C9 After His Foolish Father Was His Stubborn Grandfather. This Family Really Knew How to Play!

A year later.

"Pitter-patter! Pitter-patter!"

On a desolate stretch of rocky ground, a towering silver dragon stood opposite a small silver dragonling. The sky was choked with dense clouds that hid the once-bright sun, and a relentless downpour drummed on the two dragons' scales.

"Ouch!"

Suddenly, the young silver dragon let out a cry of pain and fell to the ground.

"Stand up, Igrel. You haven't finished today's training," the silver dragon roared at the sight of the dragonling before him.

"Grandfather, I..."

Igrel slowly opened his eyes, feeling the rain slip through the gaps in his scales and into his eyes. Though his protective eyelids prevented any real harm, his vision was still a blur.

"Save your breath. Better to channel that energy into strengthening yourself than wasting it on words. I refuse to let Renafam's grandson become a dragon who squanders his talents on mere eating and sleeping."

Renafam stood on his hind legs, arms crossed, staring down at Igrel with an intensity that the pouring rain couldn't dampen.

"Perhaps Carrick and Garcia will indulge you during your formative years, but I will not. You have a talent that stands out even among the Heavenly Dragon Seed. I won't sit by and watch you squander it during this critical time of swift growth."

"Grandfather, I think you might be giving me too much credit..."

Igrel replied with a wry smile to Renafam's remarks, as he fought to steady his shaking body and slowly got to his feet.

"No, I'm simply stating the truth. Igrel, your aptitude is superior even to that of the current Dragon Kings when they were young. This is a fact recognized by me, Renafam Trix, one of the Dragon Kings!"

"Boom!"

A thunderclap echoed as lightning flashed across the sky, casting light on Renafam's stern, rain-soaked face and Igrel's shocked expression.

"My... talent..."

Igrel whispered to himself, in awe.

...

One year earlier.

"Then, Father, I leave Igrel in your care."

Carrick looked up at Renafam, whose focus was entirely on Igrel, and said.

"I'm surprised you convinced Garcia. I have to say, I'm impressed; I was ready to come over to your place myself."

Renafam chuckled as he teased Carrick.

"Looking at you now, it seems like it was quite the ordeal, huh?"

He observed the small wounds scattered across Carrick's body, which made his normally radiant silver scales seem a bit lackluster.

"It wasn't that bad. Garcia barely touched me. I actually managed to persuade her with just my words this time," Carrick confessed, somewhat embarrassed.

"Come on, who was it then, screaming and begging for mercy all night, groaning with pleasure?"

Igrel thought to himself with an eye roll, questioning Carrick's version of events.

"All that noise all night long forced me to take Vera outside to sleep. I'll give you that, you two really know how to live it up. Just make sure you don't corrupt Vera in my absence."

Igrel scratched his head, his annoyance apparent.

"Igrel, Igrel..."

Suddenly, Igrel snapped out of his reverie, noticing Renafam and Carrick looking at him.

"Igrel, why are you always zoning out? It's not a good habit, you know."

Carrick let out a sigh, seeing the confusion on Igrel's face.

"Sorry, Dad. I was just thinking about something," Igrel quickly replied.

"Don't worry about it. Just a reminder, you'll be staying with your grandfather for a bit. I'll come to take you home every so often. Be sure to focus on your studies," Carrick said gently, shaking his head slightly.

"I understand, Dad," Igrel nodded in response.

"I'm heading out. Dad, you won't give Igrel too much trouble, will you?"

Carrick still looked concerned, pausing before speaking to Renafam.

"Trust me, one more word and I might just let loose a full-powered dragon breath on you right now," Renafam responded, his gaze calm and collected.

"Wait, Dad, hold on! I'm leaving right now. Igrel, hang in there!"

Feeling the magical energy intensifying around Renafam, Carrick quickly unfurled his wings and flew upwards, calling out to Igrel as he ascended.

"Father, you really do march to the beat of your own drum. Scared of Grandfather here, and back home, it's Mother you fear. With all this pressure, it's a wonder you haven't aged prematurely..."

Watching Carrick take off like he was fleeing, Igrel found himself at a loss for words.

"Hiss~"

But in the next moment, a cold shiver ran down his spine. Turning rigidly, he was met with Renafam's half-smiling, half-smirking gaze.

"My dear grandson, welcome to heaven," Renafam announced cheerfully.

...

"If heaven is as terrifying as this, I need to make sure I stick around for a while. Dying young is definitely not on my agenda."

Standing in puddles from the relentless rain, Igrel faced Renafam with a resigned expression.

In the past year, Igrel had begun to learn the knowledge not recorded in the ancestral memories of the Dragon Clan under Renafam's guidance. With their long lifespans, dragons who had lived for centuries were essentially living history books, particularly an elder dragon like Renafam.

Igrel also had to undergo various combat training, fighting against prey chosen by Renafam, honing his skills in hunting different beasts, and learning to accurately assess the strength of friends and foes. Solely depending on the Dragon Clan's innate crisis instincts would eventually lead to mistakes.

Meditation and magical refinement were also essential practices for dragons. Their bodies naturally absorbed magic, growing stronger with each breath, and meditation simply sped up this process.

After reaching adulthood, a dragon's body becomes fixed, and the increase in magical storage capacity is minimal. They must rely on time to slowly progress, which is why many dragons lose interest in training as they age.

But Igrel's magical capacity and rate of growth were exceptional, surpassing all his contemporaries. This meant he had to continually refine his magic. Renafam explained that the aim was to improve the quality while slowing the rate of increase in magical power, to prevent Igrel from becoming overwhelmed and losing control.

Since Igrel couldn't use magic in his current state, he couldn't refine it internally. The only solution was to expose himself to a high concentration of magical energy, allowing his body's magic to compress and resist the external pressure.

And the source of this magical environment was none other than Renafam's presence.

The ordeal was excruciating, akin to being submerged in mercury. Though it caused no physical harm, the sensation was far from bearable. In those initial moments, under the deliberate magical oppression of Renafam, Igrel found himself unable to even breathe.

"Which deity have I angered to deserve such torment?" he wondered aloud, as the oppressive force around him intensified and his weariness deepened.

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