Dark Dragon: The Summoned Hero Is A Villain

Chapter 272: The Griffin And The Oracle

Noah and Arlo turned towards the voice, a frown on their faces.

A tall figure stood there, dressed in the same neatly pressed uniform of the third years.

The young man was built like a seasoned warrior, with broad shoulders and the kind of arrogance that came from old blood.

He had close-cropped white hair, but what drew Noah’s attention, though, were his eyes.

He had pitch black irises.

For a moment, Noah thought he was seeing an older reflection of Arlo.

They had the same angular jawline, and the same straight nose, but where Arlo’s emerald eyes held a hint of humanity and focus, this man’s were empty of both.

Arlo’s expression turned to stone. "Florian," he greeted, voice clipped and cold.

The older student smirked faintly. "Still pretending we’re on formal terms, cousin?" His gaze slid past Arlo and landed on Noah.

Disgust twisted his features. "I see you’ve found new company," he said, his tone dripping with disdain. "Fraternizing with dirt now, are we?"

Noah blinked once. The insult wasn’t subtle. It was designed to provoke.

For a moment, he simply studied Florian, his eyes trailing lazily from the man’s expensive boots to his self-satisfied smirk. Then he turned to Arlo.

"Who’s the idiot?" he asked calmly.

A muscle twitched in Arlo’s jaw. "My cousin," he said flatly.

Florian’s smirk flickered. His eyes snapped to Noah. "You don’t know your place," he said, his voice cold.

"And you," Noah replied evenly, "don’t have any manners."

A faint murmur rippled through the students nearby. Third years were used to deference. No one spoke to them like that, much less a first year.

Florian’s expression darkened. "You dare—"

But before he could finish, Arlo stepped between them.

"Enough," he said quietly.

Florian sneered. "You think standing in front of him changes what he is? You’re undermining the standing of the Kael family by mixing with filth."

Arlo’s eyes narrowed. He took a single step closer, and the temperature of the air seemed to drop.

His voice, when he spoke, was low, each word filled with a cold edge. "You can insult me all you want, Florian. But if you ever insult my friend again, I will make you regret it."

The courtyard went silent.

For a moment, the cousins faced each other, both the same height difference, same bloodline, but entirely different worlds behind their eyes.

Florian scoffed, though his jaw tightened. "Friend," he said mockingly. "You always did have strange taste. I suppose it’s only a matter of time before the rest of the family realizes what I already know."

Arlo’s gaze didn’t waver. "And what’s that?"

"That you’re unworthy."

Florian spat to the side, his lip curling. "Enjoy your little rebellion while it lasts. The Kael family doesn’t need a weakling, or his pet hero."

With that, he turned on his heel and walked away, the small crowd parting to let him pass.

Noah exhaled slowly, hands in his pockets. "So," he said finally, "that was fun."

Arlo shook his head, looking more tired than angry. "Florian Kael," he said quietly. "My cousin. He’s next in line for the family seat. His father is my uncle, Lord Gregor Kael."

"The family’s old, right?" Noah asked.

"One of the oldest noble lines in Camelot," Arlo confirmed. "For centuries, the Kaels have merged with the same abyssal beast. The White Griffin. It’s tradition."

Noah raised an eyebrow. "And you didn’t."

Arlo’s mouth tightened. "No. The beast I merged with wasn’t a Griffin. It was something else. Something... different."

"What was it?"

"An Oracle," Arlo said softly. "A beast that sees truth. It’s rare, but it’s worth it."

"When I merged with it, the elders called it betrayal. They said I’d broken centuries of Kael tradition. So now, the family supports Florian instead. He’s their perfect heir. I’m the anomaly they’d rather forget."

Noah gave a faint grin. "Sounds like you’re in good company then."

Arlo looked at him, and for a moment, the tension eased. He laughed quietly, shaking his head. "Maybe so."

And with that, they made their way into the dorm building. Taking the lift up to the second floor, Noah led the way to his room.

Once inside, he shut the door and gestured for Arlo to sit.

"All right," he said, "let’s hear it. You said you’ve got information about the Lady in Dark."

Arlo nodded, taking the seat opposite him. His expression grew serious.

"I’ve spent the last week digging through the capital," he began. "I used my eyes to trace the name through the capital’s underground, and eventually, I found a link."

He leaned forward slightly. "The Lady in Dark is tied to a group calling themselves the Reunifiers."

Noah frowned. "Reunifiers?"

"They believe the world was once a single being," Arlo explained. "A union of human essence and abyssal essence, which they call the Perfect Form."

"According to their creed, humans and demons were never meant to be separate. The Reunifiers want to merge the two races back into one. Permanently."

Noah sat back slowly. "So that’s their goal. To create hybrids."

Arlo nodded. "Exactly. They’re the ones responsible for the potions that caused the transformation during the Winter Ball, and everything that came before."

"The formula came from them, and the infection of hybrids at the ball was their success story."

He reached into his coat and placed a folded piece of paper on the table. On it was a familiar circle with several lines and runes intricately drawn within each other.

"I found this in one of their safehouses before they cleared it. It’s a failed ritual diagram for opening a rift to the abyss."

Noah froze. That was a very dangerous thing to be playing with. But something told him they knew exactly what they were doing.

"Every lead I follow ends with the same phrase," Arlo continued. "The Reunification. They talk about it like it’s an event, a day that’s coming soon. Some kind of culmination."

He leaned back, frustration flickering in his eyes. "But every time I get close to learning more, the cult arrives before I do and kills their own people. The trail dies before I can follow it."

Noah frowned. "So they’re covering their tracks."

"Completely," Arlo said. "They’re organized. Smart. And the closer I get, fanatical."

He hesitated for a moment before continuing. "But there is one thing I did find. A name."

He looked directly at Noah. "The name is The Sleeper."