In that mysterious space, beyond the floating platform, there was nothing but endless darkness and endless silence, boundless and empty.
But then, light appeared.
At first it was only a faint glimmer, like a single candle in the void. Yet it grew, spreading outward in ripples.
One after another, stars began to bloom. Thousands of them flared to life, bursting forth like flowers of fire, until the whole expanse shimmered with a living cosmos.
Draco, Ariana, Emilia, and even Mimi, all of them raised their arms, shielding their eyes from the searing glow.
A sound followed.
It was a deep, resonant ringing that rolled through the void like the toll of a divine bell. And when the sound stopped and the light dimmed a little, they finally dared to look again…
And in the sky, she was there.
Before them was a colossal being: A dragon, a primordial, a divine one.
She was so majestic and overwhelming, her presence alone eclipsed everything else in existence.
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Draco stood frozen, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing before he swallowed hard, unable to form a single word.
Meanwhile…
"My heavens…" Lady Ariana gasped.
"So this is… Lord Siamelumis?!" Emilia's words trembled out of her as well.
Before them loomed a giant dragon, its body stretched vast beyond comprehension, its form woven from the pure light of the star itself. Four wings spread wide, feathers glimmering with starlight, each beat stirring the cosmos around it. A great halo of radiance circled behind its head, like a wheel of burning constellations.
Siamelumis gazed down upon them.
Her eyes were twin suns of silver fire, piercing and ancient.
The Clan Head and the First Lady collapsed to their knees, pressing their foreheads to the ground in reverence.
Emilia too fell, bowing low, her chest tight. For a moment, she even forgot how to breathe at all, as though the act itself required the dragon's permission.
Then, slowly, gracefully, the dragon descended from her place among the stars.
***
"Rise, my people, for I permit you to stand before me."
Her vast, resonant voice echoed again as Draco, Ariana, and Emilia straightened. Their spines felt carved from stone, and though they stood, none dared look too long at the divine dragon, whose radiance pressed upon them like an endless tide.
Mimi, meanwhile, was frozen stiff.
Holy shit… so this is Siamelumis… her true form…
Somehow, the little Noctifelis clung stubbornly to Emilia's shoulder. Her claws dug into the cloak, her tail puffed.
Draco stepped forward at last and bowed again.
"I, Draco Silvervein, Fourteenth Clan Head of the Silvervein Clan, greet our Guardian Deity. May your light shield our clan, may your wisdom guide our bloodline, and may our bond endure across the ages."
Ariana and Emilia lowered their heads in turn.
"It is such an honor to meet you in person, Lord Siamelumis," Ariana said softly.
Siamelumis answered, "Yes… I, too, wished to meet you. But forgive me. The wounds I suffered long ago still bind me to this sanctuary. Even now, I cannot leave."
"But even so," Draco replied, steady despite the tremor in his chest, "it is our greatest blessing to receive your protection, my Lord."
The immense eyes softened, glowing with a fleeting warmth.
"Your words flatter me, Draco."
But in the next breath, the warmth vanished. Her gaze sharpened, her voice rolling out like thunder.
"Now… let us cut to the matter at hand. Draco Silvervein, you already know why I summoned you, do you not?"
Draco stiffened as though struck.
"Yes, my Lord!"
"Good."
The dragon's head lowered, and the entire platform shook beneath the sheer weight of her gaze.
"Then speak. Tell me why."
In an instant, Draco's face drained of all color. Sweat trickled down his temple as he swallowed hard.
"Is it… because of what I did during my daughter's first summoning ritual?"
"Indeed." Siamelumis narrowed her luminous eyes. "As a beast tamer, one chosen and blessed by the Goddess of Magical Beasts, you dared to harm one of her sacred creations? You dared to use a vile artifact to defile the bond between tamer and companion? You have disappointed me greatly, Child of Arzarenia."
Her words slammed into him like rolling thunder, reverberating through the endless darkness.
Draco flinched at every syllable. He bowed his head lower, unable to endure that divine glare.
"Well then, since you already know your wrongdoings," she continued, her voice as sharp and cold as frost, "will you accept punishment now? Or do you still wish to speak in your defense?"
Draco opened his mouth. For a fleeting moment, it seemed he might protest, might beg for forgiveness. But no words came. His shoulders sagged, his pride and strength collapsing under the weight of guilt.
"No… it was my fault. I have nothing else to say."
Siamelumis's gaze deepened.
"Then if I strip away ten of your levels, will you accept it?"
"What?! T-ten levels?" Ariana gasped, her composure breaking as she rushed forward. "Please, Lord Siamelumis, this punishment is too much!"
But Draco raised his hand, stopping her firmly.
"It's fine, Ariana. Only ten levels… that is already a great mercy."