Vey'rax followed Aeria as she made her back to her room, if one could call it that.
It was basically a small house, detached from the main building, and far too large for one person to reside in.
He, however, didn't dwell much on the size of her chambers, as his mind was still in complete disarray from the earlier encounter.
He just learned that the father of his so-called 'Master' was no other than the man he wanted to kill more than anything.
The Wind Emperor, one of the four Emperors who betrayed the dragons and slaughtered them all.
He forced a couple of blinks against the girls control over him, trying to wake up from this cruel joke but it was to no avail.
This was no nightmare, all of this was real.
There was one thing, though, he could not exactly wrap his head around.
He heard of the Wind Emperors castle, an enormous beyond belief, made of black bricks and large enough to be a city in itself.
This residence, despite being bigger than any he had ever seen, was far from being a castle.
'Why were they staying here instead of the castle?'
Then, as if to answer, the girl spoke up as she lowered herself on the sofa.
'He shows up once in a year and wants to kill my beast? Tskk" the girl let her body sink into the soft cushions of the sofa.
'Once per year? Does this mean the girl stays here alone? Why would the Wind Emperor live separately from his daughter?' Vey'rax wondered as he too settled down on the neatly polished wooden floor of the chamber.
Suddenly, a heavy knock came from the entrance door they came through only moments ago.
"Huh? The girl rose quickly from the sofa and moved swiftly toward the door.
An armoured warrior came into view as she swung the door open.
"Lady Aeria. Your brother, the Crown Prince, wishes to speak to you" the royal guard announced.
"Aetherion?" the girl paused for a moment, surprise clear on her face. "Did he say what he wanted?"
The royal guard shook his head.
"I am afraid not. But he did say that its urgent"
"Urgent…" Aeria muttered the word under her breath, before turning toward Vey'rax.
Aeria lingered for a couple of moments before letting out a deep sigh.
Then, she turned toward Vey'rax, who was trying his best to remain unseen and forgotten so that he could carry out his escape.
"Come" she said toward him, "Let's see what he wants"
Despite his futile attempts at resisting the girl's command, Vey'rax's wings whipped and his body followed the girl without delay.
As they followed the royal guard, they left the property of the imperial residence and moved toward a small clearing in the forest, where by the cliff stood a single figure.
It wasn't hard to tell that he was the Crown Prince.
His silk clothing was etched with gold lining, something only the emperors would splurge themselves with.
He turned before they even announced their arrival, his eyes swayed carefully across them, a smile that didn't quite reach them flashed across his face.
"Sister, it's been a long time"
"Aetherion, what do-" the girl simply replied.
"I heard you tamed a beast, I thought I should give you some guidance" the Crown Prince cut in, coy smile cut across his face.
Aeria instinctively stood in front of Vey'rax.
"Father said I can keep him"
"Father… he's getting too old and too weak to lead our people. Come, let me see that beast of yours" he said, taking a couple of steps toward them.
Suddenly, a heavy pressure filled the air.
In an instant, both Aeria and the royal guard fell to their knees, choking at air as the Crown Prince as his suffocating presence moved closer toward them.
Aetherion titled his head as he came to a halt just a step away from them.
His eyes locked onto Vey'rax who, despite the menacing presence, remained afloat.
"Huh, what is this beast? A basilisk?" the crown prince chuckled slightly, "Seems like you've gotten a bit lucky, sister. What do you say you offer this beast to your brother as a gift for his soon ascension to the throne?" Aetherion asked, stretching his hand toward Vey'rax.
A sudden pull came from his palm, one that Vey'rax felt before, right before the girl had tamed him.
'Is he…?!'
Vey'rax cursed inwardly as he realised what the Crown Prince was trying to do. He wasn't sure why but he knew that getting tamed to crown prince would not end well for him.
"No!" Aeria called from the ground, "He's mine!" she protested but the crown prince did not even bother to listen to her cries, his grin widening as strengthen his pull toward the beast.
Normally, when a person tames a beast, the bond can never be broken. But when a tamer's rank is far greater than the beast's currents master, they can perform what's often referred to as Beast Theft.
[Beast Taming Detected]
A sudden notification flashed across Vey'rax's vision, followed by another.
[Auto Rejection Activated]
With it, the pull from the crown prince's palm vanished.
"Huh?" surprise flashed across Aetherion's face.
With his rank he should be able to steal a newly tamed beast without any issue.
That moment of surprise caught him so off guard that he allowed the Spiritual Presence he was outputting to waver, letting the girl and the royal guard get back on their feet.
Aeria dashed toward Vey'rax, wrapping her arms around him, while the guard patted his armour from dirt.
"Your Highness" the royal guard suddenly said as the crown prince raised his arm once more. "I believe you were supposed to meet your father for afternoon tea"
The crown prince hesitated for a moment, before letting his arm fall to his side. His not so genuine smile returned to his face.
"You're right." he said, already turning to leave, "I will see you again later, sister" he added as he walked unhurriedly away.
Aeris lingered for a while, her slender arms trembling slightly for a long while, before she finally managed to calm herself down.
'That Crown Prince is going to be a problem' Vey'rax noted, as he watched the hair to the throne disappear behind the woods.