The silence that followed the dragon general's mocking laughter was absolute. Not a single human dared to breathe too loudly. The pressure from the four vessels above had grown so dense that the air itself felt like liquid, pressing against every surface, every lung, every heart.
Alex stood motionless, his face unreadable.
The dragon general, whose name he had learned was Kragen, continued to sneer. "What? No clever response? No spatial tricks? Your power means nothing before our elders."
Alex did not look at him. His gaze remained fixed on the vessels above, watching as the first of the elders began to descend.
The dragon vessel's hull split open along invisible seams, and a figure stepped out onto empty air as if descending invisible stairs. He was massive, easily three meters tall, with scales of deep gold that shimmered with internal fire. His eyes were vertical slits of molten bronze, and when he opened his mouth to speak, smoke curled from between his teeth.
