C13 The Vicious Nature of Dragons!

"You've got to be joking..."

Oliveira's golden vertical pupils dilated in disbelief as she took in the devastation before her and the silver young dragon standing at the center of the battlefield.

Moments before.

"What's gotten into you, Igrel? You can't seriously be considering fighting them all, can you? Let's be real; we're just young dragons!"

Oliveira watched Igrel march toward the fray, her eyes darting to the ferocious pack of green wolves as she shouted after him.

"You see it my way, don't you?"

To Oliveira's surprise, Igrel spun around, his voice tinged with unexpected enthusiasm.

"What?"

Oliveira blinked, confused by Igrel's cryptic remark.

"I'll fill you in later. They're coming."

"Awoo!"

That was all Igrel could say before the green wolf king issued a rallying howl, prompting the pack to charge at Igrel and Oliveira as though following an invisible signal.

"Roar!!!"

A more powerful roar reverberated in the next moment. Igrel's vertical pupils contracted, revealing a fierce, carnivorous gaze. Oliveira's eyes widened in shock as a faint dragon's presence emanated from Igrel, with threads of magical power escaping from within him.

"Time to clear the field. I can't let them touch you, Vera."

Igrel lowered his head, whispering to himself, then his cheeks puffed out as he concentrated a portion of his magic there. When the magic was finely concentrated, Igrel expelled a stream of silver magical energy from his mouth.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The dragon breath, now significantly more potent than Igrel's initial attempts, blasted across the terrain. The ground upheaved, tufts of grass were sent flying, and the green wolves caught in its wake yelped in pain as they were flung aside.

"Awoo..."

"Awooo~"

"Aowuu!"

After the onslaught of dragon breath, a cleared, fan-shaped area emerged before Igrel. Green wolves lay defeated, their bodies riddled with injuries from the dragon breath, the magic infiltrating their systems. Lacking magic of their own, the beasts could only helplessly succumb to the ravages of the magical onslaught.

"Phew, that's some decent firepower."

Igrel clamped his mouth shut, halting the magic's release. He looked over the downed green wolves, nodding to himself in quiet satisfaction.

"I've used up about a tenth of my power? It's good to have magic in abundance. Grandfather, I owe so much to your training."

Igrel mused, feeling the magic still coursing through him.

"No point in worrying about not mastering magic. I'm not even a young dragon, much less a Dragon Whelp. Can't set my expectations too high."

He inspected his claws, now shimmering with a magical sheen, sharpened to deadly precision.

"Crack!"

Out of nowhere, a shadow lunged at him. Igrel lashed out with his dragon claw, the magic-imbued talons tearing through the attacker.

"Awoo!"

The green wolf, struck by Igrel, let out a pained howl. Igrel then clamped his jaws around its neck, and with a subdued crunch, the wolf's windpipe was shattered, its body going limp.

"Thud!"

Igrel shook his head, flinging the wolf's lifeless form aside. He licked the blood from his lips, the taste awakening the latent ferocity of his Dragon Clan heritage, subduing his usual rationality.

"Let's have at it!"

Igrel's roar filled the air, his less-than-two-meter frame casting an indescribable oppression over every creature there. Oliveira, visibly shaken, watched her brother and subconsciously retreated.

"Roar!"

The furious dragon's roar reverberated, green wolves falling in its wake. Igrel's silver scales were now stained with their red lifeblood, the wildness of the Dragon Clan seizing control of his mind, the lust for battle propelling him to seek out enemy after enemy.

"Wait, stop, Igrel!"

Oliveira embraced Igrel from behind, shouting with urgency.

"Uh..."

Hearing Oliveira's voice, Igrel's intense gaze softened, his eyes regaining their natural shine.

"Did I... lose control again?"

Igrel's eyes drifted to the green wolf king lying in a pool of blood before him. He looked at his claws, now smeared with blood, and his body, half-silver, half-red, and heaved a soft sigh.

"Is the dragon's instinct starting to affect my human thoughts? It's usually not a problem, but once battle commences, the Dragon Clan's aggression overrides human rationality. I'm gradually turning into a dragon."

Igrel dragged his claws across the ground, attempting to wipe away the blood.

"I was once a human who couldn't even muster the courage to kill a chicken, and now, here I am, having embraced this transformation as though it's second nature. Perhaps there's a part of me that's always been drawn to violence."

Igrel's thoughts drifted as he pondered this unsettling revelation.

"Igrel, are you alright...?"

Oliveira held him close, her voice tinged with worry.

"I'm fine. The time I spent with my grandfather taught me a lot, but I still find it hard to rein in my aggression during a fight."

Igrel moved to pat Oliveira's head in reassurance but stopped himself, noticing the blood on his claws. He hesitated, then withdrew his hand.

"Vera, could you let go for a second? I'm covered in grime. I need to wash off in a river before we head back. I don't want to alarm my parents."

Igrel lifted his claws, his face a picture of uncertainty.

"Vera?"

No reply came from Oliveira, prompting a puzzled look from Igrel.

"Igrel, the way you were earlier... it was terrifying..."

Oliveira's voice was soft and hesitant after a lengthy silence.

"I'm sorry, I'll try to be more mindful in the future."

The words came out dry and forced from Igrel, who seemed vexed by his own behavior.

"Even as I say that, I can't say I'm full of confidence."

He looked up at the sky, whispering so quietly that only he could hear.

"Huh? Igrel, did you say something?"

Oliveira tilted her head, searching Igrel's eyes for an answer.

"No, nothing. But, Vera..."

"What is it?"

"These green wolves have taken a severe beating, with both external and internal injuries. If we leave them here under the sun, they'll likely die of heatstroke. We should put them to use and make roasted green wolf! It's a disgrace to let good food go to waste!"

"Really, Igrel? You sound quite practiced at this."

"Ah?! Do I? It's just that at my grandfather's, all my meals came from the beasts I bested, so it's kind of become... instinctive."

Igrel's voice trailed off as Oliveira pointed out the drool escaping his mouth.

"Oh, sorry about that."