Kael continued to practice, filling and emptying out his Mana reserves repeatedly.
As he was reading the Beast Taming book while the Fireball he created circled around him, Kael heard a voice.
“Kyu…”
His eyes fell on Igni, who was now sitting on the bed, rubbing his big, ember eyes as he stared at Kael, confused as to what this man was doing.
Kael smiled,
“Impressed?”
He questioned with a somewhat proud look on his face.
He had literally created fire out of nothing. Of course, he would be proud and would show it off to the little one.
“Don’t worry, this book says that after some training, Bonds can cast some special spells as well. If you try, you might be able to learn it as well.”
Kael spoke in an assuring tone.
“No, there is no ‘might’ here. You are a Fire Dragon; of course, you will be able to do it.
Of course, you are still just a child now, so it might be a bit difficult at first, but I guess we should start early, shouldn’t we? This way, you will grow faster than othe—”
Before Kael could complete his words, he froze as he stared at the sight in front of him, his mouth agape.
Flicker
With his focus completely gone, his Fireball flickered out of existence. He, however, didn’t care; he just stared at his bond and,
“I-Igni…? H-How are you d-doing that…?”
He stuttered as he saw a fireball circling around Igni while the little Dragon just stared at him with a tilted head.
‘Were you being proud of this?’
That was what the look on his face said.
And as if to rub it in Kael’s face,
Flicker Flicker Flicker
Five more fireballs appeared around Igni, circling around him in a single line.
And Kael…
He could only stare at the little Dragon, who was barely a day old, and didn’t dare to say anything.
‘Wait…’
Suddenly, Kael narrowed his eyes.
‘I don’t see any Spell Matrix. How did he cast a spell?’
Kael couldn’t understand.
‘Is it not a spell?
Is it an ability he is born with?
Fire Manipulation?
It would make sense, he is a Fire Dragon, after all.’
Kael thought inwardly.
‘Does this mean he is not limited to Fireball?’
To test his theory, Kael walked towards Igni and,
“Can you create something other than a Fireball?”
He questioned.
The baby Dragon stared at him and suddenly,
Whoosh Whoosh Whoosh
The six Fireballs circling around Igni all combined, creating a bigger Fireball. Then, the big Fireball turned into a piece of lamb similar to the one that Igni ate today.
Soon, Igni’s eyes fell on the real food that was placed on the table, and his eyes brightened up as the lamb he created out of fire extinguished. Seeing the look on his face, Kael couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
“Are you hungry?”
He questioned.
Igni nodded, and Kael picked the little guy up and placed him on top of the table, letting him eat his portion.
Igni started gobbling everything up with his tiny paws. Kael, who saw that, smiled. At the same time, his mind was filled with countless thoughts.
‘To think he would learn how to summon Fire before learning to walk. Dragons are really a cheat-like existence, aren’t they?’
Honestly, after seeing his instructors’ reactions today and the rate at which he was growing, he thought he was special. A prodigy.
But…
‘To think I’ll be humbled by a 1-day-old baby…’
At the same time, Kael couldn’t help but think,
‘If he can already do this on day one, what would he become in a year? Or ten years?’
A shiver ran down Kael’s spine as he thought of the image of a fully grown Igni unleashing his might.
He couldn’t help but be excited at that thought.
If his Igni is so strong, who would possibly be able to stand against him?
The moment Kael thought about it, another memory surfaced—one that made his chest tighten.
The Vision.
His smile faded as the horrifying image reappeared in his head—Igni’s cracked and marred scale, his body riddled with weapons—spears, swords, and arrows lodged deep into his flesh, wounds that no creature would survive…
“Haah… Haah… Haah…”
Kael’s breathing quickened. His fists clenched, nails digging into his palms. No matter how hard he tried to push the vision away, it only grew sharper, more vivid.
Ba-dump Ba-dump Ba-dump
His heart pounded, and he gasped for air. His hands started trembling as he started losing his strength.
Unable to bear it, Kael stepped forward and gently picked Igni up, cradling the little dragon in his lap. Igni paused mid-bite, tilting his head as if sensing Kael’s distress.
“Kyu~”
The little dragon let out a soft, cheerful sound as he licked Kael’s hands. It was as if the little guy was trying to reassure Kael in his own way.
Feeling his warm body, Kael’s racing heart began to slow down. He gently stroked Igni’s smooth scales while the little guy returned to his meal.
‘I cannot rest.’
A determined look appeared on Kael’s face.
He needed to get stronger.
He needed to surpass his past self no matter what.
Once again, he formed a Spell Matrix and summoned a Fireball.
Igni, who saw that, copied his actions and summoned a Fireball of his own. Two Fireballs—one his own and the other created by Igni—orbited around Kael.
Kael chuckled at the Dragon’s actions as he continued to train, and it didn’t take long for Kael to realize how outclassed he actually was.
His Mana ran out, and while he struggled to keep his Fireball for a bit longer, Igni’s Fireball was as stable as it was at the start, all while the little guy continued to eat his meal, not even caring about the Fireball he had created before.
Seeing that, Kael just sighed in defeat.
The Fireball he created flickered out of existence, and he closed his eyes, ready to start his meditation, but then,
‘What in the…’