The dust in the Great Jungle Cage began to settle.
Dreleon stood in the center, his golden hybrid form slowly receding as his heartbeat calmed.
The silence that followed the combat was heavy, broken only by the rustle of the towering trees.
The King stood from his throne.
His presence alone seemed to double the gravity in the pit,"Your control is crude," the King's voice boomed, resonant and heavy like a physical weight.
"But to command a replica with zero practice... you have shown the potential of your race," The King descended, his massive lion-like frame casting a long shadow over Dreleon "Seeing your powers, and acknowledging that you are the Princess's pact-mate, I hereby appoint you as her Royal Guard. Do you have any objection?"
Dreleon looked up.
Seeing the sheer scale of the King and feeling the raw authority in that voice, he dropped to one knee, His voice was raspy from the transformation, but he spoke clearly. "This subject accepts the honor, Your Majesty. I shall be the shield of the Princess."
"Hmm. Then for knowledge of your powers and the weight of your new post, you must go to the Old Turtle," the King stated. He didn't wait for a response. "Just tell him I sent you."
In a blur of motion, the King disappeared.
He simply vanished, leaving a faint ripple in the air that spoke of a speed Dreleon couldn't even comprehend.
Princess Venesa stepped down from her lower throne.
As she moved, her beastly features faded, her skin smoothing and her sharp claws receding until she stood in her human form.
She looked at Dreleon, her expression unreadable, and gestured for him to follow.
As they walked through the corridors of the Divine Palace, the air began to change.
They were moving toward a remote corner of the royal grounds, a place where the marble floors and gold-leafed pillars started to fade.
The structural layout shifted; the sharp, clean lines of the palace gave way to moss-covered stone and ancient, twisted wood.
It felt as if they were walking backward through time, leaving the present and entering an era before the Kingdom was built.
"Do you know of this Elder?" Venesa asked suddenly.
She glanced at him with a flicker of curiosity, her eyes searching his face.
"No, Your Highness," Dreleon admitted. He felt a strange pressure in his chest; even if he wanted to sound more knowledgeable, he found it impossible to lie to her. "I was simply following you."
A genuine, light-hearted laugh escaped Venesa's lips. "Hahahaha! Good. At least you are honest.
Just stay close." Her mood had visibly improved, the coldness of the trial replaced by a strange, happy energy.
They reached the entrance of a massive mansion-like structure that seemed to be carved directly into the side of a mountain.
At the gates stood guards whose armor looked like it was made of dragon scales—dangerous, silent men who radiated a killing intent far beyond the palace guards.
Seeing the Princess, they stepped aside without a word, their eyes lingering briefly on Dreleon before they resumed their statuesque watch.
Inside, the luxury of the palace was completely gone. It was a cave—vast, dark, and smelling of damp earth and centuries of slumber.
The ground suddenly began to vibrate.
From the depths of the darkness, a massive, elongated neck emerged.
It moved with a slow, hypnotic grace, ending in a giant head that resembled a colossal snake, Its scales were a deep, obsidian green, and its eyes were like ancient lanterns.
Dreleon's blood ran cold. A snake?
Venesa, however, didn't flinch.
She bowed her head respectfully.
"I greet Elder Genbu. I am here by my father's order. He has commanded that you teach this man beside me, and acknowledge his new position as my guard."
Dreleon stood frozen. He looked at the serpentine head, then back at the mansion which was actually a shell. This snake is a turtle?
Unable to help himself, Dreleon's golden eyes flickered.
He pushed his spatial perception outward, a five-meter bubble of invisible energy meant to scan the creature before him.
He needed to know what he was actually standing in front of.