The sun was shining high in the sky, and the white clouds were moving eastwards, travelling gently like vessels on the waves of an endless sea.

Light rays filtered through the atoms of those white gaseous masses, reflecting in every direction and acting as reflectors that illuminated the floated arena. Just below the clouds, the floating sanctuary had just welcomed Yoichi and Therion.

Among the Greek-style columns over ten meters high, the guardian of that sacred place accessible only to a few slowly awoke from its sleep. Before the arrival of the two travelers of the heavens, the supreme Urgerross was resting, but the oscillation of the floating island disturbed its peace.

A mighty white body, less large than Therion's but just as majestic, opened a little at a time. A thick tail hid the face of the thunder dragon, who, with slow movements punctuated by deep sighs, revealed its appearance.

Urgerross's eyes were the same shape as those of his lord, but differed in color: they were yellow like the sun, and a black reptilian pupil cut each eye into two mirrored parts.

Short, sharp yellow spikes protruded from the draconic face, like a shaggy, well-groomed beard. In addition to the spikes, a pair of straight horns branched into many thinner tips, simulating a lightning bolt in the stormy skies.

Urgerross's neck was more extended than Therion's, and its build was decidedly less massive and more slender. If the Dragon King had a fighting style focused on physical power and the devastation of his flames, the lightning dragon favoured quicker, punchier movements.

The white wings, golden inside, were spread wide as if the supreme guardian of the Sanctum of Infinity was stretching its limbs. On its front legs, two smaller yellow wings mirrored the shapes of its horns, expressing pure speed and giving off faint sparks.

*tzz*tzz*

Thin electrical bolts scattered here and there, along with the white tiles of the arena. The mere awakening of Urgerross, the White One, seemed to have triggered the sky.

"Urgerross, my old friend," the deep demonic voice of the Supreme Dragon King spoke, standing at the edge of the floating island.

Its interlocutor blinked, and its swift gaze framed first Yoichi and then its king. In a sign of submission, positioning itself seated and with its back straight, it bowed its neck forward, offering its greetings to Therion.

"Forgive me, my king. But perhaps my eyes are still immersed in the world of dreams, and hallucinations cloud my vision," Urgerross politely answered, making a clear reference to Yoichi, who was so small compared to the two dragons that he went almost unnoticed.

Although Therion, Urgerross and all the living beings he would meet were part of a vision created by his mind, the white dragon seemed not to know Yoichi and sounded unaware of that detail.

Yoichi's memory could not know the appearance of Urgerross nor of the other Guardians of the Whole: everything he saw was the result of the ancestral link between his subconscious and that of Therion, his most elder mentor.

"There is no need to apologize, my faithful companion," Therion replied, never breaking eye contact with it. "The man who stands beside me is here at the Sanctuary by my will," it added.

Urgerross looked up while its neck was still pointed at the floor. A chill froze Yoichi's blood, who, although he had been waiting for several days for that very moment, was terrified.

The yellow and white dragon was looking at him with different eyes from Therion's. Beyond those ravenous pupils, Yoichi could sense its boundless ego and bloodlust.

"Is that really a human being standing next to the only ruler of Lumya?" Urgerross asked. Its voice matched its appearance and sounded devious and subtle as if every word concealed unspoken desires.

"This young human being bears the name of Yoichi. He is the heir to our power and is the only man capable of restoring peace to Lumya. I have escorted him here to your abode for a particular purpose," the Dragon King explained.

"Namely, Supreme Therion?" - the electric dragon's eyes thinned, and more sparks ran down its back, reaching the final stretch of its tail. The superior demon's intelligence had allowed it to intuit the reason that brought a human into its sacred home.

"Yoichi?" Therion called, lowering his head to his protégé and asking him to step forward. In that way, the King of Lumya urged the young warrior to take courage, allowing him to speak.

Yoichi took a deep breath, and his left foot silently crawled forward, bringing his body out of the shadow of the giant black dragon.

"I am here to challenge you and to kill you, Urgerross," the blond-haired warrior stated, taking courage and constantly thinking about the fact that everything he was experiencing was not real. If it were, the fear would have been so intense that he would have fainted instantly.

After those outrageous words, Urgerross's neck jerked upward like that of a cobra ready to attack. Its fierce yellow eyes opened wide, and one of them was partially covered by its lower eyelid, giving its gaze a veil of madness.

Additional sparks were released from its limbs and tail as if the electrical bolts expressed its state of mind, already made evident by its expression.

A few seconds of silence passed when Urgerross's gaze returned to normal, and its neck muscles relaxed, resuming their resting position. Breathing out of its nostrils intermittently, the white dragon with golden wings began to chuckle.

"Buahah! HUAHAH!" Urgerross laughed hysterically, making a sound so loud it made the floor vibrate. "Is this a joke, my lord? Tell me the truth, Supreme Therion. You brought this inferior being here just to provide me with a juicy snack, didn't you?" he boomed, opening its jaws wide and curving the corners of its mouth into a grim smile.

Therion's gaze remained severe and impassive. Without uttering a breath, the Dragon King let his subordinate know that what he had just heard was the genuine truth.