50: Chapter 50 The Judgment of the Myriad Universes

An ancient divine realm floats among the stars, constructed from dragon bone and dragon crystal. Time holds no meaning here. Five massive statues of Ancestral Dragons, each in a different form, hover in the center of the divine realm, their eyes burning with the eternal elemental fires.

The fire in the eyes of one statue—the statue of the Time-Space Ancestral Dragon—suddenly flared up, its brightness far exceeding the other four. The flames projected an image into the void: Meereen. The Great Pyramid. Inside the treasury, a black dragon hatchling was sleeping on a golden bed, its tail curled around a sapphire.

The voice of the Time-Space Ancestral Dragon crossed countless planes, vibrating through the void. "Number DK-0001. Code name 'Baron'. Bloodline has broken through 1000 points, releasing Ancestral Dragon pressure in a lower plane. I have captured his spatial anchor. Coordinates: Slavers Bay, Meereen."

The fire in the eyes of the Elemental Ancestral Dragon flickered slightly. "Half-blood? Or pure-blood?"

"Bloodline concentration has reached Ancestor of All Dragons (Pseudo). But purity—it is below the pure-blood line. He is a newborn variant. The system reports that he is carrying fragments of the Xiling Empire's 'Evolution' laws."

The voice of the Life Ancestral Dragon was older, carrying a thunderous quality like a sigh. "A variant plus evolution fragments. That is the only explanation for how he could break through 1000 points before even reaching a year of age. What do you all think?"

The Time-Space Ancestral Dragon did not hesitate. "I suggest dispatching an Enforcement Squad. Minimum specifications: one adult pure-blood dragon plus three Dragonborn Knights. Mission objective: Test his bloodline purity. Evaluate his loyalty to the Ancestral Land. If loyal—induct him into The Senate's observation sequence. If the mutation has spiraled out of control—purify him on the spot."

The Life Ancestral Dragon remained silent for a long time. Then, it spoke. "Timing?"

"He is currently on the eve of a mortal war. According to the time flow of the lower plane—within three months. That is enough time for us to assemble the Enforcement Squad."

The Elemental Ancestral Dragon gave its approval. "If he truly possesses the Ancestor of All Dragons bloodline—then the 'Beacon' we have waited billions of years for has finally been found. If not—"

The fires of the five Ancestral Dragon statues lit up simultaneously, merging into a single sentence.

"Evolution must not fall into the mortal world."

Dusk. The terrace at the top of the Great Pyramid.

From here, one could overlook the entire city of Meereen, the waters of Slavers Bay, and the distant desert stained red by the setting sun. The sea breeze blew in, carrying the scent of salt and the fishy smell from distant fishing boats. Two cups of tea sat on the stone table. Both were cold; no one had drunk them.

Daenerys sat in a rattan chair, staring blankly at the sea. The emerald on her necklace shimmered with a warm green light in the sunset. Her fingers unconsciously toyed with the edges of the emerald, its sharp facets warmed by her body temperature.

Footsteps. They weren't Drogon's—Drogon's footsteps were always accompanied by the sound of his tail.

These were White Mane's—heavier, steadier, with the slight friction of armor.

White Mane walked up to her, her voice flat. "Mother of Dragons. All rune locations have been confirmed. Twelve Sub-runes and one Main Rune. The Main Rune is on a stone platform in the center of the underground river, and the Sub-runes are scattered throughout the city."

"The person who set the array—we have already narrowed it down to three suspicious targets. All of them are surrendered Great Masters who previously traded magical items with Qarth. We will close the net tonight."

Daenerys nodded and gestured for her to sit.

White Mane hesitated for a second before sitting opposite her. Her greatblade leaned against the armrest of the rattan chair. She sat very straight, her back away from the chair's backrest. It wasn't out of nervousness, but habit—a mercenary commander does not lean back when in front of an employer.

Daenerys took a light sip of tea, her purple eyes watching White Mane through the steam.

"You've worked hard. You've barely slept these past few days."

"It is my duty. My mercenary company is taking your pay."

"White Mane. When he bit you that day in Yunkai—I know you hate him."

"But when you take him to find the runes tonight, please trust him. Though he is greedy, foul-mouthed, and his tail has a mind of its own—he is the person who can protect all of us. Including you."

White Mane hadn't expected Daenerys to say this. She fell silent for a moment, then slightly raised her chin.

"Mother of Dragons. I am not used to being protected. But I will trust him. And not because he bit me."

The two women looked at each other. There were no extra words, no tender sentiments, but a silent alliance was forming based on their shared battles and their shared bond with the same individual.

Daenerys set down her teacup and stood up. "Tonight, I will have Drogon burn all the runes. Then—we will drag the one who set the array to Meereen Square. In front of all the freed slaves, we will make him confess exactly what other hidden moves the Abyss Demon Realm still has in Slavers Bay."

The sky darkened as dusk sank into night. Meereen lit up with the lights of ten thousand homes. Freed slaves lit bonfires in the square, the smell of roasting meat and cooking smoke mingling as they rose into the night sky.

Drogon stood on the top terrace of the Great Pyramid, having shifted into his dragon form.

The black dragon with a twenty-five-meter wingspan crouched behind Daenerys and White Mane. His massive wings were slightly folded, and his belly pressed against the ground. His scales were warm—not the cold body temperature of a typical reptile.

It was the warmth of a bloodline tempered by dragonflame, like a rock that had been baked by the sun all day.

Daenerys leaned against his belly and closed her eyes to rest for a moment. Her breathing was light. With her back against his scales, she could feel the heartbeat beneath them—synchronized with her own.

Her fingers rested on the edge of his belly scales. There was a very fine crack on one scale, left by the frost erosion during the siege, which hadn't fully healed yet. Her fingertips repeatedly traced that crack.

White Mane sat by his tail, pressing a piece of dragon crystal infused with Ice Element against the gash on her hand. The skin around the wound turned slightly red from the cold. She didn't make a sound. The light from the dragon crystal reflected in her amber eyes, shimmering with a ghostly blue.

Drogon's massive head slowly turned, his vertical pupils watching the two women leaning against him. Daenerys's silver hair was spread across his black scales, the ends of her hair lifted gently by the evening breeze.

White Mane's silver-white braid hung over her shoulder, the tips stained with the gray-blue mud of the underground river. He didn't speak, but a very faint Dragon Breath escaped his throat. It wasn't fire, but air—warm and content.

His vertical pupils turned toward the lights of the city below. Dragon Perception expanded within his consciousness.

Two Sub-runes on the city walls—he felt them, faint ghostly blue points of light flickering in the cracks of the battlements. Two in the sewers—deeper, covered by mud and sewage, but the fluctuations of the Ice Element could not be suppressed. Three at the base of the pyramid—the closest, right beneath his feet. Combined with the secret passages already blocked by White Mane and that Main Rune pulsing in the center of the underground river.

Everything was within his perception. Each ghostly blue point of light was like an inflammation within the flesh and blood of this city.

"Abyss Demon Realm. Ice Scum. The lurking array-setter. Plus that fellow sitting on the ice throne in the north—you're all coming to cause trouble one after another."

His dragon tail swept lightly, the tip brushing against White Mane's calf. She didn't pull away.

"After we close the net tonight, I'm going to absorb all the residual energy from these runes into my Ice Element. And then—I will personally fly across the Narrow Sea to collect the debts of Westeros."

System pop-up: "Main Quest Updated: Clear the residual Abyss infiltration in Meereen. Current progress: 12/13 runes locked. Main Rune location confirmed."

Drogon closed his dragon eyes. His tail swept slowly across the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust.

"Tonight, I'll burn the Abyss remnants clean. Starting tomorrow—prepare for the western expedition."