webnovelfull Chapter 279 - 273 – The plan of Khael Corzedar
Chapter 279 - 273 – The plan of Khael Corzedar
THE NEXT DAY – VEYL ACADEMY PREPARES FOR THE FESTIVALMorning sunlight spilled across the towering spires of Veyl Academy, painting the cobblestone paths with soft gold. Students ran back and forth carrying boxes, banners, and stacks of wooden boards. Festive lanterns shaped like tiny blooming dragons hung from stringed lines across the courtyard.
Even the sky seemed brighter, touched with the warm anticipation of the upcoming Veyl Foundation Festival, the biggest event of the year.
Khael walked through the lively scene with his hands in his pockets, pretending to be calm, though his mind churned like a storm.
Kaom… Lucere… the shards…
His footsteps slowed when he passed a group of students painting a huge banner.
"VEYL FESTIVAL. 7 DAYS LEFT!"
Some were laughing, some were arguing about color combinations. It should have been a peaceful, refreshing morning.
But Khael felt the weight of an entire calamity forming on the horizon.
Because now he knew:
Lucere's next target was Kaom.
Kaom, the sleeping giant.
Kaom, the guardian of the Shard of Emotion.
Kaom, the lock and the key to reviving the Dragon of Emotion… and Yuna.
Khael tightened his grip.
His heartbeat echoed in his ears.
(I can't let him get Kaom… If Lucere breaks that seal)
"Your eyes are too serious for festival day."
A calm, warm voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
Khael turned.
Standing beneath the academy archway was a tall man with gold hair and serene blue eyes like a god descending from the clouds.
Master Isen.
He smiled lightly.
A smile that hid storms behind it.
"Walk with me, Khael."
Khael exhaled quietly.
Of course Isen knew.
He always knew.
THEY WALK THROUGH THE QUIET GARDEN
Away from the noise and crowds, the academy's garden was peaceful—filled with drifting petals, and the faint scent of morning dew.
Isen walked with his hands behind his back, robes fluttering softly.
"You spoke last night of a giant. Of a sealed calamity." His tone was still gentle. "Tell me more."
Khael swallowed.
He expected this.
(Khael, remember, don't tell him you know this from a manga. You'll sound insane.
Stick to the lie.
The dragon inside you… yeah, use that.)
He lowered his head respectfully.
"Master Isen… the dragon inside me. Azael. It… whispered to me."
Isen's steps slowed just enough to show interest… and suspicion.
"A dragon whispering to its vessel." He chuckled softly. "Master Yuna also did that so not impossible."
Khael continued, weaving his lie as steadily as he could.
"It told me of a giant named Kaom. That Kaom protects something called a shard, a manifestation of… emotion itself."
Isen's expression hardened just slightly.
"You speak of the Primordial Shards."
Khael blinked.
He didn't expect Isen to know that name so easily.
"Primordial Shards?"
Isen nodded, looking toward a distant floating tower.
"In the dawn of the First Era, dragons and humans forged relics shards of emotions, each one holding a piece of the Dragon of Emotion's dominion. They were meant to be kept apart."
(Damn… so he really knew).
"And Kaom?" Khael asked carefully.
Isen's eyes narrowed.
"Kaom was one of the Three Giants of Origin. The last remaining sentinel."
"His body is a fortress. His spirit is a lock."
"And within him… sleeps a shard."
Khael looked away, pretending to be surprised but inside, he was panicking.
(This is worse than I thought… Kaom isn't just a guardian. He IS the seal.)
If Lucere awakens Kaom…
If he shatters Kaom…
He would claim the shard easily.
Isen finally turned to face him fully.
"How did you know the Hollow Nine are targeting the shard?"
Khael froze.
That was the question he dreaded most.
He forced calm into his voice.
"…The dragon. It said the Hollow Nine are moving. That a new shard was awakened. Lucere used one to revive a beast… so he'll look for the next."
Isen watched him.
Silent.
Studying.
Khael wondered if Isen could see right through him.
He wondered if Isen already suspected that Khael knew far more than allowed.
Finally, Isen spoke.
"That dragon blood inside you…" His voice softened. "It's a blessing and a danger."
He stepped closer.
"Khael. Understand this."
The air grew heavy.
"The giants cannot die. They were made to be unkillable immortal not by design, but by function. Their bodies reject death. Even dragons could not kill them."
Khael nodded stiffly.
"I know. That's why the First Era sealed them."
Isen's eyes flashed.
"And you know that too?"
Khael cursed internally.
(Shit. Damn it. Too much.)
He forced a nervous chuckle.
"The dragon… whispers a lot."
"…I see."
But Isen didn't look convinced.
They reached the far edge of the garden where an old stone statue of a dragon knight stood.
Isen leaned on it lightly.
"Let me tell you what I know. And you tell me if your 'dragon' said the same."
His gaze sharpened.
"Kaom's seal weakens every hundred years. Another cycle approaches. Many groups are eyeing him."
"But only one has both the motive… and the madness… to break him."
"Hollow Nine." Khael said.
"Yes."
Lucere.
The man both Isen and Khael most feared and for very different reasons.
Isen crossed his arms.
"Khael… do you know why Lucere wants Kaom?"
Khael inhaled slowly.
"Because Kaom's shard is tied to the Dragon of Emotion."
"And who do you think gifted Lucere this obsession?"
Khael remained silent.
Isen finally spoke:
"…Yuna."
Khael looked up, startled.
Isen's gentle smile faded into something somber—almost grieving.
"Lucere adored her. Worshipped her. Same as I did."
"When she died… Lucere shattered."
Khael clenched his fists.
This part he knew already from the manga.
But hearing Isen say it… made it real.
"If Lucere acquires Kaom's shard, he will attempt the impossible reviving Yuna."
"And if he awakens Kaom along the way… the world may not survive the aftermath."
Khael's jaw tightened.
"So we must protect Kaom."
Isen nodded.
"Exactly. But…"
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
"Your knowledge. Your certainty. Your details… Khael, they are too precise."
Khael's heart jumped.
Isen's blue eyes pierced into him like spears.
"Tell me the truth."
"How do you know so much?"
Khael swallowed.
His mind raced.
His chest tightened.
This was the worst-case scenario.
(Should I tell him?
Should I say I'm from another world?
No. He might deem me a threat. Or worse… a liar.
Stick to the lie.
For now.)
Khael bowed deeply.
"…Master Isen. The dragon."
"It's vague… but the closer Lucere moves, the more it whispers. It doesn't want the shard falling into the wrong hands."
Isen stared.
Silence.
Then
"…Very well."
He turned away.
But his voice dropped to a darker tone.
"Khael. Dragons rarely whisper. They roar."
"So if your dragon is speaking softly…."
He looked over his shoulder.
"it means it fears something."
Khael felt a chill crawl down his spine.
Isen continued as he walked away.
"And if it fears Lucere… then we must prepare."
He paused.
"One week from now is the Festival. The seal weakens soon after."
"So until then"
His voice hardened.
"we watch."
"we wait."
"and we protect the shard at all costs."
Khael nodded.
Determined.
"Yes, Master."
But as Isen left, Khael whispered under his breath…
"…Lucere already has many shards."
He felt his chest tighten.
"And he's coming for Kaom."
Khael leaned back against a tree, rubbing his forehead.
(If Isen ever learns the truth…
That I know the entire story of Kaen Eclipse…
He might imprison me.
Or worse use me.)
He exhaled shakily.
But the real fear?
Not Isen.
Not Kaom.
Not the shards.
It was Lucere.
Lucere, who would tear apart the seal.
Lucere, who would defy death itself.
Lucere, who would bring tragedy upon every person Khael has grown to care about.
And Lucere was doing it all…
for love.
Khael clenched his teeth.
"I won't let you revive Yuna… even if you loved her."
Because if Yuna returns…
The Dragon of Emotion awakens.
And the world ends.
He pushed away from the tree, breath steadying.
"I'll stop you, Lucere."
He looked up at the academy towers, glowing in the morning sun.
"…Even if it means rewriting the manga's fate myself."
The festival approached.
The seal weakened.
And the giant Kaom stirred in his sleep.
To be continue