Morning light filtered through the library's stained windows, casting rainbow patterns across ancient stone.
Null entered first, the massive doors opening silently despite their size. The library stretched upward into shadow, shelves upon shelves of knowledge accumulated over millennia. The air smelled of old leather, preserved paper, and gathered wisdom.
Aurora waited in the central reading area, surrounded by floating tomes that turned their own pages. Crystalline orbs drifted overhead, providing steady light.
She looked up as Null approached, her golden eyes reflecting depths of knowledge he couldn't yet fathom.
"Punctual. Good." She gestured to a cushion across from her. "Sierra will arrive momentarily."
As if summoned, Sierra entered, frost still melting from her scales. "I'm here, I'm here. Not late if the lesson hasn't started." She settled beside Null, their wings nearly touching.
"Your elements," Aurora began without preamble, "are more than weapons. They are fundamental forces that shape reality itself. Spatial manipulation hasn't been seen for three centuries. Ice, while common, manifests in you with unusual purity. Both require understanding beyond instinct."
She raised her hand. Golden ether condensed above her palm, forming a miniature sun with solar flares.
"Observe. Solar ether isn't merely heat and light. It is the force of creation, fusion, the engine that drives stars." The construct pulsed, gravity pulling loose papers toward it before she dismissed it.
"Null, create a spatial distortion. Small, controlled, sustainable."
Null focused on the space above his claw. The air rippled, twisted, then stabilized into a sphere where light bent at impossible angles. It held for four seconds before collapsing.
Sierra stared. "How? We just awakened yesterday, and you're already doing it consciously?"
"His mind processes information differently," Aurora explained. "Sierra, your turn. Create ice from the air's moisture, not by freezing existing water."
Sierra concentrated, frost spreading from her claws. A rough spike formed, then shattered immediately. She tried again, frustration building as construct after construct failed.
"Patience," Aurora instructed. "Ice doesn't rush. It builds inevitably, one layer at a time."
On her fifth attempt, Sierra succeeded. A perfect, clear-as-diamond sphere of ice materialized.
"Better. Now maintain it while I speak." Aurora pulled out an ancient tome bound in scales that shifted color. "You know of the dragon elders who govern our kind. But above us exists another tier of power entirely. The Nexus."
Null's attention sharpened. "The Nexus?"
"Not merely rulers. They are beings who have transcended the limitations of their species through will, wisdom, and power." Aurora opened the tome, revealing detailed illustrations. "For all of recorded history, dragons were considered the apex species. We were the measure by which all other power was judged. The Nexus changed that fundamental truth."
She turned the page, revealing seven figures rendered in meticulous detail.
"The Nexus of Life—an elven matriarch who has lived since the world's second age. She remembers when dragons were young. Her mastery over nature itself makes our elemental control look crude.
"The Nexus of War—a human who should have died a thousand times. Each battle only made him stronger. His understanding of conflict transcends physical combat. He wins wars before they begin.
"The Nexus of Shadow—a demon lord who united the abyss through cunning rather than force. Information is his weapon, secrets his currency. Nothing happens in the underworld without his knowledge.
"The Nexus of Steel—a dwarven forge master whose creations defy natural law. He has made weapons that can kill concepts and armor that blocks fate.
"The Nexus of the Skies—an angel who chose to fall, gaining power through the synthesis of light and dark. Neither heaven nor hell can claim dominion over her.
"The Nexus of the Deep—something ancient from the ocean's depths. Its true form has never been seen. It controls the waters that cover most of our world.
"The Nexus of the Arcane—a monster of pure magical energy given consciousness. It doesn't use ether; it IS ether, unbound by flesh or form."
"How strong are they compared to you and the elders?" Null asked, his tone carefully neutral.
Aurora considered her words. "Stronger. Significantly so. In raw power, each member of the Nexus could likely face multiple elders simultaneously. They've had centuries, some millennia, to perfect their abilities. Where I might match one briefly, they would overwhelm me through sheer mastery and experience."
"Why do they rule?" Sierra asked, ice sphere still rotating slowly above her claw.
"Because without them, the world would tear itself apart. Dragons would dominate through might. Demons would corrupt from below. Angels would impose order from above. Humans would expand endlessly. The Nexus maintains balance, ensuring no race can overwhelm the others."
She paused, studying both young dragons. "Each member of the Nexus has a child who will attend the Academy within the next fifteen years. You will likely meet them there."
Before either could respond, Chalybs entered, his metallic form reflecting the orb light. "The younglings progress?"
"Judge for yourself," Aurora replied.
Null created three spatial distortions in a perfect triangle without looking up from the tome. Each one bent light differently—one reversed it, one accelerated it, one froze it in place.
Sierra responded by creating an ice sculpture of the library, complete with tiny floating orbs.
"Impressive control for ones so young," Chalybs admitted. "Though peace-time mastery differs from combat application."
"Which is why they train in both," Aurora said.
A messenger burst through the doors—a wind dragon, breathing hard from flight. "My queen, urgent news. The Order has been sighted near the eastern border."
Aurora's entire demeanor changed, warmth replaced by cold authority. "Specifics."
"Three villages from the Darkwood. They left… messages. The scouts say they're written in dragon blood."
"What kind of messages?" Chalybs demanded.
"Declarations. They claim that the Nexus are false rulers and that dragons should reclaim their birthright as the dominant species. They say the old ways were pure, that this peace is a cage."
Aurora stood slowly. "Gather the elders. All of them."
"My queen," the messenger continued, "there's more. They left survivors who reported that the Order had been recruiting. Not just exiled dragons, but others who believe in species supremacy. Demons who want to rule the surface. Angels who think they should impose divine order. Humans who believe in manifest destiny."
"They're building an alliance of supremacists," Chalybs growled. "Each group thinks they'll come out on top when the Nexus falls."
Aurora turned to Null and Sierra. "Continue your practice. What you just heard changes everything. The Order isn't just a group of exiled dragons anymore. They're becoming a movement."
She swept from the library with Chalybs and the messenger. The massive doors closed with a sound like thunder.
Sierra's ice sphere shattered. "The Order wants to destroy the Nexus?"
"They want to return to the old world," Null corrected, effortlessly maintaining his distortions. "Where might determined hierarchy. Dragons are at the top, and everyone else is beneath."
"But that would mean endless war. Every species fighting for dominance."
"Some prefer war to peace if it means they might rule." Null let his distortions fade. "The Order believes they're righteous. In their minds, the Nexus perverted the natural order by forcing equality."
Sierra created new ice, forming weapons—spears, swords, arrows. "We need to get stronger. Fast. If the Order is recruiting from multiple species, if they're targeting the Nexus directly…"
"We will." Null's countdown read 212 days. Soon enough for his next skill. "The Academy should be interesting. Testing ourselves against the Nexus's children."
"You think we can match them?"
Null looked at her directly, a slight smile playing at his lips. "Match them? We'll surpass them. Your ice manifests purer than any in generations. My element hasn't been seen in centuries. Give us time."
"Time the Order is using too."
"Let them. They're gathering rabble who believe in racial superiority. We're becoming something they can't predict."
They returned to practice with new intensity. Null pushed his spatial manipulation further, creating distortions that linked to each other, bending space between them. Sierra formed increasingly complex ice constructs—moving parts, interlocking pieces, structures that reformed when shattered.
Hours passed. The library's eternal quiet was broken only by the whisper of turning pages and the soft crackle of forming ice. When exhaustion finally forced them to stop, both dragons had progressed more in one morning than most did in months.
"Tomorrow?" Sierra asked, wings trembling from exertion.
"Tomorrow," Null confirmed. "And the night after. And every day until we're strong enough to matter."
They left the library together, walking through corridors that no longer felt quite as safe. The castle had always been a fortress, but now it felt like a preparation ground.
"The Nexus's children," Sierra mused as they walked. "I wonder what they're like."
"Strong, probably. Arrogant, definitely," Null's tone carried amusement. "They've grown up knowing their parents rule the world. We'll teach them otherwise."
They reached the junction where their paths diverged.
"Null?" Sierra called back.
He paused.
"Whatever's coming… I'm glad we're facing it together."
Null nodded once. "So am I."
He continued to his chambers, mind already processing the new state of the world. The Order wanted to burn it down in the name of supremacy. The Nexus maintained a fragile peace through overwhelming power. Both were ideologies backed by force, and a war between them was inevitable.
A war like that created chaos. And chaos was where he thrived.
He settled into his meditation position, the countdown glowing in his mind: 212 days. His next skill needed to be something that would not just accelerate his growth, but transform his very existence. He wouldn't just participate in the coming storm. He would be at the center of it, testing himself against the strongest beings of the next generation.
The Nexus's children would arrive at the Academy expecting to dominate.
Null intended to be the most interesting thing there.