Chapter 26: The Flying Cage

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Flying Cage

Garrick froze in his tracks right behind Aurora, his eyes locked on the empty space where the spatial gateway had just collapsed.

​"Aurora...Krono is..."

​He did not need to finish the sentence. He knew exactly where that spatial tear led, and by the sheer horror etching itself onto Aurora’s pale face, so did she. That realization was exactly why they were both completely paralyzed. The implications were utterly terrifying.

​"I never thought the dragonkin would actually get their hands on Teleportation Artifacts. Those relics are supposed to belong exclusively to the ancient human empires. For feral beasts to possess and coordinate spatial magic... it goes against everything we know," Aurora muttered in a breathless daze.

He replied,

​"Yeah, I am just as astonished as you are. This is not just a random beast migration. If the apex races are actively using portal networks to move their young, this means a great apocalypse is waiting for us. They are organizing a continent-wide invasion."

​"I know the risks for the world, Garrick, but I am infinitely more worried about Krono right now!

Do you have any idea where that specific spatial signature leads? The place he just went is the Dragon Partition. It is not just some low-level breeding ground. It is a forbidden death zone full of real colossal dragons. We are talking about ancient beings that view humans as nothing more than afternoon snacks. Do you get it, Garrick?"

​"I do get it, Aurora. However, crossing into the Dragon Partition right now would be entirely impossible for us. The border of that territory is approximately 50,000 miles away from this forest if we travel by normal means.

Even with our peak agility stats and high-tier flying mounts, it would take us days to reach the outer perimeter. And we do not have access to any Teleportation Artifacts of our own.

By the time we actually reach him... it will be too late. Krono might already be facing a life-threatening situation right this very second."

​Aurora’s eyes instantly turned sharp, flashing with untamed fury.

​"What exactly do you want to say, Garrick? Do you want me to just abandon him to the monsters? No. I absolutely cannot do that. I will not. And need I remind you that the boy is also your student?"

​Garrick let out a frustrated sigh. He ran a hand through his hair, the immense stress of the situation finally cracking his stoic facade.

​"I know, Aurora. I care about the boy too. He has so much potential. It would be an absolute tragedy to let him die out there alone. But we are completely helpless standing here in the dirt. Unless we magically get our hands on a high-tier Teleportation Artifact within the next few hours, you can forget about saving him."

​Aurora turned around sharply. Her aura, as blinding silver as star, began to illuminate the forest.

​"I will manage the artifact, Garrick. I have a very special friend stationed at the Royal Court who owes me a life debt. They will help us secure an artifact from the royal treasury. You just get your gear ready, Garrick. We are going to war."

---

​A merciless, raging sun. A flying iron cage.

​Soaring high through the endless sky was a massive green dragon, effortlessly pulling a heavy cage shackled to its broad back.

​Inside that cage sat a very familiar person.

​Krono.

​By a great stroke of misfortune, he had been ambushed and captured by this hulking beast just as his fingers were about to close around the little baby dragon.

​Now, he found himself locked behind thick, reinforced iron bars. Whether these monsters planned to cook him alive or simply eat him raw, he did not know.

​However, something else entirely was occupying his mind. Astonishingly, he could perfectly understand the dragon language.

​Thanks to his Innate Skill, Photographic Comprehension, he had completely deciphered their basic tongue in just a few short hours. When he first fell through the portal, their voices had registered as nothing more than primal roars and guttural growls. Now, the chaotic noises formed clear sentences in his head.

​"Haha! What kind of cargo do you have today, Gorden?" a second green carrier dragon asked happily, flying up alongside them.

​"Humph. Can you not see? It is a human on my back," Gorden replied, shooting the other dragon a highly annoyed glare.

​"Oh, a human. I see. But why are you not eating it yet? I heard their flesh tastes incredibly exquisite." The second dragon licked its massive chops, loudly swallowing a mouthful of thick saliva.

​"I cannot. This specific human dared to attack the little Princess of the Fire Clan. He will be facing special trials and extremely slow punishments for his crimes."

"Princess? That fat, winged lizard was a princess? She could barely fly ten feet without panting."

Krono’s voice echoed from inside the reinforced iron cage, speaking the harsh guttural dragon tongue with mind blowing precision.

​"Huhh!" Gorden nearly missed a wingbeat in shock. It turned one of his massive yellow eye back toward the cage.

"Human... you speak the High Dragontongue? How?"

Krono sneered,

​"It took me three hours to decipher your primitive grunts. And if your so-called special trials are as pathetic as your flying speed, I am going to be severely disappointed."

​"Rorar, Ha ha ha," The second carrier dragon let out a booming rumble.

"Arrogant little insect! Do you have any idea where you are being taken? You are entering the Nephilis Caldera. The Fire Clan does not simply kill trespassers. They will strip your flesh millimeter by millimeter to feed the sacred embers.

Krono smirked darkly.

​"Let them try. Every beast that tried to devour me in the forest ended up dissolved inside my stomach instead. Your precious Fire Clan will just be my next meal."

"Keep barking, human worm. Once we land at the trial grounds, Lord Ignis will personally break your spine."

​"Tell him to hurry. I hate waiting for my food."