Veydrall's skyline burned in the light of twin suns, the emerald banners of the Serpent Dominion whipping violently as storm winds rolled across the city's blackstone towers.
At its heart loomed the Jormungandr Estate, an ironclad fortress of coiled wyrm statues and serpentbone spires, dominating all who approached.
Inside the Ancestral Soul Hall, nobles and beast tamers stood in tense silence.
Rows of obsidian obelisks pulsed faintly with emerald light, each one etched with the soulmark of a Jormungandr bloodline member. Normally, they glowed steady, a testament to unbroken serpent mastery.
But now… one blazed crimson.
Ryjin's obelisk had ignited again, brighter than ever before. Cracks spider webbed across its surface as draconic power pulsed out in rhythmic shockwaves.
Lord Halveth Jormungandr stood before it, fists clenched behind his emerald-scaled cloak. His broad shoulders heaved with quiet fury, serpent-ringed eyes glowing faintly with divine venom.
The murmurs of nobles broke the suffocating silence.
"First a Lesser Drake…"
"…now a Wyvern".
"Impossible. He's only E-Rank!"
"This… this is not beast taming. This is draconic witchcraft!"
One dared to step forward, a young vassal, helm tucked under his arm, voice trembling but resolute. "My lord… rumors already spread. They say your son wields a forbidden legacy".
"If he bonds dragons unseen in living memory… does it not prove strength worth reclaiming?"
The words barely left his lips before Halveth's aura slammed outward like a coiling serpent. The vassal collapsed, gasping for air as emerald venom dripped from Halveth's clenched fist.
"My son is dead," Halveth said, voice cold as glacial steel. "What crawls in the wilds is no heir of mine. It is a heretic defiling Jormungandr blood with draconic plague".
The obelisk flared brighter, as if mocking him. The nobles dared not speak again.
Halveth's jaw tightened. He turned to his inner circle; three Dominion High Tamers clad in emerald armor, their serpent mounts coiled at their feet.
"Valtheris failed," Halveth hissed. "Now this… abomination bonds a second dragon". His eyes narrowed, venom swirling in his gaze. "No assassin. No exile. I will send Dominion hunters fit for slaughter".
One High Tamer bowed. "Which cadre, my lord?"
Halveth's aura flared, emerald flames licking the serpentine floor. "The Emerald Fangs. Let the world know Jormungandr bloodline still devours heresy".
In the shadows, a figure watched silently… Valtheris, returned from the wilderness, arm bound and serpent tattoos faintly glowing. He said nothing, only observed the rising fury of his lord.
A faint thought slithered through his mind.
'The wyrmling grows faster than any serpent can coil…'
…
Far from Veydrall's gleaming towers, the wilderness stretched endless and wild. Forests of black-needed pines rolled across hills scarred by ancient dragonfires.
Feral beasts prowled beneath shadowed canopies, their cries echoing through the misty valleys.
On a wind-battered ridge, Ryujin stood tall; still battered from past trials, but no longer on the brink of death. His new bond with Crimson pulsed warmly through his veins, healing blood knitting old wounds.
Nox crouched to his left, shadowflame curling lazily from its nostrils. To his right, Crimson loomed like a living storm, emerald scales glowing faintly with crimson light, wings spread wide enough to blot the rising sun.
System notifications hovered faintly as Ryujin surveyed the wilderness below.
~----~
[Dragon Army Unity (Stage 1) Active]
*Dragonblood Synchronization: 40%
*Shared Vitality Link: Established
*Dual Command: Operational
~----~
"This is it," Ryujin murmured, gripping his spear tightly. "Two dragons, one soul. Time to see if we can fight as one".
He pointed down the ridge. "Our target is the Ironhide Direboar. B-Rank Threat. It's armored hide, and tusks like scimitars are troublesome, but nothing we can't handle".
He let a grin split his face. "Should be a feast for us".
Nox snorted, claws digging into rock. Crimson lowered its head, rumbling in agreement, breath misting crimson.
They descended into the valley, moving with quiet precision. Nox melted into shadows, its form barely visible between trees.
Crimson glided low, wings beating silently. Ryujin followed on foot, using their shared senses to track the Direboar through torn brush and fresh claw marks on trees.
Then finally, they saw it.
The Ironhide Direboar grazed in a clearing, massive and grotesque, armored hide shimmering like forged steel. Its tusks could impale a horse, and every stomp of its hooves cracked the earth.
Ryujin crouched behind a fallen log, whispering mentally to his dragons.
"Crimson, flank right. Nox, left. We'll pin it between us".
Through Dragon Army Unity, his commands carried as instinctive urges. Both dragons reacted instantly, moving like extensions of his will.
The Direboar sniffed the air, grunting suspiciously.
Then, Ryujin struck.
Nox leapt first, shadowflame erupting in a blazing arc that seared across the Direboar's flank. The beast roared, tusks swinging wildly as it charged, earth trembling beneath its massive bulk.
From the other side, Crimson descended with a deafening screech, claws raking deep grooves into the boar's armored back.
Blood sprayed in crimson arcs, hissing as it hit the forest floor.
Ryujin surged forward, spear thrusting for a weak point between plated hide. The tip struck true, piercing muscle and drawing a bellowing roar.
System notifications flared.
DING!
~----~
[Dragon Army Synergy: 65% ~ 72%]
[Dual Strike Bonus Achieved]
*Combined flame and talon attacks amplify damage by 25%.
~----~
The Direboar bucked violently, tossing Crimson off its back. The Wyvern rolled mid-air, wings flaring wide to stabilize before diving back with renewed fury.
"Nox… now!" Ryujin commanded.
Shadowflame surged in a roaring cone, blinding the Direboar. Crimson seized the moment, lunging forward to bite down on its neck with bone-crushing force.
CRUNCH!
The bite connected.
The beast screamed, thrashing violently; but Nox's tail swept its legs out from under it, sending the massive creature crashing to the ground.
Ryujin climbed atop its heaving flank, driving his spear deep one final time.
The Direboar left out a strangled grunt before collapsing into stillness.
Ryujin stood atop the slain beast, chest heaving, blood dripping from his spear. Nox and Crimson flanked him, molten and crimson eyes gleaming with primal satisfaction.
The system pulsed.
DING!
~----~
[Ironhide Direboar Defeated: B-Rank Threat Neutralized]
[Experience Gained: Significant]
[Beast Tamer Rank Progression: 72% ~ 91% toward Rank D]
[Dragon Army Unity: 72% ~ 80%]
~----~
Ryujin looked at his dragons, a slow smile curling his lips. "We're getting there".
Nox rumbled in agreement, shadowflame curling upward. Crimson released a guttural screech that echoed through the valley like a crimson war horn.
But Ryujin knew this was only the beginning.
He gazed toward the distant horizon where Veydrall's spires barely pierced the sky. There, his father's fury grew, Dominion hunters sharpened their blades, and whispers of heresy spread like wildfire.
Ryujin tightened his grip on his spear, voice low and resolute.
"One day… their chains will break. And when they do, the Dominion will kneel to dragons".
Above, storm clouds gathered, and in their shadow, the heir of dragons marched forward; no longer hunted prey, but rising predator, forging his path toward Sovereignhood.