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There was nothing Olienne liked more than peace.
After living in such an agitated world for a couple of centuries, his life as a grown dragon had slowly started to become quieter. Time had slowed down, the raging energy animating his body had slowly subsided. And as years passed by, he had caught himself enjoying calmness more and more.
Nothing could compare to peacefulness.
And nature was versed in providing different kinds of it. He was grateful to have an attribute so intimately related to it.
This morning was a rather average one. Olienne was sauntering around his lair, nimbly advancing through the packed foliages and heavy vines dangling down trunks. He had grown them on purpose, with his own powers. He did not want people around the place he had decided would become his lair. Nosy humans or other creatures.
Liking peace irremediably called for enjoying solitude. And Olienne was no exception.
Dragons were loners.
So prideful and mighty - so powerful and egoistical, it fell to them to ensure the balance of this fragile world. And for this, they did not need anyone. Not even their own peers.
They did not feel the need to socialize like other spices. They were not gathering into nations like humans nor forming packs like beast people. They didn’t even live at the same place like elves, assembled in hidden villages.
Dragons could choose whether or not they were willing to get involved with others - and be content staying by themselves.
Most preferred not to bond with anyone else, while a few would be a bit more willing to connect with others. It was a rare occurrence, but Olienne knew at least one of those oddities.
Dragons, elves, beast people… not humans. Never humans.
Human life was too short, and their bodies too frail. There was no purpose in engaging with such feeble beings. It would only lead to wasteful relationships.
Olienne viewed himself as someone in between - he did not cherish solitude to the point of refusing others’ company, but did not feel like seeking for it himself. His younger self was more closed off, always looking for fights whenever another dragon would step in what he considered his territory. It was no longer the case now that age had grown him wiser. And yet, he wasn’t exactly welcoming any intruders either.
As for the vines blocking his lair, he did not want to be disturbed by some wanderers mistaking his lair for some kind of cave or shelter.
Olienne did not mind others’ presence, as long as the person was willingly coming to find him. With an actual motive doing so. Purposelessness was troublesome. Olienne couldn’t understand how people could commit to something without a clear goal in their mind.
It felt pointless.
Hence, all of his actions were motivated by clear reasons.
It was also the case this morning. As he was doing his daily walk and relishing in the peace nature was granting him, his mind was busy with the investigation he was leading in the area. The disappearance of the monster of the Leeb-Ahn region had turned concerning a bit ago, and most of his days were now occupied with this matter. Something must be happening on his territory, and Olienne wasn’t fond of the idea.
As his steps were guiding him through the familiar forest, he could hear the damp sounds of the river coursing nearby. This wasn’t his usual route. During the previous days, Olienne had felt something calling him towards this area of the forest.
He hadn’t indulged in this right away. Why would he have ?
And yet, as the investigation he was leading nearby the Leeb-Ahn region was still going on, this feeling had seemed to increase. Hence, he had let it guide his steps today.
Olienne walked towards the stream - his calm and green gaze falling on the river. He was expecting to observe the soft hues of the dawn mirroring in the clear water, thus his brows swiftly formed a scowl on his flawless features.
An uncomfortable feeling stirred in Olienne’s chest as he approached the banks. It was not often that something like this was blooming in his dragon body. And with this consideration brought to his mind, the discomfort doubled.
It was similar to what he would feel anytime he was coming across the corpse of a being whose demise was not due to natural causes. It was rather jarring.
The flow of the usually calm and quiet river was violent and feral - the fishes were swimming away and the organisms around the form were dying. Even the mellow hues of the dawn were mixing within the torrent, morphing from those delicate pink, orange and purple tones to a gloomy crimson red. Something was surfacing, and getting dragged away by the unruly stream.
The corpse of a monster.
As Olienne wrapped it with his mana and brought it to the banks, his frown deepened. It was an unexpected find. But this was definitely interesting.
This monster was one of those that kept on disappearing lately in the Leeb Mount region. It was almost too easy now. Olienne was a dragon. As such, he was usually putting an end to whatever problem was coming up rather quickly. As for investigations, his deep connection with mana and nature was often enough to solve mysteries in a blink. But not this time.
The mana gathered in the area was relentlessly fluctuating in a strange way, leading his tracks to being confused and blurry.
For such a mighty being like a dragon, it felt as interesting as it was irritating.
Olienne was curious - he couldn’t consider this monster’s corpse as anything else than a taunting invitation. And yet, he knew better than storming to the source head up to defy the mystery lying there.
Something there was definitely wrong.
Something there was daring to challenge a dragon. To compete with it in the very field dragons excelled at. Magic.
How bold.
Olienne’s piercing pupils scanned the lifeless form before him.
This monster corpse was the clue he had looked up for quite some time. Something that had been concealed for so long, and was now casually thrown at him. Whatever was lying within this mount, it was directly addressing him.
The gall of this thing was interesting.
Olienne could somehow feel there was still something more behind all this. Again, this was an unusual feeling that was gnawing at his chest . One he could not ignore.
It felt impregnated with divine aura. Like a message from the Gods themselves.
The only beings mightier than dragons. The ones bestowing them visions anytime something was threatening the equilibrium of this world.
Olienne could not mistake this with any other feeling. He felt it in his very core.
There was something more behind all this.
He still did not feel like passing on the call in spite of how shabby and brazen it was. Olienne would never decline such a dare. For a great and mighty dragon like him, it would be equal to give up and yield.
For the sake of his dragon’s great pride, he shall go now that he had a formal invitation decaying at his feet.
He shall go and defeat this thing. Whatever or whoever this was.
Defying a dragon had a cost, after all. And Olienne would give it its nerve back.
Tenfold.