Page 418
Story: The Dragon of Dreams
Mid Morning - Mid Winter : The Ancient's Spa, Eikasía | Eastern Bahamut
-----
*blub-thump-thump-thump* Lethargically waking up, feeling the touch of cold stone pressing into the side of my face, I raised my head with a groan. "Mmmhh..."
*thump-thump* "Ah-! WAIT-" *SPLASH*
Slowly opening my eyes, I looked down to see a tiny pink creature submerged in the steaming water before it promptly burst through the surface and shot me a glare. -Hm..? Why is she so small?-
"YOU SUCK!"
"Uwaaah..." Letting out a nonchalant yawn, I glanced over my shoulder to see Hera looking extra small as well before finally noticing that, rather than being in a dream, it was just that my transformation magic had reverted in my sleep.
-Dang, I was more tired than I thought..
. I haven't slept that hard in a long time. ..-
"Waking you up is like waking up a rock!"
"Yeah, sorry. I guess I was more exhausted than I thought..." -I honestly still feel drowsy...-
Looking up to try and focus on the transformation magic, Krystallo rather grumpily swam back over to me and climbed up on my massive leg to get out of the water.
But right as she did... *Flash* I finished the transformation spell in a daze and shrunk back down to around Hera's size, sending her plunging back into the water. *KERPLUNK* -Ah, whoops...-
*WOOSH* Instantly bursting back out if the water with a heavy flap of her wings, she shot a glare at me, aiming to slam into the bottom of my chin.
But unfortunately, my lethargic mind wasn't fast enough to catch the impact at all. *THWACK* "OW!" Slamming into a nearly immovable object, her entire body scrunched up before plummeting back into the water. *SPLASH* "ARE YOU MADE OF ROCK TOO?!"
Finally getting the surge of adrenaline I typically got right when I awoke, I snapped awake before looking down and watching Krystallo slowly float away on her back, angrily rubbing her head with her paw and wing.
"Haha, you need to be careful, sis. If you hit someone your age like that they might not get up. "
Hearing my joking tone, she immediately shot me an irritated look before mumbling, "But you are my age..."
Hearing her as she turned over and swam to the edge of the spa to climb out, my smile instantly mixed with a hint of worry, but before I could say anything else, Hera jumped in.
"Anyway, sorry for waking you up, Vasilias.
" Standing up she gently stretched before using wind magic to sneakily speak to me.
"Today are her big fights, the semi-finals and finals.
I wish I could have let you sleep, but she-"
"No, don't be sorry," Stiffening my expression as I tried to look past my own anxieties, I got up and promptly dried us off with magic.
"These are things I can no longer afford to miss.
I have already been absent from her life for far too long.
" Over my years of absence, my debt to her had accumulated to such an extent that it was almost sickening.
-But it's time I start paying it off...-
However, such a debt was not something I could pay off easily, no matter the method, so after taking some time to think of what we could do together, I decided it was best to take things one step at a time.
And that all started with her fights. Assuming she won the semi-finals of the lower bracket, she would have about a day to train and prepare for the finals, and in that time, I was going to give her a series of lessons that would hopefully set up the groundwork for patching whatever shortcomings I noticed in the first fight.
However, at the time.. I didn't quite realize just what shortcoming we would have to focus on.
It wasn't until we got to the arena, sat through a few other divisions' semi-final matches, and watched Krystallo come out that my worries finally set in.
"Alright now, everyone please welcome to the stage our lower-bracket favorite, Miss Anthisi!"
The crowd instantly exploded with cheer as the gate lifted to reveal Krystallo holding her head high with furled brows. In their eyes, it was the sight of her taking things seriously.
But Hera and I saw something else. -Uh oh...- She wasn't coming out to win.. she was coming out to vent. -That's not good...-
Looking back up at the announcer, he rather promptly continued.
"But we can't get too ahead of ourselves!
As we have seen in many of his recent fights, her opponent isn't one to be scoffed at!
Now, coming to the stage, as the loser of the winner's bracket semifinalist match, please welcome, Young Master Alati! "
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
-Hoh?- My eyes lit up in an instant. -Alati as in Emporio's Alati family?- They were a noble family that helped Hera greatly with the construction of the thunderbird's nest outside Emporio, and one she spoke rather highly of, even in private.
But while I questioned if it was really them, out of the gate came a tiny, barely twelve-meter-tall, white-belly, teal-scaled dragon with a face unbefitting someone participating in the festival.
"Isn't he.. too young..?"
Hearing me mumble to myself, Hera was quick to lean over. "He's actually a bit older than Krystallo, his family is just.. a little undersized."
"A little.. you say..?" Even compared to Krystallo, he was tiny, with the top of his head, at most, at her shoulders if he stood as tall as he could.
-But I guess they're known to be magic engineers so.
. maybe size won't really matter...- At the very least, as he walked up on stage, staring up at Krystallo, he didn't seem to shy away from her angered gaze.
-With that kind of confidence.. maybe he'll strong enough to snap Krystallo out of her fit. ..-
However, while his confidence was well-warranted based on how his previous fights went.. he was in the ring with an entirely different beast.
"Alright! Now that the opponents have exchanged their formal greeting! Please prepare! The match will start on my signal!"
*Flutter* Suddenly pulling out a massive book, the young Alati quickly flipped through hundreds of pages with his aura before lowering his stance and readying himself with raised wings, carefully observing Krystallo as she did the same.
But unlike him, who had his tail raised and pointed into the arena to close off his few remaining openings, Krystallo's was completely relaxed. -She must recognize that he won't be the one to close the distance between them.. but if he's smart, he'll do it anyway...-
Interested in the brawl that was about to ensue, my eyes sharpened.
At least until... *Flash* The instant the light zipped across the arena, the glow of runes erupted from the kid's book, and in response, Krystallo simply opened her mouth. *CR-RACK*
In an instant, a beam of light connected Krystallo's mouth and the boy's book before it suddenly exploded, erupting into flames before a small, red-hot bead zipped out the other side and smashed into the side of the arena.
*WOOSH* Before the boy could even react, his book of runes was completely obliterated, and by the time the flash of flames from it settled, Krystallo already had her paw over his head.
He was completely and utterly outclassed.
*WOOOOOM-CRAAACK* Barely managing to move his head to the side before her paw essentially teleported to the ground, the boy jumped back in a panic.
But since he was already at the edge of the ring, it simply sent him plummeting to the sandy floor beneath the stage. *Fwip-Thump*
"A-And the winner is Miss Anthisi!! An overwhelming victory!!"
The crowd once again exploded cheers as Krystallo raised her wing in victory, letting a broken slab from the edge the stage tumble to the ground before turning around.
However, while it was a sight of confidence that made everyone else endlessly excited for the fights to come, it made me more than a little displeased. -She's too cocky...-
While it was true that she did indeed outclass her opponent to an almost unholy degree, it was also true that she was far too sloppy. -If that kid was as fast as a few of the fighters we've seen, she would have lost.-
And it wouldn't have been close.
But while I watched her walk off stage with a scrutinous gaze, contemplating whether to let her learn on her own or intervene as I originally intended, she looked up at me in the stands, and almost instantly, her anger-fueled confidence vanished, and she rushed out of the arena like a dog with its tail tucked.
"Haah..." It wasn't the reaction I expected, but I knew it should have been.
Ever since we spoke of her motivations and discussed her desire to follow me up the mountain I was climbing, she trained like hell to gain my approval, and while her anger derived from me as well, seeing my disapproval completely eclipsed it.
With a single expression, I had sent her mind into turmoil.
Up until that point, I had been taking a very serious, and tough approach to the matter.
Considering her desire to follow me would more than likely put her life at risk, I had to be hard on her.
. whether she liked it or not. Until then, I just wanted to make sure it was not only what she truly wanted, but also a path she was capable of walking.
-But maybe.. I'm going at this the wrong way...- Quickly softening my expression, I looked back at Hera.
She already knew what I was thinking though.
"I know you want to try a softer method, but this isn't a matter that you should approach softly, alright?
" Easing her gaze, she lowered her snout and looked me in the eyes.
"This is a serious matter. You need to be firm and direct.
.. I can tell she truly wants to join you in your journey, and she has the talent to back it up, but.
. I'm afraid if she really tries to climb the mountain, there will come a time that her grip slips, and you have to come down to catch her. .."
Knowing what she was getting at, my expression darkened.
"I know she's your sister, but you can't afford another burden right now..." Looking back out toward the arena while another group of dragons worked to fix the damage from Krystallo, Hera's voice softened. "But I will trust you.. no matter what path you decide to set her on."
Read up to 5 chapters ahead of schedule, and get early access to artwork on My Patreon!
(In case Embedded Link doesn't work: /TDOD )
-------------
Also, please feel free to check out our discord for all updates related to TDOD releases! https://discord.gg/Dv7G5bQD4v
All are welcome!
---
Also if you are looking for a new story, check out my new novel! The System's Harvester
On RR and SH
Table of Contents
- Page 1
- Page 2
- Page 3
- Page 4
- Page 5
- Page 6
- Page 7
- Page 8
- Page 9
- Page 10
- Page 11
- Page 12
- Page 13
- Page 14
- Page 15
- Page 16
- Page 17
- Page 18
- Page 19
- Page 20
- Page 21
- Page 22
- Page 23
- Page 24
- Page 25
- Page 26
- Page 27
- Page 28
- Page 29
- Page 30
- Page 31
- Page 32
- Page 33
- Page 34
- Page 35
- Page 36
- Page 37
- Page 38
- Page 39
- Page 40
- Page 41
- Page 42
- Page 43
- Page 44
- Page 45
- Page 46
- Page 47
- Page 48
- Page 49
- Page 50
- Page 51
- Page 52
- Page 53
- Page 54
- Page 55
- Page 56
- Page 57
- Page 58
- Page 59
- Page 60
- Page 61
- Page 62
- Page 63
- Page 64
- Page 65
- Page 66
- Page 67
- Page 68
- Page 69
- Page 70
- Page 71
- Page 72
- Page 73
- Page 74
- Page 75
- Page 76
- Page 77
- Page 78
- Page 79
- Page 80
- Page 81
- Page 82
- Page 83
- Page 84
- Page 85
- Page 86
- Page 87
- Page 88
- Page 89
- Page 90
- Page 91
- Page 92
- Page 93
- Page 94
- Page 95
- Page 96
- Page 97
- Page 98
- Page 99
- Page 100
- Page 101
- Page 102
- Page 103
- Page 104
- Page 105
- Page 106
- Page 107
- Page 108
- Page 109
- Page 110
- Page 111
- Page 112
- Page 113
- Page 114
- Page 115
- Page 116
- Page 117
- Page 118
- Page 119
- Page 120
- Page 121
- Page 122
- Page 123
- Page 124
- Page 125
- Page 126
- Page 127
- Page 128
- Page 129
- Page 130
- Page 131
- Page 132
- Page 133
- Page 134
- Page 135
- Page 136
- Page 137
- Page 138
- Page 139
- Page 140
- Page 141
- Page 142
- Page 143
- Page 144
- Page 145
- Page 146
- Page 147
- Page 148
- Page 149
- Page 150
- Page 151
- Page 152
- Page 153
- Page 154
- Page 155
- Page 156
- Page 157
- Page 158
- Page 159
- Page 160
- Page 161
- Page 162
- Page 163
- Page 164
- Page 165
- Page 166
- Page 167
- Page 168
- Page 169
- Page 170
- Page 171
- Page 172
- Page 173
- Page 174
- Page 175
- Page 176
- Page 177
- Page 178
- Page 179
- Page 180
- Page 181
- Page 182
- Page 183
- Page 184
- Page 185
- Page 186
- Page 187
- Page 188
- Page 189
- Page 190
- Page 191
- Page 192
- Page 193
- Page 194
- Page 195
- Page 196
- Page 197
- Page 198
- Page 199
- Page 200
- Page 201
- Page 202
- Page 203
- Page 204
- Page 205
- Page 206
- Page 207
- Page 208
- Page 209
- Page 210
- Page 211
- Page 212
- Page 213
- Page 214
- Page 215
- Page 216
- Page 217
- Page 218
- Page 219
- Page 220
- Page 221
- Page 222
- Page 223
- Page 224
- Page 225
- Page 226
- Page 227
- Page 228
- Page 229
- Page 230
- Page 231
- Page 232
- Page 233
- Page 234
- Page 235
- Page 236
- Page 237
- Page 238
- Page 239
- Page 240
- Page 241
- Page 242
- Page 243
- Page 244
- Page 245
- Page 246
- Page 247
- Page 248
- Page 249
- Page 250
- Page 251
- Page 252
- Page 253
- Page 254
- Page 255
- Page 256
- Page 257
- Page 258
- Page 259
- Page 260
- Page 261
- Page 262
- Page 263
- Page 264
- Page 265
- Page 266
- Page 267
- Page 268
- Page 269
- Page 270
- Page 271
- Page 272
- Page 273
- Page 274
- Page 275
- Page 276
- Page 277
- Page 278
- Page 279
- Page 280
- Page 281
- Page 282
- Page 283
- Page 284
- Page 285
- Page 286
- Page 287
- Page 288
- Page 289
- Page 290
- Page 291
- Page 292
- Page 293
- Page 294
- Page 295
- Page 296
- Page 297
- Page 298
- Page 299
- Page 300
- Page 301
- Page 302
- Page 303
- Page 304
- Page 305
- Page 306
- Page 307
- Page 308
- Page 309
- Page 310
- Page 311
- Page 312
- Page 313
- Page 314
- Page 315
- Page 316
- Page 317
- Page 318
- Page 319
- Page 320
- Page 321
- Page 322
- Page 323
- Page 324
- Page 325
- Page 326
- Page 327
- Page 328
- Page 329
- Page 330
- Page 331
- Page 332
- Page 333
- Page 334
- Page 335
- Page 336
- Page 337
- Page 338
- Page 339
- Page 340
- Page 341
- Page 342
- Page 343
- Page 344
- Page 345
- Page 346
- Page 347
- Page 348
- Page 349
- Page 350
- Page 351
- Page 352
- Page 353
- Page 354
- Page 355
- Page 356
- Page 357
- Page 358
- Page 359
- Page 360
- Page 361
- Page 362
- Page 363
- Page 364
- Page 365
- Page 366
- Page 367
- Page 368
- Page 369
- Page 370
- Page 371
- Page 372
- Page 373
- Page 374
- Page 375
- Page 376
- Page 377
- Page 378
- Page 379
- Page 380
- Page 381
- Page 382
- Page 383
- Page 384
- Page 385
- Page 386
- Page 387
- Page 388
- Page 389
- Page 390
- Page 391
- Page 392
- Page 393
- Page 394
- Page 395
- Page 396
- Page 397
- Page 398
- Page 399
- Page 400
- Page 401
- Page 402
- Page 403
- Page 404
- Page 405
- Page 406
- Page 407
- Page 408
- Page 409
- Page 410
- Page 411
- Page 412
- Page 413
- Page 414
- Page 415
- Page 416
- Page 417
- Page 418 (Reading here)
- Page 419
- Page 420
- Page 421
- Page 422
- Page 423
- Page 424
- Page 425
- Page 426
- Page 427
- Page 428
- Page 429
- Page 430
- Page 431
- Page 432
- Page 433
- Page 434
- Page 435
- Page 436
- Page 437
- Page 438
- Page 439
- Page 440
- Page 441
- Page 442
- Page 443
- Page 444