The Longfin Empire Central Bank was a large nest located in one of the pillars. It was one of the most crowded nest in the layer. After asking the security for directions, the group was led to a private room to meet a bank officer.
It was a large, rectangular room with dark marble floor. The place was illuminated with white crystal at the ceiling. There was a red quadruped dragon sitting in front of a stone desk. There were all sorts of Stone book crystals there. The red dragon was focused on them.
When Toothless, Charcoal, Henry and the hatchlings entered the place, the entrance behind them were closed with a pile of stones. The red dragon gestured them at something in front of the desk. "Please take a seat."
There were large, bean-shaped pillows there. Those were the seats. Charcoal and Henry sat at the front, while Toothless sat at the back with her hatchlings. The seats were tough enough to endure their weight.
The red dragon bank officer looked up to Charcoal. His yellow eyes carried a no-nonsense attitude. "Good afternoon, Mr Charcoal." He greeted. "My name is Chester Smaug. We've been waiting for you."
Charcoal was curious. "What do you need me for?"
"In accordance to regulation, every greater alpha administration must open a central bank account for their administration, if they were to connect banks in their territory with other banks in Longfin Empire." The bank officer explained. "In the long reign of Furious the Ebonclaw Night Fury, he never opened an account."
Chester put some Book Stone crystals aside. "He reasoned that it was pointless, since Barbaric Archipelago is at war. Our analysts determined that, and I quote." He accessed one of the Book Stone crystal. "... 'the most idiotic reason in the history of banking'."
"Oh." Charcoal blinked at that. The knowledge from the vault helped him understand the context. Without a central bank account, it was impossible to get any donation or investment through the bank. Dragons tend to avoid carrying too much money with them. "I can see why."
"Glad you agree." The red dragon looked pleased. He pushed a Book Stone crystal to him. "Now, Arch Alpha Wodensfang made it mandatory for new greater alpha under him to have a central bank account. Please fill them in, so we can start the process."
The young titan wing dragon tapped the crystal, accessing its content. It was mostly filling his identification, territory names and signing individual agreements with his mana signature. However, there were some things that he did not agree on. He did not sign those parts.
Regardless, Charcoal was done. He disconnected from the crystal and pushed them to Chester. The bank officer grabbed the Book Stone crystal and accessed them. He frowned when he noticed the missing signatures. "You did not sign the currency agreement."
"Barbaric Archipelago is a surface world territory." Charcoal explained the situation. "As you probably know, neither human or dragon won the war. I want to try to make them live together. However, when it comes to currency, dragons use Amethyst Scales and Nature Shards, while humans use gold and silver."
"You plan on picking gold and silver."
"No, actually." The young titan wing dragon clarified. "I'm thinking about making a new currency."
It was something Charcoal had thought for some time. Amethyst Scales were barely valuable in surface world, while gold and silver were legitimate currency. At the dragon side of things, it was the opposite. He was hoping to create a new currency for Barbaric Archipelago.
The bank officer blinked. It was a foreign phrase for him. "New currency?"
"Yes."
There was a long pause. Chester Smaug leaned forward. "How do you plan on doing this?"
"I'll have to do some experiments on actually making the currency, but I have some ideas on how it would work." Charcoal explained. "Its exchange rate should float around gold and Amethyst Scales. That way, both humans and dragons can use them."
There was another long pause. The red dragon hummed. "I will have to bring this up with regulators and the arch alpha." Chester slowly explained. "For now, it should be Amethyst Scale. Is that acceptable?"
"Sure."
Chester accessed the Stone Book crystal, made some notes, before putting that aside. "Now, would you like to put in any initial fund?"
"Yes." Charcoal nodded. He ejected six canisters of liquid Amesite next to the table. It appeared with blue flame. "These are Amesites. About ten litres each."
Chester did a double take on the canisters. There was a long pause as the red dragon processed what he was seeing. No one had ever seen liquid Amesite for centuries. However, despite that fact, bank officers were trained to spot them.
These ones looked like it.
"... I'll need to summon the regional manager."
After the Amesite canisters were verified, as well as telling the bank that its source was classified, they were successfully deposited as part of Barbaric Archipelago. The initial money would be useful for Charcoal's administration, and the acting greater alpha would be alerted of this.
In this case, Mimir.
When everything were signed and done, Toothless led them to the national bank. The Dreki-Skáney Banke was a commercial bank for wealthy clients. Because her father was the arch alpha, she had an account there.
Regardless, Toothless opened six individual checking accounts for her hatchlings. Calian, Winter, Hamish, Helena, Amelia and Iris would have their own under their name and mana signature. After that, she used the last liquid Amesite canister to open a reoccurring term deposit for them.
For their hatchlings, the mother dragon made sure they generated enough wealth to act as their monthly allowance. The education reward Charcoal got years ago for their hatchlings never stipulate the cost of food, living space or equipment, meaning they were on their own to fund that part.
Toothless wanted to make sure they could survive on their own. She did not want her hatchlings to starve or become homeless in Hidden World.
The rest of the money were put on similar term deposit under Toothless' account. The sheer amount of wealth generated from that, even after taxes, would make sure they did not need to work a day in their life in Hidden World.
If they ever decide to migrate there, that is.
After that was done, Henry brought them to their hotel nest. The ceiling illumination crystals were dark, signifying night time. They met up with the others and exchanged their tales. Apparently, Amber brought them to visit the recreational nest.
When it was time to sleep, everyone returned to their room.
"It has been a day."
Toothless and Charcoal were resting in a large, square room. The ground was made of stone, and the place was illuminated with white crystal at the ceiling. Interestingly, the place was warm enough for them to sleep without burning the ground.
There was a pile of stones covering the entrance with a crystal block next to it. At the opposite side was a thick, clear glass window, allowing them to see outside. The two dragons were viewing night view of the metropolitan layer.
It was the most beautiful thing Charcoal had ever seen.
"Yeah..." The father dragon whispered, staring at the view. "... I'm still trying to process all this. I didn't expect deeper parts of Hidden World could be so..."
Charcoal fell silent. Toothless glanced at him. "Modern?"
"Yeah." Charcoal slowly nodded. "It guess it makes sense. Dragons has been around for billions of years. It just... surreal to think about it."
"I was sort of like that when my dad brought me here for the first time." The titan wing dragoness looked back at the view. She softened her expression. "Back then, my mother taught me everything about living in Hidden World..."
The two dragons fell silent. Charcoal glanced back to check on the hatchlings. They were asleep at the corner, curled up together in a pile of scales and wings. He was happy to see them so peaceful like that.
The father dragon looked back at his mate. She looked deep in thought. He decided to ask. "What do you think about everything so far?"
Toothless paused at that question. "It's going well."
"I mean the past month."
"Well, this is the best and worst month in my life." The dragoness slumped her wings. "You almost died. But then, you became a titan wing Night Fury. Then, I became a titan wing Night Fury. Then, we opened an ancient Dragon Vault, and you had to be hospitalised for having knowledge mushed into your brain."
Charcoal tilted his head. "You sounds overwhelmed."
"I am overwhelmed." Toothless admitted. She looked anxious. "I'm suddenly as powerful as a minor power arch alpha dragon at the age of 15. I'll probably suprass my father at the age of 60."
"That's not really a bad thing, was it?" Charcoal questioned. "You always said you don't like your father."
"It's less about disliking him. It's about responsibility." The mother dragon elaborated. "Having power has its own risks. You'll have dragons demanding things from you just because they can. When you don't fulfil it, they get angry."
The father dragon could relate to that. There were times where Vikings would ask for absurd requests about their axe during his blacksmithing days. Gobber had that problems as well. It was rare, but it did happen from time to time.
"Then we should practice restraint." Charcoal decided.
"It's not going to help."
"It will." The father dragon responded. "Restraining yourself is important. Don't strike someone with too much power than they have. Don't under-power yourself either. If you restrain yourself to pretend as their equal, they know not to mess with you, but they're also not too afraid."
Toothless seemed quiet. "... you starting to sound like my mother."
"Really?"
"Yeah..." The dragoness nodded. She looked back to the view. "My mother told me that it's important to be peaceful. Dragons won't stay away from you, because they know you won't ham them. Your enemies won't mess with you, because they know you can defeat them with barely any effort."
Charcoal pondered that thought. "Your mother is very wise."
"My mother told me that she met him at a duelling event. It was a tournament where the winner gets a chance to fight against my father." Toothless told the tale. "She won and got to fight my father. In just ten minutes, she defeated my father."
"Really?"
"Yes. No one expected it. Not even my father." Toothless smiled. She was reminiscing. "She's been restraining herself because she want to have fun. No one knew anything about her, so they didn't expect her to be stronger than my father."
Charcoal fell silent. He could see the enjoyment of restraining themselves during a fight. It was unfair for someone to fight someone lesser than them; it was never fair for a grandmaster to fight a novice.
However, if the grandmaster restrained themselves, it could be a valuable lesson for the novice. Granted, the novice would lose regardless, but they could learn how to better themselves from that. A grandmaster could see their flaws, but a novice could not.
There was nothing to be learned if the grandmaster simply overpowered them.
"I can see the appeal." Charcoal responded. "Peaceful, but not harmless. It makes you approachable."
"Yes." Toothless whispered. She thought for some time, before looking at him. "... I think we should practice restraint."
The father dragon did not respond. The dragoness continued speaking. "We are powerful. We will get more powerful as we age." She reasoned. "I don't want my own friends to be scared of me."
"I've been practising restraint since few years ago. Uncle Alex demanded it." Charcoal responded. "It's learning how to be gentle with things around you. It's learning about yourself and refining them."
"That sounds... strange."
"Believe it or not, it's therapeutic. You can be as gentle as a feather, but as powerful as a boulder." The father dragon remarked. "I'll have to do it again since I just evolved. We can do it together if you want."
"Yes." Toothless seemed to purr. "I want to learn about myself."
"I'll tell you when we start." Charcoal responded. He stood from the ground, before heading to rest next to his hatchlings. "Good night, Toothless."
The mother dragon softened her expression. "Good night, Charcoal."
The next day, Henry the Woolly Howl brought everyone to the foreign office nest. It was where foreign arch alphas and leaders meet with Wodensfang, or when they need Longfin Empire to mediate conflict between them.
The foreign office nest was located at the corner of Obelisk layer. It was here that Toothless and Charcoal were split from the group. Their hatchlings had to stay with Amber. The two titan wing Night Furies were about to meet powerful dragons and arch alphas.
"I present you, Toothless and Charcoal!"
The two titan wing Night Furies entered the room. It was a large bright room with couple dragons inside. There was barely any furnitures, except for stone tables and 'bean bags' for dragons to sit. There was not even windows either.
The first one was a large, quadruped dragon with rainbow-like platinum scales. He had a long white-yellow hair that seemed to resemble serpent dragon. His presence was notably comforting for reasons unknown. His golden eyes seemed to be watching Charcoal.
The second one was an unusual one. It was a dark-scaled dragon that looked like a quadruped Monstrous Nightmare. His scales were thicker and smoother; his claws and talons; and there was a hook-like claws on his wings. There were pitch black stripes on his scales.
The underside of his wings seemed to shimmer like stars, and the air around him seem thick with mana. It was obvious that dragon was incredibly powerful.
The third dragon was different. It was a feathery, quadruped, bird-like dragon. She had dark, flaming red feathers, with brighter ones at lower part of her wings and her head. She also have a long tail with feathers at the end.
Charcoal was instantly reminded of a certain mythological creature. Phoenix.
The last dragon was Wodensfang himself. "Thank you for bringing them here." He expressed his gratitude. "You may leave."
Henry the Woolly Howl bowed at him. He turned around and left the place. A pile of stones assembled itself to close the doorway behind him.
The acidic-eyed arch alpha moved aside. "I believe introductions are in order." He decided. "Everyone, these are Toothless and Charcoal. Toothless is my daughter. Charcoal is my greater alpha. They are mates together."
The platinum-scaled dragon was the first to speak. "Greetings." he began. "My name is Bahamut. The Arch Alpha of Crux Order."
The black dragon straightened himself. "I am Raymond D'Mistral, Gardien en République." He declared. "Arch Alpha of Diamant Republic."
The phoenix dragon simply smiled. "My name is Athena." She introduced herself. "It's nice to meet you."
Charcoal had to pause to process their names and titles. "I- It's nice to meet everyone here."
Wodensfang glanced at the two titan wing Night Furies. "When you were fighting against Furious, my old mentor devised a way to get someone through the supposed impenetrable barrier." He explained. "Doing so would require four arch alpha dragons to assist. The fourth one had already left to the Ottoman Empire."
Toothless widened her eyes. "Mukhtaar el-Yasin." She whispered. "The Arch Alpha of Arab World."
"Correct." The acidic-eyed arch alpha nodded. He was staring at Charcoal. "As the Sultan of Turkish Dragon Caliphate, he cannot stay for long outside of his own territory. Since we do not trust his delegates, we opt to tell him at later time."
Charcoal was confused. "Okay."
"Harr..." Wodensfang exhaled his breath. He looked weary. "These are... Marduk's best friend." He began. "I have not informed them of the situation, but I did tell them that you met him. I have briefed them about your fight against Furious."
"How did you met him?" Raymond the black dragon questioned, interrupting the arch alpha Night Fury. "Was it time travel?"
The young titan wing dragon paused at that question. "Not exactly..."
Before they could respond, Charcoal ejected something from his mana storage. The pendant appeared on the ground with blue flame, revealing the object to everyone.
The three dragons fell silent. They were too shocked to respond. Charcoal continued speaking. "He saved me from death." The young dragon elaborated. "He empowered me to defeat Furious."
Charcoal continued by telling the tale he told Wodensfang before. The three dragons remained silent. They paid close attention to his tale, listening to what was said. They wanted to hear what happened to their best friend, who they thought had died.
When the young dragon was done, the three dragons seemed emotional. Bahamut the platinum-scaled dragon quietly spoke. "He's still fighting."
"The war was never over." Raymond muttered, realising the significance. "It just escalated."
Athena seemed affected the most. She was shaking, almost crying. "I..." She stuttered. "He's alive..."
The dragons fell silent, too shocked to do anything. Wodensfang waited until they processed the tale. "... Marduk never gave up." He quietly spoke, getting their attention. "He kept fighting for dragonkind, even when the odds are against him."
Athena took a step forward. "Then we shall not disappoint." She declared. Her eyes glistened under the lights. "Charcoal."
The young dragon almost jumped. "Yes?"
"As the regent of Haddock family, I can guide you to take the mantle as the Head of the Flock." The phoenix dragon stated. She was serious. "You and your family are the only ones left for Haddock Night Fury. There are no other dragon."
Charcoal was confused. "My dad Stoick is technically one."
Wodensfang was the one to speak. "When you ripped him out from Furious, part of him had remained." He explained. "When you absorbed the titan wing form, that part became yours. For all intent and purpose, Stoick is a conventional Night Fury with no family mutation background."
The young dragon widened his eyes. He did not expect that to happen. "What about Furious?"
"His mutation remained. Unfortunately."
"What would it be, Charcoal?" Athena interjected. "Would you like to take the mantle?"
Charcoal pondered that decision. He did not know what it meant to be the Head of the Flock yet. "Can I postpone that?" The young dragon requested. "I want to learn about them first."
"If that's your wish." The phoenix dragon nodded. "Assuming you want to learn about the family first, I will bring Book Stones relevant to your studies later."
"Okay. I'll wait for that then."
Raymond decided to interrupt. "Let's get to the point." He decided. "What do you want us to do, Charcoal?"
The four arch alphas stared at Charcoal. The young dragon paused as he thought of something. "I want to rebuild Barbaric Archipelago." He answered. "I need some help to make that happen."
"If that's an investment, the republic can help." The black striped dragon responded.
"Not an investment. I have a lot of surplus already." Charcoal clarified, before explaining the situation. "Barbaric Archipelago dragons are not really that smart. Education is non-existent, not to mention health care, and the war..."
Bahamut understood the problem. "You need educated dragons that can help those in Barbaric Archipelago."
"Yes." The young dragon nodded. He was happy that they understand. "I need doctors and teachers. W- Arch Alpha Wodensfang barred medical professionals from coming to the surface, so I was wondering if it's possible for medical educators to come and teach them to become medical professionals."
It was one of the first thing Charcoal had been thinking about. There were many sick dragons at the surface, but none of the doctors. Charcoal hoped to fix that problem, since there was no easy or cheap way to fix this problem.
He cursed Wodensfang for that restriction.
The platinum-scaled dragon was the one who answered. "My layers have some of the best medical professionals in Hidden World. It was all thanks to our education." He declared. "I am willing to lease my medical educators... for a price."
"What is it?"
"I have seen the draconic cannon you made in the surface world. They are effective against deviant dragons." Bahamut began. "The Crux Order is often at war with rising deviant alphas. We would like to order them at bulk to help us combat them."
"That's doable. I can get that started after I teach the workers about dragonsmithing and engineering." Charcoal nodded, before continued speaking. "I also need help with mana education for dragons."
"The Diamant Republic can cover that." Raymond D'Mistral interjected, getting their attention. "Send over the students to my universities. We'll give them 70 percent subsidies for their transport, housing, feeding and schooling. In exchange, we want surplus of Nature Shards."
The young dragon thought of that deal. It was incredibly easy to make Nature Shard at the surface. "That's doable." He nodded. "It can happen after I start industrialisation."
That phrase confused the arch alpha dragons. "Industrialisation?"
"It's a human concept. It's basically mechanised industry. This allows for manufacturing at scale." Charcoal gave brief explanation. "It's been done before. Great Britain, a human kingdom, is industrialised. If I can do that in Barbaric Archipelago, I can make a lot of things made for cheap."
That was the main goal. Despite all the mess it made at the start, industrialisation had the potential to improve the lives of many, humans and dragons. Charcoal wanted to make that happen in his region. It would be a whole new way of life for everyone in Barbaric Archipelago.
"Mechanised industrialisation." Bahamut thought of that statement. "I believe we are industrialised with constructs and spells, but not... mechanised. No one has ever done that one before."
"An experimental greater alpha." Wodensfang realised. "... we haven't had this in a while."
"Indeed. We haven't had any new innovation in quite some time." Raymond remarked. He looked interested. "If it were successful, Barbaric Archipelago could potentially disrupt the balance of power. If were you, I would nurture it."
Toothless was confused. She decided to express that. "Why would you want to do that?"
"The arch alphas of Hidden World haven't changed for the past thousands of years." The black striped dragon explained. "While enemies and alliances were based on interest, this made everyone predictable. We knew what others would do next. We have little to no reason to improve."
"Well, money is not a problem for them." Wodensfang exhaled his breath. "I suppose I would allow administrative exceptions for Barbaric Archipelago. Such as your proposal for your own currency."
Bahamut leaned closer to Charcoal. "Your connection with Marduk opened new bridges with us." He remarked. "Maintain it well, and you will forge permanent allies between us."
Wodensfang widened his eyes. No one noticed this, except for Toothless and Charcoal. The young dragon nodded. "I will."
"Good." The platinum-scaled dragon pulled back. "We will watch you with great interest."
"Before we depart to our homes, I would like to discuss the upcoming hearing for Charcoal." Athena began, getting their attention. "While Marduk never prevented him from telling anyone about this, he advised him to keep them a secret."
"I agree." The acidic-eyed arch alpha nodded. "It might alert the deviants."
"You can't tell the court about this, but the court will know if you are hiding something important." The phoenix dragon explained. "So, we need to explain this without revealing too much."
Bahamut straightened himself. "We have been investigating about deviant greater alpha influencing the surface world." He explained, getting their attention. "Our investigation led to Northern Alliance, specifically the Bewilderbeast they have. Marduk said the Drago Bludvist we see is his human image... I think his Bewilderbeast represented his dragon side."
"It seems plausible enough."
Charcoal decided to speak. "What if we left breadcrumbs for them?" He suggested. "Dragons would investigate and figure it out themselves. The Northern Alliance might try to put a stop on this, because if they knew they have deviants influencing alpha decisions, there would be a strong push back."
"Gaa..." Raymond nodded approvingly. "Not a bad idea. The question is, how are you going to do it?"
Charcoal smiled. He took a deep breath, before explaining his plan.
After hashing out the details, along with things Charcoal needed, they moved on to seal their deal on agreements prior to that. They signed their agreements in Book Stone crystals. The arch alpha dragons left to their respective territories after it was done.
Athena left to Haddock's family home to retrieve the Book Stones. It might take some time for her to return, since the layer was rather far. She was expected to return some time after Charcoal's inauguration.
Regardless, the young dragon was happy that he got a desirable outcome.
The next destination was seeing Stoick and Furious at the court prison.
Toothless and Charcoal entered a cold, dark hallway with large metal cages. Those cages were empty. Three Deadly Nadders and a Monstrous Nightmare guard dragons were escorting them through the court prison.
Eventually, they reached their destination. Stoick and Furious were kept in a single large prison cell. Compared to the hallway, the light in that prison was bright and glaring. It also illuminated the hallway in front of it. The two Night Furies had black metal collars around their neck.
"Alright." The Monstrous Nightmare guard dragon began, getting their attention. "You got visitors."
The imprisoned dragons looked to see. While others remained in the dark, Charcoal stepped forward into the light. "Hello dad, Furious."
"Hiccup." Stoick quickly moved to see him. He stopped right in front of the jail bars. The Night Fury looked relieved. "You're okay."
Charcoal did not say anything. He stared at the two dragons with disappointing look. The young dragon looked at Furious. "You're a fucking idiot, you know that?"
"I know." Furious answered, not-so subtly inspecting his appearance. "I think it was worth it."
"Three arch alphas did their investigation on the situation. Wodenfang included." The young dragon began. "They found some evidence that deviants are responsible for this. Northern Alliance, specifically."
"Of course." The imprisoned Ebonclaw Night Fury approached the jail bars. He stared at the young dragon. "I did this to protect you from them."
"Because you foresighted it. You saw the future." Charcoal simply responded. "And you influenced my human father by showing him that."
"Then you agreed to it."
"No." The young dragon coolly responded. "Because I know what you see."
Furious was confused. Then, he widened his eyes. "You read my memory."
"No."
"... Wodensfang?"
"It was an investigation done by Bahamut, the Arch Alpha of Crux Order." Charcoal answered. He was staring at the former greater alpha. "You saw a world full of never ending war, where deaths and murders have become the norm."
Charcoal paused, before telling the tale. "You saw humans and dragons worship an extremely powerful dragon, which is what I would become. You saw them getting corrupted by dark, malignant gods that wished to empower themselves with them." He explained. "It was a future so full of evil; you can't do anything but to adapt."
Stoick and Furious widened their eyes. They knew exactly what Charcoal was describing. The two imprisoned dragons realised he knew about the vision.
The young dragon took a deep breath. "It's fake. All of it." He concluded. "None of that would ever happen, because deviants made that up."
The former greater alpha was angry. "I know what I see!"
"You know what you see because that's what they want you to see!" Charcoal roared back. He took a deep breath, before explaining. "Bahamut has been doing investigation on Northern Alliance for centuries. They have deviants in Hidden World working for them. He suspected that they know how to intercept foresight and implant their own image. Raymond D' Mistral, Arch Alpha of Diamant Republic, and Wodensfang, Arch Alpha of Scandinavia and Nordic World, collaborated with him to verify this. You know what they found?"
The two imprisoned dragons did not answer. They were too shocked to respond.
The young titan wing dragon leaned forward. "They weren't just looking for Haddock Night Furies to kidnap." He whispered. "Their main target... was me. They want me to either die, or become a deviant."
"That's..." Furious felt dread. He felt like his world had just turned upside down. "That's impossible. Foresight is-"
"Not well understood." Charcoal nodded, agreeing with that sentence. "But we have the evidence. That's what happened."
The dragons fell silent. Stoick and Furious refused to believe it. They refused to believe that they had been tricked by deviants. They had no intention to harm him; they wanted him to survive. They refused to believe that it was harming him.
The young dragon pulled back. "We've already pushed the evidences to the court. It'll be at the hearing. Wodensfang made sure that this is public." Charcoal responded. "Pray that they don't put you in death penalty."
With that, Charcoal retreated into the shadows. The guard dragons quietly escorted them out from the prison, leaving Furious and Stoick alone inside.
The next day, the Longfin Imperial Court was in session. Toothless, Charcoal and the others were brought as witnesses to testify.
It was done in a massive bright room, with half-amphitheater arrangement for dragons to sit and watch. The alphas were placed at the front, while dragon reporters watching placed at the back. The witnesses were put at the side.
It was a rather crowded place, since they wanted to understand what was going on. They had heard of new evidences pushed into the case. The evidences were classified until the court date and time; only select few dragons, such as defendants and prosecutors, were allowed to see them.
Given the expression of those involved, it would be a very long day.
When the session began, Wodensfang provided summary of the last session. It was telling the tale of everything that happened in Dragon Island at Barbaric Archipelago, along with how it led to that event. This was before Toothless and Charcoal were available to testify, meaning some details may be vague for them.
After that, Wodensfang informed them about the new evidence, which was declassified in court. It was here that Wodensfang revealed about investigations performed by two other arch alpha dragons on Northern Alliance, which was a deviant faction. He explained that those deviants were trying to kill Charcoal for reasons unknown.
Then, he informed them of Northern Alliance efforts.
He told them about how deviants could interfere with foresight; how they tried their best to hide what was going on at the surface world. From sabotage to espionage, anti-human propaganda to implanting sympathetic alphas; they did them all to influence this.
They did everything they could to radicalise them, so they could harvest humans at the surface world without interference.
When the opening ended, the judges and alphas went to verify the evidences. They had seals from arch alphas, meaning they were very much real. After they realised it was all true, everyone expressed their shock.
They knew about deviant threats, but they never thought it could reach that existent.
It meant that deviants might be more widespread than they thought.
After that, everyone returned to the topic of Stoick and Furious. They were represented by a lawyer dragon, which was a Night Fury hired by the Ebonclaw family. The prosecutors were two male Light Furies.
The first dragon they brought in was Charcoal. He was asked to tell the tale about what happened. The young dragon told the story from his perspective. Occasionally, the alpha dragons asked some specifics.
Charcoal avoided telling them anything about Marduk. He claimed that power came to him after he absorbed the Heart of Ebonclaw.
Other than that, his tale was not different than what others had said.
Toothless was next in line. Just like Charcoal, her answers were not that different than her mate. She did clarified some things for the court, such as her effort in defeating Furious. Nevertheless, nothing seemed notable.
After that, the court went into two hours recess.
"We have come to a conclusion."
After the recess was over, a titan wing Gronckle made a declaration. He was Wodensfang's greater alpha, speaking for everyone within the court chamber. It seemed that the greater alphas had discussed the situation over lunch.
Charcoal, Toothless and the others were sitting at the side. Wodensfang was standing at the front main platform. Everyone were in place, and they waited for the Gronckle to speak their mind.
"It was shocking that one of our greater alpha had defected and became rogue. This violation is unforgivable." The Gronckle greater alpha stated. "However, we understand that he was not acting by himself. Furious relied too much on his foresight that it was intercepted by the deviants."
"It is incredibly alarming that deviants were capable of doing this. We were so confident with our advancements to detect and eradicate deviant dragons that we forgot that they could develop something to counteract this." The Gronckle greater alpha continued speaking. "Now, we know that they could be infiltrating our ranks in this very moment."
"... Regardless, we have made our decision." The Gronckle greater alpha straightened himself. "Stoick the Vast the Night Fury, formerly human, is a victim of this incident. He should be returned to Berk under the watchful eyes of Greater Alpha Charcoal. He must be accompanied by mind healer to ensure that he is no longer affected by the event."
There was some acknowledgment. Stoick looked relieved at his seat.
"Furious the Ebonclaw Night Fury, formerly Greater Alpha of Barbaric Archipelago." The Gronckle greater alpha continued speaking. "For the past few years, his actions and neglects have caused many troubles. The dragons of Barbaric Archipelago, the daughter of Lynx Night Fury, and the last heir of Haddock Night Fury were all put in danger because of him."
"His actions during the last day is far from acceptable." The Gronckle greater alpha expressed his contempt. "We have no doubt that this topic would be brought up in Great Power Conference."
Charcoal was confused. Not wanting to speak, he reached through his bond with Toothless. "What's Great Power Conference?"
"It's a quarterly intergovernmental conference where arch alphas and dragon families discuss their problems and vote on resolutions." Toothless answered. "Dragons use them as forum to help maintain peace."
"Does it work?"
"About half the time." The mother dragon answered. "They're always successful in containing wars from spreading out."
"Why does he think it would be brought up there?" Charcoal expressed his confusion.
"Because Furious put two young family members in danger." Toothless explained. "If they don't severely punish Furious, other families and arch alphas will. My dad can be called into question if he doesn't do this."
"Therefore, he must be punished." The Gronckle greater alpha summarised. "We propose assigning him as the servant of Henrik Carlsen, the High Aetherologist of Aldinnveröld."
Other than Wodensfang and his greater alphas, dragons muttered with pity and concern. The arch alpha waited for a moment. His eyes roamed around the half-amphitheatre, observing the dragons and their reactions.
Eventually, the arch alpha raised his paw. This immediately quietened the dragons. "I accept the decision for Stoick the Vast the Night Fury, formerly human." He declared. "The court acknowledged this punishment."
Wodensfang paused for a moment, before speaking. "I request plebiscite for the decision on Furious the Ebonclaw Night Fury." He decided. "Speaking as the former apprentice of Henrik Carlsen, putting him as a servant is the same as giving him death sentence."
There were confused murmurs amongst the crowd. They did not expect Wodensfang to ask for a vote. The greater alpha dragons glanced at each other. The Gronckle greater alpha whispered to the others, before declaring. "We accept the request."
Dragons fell silent. They bated their breath as they wait for the vote. Wodensfang looked at the seated greater alpha dragons. He mentally counted them. "Those in favour on this punishment, raise your paw."
Most of the greater alphas raised their paw. The arch alpha counted the vote. Over 81 greater alphas were present, and 41 of them raised their paw. It was a narrow win for those in favour. Wodensfang was surprised. It seemed they were divided on the issue about punishment.
While this was happening, at the side of the chamber, Charcoal glanced at his mate. "Is what your dad say is true?"
"Yes. Henrik Carlsen is known to be careless with his constructs." Toothless answered. "Things he made are usually dangerous, volatile and chaotic. So when things explode on his face, nothing happens. The same can't be said for his servants tho."
"Wouldn't that cause damage to his place?"
"His nest was reinforced to endure... everything you can throw at them." The mother dragon responded. "There's a rumour that it's a cover up for him to experiment on his servants. My dad never confirmed this."
"The court is found in favour." Wodensfang droned his voice. "Furious the Ebonclaw Night Fury, former Greater Alpha of Barbaric Archipelago, will serve under Henrik Carlsen, the High Aetherologist of Aldinnveröld, as his servant for eternity."
The dragons chattered once more. The arch alpha continued speaking. " We will take five minutes break to sort this out." He decided. " I will personally inform Henrik of this situation."
After the recess, Henrik Carlsen was brought to the chamber. He accepted Furious as his servant. This was followed by closing statement from Wodensfang. The case had been closed.
It was finally over.
After the session was over, Furious and Stoick were escorted straight to the hospital for mental assessment. Henrik and Charcoal had to accompany them, since they were involved in the punishment. Funny enough, they were not allowed to enter the room with them.
While waiting, Charcoal read Book Stone crystals relating to everything in Barbaric Archipelago, including the previous administration. It was given by Aymar for him to understand what he got himself into.
Charcoal wanted to plan his move to maintain the peace. As such, he had to start early. Reading reports and making notes were the best first thing he could do. Everything else could be done later after he was inaugurated.
Few hours later, the mental assessment was done. Furious and Stoick went out from their room. Henrik Carlsen and Charcoal were waiting at the large, bright waiting room. There was no one around but them.
Charcoal was focused on his former human father. "How was it?"
"... I guess I'm still sane." Stoick admitted. He was staring at his own son. "I don't know what to say."
"When someone gets powerful enough, there's bound to be someone working to try to trick them into doing something for them." The young titan wing dragon responded. "... I've been there. I had to learn this the hard way."
"Mr Charcoal, may I have a moment?"
The two dragons turned to look at the very ancient Night Fury. Charcoal was the one who answered. "Yes?"
Henrik smiled. "If you have the time, I would like to extend an invitation for to become my apprentice."
That surprised everyone in the room. Charcoal raised his brows. "Why?" He questioned. "Who are you, exactly?"
"As you probably heard at the court, I am Henrik Carlsen, the High Aetherologist of Aldinnveröld." The very ancient Night Fury responded. "Aetherologist is a profession, not a position. It relates to understanding things above the realm of mana."
Charcoal pondered that statement. Wodensfang was once apprenticed under Henrik Carlsen, meaning that he could be trusted in some way. "can you give an example?"
Henrik smiled. "I know you were visited by a space-time creature."
The young titan wing dragon stiffened. The two dragons around them stared at him with confusion. "What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't take me as a fool, young boy." The very ancient Night Fury dismissed his question. "I may not know what you discussed with them, but I have my ways. I know it was related with you meeting three greater alpha dragons and striking a fair deal with them on your first day."
"I-"
"Don't get me wrong. I hold no malicious intent." Henrik interrupted. "But I know a dragon with potential when I see one. Wodensfang seem to trust you. I trust him for his judgment."
Charcoal narrowed his eyes. "Did Arch Alpha Wodenfang set this up?"
"None at all." The very ancient dragon vaguely answered. "He doesn't need to know."
The young titan wing dragon shrugged his wings. "Alright, well, if you want me to become your apprentice, you need to work with my schedules." He stated. "I'm a greater alpha now. I have duties to attend."
"That can be arranged."
"Alright." Charcoal nodded. "I accept."
"Good!" The very ancient Night Fury brightened. He was happy. "It has been a while since I take on apprentices. You will learn many things from me. I promise you that."
The young titan wing dragon nodded, before noticing something that he said. "Apprentices?"
"YOU WHAT?!"
Toothless and Charcoal were flying along in the bright sky at the surface world. Their hatchlings were on Toothless' back. Stoick, Henry, and others were following them behind. The flock was heading to Isle of Berk from Caldera.
It had been a week of travel from Obelisk layer to the surface world. The Hidden World was much bigger than they thought.
The young titan wing dragon winced at his mate. "Please don't be upset."
"Upset?" Toothless was incredulous. "Charcoal, I'm excited!"
"Excited?"
"Yes!" The mother dragon eagerly nodded. "You can learn so many things under Henrik Carlsen. I'm surprised he made that offer for us. It was said that Wodensfang was the last apprentice he ever have!"
Charcoal focused back on the path. "I assume you'll accept the offer."
"Of course I accept the offer." Toothless was excited. She flew around her mate. The hatchlings riding her clutched onto her fur. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Amber the Light Fury had flown closer to them. "What's the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?"
"Amber! Amber!" The mother dragon gushed out. She flew closer to her. "Henrik Carlsen just offered me and my mate to become his apprentice. We accepted."
"Hraa..." The Light Fury gasped. "Congratulations! I knew you'll go far!"
While the two female dragons were chattering, Charcoal had moved to fly next to Stoick. The former human was staring at the horizon. He was so preoccupied with his own thoughts that he did not notice Charcoal flying closer.
The young titan wing dragon softened his expression. "Dad?"
Stoick snapped out from his thought. He looked at his son, who was flying above him. "Hiccup."
"How do you feel?" Charcoal asked.
The former human had no answer to that. "Anxious." He whispered. "What would the village think?"
"They'll see a dragon that's been tricked by a greater alpha." The young titan wing dragon answered. "They'll see the chief that led them for so long. Nothing will change."
"Would they accept me for what I did?"
"Well, they have to accept you either way." Charcoal responded. "You have both humans and dragons living together at Berk. You have experience in dealing with them. That's why you'll be their alpha."
Stoick widened his eyes. "What?"
"I'm making things easier for everyone involved." The young titan wing dragon reasoned. He adjusted his flight path, before continuing. "Having both the chief and alpha as the same dragon would make my life easier."
"... I don't know what to say." The former human admitted. "You would trust me... even after what happened?"
"I'm not a dragon that can forget. But I know how to forgive." Charcoal responded. He glanced down at his now-dragon father. "The ship haven't sailed yet. If you want to make amends, help me bring peace in Barbaric Archipelago."
The two dragons fell silent. Charcoal was focused on his flight, while Stoick looked thoughtful. The young dragon noticed that the former human was slowly drifting away. Using his prehensile appendages, he pulled Stoick back to him.
Stoick almost jumped. He quickly adjusted his flight path. "Thank you."
"You still need to get used to be a dragon." Charcoal remarked. He seemed to ponder. "Actually, have you tried to turn back into human?"
The former human was surprised. "I thought this is permanent."
"It is, but that doesn't mean you can no longer be one. Try to will yourself to turn back into human."
Stoick fell silent. The young dragon waited as the former human made the effort. In less than a second, Stoick suddenly shimmered and shrunk back into his human form. The now-human Stoick yelped as he was suddenly a human.
In mid-air.
Thankfully, Charcoal was there to catch him with his prehensile appendages. "Got you." He said, before putting his father onto his back. "Looks like it's really that simple."
Stoick was busy staring at himself. He stared at the hands he was born with. "... thank you." The father whispered, still staring at his hand. "... I'm sorry... for everything."
The young dragon did not immediately answer. He glanced back for a moment, before speaking. "Your clothes is in my left front pocket." Charcoal responded. "You should wear them before we arrive."
It was then Stoick realised that he was naked. He was so used on being a dragon; he forgot about wearing clothes. The now-human father quickly reached for the pocket in Charcoal's outfit. He had to get dressed before they arrive.
"Hrr..." Charcoal found this amusing. He stared ahead to the horizon, focusing on his flight.
The trip took a few days. It was longer than expected, since they had to get around hail clouds on their way there. They arrived at Berk some time in the morning.
The Isle of Berk looked rather peaceful. There were dragons that occasionally come and go from the village. Charcoal led the group to circle around and land at the docks. It was the most open and large area for the whole flock to land.
The Vikings noticed who had returned. "Hey! It's Stoick! The chief came back!"
"Stoick came back with Hiccup!"
While the Vikings were slowly crowding around them, Stoick had jumped off from Charcoal. "It's good to be back!" He smiled at them. "The village didn't burn down while I was gone. That's a good sign."
Charcoal focused to transform into his human form. His body shimmered as he shrunk down. When it was done, the now-human Night Fury inspected his appearance. Standing at 7 and a half feet tall, he was definitely bigger than before. He looked like in his mid 20s.
It was hard to call him a boy anymore.
Vikings had to step back when they saw him. When Gobber and Spitelout arrived to the scene, the first thing they noticed was him. "Hiccup?" The blacksmith wondered. "Is that you?"
"That's me." Hiccup nodded, before pushing Stoick to the front. "Here's your chief. All whole and unharmed. Physically, at least."
Spitelout snorted. "I doubt anyone isn't mentally scarred after that day." He commented. The second-in-command approached and clapped Stoick on his shoulder. "Good to see you back!"
"It was a wild week." Stoick remarked as he pat his shoulder. "We brought something for everyone."
Henry the Woolly Howl, Harald the Dramillion came forward. They had large barrels strapped on their body. Stoick knocked on the barrel. "Dragon mead!" He declared. "The strongest mead there is! We brought them straight from dragon realm!"
Gobber widened his eyes. "Oh, I want to try that."
"Let's bring this to the Mead Hall." Stoick called out. "It's time for us to celebrate!"
The Vikings cheered in agreement. "YEAH!"
The Vikings of Berk decided to take a break for the whole day. Their chief had finally returned. They drank the new beverages made by dragons. It would be their first time to drink actual dragon beverages.
It certainly did not disappoint. They were much richer and higher quality than their own mead. However, the alcohol concentration was so high, it was poisonous for humans. The cooks had to dilute the dragon mead to prevent poisoning.
"The dragon war is finally over!"
It was night time. The Mead Hall was packed with Vikings. They have all sorts of food on the table. Stoick was giving a speech to everyone at his table. He was holding a tankard of dragon mead. "After generations of war, we are finally at peace."
The Vikings were listening. Stoick continued speaking. "We have won the war. Not humans or dragons, but us." He declared. "Berk."
The Vikings nodded in agreement. The chief took a deep breath. "Let us celebrate the start of this better time!" He shouted as he raised his tankard. "Let us celebrate for peace!"
"PEACE!" The Vikings shouted as they raised their own.
While the Vikings were celebrating inside the Mead Hall, Toothless and Hiccup were outside. They were in their human form. The dragoness in human form were as big and large as her mate. The two dragons were quietly conversing with each other.
Not long after, Mimir the Night Fury and Gryphon the Valstrax arrived. They landed right in front of them. "Dad!"
The Valstrax quickly hugged her adoptive father. Hiccup hugged her back. "Good to see you too, Gryphon." He muttered, before letting her go. "How's it been?"
"Nothing really happens." Gryphon answered, before moving away from him. "Mimir's doing his best to get dragons to stay. Everyone is leaving for Hidden World."
Hiccup was surprised. "Everyone?"
Mimir decided to speak. "Over half of the population." He interjected, getting their attention. "Apparently, you're not that popular amongst the middle class dragons. There's barely any alpha dragons left."
The large boy softened his expression. "Well, I did made it clear that I won't be continuing the war." Hiccup shrugged. "If they want to leave, I won't stop them. I'll be purging the continent from those that supported the war."
The acting greater alpha was surprised. "Y- You would-"
"Kick them out of the region? Yeah." Hiccup nodded. "If we want to make this happen, we need a clean slate. I want a generation of humans and dragons that actively want to maintain peace."
There were far more reasons than that. The dragons in previous administration was cruel and corrupt. Scratch that- the whole population need to change. Everyone in Barbaric Archipelago had participated in Dragon Rebellion, creating culture around killing humans.
In order to rebuild and maintain that peace, everything must go.
It was easier said than done. Charcoal could purge them by ending their lives, but he did not want to start his reign with blood bath against his own kind. He would not be different than them if he went for genocide.
There were many other ways to get rid of them.
"I'll leave them be then." Mimir shrugged his wings. "By the way, did you closed your mind? I can't feel our connection."
Hiccup was confused. "I can access Toothless and Gryphon just fine." He answered. "I thought you closed your mind."
"Only the master mind can do that in a hive mind." The acting greater alpha insisted, before pausing. He realised something. "Unless..."
"You became your own dragon." Hiccup finished the sentence.
The human and dragon realised what happened. The boy approached him and cast Identify. Mimir came up as an Ebonclaw Night Fury. He was not connected to anything; not even his mana circuit. Mimir had his own memories, and he was no longer part of Hiccup.
Mimir became his own dragon.
"... I guess it's a side effect of what happened." Hiccup hypothesized. "My ascension might have something to do with it."
"I'm not sure what to feel about it." The acting greater alpha admitted. He was staring at his own claws. "Now that I'm alive... I mean, actually, really alive and on my own. I don't know what to think."
"You can always think about me."
Toothless and Hiccup took a few step back. Amber the Light Fury had arrived with her six Light Furies. The large dragoness swayed her body as she approached Mimir. "I heard you're looking for a mate."
The acting greater alpha dragon was momentarily stunned. "Harr..." He seemed to blush. "I- I'm not really-"
"Into casual sex?" Amber nonchalantly interrupted. She moved around him, brushing her scales around him. "That's fine. I can play dominatrix if you want. I have six dragons serving me."
Mimir tightened his legs. They could see red blush through his black scales. "I-..." He stuttered, before looking at Hiccup. "Help me."
"You'll be fine." Hiccup waved him away, before smirking. "Get a room, will you? I don't want others to see this."
The female Light Fury cast her spell. Suddenly, the acting greater alpha was tightly bound with blue ironwire. Mimir crashed onto the ground when that happened. Amber simply grabbed him. "Oh, we will."
The Light Furies took off into the air, carrying the bound Night Fury with them. It was then Mimir realised it was a set up. He could only stare as Berk was getting further and further away.
After they were gone, Hiccup exhaled his breath. "I haven't seen Camicazi, Thuggory, Uncle Alex and his foreigner friends yet. They didn't even leave a message." He said. "I wonder where they went off to."
"They've most likely gone to Europe already." Toothless suggested. "What happened here seemed to have affected the whole surface world."
"Furious managed to hold a full solar eclipse for almost a whole day." The boy remembered. "I have no doubt that everyone would know about this."
The dragon couple in human form fell silent. They stared at the night sky, enjoying the moment of peace. It felt nice to finally be out of their troubles.
But then, the boy remembered something. "We need to get the dragon book from your dad."
"The inauguration is tomorrow. My dad should be around." The dragoness in human form responded. She began walking down the road. "Let's look for him."
"Dad, do you have a moment?"
Toothless and Charcoal were standing at Gothi's place. They were in their dragon form. Wodensfang was there, speaking with the elder. Gothi was enjoying the company of the arch alpha dragon. While she spoke through writings on sand, Wodensfang was patient enough to read them.
"Yes, Toothless." Wodensfang looked at his daughter. He was speaking in Norse. "I was speaking with the elder."
"We need to talk." Toothless looked serious. "In private."
Their look and expression left no argument. The arch alpha dragon exhaled his breath. He looked back at Gothi. "If you excuse me." Wodensfang began. "I have to tend my daughter."
Gothi smiled as she waved him away. With him being excused, Wodensfang moved away and took off into the air. The dragon couple followed him behind. The arch alpha dragon led them into the forest, before landing at a small clearing.
The two dragons landed there as well. Wodensfang turned around to face them. "What is it?"
"Can you tell us about the 'Mana: Principles, Techniques and Tools' book?" Toothless asked. "I'm talking about the original book."
"It is a pre-war draconic book. It was made specifically to preserve our knowledge." Wodensfang answered. "Marduk made 12 of them, but only one remained. He anticipated our loss and prepared accordingly."
"Can Charcoal have it?"
"Why? The knowledge inside is translated and public." The arch alpha expressed his confusion. "It's an antique collection at this point."
"It's his family heirloom." Toothless responded. "Athena is bringing back some Stone Books for Charcoal to read. If she noticed some missing books from the Haddock nest, she might demand them from you in public."
The dragoness was bluffing. That decision might be up to Charcoal. However, Wodensfang thought it made sense. Toothless knew more about the situation than them. "Very well."
Dark green flame appeared at the centre. The familiar book of 'Mana: Principles, Techniques and Tools' appeared on the grassy ground. Just like many others, it had red dragon scales as its cover. The centre had golden scales in circle as its decoration.
Charcoal and Toothless approached the book. The dragoness reinforced her claws, before swiping at her paw. It struck four inches deep, before allowing a drop of blood. It fell onto the book, right at the centre. After that they waited.
And waited.
A minute later, still nothing happened. Toothless was confused. "Huh. I guess it really is an antique collection now."
"No. I think I know what went wrong." Charcoal realised. He pricked his paw, like what Toothless did, making him bleed. The male titan wing dragon placed and slid his bleeding paw onto the book.
That did the trick. It absorbed the blood, and the book began to shimmer blue. The book was changing; red scales turning black, similar to Night Fury. The book itself was also getting bigger and thicker in pages.
When it finally ended, the book was as big as their chest. Toothless carefully opened the book. "... it has the updated knowledge. It now has everything about mana." She commented as she flipped the pages. "I guess it really is an artefact."
"It can only be updated with Haddock dragon blood." Charcoal leaned to read the content. He had to squint because of the small text. "That's why it doesn't work with yours."
Meanwhile, Wodensfang was staring at the book in shock. When opened in the middle, the book was roughly the height of his chest. "How..." He whispered, getting their attention. "You knew how to update them."
Toothless simply stared at him. "We do."
"It was an artefact." The arch alpha dragon realised.
"It is." The dragoness nodded, before bumping her tail against Charcoal.
The male titan wing dragon got the hint. He placed his paw onto the book, pulling it into his storage mana. The dragon book burned with blue flame as it was absorbed into him.
Wodensfang stared at them with indescribable look. They stared as they waited for his response. He eventually looked at his daughter. He opened his mouth to speak, but hesitated. He had to carefully choose his words. "It was meant to be my apology to you."
Toothless was unfazed. Wodensfang slumped his wings. "... I realised that I was wrong in my judgment." He admitted to his daughter. "I... thought it would teach the importance of consequence for our actions. I didn't realise I overdone it."
The dragoness softened her expression. The old father dragon sat on the ground. His eyes seemed to water. "... I'm sorry." He was sincere. "It took me a thousand years to learn. I wish I knew hatchlings can be raised differently."
They fell silent once more. Charcoal took a few steps back to leave them be. The situation was something his mate must face alone. It was her family matter. He did not want to interfere, unless she ask him to.
For Toothless, it was her opportunity to confront her father. While she understood he wanted her to learn from consequence, the lengths he took was reaching the point of neglect. This conversation was long coming.
"I can't forgive you for your neglect." The dragoness confessed. She stared at the green eyes of her father. "Horror is gone because you refused to bail his debt. He didn't want us to pay for them."
Wodensfang hardened his expression. "That debt came to me."
The dragoness leaned forward. "And that's exactly why he took his own life." She hissed. There was sadness in her eyes. "He knew you can pay for them, but you refused. Your own law would make him a slave, dad. Do you want him to be a slave?"
There was a long silence. The male titan wing dragon at the back was uncomfortable. He decided to reach into her mind. "Toothless." He whispered. "I think that's enough. I think he got the point."
Toothless did not respond. The old father dragon slowly relaxed. There was great sadness in his heart. "... I wish to mend our relationship." He admitted. "I want to earn your forgiveness."
"Then help us. Help us do what Marduk wanted us to do." The dragoness sat on the ground. "You agreed to help, but we need your complete support. There are things we can't solve without your help."
Wodensfang took a deep breath. "Very well." He decided. "What do you want to do?"
"We want to do something different with Barbaric Archipelago." Toothless declared, staring at her father. "We want more freedom in what we do."
The arch alpha dragon straightened himself. "How do you want to do this?"
The dragoness smiled at that. She glanced at her mate, who was shocked at the turn of event. "Charcoal?"
"Y- Yeah?"
"What do you have in mind?" Toothless questioned.
That was when Charcoal realised what happened. His mate used the opportunity to manipulate her father. Judging from their expression, Wodensfang was aware of this as well. They had reached an agreement to mend their relationship.
The male titan wing dragon took a step forward. He stared at the arch alpha dragon and began to speak.
It was the day of inauguration. The ceremony started rather early in the morning. Charcoal was standing in front of the doors of the Great Hall. The titan wing Night Fury stood proud on one side. He would start leading the region soon.
Down from the stairs of Great Hall was a small crowd of dragons and Vikings. Most of them were dragons that he knew. There was Henry, Harald, Ronald, Toothless, Alex, Stoick the Vast – so on, so forth. Some were dragons from Hidden World, presumably journalists for Longfin Empire.
There was a distinctive lack of alpha dragons amongst the crowd.
In front of him was Wodensfang, the Arch Alpha of Scandinavia and Nordic World. He stared at the dragon in front of him – the one who slayed Furious and succeeded him. The arch alpha dragon took a deep breath, before starting the ceremony. "Are you Charcoal, the titan wing Night Fury?"
"I am." Charcoal straightened himself. They were speaking in Norse.
"Will you solemnly promise and swear to govern the Kingdom of Dragonmark, the sole ruler of Barbaric Archipelago?"
Dragons widened their eyes. It was a deviation from the usual script. The Vikings were curious to see where it would go. Given what was said, the land had been given to a newly formed kingdom. The Kingdom of Dragonmark. Charcoal would become the king.
Charcoal took a deep breath. "Yes."
"Speak your oath." Wodensfang responded.
"I solemnly promise and swear to faithfully govern the Kingdom of Dragonmark, and will do to the best of my ability, to preserve, protect and defend the kingdom." The newly inducted greater alpha dragon declared.
"May the skies be our witness." The arch alpha dragon stepped back. He seemed to be smiling. "Charcoal, the Night Fury. You may start your duty, as the King and Greater Alpha of Dragonmark."
Charcoal shifted one side of his legs back. Shifting in kneeling pose, he bowed his head as much as he could. The newly inducted greater alpha dragon was showing respect to his superior. After half a minute in that pose, he stood from the ground. "Thank you."
Dragons began stomping their feet; Vikings began to clap. It was a rather quiet ceremony, which was fine for them. They stopped when Charcoal turned to face them. Typically, it would follow by alpha dragon bowing to him. But since almost none was present, it was safely disregarded.
Regardless, Charcoal had prepared for this moment.
His body shimmered as he shrunk down into his half-dragon form. His tails, wings and appendages disappeared. When it was done, Charcoal was standing in his humanoid form. The draconic boy stood proud in front of them.
He remembered the time when his family was in danger. He remembered the time when he had to fight humans to survive. He remembered the time when he fought deviants that threatened their lives.
"Human and dragonkind." Charcoal began. He was speaking in Norse. "Today, the guns are silent. A great tragedy has ended. A great victory has been won."
"The skies no longer rain death. The flights bear only commerce." Charcoal gave his speech. "Human and dragonkind walked together in the sunlight. The region lies quietly at peace. The war has finally ended."
He remembered the fight in Dragon Island. Cannons and ballistae roared as the fleet of ships fought against the deviants. Vikings casualty were low, but it did not count the total deaths from the war.
Billions of lives had been lost.
It was then Charcoal felt it. The emotion he had been suppressing so long. The fear, pain, anguish and anxiety of the war; the sheer relief that it was finally over. His forest green eyes glistened as he continued his line.
"And in reporting this to you, I speak for thousands of silent lips, forever stilled among deserted villages, and abandoned nests, and in the deep waters of the northern sea." Charcoal continued speaking. "I speak for the unnamed brave millions, ready to take up the challenge of that future, which they did so much to salvage from the brink of disaster."
The newly inducted greater alpha shuddered his breath. The opening was complete. Charcoal pulled out a small piece of note. He read the content, before speaking his lines.
"As I look back on the long, tortuous trail from the grim days of war, when man and dragonkind lived in fear." Charcoal continued speaking. "I thank the merciful gods that they has given us faith, the courage, and the power from which to mould victory and an end to the war."
It was no victory.
No one won the war.
"We have known the bitterness of defeat, and the exultation of triumph. And from both we have learned there can be no turning back." The young dragon spoke. "We must go forward to preserve in peace what we fought in war."
The Vikings and dragons paid attention. The place was quiet, but Charcoal's voice echoed throughout the village. The humanoid dragon paused as he gathered his thoughts.
Charcoal remembered the time when he fought in Lava-Lout Island. He remembered the sheer panic and peril as he rushed for his mate. He remembered pushing everything he could to save her. He remembered dying and sacrificing himself to save her.
Toothless.
"A new era is upon us." Charcoal continued speaking. "Even the lesson of victory itself brings profound concern, both for our future and survival. The destructiveness of the war, through hatred and spite, has in fact stagnated progress for our future."
"Human and dragonkind, since the beginning of time, have sought peace." The greater alpha spoke. "Different men and dragons throughout the ages have attempted to devise a process to prevent or settle disputes between species."
Charcoal still remembered the history.
"From the very start, workable methods were found insofar as individuals were concerned, but the mechanics of an instrumentally of larger scope have never been successful." Charcoal briefly glanced at his note. "Anthropology movement, peace through science, all in turn failed, leaving the only path to be by way of the crucible of war."
Those were references to the effort made by Hiccup the First and Second.
"The utter destructiveness of war now blots out this alternative." Charcoal straightened himself. "We have had our last chance."
"If we do not now devise some greater and more equitable system, Armageddon will be at our door." The greater alpha warned. "The problem basically is spiritual and involves improvement of character that may walk side by side in mutual respect with mutual benefit, no matter the species."
"It must be the spirit if we are to save the flesh."
Charcoal blinked a tear. He was speaking from the deepest part of his heart. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and continued speaking.
"We stand in Berk today, reminiscent of my ancestor. Hiccup the Second." The greater alpha dragon declared. "His purpose was to bring an era of peace and enlightenment through science and progress. But alas, the effort made were demoralised by hatred and radicalism."
"As I stand here, chosen by Arch Alpha Wodensfang, I am committed to see that we are liberated from this condition of animosity and antipathy." Charcoal continued speaking. "Humans and dragonkind of Barbaric Archipelago, if properly directed, will enable expansion vertically rather than horizontally."
"If the combined talents of the species are turned into constructive channels, we can lift ourselves from our present deplorable state, into a position of dignity."
Charcoal caught some hopeful looks from the crowd. He was truthful in his address. Barbaric Archipelago have potential. As the greater alpha, he would see through it.
"And so, human and dragonkind, today I report to you that your sons and daughters have served you well and faithfully." The greater alpha dragon declared. "With the calm, deliberate and determined fighting spirit, based upon wishes of peace, against the yokes of tyranny and oppression."
Charcoal was referring to those fighting to stop Dragon Rebellion. "Their spiritual strength and power has brought us through to the end of war." He praised. "They have done their duty."
"Take care of them!"
End Note
Thank you for reading my story. Thank you for leaving reviews and comments.
The final chapter of this book has been published. There will be no more chapter posted for this book.
The next book is named Charcoal and Toothless: Alpha. It should be noted that there is no set date for its release.
If you are reading this from FFN, the next book will be posted in the same story page. If you are reading this from AO3, check the series for the next book.
I hope you have a great day. See you in the next book.