Several days had passed from when Call to Arms and Mass Drill were out of cooldown, but Jack didn't use the monarch system after arriving back in Themisphere. Instead, he flew out of Thereath and headed toward Mount Thenias behind the capital.
He continued going higher until he reached the mountain's peak. At this height, the peak was covered by snow. He saw several Snow Minotaurs roaming the snowy landscape. He had engaged these minotaurs in the past when he visited the Blacksmith Circle. These minotaurs were too weak for him now.
He continued flying until he arrived at an enormous cave mouth. He observed that none of the snow minotaurs ventured anywhere near this place. When he was about to enter the cave, a voice greeted him from inside.
"When I first heard that you became Themisphere King, I thought it was a joke."
A large dragon with golden scales crawled out of the cave.
"Syndrillis! Where have you been all this time?" Jack greeted the dragon.
"I took a break from the world," Syndrillis answered. "After Galva lost Liguritudum to his son and died, I lost interest in involving myself in the world's affairs. I had been chilling out in the South for some time. Didn't expect so many things to happen while I was away."
"So, you are here for Broidrireg?" Jack asked.
"Not just me. The remaining true dragons are all inside. I come out to see which idiot dares to venture near this lair."
"Is this idiot allowed to hang out with the magnificent true dragons?" Jack asked.
Syndrillis chuckled. "Well, I guess if it's everyone's favorite idiot, I think we can make an exception."
Syndrillis turned around and gestured for Jack to follow her. The two went into the cave.
The tunnel became bigger as they headed deeper. It was also bright. Colorful stones that emitted light decorated the tunnel's wall. They came out to a vast cavern filled with its own ecosystem. Strange trees and plants filled the cavern. Sunlight slipped through the multiple gaps in the ceiling, providing the trees and plants with sustenance. A small lake stretched from one side of the cavern to the other. Rock islands of various sizes were seen around this lake.
On one of the largest islands, Jack saw five colossal beings huddle together. Those were the remaining true dragons aside from Syndrillis. They were Broidrireg, Eoranth, Quetzalcoatl, Jygorth, and Tiemezzys.
They noticed Syndrillis and Jack coming over.
"Hi, mighty one," Jack greeted Broidrireg with a smile. He then addressed the other dragons, "Hello, everyone."
Tiemezzys scoffed at Jack but was otherwise silent. Jygorth gave the strongest expression. "Why is an outworlder here?" The black dragon asked.
"He is okay, Jygorth," Syndrillis said. "He is the Themisphere King. Broidrireg wants him here. Now move aside, will you?"
Syndrillis pushed Jygorth to make room. Jygorth grunted but didn't resist. He moved aside to let Syndrillis sit with them. Syndrillis tapped the ground next to her, gesturing for Jack to sit.
It didn't take long for Jack to speak. "So, I have been wondering. What do you dragons chat about when you gather like this?"
Broidrireg chuckled. "First of all, it's very rare for us to gather like this. We dragons are very solitary creatures. Not many occasions can bring us together."
"It's not too different from us, outworlders," Jack said. "Most of the time, we only value something important when we are about to lose it or when we've already lost it…"
"Way to bring down the mood, outworlder," Quetzalcoatl said.
"How long do you have?" Jack asked.
"I originally thought I only had two more days. But from my life force, I believe I still have at least five more days, Broidrireg answered.
"Is there nothing that can be done?" Jack asked.
Broidrireg smiled. He shook his head. "I'm dying of old age. Not of a curse or a wound. Nothing in the world can cure old age. Not even the Gods."
Jack frowned after hearing that.
"Now, if you are going to keep scowling like that, I'm going to throw you out," Broidrireg threatened. "I don't want to waste the last few days of my time sulking."
"Forgive me," Jack said and forced a smile. "So, back to my question. What do you dragons usually talk about?"
"On rare occasions when we gather, we usually catch up on what we have done during our time apart," Syndrillis answered. "Considering we live a very long life and only meet after centuries, we have a rather long tale to share. Tiemezzys here was recounting the time when he formed a contract with the past Themisphere king when we sensed you approaching."
"Oh? Please continue," Jack said to Tiemezzys. "I am interested to hear about how you came to know the late King Theridan."
"I don't know Theridan," Tiemezzys said. "I form my country guardian contract with the third king, Thegromar. The kid enjoyed adventuring and led multiple military expeditions all over the land. One time, his expedition force was completely routed. While wounded and fleeing from the enemy, he ended up hiding inside my lair. I showed myself and gave him a fright. I was trying to chase him out of my lair, but he ended up becoming unconscious due to his wound and the shock from seeing me. I considered just throwing him out and being done with him, but I ended up taking care of him until he recovered. As strange as it sounded, we somehow became friends."
"Hehe, I didn't know you have a soft spot like that," Jack said to Tiemezzys.
"Can it, outworlder! I still haven't forgiven you for killing Themos," Tiemezzys exclaimed.
"Come on! You know he was under Marcus' influence. He was no longer himself," Jack defended himself. "Also, wasn't he just a descendant of your friend? Why do you care so much about him?"
Tiemezzys turned away. "He was a lonely kid. Thenodeep spent most of his time dealing with the country's affairs rather than being with him. Little Themos grew up into a teenager who always wandered about in the wilderness. One day he wandered into this lair when I still lived here. We met. We spoke. He came visit me often then."
"I see… I'm sorry," Jack said. "I'm sorry that I've killed your friend, but he was no longer the kid you know after he accepted Marcus' wicked offer. I don't regret killing him, but I'm sorry for the pain it causes you."
"Hmph," Tiemezzys just harrumphed for a response.
"Let me say this again. Way to bring down the mood, outworlder," Quetzalcoatl repeated.
