-Zhuryoh City. Sundown. 3RD POV-

On the opposite side of the globe where the original James was, his artificial consciousness sprouted inside the large Egg, guarded by a green Dragoness with five black pointy horns slightly bent to the back of her head and a long tail extended along the curved walls of the Domed Tower. This Low-Rank 7 Divine Magical Beast is one of the current pair leading the Wind Clan occupying a triangle-shaped territory within the Dragon City of Zhuryoh located in the southern part of the biggest landmass.

Periodically, she would open her mouth to breathe out hot air. *FwuorooOOSHH!* Hot air swirls around the Egg as the sound of heavy paw steps became louder. *Thud! Thum! Thump!* A 13-meter tall Dragon with glossy green scales slowly walked on solid stone path 10 meters wide while blocking the orange sunlight casting shadows through the open gate and stopped at the entrance. *THOOM!* The scaly beast adorned with horns of different sizes around his lower jaw corners, cheeks and top of the muzzle stopped with a stomp, and then lowered his neck to peek inside. His eight long black horns cast shadows on the stone floor inside.

The Dragoness, laying to the right, stopped her breath, and looked at the intruder.

"Heinken..." She grumbled in Dragonic tongue.

"Awwrrr... It's already laid..." The Upper-Rank 5 Divine Wind user lamented lowering his four elongated ears. "I told you to wait for me, Neafiruna!" He complained causing swirls of dust to fly about inside the sturdy cave.

"Grrr... And I told YOU that I don't want to be watched lying eggs!" The green dragoness rebuked glaring icily.

"Awwrrr... But I spend 5 years helping revise the Life Code of the egg inside of you. I wanted to see the culmination of that hard work..." He protested with a saddened look, dropping his ears in an overly dramatic way.

"You'd interrupt as always. And what matters is the hatchling's development. I don't want our effort to be wasted on an untalented whelp as last time." She harshly declared and looked back at the egg.

"HRM... I know you are disappointed that we didn't get nearly what we hoped, but that 'untalented whelp' is our Son and he carries the pureblood refined by the Ancient founder, your Father." The male dragon admonished and closed his eyes troubled before opening them again

"I didn't say Hadar was useless. But I still don't want a weak Soul in THIS Egg." Neafiruna announced and permeated the egg with her Magic energy before creating another whirlwind around it.

*Fwuoroosh!* The hot air spins within the stone nest maintaining the temperature when a second magic energy intruded.

"Maybe you should stop bombarding the egg with high-density Magic and let nature take its course. Better use those efforts on making another--" He suggested reasoning and was interrupted.

"GRRR! Stop interrupting with your probes! Change gender and lay your own eggs... Hmph!" The mother snapped and looked at the intruder before snarling showing her white teeth gleaming in the dimmed light.

"GWUH! I-I am happy being a male, thank you. And-and you do an amazing motherly job!" The male dragon said nervously and used a different approach. "We DO need powerful members to increase our Clan's standing in the city, but how strong do you want that Soul to be?!!" He questioned the harsh methods dejectedly.

"A Soul that'll awaken a Dual Element with at LEAST one High-Affinity. Now, LEAVE!" The dragoness declared and ordered in a serious tone before using her willpower.

*BAAM! KUOong!* An invisible wall pushed the large dragon head back out the entrance.

"OOPH!" The male beast let out a sound being driven outside the cave before the arch gate sealed. "HUUuuf..." He could only sigh and turn around on the terrace before walking west on the paved path enclosed in tall walls with trees behind them.

Ridiculous! The dual-element she wants might not even awaken in a thousand hatchlings from the purest Bloodline. Did she forget that Attunement tends to decrease with their number? Even our City with 6000 Dragons only has a few Duals and a single Tri-Element with 1 High-affinity amongst Low ones... Although there are some offsprings of Ancients in the world that actually have more than one High affinity--That makes me jealous. But not many want to risk the complications that come with multiple Elements. We just need more High-Wind Affinity... Heinken deliberated, returning to his dwelling underground.

One could say these Dragons were interfering with Nature. But this is a World with Hierarchal Tribes, Kingdoms, and Alliances that greatly valued Magicians, their Elemental Affinities, Magic Talent, and Knowledge of the World. And only a Fifth of intelligent creatures was born naturally with a Spirit strong enough to practice Magic from Young Age. The rest had to live as peasants, dependant on the protection of Magicians and Warriors. Although it was possible for all creatures to learn Magic or Auramancy, they usually lacked the knowledge and resources were scarce, with only certain spots like Mana Veins or Elementals Sources that were Hoarded by Magicians and Magical Beasts to raise Strong Offsprings.

...

-Zhuryoh City. Afternoon. 3RD POV-

The Main Soul with the second James's memories slowly encroached into the large dragon egg influencing each other slightly, and then 92 days later, on a sunny afternoon past the middle of summer, the little dragon was fully conscious. This day would later be known as 4th day of the third summer quarter in the world's first accepted calendar and marking the year zero in the new history that will shake the world with great changes.

Eating and slurping sounds came from inside the egg as the occupant fed the leftovers and felt too cramped to continue. The tiny, scaly creature clawed at the curved Egg walls and carved the weaker insides before pushing outwards with his whole body until thin lines appeared on the green crust. *Bang! Bang! Bang!* The tiny creature put in more effort and swung his head aiming the small horns at the inch-thick layer spreading the cracks and catching the mother's attention nearby.

"HUOM!?" Neafiruna let out a sound before opening her eyes. "Look who decided to hatch! I thought you were defective..." She mocked while smirking gleefully and waited patiently while the bangings continued.

*BANG!* The pressurized green egg exploded with echo sending pieces crashing on the rocks nearby and painting them with a slimy substance while other pieces flew up in the air before falling all around. A half-meter tall wet hatchling appeared with pale green scales, two large horns on his head, a small one poking out of the snout, and another on each cheek below the ear.

"Gyau..." The little dragon sounded disoriented while staggering in the middle of the broken pieces trying to get up on all fours.

*Shuururub~!* The young beast shook off the gunk on his body and the tail whipping behind surprised him more than the folded wings on his back.

"Gyu?!" He uttered twisting his body to look at the hindmost part and threw a bite at the tip.

*Wuak! Whap!* The curious animal kept trying to bite his tail while rotating on the spot.

...Completely ignoring my presence... The dragoness retorted with slanted eyes. He's probably not hungry...it looks like some of the egg was eaten inside. She conjectured as an unmoving observant.

The ground suddenly started rumbling making pebbles bounce while the rocks around the nest tremble as if something massive was forcing its way through solid rocks. The little dragon was frightened and looked around while lowering his body while cracks appeared on the stone before... *Krrrrruuru--KRUK! KRRRUAA--THONK! Tok! Tok! Tororok...* A large dragon head burst through the stone ground cause triangular slabs to raise and stones to roll away. *Shruu! Swish!* The intruder shook his head and looked at the nest between him and the dragoness.

"Gyau! Ghurom!" The tiny lizard uttered hiding within the rocks and trembled scared.

"YEEEES! I'm a father again... GWRRUAAAAAAH!!" The wind dragon rejoiced and produced a deafening roar that shook the cave scaring the hatchling further.

"...Good for you. Now, turn into an Earth Dragon and fix the floor!" She sternly rebuked.

"GWUH! I-I'll go call one... I also have to tell everyone..." Heinken said apologetically and complied before muttering.

*KRRRrrururum--Thonk! Bam!* The dragon head disappeared into the ground and the spiky stone slabs fell back into place leaving a star-looking hole. *Huu... Swiss~* The female turned her neck down and glared at the rocky nest while the dominant sound of her breathing calmed the hatchling.

"How long are you going to hide?" The dragoness warmly questioned within the silence.

"Gyuuoh?!" The little dragon wondered about the sound for a moment before realizing.

...Mom? ...Dad? ...This Mother! He recognized the familiar voice from the time inside the egg and peeked out of the rocks.

"GyuuUU!" He squealed and rushed towards his mother.

*Dak! Dak... Thump! Chhh... Thump! Bash...* The small creature speed up and fell a few times before he could run properly. *Taka! Taka! Tash!* He sprinted on the stone ground riddled with holes and stopped by the scaly paw much bigger than himself.

"Gyururu~" The little dragon snuggled lovingly between the large toes.

Hmm... He has the highest-quality scales of our race and strong muscles, but unfortunately, a plain round Tail with common claws and teeth... His physical damage may be that of a lesser Dragon because of our poor understanding of the Life Code... If only we had time to spare... Neafiruna confirmed and lamented lowering her two elongated ears.

"Gwu~ Ghurom! Ghurom!" The little green beast sounded walking around the large paw with a pitter-patter before climbing on top from between the toes. "Whuuu!" He cried out to catch his mother's attention and jumped down.

*Whop! Da-rum--Chhh!* The hatchling touched down and misjudged the posture and tripped. *Thump! Srush! Srush!* He landed on his back and the large folded wings pinned him in place.

"Gyu!? Auugh... Gnnn!" The scaly creature uttered upside-down and struggled to get up.

Hmm... He takes well after his Father with external testicles and sheathed penis needlessly large... But the five-horned head with two ears and those large Wings are from me! The dragoness inspected and confirmed the features.

"Graaah!" The upside-down lizard twisted his body and whipped the tail flipping the body in an instant. "Huff! Huff!" He panted on all fours again and continued running around.

Somebody's rather active... The dragoness mused and focused her senses on the hatchling's head. Although the Spirit is boosted by Bloodline and our revisions on the brain life blocks, His density is already over 3 times higher than regular ambient Mana after hatching! Good! Very good! He'll get to Rank 1 in no time, and awaken at least a Medium elemental affinity, but ... the Spirit feels weird unlike any Dragon's I've felt. What kind of Soul is this!? Does it have something to do with that presence after laying the egg...? Or maybe it's my fault... I should've listened to Heinken--NO! It doesn't matter... Only a weakling would bring me shame and regret. She analyzed and affirmed adamantly watching her offspring play.

...

About an hour later, past the middle of the afternoon, the little dragon got tired of playing and lied sprawled over one of his mother's toe. She let him sleep for a time and permeated her magic inside the tiny body before calling out.

"Wake up!" Neafiruna let out a voice that shook the air and woke up the hatchling.

"Huu-uuu~" The scaly beast groggily replied seemingly out of energy.

"Let's test what you are made off...apart from Ballers that compose matter..." The dragoness declared and moved a claw.

*Zuuuu...* The puny dragon suddenly started floating straight up and the strange experience woke him completely.

"Ungya!!? Ghurom! Ghurom!" He blurted surprised and cried out for his mother while kicking the air and wagging the tail incessantly up in the air.

"Ten Short-Steps will do." The dragoness affirmed the equivalent of 10 meters and let go.

*Swiiisss~* The 150-pound creature dropped in free fall whistling through the air.

"GYUUU--!" The green creature squealed with eyes wide open watching the ground approach.

*KA-BRAMM!* The half-meter tall to the back scaly beast smashed onto the stone floor face-down.

"UNF!" The little dragon uttered on the first impact and bounced slightly.

*Ku-brash!* He landed sprawled and remained for a couple of seconds.

"G-guu...uuu... Kuff! Kuff!" The tiny creature whined in pain and coughed blood before struggling to get up. "Ghurom! Guauruao! Gyruuon... Gruff!" He openly protested at his mother and disgruntled.

"Defense is good... But instinctual flight capabilities didn't activate... Let's try again." The dragoness analyzed ignoring the pitiful and angry cries as she lifted her son even higher up.

"Ghurom! GhoRUUU!" He yowled for mercy approaching the ground in freefall once again.

*ZUKU! Swiss~* The pale green wings sprung open near the ground and slowed down the hatchling's fall. *Krach--Thump!* He managed to keep the legs out attempting a landing but the momentum was too great and smashed belly-first onto the ground receiving a lesser impact on his head.

"KUNF!" The hatchling spews the air in his lungs again and sprayed blood on the stone floor before twitching.

"Very good! And endurance is good too...stop pretending that you can't move." The mother praised and admonished the behavior.

"G-gu-guu...guuom..." The little dragon endured the internal injuries and lifted his neck before crying out. "GYAUUU! Gyau-gyau... Huff! Huff!" He shrilled loudly enough to cause echo and dropped panting exhausted while blood trickles out of his nostrils.

"Well, you deserve food today." She affirmed nodding while blinking.

*Fwo-whosh! FWOOH-WHOSH!* A green dragon with a 60-meter long wingspan flew in the sky at high speed toward the mountain-looking rock formation at the tip of the western territorial slice. *THUMMMP!! ZuUOK--KRRRUA--THONK!! KRU-RUM!!* The beast landed gripping the rocks and folded the wings before driving his muzzle into the two meters thick stone part near the top. *BAM! Tok! Tok! Pashhh...* The scaly head burst through and made boulders and rocks fall with a cloud of dust obscuring the whole cave.

"SON! Are you alright?" The male dragon asked worriedly and probed with his magic.

"Gyuu..." A feeble voice replied from the ground after realizing the deep voice addressed him.

"What did you do to him?!" The father demanded and accelerated the hatchling's regeneration using Willpower.

"I inspected his qualities, tested the flight capabilities, but he only managed to open the wings and bounced off the ground." She casually replied.

"HE JUST HATCHED!" The head sticking inside the cave roared blowing dust and causing whirlwinds obstructing visibility even more.

"SHUT IT!" The dragoness rebuked with a glare not visible but transmitted through her magic. "I know the physical limits of my son and he can heal that internal damage resting for a moment..." She proudly declared.

"...He may not have a scratch on the scales, but the insides are softer--his brain could suffer irreparable damage." The male dragon lectured finishing treatment and inspected the unmoving offspring by the mother's left paw.

"GRRR! You think I've become stupid? You think I didn't protect his important organs with my Willpower?" Neafiruna growled annoyed and interrogated with a domineering tone.

"N-no, I-I... I didn't mean--" Heinken stuttered apologetically when he was interrupted.

"And where is the Earth user to fix the damage you keep making?" The dragoness asked losing her patience.

"I... I was ... on my way..." He vaguely replied averting his gaze.

"Wha--!? You useless male!" She scorned transmitting her anger through the room.

"Ghuo!?" The little dragon noticed the tension in the air and hid between the mother's toes.

*ShurrrrWUP--!* The air trembled for a moment then stopped along with all the dust particles as if time froze inside the cave making the three dragons unable to breathe, move, or utter a sound for a few seconds. *SwoooOOSHH!!* The dusty wind started moving counterclockwise and picked up speed before gathering into a sphere by the center of the dome. *ZuuUUOP!* A five-meter wide ball of compressed air quickly formed maintaining a temperature preventing it from liquifying while the rest of the room returned to tranquility. *SHHOOOMM!!* The compressed air via Magic and Willpower shot towards the dragon's head with high momentum as a meter-wide shiny beam.

"WAIT! WAIT A M--" Heinken blurted alarmed and struggled to get his head out which the horns slowed down lodging in the stone.

*BWUAASSHH!!* "BHUGU! " The white pillar impacted the Dragon's snout and deflected to the sides boring holes in the Dome walls. *KRRRSSHH!!* The sturdy scales rattle and rip out of the flesh as the high-pressure air pierces through while pushing him back. *KRrrRRrrRRKK!* The large horns carved the stone until the scaly head was driven out and thrown out of the wind torrent. *ZUUuuu~* The compressed air beam continued high up in the sky while expanding and finally dispersed leaving turbulence above the over-sized Beast City.

@

-Dragon City. Evening. 3RD POV-

Nightfall quickly approaches Zhuryoh city as the horizontal sun rays from the west cast long shadow over the plaza with various Dragons bustling about. They observed the commotion within the Wind clan state and laughed at the Divine with his neck bent backward, looking in a sorry state. The little dragon hiding between his mother's claws observed the interactions of his parents trying to understand the strange happenings and calmed down as the tranquility returns.

"GHU--!" The male Wind Dragon sounded feeling throbbing pains all over the head while bleeding in a few places under the scales. *Dlik! Diuk! Drik!* Blood drips in thick drops that coagulate before reaching the ground forming isolated gelatinous pools before stopping. "I almost lost my head... HUuu~" He asserted and sighed.

"GRRR--!" The Dragoness snarled towards the hole and scoffed calming her fury. "GRRUFF! The trash should stay out..."

The green dragon recovered and poked his head into the widened hole once again. *Krrruruup!* He popped up inside and sneered. "Okay, I'm back. It was a little windy there. Hun-Hun~"

"GRRR!" The Dragoness snarled at the scaly head poking into the cave. "Not another hole, Heinken. Or else..." The dragoness threated with a menacing tone.

"Yes, my fabulous Wind Divinity~"

"HUMPH!" She harrumphed and looked down while stopping the menacing attitude.

"Wuuu..." The little dragon growled either admiring or praising his mother.

*Griiii...!* The dragoness scaly lips curved in a smile adorning a gentle expression.

The orange sunlight dyeing the landscape shines through the long paved road and illuminate the dust particles inside the nesting chamber catching the attention of the little beastie. "Gyu! Gyu! Gyuu!" The captivated beast shrieked and ran to the flickering specks at the entrance. *Whop! Pa-rash! Whap! Pa-rash! Whap!* The tiny beast hopped within the light while making shadows on the stone floor and cave wall.

"HEUuu~" The green beast sighed easing his tension before commenting. "Look at him go..."

"Fix the holes Heinken." She commanded continuing watching the entranced hatchling.

"Yes, my fabulous Wind Divinity~" Heinken complimented and complied. Let's see... Somebeast that I haven't asked a favor recently and doesn't hate me to death... The male dragon scanned his memories. Oh, there's old scales which hasn't seen the sun in centuries! He recalled and sent a string of Magic out of his body.

*Zoooom~* The Divine energy extended over the eastern part of the stone dome entering the heptagonal Neutral zone in the Core of the city meeting other probes carrying different purposes before arriving at the northern wall in a fraction of a second. *Zoong!* Heinken's probe stabbed into the guarding Magic permeating the whole earthen territory and came to a stop before bouncing back out.

"...State your purpose." A ten meter tall golden Dragon transmitted laying down inside a stone cube.

"A request to senior Oumaronk." The wind dragon announced.

"Denied. He's been busy for many years working on an insight. Check again in a decade or two." The beast monitoring the magic traffic informed and advice.

"I'll take responsibility for my intrusion." The green beast insisted.

"...Very well then." The sentinel approved and ceased his restrictions.

*Zooom~* Heinken's divine energy entered the underground tunnels descending level after levels and humbly approached the deepest part ten kilometers underground where he made contact with a stronger magic density. *Zoop!* The magic clash alerted a dragon twenty meters tall standing in front of several rocky minerals floating in the air inside a large chamber dimly illuminated by glowing rocks embedded all around. *KREEEEEE~! KARAK-KRA-KA!* The Earth Dragon with Diamond scales reflecting a golden hue from underneath and Tungsten bones infused with high-density Magic turned his body producing loud screeches that resound within the enormous cave.

"Greetings, senior Oumaronk." The wind user humbly transmitted his intent.

"Hm?! You are ... that wild Heinken who paired with the daughter of the Wind Ancient..." The Rank 10 Divine earth beast recognized the magic frequency and vibrations. "Why have you interrupted my meditation? I'm on the brink of discovering a new metal..." He asked coldly.

"A-apologies. Can I own you a similarly capricious favor for repairing my nesting lair before my Mate eats me? Our 5-year old egg just hatched and I got a little too excited..." The green dragon requested.

"Hm? Congratulations. I'll repair it from here. Bring me some Earth affinity birds alive and rare rocks as payment." The golden dragon demanded and shot out his energy.

"I shall thank you with the juiciest we find..." The wind dragon added and retracted his magic.

Erm... Those birds are rare, but they are his weakness... The minerals are easier, and I need to bring some rocks for the hatchling anyway. Heinken affirmed and looked at the dragoness.

"Done. An Earth dragon will send his probe..." The green beast informed and retracted his head.

*Tok! Pak! Swoosh~! Parararah--!* The rocks and dust floated to the holes and fused while more stone grew out of nowhere refilling the gaps and smoothing the surfaces as the damage never happened. *Krrchh! WHOOSH! Thump!* The male dragon jumped around the nest to the west and landed gently on the paved road using willpower while inadvertently blocking the sun.

"Gwurom! Gwurom!" The hatchling shrieked alarmed of the dimming light and rushed back to his mother's right paw.

"It's just the day getting dark as usual. You aren't inside the egg anymore!" Neafiruna rebuked looking down.

"Gyururooh?!" The little dragon wondered the meaning unable to comprehend everything and tilted his head while looking up.

"It's safe! SAFE!" The dragoness reiterated impatiently.

"S-sa-saif? Saife! Safe~" The scaly beast struggled and finally articulated the right word before rejoicing.

"Ho-hoh? Speaking already!? Did we do a good job crafting his egg or what?" The male dragon asserted proudly.

"Uh-hum... It would appear that the Instinctual information encoded in the life code is activating fast. But I wish his first words weren't something so pathetic..." The mother asserted and derided with slanted eyes.

"Let me try..." The green dragon requested and lowered his head towards the cave entrance. "Say, Dad! Papa! Daaad~ Dada..." He repeated staring into the tiny reptilian eyes.

"...Gwuawa!" The tiny creature blurted an attempt at saying, father.

"He needs time..." The father gave up immediately and reported.

"..." The dragoness glared with half-opened eyes in silence at the scaly head poking in.

"A-anyway...it's your turn to name this son of ours..." Heinken changed the subject nervously.

"...Alkalis..." The mother blinked once recalling and muttered. "Understand? You, Alkalis...you!" She announced looking down.

"Wu? Ghem...? Wuawalis!? Gyauuu!" The little dragon sounded approving and wagged his tail.

"He seems... happy with the name of his dead sibling..." The green dragon retorted and lifted his gaze. "But he won't grow up to be Alkalis just because you named him that--" He admonished before being interrupted.

"I KNOW! I know..." The dragoness snapped making shockwaves inside the cave that bounced off the walls and spooked the hatchling before lowering her eyelids. "I know... But Alkalis didn't grow up to be anything either. He never got the chance to bloom his High-talent..." She spoke with regret recalling their past offspring.

"Ahhh... Our poor Alkalis..." Heinken recalled with pity and looked at the ground saying. "He was unlucky enough to encounter a strong feral dragon in our lands without any of us noticing until it was too late. We didn't prepare him enough..." The beast outside the cave lamented.

"Unlucky...?" Neafiruna said in a furious tone while glaring with her bright green eyes. "Unreasonable and stupid feral Dragons that don't even learn our language are a disgrace to our race! Mere animals that exist to cause damage and spread hatred towards our race shouldn't be allowed in our lands..." She argued with indignation and switched her gaze to the side calming down. "I wish I could've shattered the Soul of that impudent beast after tormenting him for half a year..." The dragoness muttered grinding her teeth.

"S-scary mate that I have..." The male dragon commented and called out. "...It's not easy being a wild dragon, you know? The things wild beasts do to survive...being civilized is the last priority." He explained sympathetically.

"Here we go again..." She rolled her eyes saying and focused on the hatchling climbing her paw.

"You take the city life as granted, so you wouldn't understand what great privilege is being born from a pure bloodline near a mana vein, and as a single egg like our offsprings." Heinken admonished and looked up at the sky with a distant gaze. "I still remember clearly after a thousand years... I hatched after big brother from a batch of five eggs and already had a serious disadvantage being the second in the hierarchy. We never met Father or heard from him, so it was the only Mother who brought food. But it was never enough... Big brother was a glutton that ate first and grew larger than the rest of us very quickly, but he wasn't brilliant. I learned to bury the food without them finding out, and it became a habit to hoard. But who would've thought that such a trick would save my life?" He narrated and looked down inquisitive.

"How typical... There's always a glutton in a hurry to grow up and a hoarder. But a rapid growth without the proper diet leaves the scales fragile and larger bodies without Magic only get more sluggish while the energy consumption increases. In the end, they become too slow to chase sufficient prey or flee from stronger predators. A fitting ending for gluttons--being a juicy prey." Neafiruna reviewed after recalling her knowledge on the subject.

"HAAHHhh... That's true..." Heinken sighed causing swirls in the air and acknowledged. "But being a glutton makes all the difference for hatchlings when Mother decides to starve them into eating each other until there was only one left. And guess who had the advantage? Not me! I managed to pass the test by eating pretty much anything I could chew, and the rotten meat buried while hiding from big brother." He described his struggles in the wild.

"Delightful... You should've just rallied the others and eaten your brother. One less candidate to become feral." The city dragon criticized.

"ERM... We were not purebloods that are born knowing the Dragonian language, so there was no communication, and no one wanted to be the first to attack..." He countered as his eyes darted around.

"HMPH! That's why wild beasts are so cowardly and useless." The dragoness scoffed and derided making the male shrink in shame. "Do wild dragons not know that just spawning offsprings and letting survival of the fittest choose the strongest is bound to destroy any potential which some individuals cannot show right away? I suppose it's not widely known that strong Souls can take longer to hatch without the right conditions and intelligence may also be a little overdue, but Magic talent decides the future. You know that very well! Dragons neglect that because of our superiority over other beats and our longevity doesn't depend on magic Rank like other races..." She questioned the methods and proclaimed the demerits.

"But-but... My wind Divinity, common beasts rarely produce high-talents, so the natural selection practice saves trouble and resources when raising offsprings that are unfit to survive until their awakening by themselves. Our Mother didn't waste energy producing two successful offspring since brother reached Rank 10 and I became an immortal, so everything worked out just fine. Yep!" The wild dragon reasoned the upsides of his upbringing.

"You just got lucky! GWRUFF!" The dragoness rebuked and snorted at his snout. "Nature is nothing but chances and laws. Coincidences happen all the time. Maybe one of your younger siblings had the talent to become a Demigod at your age while you'll probably take another thousand years. You'll never know because your d e a r brother ate them all..." She elaborated her perspective and turned back to the hatchling watching them.

"Gwuh! Y-you are exactly right... Not only did I become a magical beast first, but big brother turned out to be a low talented. He fell behind in strength eventually. And he did not take that well at all after being his underling for years. So, we parted ways forever." Heinken consented and spoke feeling nostalgic.

"I'm surprised that Hemulesao didn't kill you in your sleep. Not like we need to sleep much anyway." The dragoness pointed out.

"Yeah, well, I think brother just couldn't by the time he realized our gap in power..." He answered the remark.

"That's how it is... Physical prowess will only help a common creature until they encounter magical beasts. Even low-talented beasts survive long mostly because of luck considering there's no escape from a High-Rank that can end them instantly. So, that proud fellow preferred to take his chances alone rather than being your underling. Even now, the fact that you can kill him with a single thought and he's been stuck at pre-divine for hundreds of years must be eating him inside like worms on a carcass." Neafiruna reaffirmed with a hint of mockery and a slight sneer.

"GWUUUu..." Heinken uttered depressed looking at the orange skies. "I... I wouldn't be here without brother. I own him. I wish to repay him, but he ... won't accept my help. HUUuff..." Heinken announced convinced and sighed

"HRUFF! Are you an idiot?" The dragoness scoffed and rebuked. "What am I saying...? Of course, you are..." She retorted rolling her eyes. "Hemulesao is also alive because of you, and yet, he feels nothing but hatred for you. He even killed your Mother because she let you live... But keep deluding yourself. Loyalty and gratitude is something extremely lacking in unsociable wild beasts." The wind beast admonished with a glare.

"I am grateful though. For everything..." The male declared warmly while peering into her eyes with a kind gaze.

"KUK! If-if you look at me like that..." She stuttered embarrassingly.

"I think ... that not every creature has to be smart or talented to live in the world, to serve some purpose and the unpredictability of sentient creatures makes everything more interesting. Immortals can sense how interconnected we all are clearer than mortals, yet hate and prejudice still persists. But I suppose, irrationality has to exist too. It's really unfair how my kindness is returned with a lot of hatred just for not belonging here..." The wild dragon announced making a sad expression.

"No no... Most hate you because of your personality and actions..." The dragoness shook her head denying. "But Heinken, if you had no value, I wouldn't have captured and dragged you here... You aren't my previous mate who died, but you are my precious current mate. A survivor worthy of our Clan--half the time." She said half-serious and brought her head closer to his.

"You tamed me..." He whispered on her left side with a suggestive tone before touching.

*KLACK!! Kreeak! Klarsh!* The two green dragons snuggled for a moment and separated before looking at each other's eyes.

"Let's mate and make another egg!" He asked excitedly wagging his tail ending with a spiked ball.

*ZUuuu! ZUuuu!* The scaly limb disturbed the surface of two ponds outside with the wind pressure.

"NO!" The dragoness raised her voice saying sternly.

"GWUH! Whyyyy?" He blurted at the unexpected reply and demanded an explanation as his tail lost energy.

*PLOPSH!* The elongated limb dropped on the stone pavement causing cracks and small holes.

"There will be no mating until this little one reaches Rank 7." The dragoness declared pointing her snout at the little beast.

"...WHAAAAAAAA--!!?" Heinken's jaw dropped as he screamed loudly causing echo within the walls, vibrating the ground, and scaring birds nearby.

"Gyu! Gwuawa??" The little dragon laying on the mother's paw was startled and looked up asking.

"Oh, suddenly, you can't put your penis in me and it's the end of the world." She ridiculed and looked away.

"B-but--but it's been 5 years already! And who knows how long until he reaches High-Rank!? And it's our turn to procreate now that your Father is meditating..." The Divine reasoned with duty.

"Hmph! If you don't like my decisions, then become stronger than me and let's do things your way." She proposed an alternative.

"GWUH! H-how cruel... I have the cruelest mate in Zhuryoh city! My balls will explode..." He dramatized and lowered his ears throwing glances at the dragoness.

"HAAaa..." Neafiruna sighed with her eyes closed and opened them to stare at the dragon outside. "Alright, alright... I'll relieve your urges and stop fertilization."

"YES!" Heinken rejoiced with his head up high. Finally!

"But his survival is a priority." She empathized pointing with a claw at their newborn. "Got it?"

He looked down and nodded. "Yes." The Dragon acknowledged and tilted his head puzzled before asking. "But what's with the long-term care? It's always been until awakening at Rank 1..."

"Gyu?" The hatchling questioned switching his gaze between the two large parents.

"He's ... different." The Dragoness voiced for her concern dramatically and urged him, pointing with a claw. "Can't you feel it?"

"HMM..." The male Dragon sent his probe into the Hatchling's head and inspected deeply. "Certainly... His Spirit feels promising for Magic. But this feeling... What is this Soul--Human?! Is that even possible? Humans don't have Souls this Strong..." He analyzed worriedly and confused.

"Inspect better!" She reproved, showing her teeth menacingly.

"Ah, yes..." The Dragon complied, concentrating for a moment. "You are right... It does feel like a Dragon Soul too. But it's a really fraint feeling. Though that can change over time, other Dragons will find him too different..."

"Precisely. We can't treat him like the rest... We must nurture his potential without obstructions." She reaffirmed moving the toes on her paw to play with the little one.

"HMM... In that case, your method of rewarding progress and spoiling Alkalis beyond his awakening will cripple him as a Beast completely." He thought for a moment and declared.

"GRRNUNU!" The dragoness groaned while rocking her head, and inquired. "What do you suggest?"

"Let me train him--my way. You take care of the Clan and spread your love to our other children while I'll dedicate my time to ensure he learns survival and magic properly." He requested looking at the tiny creature on the ground.

"HMM... It sounds like you want my job..." Neafiruna thought for a moment and retorted while raising an scaly eyebrow. "But you have a point. Being too overprotective will confuse him about hierarchy, and it will make us look weak. What do you have in mind?" She acknowledged before asking.

"A companion! Just like my brother and me with a similar upbringing." He revealed the method resulting from their early conversation.

"HOOH? A guardian will indeed improve his chances of survival and provide emotional support while increasing attachment to our Clan." The dragoness approved looking at the upsides.

"No, no... It shouldn't be a dragon from our clan or much older..." Heinken denied shaking his head. "It has to happen naturally, so I'll ask some buddies of mines to bring their young for a gathering and let them find each other..." He elaborated the plans.

"...I thought you didn't make any friends, but it seems you are totally a gossiper dragoness." She was caught by surprise and mocked him feeling a little proud at the same time.

"GHACK!" Heinken coughed from the sudden verbal attack. "I'm not that terrible! With a couple of hundred years, of course, I had to make some ally..." He complained pitifully.

"HUA HUA HUA! With a comeback like that, I'm not worried about any Dragoness getting their claws on you!" She laughed and continued poking fun.

"GWUH! I'll shut you up with my meat log..." The proud male uttered getting angry and attacked with a sexual remark.

"Only after I see some progress with little Alkalis~" The female taunted and winked.

"OOHH! YOU GOT IT!" Heinken responded enthusiastically perking his ears.

He's so easy to motivate... Huhuhu... Neafiruna mused keeping a poker expression.

The Dragon recalled an issued and looked down before pointing with a claw.. "But hey, could you give him a proper name? Please?"

"HMM... Very well. If he meets my expectations, I'll name him after me." She thought for a moment and answered.

"NICE! Oh, yeah... He does look strikingly similar to you..." He compared before his scaly muzzle turned into a smirk, and gloated. "But not the gigantic Dragonhood~!"

"...One more penis-remark and I'll eat it again!" She declared smacking her lips.

Heinken recalled her angry tantrum and shivered, then acknowledged. "Y-yes, ma'am!" She doesn't lie...

The Dragoness turned to her Son and announced. "Ok, little one, listen to Papa. I'm going to Hunt..." She said and got up before walking away.

"...Gwurom!? Gwuawa?" The hatchling tilted his head growling up at his parents.

*Thump! Thump! Tarash!* The scaly beast outside the nesting cave stepped aside to the right while the dragoness got up and lowered the hatchling to the ground. **Thump! Swiss~** She stomped the ground walking on the paved road causing ripples in the two ponds on each side and slowly wagged her tail ending with horizontal crystal blades. *Twuom! Twuom! Thoom!* The dragoness stepped on invisible platforms fixed in the air forming a stairway upwards and stopped once she reached twenty meters above the ground.

"Gwurom! Gwuroooom!" The hatchling called out alarmed from the cave entrance at the departing parent and remained with his mouth open.

*SHUWOOOM!! SWHOooo...* The green beast unfolded her wings reaching a span of 80 meters blocking the setting sun rays and casting shadows over the plaza behind before moving them upwards. *WHOOP! FWOOH-WHOSH! Swuawashhh~* She kicked the invisible platforms created with her willpower and jumped to the skies beating the large wings rhythmically and creating a powerful turbulence that shook the 20-meter tall trees within the walled territory before her body flickered forming afterimages. *BOOOM! Fweee--!* A large disk-shaped explosion occurred around the dragonnes as she accelerated beyond the speed of sound and streaked through the orange skies at super Sonics speeds with slow flaps.

"Gwurom..." Alkalis uttered in sadness watching the large dragon disappear in the horizon.

"Sooo... You hungry yet?" Heinken called the hatchling's attention from the grass on the side.

""..."" The two different-sized beasts stared at each other in silence for a few breaths.

"You can understand a little, right?" The large dragon asserted lowering his head.

"Gwuawa!" The pale green creature squealed and ran closer.

*Tash! Tash! Tash! Wuak! Wuak!* The small beastie trotted towards his father's paws and tried to bite the left forepaw.

"Hmm... The capacity to memorize and speak is low, but he can somewhat understand the general meanings... We need to talk more to him and steer his behavior while the brain develops to minimize the influence from the Soul." Heinken analyzed watching the futile efforts of the little lizard. "Hey, go for the weak points if you are trying to eat me." He advised and lifted his paw a little.

"Waup! Grrr! Grrr!" The hatchling growled while latching onto a claw of a toe almost as tall as him.

"Alright, alright... I'm not leaving..." The father assured and used his willpower.

*Wriiiing! Zuuuu...* The puny dragon was pulled forcibly from the claw he was biting with metallic sounds and floated upwards before slowing down at around 15 meters high.

"GYUuUuU!" Alkalis shrieked in a panic and flailed in the air recalling what his mother did earlier.

*Zuku!! Swiss~ Swiss~* The little bestie opened his wings thinking he needed to glide again. *Clack! Thud!* He was placed on top of the large scaly head above the eyes.

"Gyuu...!?? Gwuawa!" The young dragon uttered puzzled while looking around and called out unsure of what happened.

"Let's watch the sunset..." The divine beast announced and moved back to the paved road.

"Gwuawa...? Zunnets...?" Alkalis questioned alarmed watching his view change again.

*Zuak! Thump! Thump!* The tiny dragon folded his wings and wobbled between scales with each heavy step of the divine beast. *Thomp! Swoo...* The 13-meter tall dragon to his back stopped and lifted his head at the height of the treetops nearing 20-meters tall as the sunlight reflected on the large scales of his snout.

"Uugah!" The little beastie uttered after being exposed to the blinding light and strained his brown eyes into narrowed vertical slits while shaking the head. "Wuu..." The hatchling focused his sight and followed the paved road stretching into the distance where white shiny clouds appeared from at a calm pace. "Guonnet! Wunzet~" He growled mesmerized by the orange shades bathing the sea of trees, rivers and rock formations within a descending valley.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" The father affirmed proudly. "Our lands extend far into the horizon, almost all the way to the ocean. Between the desert belonging to the Darkness Clan on the left--..." He announced and turned left pointing his snout at the edge of the desert with dark chasms expelling black fumes. "--And the scorched mountains owned by the Fire Clan on the right." He said and turned right where the territory beyond the stone walls had irregular borders along the deforested blackish zone.

"Wauuu~" The pale green creature admired when a flash of light appeared in the distance.

*BooOOMM!* A shockwave traveled in the pine tree forest spooking birds and beasts into taking flight before the sound of a distant explosion reached the two dragons watching the column of smoke rise in the distance.

"Neafiruna?!!" Heinken blurted worriedly before sending his probe through the forest hurriedly.