Chapter 6 – A Knife in Every Shadow
"Steel kills men. Secrets kill dynasties."—Whisperblade of the Grey Flame
The smoke from Viraes the Blacktongue's pyre still clung to the halls of Volnyr Hold.
A silent war was underway—a war of shadows, poison, and hidden knives. Vaeron Vórenyx, now bonded to his hatchling dragon Nyessyx, found himself the center of a storm he had barely begun to understand.
The assassins had been just the first ripple. Now, the waves were crashing.
[System Notice: Event Triggered – Vórenyx Civil Crisis I]Hidden Faction: The Black Scales has become active.Threat Level: Moderate → RisingTime Until Open Conflict: 142 Days
🐍 Family of Venom
It started with whispers in the servant halls—bread gone missing, a child vanishing, and an alchemist found dissolved in her own potion vat.
Then came the notes.
Each one penned in mirror-Valyrian, the ancient code used by shadow-cloaks during the First Expansion. The first arrived in Vaeron's armor rack:
"When the serpent eats its tail, blood will flood the sky. Trust none born of your blood."
The second was nailed to Nyessyx's enclosure gate, wrapped in raven feathers:
"You were never meant to live. Your egg was never meant to hatch."
And the third?
It was slipped under his pillow.
"The Black Scales watch. They remember. They judge. One of your own has already joined us."
🔍 Infiltration and Uncovering the Web
Vaeron wasted no time.
With Ivanna and Nyrax, he activated the next tier of the Shadowweb, converting the servant quarters beneath the east wing into a clandestine spy nest—complete with whisper holes, sigil-burned messages, and enchanted mirrors.
[Structure Upgrade: Shadowweb II – Spy Den Operational]New Abilities:– Agent Network (3 Initiates)– Infiltrate Noble Houses– Disrupt Sabotage Attempts– Decode Encrypted Messages
He assigned Sira to shadow the scribes of Lady Ysera, and personally interrogated the Master of the Larders, revealing that two of his trusted kitchen girls were plants from House Rygarion, working in exchange for dragonblood elixir shipments.
Their fate? Publicly flayed, their tongues nailed to the door of the Great Hall with a sign that read: "This is the price of whispering against the storm."
It sent a message.
[Terror Points +15]House Rygarion: -5 RelationsHouse Theryss: Now watching you
🐉 The Dragon Grows
Meanwhile, Nyessyx entered its Adolescent Stage, doubling in size and acquiring new instincts.
Its training became increasingly dangerous—controlled storms crackled across the citadel's practice grounds as Vaeron taught it to follow aerial commands, target marked enemies, and distinguish allies from prey.
[Nyessyx: Level 8 → 12]New Abilities:– Chain Lightning (Tier I AoE attack)– Sky Surge (Mid-range leap/glide burst)– Loyalty: Very High– Special Trait Unlocked: Soul-Tether (Emotion-linked psychic support)
He no longer spoke aloud to Nyessyx. They communicated in raw feelings—rage, caution, hunger, pride.
And beneath those instincts, something else stirred: intelligence.
⚖️ A Secret Alliance
Late one night, Vaeron received a visitor cloaked in shadow—an old man with one golden eye, one burned socket, and skin tattooed with faded Valyrian runes.
He called himself Whisperblade of the Grey Flame.
"I was once an oathblade of your great-grandmother," the man said. "I served during the Ashrune Crisis and witnessed the first breach of the Wyrm Vaults. And now, I bring you an offer."
Vaeron folded his arms. "Speak."
"The Grey Flame is an ancient order. We do not serve bloodlines. We serve balance. We see the Doom coming. We are gathering those who might reshape the fire—not be consumed by it."
Vaeron raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me to join some cabal of ghosts?"
"I'm offering you knowledge no one else dares whisper."
With that, the man unrolled a scroll.
It showed an ancient map of Valyria—before the cities were built, before the dragonlords rose.
And marked across the central mountains was a single phrase:"The Heart That Burns All – Still Beats."
[New Questline Discovered: The Heartflame Path – Optional Epic Route]Objective: Locate the original core of the Valyrian Flame. Uncover the truth behind the Doom.Reward: Forbidden Magic Tree, Lost Relic Access, Alternate Doom Escape Path
Vaeron narrowed his eyes.
"I'll walk this path. But if I find betrayal, I'll send your heart to the Grey Flame myself."
The man smiled.
"I would expect no less from the Stormborne."
⚔️ The Knife Falls
Despite the layers of security, one snake made it through.
Vaeron awoke three nights later in his solar to a blade kissing his throat.
"Don't scream," the voice said. "I'm not here to kill you. Yet."
It was Vaelyra, one of his distant cousins—high-cheekboned, violet-eyed, with scars across her palms.
A trained Nightflame Duelist, and supposedly loyal to Lady Ysera.
"I bring an offer," she whispered. "Your brother plans to strike at your dragon next. Not you. The egg vault has been compromised. The guards are all his."
Vaeron didn't move.
"What do you want in return?"
She smiled bitterly.
"When the time comes, I want a dragon egg of my own. Or else I'm telling no one where the poison's hidden."
He agreed.
Then he stabbed her in the thigh.
Not to kill—but to prove he was not to be bargained with.
🐣 End of Chapter 6
Next: Chapter 7 – "The Vault of Serpents"Vaeron descends into the sealed egg vaults to save Nyessyx from sabotage—only to find something far older than dragons waiting in the dark.