Chapter 60: Illusions

Words : 1038 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 60: IllusionsThey hurried away from the hall, moving as fast as they could. The guards and attendants that were outside the hall had all disappeared, and the night was cold and dark. The darkness was like a shroud that covered everything, and the silence felt alive around them. "Where are all the guards?" Harkon asked. He held two swords in his hands, and his eyes flickered as he searched the darkness for what might appear. Lyra shook her head. "I don’t know. Something horrible must have happened. We should have seen them. Do you notice the unnatural darkness and silence everywhere?" Vacuse was thinking hard because right then, he felt as if the hall was even safer than the outside. Where is Zorathian? He should have led the Dragon Guards out by now. An uncomfortable feeling settled in his stomach. Was the Commander dead already? Or... Vacuse’s eyes narrowed. They hurried along when, immediately, a voice came to them in the dark. "My Lord! You’re okay!" They stopped walking. Zorathian stood in front of them, breathing hard, his hand clutching his chest. His cloak was splattered with blood, and he looked tired. A scar was outlined vividly on his cheek. "Zorathian!" Vacuse shouted in shock. He stared at the Commander but didn’t move closer toward him. Lyra and Harkon closed around him. "What the fuck is going on?" Vacuse asked. Zorathian shook his head. "I don’t know. Everything just happened at once. The Dragon Guards turned against each other, and it was all a bloodbath." Vacuse stared in shock. "Who are the ones responsible?" "I don’t know, but I have a feeling that it’s Duke Frexon. That old bastard always wanted this place, and he never tried to hide it from everyone. But now, he’s taking it too far!" "We have to go. Hurry, my Lord!" Vacuse took a deep breath. Duke Frexon. Right. Who else would it be? The man that wanted to kill him in front of the whole hall just a few days ago and was a known traitor in his past life. Now he couldn’t hold his ambition in anymore due to the fact that Vacuse awakened an SSS Dragon. Still, Vacuse hesitated. He didn’t make any moves. His eyes narrowed on Zorathian, and he asked, "Where is the real Zorathian?" Lyra and Harkon looked shocked as they turned to him. The real Zorathian? What was he talking about? Zorathian froze, and then he looked at Vacuse with a face filled with shock. "What are you talking about? I am Zorathian!" "Come, Vacuse. Let’s get out of here. I can feel that this place isn’t a good place to stay in for long," Lyra said, looking around them fearfully. But Vacuse didn’t move, and his eyes were firmly on who he believed to be the fake Zorathian. "Cut the fucking bullshit. You are not Zorathian, the Watch and Commander of the Dragon Guard. Reveal yourself!" They looked at each other, and tension built between them, something thick they could almost cut with a knife. But at last, Zorathian looked away. "I really am Zorathian... you know what? Fuck it. Bastard Dragon, how did you figure it out?" At once, the ’Zorathian’ changed the tone of his voice and spoke with a rough glare. Vacuse breathed a sigh of relief and took several steps back. Maybe Zorathian hadn’t betrayed him after all. But then... who the fuck was the person in front of him? "How couldn’t I figure it out? The way you speak, it’s just so different. The tone, everything. And then the wound on your cheek—for Zorathian, something like that should have healed." Vacuse didn’t mention the biggest indicator. The eyes. Now that Zorathian was using the eyes of the Blood Dragon, there was a shape inside his eyes. He didn’t mention it because it might be a trump card for Zorathian. The fake Zorathian sneered. "Oh, I didn’t know you knew the Commander that well. Would you look at that. But it doesn’t really matter. You’re coming with me." The illusion that the man wore slid away as if he was washing mud off his body. His real body was that of a scruffy man with overgrown hair. Vacuse knew that might not even be his real image, but he still stored the image in his head—just in case. "So you are the one that’s been controlling the illusions since. You’re the one manipulating everything so it won’t be heard outside." The man shrugged. "It’s an easy thing. So, should we do this the painful way or the easier way? It’s your choice. I’m really one that likes to give people options." Vacuse took a step back. He had already taken full measure of the man before him, and he came to only one conclusion. He was very dangerous. For him to pull off a trick of shielding the entire hall away—a thing of no easy feat—that meant he would be strong. His eyes flickered to Harkon and Lyra on either side of him. They needed to create a distraction for them to escape. Vacuse was thinking fast. ’...which one should I use? Should I push Harkon or Lyra forward to use as my distraction tool so that I can make my escape... fuck it... why don’t the useless of the New Dawn follow me tonight... I wouldn’t have trouble sacrificing any of them, but I already have plans for these two...’ Vacuse took a deep breath. If it came to that, then he would simply sacrifice them. After all, there was nothing more important or precious than his own life. Vacuse smiled. "How about you let us go? That’s an option as well, right?" The man snorted and took a step forward. The shadows on the ground grew tall and lean, surrounding him and weaving around his legs as if they were alive. "I heard that you are a smart little Dragon. You have already started to outsmart people and scheme around. "Do you honestly think I’m really going to let you leave after all the troubles we caused tonight? You’re important, kid. Like gold in the middle of shit. Now you have to deal with it."

Chapter 60: Illusions

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