Born in Blood

Donning his new clothes, Liam felt a strange urge to fill his lungs with smoke. 

Except, Liam had never used a drug other than when it helped him cultivate faster. 

Addiction was not something he struggled with. Other than power, of course. 

But better not fall into that slippery slope.

Just a day remained for the Convention, and Liam would be amidst the most powerful people on the planet.

How exciting.

To Liam, at least. 

Those who knew Liam were worried sick for him. 

What if he went back and forth with a powerhouse?

What if he offended someone by mistake? 

What if he made a potential enemy of someone important? 

What if!

What if?!

One had to remember that, just like these parties could connect and create bonds between countries, individuals and races, it could very well do the opposite.

They were potential death traps that could seal the fates of entire countries.

And Liam was… excited for it.

Right. 

And that idiot Ryu was daring him to insult the Echorian Queen while wearing a wizard's hat to the party.

Thankfully, before Liam could be fully convinced, the Elders gagged him in one of the torture chambers beneath the Temple's domain.

And as the remaining hours ticked down, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

Finally, it was the day of the Convention!

***

The sun rose, then slowly fell, casting scarlet rays of light to wash over the endless sea. 

Standing over a cliff that bordered the vermillion ocean, Liam took out his ornate stopwatch and checked the time.

The long hand of his watch was not the ticking type. It was the smooth kind that made no noise.

And it just passed the 6 P.M mark.

It was time to go.

A gentle wind blew past him, fluttering his coat.

Strangely enough, his short, corvid-black hair was neatly trimmed, combed and styled. 

With broad, square shoulders and a tall, strong frame, the overcoat and three-piece suit gave him an amazing, eye-catching presence.

But beneath those eyes… there was nothing.

No soul. 

Just nicely decorated clothes, a quaint smell and an appearance arranged to be pleasing for the outside eye.

That's all there was. 

No matter what one put on the outside, the inside was ultimately what mattered.

In the first place, Liam didn't want to do any of this! 

If it wouldn't be too much of a hassle, Liam really would just go naked. 

Liam put the watch back into his waist pocket and looked towards the distance, hearing something flapping.

A form slowly grew larger amidst from where the sun was the brightest. 

A dragon. 

The Mayor of Mount Mayhem didn't specify what form of transportation Liam was allowed to come with. 

He couldn't fly since he wasn't a Zenith, but this was the next best thing. 

At the same time, Liam's time for arrival was actually much earlier compared to the other guests. 

Why?

Because Liam still had to showcase his powers and abilities.

The actual party began at a crisp 7:00 P.M. Until then, Liam would have a nice chat with Sir Cornelius.

Zooming in with the King's Eye, Liam had a good look at the dragon that was approaching.

That… wasn't a Water Dragon like he was told it would be.

It had pointy, crystalized black scales, with a narrow, streamline frame that made it shoot through air like an arrow made from gems.

Each of the black scales sparkled like little black diamonds. 

Except, its crystal eyes looked like it was made from ruby.

Under the sun, it looked absolutely marvelous. 

Liam raised a brow. 

"Hope you like it," Verium said with a smile, materializing beside Liam through his shadows. 

"I wasn't able to get you a gift for the party, but at least I could fix you a ride."

Liam recognized the dragon.

It was a Quartz Dragon!

A docile darkness elemental dragon that wasn't exactly strong, but extremely rare, swift and expensive.

It used pulses of darkness to 'boost' itself mid-air. 

Sort of like how a jet uses its burners. 

Even Echorian Royalty coveted such a thing!

"Thank you," Liam said. "Looks glorious."

The dragon circled above Liam's head, slowly flapping its wings as it descended a few meters away from him.

WHOOSH!

Quartz Dragon's were extremely fast, but physically weak. Those crystals did nothing defensive wise. 

Liam didn't mind it. 

With his hands still in his pockets, Liam made a wide leap onto the dragon's head, landing with a light step. 

"We're running late," Liam said to the creature, patting its hardened head. "Up we go."

As the acolytes and Elders waved at him goodbye, the crystal dragon flapped its wings—

BOOOOOM!

—and he was soaring through the air at the speed of sound.

It took just a few minutes for the island to grow distant in his vision. 

Evidently, the Quartz Dragon was faster than a jet, leaving a trail of darkness in the sky.

Liam firmed himself on the dragon's back.

Then, he took out the golden postcard and paid attention to where the arrow pointed.

The sky was slowly dimming. 

The worldly terrain changed a few times in Liam's vision.

A few islands passed him.

Pagodas.

Archipelagos. 

Small-sized countries.

A few aerial creatures flew past him. Fellow dragons and even an albino wyvern.

Air whistled through his ears, but he could still hear just fine.

Before long, something appeared way out in the distance. Roughly 5,000 meters away.

Surrounding it was nothing but the ocean. 

Except, the purity of the water was so clear, Liam could see a terrifyingly long distance below the waters. 

By his estimation, he could see 7,000 meters deep!

The amount of ocean life he saw was breathtaking.

By no means was this water normal.

But the water's beauty paled in comparison to the mountain itself.

In reality, it was just a 9-star hotel disguised as a mountain.

Even Liam was surprised by just how magnificent the thing looked. 

All the amenities and buildings he saw looked modern and almost futuristic.