Dragon Genesis: I Can Create Dragons - Chapter 557: A New Rule.

Chapter 557: A New Rule.

The next morning in the Velmourn city was… even tenser.

It had almost become like a tradition, every other day felt heavier than the previous one.

Today, however, the reason was not the usual Stonefang–Velmourn tension.

Today, it was different.

The morning was pale and cold.

Snow covered the lanes in a thick white layer, cracked by boots and dragged lines where people had walked early. The sky was still grey; people were up before the sun.

This was the city centre, the gathering area.

Ropes were tied across the ground, making two spaces, one for the Velmourns, one for the Stonefangs.

Of course, the ropes alone could never stop a fight; they were just here to… remind. For the people to know that they were being watched and that they must control themselves.

However, things had already begun to change to some extent.

It was the third day since the Stonefangs came inside the wall. Of course, people were not comfortable. Not even close. The tension was still there.

But it was… far less than before.

After all, the two sides had… already gotten used to being in each other’s presence.

Velmourns had already worked beside Stonefangs at the Forge, the terraces, the Goatholds. Stonefangs had already followed orders inside the Wall and returned without violence. So even though the tension was still there, it was… not a blade pressed to the throat anymore.

It was a weight.

A weight that… people had completely ignored because today, their focus was on the stage where…

It was about to happen.

Public Execution.

Women and children were not brought here. On both sides, mothers stayed behind. Older elders stayed behind too, to watch the young ones and to keep the quarters calm. This was not something children should be seeing.

So it was mostly soldiers, workers, and elders. Men and women who had already seen enough blood in the Heights to understand what a… public execution meant.

On the wooden platform, Fraza was already there.

He was kneeling.

His wrists were bound. Chains ran from his cuffs to iron rings hammered into the platform. His shoulders were stiff, like he was trying to hold his pride upright even while forced to bow.

His head was pressed down onto a thick wooden block that had dark stains sunk into it, old stains that… would not wash away.

His hair was messy.

His face still had marks from the fight, from being dragged, from being questioned. His lips were split, and one eye was still swollen.

But his gaze was not weak.

Even with his head forced down, he looked sideways as much as he could, and in that one visible eye there was anger.

Hard, stubborn anger.

Around the platform stood guards from both sides, Velmourn soldiers and Stonefang warriors, both having similar hard, rough looks on their faces.

The men from the two sides were not mixed together. They stood in their own groups, their own lines. After all, three days weren’t nearly enough to forget the twelve hundred years of generational hatred. Minimum distance still had to be maintained.

At the front, near the stage, were the leaders.

The Velmourn elders, wrapped in thick cloaks, all standing with exhausted but sharp looks on their faces. Morvain stood among them, straight-backed like always, but even her eyes looked heavier than the day before.

On the other side was Gruumak. His arms were crossed, and he looked like he had not slept at all. The morning wind tugged at his hair, but he did not move.

Kael stood beside Morvain.

He looked calm from the outside, but Lavinia, who, as always, was standing beside him, constantly glanced at him, as if she could sense what he was thinking.

And beside them stood Zakaar, ready to translate everything Morvain was going to say for the Stonefangs.

When the last groups arrived and the centre finally settled, Morvain stepped forward. She looked at the people, both the Velmourns and the Stonefangs, and after a short pause,

“You should already know why you are here.”

She began.

“We called you because there was a traitor among the Stonefangs. A man who spoke to the enemy while we sheltered him inside our walls.”

Zakaar repeated those words in Stonefang tongue. By now, he had already gotten used to it and had gained quite a bit of weight in his words.

Low sounds of dissatisfied and angry snorts were heard from the Stonefang side. Morvain lifted her chin slightly, not reacting to it.

“You all know his name,”

She continued.

“Fraza.”

She pointed toward the stage.

Even from a distance, people leaned forward.

Some Stonefangs had already seen the capture, some had not, but the stories had already spread.

Morvain did not rush either. She let the people murmur and discuss; she wanted them to feel the weight of the situation.

“He was caught because the Warden of Vigilance sensed something was wrong,”

She spoke, briefly looking at Kael before turning back to the crowd.

“He gave an urgent order. Stonefang Chief Gruumak acted, and the Stonefang patrol did not hesitate.”

Zakaar translated.

Morvain’s gaze moved toward the Stonefang side as she continued.

“Four Stonefang patrol members rushed into his home and bravely followed and did what their Chief ordered them to do.”

A few Stonefang warriors nodded, their pride mixing with their anger.

Morvain’s tone stayed grave.

“And when they arrived, Fraza was not sleeping.

He was holding an active communication crystal.”

The yard tightened.

Zakaar translated again, and the Stonefang side grew louder for a moment.

“Traitor—”

“Stormcaller dog—”

“Kill him—”

They spoke in their rough tongue.

And only after Gruumak raised his hand did the Stonefangs turn silent, allowing Morvain to continue.

“When the patrol barged in and Fraza was caught red-handed, he resisted.

He fought his own people, even going as far as using his Bonds, and tried to run mid-battle when he realized he could not win.”

She paused for a moment, her eyes falling on the patrol members who captured Fraza.

“But he was captured anyway. Against the might of Stonefang warriors, he couldn’t do anything.”

Zakaar translated, and once again, the Stonefang warriors nodded, all staring at the patrol members who captured Fraza with looks of appreciation and approval.

“After Fraza was captured, he was given a choice.”

Morvain continued, people leaning forward to hear her clearly, even the Stonefangs.

“He was offered a chance to live by turning against the enemy. A chance to become a tool against the Stormcallers.”

Zakaar translated.

This time the Stonefang reaction was different.

Some faces twisted with disgust at the idea of letting a traitor live.

Some faces looked thoughtful, because they understood war needed dirty tricks.

“But Fraza refused,”

Morvain raised her voice.

“Even when he was chained, even when he was injured, even when death was placed in front of him, he refused.”

She looked directly at the Stonefang side now.

“He chose hatred over survival.”

Zakaar translated.

And that line hit hard.

The Stonefangs clenched their fists.

“And hatred like that does not only harm Velmourns.

It harms Stonefangs too.”

Morvain spoke, her tone getting even colder.

“It harms your families, your children, your elders. It puts a target on your quarter, on your people, on your new shelter.”

Zakaar repeated those words, and the Stonefang mothers who were here all clenched their fists when children were mentioned.

The thought of how Fraza risked even the children’s lives for his hatred made the Stonefangs’ disgust even stronger.

And not just the Stonefangs, the Velmourns too glared at Fraza with strong hatred.

The best and the most surprising part?

Not a single Velmourn blamed the Stonefangs.

Not a single Velmourn said that he expected a traitor to be amongst the Stonefangs because the Stonefangs can never be trusted. That the Stonefangs betray even their own, what’s stopping them from betraying them?

After all, these words alone could deepen the rift between the two sides, and with how high the tension between them was, this could have become an incident where the weak stability exploded.

But that did not happen.

Because Velmourns too understood that it wasn’t the Stonefangs who were at fault. This was not under their control. Even they had problems, even they had traitors on their side, the only difference was that they had Lord Kael, who turned the traitor to their side, while the Stonefangs…

The Stonefangs did not.

They had only been under Lord Kael’s grace for mere three days. That wasn’t nearly enough time for even Lord Kael to turn the traitor.

And they…

They did not have that luxury either.

Therefore—

There was only one way to solve this.

And that was—

“Today, Fraza will be executed,”

Morvain spoke as she looked at the crowd, and the moment Zakaar translated, the Stonefangs all nodded, their eyes already wanting to see blood.

Morvain, however, was not done yet.

She had… one final thing to say.

One important detail.

“And from this day forth,

Because Stonefang and Velmourn now stand under one wall, we will also stand under one rule.

Any traitor found in the future will be executed.

No matter the reason.

No matter the fear.

No matter the excuse.

No matter what side he comes from.

And no matter if he begs later.

Betrayal will be met with execution.”