Chained to old wounds

CH98

Tarofu

I didn’t bother to hold her in place. It was more enjoyable to watch the guilty try to escape their punishment. The way she shrieked and tried to dodge reminded me of a much simpler time, when my Pyra and I were still running and building the dragon kingdom and our connection with the

humans.

Celestials and humans alike tended to be like this at the end: fearful and desperate.

“No! Stop!”

Ari tried to dodge, but it was no use. The figure of darkness, crashed down on her, as if she could ever escape judgement from me.

With a sickening crunch, the figure landed on Ari, its claws digging into her flesh. Ari screamed, her body contorting in agony. The Elders watched in horror, their eyes wide with disbelief. They had never seen anything like this before.

As the creature continued to attack, Ari’s body began to change. Her skin hardened, her nails lengthened, her eyes glowing with an unnatural light. She was transforming into her dragon form, but it seemed to be agony. She fought, twisting and clawing through the air. Not a single drop of blood was spilled. Her dragon scales began to melt, falling away like snow and dissolving into sparks of light that was swallowed by the darkness. I could taste her malice, her jealous and obsession. The more that was unearthed, the more I felt until I could see her whole life, rushing through my mind from the moment she was brought into the royal family to the moment she met Elia and started her tryst.

She wanted to become queen. She wanted Tsuneo. She wanted power and wealth and all the things that her father had wanted and died for.

I wondered if she knew how closely in her father’s footstep she followed. After all, her father supported Elia’s rise to the throne, not Hayato’s. I wondered if she knew how stupid she was. Considerable. Let her father would have sold her off to Elia at the first opportunity.

What an idiot.

She let out a last cry, falling back to the ground, completely human. The robes slipped and slid off her, just as dirty, but seemingly more ethereal for how completely ordinary she was now. She lay here, her body trembling, her eyes filled with a mixture of shock and horror.

Ordinary, Human. Vulnerable and at the mercy of the whims of those with more power.

1/4

CH98

The darkness dissipated and Tsuneo was shocked into silence at the back of my mind. The whole hall was silent. The Elders watched in silence, their eyes wide with disbelief and fear.

How did you do that?

We are the black dragon. We are the elder from once all dragons come. It is our darkness that

allows them light.

Tsuneo said nothing, but I didn’t not expect him to.

Ari slumped forward, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. She was pale and her eyes. were wide with shock and horror.

“Wh–What have you I’m so— What-

“Human,” I said, calmly. “I made you human.”

She gasped. Her breath caught in her throat.

“Human,” I said again. “As powerless as you’ve made them feel, and until your lover pops up to

either rescue his phoenix or claim his son, you’ll be detained in the human realm.”

“You can’t She choked grabbing her throat, bowling over and curling up.

Tsuneo-

seems for all

Humans can’t live in the celestial realm unbonded to a celestial,” I smiled. “And it seems his talk about you being his phoenix, he has not bonded you.”

crouched down to be at eye–level. “I suppose even a snake like that could see the evil in you would poison him.”

ler lips trembled and she burst into tears, reaching for me only to be shoved back to the ground.

s she sobbed.

Tsuneo, you can’t do this to me! What about us? What about-

motioned for the guards. “Bring shackles. You’ll have to drag her to the human cells.”

ayato’s lips twitched, he seemed amused and amazed all at once. She screamed and fought as ey grabbed her and hauled her up. She choked on the very air she was trying to breathe. Her ow human body rejecting it.

miled and watched them drag her away.

2/4

CH98

I sighed, feeling at peace and turning to Hayato. He stared at me and for a moment he seemed to see me, and I him. I thought of our daughter, the first golden dragon and shook my head. He had

her heart.

“Prince Tsuneo,” an Elder began to speak. “L… well… what…

“Oh, until she dies.” I smirked at him. “Exile is forever.”

how long will she be human for?”

They looked like they would pass out. It would serve them right, the bastards. Hing scanned the memories of the palace as they pertained to Tsunce and Haruka, they were lucky I wasn’t going to exile them just yet too. I hoped it would serve as an example of what would happen if they crossed me. I could bet they’d start scurrying to hide their secrets or push to get rid of Tsuneo

faster.

I almost couldn’t wait to see what they came up with.

I turned to the rest of the room. “Now, reparations are in order. Father, you had a dowry set aside.

for Ari, did you not?”

“Yes, I did…”

“We’ll start with that,” I said. “For reparations. I would suggest a split by severity. We will exclude what should be owed to Anya, as I imagine it would take the entire sum.”

I rattle off how we would have compensated people who had been abused versus those whose lives had been altered in significant ways. Hayato stared at me, his eyes narrowed. I got the sense that he knew that I was not Tsuneo, but I didn’t bother to confirm the suspicions in his eyes.

The Elders exchanged uneasy glances again, but they didn’t comment. Smart of them.

The total of Ari’s dowry and personal coffers were marked out for division. The dowry itself was more than fair for her place as a ward of the family.

With the matter of Ari’s reparations settled, I took my seat beside Hayato. Tsuneo seemed still and completely unwilling, but I brushed him off.

Like it or not, we are the Crown Prince.

“Now that’s out of the way, let’s discuss the Convening of the Celestial Compass,” I said. “I assume

preparations are being made to receive them?”

Hayato nodded, still eyeing me. “Though they have not begun as we do not have an answer for how many will come, nor a true understanding of the state of the palace… His lips twitched.

3/4

CH98

“With Lady Morgan unconscious, the thought would be to postpone if possible.”

The last Convening must have happened too long ago for Hayato to remember the protocols. Glancing over the Elders, it was possible that it had been before their time on the council as well.

What had happened to the Elders from before. I tapped my fingers on the chair, turning it over. I’d have to ask my wife, but for now, I just needed them out of my way.

“I have a proposition.”