Chapter 4 WELCOME TO VEYRATH

REIHN

“That name.” I muttered under my breath to no one in particular.

My body tensed. The crowd faded into a blur of obsidian. Suddenly, I was back in that dark room and all I could hear were my mother's agonizing screams. I tried to move, tried to look away but I couldn't. I was forced to watch everything they did to her. The blood trickling down her battered skin sent a sickening feeling to my gut.

“That's all for the roll call.”

Combat Warden Farrow's loud voice pulled me back to reality.

“For a lady, she is super scary.”

One of the Flame students said behind me.

Warden Farrow was different, tall, muscular, bald, and feared not only for her imposing physique but everything she stood for: courage. She was intimidating enough to make anyone cower without moving a muscle.

I looked down at my trembling cold hands, I thought I had forgotten about that dreadful night but hearing that name brought the bitter ache back.

My gaze stretched through the crowd and they found the one who's meant to be Vaeric’s daughter.

My fingers curled into a fist as my eyes followed her small frame until she got lost in the midst of the new students. My jaw clenched tightly at the thought that Vaeric's daughter gets to live while my mother was brutally murdered.

“Welcome to all the new students and congratulations to all the students who progressed in rank.”

High Warden Eryndor’s voice tore through the crowd. Reluctantly I averted my gaze, dragging my focus back to the high Warden.

He turned to where the new students were lined up, “Whatever status, nobility or bloodline you come from was thrown out the gates after the roll call. Your titles mean nothing to Veyrath or the dragons.”

High Warden Eryndor never introduced himself, he didn't have to. He was one of the oldest in the academy yet the fire in him never died. He was the heart and soul of Veyrath. Everything happening in the academy revolved around him.

He clasped his hands behind his back in his usual regal position, “Only your strength matters to Veyrath and the dragons. You either survive long enough to bond a dragon or you survive long enough to become a corpse.”

“Veyrath does not simply train you to become dragon riders. It trains you to survive everything it throws at you. It teaches you to know when to trust your enemies and when to strike first.” He continued.

“From today onwards you all belong to the Ash rank, and will be called Ashes. Survive long enough and excel to the Ember rank, then the Flame rank and finally the CrownFire rank.” He added firmly.

He adjusted the cuffs on the sleeves of his uniform, his face hardening, “The Bathyrax dragons believe power belongs to those strong enough to do whatever it takes to earn it. So you all will have to do whatever it takes to be worthy of their judgement.”

“Because in Veyrath…” he paused, his cold eyes lingering on every student before he finally spoke. “To be worthy before a dragon, Ashes must survive to become Flames.”

With that he walked away. The crowd began to disperse, starting from the Flame students. The Crownfire students were bonded riders so they had no business in the central courtyard.

I stood frozen as my eyes stayed glued at the Ash students for my target.

“Hey Reihn. Aren't you coming? Whatever’s going through your head, don’t do it.”

I ignored the voice behind me. I had been ignoring him for years yet he never got tired. Others were afraid to approach me, but not Zade. He was annoyingly built differently.

Thankfully he didn't push my buttons. Then the Ember-ranked students dispersed while I patiently waited.

Finally the Ash students were all that was left.

“Not another step!” I ordered when one of the students tried to move.

They immediately obeyed, visibly shaken by the sound of my voice. I closed the distance between us in a few strides and stopped in front of the gathering of nearly a hundred students. Fear filled their eyes as they stared at me, but that didn't matter. They knew exactly who I wanted.

Slowly, the crowd parted as I walked straight toward Vaeric's daughter. My frame towered over her as she stood with her head lowered, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around her.

Hate spread through my chest as I approached her. She must have sensed my presence because she slowly lifted her head, and her eyes met mine.

For a second, I couldn't breathe.

Those grey eyes, flecked with silver, flashed dangerously in my mind, and all I could see was Slade.

Before I could think better of it, I grabbed her hand and pulled her out of the crowd.

“What are you doing? Let me go!” she yelled as she tried to break free, but I tightened my grip around her wrist and continued dragging her away.

I could feel the cold weight of her gaze on me, but I didn't stop until we were far enough from the other students. Only then did I release her.

She stumbled backward before regaining her balance. When she looked up at me, her gaze remained surprisingly steady.

That unflinching look only made my fists clench tighter.

She took several cautious steps away from me before asking, “What is wrong with you?”

“You have his eyes,” I muttered coldly.

She stared at me as though I had completely lost my mind.

“Whose eyes?”

I said nothing.

Those eyes belonged to my mother's murderer.

They had haunted my nightmares for years. They were the eyes of the man who had watched countless lives disappear without mercy. They were the eyes that had taken everything from me and left a child struggling to understand why his mother would never come home.

And now, his daughter was standing right in front of me. This was my opportunity to take something from Vaeric.

My hand shot forward and closed around her throat.

Her eyes widened as fear finally replaced the defiance in her expression. A twisted sense of satisfaction settled deep in my bones when I saw her struggle beneath my grip.

I tightened my fingers around her neck.

I could no longer tell whether I was thinking clearly. All I could see was Slade's face.

“After all these years, we meet again, Vaeric,” I said through clenched teeth.

“Please... stop. You're hurting me,” she begged in a shaky voice.

The tears welling up in her eyes caught me off guard. I watched a stray tear slip down her cheek before my gaze shifted to the bruises covering her face and her dry, cracked lips. Then I saw a truth I didn't want to acknowledge.

She wasn't Slade.

That should have been enough to make me let her go, but it wasn't. She was still his daughter, and his blood would always course through her veins.

My grip around her neck loosened when I felt her body weaken, but I did not release her immediately. Instead, I pulled her closer, allowing her weakened body to lean against me.

Disgust washed over me, but I forced the feeling aside. I needed to keep her alive if I wanted to watch her suffer.

When she finally regained enough strength to breathe properly, she shoved me away. She stumbled backward and coughed as she struggled to catch her breath.

My expression hardened as I looked into her eyes again.

“You should be careful, Vaeric. Others will try to kill you from behind, but I won't.”

I took a step toward her and leaned down until my face was close to hers. I noticed the slight tremble that ran through her body as I lowered my voice.

“I'm not a monster like your father. I am worse.”

I leaned closer, speaking directly beside her ear.

“Welcome to Veyrath.”