"Roar!" (Of course. Don't you want to see the little one take flight for the first time?)
A single sentence easily coaxed the "lazy-dog" stay-at-home dragon out of the nest. However, when Asterion shared this decision with the hatchling, the little thing was the one who refused to leave—it seemed to have zero curiosity about the world outside.
Even though Asterion described the wonders of the surface world—the brilliant sunshine, towering trees, green grass, colorful flowers, and fresh meat—the hatchling's mind was fixated on one thing: food. It refused to stray even a step away from the nest or the Bio-energy crystals in this corridor of the Leyline.
Such gluttony!
Despite lacking a stomach pouch like Asterion's, its desire for food was just as bottomless. It seemed determined not to set foot outside until every edible thing was gone. Even Asterion's feigned anger was useless; the little one wasn't afraid at all. It would scurry across the floor, darting out of the nest in a playful frenzy. Asterion couldn't exactly blast her with a lethal breath attack.
Given the cramped confines of the underground world and the sheer size of both Asterion and Kulve Taroth, catching such a nimble little thing was no easy task. During this playful game of chase and capture, Asterion happened to notice something. As the hatchling dodged his reaching claws—especially when her excitement peaked—sporadic blue flames would flicker from the tips of her wing bones.
Perhaps it's because she's still so young? Since she wasn't an adult yet and her body was still in a phase of rapid development, Asterion estimated that by the time she matured, she would likely be able to breathe white flames just like him.
Fine by him. After all, they were both powered by flame-producing organs; there was no reason he could do it while the little one couldn't. He treated it as a pre-flight rehearsal. Once he realized this play could trigger the little one's instincts to regulate her internal temperature and attempt to vent flames, Asterion was no longer in a hurry to return her to the surface.
He wasn't in a hurry, but someone else was... or perhaps, some dragon?
After many years, Mirrorblade once again approached that familiar, giant tree. Everything here was etched into his bloodline; even after all this time, not much had changed.
The Grimalkyne structures were still methodically expanding outward from the giant tree as their center. Looking up, Mirrorblade could see several ropeways extending from the canopy to various surrounding areas—shortcuts the Grimalkynes had built for easier travel. Currently, there weren't many, and they were only built in areas free of invading large monsters, but they already made life much more convenient.
Choosing not to climb the tree, Mirrorblade simply walked ahead. The Grimalkynes who spotted him showed no signs of panic. They didn't know Asterion had driven Mirrorblade away; at this moment, they simply thought Mirrorblade had finally decided to come home after so many years of adventuring.
"Blue-fied" Grimalkynes were now a common sight within the Glavenus Tribe. In the short distance Mirrorblade had traveled, he saw several young, blue-fied Grimalkynes playing by the river, the fur on their backs not yet as hard as Mirrorblade's own.
Mirrorblade knew that blue-fied Grimalkynes at this stage couldn't play with normal ones; a single mistake could cause them to launch the Bio-crystal fur on their backs, leading to unnecessary casualties. The Glavenus Tribe now had detailed arrangements for them. Once the "blue-fication" appeared or blue-fied kits were born, they were sent to live together at the base of the giant tree until their Bio-crystal fur finished developing before returning to the main group.
But this was merely a temporary measure. According to bits of conversation Mirrorblade had overheard from Dot at the Frontline Research Base, the number of blue-fied Grimalkynes in the Glavenus Tribe was increasing rapidly with no sign of slowing down.
The situation facing the blue-fied Grimalkynes was different from that of Pot and the other Dragon-chosen warriors. After all, the warriors had merely grown larger and stronger, but the blue-fied Grimalkynes seemed to be turning into a different species altogether. They had stress reactions to being touched by other creatures, which resulted in injuries to the normal Grimalkynes.
Because of this, to prevent meaningless casualties, Sparky and Hara had already spoken with Dot several times. They hoped that Dot, as the most heavily blue-fied Grimalkyne, would step up as a leader and lead all the blue-fied Grimalkynes to become independent from the Glavenus Tribe.
This wasn't an exile, of course. They would be like the Forest Bug-trappers who also relied on Asterion; everyone still lived on Asterion's territory, interacted frequently, and hunted together to overcome difficulties. Sparky and Hara had even considered the worst-case scenario: that the concentration of Bio-energy in the forest would continue to increase. Sooner or later, the entire forest would be taken over by blue-fied plants or animals, losing its original appearance forever.
By then, the term "normal Grimalkyne" might vanish from the entire Glavenus Tribe as everyone became tainted by Bio-energy and transformed.
Watching these Grimalkynes working and playing without a care in the world, Mirrorblade—who knew far more—found it hard to be happy. He had arrived before the dark cavern that led underground. A squad of Dragon-chosen warriors stood guard there with weapons in hand. Upon seeing Mirrorblade approach, they waved happily.
"It's the young boss, meow!" "The young boss is back, meow!!" "Great news, meow!"
As a dragon, Mirrorblade's humanity was perhaps a bit too rich. Facing these plump cats crowding around him, he momentarily didn't know how to handle it. After all, these Grimalkynes were duty-bound to guard this place, yet what he intended to do was force his way inside.
"Roar!"
Feeling as if things didn't exist if he didn't look at them, Mirrorblade let out a low growl, lowered his head, and strode into the cave, leaving a group of stunned Dragon-chosen warriors behind him.
"Ah! You can't go in, meow! Young boss, meow!" "Wait, meow! You can't, meow!!"
The Dragon-chosen warriors naturally didn't dare attack Mirrorblade, nor did they dare chase him into the cave to stop him. They could only hop around anxiously at the entrance. Mirrorblade quickened his pace, wishing to get away from the entrance immediately.
I'm sorry, he thought to himself. He hadn't even brought Cleaver with him today because he knew his sudden return to the Glavenus Tribe might trigger a fight with his old man. It was better not to put his partner in a difficult position.
As Mirrorblade strode through the underground passage, the tunnel—which should have been pitch black—was gradually lit by the eerie blue glow of Bio-energy crystals.
The further down he went, the higher the temperature rose, and the more crystals appeared on the walls above and below him. Before he knew it, Mirrorblade found his vision completely illuminated. From the ceiling to the walls, even the ground beneath his feet was a path of Bio-energy crystals. The shattered crystals made constant crunching sounds; though they couldn't hurt Mirrorblade's paws, they caused the fury in his heart to grow.
In a sense, Mirrorblade was looking for the cause based on the result. Combining his own abnormalities with the reports given by the Wyverian scholars, he had already locked his target onto his own father. The Bio-energy crystals filling his sight now were the evidence of his father's guilt. It was simple logic: given his father's overbearing temper, if these crystals had been created by some other Elder Dragon and cluttered his nest like this, his father would have flown into a rage and attacked them long ago. He would never be as complacent as he was now.
After an unknown amount of time, Mirrorblade turned his body and smashed through a massive crystal blocking his path. This passage had clearly not been used by a dragon in a long time; the Bio-energy crystals, growing like trees, had almost completely sealed the entrance.
After smashing a path through, Mirrorblade finally escaped the stifling, narrow space and entered a vast cavern. There was a river of flowing magma and layers of shimmering blue crystals crisscrossing one another. They looked as though some creature had crudely barged through, leaving many circular cross-sections. Mirrorblade even saw tiny teeth marks on a few of the larger crystals—they were small, not even enough to bite through the thick stalks, leaving only a notch.
This doesn't look like a mark my old man would leave... Could I have really wronged him?
Mirrorblade began to doubt himself, but when he turned to look at the opening on one side of the Leyline corridor, those doubts vanished instantly.
After all these years, Mirrorblade saw his father once again. Even though Asterion was covered in a thick layer of shimmering blue crystals—especially on his head, where it looked as though he were wearing a crown—the glowing energy crystals extended along the curve of Asterion's original horns, turning into a pair of thicker, longer horns flanked by numerous crystalline spikes.
But that wasn't the point. Asterion's physical changes weren't actually that great; Mirrorblade could recognize him at a glance. The point was the monster hatchling sprawled in front of Asterion.
The crystals at the nest's entrance had long since been eaten clean by the young dragon, providing a clear view. Mirrorblade could plainly see Asterion half-lying on the ground, a look of pure contentment as he teased the hatchling with his forepaws. Don't ask Mirrorblade how he could read "contentment" on Asterion's rigid dragon face—he just could!
Case closed. Mirrorblade knew what had caused those marks among the crystal clusters and finally understood exactly what had happened after he left all those years ago.
His old man had another child!!
Compared to this, Bio-energy and "blue-fication" suddenly felt unimportant. Mirrorblade stared dumbfounded at the hatchling, then saw another massive creature lying in the nest—the Elder Dragon known as Kulve Taroth.
He understood everything. And yet, he understood nothing.
I mean, why?
After joining the hunter squad and conducting ecological surveys for so many years, Mirrorblade's understanding of nature was no longer as primitive as it once was. For the sake of combat, he had studied monster physiology well and knew about things like reproductive isolation.
Yes, he knew his father wasn't a normal monster but an unknown species of Elder Dragon. Decades ago, he had mated with Mirrorblade's mother and sired him—but his mother had been a normal Glavenus subspecies, whereas Mirrorblade had inherited more from his father.
So here was the question: if he could mate normally with a Glavenus and have a child, why could he now mate with such a massive Elder Dragon and have a child? And why did the child look so much like him?!
Old man, what on earth are you?!
An inevitable storm brewed in Mirrorblade's mind. His chaotic thoughts left him unsure of what kind of condemnation to even voice. Over the past years, he had imagined countless times how he and his father would greet each other. Would his father be satisfied with his current strength? Would he be proud of his growth? He had even considered that his bastard of a father might just give him a senseless beating.
He had even fantasized about the two of them clashing tails without saying a word, but he had never imagined he would have a younger brother... or sister?
"Roar!"
Just as Mirrorblade was lost in total confusion, the commotion he made finally caught the hatchling's attention. The little thing immediately stopped pouncing on Asterion's claws and turned to glare at the intruder who had inexplicably appeared in her territory, letting out a threatening roar.
Given her size, the roar was rather adorable, so much so that Mirrorblade didn't feel even a hint of a threat.
"Roar." (You've come.)
Gone was the leisurely air he had while playing with the little one. Asterion stood up and let out a low growl, nudging the hatchling toward Kulve Taroth. Kulve Taroth showed no intention of intervening; instead, she waited expectantly, as if watching a show.
"Roar." (I've come.)
Mirrorblade found himself unexpectedly calm. He thought he would be furious the next time he spoke with his father, but now, he felt nothing but... battle intent.
"Roar, roar." (I've grown stronger, just as you hoped.)
As he spoke, Mirrorblade casually swung his blade-tail, showing Asterion the shimmering blue crystal clusters growing from it. With just a slight flick, those clusters flew from the tail like countless sharp blades, stabbing a path of crystals into the ground.
"Roar?" (Interesting.)
Seeing the Bio-energy crystals on Mirrorblade's tail and the control the boy displayed, Asterion's eyes lit up. He thought Mirrorblade would be another major version behind, but who would have thought the kid had caught up on his own?
Hmm... so that means the Bio-energy I've been spreading through the Leyline corridors has successfully affected surface creatures?
To Asterion, this was indeed good news; it meant his plan was proceeding smoothly. Of course, it was also possible that because Mirrorblade was his child, he had a stronger reaction when encountering Bio-energy.
"Roar!" (As I thought, you knew everything.)
Mirrorblade crouched low, letting out a furious low growl.
"Roar!!" (You're the one behind all of this, aren't you?!)
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