Aegon looked out over the crowd cheering wildly for him. Seeing all those faces filled with passion and hope, his expression shifted slightly, a ripple of emotion crossing his face.
In that moment, a thought occurred to him—something he had never considered before:
Was there a chance to save the Valyria Peninsula from its looming destruction?
The idea flashed through his mind, but he quickly pushed it aside.
This world might be real, but so too was the force known as "destiny." According to the official doctrine of the Destined Godblood, destiny was described as a fundamental principle that governed all existence—an unseen force correcting the course of the universe to keep it aligned with its predetermined path.
A cataclysm as monumental as the fall of the Valyria Peninsula, with such world-altering consequences, would naturally be guarded by an unimaginably strong corrective force.
Aegon considered that if the right opportunity came one day, he wouldn't mind trying to challenge that "destiny." But for now, he didn't even have a single blood heir. His own life and soul still lacked basic security—he couldn't afford to throw everything away on a reckless gamble.
He reached for the safety strap secured to the dragon saddle and unbuckled it. Then he rose to his feet.
As he stepped from the saddle onto Tiamat's broad back, a sharp hiss sounded beneath his boots—as if he were stepping onto a scorching iron plate. It was a clear reminder of just how searingly hot her body was.
Gripping the sharp horn-spikes protruding from her back, he climbed along her armored bone plating, making his way up her long neck until he reached her massive head.
Tiamat's head was far larger than a locomotive—there was more than enough space for a man to stand atop it.
Now standing tall, Aegon truly embodied the phrase "man upon the peak." With both hands gripping a pair of horn-spikes, he gazed down over the vast city of Valyria, taking in its grandeur. The ancient capital stretched across more than two thousand square kilometers, and the sweeping view stirred a bold, swelling pride in his chest.
"Beautiful, isn't it..." came a slow, aged voice from beside him.
Startled, Aegon turned quickly—only to see an elderly man in a flowing robe of gold and crimson silently floating just behind him.
What sent a chill down his spine was the fact that Tiamat hadn't shown the slightest sign of aggression or discomfort at the man's sudden appearance.
The old man's face was marked with mysterious symbols, like ancient totems. His long red robes fluttered in the biting wind, exuding a supernatural grace. The crimson runes embroidered on his garment shimmered faintly with light, adding to his air of mystique.
Aegon immediately recognized him—this was the same old man who had appeared at the tournament's opening ceremony.
Aegon gave a slight bow and cautiously asked, "You are...?"
The old man smiled and drifted forward, coming to float beside him. Like Aegon, he turned his gaze down to the city below and said in a calm, unhurried tone, "You can call me 'Pan,' or just 'Elder' if you prefer. I'm simply an old caretaker of Bloodsource Peak."
At those words, a prickling unease crept over Aegon, making the hairs on his arms stand on end. Was my dragon hunt in the Fourteen Flames discovered?
"Elder, what brings you to see me?" Aegon kept his expression composed as he spoke, while secretly reaching out to Tiamat through their mental link, asking why she had allowed this stranger to approach so freely.
But Tiamat's response left him more unsettled—according to her, there was no one standing on her head but Aegon himself.
"There's no need to be so tense," the old man said with a faint smile. "A few young dragons dying in the Fourteen Flames means little to me. I'm simply... intrigued by the Dragon you're riding."
Aegon's instincts immediately kicked in. His muscles tensed, and he silently prepared to give the order for Tiamat to strike. He knew one thing for certain—he would never hand Tiamat over to Bloodsource Peak. However, he couldn't gauge the old man's strength, and a rash move could easily result in mutual destruction.
"Tiamat has no interest in Bloodsource Peak," Aegon said, keeping his voice as polite as possible.
"Hehehe~ You're quite the interesting little one," the old man chuckled strangely, then shifted the topic. "You're Aenar's son, aren't you?"
"Mm," Aegon responded flatly.
"The second fleet of House Targaryen was just taken by House Aurélion. That should leave you with one last fleet," the old man said, his tone firm, as if everything was already laid bare.
Aegon stayed silent. He hadn't expected that Aenar's carefully concealed migration plan had already been exposed.
"I don't want to make things difficult for you. I'm willing to offer your House Targaryen a chance to leave the peninsula," the old man said, drawing a small bone fragment from his robes. He lowered his head and casually rubbed its surface as he continued, "The question is whether you want it."
"What kind of chance?" Aegon couldn't help but ask.
"Take your dragon and enter the Champion's Dragon Duel. If you win, I'll grant House Targaryen permission to leave Valyria," the old man said evenly.
Aegon frowned. In the original story, wasn't it Black Dread who took part in the Dragon Duel? But now, it's me...
"And if I lose?" Aegon asked.
"Then you'll join the 'Grand Plan'—and follow my commands," the old man replied without hesitation.
Aegon considered it for a moment. Then, in the end, he agreed.
"Good! But... can you really make that kind of decision on behalf of the Dragonlord Council?"
The old man didn't reply. He simply raised his hand and hurled the blood-red bone fragment toward Aegon. Then, like mist caught in the wind, his figure began to dissolve, scattering into the air until he vanished completely.
"With that Dragon Sigil in hand, not even the Dragonlord Council would dare defy you!" His deep, commanding voice echoed faintly, lingering for a moment before fading entirely into the breeze.
He's just gone?! Aegon quickly reached out and caught the so-called sigil. On closer inspection, it was a smooth, polished shard of bone etched with intricate, blood-colored runes that pulsed with a strange, arcane energy.
He used Destiny Points to scan it with his chip and retrieved the item's stats.
[Item: Dragon Sigil]
[Type: Consumable]
[Quality: Blue]
[Rating: 69]
[Effect: When activated with Blood Sorcery, purifies and elevates the user's true dragon bloodline. Usable only by Valyrians.]
[Note: Reforge the glory of the highborn Valyrians!]
Aegon was surprised—he hadn't expected such an unassuming piece of bone to be rated as a blue-quality item.
He wondered whether his current Dragonborn-level bloodline could be purified and elevated to Dragonlord level through this item.
But after a moment's thought, he found that unlikely.
In the game's mechanics, blue-quality items corresponded to elite-level strength, while Dragonlord-tier beings were firmly within the epic class. The gap between the two tiers was enormous.
In Destiny, the classification system for both achievements and power followed the same structure: Normal, Rare, Elite, Epic, Legendary, Heroic, and Mythic. Elite-level equated to the strength of an ordinary magical dragon, while Epic represented the level of a Dragonlord.
Carefully, Aegon stored the bone fragment away. In essence, it was half a pass for House Targaryen to leave Valyria safely.
He then turned and climbed back onto the saddle, giving Tiamat a gentle pat to signal her to descend.
By the time he reached the square, the crowd had already gathered en masse. The moment they saw him riding the dragon, people began waving excitedly. Many shouted for him to land right in the middle of the plaza.
The crowd quickly cleared a wide space for him to touch down.
But Aegon wasn't in the mood for praise or adoration. His only concern was returning to House Targaryen's stronghold to discuss with Aenar the Champion's Dragon Battle proposed by the elder named "Pan."
Banners had already gone up around the square, inviting Aegon to visit various households. Some even promised generous gifts, stating their willingness to enter into deeper partnerships and negotiations.
The level of fanaticism was beyond anything Aegon had expected.
Some young women—even married ones—went as far as stripping completely bare, raising their arms toward the sky and boldly showing off their bodies. Air-kisses rained down on Aegon like confetti.
Seeing this, Aegon felt nothing but secondhand embarrassment. Without a word, he guided Tiamat in a wide arc over Valyria before Dreamshade joined him in the air, flapping alongside.
Daenys flew up beside him, wearing a teasing smile as she shouted, "Why didn't you go down? One of the Dragonlord families already offered ten daughters for your hand!"
Aegon shot the cheeky girl an exasperated glare and didn't dignify her teasing with a reply.
The two dragons spread their wings and soared out toward the countryside.
Tiamat and Dreamshade, now growing more familiar with each other, playfully twisted and dove through the sky, performing aerial maneuvers with increasing agility.
Bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun, they glided over the vast farmlands and fields until they reached the Targaryen Hills.
The dragons descended into House Targaryen's Dragonpit.
Fortunately, the pit had been designed with a spacious enough lair to accommodate a Dragonlord. After instructing the Dragonkeepers to properly care for the two new dragons, Aegon dismounted. Daenys took his arm, and the two of them exited the cavern together.
"I wonder where Father went today. He didn't even show up to the closing ceremony," Daenys said, frowning in confusion.
"It is strange," Aegon replied, snapping back to focus. He quickly called over a Dragonkeeper and asked, "Is Balerion in the pit?"
"The lord took Balerion and flew out toward the sea around noon. We're not sure where he went," the Dragonkeeper answered honestly.
Aegon and Daenys exchanged a look—they already knew where Aenar had gone. Aegon waved the Dragonkeeper away.
"Father probably went to support the fleet," Daenys guessed.
"Earlier, on the tower at the Shield of Freedom, an old man told me the second fleet had just been raided by House Aurélion. Lord Aenar may have gone to try and recover it," Aegon said.
The moment she heard that, Daenys's face grew anxious.
Aegon remained calm, thinking things through for a moment before calling for another Dragonkeeper.
"Bring Steward Farlen here."
When Farlen arrived, he confirmed their suspicions. He also handed Daenys a map, marked with coordinates of where Aenar was likely heading, along with a projected route of House Aurélion's fleet after the raid.
"Let's go," Aegon said to Daenys. "Time for our first aerial battle."