CHAPTER 116: TRAITORS

Planet Kryllos... In one of the three great dynasties... A trial was in session.

Kill them—!

Lynch the rats—!

Let em burn—!

The voices of members of the lesser houses resounded through the courtroom like hooligans. A couple of ’dragonkin’ like them were bound in chains at the center of the courtroom. They had their heads bowed in shame and regret.

A regal looking male ’dragonkin’ was sitting at a high throne looking down below with scorn and a slight tinge of disappointment in his eyes. The other bound criminals were all grovelling on the ground below, begging for mercy. All except one who kneeled with a straight posture, staring up at their ruler defiantly.

"Not even a trace of remorse..." the man sitting on the high throne hissed softly before turning to his right. "What do you say? Shall we burn them?" he asked the youth seated next to him.

It was a wonder why the youth in question was seated in such a high position. He stood out sorely in contrast to every other person in the courtroom. For one, he was smaller than they were, and also didn’t have the signature wings that every other person there did. He wasn’t even of their race, instead he was fully human. But the ruler didn’t seem to mind one bit, staring at him while waiting to give a go-ahead to any verdict he would give.

The youth took his time, watching every single one of the faces of the people below carefully. Their whole family had been brought out and we’re bound with them as was the treatment for traitors in this society. They were going to suffer for their fathers and elders’ sins... and he did not feel a single shred of remorse.

He had arrived here in a mysterious way. His initial entry had been the worst. From an extremely high altitude—high enough that immediately he appeared, his body started to lose heat rapidly and he was struggling for air to breathe properly. But as the ground started to draw nearer, when he had lost all hope and resigned himself to fate, he was saved. A... flying person? had swooped in to catch him midair before bringing him down to the ground safely. He was handed over to a whole team of healers from the same race as the flying person who seemed to have been prepared beforehand.

It was like they had been expecting him... No. They were expecting him. From the excited looks on their faces, he could tell that much.

The next few days after that had been heaven. He had been treated like a king.

Even though they couldn’t communicate properly since he didn’t understand their language and they didn’t understand his, he still got his every need attended to. He didn’t know why they did it, aside from the fact that they kept mentioning a ’savior’—that was one of the few words he had picked up within those first few days.

His slight wariness eventually started to wear off, and he had started taking classes to learn their language properly, and everything seemed to be going well... until the attempt on his life.

It had been well organized. Too organized in fact. They knew exactly where he was going to be and at what time. They knew he liked to take a stroll in the garden to watch the stars at night. Even back in his home world it was something he liked to do almost every night, so it was something he didn’t miss here. Especially because it was an alien sky with a whole different set of constellations.

The assassins had taken advantage of this moment, reaching him before he could even realize what was happening. It was only because of the ruler’s secret order to have guards watching him at all times that he was able to come away with his life.

But not wholly... he had lost a hand.

The youth stared at the people grovelling on the ground before him, savoring the feeling of having their lives in his hand. This was revenge. The men at the forefront were the traitors who aided foreign spies in entering into this dynasty. They had warp gates hidden below their estates and had been allowing two way transportation of foreign invaders into their world.

And all for what...? A promise of a place in their world when the convergence arrived.

Yes. The people of Kryllos had never experienced a convergence. They had no records of it because they were a naturally formed Tier 3 world, unlike Apraxis which had fought its way from a Tier 9 universe till their current place in this.

The traitors learned of the convergence trial, and of the Exalted. They learned of the serious preparations being made by the Exalted families to ensure that their world became victors of this convergence, and they compared it to theirs...

The difference was clear. There was no way their own world was going to survive. Especially when the convergence was practically upon them already... so they decided to save their skin and save their lineage.

At first there was a feeling of guilt whenever they gave out information or allowed the Apraxians entry via their secret gates, but slowly, even that morphed into a feeling of righteousness. It was their duty. They were doomed to be a world stripped of its origin in the first place. This was simply giving a few of them the chance to carry on their magic! To carry on the bloodline of the planet Kryllos! And the few to carry this on could only be their families. It was a no brainer.

They had even begun to fantasize visiting Kryllos again after the trial itself ended and the convergence of origin had been finalized... if it was going to be possible... they would be treated as Gods!

But reality had dashed their fantasies to be just that alone... fantasies. They had been caught. And they were to be executed. The only reason they weren’t dead yet was because the method of their death was still being discussed.

"I say they shouldn’t even get the honor of a death by fire." The youth massaged his wrist where a fake hand was attached to, watching them blankly as he gave his verdict. "I say they should die by drowning."

A collective sharp intake of breath filled the courtroom. For a ’dragonkin,’ death by drowning was one of the worst ways to go. According to their customs and beliefs, their souls could never reach the original flame if they died that way. It was worse than a dog’s death.

The ruler stared at the youth. He had learned their customs and language to a good level of proficiency, and surely knew exactly how sinister of a judgement he had just passed on the traitors... but instead of disregarding his verdict as too harsh, the man smiled proudly, waving his hand for his executioners to follow the order.

"Drakath! You promised a noble death!" One of the men at the forefront below roared.

"—And I also promised him the freedom to pass judgement on his assailants! Who do you think I value more?!!" The ruler roared, standing up to his full, imposing height. He was mighty, with pitch black wings that looked evidently powerful despite the fact they were folded. One could imagine how they would look when spread fully.

"You two-faced bastard! After you got the information you wanted out of us!! After you—"

His pained roar was cut off abruptly by a heavy hit to the head from one of the standing executioners that sent him to the ground reeling.

"Bring in the box!" the ruler ordered with a wave of his hand, sitting back on his throne.