C7 His Elders Were a Little Difficult to Deal With!

"Tick-tock! Drip-drip!"

As I meandered through the cave, it was clear that it hadn't been tended to in quite some time. Stalagmites of varying sizes adorned the cave walls, each one dripping water methodically.

"The sheer amount of magic saturating this space is extraordinary—it's definitely not a natural occurrence. A powerful entity must have been drawing magic here, creating this spectacle over time."

Igrel examined the surrounding walls. The cave's magic was so dense it had seeped into the very fabric of the geological structure. In a few centuries, a vein of Magic Crystals might well form beneath the ground.

"Carrick, it's been decades. You seem to have lost a bit of reverence for me, lad. You've certainly become more audacious over the years."

A thunderous roar reverberated from deeper within, making the cave shudder. If Igrel hadn't known that the magic had fortified the cave, he might have been concerned about being buried alive.

"Father, it's not that I didn't want to visit. You were resting, and I thought it best not to intrude."

Carrick's voice was subdued as he moved deeper into the cave.

"Hmph, I bet you'd be quite content never to see me again!"

The voice that answered Carrick's was skeptical, booming from the darkness.

"How could that be? Father, you must believe me!"

Carrick's reply was laced with a hint of bewilderment. In just a short while, he had guided Igrel and Oliveira to the deepest part of the cave. As they passed through the passage, Igrel was greeted with a flood of light. He instinctively closed his eyes. After a few seconds, he gradually opened them to survey the area.

"Magic Crystals?"

Igrel's gaze fell upon a vast chamber. The walls were embedded with softly glowing, semi-translucent crystals, formed from a high concentration of magic. Due to their surface formation, they bore minor impurities, hence their translucent quality. In contrast, Magic Crystals extracted from underground were pure and transparent.

The space opened up to the sky above, revealing clouds that moved slowly by, reminiscent of looking up at the sky from the interior of a volcano.

"Father, if there's direct access to the sky, why did we take such a long detour through the cave entrance?"

Igrel cast a glance back at the shadowy corridor and asked Carrick, "Why so quiet?"

"Because I don't want to get beaten..." Carrick replied softly, without shifting his gaze.

"What?"

Igrel, caught off guard, sought an explanation.

"No talking now—my father's here."

Carrick suddenly looked ahead and clammed up.

Igrel followed Carrick's gaze and saw, in the space ahead, sunlight pouring through an opening overhead, bathing the center of the chamber in light. There, a silver dragon, larger than Carrick, rested quietly, its huge golden eyes staring straight at Igrel and the others.

"Are these your young ones, Carrick?"

The massive dragon stood up slowly and began walking towards Igrel and the others, the ground shaking with each of its heavy steps, and it spoke.

"Yes, these are my children, Igrel and Oliveira. Come, this is your grandfather. Don't just stand there, greet him."

Carrick hurried his children along as he introduced them.

"Hello, Grandfather," Igrel said, nodding.

"Hello, you... hello..."

Oliveira stammered, her voice trembling under the imposing gaze of the dragon before her.

"Well met. I am Renafam Trix, the father of this one here. But honestly, you should've brought your children to see me earlier. If not for a tip from an old friend, I might never have known about them," Renafam said, turning to Carrick with a hint of dissatisfaction.

"Er, I... I didn't know you were awake, Father. That's why I rushed over as soon as I got your message," Carrick stammered in response.

"He's so much bigger than Father..."

Igrel, standing aside, ignored the conversation between Renafam and Carrick, looking up at Renafam in awe. The elder dragon's size was truly imposing; he estimated Renafam to be over thirty meters long, which made Carrick's twenty-meter stature seem significantly shorter in comparison.

"Vera, you're gripping too tightly. Are you that scared? Grandfather isn't going to eat you," Igrel said, feeling the grip on his shoulder and turning to Oliveira with a comforting smile.

"How can you stay so calm, Igrel? Can't you feel it? That deep, instinctual fear, the kind that makes your body want to retreat in the presence of a more powerful being. I'm struggling just to keep from running away, let alone talk to you."

Oliveira leaned in close to Igrel, whispering softly.

"Instinct?"

Igrel hesitated at her words, his face initially clouded with confusion before the realization dawned on him.

"Could there actually be... suppression even among our own kin?"

It was then that Igrel became aware of the involuntary tremors running through his body, a primal crisis response from the dragon within, reacting despite both being of the same noble lineage, the Heavenly Dragon Seed. The vast difference in power was unmistakable.

"The crisis perception of a dragon is impartial to species, focusing solely on the power dynamics between individuals. I've learned something new today."

Igrel clenched his claws, a low chuckle escaping him.

"However, I don't seem to be as affected as Vera. Is it a matter of cognition? A more mature thought process might be suppressing the instinctual reaction to some extent. Without Vera's observation, I might not have noticed it myself."

Igrel mused, aware of the surge of magic within him and the more forceful beating of his heart.

"Boom!"

As Igrel reflected on the distinctions between his young dragon form and those of his peers, a sudden, deafening boom snapped him back to the present. Turning towards the noise, he saw an enormous foot standing there. He slowly lifted his gaze to find Renafam and Carrick looking down at him.

"Do you need something? Father, Grandfather?"

Igrel carefully placed Oliveira, who had been quite startled by the noise, on the ground. He tried to appear calm but couldn't hide his shaken demeanor as he asked.

"Carrick, your young one here has some courage, not as easily scared as the other."

Renafam didn't immediately answer, instead, he turned to Carrick and commented.

"No, I believe any young dragon would have the same reaction as Oliveira when confronted with your overwhelming magical presence. That's the expected reaction."

Carrick responded with a wry smile and a shake of his head, attempting to explain.

"That may hold for the offspring of common giant dragons. However, the young from the three great dragon breeds should naturally have a stronger resilience to the dragon's might at this stage. Oliveira's difficulty coping indicates she's still quite unseasoned. You'll have to be diligent in her education moving forward."

Renafam was not persuaded by Carrick's rationale and replied.

"Poor Vera, your days ahead might not be so easy," Renafam said with a hint of pity.

Hearing this, Igrel looked down at Oliveira with a sympathetic gaze as she lay on the ground, deep in thought.