Red Dragon, but chosen by all four gods

In the darkness, a hurried sound of footsteps rang out.

Inanna struggled to open her eyes and pressed her face against the rusty, rough iron fence.

She should have had dark vision, but due to prolonged lack of food and water, she was now so weak that she could barely see.

But Inanna's mind remained clear. Although she couldn't see where the figure was, she could hear hurried footsteps moving from side to side.

They seemed to be anxiously searching for something.

What are you looking for?

In the now empty castle dungeon, the other party is clearly looking for him.

With her last bit of strength, Inanna gently tapped the fence, the soft, crisp sound spreading outwards.

The footsteps suddenly stopped, then quickly ran towards Inanna.

The footsteps stopped in front of Inanna's cell, and then a flash of magical light revealed a slender figure trembling inside.

"Sister Finn, it's you."

Inanna's voice was hoarse, but her face was smiling: "So you used magic to become invisible. That's great. I thought I had gone blind."

Upon seeing Inanna's plight, Finn was already in tears.

She knelt down, trembling, and reached her hands into the cell to cup Inanna's face.

Her once vibrant face was now withering away.

"I thought he was just punishing me..."

"How could Father... how could he do this!"

When François was mentioned, Inanna's voice suddenly turned cold:

"Of course he can do that!"

"Sister Finn, you know what he tried to do to me! You know what he did! He ruined you!"

Inanna spoke emotionally, her body already weakened to the extreme, having exhausted all her strength, and she could no longer speak, even breathing became extremely difficult.

Finn panicked slightly: "It's my fault, let me take you out first."

She raised her staff and aimed it at the cell door, but due to nervousness, she failed to cast the spell successfully even after three attempts.

It wasn't until the fourth time that the magical light finally shone.

"Click!"

The iron lock on the cell door unlocked itself, and Finn quickly opened the cell door, raising his staff again to Inanna, intending to remove the shackles from her body.

The magical light shone again, but this time there was no sound of success in unlocking.

Finn was puzzled and quickly went into the cell. A magical light shone from the tip of his staff as he carefully examined the shackles on Inanna's body.

She discovered that Inanna's hands and feet were bound by iron shackles engraved with sealing runes, the chains embedded directly into the wall.

These runes repel magic and are the bane of spellcasters.

"You're not a spellcaster, so why are you wearing these shackles..." Finn murmured.

"Of course, it's to prevent spellcasters like you from taking her away, my daughter."

A chilling voice came from behind her. Finn turned around in shock to see François emerge from the shadows, staring coldly at her.

"Father? Why, you..."

"You want to know why he was able to get through the barrier you set up on the cell door, right?"

Another voice came from the shadows, and a figure completely shrouded in a gray robe emerged:

"Of course, it's because of me."

Finn sensed a powerful magical aura emanating from the gray-robed man; clearly, he was a spellcaster.

She knew most of the spellcasters in the Galahren family, but this one was not among them. Could it be her father's hidden power?

Finn gritted her teeth, her eyes narrowed, and magical light appeared on her staff. Her figure suddenly disappeared and reappeared at the end of the dungeon passage.

She knew that although her father looked old all the time, he had always maintained his martial arts skills, so she immediately distanced herself and raised her staff, aiming it at François and the grey-robed man.

"I need to take Inanna out of the dungeon, Father. Please step aside."

François shook his head, but the gray-robed man spoke first: "Your reaction speed is good, and your magic power is also very strong, but your focus on spells is somewhat lacking, and your magic power is very unstable."

Seeing this, Finn gripped his staff with both hands, and a dazzling magical light suddenly burst forth from the tip of the staff, illuminating the entire dungeon.

"Sister Finn..." Inanna's weak voice came, "Run...you're no match for him."

"No, Inanna, I..." Finn wanted to say something, but suddenly felt the magic of the protective barrier suddenly become disordered.

Unbeknownst to her, an extremely cold and sinister magical power had already invaded her staff and was now wreaking havoc on her spells.

She immediately stopped casting offensive magic and instead cast a purification spell on herself.

But it was too late. The floor tiles suddenly shattered, and several pale, skeletal hands burst from the ground, binding her tightly.

Aggressive magic seeped into her arms through the bone hand, instantly robbing her of power, and causing her staff to fall to the ground.

A bony hand then gripped her throat, leaving a grayish mark on her pale neck.

Throughout the entire ordeal, the gray-robed man seemed to have made no significant moves.

"Typical academic thinking. I'll teach you a lesson for your father's sake."

"Battle is not an exam. It doesn't necessarily require powerful magic. Any magic that can kill the enemy is good magic."

"However, you possess such powerful magic at such a young age, which shows your extraordinary potential."

"Father," Finn's voice was distorted as he was being choked, "Inanna... is a member of the true dragon's retinue... how could you do this..."

"My daughter, I did this for the sake of the Gallaheren family."

François lowered his eyes. "The Golden Dragon is about to fall into a deep slumber, and then she will no longer protect us."

"And her enemies have gathered, and are about to end her life."

"The Gallaheren family has simply chosen a broader path."

François walked slowly towards Finn, looking at the beautiful gem with affection: "My beautiful daughter, do you expect me to choose to let the family perish along with the golden dragon, knowing all this?"

"But...but..." Finn clearly couldn't answer the question.

She didn't know if what her father said was true or false, and even if she did, she had never made such a decision before.

"My daughter, you bear the pure blood of the Galahren family, and you should contribute your strength to our family."

"Our new ally has already prepared a rich territory for Galahren outside the Gem Islands. My eldest son, Riper, has already led a portion of the tribe there, and you should be on that ship as well."

"And I will stay and buy tickets for your future."

"Then..." Finn said hurriedly, "Then please let me take Inanna away. She is your daughter too, Father, please."

The tenderness on François's face gradually faded, and he said coldly, "No."

Why?

François did not answer, but turned to look at the man in the gray robe.

The grey-robed man clapped his hands, and Finn was knocked unconscious by the bone hand. Then François called two guards, who carried her away.

He knew that when Finn woke up and found herself on the migrating ship, she would accept her fate.

Just like everything she had accepted in the past.

"You old geezer..."

Inanna's weak, mocking voice rang out: "When did you learn to sacrifice yourself for your family?"

François walked back to the front of the cell, his eyes now filled with indifference.

"Fin deserves these words, but you clearly don't deserve anything..."

François stared at Inanna, who was too weak to retort, his gaze filled with hatred as sharp as a knife.

Her fiery red hair was particularly striking in the darkness.

It's so eye-catching that it's almost an eyesore.

That represents his failure.

It is a mockery of his decades-long absolute control over his family.

That scoundrel and his most trusted brother betrayed him.

The gray-robed man waved his hand, and a wisp of gray mist entered Inanna's mouth and nose, causing her to fall into a coma.

"Give her some food and water. The magic hidden within her is very important; it would be a great pity if she died."

"I see."

As soon as the man in the grey robe spoke, François returned to his usual cheerful demeanor, as if nothing had just happened.