.“It always takes this much time for your brain to start working?”Varyn was a dangerous man.Even in his previous life, Quinn had only ever heard his name through rumors. He had never actually seen him, but the stories surrounding Varyn had been enough to mak