The silence that blanketed the Throne Hall of the Eternal Flame following Rumina's demonstration did not last long. The gentle violet warmth of the pure mana crystal, which had momentarily mesmerized the senses of the dragon elders, was abruptly smothered by a dense, oppressive crimson aura. From the ranks of the elders, a figure clad in scale armor far thicker and more weathered than the others stepped forward. Each of his footfalls created a heavy thud against the obsidian floor, vibrating through the hall as if a mountain itself had taken human form and begun to walk.
This was Zoldrak, an Ancient Dragon General who had survived thousands of winters and hundreds of blood-soaked battlefields. His pale yellow eyes, slitted and cold, locked onto Roland with a gaze of profound condescension—not necessarily born of hatred, but from a deep-seated skepticism toward short-lived creatures.
