The Dragon King's Substitute Bride (Morgan and Tsuneo)
Chapter 121

The Dragon King's Substitute Bride

CH121

Morgan

Tsuneo seemed a bit troubled by what I was saying, but for a while we said nothing. After a moment, Tsuneo eventually walked away to tend the fire. I watched Tsuneo, as he tended to the fire, and I couldn't help but feel the weight of everything pressing down on us. Pyra stirred within me, her presence faded to the back of my mind. It wasn't just the Convening that loomed-it was the uncertainty of how much control we truly had over our own lives now that we were tied to Tarofu and Pyra.

As I sat on the couch, I looked back to how we got here. It was strange, thinking back to the beginning, when we were strangers, deeply suspicious of each other, and now, we were united in ways neither of us could have predicted. It was a bit funny. With the Convening coming. everything felt more surreal. Pyra's odd silence unnerved me, and I had begun to wonder what exactly she was hiding. She didn't feel duplicitous. She didn't feel like a liar. If anything she seemed fearful, but I still wasn't sure what she was so worried about. I didn't want to admit it out loud, but there was a growing fear inside me-what if whatever she was so afraid of affected me irreparably? Death came to mind, or pure annihilation. Maybe she'd take over my body and I wouldn't be me anymore. The thought made my stomach twist.

I was fearful, but the fear felt a bit hollow. Like a part of me knew it was unfounded. In some ways... weren't we the same person?

1 groaned.

"Thinking too hard?" Tsuneo asked.

"This not knowing is irritating. The fact that she's dead silent now, isn't making it better."

"I'll talk to Tarofu tonight," he said. "We need answers. I suggest you try to do the same. We can't go into the Convening blind, let alone beyond that

I nodded. "But Tsuneo... Are you assured that he's being honest with you?"

"What?"

"What if they don't tell us everything? What if they've already made up their minds, had some plan in the works?"

"If they've made up their minds to do... whatever it is. It would be best to figure out what the plant

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is..." He tilted his head. "I don't get the sense that it will be against us."

I sighed. "I'm glad you have such faith in that..."

""You don't?"

"I just don't like not knowing for certain... It's... weird having this whole section of my mind, my motivations, my moral compass that I can't see or control."

He chuckled. "I suppose it would be... Human existences are far less complicated."

"You worry, but we're not helpless, Morgan."

I leaned against him. "It feels like we are basically.

"We'll get through this," Tsuneo said, squeezing me close. I looked up to see the fire dancing in

his

eyes, playing off all the colors there. His eyes locked on mine. His gaze was calm, steady, but I could see the weight of the situation in his expression. "Whatever Pyra and Tarofu are planning, we'll figure it out. We at least have each other, hm?" I nodded, though the worry still gnawed at the edges of my thoughts. "I know. It's just... the Convening is coming so fast. We don't have time to prepare."

"Are you regretting sending my parents off?"

"No," I said. "Not even a little bit. It was for the best."

He turned me and steered me toward the bedroom.

"We have more time than you think. We'll talk to them tonight, and we'll do whatever we have to. For now, we rest, yeah?"

1 nodded, grateful that he seemed so certain.

He smiled, a small but reassuring smile, and I felt the tension in my chest ease just a little.

Tsuneo

"My head hurts just thinking about all of this," I said with a sigh. She laughed. "Though that may have been all the excitement."

She nodded and we climbed into bed. As Morgan settled down into sleep beside me, the weight of the day's events seemed to grow heavier on my mind and body. I was tired, exhausted in a way I hadn't noticed before. Having Morgan awake, beside me, gave me a sense of peace I hadn't felt in

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weeks, yet there was still an uneasiness in my mind.

I glanced over at her as she settled under the blankets, her face illuminated by the soft glow of the lanterns. She had been through so much, and there was still so much more to come. The Convening of the Celestial Compass loomed over us like a dark cloud, its implications more complex than either of us could fully grasp. And then there was the issue of her brother.

Morgan reached out, her fingers brushing against mine.

"We'll figure it out," she whispered. "Sleep."

I nodded, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "We will."

With that, we both closed our eyes, letting the exhaustion of the day pull us into sleep.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself standing in a familiar place-one that I had only been to in my dreams. It was the grand temple at the heart of the dragon kingdom, its towering pillars reaching up toward the heavens, adorned with carvings of our ancestors. The air was thick with the scent of incense, and the sound of the wind whistling through the sacred flames echoed through the vast chamber.

In the center, there was that dark pool again.

And I wasn't alone.

Tarofu stood before me, his eyes glowing with the wisdom and weariness of countless centuries. His presence was as commanding as ever.

"You have questions," he said, his voice a low rumble that reverberated through the chamber. He looked aw

as if he would rather not talk about it

"I do," I replied, stepping forward to sit at the edge of th pool. He sat beside me. "The Convening

is approaching, and I need to know what to expect. What are we really of the Celestial Compass

facing?"

Tarofu's expression remained stoic, but I could sense the unease beneath the surface. "The Convening has never been very peaceful. And honestly, I'm not sure, Tsuneo. Maybe nothing. Maybe war. Maybe something worse." "Worse?"

"I believer total annihilation would be worse." He sighed. "Or rather... a return to the deep Joneliness of nothing."

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I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"If Pyra..." He shook his head. "There can be nothing living without light, Pyra's light. And the

world came so close to losing it before." He set his jaw. "I cannot... I cannot guarantee that I have the strength to ensure that it continues."

My eyes widened. "Pyra's dying?"

"No... but she could."

He looked at me. "You have too many enemies. It would be in your best interest to eliminate as many as you can in the coming days."

He scoffed. "The Elders have no goodwill towards you and as soon as your brother rises again, the whole issue of the throne will return. They have a different set of fears than you do about your fitness to rule."

I winced. "Do you disagree?"