C14 Without Comparison, There Would be No Harm!

"Ah, I feel so much calmer now."

Igrel was submerged in a small river, leisurely washing himself as he spoke contentedly.

"What exactly did you endure at Grandfather's, Igrel? It seems like it'd be something beyond my wildest dreams."

Oliveira was behind Igrel, helping him wash the blood from his wings and back. She paused, her curiosity piqued, and asked.

"Really, it wasn't anything extraordinary. Do you want to hear about it?"

Igrel turned to ask her.

"I do, actually. Maybe it's just my imagination, but even though we were born around the same time, I always feel there's a distance between us. You are my brother, after all."

Oliveira looked at the silver young dragon before her, strikingly similar to herself, and nudged her claws playfully as she spoke.

"Well, it might be because I've lived more like a human, which could explain the disconnect."

Igrel caught Oliveira's cautious attempt at conversation and paused, mulling over the thought.

"I'm sorry, Vera. It seems I've never really been the brother I should have been to you..."

Igrel's response came with a hint of helplessness. In his previous life as a stereotypical otaku, his social interactions were limited to his parents, his landlord, and possibly the landlord's cat, Little Black.

Seeing Oliveira's expectant look, Igrel experienced a twinge of guilt for the first time since he hatched.

"Vera, perhaps we should sit down and have a proper heart-to-heart."

After a brief silence, Igrel offered.

...

"So, while I was out enjoying myself, Grandfather was forcing you to fight all sorts of wild beasts?"

Oliveira, lying beside Igrel, asked eagerly.

"Wow, you make it sound so appealing."

Igrel replied, his voice betraying his wish to cry.

"Do you have any idea? Every morning, I was made to jump off cliffs at dawn to 'get accustomed to fear.' And after crashing down and bleeding from the head, I'd still have to face Grandfather's triple dragon strike. The sensation of being engulfed in such intense magic was nauseating, even worse than motion sickness."

"Motion sickness?"

Oliveira tilted her head, clearly confused.

"Don't worry about those details. On the eve of my first anniversary, Grandfather said he was planning a celebration for me. I was so excited I couldn't sleep, like a fool. But then, before daylight, I was thrown into a dormant volcano. It took me all day to climb out, and I ended up spending my entire birthday battling a swarm of saber-toothed bats, wuwuwu..."

As Igrel spoke, tears began to fall uncontrollably.

"Remember when we talked about the green wolf? They were my opponents for group combat training. I shared your view back then, so I tried to convince my grandfather that a young dragon couldn't beat ten green wolves. But he was unyielding and threw me in with them anyway. That night, my scales were shredded; it's a miracle I survived."

"My own birthday..."

Listening to Igrel's distressing experiences, Oliveira's gaze wandered upward as she reminisced about her birthday. She recalled the delicious rock beef her father brought home, the delightful fruits her mother prepared, and the whole day they spent playing with her. They even told her a bedtime story.

"Maybe it's best not to tell my brother."

Seeing Igrel's pained look, Oliveira decided to keep her thoughts to herself to avoid upsetting him further.

"I'm his direct grandson, right? Why does he treat me like this? I only complained a little, and my grandfather amped up his draconic aura by a level. That was over the top, way too much!"

Igrel's emotions surged as he spoke, culminating in an angry roar, his head thrown back.

"Just hearing about it makes me feel like I'd be pushed to the brink. I'm so relieved my grandfather didn't choose me."

Oliveira, pretending to wipe non-existent sweat from her brow with her claw, let out a sigh of relief.

"No matter the weather—hail, blizzards, earthquakes, or migrations—my grandfather forced me to train every day for a year. It's nothing like what the ancestral memories said. Aren't dragons meant to grow stronger by just eating and sleeping? Would it be so terrible to let me take it easy? My first dream was to live an easy life, eating and drinking until the end!"

Igrel's voice was laden with sorrow and indignation.

"Ig, dying of old age is seen as a dishonorable way for a dragon to die..."

Oliveira whispered a gentle reminder.

"Stop it, I'm a lover of peace! There's nothing dishonorable about dying of old age!"

"You were just now so engrossed in battle, drenched in blood. It doesn't exactly support your point."

"That was... all my grandfather's fault!"

Igrel roared in despair, consumed by self-loathing.

...

In a remote valley elsewhere.

"Mhm!"

Renafam, who had been deep in meditation, abruptly opened his eyes.

"Who's speaking ill of me now? Hecarim? Modsart? Any one of those old coots could be the culprit."

Renafam stood up slowly, hands clasped, brow furrowed as he mulled over the suspects.

"Hold on, this annoyance is subtle. It feels familiar, like something I've felt recently..."

A sudden insight hit Renafam, and a small figure popped into his head.

"Oh, it's you, Igrel, hehehe~"

A chilling smile spread across Renafam's face.

"Barely a day apart and you're already causing trouble. Your grandfather is quite saddened, you know."

With a soft exhale, Renafam spread his wings and gave a slight flap.

"It looks like a break is off the table. Come back and continue your training! Your grandfather is longing for you! Hahaha!"

Renafam burst into laughter as he flew out of the cave.

...

"Yikes!"

At that very moment, Igrel felt a cold chill on his back, as if a terrifying presence had set its sights on him.

"What's wrong, Igrel?"

Oliveira, sitting next to Igrel, asked while she munched on green wolf meat.

"Vera, I don't know why, but I'm seeing blood red. There could be a disaster on the horizon, or maybe my end is near. Perhaps I should find a picturesque place to bury myself."

Igrel's voice was stiff and choppy as he turned to speak.

"Igrel, you're spouting silly things again. What young dragon contemplates death just a year after hatching? Maybe you're just stressed and talking nonsense."

Oliveira patted Igrel's back comfortingly.

"Let's not talk about this anymore. We've been out quite a while; it's time to go back."

Igrel shook his head forcefully, trying to calm himself, and said to Oliveira.

"Alright."

Seeing Igrel's troubled demeanor, Oliveira nodded without objection, ready to support him.

As much as I'm curious about what's happening in the green wolf's territory, I'll have to let it go this time. There's just not enough time. We'll wait for another opportunity to explore that.

​