Years ago, during his time at the Sword Sanctuary, Rygar undertook a special expedition, accompanied by Ezkalor.
On this expedition, they broke into an ancient nest in the depths of the Red Dragon Upper Jaw and successfully stole fifteen dragon eggs.
This feat became known among the members of the Iron Legion when Rygar returned to Milis, and even before that, it ended up being one of the reasons that convinced Jino and Nina to join the organization.
Both wanted to have a dragon as a companion.
Before the war even ended, the eggs hatched.
Ezkalor, who had previously served as Eris's mount, momentarily abandoned the battlefield to return and care for the hatchlings.
At first, Rygar considered building a suitable place to shelter the dragons.
However, while exploring the edges of the Great Forest, he found a peculiar ruin that would serve the purpose perfectly.
The structure was overrun by trolls, with hundreds of Rank C creatures living around it, several Rank B trolls acting as subcommanders, and a Rank A Troll King who maintained the group's order.
It was not a labyrinth, but rather an ancient ruined structure converted into a fortress by the trolls.
For a moment, Rygar contemplated treating them as a tribe, perhaps as a decaying race, but the trolls were naturally violent, irrational, and dangerous.
As uncontrollable beasts, they could not be exploited, so Rygar exterminated them.
The ruin was finally named "Ruins of the Sacred Dragon Emperor."
In its depths, Rygar found traces of an ancient civilization, apparently home to a member of the Dragon Race who called himself the Sacred Dragon Emperor.
Although the true name of the former owner was lost to time, the evidence pointed to an origin thousands of years ago.
Engraved on the walls and on stone tablets were inscriptions and texts resembling pages of stone.
There were also remnants of normal books, but they had been destroyed by the passage of time.
Over time, with the help of Verdia and Gretta, Rygar discovered that the writings were in the ancient language of the Dragon God.
To this day, he has not had enough free time to fully decipher the language, but it remains on his list.
It was there that Rygar decided to shelter Ezkalor and the hatchlings.
Initially, he thought that fifteen dragons would be insufficient, considering the number of warriors who had earned renown in the Kingdom of Gaia.
However, he discovered that not everyone desired to have a dragon as a companion. Only nine of the hatchlings were adopted.
The remaining six continued living with Ezkalor at the sanctuary.
Rygar had plans to expand the breeding program, capture other dragons and rare beasts, but for now, that responsibility was delegated to the Beast Taming Division of the Kingdom of Gaia.
When the group entered the sanctuary, the young dragons watched them with curious eyes.
Humans also lived there, all advanced-level warriors trained to care for the hatchlings and, more importantly, to teach them to see humans as allies, not prey.
Ezkalor, who never attacked humans randomly, served as an example for the young dragons.
Still, incidents occurred. By nature, dragons were predators, and their instincts sometimes overpowered their training.
Therefore, the caretakers were chosen from among the strong, capable of surviving attacks from hatchlings.
And the dragons themselves were severely punished if they attacked without authorization. This discipline was enforced from birth.
As the group walked through the ruins, two more hatchlings emerged from the cracks and corners of the structure, watching from afar, cautious of Rygar's presence.
The aura of the Beast God was too intense for them to dare approach. Some caretakers appeared and greeted them briefly.
And as they walked further in, they saw.
Lying on its back over an uneven stone, in a completely uncomfortable position, a huge red dragon slept soundly.
Its wings were carelessly spread, its tail twitching in small spasms, and its mouth half-open letting out a soft snore. It was a somewhat strange scene.
Nina and Jino recognized the dragon immediately, mouths agape.
Rygar smiled, but it was not a kind smile. A cold, mischievous grin curved his lips, and then he raised a hand, concentrating mana into a growing sphere above the dragon.
A massive water orb appeared, hovering threateningly in the air. Eris and Aisha laughed as they recognized the scene, and the familiar sound was enough to wake the lazy dragon.
But it was too late.
"You lazy lizard!" Rygar shouted.
The water orb plummeted, hitting Ezkalor squarely.
A muffled roar echoed through the ruin as the dragon tried to dodge, but it was already too late. It writhed under the downpour, grumbling with a guttural growl.
Eris and Aisha could not contain their laughter at seeing Ezkalor soaked, scales dripping water and an annoyed look as he kept his head against the ground.
Rygar, standing beside the dragon, bowed slightly and spoke firmly into the creature's ear in a clearly reprimanding tone:
"Didn't I tell you to teach the other dragons? How's your flight training? All you know is how to sleep! That way the other dragons will surpass you in an instant!"
Ezkalor let out a deep snort, smoke escaping from his nostrils in evident irritation.
His half-closed eyes showed how much he hated being scolded, but he did not dare respond.
Rygar knew well the dragon's potential since the day he tamed him.
And, over the past years, Ezkalor's growth seemed slightly accelerated, something Rygar discovered was due to the continuous consumption of the magic water he himself produced.
Water enriched with concentrated mana seemed ideal for accelerating the development of magical creatures.
Periodically, Rygar created an entire lake using his magic and filled it with this water, ensuring that Ezkalor and the hatchlings always had access.
Over time, Ezkalor had become even larger and more muscular than before. He was not the biggest among the red dragons, but Rygar would bet he was the strongest.
His mana was dense, his musculature firm, and his endurance impressive.
Unfortunately, the greatest problem still persisted: Ezkalor was absurdly lazy.
Without direct supervision, he refused to train seriously, and Rygar simply did not have time to watch him all day.
After finishing the scolding, Rygar stepped back a little and spoke aloud:
"Oigar, how are things? Gather the young dragons here. Two of them will be chosen today."
The beast warrior of the Doldia tribe, who was nearby, replied respectfully:
"Yes, sir. It will only take a moment."
With surprising agility, he leaped across the surrounding rocks, shouting orders to the caretakers and disappearing among the ruins.
Nina stepped a little closer, trying to conceal the obvious excitement in her voice:
"Ezkalor has grown a lot… So this is where they live?"
Aisha, with a simple wave of her hand, shaped chairs and a table from the earth with Earth magic, and replied:
"Usually yes. But those who already have owners and have been more domesticated generally remain scattered throughout the Temple. Some even follow their owners wherever they go. Mine, for example, accompanies me to Star Rise frequently."
Nina nodded, remembering the earlier conversation about the magic academy Aisha had founded. Then she asked:
"And yours, Eris?"
"I don't have one," Eris replied simply.
Nina stared at her, visibly surprised:
"You don't have one?"
Eris shook her head.
Rygar then intervened with a smile on his face:
"Of course Eris wanted a dragon. But we realized she used Ezkalor more than I did. So, when she needs him, she calls him. Even if he's not nearby, I can fly using magic."
Nina watched Ezkalor, now calmly drinking in the lake, and murmured:
"I see…"
Jino, sitting in one of the chairs shaped by Aisha, looked up and asked:
"Most of my time will be spent training… Will that be a problem for raising a dragon?"
"That's not a problem!" Aisha replied.
"As long as you interact with him from time to time, he'll remember you. Besides, they hunt on their own most of the time."
The group continued talking about various subjects.
At one point, Eris teased Nina for having lost her position among the Twelve Kings of Gaia in just one day.
The teasing quickly evolved into a loud argument, and then a fight; it seemed their relationship hadn't changed at all.
Aisha just laughed as she watched.
A few minutes later, Oigar returned with the six remaining hatchlings. All were gathered in a flat area of the ruins.
Interestingly, two of them were covered in bite wounds—probably the result of a recent fight among them.
Rygar crossed his arms and said casually:
"Just choose whichever pleases you the most. They don't have names yet, just for the record."
At the sound of this, both Jino and Nina stood up immediately, eyes shining with enthusiasm.
They began circling among the hatchlings, analyzing them as if they had deep knowledge of draconic physiology.
Obviously, neither of them had any real knowledge about dragons.
Their serious expressions as they pretended to evaluate the little reptiles was a source of laughter for the rest of the group, who enjoyed teasing them.
Nina was the first to make her choice.
Among the assembled hatchlings, she approached one with the longest, slimmest wings—a female with dull scales—who watched her with some curiosity.
Nina crouched in front of the creature, observing it intently.
She was clearly thinking about its flight capabilities.
It was no surprise; since her time at the Sword Sanctuary, Nina had been one of the most excited about the flying experience, and now she wanted a dragon that could accompany her in the skies with speed and grace.
Without much hesitation, she placed her hand on the hatchling's snout, which did not react much to the touch, and said firmly:
"Your name will be Skyl."
The dragon let out a low sound, accepting the contact. Nina smiled, satisfied with the choice.
Jino, on the other hand, chose one of the two dragons that was injured.
Despite the visible bite wounds on its body, it maintained a defiant posture and a keen, fierce look, like that of a true predator.
It was neither the largest nor the most visually impressive, but its attitude caught Jino's attention.
"You will be my partner…" he said, touching the dragon's head. "Kalar. That will be your name."
Kalar grunted but accepted the touch without resistance.
They then spent a good amount of time familiarizing themselves with their new companions.
After all, the dragons were about to leave their home and needed to recognize their new masters as figures of authority and trust.
There was a certain excitement in both young warriors' eyes.
Meanwhile, in another corner of the sanctuary, Eris was helping Aisha train her swordsmanship.
Even practicing different styles—Eris more focused on Sword God Style, Aisha mixing principles of Water God Style with magical techniques and original ideas—Aisha still had much to learn from her.
After all, combat teachings went beyond fixed styles.
Rygar, for his part, sat under a stone overhang, one of the books in hand, focused as he compared its worn pages and tried to decipher the symbols.
On the occasion of his fifteenth birthday, still at the Sword Sanctuary, Aisha had organized the group to seek a gift for Rygar.
She, Eris, Nina, Jino, and Isolte had gathered and broken into an ancient Labyrinth in search of magical items.
Among the presents they brought were three books written in a completely unknown language.
Rygar never knew what they were about, but upon exploring the ruins of the Sacred Dragon Emperor and finding similar inscriptions on the walls and stones, Rygar realized that the texts were also written in the ancient language of the Dragon God.
However, without a concrete reference, translation remained an immense challenge—even with the help of Verdia and Gretta.
Time passed, and finally, Jino and Nina announced they were ready to depart.
The bond with their dragons would take days—perhaps weeks—to fully establish, but for now, it was enough.
It was already late, so the group went their separate ways there.
Jino and Nina returned together to the dormitory at the Temple, with the dragons following close behind.
Eris, Aisha, and Rygar took another path, returning home.
Rygar was pleased with the progress of the two new Iron Legion members; they had much potential to discover.
Tomorrow, he had other commitments.
Because of them, he would not be able to see Ghislaine and Verdia during the day. With that in mind, he planned to spend time with them at night.
A sigh escaped his lips.
He thanked himself for having chosen not to remain on Gaia's throne. He already had so many goals and so much to do.
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