Chapter 12: The New Rule of the Drakain
The dust had barely settled on the Five Central Continents of Pandora, the carnage from the "Dragon Dance" still raw, when the new order was imposed. The First Dragon, Marcellus, though powerful and victorious, possessed an inherent, unchecked rage born from his human mother's torment. He knew, with a rare flash of calculated insight, that his own volatile temperament was ill-suited to govern a world that served as the nexus for scientific and magical exchange throughout the universe. He craved the thrill of conquest and experimentation, not the tedious work of administration.
This is where he turned to his son, **Damien**. The First Dragon, chuckling with grim satisfaction, installed his eldest son as the new ruler of Pandora. Damien, though a warrior by blood and instinct, was more than just a soldier. He loved his younger, still-maturing brothers, Valerian and Charles, who remained safe on Europa. This affection had instilled in him a curiosity for the things they pursued: the study of human magic, science, and the development of the hybrid Drakain species. While his father sought brute power, Damien sought understanding, a balance between the warrior's art and the mage's intellect.
On Europa, **Valerian** and **Charles**, though now 1,500 years old, were still in their protracted draconic maturation. They were leading the quiet study of the new hybrids on their planet, refining the next generation of Drakain while their father reshaped the universe. They were insulated from the brutal conquest, unaware that their father was using this very event as a proving ground for their abilities—and their loyalty. The brothers, unaware of the tragic fate that awaited them, were content in their studies, their magical prowess growing with each passing year.
Meanwhile, on the newly conquered Pandora, the planet's fifty **Archmages** remained silent. These were not simply humans; they were human hybrids who had achieved such ultimate magical power that they had become one with the planet's will itself. They possessed a collective consciousness, a shared mind that extended across the 50 continents. From their isolated, magical enclaves, they watched the "Dance of Fire" in silent communion. The planet's will was clear: it was not threatened. A dragon's rage, however immense, was but a fleeting storm in the planet's eternal existence. The Archmages' purpose was to protect the planet, not its inhabitants from each other. They allowed the invasion to proceed.
Marcellus, the First Dragon, had been ready for their intervention. He had anticipated a magical war, a grand finale of his conquest. He saw them, the gleaming figures of the Archmages, through the lens of his dark energy. But they did nothing. The Archmages, recognizing a greater threat in provoking Marcellus than in letting him conquer, simply stood down. Marcellus, interpreting their inaction as weakness, dismissed them, but stored the location of each Archmage away in his mind. He knew one day he might need them for a new, dark experiment. And if they ever crossed him, he would not hesitate to consume them all.
So it was that Damien began his rule over Pandora. A warrior with the heart of a scholar, a leader born of vengeance but seeking balance. He inherited a world of subjugated humans and ambitious Drakain, a powder keg waiting for a spark. And in the shadows, a hidden truth lay dormant in the mind of his brother, Valerian, and the silent watchers of the planet itself. The reign of the Drakain on Pandora had begun, but it was a rule built on a foundation of vengeance, tragedy, and the lingering threat of unimaginable power..
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