Neveah passed Elina a blank look, she could now understand why Elina’s attitude had changed after reading the note.

To face the trial of worth with just a day at the academy and no knowledge at all, Neveah guessed it would appear to everyone that she was being set up for failure.

That this was just a ruse to force Neveah to give up on Menarx since Menarx would not do it himself.

Neveah was not certain what the dragon king stood to gain if she let go of Menarx, but what was clear was the fact that he was completely against their bond.

’All the more reason why we do it.’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her, still agitated.

A small smirk settled on Neveah’s lips, she could not agree more with her wolf’s words.

The dragon king had taken her away from the Eclipse Domain at will, granted her to Xenon as some sort of consolation prize at will and then ordered her away from Xenon still at his own will.

Neveah was done letting the dragon king have his way... fate was enough to deal with, Neveah would not have some King play ’The Creator’ in her life.

"What does it matter?" Neveah replied with a question of her own as they finally arrived at two grand double doors which were the entrance to the hall of history.

"You will await Master Maloway’s decision in the outer pavilion, do not wander." Elina instructed as they pushed open the door.

Neveah stepped into the hall alone and the door was closed behind her, but Neveah did not really take notice of it since her attention was captured by what was known in the rider’s academy as the hall of history.

Laid out before Neveah’s was a beautiful courtyard, the very moment she stepped down from the door sill, it was unto a cobbled path.

There was a cold aura seeping out from the path and Neveah guessed the path was built out of the same rock as the walls of dragon keep.

The cobbled path was only wide enough to allow three people walking side by side and it stretched all the way to the middle of the courtyard where that one cobbled path split into three different paths leading to three different entrances.

There was a ledge extending from the door Neveah had just come through, off to the far left, the ledge was far wider, with a pavilion erected over it.

It held a seating arrangement carved out of stone.

On either side of the cobbled path was well trimmed grass and dwarf trees that only came up high enough to be around Neveah’s knees.

The courtyard was elegant, there was no emphasis on ornaments or decorations, it was just a neat and refreshing sight.

Neveah passed a glance back at the door, when she had heard of the hall of history, she certainly had not expected to step into a courtyard within the first tower.

Curious to know where the cobbled path lead, Neveah walked down the path, walking till she arrived at the point where it spread out to three different paths.

Neveah glanced between the three and just headed straight to the middle path, it took only a short walk to arrive at the entrance of one of the three halls.

She stepped up the ledge and pushed open the door, raising a brow when it came open so easily.

’I believe we were meant to wait out in that pavilion...and not wander.’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her.

"I know that." Neveah murmured in response as she headed into the hall and pulled the door closed behind her.

Neveah’s gaze wandered around the hall, the hall of history as it turned out was a hall dedicated to the beasts of Asvar that had passed on.

All around the hall, there were large paintings hung before altars, each depicting a dragon in flight, the dragons were of all color of scales, numbering to about two dozens.

On each painting, there was a man depicted by the side of the dragon, dressed in robes of the same shade as the dragon’s scales.

’Their riders?’ Neveah’s wolf thought to her.

Neveah moved closer to the nearest painting, peering at it closely to discern if it was as her wolf had said.

It was a dragon with scales a shade of sea green, bright and reflecting the sunlight.

It was so well depicted that it seemed to Neveah as though she was staring at a life dragon and the dragon would fly out of the painting at any moment.

And then, there was the man drawn to the side. Standing regally, with an arm across his back and another rested on the hilt of the sword at his hip.

His robes were the exact shade of the dragon’s scales and so were his eyes, his hair was a deep caramel brown that was neatly trimmed and there was a coy smile on his lips.

"It looks so real..." Neveah marvelled, tempted to reach out to touch the painting but Neveah decided against it.

It was the honored memory of a lord dragon, Neveah knew it was not her place to be here at all, much less touch anything.

Looking at the painting closely, Neveah felt a strange certainty that she was staring at the same person... both man and dragon.

They were two different entities yet in Neveah’s eyes, they both were perfectly identical, there was no differentiating one from the other.

"No... it’s the same person, in both their forms..." Neveah said with certainty as she stepped away quickly.

"We shouldn’t be here." Neveah decided as she was about to head out but her eyes caught sight of a familiar face.

"Menarx?" Neveah asked in surprise as she walked over to the painting that depicted a dragon with pale blue scales, completely different from Menarx’s fiery red but by the dragon’s side was a man who was Menarx’s exact replica.