Chapter 3 – The Knife and the Egg
"In Valyria, eggs hatch in blood, and trust is just the slowest form of betrayal."— House Vórenyx Teaching Scroll, Line 12
Seven days after his silent communion with the Cradle Dragon, Vaeron stood before the Great Council Chamber of House Vórenyx. The room was alive with firelight, the flames shifting like serpents across obsidian pillars. Runes shimmered faintly along the walls, sensing each bloodline present and adjusting the magical acoustics so every whisper would carry like a scream.
At the center of the obsidian dais stood Lord Xalor Vórenyx, arms crossed, robes lined with thin gold thread and stitched runes glowing a hungry red.
"To all heirs of House Vórenyx," his voice echoed with chilling authority, "you will be tested once again. Not in combat—but in cunning."
He gestured to a floating brazier, its fire green and flickering unnaturally.
"A dragon egg has been stolen."
The silence that followed was pure and cold.
Stolen eggs were the gravest of sins among the Dragonlords, akin to kingslaying. Each egg was a generational treasure, representing immense magical value and political weight. Losing one—not to enemies of Valyria, but to another Great House—was an embarrassment few could recover from.
"House Rygarion has acquired it," Xalor spat, as if the name tasted like rot. "They claim it was gifted. A lie. One of our own betrayed us."
Whispers erupted through the chamber. Vaeron stood still, eyes sharp.
He'd read of House Rygarion in secret scrolls. Known for their wind-honed dragons and obsession with magical storms, they were a thorn in the Freehold's political back. And they despised House Vórenyx.
Lord Xalor turned, his gaze piercing each of his children.
"You will go. You will retrieve it. But only one will return with the prize. The others… will not."
[New Quest: The Knife and the Egg]Infiltrate the Rygarion vaults and recover the stolen dragon egg. Allies optional. Rewards: +3 Dragon Affinity, Special Artifact, Favor of Lord Xalor. Failure = Exile.]
Vaeron's pulse remained steady.
This wasn't a test.
It was a purge.
🧩 The Team of Shadows
Later that night, he found the invitation waiting on his stone desk, carved in crimson wax.
"You cannot win this alone. Meet me at the Hollow Courtesan. Midnight. — I."
The Hollow Courtesan was not just a brothel. It was a haven of secrets—where Vórenyx spies drank memories from wine and traded in assassination contracts instead of kisses.
Vaeron arrived cloaked and veiled, his Farsight alert to every shift of shadow. The inner chamber was lit by scentless purple candles, and a single figure waited in the gloom.
She was tall, wrapped in sheer black lace, but not provocatively—ceremonially. Her face was covered by a half-mask shaped like a phoenix skull.
"Vaeron Vórenyx," she said without turning. "You've impressed more than just your father. You're being watched by the Council of Twelve."
He narrowed his eyes. "And who are you?"
She removed the mask slowly.
Ivanna.
His half-cousin, trained in the Mirror Arts—magics that bent reflection, illusion, even fate. Dangerous, exiled once, then mysteriously returned under unclear terms.
"I want the egg too," she said bluntly. "But I don't want you dead. Yet."
He didn't trust her—but he respected her honesty.
Together, they recruited two others:
Nyrax – A knife dancer from Lys, sold into slavery and bought by House Vórenyx to train their heirs in agile combat. His tongue was sharp, but his blade was sharper.
Sira – A bastard orphan with white eyes and blood magic latent in her veins. Rumor said she could smell lies and drink memories from dead men's tongues.
[Party Formed: Shadowbound – Temporary Team Buff Active: Shared XP, Covert Aura I]Mission Strategy Phase Activated.
Vaeron opened the system interface. Using Assassin's Creed mechanics, he scouted the Rygarion compound through magical "echoes" found in stolen raven feathers. The system generated a tactical map: three potential entry points, seven guards, four traps, two dragons sleeping above.
"Vault's located beneath their Inner Sanctum," he noted. "Guarded by a golem, sealed by twin blood-runes. We'll need Rygarion blood to open it."
Nyrax grinned. "Good thing I'm good at making people bleed."
Vaeron stared him down. "We don't want the guards alerted. We go in silent, we come out silent. Or we don't come out at all."
🌑 The Heist
They struck during a blood moon—when Valyrian rituals distracted the nobility in drugged orgies of prophecy and vision-seeking.
Using climbing gear enchanted with floatstone shards, they scaled the outer wall of House Rygarion's storm-forged keep.
At the gate, Sira whispered to a corpse. Its tongue moved once, guiding them past a trap-rune laced in stormsteel.
[Skill Gained: Corpse Echo I][Trap Evaded: Lightning Glyph]
Inside, silence was their ally.
The golem guarding the vault door stood sixteen feet tall, forged of fused bones and metal, eyes glowing with blue lightning.
Vaeron signaled Ivanna.
She raised her mirror and caught the reflection of the golem's face in it. Magic surged. The creature hesitated, staring into its own hollow eyes—long enough for Sira to creep in and smear Rygarion blood across the twin runes.
The vault hissed open with a whisper of ancient curses.
Inside lay a single dragon egg, black and crackling with gold lightning. It pulsed like a heartbeat.
Vaeron stepped forward—just as a sword flew at his head.
Vaelarion had followed them.
His older brother grinned as he emerged from the shadows.
"Nice work, little brother. I'll take it from here."
Vaeron didn't flinch.
"You should have waited until we left," he said quietly.
Then he nodded.
Sira stabbed from the left. Nyrax swept low. Ivanna's mirror flashed.
Vaelarion fought like a storm, his Valyrian blade singing death. But Vaeron had learned not to fight him fairly.
He activated his system.
[Skill Used: Shadow Step II][Debuff Applied: Ghost Wound – Target Bleeds Silently][Combo Activated: Counter-Riposte – Bonus Crit]
Steel flashed. Blood hit the vault wall.
Vaelarion dropped to one knee, coughing.
"I'll kill you," he hissed.
"You won't get the chance," Vaeron replied, and knocked him out cold.
🐣 The Egg Bond
He approached the egg.
It shivered in his hands—not in fear, but in recognition.
[Item Acquired: Stormheart Dragon Egg – Type: Tempest Draconis][Bonding Eligible – Begin Ritual? Y/N]
He whispered yes.
And as his blood touched the shell, it pulsed, cracked, and screamed.
Lightning surged into his body, racing across every nerve. Visions burst into his skull—storms, wings, flight, fire, ancient skies.
[Bond Formed: Dragon Hatchling – "Nyessyx"][New Trait: Dragon Rider – Awakening I][Nyessyx – Hatch Date: 21 Days]
He staggered. Sira caught him.
"You alright?" she asked.
"No," he said, smiling through gritted teeth. "I'm perfect."
🐲 End of Chapter 3
Next: Chapter 4 – "The Gathering Storm"Vaeron returns to House Vórenyx with the egg—but Vaelarion lives, and worse… so do the Rygarions. The first true political strike is about to begin.