Some fathers never needed to raise their voices. Their children had already learned to fear the silence.

~ Rebel Beast

—----------

Caelis could have easily left through the front door, but when you had dragons as enemies who would do everything possible to get rid of you, you learned to always keep your guard up.

Naked as the day he was born, he finally transformed.

Caelis’ room was one of the largest in House Ophidian, yet it still felt too small whenever he assumed his true form.

The basilisk occupied nearly the entire space.

His enormous body stretched from one end of the room to the other, coils piled upon coils. Over fifty feet of silver-blue scales gleamed beneath the room’s lighting, each scale catching the light differently and creating the illusion of liquid metal flowing across his body.

The room itself was designed to accommodate transformations, otherwise there was no way a creature of his size would fit inside.

At the center of the coils rested his head. Crown-like horns swept backward from his skull, giving him the appearance of royalty rather than a mere beast. His silver eyes remained open, reflecting the space around him with unsettling clarity. They were ancient, intelligent eyes.

A normal snake of that size should have been making noise. The shifting of scales alone should have echoed through the room. But Caelis made none, there was not a scrape of a rustle. Only the occasional flick of a forked tongue betrayed the fact that he was alive. That was perhaps the most disturbing thing about him.

His basilick had terrified many creatures the first time they witnessed him. It was not enough that he was large enough to swallow them whole, he still moved like a shadow. There was something deeply unsettling about a predator that massive making no sound at all.

Except that was not the only thing Caelis was capable of doing. Just as he could make himself larger, he could make himself smaller.

His massive body began to shrink. The coils occupying the room receded one after another as if the basilisk was folding in on itself. Fifty feet became forty. Forty became twenty. Then ten. Until eventually, a snake no longer than eighteen inches rested on the floor.

His silver-blue scales still gleamed, though they were far less intimidating now. If anything, he looked harmless. Except that illusion had ended many lives.

Caelis flicked out his tongue and turned toward the open window, slipping through it. The drop would have killed a human but for him, it was merely an inconvenience.

His small body wrapped around the stone ledge outside before he continued downward. One coil after another found purchase against the wall. The four-story descent took only a few minutes.

Not once did anyone notice him and Caelis found out why. Halfway down, music drifted through the night air. The students were having a party in the common room.

Thank you, Venus.

Caelis resumed his descent and moments later, reached the ground. The small woods behind the dormitory provided ample cover. He glided through patches of grass and beneath low shrubs, moving silently between roots and fallen leaves.

The academy grounds stretched before him. Serpents had a knack for discovering weaknesses in the academy’s perimeter wall. Time and time again, they dug out secret spots, ensuring the dragons never found out.

Or so he thought.

Caelis was already halfway across the academy when he heard a powerful flap followed by a low rumbling sound akin to a dragon’s. His body immediately froze.

Was this bastard seriously kidding him right now?!

At first, he intended to ignore it. Unfortunately, the noise was far too close for comfort. Abandoning caution, he accelerated, the rest of the journey taking only minutes.

He slipped through the hidden opening in the academy wall and emerged beyond the perimeter, only to stop.

A dragon was waiting for him, large wings folded neatly against its body. Its golden eyes watched him with infuriating patience as though it had known exactly where he would emerge and waited for him.

Caelis stared in disbelief. The dragon stared back at him.

It was not just because of the color of the dragon. There was only one creature in the academy arrogant enough to pull something like this.

Rhydian Drakhar.

For a moment, a dangerous thought crossed Caelis’ mind. What if he turned Rhydian into stone?

The petrification was permanent. At least, as far as he knew. One look infused with his power was all it would take and the dragon would be stone forever.

Once Rhydian was gone, the war would be over. Or so Caelis liked to believe.

Logically speaking, that was a lie.

While Rhydian was the only surviving heir of the Drakhar family, his death wouldn’t end the conflict between dragons and serpents. It would only intensify it. Maximus Drakhar would personally ensure that not only Caelis, but every serpent connected to him was wiped from existence.

Rhydian seemed to know that as well because the way he held Caelis’ gaze radiated absolute confidence. The dragon looked entirely unbothered by the possibility of death.

Then, in the blink of an eye, he shifted into his human form. Naked, Rhydian strode toward him.

"I thought I told you we needed to meet!"

Caelis shifted as well, anger licking at the edges of his mask as he retorted, "Do I look like your fucking servant? Don’t think for one second that I can’t take you on, Rhydian Drakhar." The threat in his voice was unmistakable.

Rhydian stopped roughly five feet away. Any closer and the encounter might escalate into something neither of them could easily walk away from.

Caelis narrowed his eyes.

"Were you spying on me? How did you even know about this spot?"

Rhydian laughed as though that was the dumbest question he had ever heard.

"You snakes pride yourselves on being sneaky," he said. "But you keep forgetting Dragons are masters of knowledge. We know more than you think."

Caelis frowned. Just how many of their secret routes had been discovered? Clearly, this one was compromised. He would have to find new escape routes. The last thing he trusted was a dragon.

Especially dragons who had spent years dreaming of eliminating him.

Caelis was already irritated enough by his father’s summons. The last thing he needed was Rhydian Drakhar wasting what little time he had left.

"Don’t waste my time," he demanded impatiently. "What do you want?"

Rhydian didn’t seem bothered by his tone.

"Maverick thinks his new rule is going to protect the humans," he said. "It’s the worst mistake he’s made all year. What are we going to do about the humans?"

Caelis scoffed.

"Or do you mean Aria Aspen?" he measured with a hiss at the end. He narrowed his eyes. "You knew about the girl, didn’t you?"

This time Rhydian looked genuinely confused.

"Knew about what?"

"Don’t take me for a fool." Caelis stepped closer. "We all saw what happened earlier. She stopped the bull. That cannot be normal. The humans are up to something."

"You believe Aria stopped the bull?"

Rhydian stared at him for a moment before laughing in disbelief.

"That was obviously Maverick. He was right behind her and must have done something with his powers. We don’t know the full extent of his abilities, anyway."

But Caelis hissed.

"Don’t try to confuse me. I know what I saw."

Rhydian crossed his arms.

"Fine. Let’s say you know what you saw then. How did she do it?" He spread his hands. "For her to do whatever you’re claiming she did, she’d have to be supernatural. She obviously isn’t."

For a moment, Caelis didn’t respond. His silver eyes narrowed further, the wheels in his head clearly turning as he replayed the scene again and again.

Nothing about Aria Aspen suggested she was anything other than human. Yet the image of the bull stopping before her refused to leave his mind.

Rhydian seemed to notice his hesitation.

"But if you truly believe she’s something more," he continued, taking advantage of the silence, "then we have to keep her alive by all means possible."

Caelis looked up sharply and Rhydian smirked.

"We could watch and investigate her. Find out whatever she’s hiding."

The dragon prince looked smug as if he had just pitched a million-dollar idea. That only made Caelis want to punch him in the face.

"You must take me for a fool," Caelis said coldly.

"What?"

"You want me to do all the dirty work while you sit back doing what? Commanding your flight of egotistical dragons?" Caelis scoffed. "Well, guess what?"

He was in Rhydian’s face now.

"I don’t give a fuck about the girl and she could die for all I care. In fact, dying seems like the perfect solution to end all this mystery."

He stepped back.

"But if you don’t like that scenario, then you’d better do something about it yourself. Though I suppose you’d rather be dead than be caught showing interest in a human, right?"

The smile on Caelis’ face was smug and downright diabolical.

"Don’t bother me again. Just because we’re at a standstill doesn’t mean I can’t lose it."

The threat lingered in the air between them. Then Caelis turned and walked away without another word.

Rhydian watched his retreating figure with a blank expression. The silence stretched for a second, then, unexpectedly, a smile crossed his lips.

Caelis thought he had won that argument. The idiot had no idea he had just handed Rhydian the perfect solution.

It was time to handle matters himself.