It was early in the morning. Alexander Haddock was sitting on top of a large tree, staring down at forest clearing not far from him.
The dragon-like Viking was watching a greenish blue Deadly Nadder preening her scales. She seemed rather distracted of her surroundings, most likely because it was her shedding season.
Suddenly, something gained her attention. The female Deadly Nadder turned to look, only for a large net to sprung from the ground. It immediately caught the dragon. "GRAA!"
"Got you!"
Alexander watched as the 14-year-old Hiccup rushed for the dragon. He wore thick leather clothing, and he had ropes slung around his arms.
The boy quickly moved to tie up the Deadly Nadder, starting from her legs, before going for her wings, head and tail. Once the dragon was properly restrained, Hiccup pulled the net away.
The Deadly Nadder struggled under her restraints. Hiccup quickly scratched her lower neck. "Calm down." He assured. "I'm not going to hurt you."
"Garr..." The dragon purred in comfort, but she was wary of the boy that caught her.
The dragon-like Viking jumped down from the tree. He moved into the clearing, before approaching the boy, who was inspecting the dragon he just caught. "Good job."
"Thanks." Hiccup nodded, before pulling out his journal. He began making notes. "This Deadly Nadder is female. She looks to be an adult... green-blue scales... very healthy..."
While Hiccup was busy analysing the dragoness, Alexander was inspecting him. The boy had grown from scrawny to someone with rather strong build.
It was unusual for someone his age to look like that, but considering his unusual nature, there were many other things the dragon-like Viking considered strange.
When Alexander took him the first time, he was blown away by Hiccup's unnaturally fast learner trait. Granted, he had heard of them from Stoick beforehand but experiencing them was a whole different matter.
Hiccup had become proficient in many different things within the span of two years. It was almost impossible to belief he could learn that fast.
Not to mention his physical prowess. Hiccup's puberty apparently came a bit late - his physical strength grew tremendously going through 13 to 14 years of age.
Such thing did happen from time to time. Hiccup was growing powerful. While that was a relief for the village, Alexander knew much more than that.
Hiccup was growing too powerful, too fast.
It was worse than his father.
Alexander remembered what a young Stoick was like - always challenging yaks in headbutting fight. The biggest achievement young adult Stoick did was capturing a Monstrous Nightmare all by himself.
In case of Hiccup, the 14-year-old boy thought it was a good idea to build a water dam. He wanted easier access to water in the forest. While that alone was normal, he thought it was a good idea to use 500 pounds boulders to do it.
While that was normal for his line of family, it was not normal for them to develop that fast. Alexander could imagine how strong Hiccup would become when he reached his 20s.
It was why Alex upped the pace of his lessons and taught him martial arts.
He figured that it would teach him how to control himself; having that much strength could accidentally hurt someone. It worked for him when he learned them from the Chinese, which led him to the rabbit hole of learning more from different countries, such as Japan.
Regardless, Alexander was able to pass that knowledge to Hiccup. Within a year, the boy learned different Asian martial arts and became highly competent at it. His self-control improved the more he worked. Alex expected him to keep improving himself.
Which was the scariest part.
It took Alexander decades to master some techniques. Hiccup managed to do everything within a year. Alex had him repeat his performance to ensure it was not a fluke.
There were times when Alexander wondered what kind of beast he had created. Hiccup was both unnaturally smart and physically powerful. They were fortunate that the boy did not like to hurt anyone. He wondered what Hiccup would be like as an adult.
"Alex?"
The dragon-like Viking snapped out from his thoughts. "Hmm?"
Hiccup had been using his dagger to shed her old dragon scales. There was a pile of them nearby. The Deadly Nadder looked incredibly peaceful, which was understandable since old scales were very itchy. It must have been a bliss.
The boy was hesitant. "The Deadly Nadder is pregnant."
"Really?" Alexander raised his brows. There was no sign of her pregnancy, not even a smell. "How did ye know?"
"She smells a bit putrid and fishy at the rear." Hiccup explained, inspecting the bound dragoness. "Pregnant dragons smell like that. I think this one is few weeks pregnant."
The dragon-like Viking exhaled his breath. "If you think she's pregnant, give her more fish for the trouble." He responded. "Just like before."
However, the boy was still hesitant. Alexander wondered what was wrong. "Ye think there's something else?"
"I'm not sure if my notes are right." Hiccup scratched his head. "But I think she has early symptoms of the Dreaded Dragon Flu."
The dragon-like Viking widened his eyes. The Dreaded Dragon Flu was similar to Eel Pox - highly contagious, but not as lethal. Humans were thankfully unaffected.
The disease was relatively rare, but there were cases of outbreaks in dragon nests. It could result in permanent wing paralysis, grounding them for life. Typically, dragons could recover on their own, as long they were well fed and hydrated.
However, the same could not be said for pregnant dragons.
They were the ones that was affected the most. The disease was more lethal on them; it could damage the eggs. They would come out as duds instead of fertile.
Before that happened, they must be fed with help Kelp - a type of seaweed grown in shallow water. They were common in mainland, but not as much everywhere else. It was the cure for the disease.
"Well..." Alexander pondered for some time, before pulling out a dried seaweed from one of his pockets. "We only have one Help Kelp, and it's not even fresh."
"Will it heal her?"
"It's more effective when it's fresh, but it's better than nothing." The dragon-like Viking answered. "Grab the fish for me."
The boy nodded, before heading to a nearby tree. He pulled a hidden large basket there, before approaching the bound dragoness. Hiccup dumped its content, which was just two large cod fishes. Those were the last of the day. Alexander moved to fill one of the fish with the dried Help Kelp.
When that was done, Hiccup moved to offer the fishes. The Deadly Nadder had her full attention on him the whole time. She eagerly accepted the fishes, enjoying the moment in her life.
While the dragoness was busy gulping down the fish, Hiccup went ahead to cut the ropes. The moment she was set loose, the Deadly Nadder quickly took off into the air, flying away from the place. She had a tale to tell.
Hiccup moved to collect the shed scales into the basket. Alexander patted his shoulder. "Good work." He praised. "That's enough for the day. I'll bring them to the forge. Give yerself some rest. We'll talk later in evening."
Later in the morning, Hiccup arrived back in his house. There was no one inside; his father was busy dealing with Vikings as a chief. The boy walked up the stairs, before entering his room. He made sure to lock the door behind him.
The room was still the way it was. There were books on his desks; it was where he usually study. There was a separate, smaller table on the side. It had the chemistry set to make Elixir of Power.
There were books around the place, but it was far fewer than last year. Interesting enough, there was a large metal mirror near the wardrobe.
Hiccup went to remove his thick overalls. Throwing them aside, he checked himself on the mirror. The boy was rather tall for his age - just about the height of his father's chin.
However, what made him proud of himself was his size. Calling him different than last year would be an understatement.
Hiccup was muscular. Considering who his father was, that alone was kind of normal. No longer a scrawny boy, he was more of a herculean young adult instead of 14-year-old boy.
His constant practice of martial arts made him flexible. It helped him maintain some form of lean appearance, despite his already large appearance. He was expected to grow far beyond when he reached his 20s.
Nodding at himself, the boy grabbed his journal from the table. Hiccup began writing notes of himself. "No apparent change... stronger arms... looks can be deceiving..." He mumbled. "Need more self-control..."
Considering all the changes, the Elixir of Power definitely worked. However, the effect was much stronger than expected. It was possible that he was just as powerful as his father - the strongest Viking at the village.
Hiccup thought he overdid himself, but given what happened before, he did not want to take any risk.
Snotlout and his group had stopped harassing them ever since the deviant incursion last year. The dragon incident probably left them traumatised, and his appearance most likely discouraged them.
Regardless of reason, Hiccup remained cautious. He could not afford becoming complacent. It was why he kept his practice and training - he wanted to become stronger.
There was that thought where he wanted them to try. The idea of vengeance was tempting, but he feared of becoming bully himself.
Physical prowess was something he had plenty now, but if he used them to attack others without reason, he was no different than the Vikings he hated. Alexander taught him martial arts to control himself. It was best not to disappoint.
'They will try again. They always do.' Hiccup darkly thought. 'When they come, I will be ready. I'll make sure they never steal from me ever again.'
That evening, Hiccup went to the forge. The boy was wearing his usual green attire, except his clothes were baggier than usual. He was busy making clothes with dragonsmithing at the table.
It was expensive for him to change clothes every month because he was growing. Hiccup wanted to make something that could adapt with him.
The adaptation nature of draconic weapons and overalls were something of recent discovery. During his mail exchange with Thuggory and Camicazi, they discovered that their weapons would change on their own - adapting with its owner.
It usually occurred overnight, and its frequency depended on how often they used them. The changes were thankfully nothing major.
Those were things like thick scales forming around Camicazi's sword guard, or Thuggory's shield growing out small horns. It happened to his bow as well. Their size adjusted itself to the owner of the weapon.
Speaking of his bow, he managed to replicate the fire sealing effect on his bow to other weapons.
It also surprisingly worked on different dragons. For example, Deadly Nadder poisonous darts would fall off when under the effect. Hideous Zippleback gas became translucent and non-flammable.
When he discovered this, Hiccup decided to rename the effect after his bow: Dragon Seal. Any dragons struck with his bow could get dragon-sealed, which would temporarily seal their abilities, or at least weaken them.
Regardless, the main thing that Hiccup wanted to exploit was its size adaptation. It could alter its size depending on the owner - something revolutionary for clothing.
Hiccup thought it was perfect for him. It was difficult and expensive; any mistake could cost him months of labour.
The reward was worth the trouble, however. Especially since he almost finished the last parts of his new clothes. It would use everything he learned so far. The boy could not wait.
"And..." The boy muttered as he carefully weaved a button on the coat he was making. "Done. Yes!"
Excited to wear the outfit, he carried them to the rear section of the forge. It was where he kept his things, including the full clothing he was making. Hiccup disappeared behind the sheet on its doorway, careful not to rip them. He just had to wear them in full - he wanted to see them!
Roughly an hour later, the back door was opened. Alexander Haddock had just entered the forge. "Hiccup?"
"In a minute!" The boy shouted at the back.
The dragon-like Viking moved and sat near the window. It was closed for some reason. The man pushed open the window, allowing bright evening sky to enter the room.
There was not that many Vikings around the place. Everyone must have been busy at the Mead Hall. It was lunch time, after all.
Eventually, Hiccup walked out from his room. Alexander was about to speak until he saw what the boy was wearing. He had to gape at what he was seeing.
The boy was wearing multiple pieces of purple-obsidian-coloured clothes in one: long-sleeved shirt, waistcoat and a coat with short fur edges.
His pants looked to be made of leather, with knee guards being thicker with similar fur edges. It was complete with a belt. Hiccup was even wearing leather gauntlets!
"What..." Alexander did not know what to say. He stood from the chair, before inspecting him.
There were yellow buttons in some parts, including the coat. The dragon-like Viking also noticed plain leather used as belts to hold assortments of storage, like straps and pouches. It was strange to see them in such combination of colour.
Hiccup was smiling brightly. "What do you think?"
The man paused for a moment. He grabbed a familiar mechanical sling from the table. "Ye forgot this."
The boy moved to strap them on his right gauntlet. There was a click where it snapped into place. He tested them by manipulating his hand, expanding its shaft, pulling the string, and dry firing them. Once everything was good, Hiccup collapsed the mechanical sling.
Alexander carefully moved to check the clothing. Testing the fabric, he realised that those were made of dragon scales. The outfit was draconic.
While he remembered teaching him how to make armour with it, he never taught him how to make a whole leather outfit. He must have learned them on his own. Even the fur was made of dragon scales - he must have found a way to make fake fur with them.
It seemed rather inconspicuous for him to dress like that; no one would have thought that he was wearing draconic clothing unless they knew what they were doing. That way, he avoided possible harassment while visiting places outside the island.
Draconic equipment was still seen as cursed for most.
Hiccup had also strapped a dagger on his back. When everything was set, he placed his hands on his hips. The boy posed for showcase. "What do you think?"
The dragon-like Viking gave him a bright smile. "Yer looking good, lad!" He boomed his voice. "Does it come with armour?"
"I think so." The boy patted his coat. "This doesn't billow when I move."
"Heavy coat then." Alexander stroked his mane. "Have you tested them?"
"With an axe."
"Then, my job is done!" The dragon-like Viking nodded his head. He moved to close the open window behind him. "Alright... ye've done the last assignment before I even told you."
That confused Hiccup. "What?"
"Hiccup, I'll be honest with ya. You've learned everything I know at this point." Alexander explained what he meant. "And then, ye mastered them and went up and beyond! I've never seen or heard anyone like you. Not even yer ancestors."
The boy was grinning. "Does that mean I'm done?"
"Aye. You've gone beyond what I thought you could be. Yer really good in here." Alexander pointed at his forehead. He moved to point at his shoulder, and then his heart. "In here. And in here. You'll be a great chief one day!"
"Thanks, Alex."
"But! This meant that I have to leave." The dragon-like Viking informed him.
Hiccup was surprised. "What? Why?"
"I'm a hunter, Hiccup. I don't stay in one place." Alexander moved to stand next to the back door exit. "Lots of deviant dragons I need to hunt in mainland. I have a lot of work to be done; places to discover - so on and so on."
The boy exhaled his breath. "I wish I can go like that." He admitted. "But then, Snotlout would become the chief..."
Hiccup had longed to venture out from the village. There were plenty of things he wanted to see. Unfortunately, going on prolonged adventure could revoke his right as future chief. It meant that Snotlout could become the chief, which was something he did not want to happen. Simple as that.
"Ye can always venture around Barbaric Archipelago." The dragon-like Viking patted his head. "Lots of places you can see! Every island had their own little thing that made them different. Maybe you can discover something new yourself!"
The boy looked up to him, before moving for a hug. Hiccup wrapped his arms around him. "... thanks, Alex." He whispered. "Thank you... for everything."
Alexander returned the hug. It had been a journey teaching him; from the short lanky boy to a tall juggernaut. Regardless of everything, he was proud of him. "... yer a good boy, Hiccup." The dragon-like Viking responded. "I'm proud of ye."
They stayed like that for some time. Once they finally let go, Alexander moved to exit through the back door. Then, he paused at the doorway. Looking back at Hiccup, he decided to speak. "Someday, ye might become a legend yerself." He commented, before letting out a grin. "Remember lad; no rest for the wicked."
Hiccup returned that smile. "Thanks, Alex."
After leaving the forge, Alex headed straight to the Great Hall. Climbing up the long stairs, he walked through the open doors and searched for Stoick the Vast. There were not that many people inside, which meant it was easy to find who he was looking for.
Entering the next room, he found Stoick the Vast reading something inside the small archive room. The scaled-arms Viking entered that room, before closing the door behind him. Glancing around the room full of books, scrolls and papers, Alex decided to comment. "Busy day?"
The chief raised his brows. He was sitting at the large table in the room. There were other chairs there as well. "Aye. Double checking papers." Stoick glanced up from the scroll he was reading. "What do ye need?"
"It's done." Alex sat on the chair at the opposite side of the table. "Hiccup's training."
Stoick was happy to hear that. He was proud that his son had finished his training. Putting the scroll aside, the chief focused on the scaled-arms man in front of him. "Yer leaving soon then?"
"Aye."
"Do ye need a ship?"
"I got my own ways for transportation." Alex reclined his seat. The wooden chair creaked from the pressure. "But I want to talk more about yer son. About his progress."
"It surprised me too when I found out how fast he could learn." Stoick admitted as he relaxed on his chair. "Large chest full of books, and he finished 'em in just few years. It's almost terrifying to think; he'll be much bigger than us."
The scaled-arms man smiled at that. "He got bright future ahead of him." Alex commented, before leaning forward to the table. His smile dimmed as he spoke. "He needs to fail."
It took a moment for Stoick to process that sentence. "What?"
"The boy learned too fast. He got too much success, but not enough failure." Alex stared at the Viking chief in front of him. "Every mistake he made, he corrected them and never did it again. But they were too small. Anything bigger than the whole island... he won't know how to deal with it."
"You said he finished his training."
"He learned everything I got." The scaled-arms man simply responded.
"Then why-" Stoick leaned forward. "-does he need to fail, if his training is done?"
"Because I don't know how to make him fail proper." Alex confessed. The man stared at the chief with serious expression. "The boy killed a gargantuan deviant dragon, Stoick. I brought him to different hunts; he always knew how to fight them. He's a budding deviant dragon hunter."
The chief finally understood. "So, you need my help."
"Aye." The scaled-arms man nodded. "I could grab a dragon to challenge him. I won't be there to see them - I'll be off to mainland by then. That left him alone to deal with the dragon, but I doubt it'd be much of a challenge."
Stoick understood what he meant. He thought about the problem they were facing.
It was unsurprising that the last lesson was about failure itself. It was best to fail in isolated environment than real, life-threatening situation. There must be something they could do.
Suddenly, the chief had an idea. It was a dangerous one. "I have something in mind."
Alex raised one brow. "Do you need a dragon for that?"
"Yes."
The scaled-arms man smiled at that answer. He gestured to urge him to continue. Stoick took a deep breath, before telling his plan.
Toothless was resting inside her cave. The dragoness was laying down on the rocky ground, resting her body.
She was getting bigger than last year. It was not usual for dragons to grow - they were still young adults, after all. The problem was the size of the nest. She had to keep expanding to accommodate.
Not to mention her newfound strength. It seemed that the mutation had connected their body. They shared their mutation; they could do things others previously could not.
Toothless never thought she could crash through mountain unscratched until an accident involving an alternative flight method invented by certain dragon she loved.
She also did not expect use Psychic-Force, considering she never really learned them. She was forced to study them to prevent accidental use of spell.
Regardless, she paid more attention to them, mostly because of the upcoming event. The Memorial Day would take place in their old base, and dragon veterans would come to visit.
Considering their size, it was expected for dragons to notice. Toothless feared entering the war again, mainly because the new souls in her belly.
Toothless was pregnant. It was obvious from her large stomach. Before pregnancy, she saw them as a blessing; Night Fury was highly endangered, meaning that every egg needed to hatch.
She often heard good tales from Amber about her hatchlings - most became dragons of high importance. She also met her hatchlings as well, and they were very cute.
Until she became pregnant.
Toothless felt weak, fatigued and all sorts of feeling she could not describe. Her mood started to swing for no conceivable reason, and random headache that occurred from time to time.
Her female friends assured that it was normal for her first time, meaning they had gone through the same suffering as she did.
'I wonder if they can put three-inch claw mark on a wall.' Toothless thought as she glanced at the wall. There was a long, deep claw gash on the wall. Part of it did not have the mark, as if someone was struck. The dragoness mentally winced. 'I'm glad Charcoal was there to restrain me. That could have gone worse.'
Which left the next problem that she had to deal with. Despite everything that happened, Toothless wanted to go to the Memorial Day event.
She could not fly as far while pregnant, meaning some parts of the event would not be available to her. There was also that thought of using alternative flight method to help.
It was called Jet Pulse method. Charcoal named them after how it worked. They managed to get them work in combination with normal flight - whenever they flap their wings, they could use the method, significantly increasing thrust.
This part was important because constant use was energy intensive. They had to rely on mana for that, which was not ideal if they were expecting trouble. By combining them, they could fly faster, higher and longer without spending as much mana or energy.
'That could work. It could solve my endurance problem.' Toothless thought, pondering. 'I could try doing that from here to Dragon Island.'
"Toothless?" The dragoness heard Charcoal outside the cave. "I'm coming in."
Toothless carefully stood from the ground. When her mate entered, the dragoness decided to ask. "Is it time?"
"The event is starting soon." Charcoal nodded, somewhat concerned. "But there are some last-minute changes."
"What is it?"
"The flock convoy is cancelled. Furious is restricting flock size allowed in the sky." The male dragon explained the situation. "There's Dreaded Dragon Flu epidemic happening around Barbaric Archipelago. They're quarantining dragons that got sick."
Toothless felt both concerned and relieved. She was glad that the flock convoy part of the event was cancelled; she did not have to go flying around the place.
At the same time, she was concerned because of the Dreaded Dragon Flu epidemic. The dragoness heard that it was lethal to pregnant dragons. However, it should not be a problem.
"That's fine." The dragoness nodded, before waddling to the exit. "Can you escort me there? I can't really defend myself while pregnant."
"Hold on. Toothless." Charcoal stopped her. He stood on the cave exit. "The epidemic is happening. Do you know it's dangerous for pregnant dragons?"
"It's fine, Charcoal. I had one before." Toothless assured him. "You can only get them once. I'm immune."
That surprised the male dragon. "When did you get them?"
"Couple years ago."
"Okay. Are you really sure you want to go?" Charcoal questioned further. He was concerned of her wellbeing. "I don't want you catch the disease."
"Charcoal, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." Toothless insisted. She restrained herself from snapping; her mood swing was annoying. "The Dramillion twins are there. And if my guess is right, Amber should be there too. I can have a medical professional there just in case."
The male dragon exhaled his breath. "Alright." He decided, moving aside to allow her leave. "But remember to tell us if you feel anything."
"I will."
The Memorial Day event took place in their old base. It did not have many attendances; most of them were veterans that served under Charcoal before. The rest were dragons they invited over.
There were different kinds of food being served, such as cod fishes and bomberry juice. Hatchlings and fledglings had their fun eating things they never knew before, while adults talked among themselves about their time participating in the war.
There was barely any decoration around the place, as they wanted to preserve the place as much as possible, including human contraptions.
What was new was the large music instrument near the island diorama. It was a bag with different pipes connected to it. The instrument was known as bagpipe, and they brought them from Hidden World.
"... doing well on your grades?"
Toothless and Charcoal were resting near a large ballista. They were accompanied by the Dramillion twins, Amber the Light Fury, and Agatha the Deadly Nadder.
Harald had a black eyepatch over his broken eye - human thing commonly used by pirates. Ronald, the younger Dramillion, was sitting next to Amber.
"I'm doing well." Ronald eagerly nodded. He was speaking with Toothless. "My friends helped me learn how to close complicated wounds. They are very helpful."
"Harr..." Amber chuckled. "He wants to go to debutante ball next month. I told him to get good grades and full body care first before he can go."
Charcoal was confused. "Debutante ball?"
Toothless was the one to answer. "Debutante ball is more of a... formal dance event. More of a party for students." She explained the concept. "It's usually traditional schools that has them. The seniors were the ones that host them. It's a tradition to teach manners and responsibilities."
"I keep forgetting you never had any formal education." Amber pointed out, staring at Charcoal. "For someone who self-studied, you're really smart for your age."
"It's always best to learn what you can." Charcoal gave her wry smile. He focused onto the older Dramillion. "What about you, Harald? I heard you got promoted."
"Technically. Merciless saw me working on human traps. He thought I was good at it." Harald exhaled his breath. "He put me in charge of high security. I didn't see much action anymore, unless someone's stupid enough to steal from him."
"Being in charge of high security means you have a lot of free time." Charcoal pointed out. "I assume you spent your time visiting your brother."
"It was Ronald that visits every long break." The older Dramillion looked somewhat pained. "I'm not allowed to leave because I'm always on call. Greater Alpha Merciless allowed me out because he thought Memorial Day was a good idea."
"Gar!" Agatha laughed at that. "I'll bet you a cod fish that he'll have something similar next year."
"Not gonna bet on that." Harald grumbled. "I know he will."
Toothless turned her attention to Ronald. "What do you think about Hidden World, Ronald?" She questioned, getting their attention. "How do you feel about it so far?"
The young Dramillion paused for a moment. "It's... overwhelming." He admitted. "I never knew Hidden World have so many layers under them. The first layer is normal, but the second layer is... different."
"I think I understand." Toothless slowly nodded. "I was raised in the first layer, but my father moved me to the second one. It's overwhelming at first. Everyone knew what they were doing, and they expect the same from you. It's like a whole different world."
Charcoal was surprised. "I never knew Hidden World have multiple layers."
"The Hidden World have multiple layers that spanned across the world. The first layer is the largest. That's where immigrating dragons lived for readaptation." The black dragoness explained. "We call them: Entrance Layer. Every Hidden World entrance connects to this layer."
Amber decided to interject. "Ronald is schooled in Sacred Heart Medical School. That's where I went to." She gave an example. "It's located in eastern section of Lomia layer, which has multiple pathways to other layers, including Entrance."
The male dragon slowly nodded. Charcoal was aware of different places in the surface. Hidden World seemed to be much bigger than he thought. "What does the place look like?"
The white dragoness did not answer. She glanced at Ronald to explain. The young Dramillion caught her stare and began telling the tale. "It's... kind of like the surface." He recounted. "It's so wide and open, you can fly as much as you want. The ceiling has giant white crystals, and they brightened the whole layer once every twelve hours."
"Wait." Charcoal paused. "It has a sun?"
"Fake sun. It's still underground." Ronald elaborated, before continued explaining. "There's not that many crystals, but dragons use them for daily lives."
"What do they use them for?"
"Uhh... little bit of everything." The young Dramillion shrugged his wings. He did not know how to describe. "I remember getting into this place called 'market', which is where dragons trade things with money. The... money is kept inside you as part of your mana."
That confused the male black dragon. "Part of... mana?"
"Yeah. That's the currency." Ronald quickly nodded. "There's this... bright purple crystal you can absorb into your mana reserve. It doesn't do anything, and they don't mix with your mana, but you can expel them back into crystal. The worth depends on its size and quality. You can adjust the size when expelling them."
Charcoal paused for a moment. He had seen similar crystals before; Furious did showed him Nature Shard and Logic Crystal. The former could be used to pay medical professionals. However, it did not look like what he described.
Toothless, having sensed his confusion through their bond, decided to help. "It's not something you'll find here, if that's what you're thinking." She added, getting their attention. "The bright purple crystal is called Amethyst Scale. It's used to power mana contraptions."
"I don't think I've heard of it." Charcoal admitted. "It sounds like crystal things."
"That's because it is." Amber answered, getting their attention. "You can use them to power rocks, so they can act like a door. You should've seen Ronald when he entered his roost for the first time."
"I... it was my first time." The young Dramillion admitted. He sounded a bit embarrassed. "I thought I had to dig through the rocks."
Harald the older Dramillion remembered something. "Ah, so that's what the complaint was all about." He commented. "I had to pay for those rocks."
The male Night Fury was deep in thought. "And they could last long enough as a currency?"
"It's a fuel crystal, like Nature Shard." The Light Fury elaborated. "They don't expire."
That was something new to him. Charcoal had yet learned about different crystal life cycle, since he rarely used them. Most crystals he used were fuel type crystals, like Nature Shard, which never expire.
It seemed that there were more fuel crystals out there.
Agatha the Deadly Nadder, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly looked back. She saw someone she recognised. "Hold on. I'll be back in a minute." She excused herself, before walking away.
Toothless decided to change the topic. "Amber, I noticed your scales are shinier than usual." She questioned, getting their attention. "Have you been brushing yourself?"
"My friends forced me to get an expensive spa. I was about to bring them too, but securities turned them away." Amber explained, exasperated. "They're not allowed to leave Hidden World. Technically, I'm here for routine check because you're my client."
The black dragoness began looking around. "I did wonder why you arrived with just Ronald and Harald." She commented, before focusing back to her. "Usually, you brought your whole nest when it comes to party."
"Not that many. This is a memorial event. I only got six dragons that wanted to come." The Light Fury defended herself. "And besides, you look much stronger than ever. You're half the size of your dad."
It was something that dragons noticed; Toothless and Charcoal were the biggest dragon in the event. They were not huge or massive by any means, but they had to look up just to meet their eyes.
It was not all for show, however. They could see the strength behind their appearance.
"I always do my practice." Toothless exhaled her breath. Then, she remembered something. "By the way, where's the Lutheran dragon?"
"He said he have something scheduled today, but he promised to come." Amber gave her answer. "I just assume he's going to arrive late."
That confused the group. Harald decided to ask. "Why do you want to see a Lutheran?"
"Charcoal wants to know what it feels like to be a deviant dragon hunter." Toothless exhaled her breath. "I'd be lying if I said I'm not curious. I've heard stories of deviant dragon hunters, but I've never actually seen one."
"I hope to learn a divine spell or two." Charcoal added, getting their attention. "It would be useful for self-defence against deviant dragon."
Harald gave him a wry expression. "Always be prepared, eh?"
"Always be prepared." Charcoal smiled. "You never know when you'll need them."
"Charcoal."
They turned their attention to Agatha the Deadly Nadder, who had returned from her leave. She was focused on the male black dragon. "We're halfway in the event." The spiked dragoness explained. "Could you tell us more about the closing ceremony?"
"Yes, sure." Charcoal looked around the place. He noted that half of them were guests invited by veterans. Everyone was enjoying themselves. "... I think we need to tweak the plan a bit anyway."
Few hours later, the event was about to end. Some of the dragons had already left. After Charcoal and Toothless explained them about the event, they were pulled by the Light Fury for private talk at the corner.
Once they were there, Amber looked around to ensure nobody paid attention. Then, she casted the Privacy spell around them.
"... okay. We're good." The Light Fury nodded, before focusing on the two Night Furies. "About last year. I almost got a mana specialist to study the anomaly."
Toothless raised her brows. "Almost?"
"I can't find a willing one after I showed his mana samples." Amber explained the reason, before focusing on Charcoal. "When they ran identity check, they backed off. They want nothing to do with you. Mana specialists are rare, so this makes things impossible."
Charcoal was frustrated. "What did they see anyway that scared them off?"
"The identity of your ancient mana is highly classified." The Light Fury explained. "Tr s Secret D fense. Only highest authority can know. Violation can result in death sentence."
That confused the male dragon. "Tes secret what?"
"It's French-Dragonese language." Toothless quickly explained. "They came around couple hundred years ago when European dragons immigrated to Hidden World. The 'french' came from the kingdom where they immigrated from. Tr s Secret D fense means Very Secret Defence; you need to be m- an Arch Alpha to know."
"Okay." Charcoal understood, but he was confused. "But Amber, how did they know it was top secret?"
"When we ran identity check on the mana sample, they only tell us where the identity was stored." Amber answered the question. "After that, we contact them to learn the identity. The location where they store your identity is called Révélation."
Toothless widened her eyes. The male dragon, however, was confused. "Revelation?"
"No. Révélation." The white dragoness corrected, emphasizing pronunciation. "It's a name for Hidden World layer."
Charcoal tilted his head. "Did you ask them?"
"Of course we did!" Amber was annoyed. She was not pleased with that question. "Wodensfang's army barged through our nest and took everything. I barely hid the crystallised mana from being taken. You don't know how serious that was."
The black dragoness, seeing some confusion, decided to explain. "Charcoal, the Révélation is a layer, a nest and a research centre - dragon researchers lived there to develop things for the army." Toothless explained. "It was founded long ago when the Arch Alpha discovered some French dragons were experimenting with contraptions to defend themselves."
"A very secret place." Amber quickly nodded. "I didn't even know they existed."
"You're not even supposed to know. You need Arch Alpha's approval to enter." Toothless explained, glancing around to make sure no one was listening. "I only know because I was there when I was a hatchling."
That made the Light Fury curious. "Why were you there?"
"Medical reasons. I was sick with something incurable at the time." The black dragoness answered, before lowering her voice. "Don't tell anyone, but the plant cure for Anti-Life syndrome was actually made there. They put them at the surface for dragons to find."
Amber blinked at that. "Huh. I always wondered how they come about." She commented. "Mana-related autoimmune disorder usually doesn't have a cure. It makes sense that it was made in a secret place."
Charcoal, who had been silent for some time, decided to ask. "Why is that?"
The two dragons turned their attention. The Light Fury answered. "Mana complications are rare. They're usually caused by mutation." Amber explained. "Normally, they're non-threatening, but they need accommodation for their daily lives. In rare cases when they do... we just... make sure they're comfortable."
The male dragon glanced at Toothless. "But why is it in secret place?" He questioned. "Is it illegal to make the cure?"
"Making cure is not illegal. It's the experiment that's illegal." Toothless answered. There was some hesitation in her voice. "To cure mana disease, you need to perform Life-Force experiment on living things. Not necessarily Mana Perversion, but it's illegal in twenty different arch alpha territory for good reason. Remember dragon forging?"
"Yeah?"
"It was discovered from Life-Force experimentation." The black dragoness fell to whisper. "Few million years ago, someone discovered human's malleable mana through experimentation. When this knowledge spread, it almost drove homo genera into extinction."
The male dragon was surprised to hear that. While the idea of humans facing extinction did not sound bad, he dreaded what would happen if it was driven by greed and hunger for power. It made sense why it was made illegal.
Dragons would pillage the surface for harvest.
"I think we're getting off topic." Amber decided, before focusing on the male dragon. "Charcoal, I can't find any information on your identity. I'm thinking about stopping it here."
Charcoal exhaled his breath. "I mean, it's protected with layers of security." He shrugged his wings. "As long it's not harmful, I'm fine with it. I'll figure out another way to find out, eventually."
Toothless rejected that idea. "You won't find out for the next decades or two, or maybe never." She retorted, before focusing on the Light Fury. "Amber, please tell me you know how to find out. Can you sneak in?"
"I mean, I can try. I have the experience, but..." Amber was hesitant. "Toothless, you're asking me to do something that can get me fired, or worse."
"You won't. Trust me. They won't fire you. My father knows you." The dragoness assured her. "The worst they'll do is erase your memory and kick you out."
"How would you know that?"
"That's what they did when I tried to sneak in last time." Toothless answered. She was serious. "If you're not going to do it, I'll fly back there myself to find out."
"Wait, Toothless-"
"Toothless." Charcoal sharply interrupted. "You're pregnant."
"I know." The black dragoness argued. "But I must find out. This whole thing doesn't feel right."
Amber decided to speak. "Okay. Stop. I know when you've made your mind." She interrupted the conversation. The white dragoness exhaled her breath. "... I'll do it. But I need your mana sample."
"Charcoal?"
The three dragons quickly turned their attention. Henry the Woolly Howl was standing there. Amber ended the Privacy spell just as Charcoal went to greet him. "Henry! Glad to have you here!" He quickly approached the brown-scaled dragon. "I haven't seen you anywhere. Where have you been?"
"I didn't get the news until hours ago. I had to rush here from Hidden World." Henry gave him a wry expression. "The dragon messenger was caught up in some trouble."
That confused Charcoal. "But I sent them last year."
"Well, that was their excuse." The Woolly Howl shrugged his wings. "It's better late than never. Have I missed anything?"
"Almost whole event."
"Harr..." Henry exhaled his breath. He was exasperated. "At least I get to see you again. Last time we met, you're not as big and strong."
Charcoal decided to change the subject. "I heard you joined Wodensfang's army." He questioned. "How did it go?"
"Good enough. You're looking at his dragon soldier." The Woolly Howl was grinning. "I got new brothers and sisters. We haven't been deployed yet, so we're just idling around."
"Then I'm glad." The male Night Fury felt relieved. He was happy that Henry was happy. "Some of the guests already left, but we're still here for closing ceremony. You should check on others before they leave."
"Sure. I'll be staying here for few weeks." Henry assured him, before remembering something. "I almost forgot. I have something for you."
The Woolly Howl moved one of his paws forward. An orange sandy flame appeared from his tip, expanding into something that looked like reverse burning. Charcoal stared as it took shape of hexagonal stick the size of his hindlegs. They felt like physical mana.
When that ended, it revealed a bright orange, prismatic-shaped crystal. Charcoal was not expecting that. "A Storage Crystal?"
"I see you've heard of it. We made them by mutating Nature Shard in specific way." Henry explained them. "It's just as the name says. You can store physical things in it."
Toothless decided to comment. "I used to have a big one. I left them back at Hidden World." She told her tale. "You can put them in your mana pool, and it'll stay there indefinitely. You can use them while it's in there. That goes for all utility crystals."
That made the male Night Fury curious. "Why did you leave them?"
"Because it displaces your mana pool." The female dragon explained. "It doesn't dissolve, expire or poison you, so you just have less pool of mana your body can use. I didn't bring them along because it's just weight. I also don't have much stuff to bring anyway."
"This one can carry objects up to a hundred kilograms." The Woolly Howl added, getting their attention. "It doesn't displace much, but don't bring them along if you're going for a big fight."
"I've read about them before. I didn't know you can put them in your mana pool." Charcoal was fascinated. He tapped the crystal on the ground. It looked incredibly sturdy. "... how do I use this?"
"Just focus on absorbing them, like Nature Shard." Henry explained, before pausing. "... unless you don't know how."
"I know how. I've used Nature Shard once." The male Night Fury placed his paw onto it. The mana- no, storage mana within was different, as if it could absorb and expel objects within. Focusing on the crystal, he attempted to pull it into him.
The orange prismatic-shaped crystal burned with blue flame. Charcoal felt it pass through his circuits. His mana pool was displaced; it felt like a rock submerged into a water bucket. "It felt like I just fired my flame, and I'm not getting my charge back."
"It felt like firing three blasts for me." The Woolly Howl remarked. "You must have bigger pool of mana."
"I guess." Charcoal shrugged his wings. Through mana circuits, he checked the storage mana. There were empty spaces, except for wooden chests with gold ingots and coins in them. The male Night Fury thought that was convenient.
The male Night Fury focused on expelling a coin. He felt his circuits manipulating the storage mana. There was a brief blue flame, and a single gold coin clattered on the ground in front of him.
Charcoal carefully picked them up, before inspecting them. "... European gold coin. You have sixty kilos of them."
"It's my war loot. I snatched them from Lava-Louts before they got destroyed." Henry explained the context. He looked pleased with himself. "We managed to pillage their treasury before escaping."
"... this is the original double leopard. The English noble gold coin. This one looks to be from year 1344 to 1346, the second coinage of King Edward the Third. It was before debasement." Charcoal realised. It was incredibly valuable, since gold coins during that era tend to be heavier. "Are you sure you're giving them to me?"
"It doesn't have value to us dragons." The Woolly Howl nodded. "And besides, I have something better myself."
"What did you take?"
"It was the gold statue of Bjorn Ironside - the legendary Viking king of the north. I put them in my nest." Henry revealed. "I did my research. They were meant as a gift for the Swedish kingdom hundreds of years ago. I guess we caught them when they were displaying them."
"Hraa..." Charcoal widened his eyes. It was a gold statue placed in one of the Lava-Lout Island town squares. "So, you're the one who took them. I saw them before when I scouted the island."
"Most of us took a lot of things for trophy when we knew we were winning. Everyone rushed for everything to help them carry, including Storage Crystals." The Woolly Howl told the tale. "It's probably why some of us didn't survive the escape. They displaced their mana too much to endure the blast."
The male Night Fury darkened his expression. After mentally measured the mana displacement, Charcoal understood why dragons did not have storage mana all the time.
The displacement was fixed, regardless of what was inside the storage. It could be full or empty, and nothing would have changed on its size.
Charcoal thought he should have made a policy on pillaging during a dragon raid. They were not supposed to do anything else while on duty; they could exhaust themselves before doing anything. Their decision to pillage the village costed them their lives.
In hindsight, he did not know much about crystals and their use. Toothless had no idea they were doing that either.
Toothless glanced at her mate. "I remember finding old treasures there and there when I explored some islands." She commented. "This region used to be a popular treasure burial site for pirates and Vikings. I guess nobody remembered where they buried their things."
"They braved through the dangers to hide their hoard. They knew dragons would keep treasure hunters out." Charcoal muttered as he inspected the coin. "We often attack foreign ships carrying weapons and equipment. They forgot we attack indiscriminately."
"Oh! That reminds me." Amber placed one of her paws in front of Toothless. A yellow flame appeared from her tip, expanding into something. When that was over, it revealed a medium-sized Storage Crystal. "I got all your stuff."
"Thanks." Toothless nodded, before pulling the crystal into herself. The orange prismatic-shaped crystal burned with green flame, vanishing into thin air. Mentally checking the content, the black dragoness smiled. "This should keep me entertained in the meantime."
The male Night Fury was curious. "What did you get?"
"You'll see." The black dragoness ominously answered.
Henry looked around the place. "If you excuse me, I need to check on others before they leave." He excused himself. "We should talk more later."
"Go on then. Thanks for the gift." Charcoal expressed his gratitude. "Have fun."
"Thanks. I will."
When the closing ceremony finally started, all that left were veterans. Almost all the guests had already left. During closing ceremony, they collected red flowers and embedded them into the diorama. Those were the places where their friends had fallen.
After that was done, they put candles around the island diorama. Those were made by humans, taken from human villages. While the candles were lit, dragons turned off the fireplaces. The surrounding became dim, emphasizing the importance of those lights.
Dragons congregated around the island diorama and formed a circle. It was here that they sang to honour the fallen. While not many know the music, they sang their songs anyway. Ignoring everything around them, they sang with all their heart. Toothless was the one playing the bagpipe.
"Take up your quarrel with the foe." The dragons sang along the music. "To you from falling hands we throw..."
"The light be yours to hold it high... if ye break faith with us who die."
"We shall not sleep, through poppies grow... in Flanders fields, in Flanders fields..."
When the music ended, dragons fell silent. They kept their heads low; they paid respect to their dead. They had only been together for two months, but it was the best two months they could ever asked for. They worked and made sacrifices together.
Charcoal the Night Fury walked into the circle. After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath. "Today, exactly one year ago, was the day when we struck and destroyed the Lava-Lout Island."
Dragons turned their attention to him. The male Night Fury continued speaking. "Over one hundred dragons fought against two hundred thousand humans." He told the tale. "A seemingly impossible odd, and yet, we triumphed."
There was a pause. The male Night Fury thought the next words. "Over seventy dragons fell in battle." He lowered his head a bit. "We carved their name to remember them and as reminders of our moments."
Dragons were silent. Charcoal continued speaking. "We marked the path with our blood, so others may survive. We faced the unknown because nobody dared to move forward." He grimaced at that thought. "We would have failed without them. Even after death, every lesson they taught us, we carried to this day."
The dragons lowered their head. The male black dragon stared at the flowered island diorama. "For each flower we plant; for every candle we lit; they represent those who fell in battle." Charcoal felt his eyes began to water. "We honour them not as soldiers, but dragons with their own tales, hearts and mind. They are our brothers and sisters, family of all but blood."
Charcoal took a deep breath. He straightened himself, before staring at dragons around him. "It may be the end for us, but it was not the end of the war." He gave the speech. "We may never see the end of the war. Perhaps it would end in distant future. Perhaps our next generation would see through it. We may never know."
"However." Charcoal raised his voice, getting their attention. "There would be a point... when we forget why the war was fought; when the war had become truly endless; when the living envied the dead."
"I pray we never come to it." The male Night Fury shuddered his breath. "May the skies bless our flight; help us see the end of the war. May they bless our sons and daughters, so they never suffer the way we did."
"May their stars shine brighter at night, and their tales remembered forever."
Most of the dragons left the place after closing ceremony. Toothless and Charcoal stayed behind, along with some others. Amber the Light Fury was still waiting for someone. Henry the Woolly Howl was accompanying the two Night Furies.
They were staring at the flowered island diorama. The candle lights were still on. The group sat on the ground as they remembered the fallen. Amber sat a bit further, since she never joined Dragon Rebellion. The Light Fury respected their time to honour the dead.
Eventually, the dragon they had been waiting for finally arrived. There was a large thump where it landed. The group turned around to face the newcomer.
It was a massive dragon. Charcoal, being the largest of the group, was just as big as its hindlegs. They had to look up to see the dragon of silver and gold. The scales looked like armour plates, and the wing membranes were bluish purple.
Charcoal realised what it was. Giant talon on each wing; massive claws; golden horns; three-prongs spear-like tail - it was truly a war dragon. It was the divine nature he felt that made him realise who it was.
The Lutheran dragon was finally here.
The giant dragon lowered his head to see the group. He recognised Amber, the dragon who summoned him. However, he also recognised someone else. "I am Damatrius." He introduced himself, before staring at the male black dragon. "You must be Charcoal."
Charcoal straightened himself. "I am."
Damatrius tilted his head. "Why did you summon me?"
"I want to know what it's like to be a deviant dragon hunter." The male Night Fury answered the question. He realised this dragon was rather straightforward. "If possible, I want to learn a divine spell."
The giant dragon did not respond. He tapped on the floor in front of him, and a leather human book appeared. Charcoal looked down to see the book. It was thick and large by human standards. The title was written in Norwegian. "Universal Handbook for Solitary Sky Wolves."
"The book will guide your journey." Damatrius responded. He took few steps back as he prepared to leave. "It will be your first trial."
"Wait." Charcoal stopped him. "I'm not converting into Christianity."
The giant dragon simply huffed. He turned around to face the exit. "We know." Before taking off into the air. Damatrius did not wait as he left the area.
Others approached to see the book. Henry the Woolly Howl was impressed. "Sky Wolves." He read the title. "That's a first. Never in my life I'd see a Sky Wolves paladin."
The male Night Fury glanced at him. "What do you know about Sky Wolves?"
"One of the elite deviant dragon hunter legions." Henry answered, before glanced back at Charcoal. "Sky Wolves is the oldest. The legion fought against the Lich Dragon together with Bahamut."
"Oh, I remember!" Toothless suddenly spoke up, getting their attention. She was suddenly excited. "Damatrius isn't just normal paladin! He's a Malzeno!"
Charcoal was confused. "Malzeno?"
"Not just any Malzeno, but an ancient, primordial one." The black-scaled dragoness excitedly answered. She had just realised the significance of seeing them. "Damatrius fought in that war. I remember the name!"
"I was hoping for a priest dragon to come." Amber admitted. "I didn't expect him to come all by himself."
"It must be something big then." Henry commented.
"Yeah..." Charcoal muttered as he picked up the book. He looked deep in thought. "It must be."