Chương 32: Power Shared

The moment Aegis's boots touched the courtyard, the household finally felt relief. Aurelia reached Kindle first. She dropped to her knees in the dirt, gathered the Hearth Drake against her chest, and began crying before she had fully lifted him. Kindle made a tired, protesting sound as she pressed her face against the top of his head, but he did not struggle.

"You foolish little thing," she whispered.

"You could barely walk." Kindle's tail tapped weakly against her leg. Aurelia laughed through the tears. Orion looked away. Bellhaven's lights remained visible down the hill, and armed guards were still returning to their districts. Edric, Velara, and Dorian had withdrawn, but nothing prevented them from changing their minds once they reached the council hall. Knowing that did not stop Orion's body from recognizing the end of the immediate fight.

His shoulders ached, and his hands felt too light without Edric's sword. Every breath scraped against the tension he had held since tackling the captain. Roy lasted several seconds longer. He stood in the ruined foyer, staring at the road where Bellhaven's council had disappeared. Then his knees gave way. He sat hard on a broken section of flooring, both hands shaking. Talia noticed first.

"Roy?"

"I am fine." His voice came out thin.

"No, you are not," Aurelia said without releasing Kindle.

"I am not injured," Roy stared at his hands as though they belonged to someone else.

"I may have declared our cottage an independent settlement."

"You did," Garrick said. Roy swallowed.

"In front of Bellhaven's Reeve."

"Yes."

"And Dorian Vey agreed with me."

"Temporarily," Talia added. Roy nodded several times.

"That is somehow worse." Garrick leaned against a surviving support post and released a breath that seemed to empty his entire body. Talia sat beside him on a fallen section of plaster, one hand pressed to her chest. Shimmer and Spark remained wrapped around their shoulders. The Light Drakes had finally stopped chirping, though their bright eyes moved constantly between the road and Aegis. Talia looked down at her hands.

"We Awakened." Garrick stared at her, then he looked at himself.

"We did." Neither sounded as excited as Orion would have expected. Under any other circumstances, unlocking the First Seal would have consumed the night. They would have compared status screens, classes, and whatever changes the system had made to their bodies. Instead, the fact had been buried beneath a dragon hatching, a hostage threat, and Roy redrawing the political boundaries of the region through improvisation. Aegis did not join their relief.

He stood several yards from Aurelia with his back partially turned to the household. His wings had disappeared after landing, leaving him apparently human beneath the dark-blue armor shaped from his Weave. His attention remained fixed on Bellhaven. The Storm Dragon's posture looked relaxed, though Orion did not believe it. Aegis watched the town the way Orion watched a door after hearing something move outside it. Every distant torch mattered. Every figure passing between buildings became a potential threat.

Kindle had convinced him not to attack, Aurelia had convinced him to descend, but neither had convinced him that Bellhaven was safe. Aegis stepped toward the damaged perimeter.

"I will maintain a patrol." Orion moved before anyone else responded, catching Aegis by the shoulder. The conjured armor felt solid beneath his hand. Cold at first, then faintly warm where lightning moved beneath its surface. Aegis stopped. Slowly, he turned his head. The look he gave Orion was not the murderous smile he had offered Velara - it was worse in a different way. Aegis looked like a young man being prevented from doing something he considered obviously correct.

Irritation pulled at his mouth, and his eyes narrowed with a rebellion that was almost childish. Almost. The fact remained that the being glaring at Orion had threatened to kill civilians throughout Bellhaven less than an hour after hatching. Orion fought the urge to tighten his grip. He had always been the largest among his siblings. The person expected to stand closest to danger and make everyone else feel safer through the simple fact of being there. Shale had become larger, but that had never bothered Orion.

Shale could uproot trees and dig tunnels through stone, but he had never looked over a town and calmly calculated how many deaths would force its defenders to surrender. Aegis made Orion feel physically defensive in a way no member of the household ever had. But that was Orion's problem - not Aegis'. The Storm Dragon had been alive for minutes. He had heard the family threatened before he had ever seen them.

Every instinct he possessed had awakened around fear, coercion, and the need to prove he could prevent anyone from taking them. Orion understood what Aurelia and Roy had understood. Aegis was not trying to become part of their family - he already believed he was.

"Wait," Orion said. Aegis looked pointedly at the hand on his shoulder. Orion released him.

"The town requires supervision."

"The town needs time."

"To prepare another assault."

"To process what just happened." Aegis turned fully toward him. The Storm Dragon's armor shifted subtly with the movement, plates sliding over one another without sound.

"The two are not mutually exclusive. Your preparation until now has consisted of explaining why those who threaten you may have reasonable concerns." Garrick straightened.

"That is not fair. We were trying to prevent this from becoming a fight."

"And how successful was that?" Talia stepped beside Garrick.

"If you circle Bellhaven like a predator waiting for someone to make a mistake, you will guarantee another fight."

"Then they should avoid making mistakes." Aegis started to turn away.

"Aegis is right," Orion declared. The courtyard went silent. Aegis looked back; even he appeared surprised. Aurelia watched Orion over Kindle's head. Roy's hands had stopped shaking long enough for him to stare. Orion folded his arms.

"Half-right." The small satisfaction that had appeared in Aegis's expression vanished.

"Our family has spent too much time reacting," Orion said.

"Bellhaven makes a demand, we explain. They increase the pressure, we compromise. They surround us, and we wait until the only remaining choices are surrender or violence." Aegis nodded.

"Exactly."

"That does not mean your answer was good." The nod stopped.

"Circling the town like a carrion bird while hoping someone gives you an excuse to kill them is not preparation."

"I do not need an excuse."

"That is not helping your argument." Aegis's jaw tightened. Orion continued before the dragon could answer.

"You were correct about one thing. We cannot return to the cottage, wait for Bellhaven to decide what happens next, and hope being reasonable protects us. We need an actual strategy. Defenses. Agreements. A plan for what happens if Edric returns with more guards or sends word to someone stronger." Aegis glanced toward Bellhaven.

"I can deter them."

"For how long?"

"As long as necessary."

"Without sleeping?" The Storm Dragon hesitated; Orion pressed the opening.

"Without leaving to eat? Without helping us build? Without being anywhere except above Bellhaven making sure no one speaks too loudly?" Aegis's eyes narrowed; Orion recognized the expression. It was the same look Aurelia had worn as a child when Orion told her to clean her portion of the cottage before she could go outside. She would listen for hidden traps in every sentence, convinced that agreeing to one reasonable task would somehow lead to six more.

"We need your help," Orion said.

"Here." This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. Aegis looked suspicious.

"We work together. We decide what the actual threats are. Then we determine the best response."

"And while we deliberate, Bellhaven prepares."

"So do we." Aegis remained silent. Orion did not order him to stay, and he did not threaten him. Most importantly, he did not pretend the dragon's concerns were foolish. Eventually, Aegis gave one reluctant nod. Orion returned it.

"Good. The floor is open for suggestions." Talia looked around the devastated estate.

"Repairing the building might help." Aegis glanced at the broken walls, exposed rooms, and scattered debris.

"The furnishings were not my primary concern."

"You destroyed half the estate."

"Less than half."

"Orion damaged the first wall." Orion looked at him; Aegis continued without remorse.

"Roy can repair it." Everyone turned toward Roy, who remained seated on the floor. He had clearly been listening, though his face still looked pale.

"That depends," he said.

"On what?" Aegis asked.

"How charitable we are being with the word 'repair'." Roy placed one hand against the estate floor, his fingers spreading over the cracked wood. Orion had seen Roy inspect buildings before. Weave moved through the structure, and his brother's gaze became distant as his Architect class translated pressure, material, and design into something he could understand.

"The debris still touching the estate is easy," Roy said.

"Relatively." Aegis looked at the courtyard.

"Most of it remains within the grounds."

"Within the grounds is not the same as connected to the structure."

"You cannot extend the transmutation field?" Roy looked up.

"To the entire estate perimeter?"

"Yes." Roy laughed. It was a weak sound, but some of his normal life returned with it.

"You are joking." Aegis waited; Roy's smile faded.

"You are not joking."

"Would I have asked if I were?"

"Expanding Basic Transmutation across an area this large would require a monstrous amount of Weave."

"How much?"

"I do not know. Enough that calculating the precise amount is less useful than noting it would kill me." Aurelia looked up sharply. Roy raised his free hand.

"Under ordinary conditions." Aegis crouched beside him.

"You said the reserve was the problem."

"One problem."

"What are the others?" Roy gestured toward the ruined estate.

"I do not know the original layout. I saw portions of the first floor before you rearranged them, but not every room, support, or joint. Transmutation is easier when I understand the intended result."

"The fragments carry evidence of where they belong." Roy stared at him. Aegis picked up a broken section of timber.

"The split matches another surface. Nail holes indicate attachments. Compression marks show where weight rested." Roy's expression changed. His fear did not disappear; his mind simply found something more interesting.

"It would be like assembling a puzzle," he said.

"A simple one."

"A gigantic puzzle made of thousands of pieces, some of which are buried, burned, or scattered beyond the walls." Aegis shrugged.

"I did not say it would be fast." Roy looked down at his hand on the floor, then at the estate.

"If I had unlimited Weave Reserve…"

"Could you do it?"

"I could attempt it."

"That was not the question." Roy frowned.

"No. It is not impossible." Aegis placed one hand on Roy's shoulder, and the effect was immediate. Roy's back arched as a pulse passed through the floor and struck every surviving wall at once. Dust jumped from the boards. Loose stones rattled across the courtyard. Roy gasped. Blue-white light moved beneath his skin, following the lines of his veins before settling around his hands. System text appeared before them. [External Weave Conduit Established.] [All Current Skills Have Temporarily Gained Overcharged Variants.] [Overcharged Variants Persist While Physical Contact Is Maintained.] Roy stared at the messages.

"Aegis."

"Yes?"

"How much Weave do you have?"

"Enough."

"That is not a number."

"It is the relevant answer." Roy's eyes moved across something only he could see, then his expression became reckless. Orion knew that look.

"Roy."

"I am only examining the possibility."

"You said it could kill you."

"That was before the dragon turned himself into a bottomless reservoir."

"I am not bottomless," Aegis said. Roy glanced at him.

"How close?"

"Not close enough to matter." That was apparently sufficient. Roy pressed both palms against the floor, and Weave erupted from him. Under any normal circumstances, Orion would have tackled him away from the structure. He remembered the cottage roof. Roy pale and collapsing after pushing his reserve beyond what his body could sustain. This was worse. Power poured through Roy at a rate Orion could feel in his teeth, and the entire estate pulsed. For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then a stone lifted from the courtyard. A second stone rose beside it, and then a broken board. Plaster fragments, nails, sections of molding, and shattered glass began moving throughout the grounds. The estate reversed. The reconstruction came in small, painstaking decisions. Two broken timbers floated together, rotated, separated, and tried a different angle before their splintered ends aligned. Stone blocks dragged themselves through the soil and climbed into the ruined wall.

Shattered sections of flooring knitted together beneath Roy's hands. Missing material was not created. Debris throughout the grounds changed shape, excess plaster and broken furnishings becoming the substance needed to fill damaged supports. The work crawled outward from Roy. Orion watched an entire doorway reassemble itself from pieces scattered across three rooms.

"This is absurd," Roy whispered. His teeth were clenched. Aegis remained behind him with one hand on his shoulder. The Storm Dragon looked as comfortable as if he were waiting in line for supper. Aurelia approached; her eyes moved across Roy's status.

"How is he?" Orion asked.

"Normal." Roy groaned as another wall rose.

"That word is insulting."

"Your condition is normal," Aurelia said.

"Your exhaustion is not yet an injury."

"Comforting."

"I am watching." Roy's arms trembled; Aegis' did not. The contrast unsettled Orion. The power tearing through Roy would have emptied any of the siblings in moments. Aegis supplied it without visible strain. He had threatened Bellhaven while holding this much in reserve. Orion looked away from him. Aurelia was monitoring Roy. If anything changed, she would stop the process whether either dragon or Architect approved, which left Garrick and Talia. Orion approached them while the house continued rebuilding behind him.

"You should check your classes." Garrick blinked.

"Now?"

"The estate is repairing itself. We have time." Talia's expression brightened.

"Mine already gave me something!" Garrick looked offended.

"What?"

"A prompt."

"When?"

"During the standoff, I think." She brought up her status and shared the relevant portion. The text appeared before the group. [Skill Unlocked: Relevant Detail] [Passive: Heightens awareness of details, inconsistencies, and contextual cues likely to be significant.] Talia read it twice.

"It is broad. It does not explain what counts as significant."

"Probably depends on the situation." Talia looked toward Aegis.

"Does that sound right?" The Storm Dragon glanced at the message while continuing to feed Weave into Roy.

"It could be useful." Talia waited.

"That is all?" Aegis gave a small shrug.

"It is accurate." Garrick crossed his arms.

"I did not receive anything."

"You have been Awakened for less than an hour," Aurelia said.

"Talia received something."

"Talia was attempting to understand the intentions of a dragon, a council, and several people preparing to fight," Orion said.

"The situation probably required it." Talia nodded slowly.

"I was trying to determine whether Aegis actually intended to kill anyone."

"I did," Aegis said.

"Yes. You were not subtle about that." Garrick frowned at his own status.

"What triggered your first skill?" Orion leaned against a repaired section of wall.

"Bandits."

"And Roy's?"

"Playing with firewood." Roy looked over his shoulder.

"I was preventing the roof from collapsing!"

"You began by playing with firewood." Garrick looked toward Aurelia.

"And yours?"

"Cleaning up after Orion's encounter with the bandits." Orion nodded.

"Exactly."

"That was not an agreement," Aurelia said.

"It sounded supportive."

"It was not." Garrick remained dissatisfied.

"So mine will appear when something happens?"

"Probably," Orion confirmed. Your class is Knight, so my guess is combat." Garrick's expression lifted, but Orion held up one finger.

"That was not encouragement to find a fight. You should not be impatient for a situation dangerous enough to force a skill into existence." Garrick looked toward Bellhaven.

"I am not impatient." Talia snorted.

"You are pouting."

"I am thinking."

"Your thinking looks wounded." Aurelia stood.

"Whatever Garrick is doing, he can do it while carrying debris." She looked around the first floor. The reconstruction had reached most of the foyer and adjoining rooms. Walls stood where open gaps had been minutes earlier. The flooring remained uneven, and several doorframes were still forming, but the area was safe enough to enter.

"Your new Awakened physiques should make cleaning easier," she said.

"The first floor is nearly restored. We can begin sorting anything Roy does not incorporate." Talia rose immediately; Garrick followed with less enthusiasm. Shale moved toward a pile of stone until Aurelia redirected him away from the sections Roy was actively rebuilding. Nimbus and Clover followed her inside. Shimmer and Spark unwound themselves from their new partners and began floating through the restored rooms. Orion started after them, but a hand caught his arm.

Aegis still stood behind Roy, maintaining contact with one hand. His gaze pointed toward Orion's belt.

"The ability you used on the captain's armor."

"Kindle's Fury."

"You use it offensively?"

"Sometimes."

"With that?" Aegis looked at Orion's hatchet. Orion rested one hand on the handle.

"I have used it that way once."

"The weapon limits you."

"The head starts softening if I heat it too far."

"As I thought." Aegis extended his free hand.

"May I borrow it?" Orion did not move.

"For what?"

"In the event matters become electric again, I would prefer that you possess a weapon suited to your capabilities." Orion looked at the waiting hand. Then at the calm young dragon supplying enough Weave to rebuild an estate without appearing tired.

"What are you planning?" Aegis's mouth curved faintly.

"Preparation."