Game Still Going On (3)

The sun began to shine when Indra Saka left Atlan for the mainland. The letter from Rihan Daniel was received at midnight last night. The venerable Dragons were looking forward to meeting him this very morning on the roof of the former Samsara headquarters in the southern region of Beta Urora.

Indra had already guessed the topic. But the request in the letter is quite impossible to fulfill. But Indra is still trying to find an answer. That's why in the middle of last night he had to wake his father, Marc Horizon, in the detention house.

"Venerable Dragons." Indra greeted Rihan who had arrived first.

"Just call me Daniel." Rihan doesn't really like this call being taken out of Tanah Agra. It's enough for the Dragons to call him that.

"R—All right, Mr. Daniel." Indra tried hard to rack his brain to find a new call for the figure in front of him.

"Just Daniel." Rihan returned to repair. This time he uses a firm intonation.

"B—Fine." Indra was sweating profusely.

"How's your hand?" Rihan's eyes were clearly fixed on Indra Saka's left hand.

Indra unconsciously felt his left shoulder. The long robe that hung loosely from his shoulders disguised the fact that his left arm had been severed. "Almost recovered. But I'm still not allowed to use too much physical," he replied with a slightly bowed posture as an expression of respect and courtesy.

"Oh, no, no, no." Rihan was sick of seeing that kind of body attitude. Why did this new status make him unable to communicate like normal people?

"Come on, sit down. We talk slowly like friends." Rihan invited Indra to sit on the side. He deliberately emphasized the word 'friend' at the end of the sentence.

"Eh?" Indra was slightly surprised. But he remained seated according to Rihan's words.

After that Rihan didn't say anything else. The man seemed to be waiting for Indra to start.

"Master—I mean Daniel, is Ririn okay in Tanah Agra? Are he and Aunt Luna used to living there?" Indra finally dared to ask. He had been very anxious all this time, but he didn't know and had no chance to ask the Dragons.

"They are fine. Overall they both seem happy living in their new home," Rihan replied.

"Oh yeah, in the letter I didn't mention that today they went to the Center in the Shadow Dimension. My father said there was a doctor who was quite good. You know, to check the condition of Uncle Rei and Aunt Luna," he added.

"When did they leave?" Indra asked surprised. This news is too sudden.

"It was a few hours ago. Before I came here." Rihan yawned widely. He still felt sleepy even though he was basking in the sun.

Indra tried to get rid of the bad feeling that suddenly entered his mind.

"What is it?" asked Rihan noticing a significant change in Indra's face.

"Wh—I mean Daniel, did you know that among the 14 strongest warriors of Samsara, there is still one that suddenly disappeared. He's the one in the bunny costume." Strangely, Indra started to bring up Bunny.

"Bunny?" Rihan was aware that the crazy rabbit who loved to kill suddenly disappeared and his whereabouts were unknown.

"Have you ever seen his real face or stature?" Indra looked at Rihan.

Rihan shook his head.

"Neither Lady, Lycan nor father ever." Indra said with a very serious expression.

Rihan began to catch the direction of the conversation. This direction is not pleasant.

"Daniel, father was able to successfully disrupt the Land of Agra and the Ifrits because of someone's help. I don't know his name or face. He called the man a kind man. They do communicate directly but never look at each other," explained Indra.

"That person was also the one who suggested that Samsara was founded to rule over the Beta Urora mainland. The research was conducted under his supervision. My father regularly reports. Then Bunny… that mysterious figure was also the one who recommended the rabbit to help the Arinas in Samsara." Indra continued.

Rihan starts to feel an unpleasant wind blowing towards him.

"I've confirmed with Lady as well. He said that Bunny entered Samsara and became one of the 14 soldiers by order of father. Her identity is a taboo topic to discuss. The rabbit can go on a rampage and kill randomly even in Samsara's base." Unexpectedly Indra digs far more information than Rihan expected.

"Father said no matter what happens don't let the Endleys leave the Land of Agra. The enemy targeting them was an invisible figure. Maybe he's waiting for an opportunity." Indra looked very uneasy when delivering Marc Horizon's message.

"So he really exists. A spirit-without-body…." Rihan mumbled almost silently.

Of course he didn't write about the figure in the letter. But Indra's explanation just now was enough to answer the mystery of the existence of the disembodied spirit and its role behind Marc Horizon. It would be stupid if all this time Rihan thought his opponent was only the Arina.

"This is the document you requested. It's not something secret. Father has also given permission." Indra handed him a sling bag containing several stacks of thick envelopes containing documents, research reports and several journals.

"Thank you." Rihan accepted without hesitation.

"I hope my hunch is wrong. Ririn and the others couldn't have been attacked on the way, right? I mean no one knows that today they left the Land of Agra." Indra couldn't stop thinking negative thoughts.

"Father is with them. Even if they are attacked, at least they can still—" Rihan's words were cut off by the arrival of a Dragon Race.

"The noblest." The Dragons called out with a polite but hasty intonation. Beads of sweat were dripping profusely on his forehead. It came here at full speed.

It couldn't be a coincidence, right? Rihan really hopes that this time his hunch was wrong!

*****

The howls of the ancestors of the Nagas in the ancient temples sounded back and forth as if they were crying over the departure of someone who had a very important role in the Land of Agra. A similar incident had happened when the Elder of the Dragons, Evanosk Vaiskyler, died.

Suddenly most of the Dragons rushed to the sacred stone wall. There first was Raka and the head of a noble family. They were scrolling through the list of names on the stone wall. That day something changed. The name Ares Kennrich Vaiskkyler had emitted a light smoke. A strange sight that only occurs when the owner of the name is gone.

"Father…." Raka muttered in disbelief. It wasn't just him, none of the Dragons believed that Arken was gone.

"Something must be wrong." Raka refuses to believe. "Have you guys sent anyone to the Dimensional Boundary or the Shadow dimension? How about brother? Have you told him?" Some questions were immediately asked who did not know.

"I'm going down to tell Daniel about this. There's no need to send people to the Dimension Limit or Shadow dimension. Daniel and I will inspect the place ourselves." Julius volunteered. Without anyone's approval he immediately turned away from the growing crowd.

In the midst of this chaos who has the right to give orders or consent?

"Look what happens if you get too close to the Land dwellers." Even at times like this, Demita Waldermar still makes scathing comments.

"Finally I understand why our ancestors chose to seclude themselves and not interfere in other people's affairs." Henry Aditya Kane chimed in with a sigh shaking his head sadly.

"Then what should we do now?" Elis Ragnvald asked amidst the confusion.

"Choosing a new leader, of course." Demita interrupted quickly.

At a time like this Raka wanted to scream that his father, Ares Kennrich Vaiskyler, was not necessarily dead. But did the sacred stone walls ever lie?

"At least we'll wait to hear from Julius." Those were the only words he could say as the only representative of the Vaiskyler family.

"What are you waiting for? Isn't the sacred stone wall already clearly shown?" Damn, Demita Waldermar said the words Raka didn't want to hear the most.

"I agree. We have to prepare for the appointment of a new leader." Henry Aditya Kane gave his approval. So did Elis Ragnvald and William Fortfall.

"Wait a minute. Can we still trust Vaiskyler? Look what happened to Elder Evanosk and Arken. Can't we learn from our mistakes?" Demita Waldermar had been waiting for this golden opportunity for a long time.

"You mean grandpa and dad's actions were a mistake?" This time Raka really felt offended by Demita Waldermar's harsh words.

Raka knows Demita hates his existence. Hates his mother and sister because they are not pure-blooded dragons. Especially since Rihan Daniel was chosen to be the Venerable of the Dragons, the Waldermar family has become more and more sensitive to the actions of the Vaiskylers. Demita certainly didn't want to waste the opportunity to plunge the Vaiskylers into a trap.

Raka turned around trying to find answers that were different from other family heads and the Dragons. But the result made Raka realize something.

"Uncle." Raka turned to Henry Aditya Kane.

"Son, without the intention of demeaning the Vaiskyler family ancestor, Elder Evanosk nor master Arken. But we really need a leader who can put the Dragons as a top priority. Protecting the Dragons and being able to decide what is best for his People." Henry put his words together very, very carefully.

"How was the process? Is it some kind of open and fair competition for all Dragons?" In the blink of an eye, Raka's demeanor and manner of speech turned calm. In fact much quieter than usual.

Once again, the silence was gripping again.

"Um…." The doubts that Henry showed were immediately understood by Raka.

"I can assure you that His Majesty will not interfere in the final decision." Raka emphasized that it was Rihan Daniel that they were worried about.

"It will be a long preparation. We'd better have a discussion in the great castle." Henry suggested a more comfortable place than having to bask in the hot afternoon sun.