The woman reached out her hand at Kyran, and an invisible force grabbed him, lifting him off the ground.
Because of the racking pain in his body caused by the Draconic core's stirring, Kyran failed to react to the woman's movement.
The moment the invisible force lifted Kyran off ground, the woman motioned him closer. In just a short while, the two were already a foot apart.
The woman glowered at Kyran, her golden eyes piercing through him as if wanting to know every nook and cranny of his being.
In that instant, the Void core stirred and the Void magic energy circulated along with the Draconic magic energy within the Shaiha. Kyran did not stop circulating his Draconic magic because he sensed the power of the woman's 'hold' was enough to crush his body to death if not for the Draconic magic reinforcing his body.
This discovery shocked Kyran since his body had already gone through an enhancement after intaking the Elixir.
In any case, with the Void magic simultaneously circulating in his body, the woman's probing was countered.
'Hm?' The woman frowned as she stared Kyran in the eyes.
Kyran was still reeling in pain, but he did not avoid the woman's eyes. He believed if he did, she would continue to see him as a suspicious person.
Frankly, it would have been easier to tell her who he was. But because of the woman's dominating power, he was unable to utter a word.
The woman's frown deepened as she leaned closer to have a better look at Kyran.
Kyran wanted to pull away but was unable to break free from the woman's hold.
When the woman's face was only inches away from him, she suddenly sniffed— not once, but three times. Her golden eyes gradually widened as she leaned back and looked at Kyran again.
"You have Zane's smell and color... But... You're clearly not him."
'This again...' Kyran thought, recalling how Stella— the first Time Keeper— commented how he had Caelan's face, but Zane's color. He found such remarks a little rude, to be honest.
"And your power..." The woman felt displeased again, before continuing, "You clearly possess that annoying power of nothingness, but why are you not hurt after getting hit by my power?"
Kyran's brow twitched inwardly. Did that mean the woman's 'probing' was actually meant to hurt him?
"More than that... how come I can't sense your aura?" The woman's eyes narrowed and she added, "And why are you able to resist my authority?"
'Authority?' Kyran wondered. 'Did she mean the force she's using to hold me down?'
He paused after recalling what she said about not sensing his aura and was reminded of the Shaiha's ability. He felt apprehensive by this and wondered whether it was a blessing to have it or not. Because, if the woman could not sense his aura, then she also could not recognize that he also possessed the same magic energy she had.
'More importantly, who is this woman? She knows our ancestor... does this mean she really is...'
"Answer me, human."
Kyran's brow twitched at the woman's demand. Did she not realize he could not speak because of her power?
"Ah."
Seemingly realizing something, the woman froze for a second before her frown vanished and was replaced by a blank expression. She then said, "I permit you to speak, human."
"Ngh...!" Kyran let out a short cough as the pressure around him decreased. Confirming that he had regained the ability to speak, he did not answer the woman's questions and instead said, "Who the hell are you?"
The woman's expression immediately turned cold as she glared at him, "How dare you speak to me in such a manner! Don't you know who I am—?"
"I don't, that's why I'm asking."
"Ah."
The woman's expression froze for a second again, realizing Kyran's point, and then said, "You're right."
Black lines appeared on Kyran's head as he looked at the woman skeptically. He was initially feeling nervous because of the woman's possible identity. But now...
This woman was not the Dragon King... or is she?
As soon as he thought this, his Draconic core's stirring intensified and he almost keeled over if not for the woman's 'authority' keeping him in place.
Kyran understood at once what his Draconic core was trying to convey. It first reacted after the woman's aura swept through his body, meaning it recognized the woman. However, when he first wondered who she was, it did not react. Meaning, she was not the Dragon King. But why was she here?
Before that, how did she appear here? As far as Kyran was concerned, there was no other presence in the terrram when he arrived.
The woman noticed Kyran's complexion paled slightly as if he was in pain but was trying to conceal it. She extended her hand and touched his chest. Soon after, her raw energy entered his body.
"O-Oi— ngh...!"
Kyran felt his whole body burn as the woman's raw energy circulated into his body. However, the excruciating pain only happened for a few seconds, because the Shaiha stirred and absorbed the woman's energy. It then converted the energy, which then turned into his own Draconic magic.
The woman was taken aback as she pulled out her hand.
"This...!"
She looked at Kyran in disbelief and demanded, "Why do you have the Shaiha?"
Kyran gritted his teeth and glared at the woman, "Can you stop asking questions and release me first? Since you already know I have the Shaiha you should be able to tell why you can't sense my aura."
The woman glared coldly at him but deemed his reasoning was sensible and loosened her authority around him.
The invisible force holding Kyran down disappeared and he fell to the ground. However, the woman's energy still loomed over him, threatening to hold him down again if she found him an eyesore.
When the woman's authority eased a little, the stirring of Kyran's Draconic core also decreased and finally, he could decipher what his Draconic core was trying to convey clearly. However, the moment he understood it, cold sweat trickled down his back and his complexion paled.
He dared not look at the woman again, because she was...
"Now, answer me, human," the woman demanded again. "Why do you have the power of nothingness while having Zane's smell at the same time?"
She paused for a moment but continued without waiting for Kyran to answer, "Judging by your color, you're also family. But I don't remember ever having that annoying guy's blood mingle with ours."
That was right.
This woman is family. And she was Zane's wife.
Kyran felt his worldview shatter yet again by this unexpected revelation.
He had thought nothing could rival the shock he felt after confirming White Lily was Caelan's wife. To think that the reveal that Zane actually married a dragon.
Not to mention, this dragon is the Dragon King's—.
"Answer me, human!" The woman demanded forcing Kyran's thoughts to a stop.
"My father is a Regis, while my mother is an Ada, the last family to carry the previous Void Master's bloodline," Kyran answered.
"What?" The woman growled instantly sending the whole terram to tremble as her aura erupted again.
Kyran guessed the reason she was angered was because of the danger the union between two families connected to different Ancient magic would entail.
Unfortunately, her concern had already come to pass.
Before the woman could trap Kyran again, he circulated the Draconic magic once more while forcing the Shaiha not to conceal his aura. This way, she would realize how useless it was to get angry now.
As soon as he did, the woman's rising aura came to a sudden stop. Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Kyran.
"You..."
Finally, Kyran raised his head to look at the woman. However, he did not say anything and only look at her meaningfully.
The woman's aura eased slowly as she landed on the ground a few feet away from Kyran. She looked at him scrutinizingly before finally heaving a deep sigh.
"So it's already too late, huh?"
Kyran did not respond. He simply looked at her in silence.
The woman sighed again, saying, "Since you possess the Draconic core, I'm guessing you already know who I am."
"Ames, the White— daughter of the Dragon King."
Ames nodded as she took a step closer to Kyran.
"Do you understand how dangerous your existence is?"
Kyran remained silent.
"Your existence could very well cause the end of all realms, and destroying you now will prevent that from happening."
"Do that, and the new Soul Emperor will succeed in conquering the Human plane. After that, she will join the coming War of Sovereigns," Kyran started. "After winning that war, she will ascend to the Higher Realm. When that happens, she will cause a huge storm to every plane in your realm."
"Are you threatening us?"
"No," Kyran said with a slight shake of his head. "It's the truth. The new Soul Emperor has appeared in the Human plane. Just like how a new Void Master has come."
Kyran gave her a brief explanation of the current situation in the Human plane. All the while, Ames was looking at him in disbelief.
"I am here because I am trying to gather enough firepower to fend against the Sovereigns. I won't do anything other than that."
Ames did not respond. She continued to look at Kyran in disbelief.
"Can you let me continue work on my puppets? I will leave the terram after."
"Are you saying you plan to pit your puppets against Sovereigns?"
"Yes."
"You understand that using a puppet against a Sovereign is useless."
"I know. But I'm not aiming to win, only to buy time until we can find a way to restore the Human plane's Sovereign's Cradle."
"What about the Soul Emperor? How will you deal with her?"
Before Kyran could answer, the space distorted behind him and soon revealed a silhouette.
"Grandfather?" Kyran looked at his grandfather in surprise.
As if not noticing Ames's presence, Aron looked at Kyran and said, "We need to head back. Haylee had already taken action."
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