This Beast-Tamer is a Little Strange

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By the time they regrouped in the village square, the unease among the group was palpable. The other teams had found similar scenes—intact homes, abandoned belongings, and no sign of the villagers.

Caelum stood in the center, his expression grim as he addressed the group. "There's no sign of violence, which means there's still a chance the villagers are alive."

The group remained silent, but despite the creepy ghost town, their faces were a little more optimistic now than an hour ago. After all, while there were undeniably powerful creatures in this boundary, perhaps they weren't hostile and prone to killing—one can hope, right?

Before Caelum could continue, a massive shadow passed over the square, blotting out the sunlight for a brief moment. The temperature seemed to drop instantly, and a crushing aura descended on the area.

Every spiritual creature present froze in place, their eyes wide with terror. One by one, they prostrated themselves on the ground, trembling violently.

Even Cassian's contract—a pure-blooded Dream Dragon—lowered its head, an action that sent a wave of shock through the crown prince. Pure-blooded dragons, even when faced with stronger beings, rarely showed submission, let alone fear.

"What... was that?" Kain muttered, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cassian, standing rigid, his normally confident expression turned solemn, broke the silence. "They're definitely dragons," he said, his voice tinged with both awe and determination. "And their bloodline is unimaginably pure."

However, while most of the group was consumed by unease due to his statement, Cassian could barely conceal the ecstasy filling his heart.

As a member of the royal family, Cassian was born with an affinity for dragons. Moreover, unlike many of his royal peers, he is so greatly valued by the royal family because of how broad his affinity is. There are very few dragons that he can't contract.

During the National Tournament though, despite being a 6-star beast tamer, Cassian had only revealed four contracts. However, this wasn't because finding dragons he could contract with was so difficult. Rather, it was because as the top talent of his generation and the crown prince, his standards were sky-high. Even while exercising all of the resources of the royal family, he'd only managed to find 4 that met his exacting standards. Therefore, he still possessed two open contract positions—perhaps he could fill one or even both of them on this trip.

"This is it," Cassian muttered under his breath. "The purity of their bloodline... If I can contract even one of them..."

His words trailed off, but the fire in his eyes spoke volumes.

Caelum raised a hand, bringing the group back to focus. "Don't forget why we are here. That thing is likely headed to exactly where we need to go. We must follow it."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The suggestion stunned everyone into silence—except for Cassian who immediately expressed his support—and sent ripples of unease through the group.

"Follow it?" one Pathfinder echoed incredulously, breaking the stunned silence. "That thing could kill us all with a look!"

Several murmurs of agreement followed, and the tension among the group grew palpable. After all, as members of the Order, they were far from timid and would frequently fight beings stronger than them. But when the strength difference was too big, any struggle they'd put up would be meaningless. And while many here weren't afraid of death, they also didn't want to die pointlessly.

Caelum, unfazed, turned to address the rising concerns. His voice was calm but carried an edge of authority. "Think about it. If that dragon wanted us dead, we wouldn't be standing here now discussing it. It knew we were here—the difference in strength is too vast for it not to have noticed us. Yet, it didn't attack."

The murmurs quieted, though the unease didn't dissipate entirely.

"But what if it's leading us into a trap?" someone else argued.

"Or what if it kills us for daring to track it down?"

Caelum crossed his arms, his sharp gaze sweeping over the group. "Possible, but unlikely. After all, the difference in strength is too great for it to bother using petty tricks to kill us. And with its strength, it could have hidden its presence entirely. The fact that it allowed us to sense it—and even left such a blatant trail—means it likely wants us to follow."

Kain frowned, his mind racing. Caelum's logic was sound, but the idea of walking into the unknown, especially with beings as overwhelmingly powerful as these dragons, was unsettling.

Cassian, however, looked incredibly eager, his gaze fixed on the horizon where the shadow had disappeared. "If it's leading us back to the colony, then this is our best chance. We were sent here to make contact and retrieve the villagers. This is the fastest way to achieve both objectives."

Many couldn't help but glance at him sideways, noting the subtle excitement in Cassian's expression and guessing at his ulterior motive.

Caelum nodded "Then we're all in agreement."

Many, including Kain, shook their heads—they most definitely were not—but Caelum ignored their silent protests.

"We will set off immediately before we lose track of it. It likely isn't travelling at its full speed so that it can be tracked by us, but this doesn't mean we can lower our guard. The colony likely has many dragons just as strong, if not stronger, than the one we sensed, and there is no guarantee that they will all welcome our presence. One wrong move and this mission turns into a suicide run. No one is to act without my explicit orders. Do I make myself clear?" Caelum finished, making a point to glance purposefully at Prince Cassian.

A tense silence followed before the group reluctantly nodded.

"Good," Caelum said, his tone firm. "Form up and move cautiously. Watch your surroundings and keep your spiritual creatures in check. We can't afford any mistakes."

The group tightened their formation, every member scanning the surroundings with heightened vigilance as they left the abandoned village.

However, with each step forward, Kain couldn't resist the feeling that they were willingly walking straight into the giant gaping jaws of a terrifying dragon.