The council chamber had not known peace since the boy was born.
And tonight was no different.
The room erupted into shouting as the high priests of the Dragon Temple argued across the round stone table, the firelight from the wall braziers flickering across the chamber walls.
Voices overlapped. Tempers flared. More than one fist struck the ancient surface with a hard crack that echoed through the chamber.
Anger and frustration filled the air like a brewing storm.
All because of one young man.
Marcellus Kaida.
"The boy cannot remain like this," one of the priests said sharply. "You have all seen it."
A voice across the table answered immediately.
"And yet nothing's happened."
"That's the point."
A hand struck the ancient stone table again, the crack echoing through the chamber.
Across the room, Marcellus remained where he stood, silent beneath the rising storm of voices.
Some of the priests spoke as if he weren't even there.
Others avoided looking at him entirely.
Only a few met his gaze.
"What exactly are you proposing?" another priest demanded. "That he continues tending the hold as if nothing has changed?"
"At least there he is contained."
"Contained?" another voice scoffed. "He has lived among them half his life already."
"Then perhaps it is time he begins proper training."
That suggestion caused several voices to rise at once.
"Absolutely not."
"You would put him in the sky?"
"With a rider's oath?"
"We aren't even certain—"
The argument broke apart again before the sentence could finish.
Then a deeper voice spoke.
"No."
The single word cut through the chamber.
Slowly, the shouting began to quiet.
"We will not decide this by shouting across a table."
Several heads turned toward the speaker.
"We will decide it the way this Order always has."
A brief silence settled across the room.
"By the law of the temple."
The words hung in the air, and for a moment the chamber fell quiet.
Low murmurs still drifted across the table as several priests continued arguing under their breath.
But the shouting stopped.
At the far side of the stone table sat High Priest Daichi Morro, Keeper of the Sacred Oath.
Daichi rested both hands calmly on the ancient stone surface, his expression steady as his eyes moved slowly around the chamber.
One by one the priests fell silent beneath that quiet gaze.
Order and law was his role within the council.
And when Daichi spoke of law, the council listened.
"This chamber was not built for shouting matches," he said evenly.
His gaze moved briefly toward Marcellus before returning to the council.
"It was built for judgment."
The last of the murmurs faded.
The storm inside the chamber settled, but tension remained thick in the air.
"This Order was never made for conducting experiments." High Priest Tenzin Arashi, Guardian of the Dragon Temple, continued.
"And yet we now stand here debating whether to ignore what we have all witnessed… or use it."
He gestured vaguely between Marcellus and the dragon hold.
"If the boy insists on living among them, then the hold is the only place he should stay."
"High Priest Tenzin is correct."
"We are the heirs of a world that believed it could control forces it barely understood."
"The Order was founded to prevent those mistakes from repeating."
"And yet here we are." High Priest Ryujin Sato, Keeper of the Endless Chronicles, tried to reason.
Daichi countered the two with his own argument.
"You cannot cage a storm and pretend the sky is clear."
"Ignoring things changes nothing."
Silence followed, but it didn't last.
Tension still coiled tightly around the stone table.
Tenzin's rigid posture remained unmoved, his gaze fixed across the chamber.
Ryujin's fingers traced slowly along the edge of the table, deep in thought.
Low murmurs began again.
The same arguments.
The same uncertainty.
No one willing to bend.
For several moments the council remained locked in place, like opposing armies staring across a battlefield.
Low murmurs lingered along the table, but the shouting had faded.
Across the council table, High Priest Kael Veyra finally moved.
The Keeper of the Veiled Truth had remained silent for most of the argument, fingers loosely folded before him, dark eyes watching the debate unfold with quiet patience.
He leaned forward slightly.
"Perhaps," Kael said softly, "there is a solution."
Several heads turned.
When Kael spoke, the council had learned long ago to listen carefully.
His voice was calm, almost thoughtful.
"As High Priest Morro reminded us… the law of the temple must guide us."
Daichi said nothing, but his gaze sharpened slightly.
Kael continued.
"If the matter before us concerns the boy's place within the Order… then the law provides a clear path."
A few priests frowned.
Others leaned forward.
"A trial."
The word hung quietly in the air.
A trial of service.
Daichi's eyes narrowed slightly in consideration.
"Explain," he said.
Kael inclined his head.
"As it happens," he continued, "there have been… reports."
His gaze drifted slowly across the chamber.
"Activity in the old western mountains."
At that, Tenzin lifted his head.
"Mining activity," Kael said slowly.
"Dwarves," Ryujin said suddenly.
Kael folded his hands again.
"We require confirmation."
A pause.
"Someone to travel west."
"To observe."
"To learn what is happening… and why."
Tenzin folded his arms across his chest.
"That is a matter for scouts," he said.
Kael tilted his head slightly.
"Ordinarily, yes."
His gaze moved slowly across the chamber.
Then it stopped.
On Marcellus.
The shift was subtle — but several of the priests noticed immediately.
"But perhaps," Kael continued calmly,
"this task would be better suited for someone…"
He paused, just long enough for the silence to tighten.
"whose place within the Order has yet to be decided."
Now the room changed.
Eyes turned.
Some slowly.
Some all at once.
And finally they settled on Marcellus.
Across the chamber, the young man still stood where he had been since the argument began.
Silent.
Watching.
The faintest smile touched the corner of Kael's mouth.
"A trial," Kael said.
The words settled over the chamber like a stone dropped in still water.
Several of the priests exchanged glances.
Ryujin leaned back slowly, fingers brushing his beard as the historian considered the proposal.
"A trial of service…" he murmured.
"The law does allow it."
Tenzin's expression hardened immediately.
"You would send him beyond the temple?" he said sharply.
"To the western mountains?"
Kael's expression remained calm.
"It would answer the council's question," he replied.
"Can the boy serve the Order…"
"Or does he merely live among the dragons?"
Several priests shifted in their seats.
Daichi's gaze remained fixed on Kael.
"The law permits trials," the Keeper of the Sacred Oath said slowly.
"But trials are not games Kael."
His eyes moved across the table.
Kael inclined his head.
"Of course."
The young man they were arguing about had not moved.
Marcellus still stood near the chamber wall, where he had been since the council began.
Silent.
Watching.
Listening.
His arms rested loosely at his sides.
His expression unreadable.
They spoke about him.
Argued about him.
Debated his future as though he weren't even in the room, And he allowed it.
Until now.
The faint scrape of leather against stone broke the silence.
Marcellus pushed himself away from the wall.
Several of the priests turned as he stepped forward.
"I'll do it," he said as he approached.
The words were not loud, but they were clear — cutting through the chamber like a blade.
For a moment no one reacted.
The council simply stared at him.
"You will do no such thing," Tenzin suddenly snapped.
The priest straightened in his chair, the rigid lines of his posture tightening as he fixed Marcellus with a hard stare.
"This council is not seeking volunteers."
The chamber remained tense and quiet.
Ryujin frowned slightly beside him, but the historian said nothing.
Several priests shifted in their seats, exchanging uncertain glances across the table.
Marcellus opened his mouth to speak.
But Tenzin cut him off immediately.
"You will remain silent while your elders speak."
His voice rose just enough to sharpen the words.
Marcellus remained where he stood.
The chamber seemed to tighten around the stone table.
Across it, a few of the priests shifted uneasily.
Others simply watched.
Tenzin's rigid posture never changed.
Then a chair moved.
The quiet scrape of wood against stone cut through the chamber.
Every head turned.
Grand Dragon Priest Aiden Kaida rose slowly to his feet.
The movement alone was enough to quiet the last murmurs in the chamber.
His gaze rested calmly on Marcellus.
"Let the boy finish," Aiden said quietly.
The words were simple.
No one in the chamber mistook them for a request.
Silence fell.
Tenzin's jaw tightened, but he said nothing.
Even Daichi lowered his gaze.
Aiden gave the faintest nod.
"Speak."
All eyes turned back to Marcellus and so he took a slow breath.
"Wouldn't it be beneficial to send me?" he said calmly.
His gaze remained steady.
A few priests shifted slightly.
Marcellus continued.
"Besides, you've spent this entire meeting arguing about what to do with me if you can't decide."
His eyes moved across the table.
"Let me prove myself."
A brief pause followed.
"If I fail…"
His expression never changed.
"Then you'll have your answer."
Silence settled over the council chamber.
Across the table, Ryujin studied Marcellus carefully, the historian's brow furrowed in thought.
Tenzin said nothing.
His expression remained carved like a statue.
From across the table, Daichi spoke.
"The law of the temple allows a trial."
His calm voice carried easily across the room.
His eyes turned to Aiden.
Every gaze in the chamber followed.
Aiden stood quietly for a moment.
Then he gave a single nod.
"So be it."
His eyes met Marcellus's.
A brief silence followed between them.
"You leave at dawn."