Chapter 2167

The dragon scale carrying Lucan's memories was the final gift he'd left for Elowen. In the dreamscape, he'd recorded everything from how they first met to how domineering she was when she kidnapped him, and every moment they'd shared over the years. In the last flicker of his fading divine soul, he didn't look at anyone else, only at the snow-white fox furs he'd collected strand by strand, which he'd always kept close. In the end, he said something he'd never told her before. "Dragons are said to love gold and jewels above all else. You are no treasure, yet you're the only thing I've ever cherished. "But forgive me… From now on, I can no longer stay by your side." The dreamscape dissolved as the light in Lucan's eyes faded, and tears began to fall from Elowen's eyes. Ten-Tailed Elythunes were born through the Divine Power. They knew nothing about love or sorrow, but all the joy, anger, and grief Elowen had felt came from Lucan. Even now, she was crying for him. Tears streamed down her face as she allowed Shannon to hold her tightly in her arms. Shrouded in that familiar golden light, she wept like a child. He was her dragon, the one she'd always protected. To lose him in just a moment of inattention, how could she not grieve? How could she possibly accept it? … At some point, the overwhelming power of the Ten-Tailed Elythune had quietly faded. The lingering grudge around Elowen dissipated. She returned to Lucan's side and gently brushed her fingertips across his closed eyelids as her lashes trembled slightly. After a long silence, she finally spoke. Her hoarse voice was tinged with the soft edge of blame as she said, "I told you that the calamity of Celestria had nothing to do with you. "You received a little human faith, and yet you thought it worth destroying your soul for them… What a fool." As she spoke, she flicked a tail lightly against his head just as she used to when throwing a tantrum. Only this time, her actions were far softer than ever before. Instead of pulling the tail away as it landed, it wrapped gently around him. Then, she slowly looked up at the sky with an eerily calm gaze. Though she looked utterly calm and still, Shannon could feel the raging storm beneath that calm through the resonance of their souls. A terrible premonition surged, and she heard Elowen say, "The calamity of Celestria was Lucan's destined calamity. Since you insist on punishing him, I will protect him no matter what." He was her dragon. Without her permission, no one was allowed to take him away, not even the Divine Power. As the thought flashed in her mind, Elowen suddenly turned. Her eyes fell on Benjamin, standing not far away. Her eyes carried deep, swirling emotions as they fixed on his face and lingered. She wasn't just looking at him; she was looking through him at someone else. Shannon vaguely sensed something. She lunged forward at Elowen, only to have a powerful force slam into her and hurl her backward. A great barrier sprang up to encase Elowen and Lucan within. In the barrier, Elowen's soul took the form of the massive image of a Ten-Tailed Elythune racing across the sky. With every bound, she released wave after wave of mystic light that entered Lucan's body. And with each wave, the strength of Elowen's divine soul grew weaker. She formed a mudra and placed her fingers gently at the center of Lucan's brow. As mystic light surged, her voice rang clear, resolute, and unwavering. "I offer my divine soul as a sacrifice; may your dragon bones become the mountains and rivers." From that day onward, he would become the Dragon Vein and the eternal guardian of the land. As he did, she would protect him.