Chapter 165 Seraphine
Valin exhaled again, slower this time. “Then we’re looking at something ancient.”
Lucian muttered under his breath, “Because of course we are.”
Dante’s gaze sharpened. “Keep going.”
Valin nodded. “There are… older beings,” he admitted. “Things that predate witches. Things that don’t rely on mana in the same way.”
My dragon stirred faintly beneath my skin.
Interested.
Alert.
Before Valin could continue, Lukas stepped forward. “There is one category you’re missing,” he said.
All eyes shifted to him.
“Voidbinders.”
The word itself felt… wrong.
Like it didn’t belong in the room.
Rhevik frowned. “I thought those were extinct.”
“They mostly are,” Lukas said calmly. “Extremely rare. Almost mythical at this point.”
Lucian leaned back slightly. “What do they do?”
“Voidbinders create wards using shadow distortion,” Lukas explained. “Not shadow like Kael uses. Not territory-bound shadow. True void manipulation.”
Dante’s brow furrowed. “Meaning?”
“Meaning they can bend space,” Lukas said. “Distort time. Twist perception. Their wards don’t just block entry—they disorient, confuse, trap.”
A quiet unease settled over the room.
“That sounds… unpleasant,” Lucian muttered.
“It is,” Lukas said. He paused. “But voidbinders would not align with Thane.”
Valin glanced at him. “Why not?”
“Because they hate dragons.”
That got everyone’s attention.
“They always have,” Lukas continued. “When dragonkind began to awaken and take territory, voidbinders began to disappear. One by one.”
“Extinct?” Rhevik asked.
“Driven out,” Lukas corrected. “Or hunted. Or they fled.”
Lucian tilted his head. “So where are they now?”
“Gone,” Lukas said simply. “For the most part.”
He hesitated briefly. “There is only one I know of who is still alive.”
That shifted the room again.
“Where?” Dante asked.
“In the mountains,” Lukas replied. “He lives in isolation. Refuses to leave his territory. Refuses to engage.”
“Why?” Amara asked.
“In fear of dying,” Lukas said.
Silence.
“So not him,” Lucian concluded.
“No,” Lukas said. “If a voidbinder were involved, we would already know. Their magic leaves… very distinct scars.”
Valin nodded once, then continued. “Alright. Next.” He straightened slightly. “Blood Ancients.”
Lucian immediately frowned. “Those are gone.”
“They used the same foundation as witches,” Valin said, “but on a far more advanced level. Darker. More dangerous.”
“They burned themselves out,” Lucian said. “Too much power, not enough control.”
Valin nodded. “Most of them died young.”
“Not most,” Lucian corrected. “All of them.” He crossed his arms. “The last known blood ancient died over six hundred years ago. We haven’t seen or heard of one since.”
Dante exhaled slowly. “So they’re out.”
“Yes,” Lucian said. “Unless one magically resurrected itself, which I’m going to go ahead and say is unlikely... even for our current situation.”
Valin nodded. “Then that leaves…”
He trailed off slightly.
I leaned forward. “Anything else?”
Lukas spoke before Valin could. “There are two other possibilities.”
The way he said it made something cold settle in my chest.
“And I don’t like either of them.”
Lucian sighed. “Of course you don’t.”
Rhevik shifted slightly. “What are they?”
Lukas hesitated.
Actually hesitated.
Which told me everything I needed to know before he even spoke.
“These are not beings that follow the written rules,” he said carefully. “They exist outside of what we consider acceptable magic.”
Dante’s voice dropped. “Define unacceptable.”
“Forbidden,” Lukas said.
The word lingered.
“These beings are either made of it… or were born from it.”
Silence filled the room again.
“Start talking,” Lucian said.
Lukas nodded once. “The first are Starborn dragons.”
That got everyone’s attention.
Rhevik frowned. “Starborn?”
“The very first dragonkind,” Lukas explained. “Ancient. Their magic isn’t tied to elements like ours, it’s tied to the cosmos. Planets. Cycles. Time itself.”
Dante’s expression shifted slightly. “Powerful,” he muttered.
“Beyond powerful,” Lukas corrected. “They are… close to god-like.”
Amara blinked. “And they’re just… around?”
“They exist,” Lukas said. “But they do not participate.”
Valin crossed his arms. “No throne. No alliances.”
“No rules,” Lukas added. He glanced at me briefly. “I am… familiar with one.”
That surprised me.
“He refuses to take a seat at the table,” Lukas continued. “Starborn dragons do as they please. Their territory is hidden... completely invisible. No one enters or leaves without their permission.”
Lucian exhaled. “That’s convenient.”
“They are known for extremely strong wards,” Lukas went on. “Nearly impenetrable.”
Dante tilted his head slightly. “Nearly?”
Lukas nodded. “They have a weakness.”
That caught everyone’s attention.
“Their magic is tied to cosmic cycles,” he said. “On a new moon… their power nearly vanishes.”
Lucian blinked. “Van... what?”
“Not completely gone,” Lukas clarified. “But weakened. The wards still exist, but they become… unstable.”
“Unstable how?” Amara asked.
“Like pushing through resistance,” Lukas said. “Thick. Slow. Like moving through something gelatinous.”
Lucian made a face. “That sounds disgusting.”
“You could get through,” Lukas said. “But it would alert them immediately.”
Dante nodded once. “And even weakened, they’d still be a problem.”
Lukas gave him a look. “They would still kill you.”
“Good to know,” Lucian muttered.
Rhevik swallowed slightly. “And the other one?”
The room went quiet again.
Lukas didn’t answer right away.
He sighed.
And for the first time since the meeting began, he looked… uneasy. “If it’s the second one,” he said slowly, “then I don’t know what we can do.”
Dante’s gaze sharpened. “What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I mean,” Lukas said, “I don’t think any of us can do anything at all.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Rhevik’s voice came out quieter this time. “What is it?”
Lukas looked at each of us. “Serpent sages….”