The Son of Ddraig

The Graveyard

An hour later, Xeno'jiiva climbed the mountain he calls home. He didn't fly. He slowly made his way up, taking in his surroundings and the nostalgia that followed.

Over the last year, he and Ddraig nearly destroyed the forest and mountain in their constant fights. The few elder dragons that appeared razed the land in their battles with Ddraig, and left it nothing more than a wasteland.

With only the strongest monsters still staying around; the main reason Xeno and Ddraig haven't moved out already... Well, that was really because Xeno'jiiva didn't want to leave until he killed Anjanath. He didn't care about anything else.

Reaching the top of the mountain, Ddraig turned his attention towards the much larger Xeno'jiiva. Who tossed the Anjanath's scull at his feat. Ddraig smirked and decided to tease him.

"... What am I supposed to do with this?"

Xeno slumped his shoulders. "You can't let me be cool...? What did I do to you?"

Ddraig laughed. "You don't remember? I believe you said "You have friends?" as if I was some loner that didn't even talk to people."

"You're still mad about that!?"

"No. But it's a fun excuse." Ddraig laughed.

After a moment, the Red Dragon calmed down. "Anyway, good job. The Anjanath was a fearsome monster that nears ultimate class. It wouldn't be a stretch to call you an Ultimate-Class dragon at this point. Considering your recent molt."

Xeno'jiiva bowed his head. "Thank you, father. But that's still not enough." He didn't have to explain why.

"Yeah, but its important to recognize our accomplishments from time to time. Or our desires become mere obsessions, as they once did for me." Ddraig's time before Xeno wasn't a good one. The moniker "Red Dragon of Domination" didn't come from nowhere, after all.

"I understand." He really did. "I just don't want to get complacent."

Ddraig nodded. "That's the other mistake. Becoming too prideful of yourself is equally detrimental. Don't lose focus, but don't lose sight of what's around you. There's a little grey area there; that's where you want to be."

Standing up, Ddraig revealed his new scars to the sunlight. Xeno'jiiva wasn't the only one that got stronger over the last year. Ddraig, too, has grown to even greater heights.

"Take tonight off. Don't worry about anything else. In the morning, we will leaving. Pack your things."

Xeno nodded. Those "things" are monster skulls, taken from opponents that made Xeno'jiiva struggle, in some way or another. His way of remembering them.

"Where will we go?" He asked.

Ddraig answered. "The Rotten Vale."

-_-

The Rotten Vale, the graveyard of all things draconic. It is the second lowest ring of hell that captures the souls of dragons upon their deaths, and absorbs them.

The environment, similar to Cocytus, is uninhabitable to natural beings. With toxics and foul creatures calling it home, it is the hell of dragons. No one would come here without purpose.

"Which makes it the perfect place for you to grow in, Xeno'jiiva. This time, you won't just be fighting monsters. You'll be fighting the world itself just to survive." Ddraig explained.

Currently, they've made a cave, away from the poisonous gases, their place of residence. It would serve as a rest area for Xeno'jiiva in between hunts and molts. And a place for Ddraig to keep an eye on things form a distance.

"..." Xeno'jiiva didn't know what to say.

Ddraig noticed. "There's a reason I didn't tell you about this place before now, Jiiva. This place... is meant to be feared by dragon-kind. I don't even want to be here. But these kinds of places are where we can grow the strongest."

After all, this is where he trained.

Xeno'jiiva nodded. "Alright. I get it."

He wasn't a stranger to suffering. The last year prepared him for this. And he would be dammed if he stopped now, when the way to success has been laid out for him.

"Good. This place will be different. Any extra effort could be your down fall. Watch your targets, their attack patterns and hunting grounds. Use their own techniques against them and dominate. Failure is not an option."

Ddraig's words enlightened Xeno'jiiva. This world, where you act fast and kill fast, is the ultimate hunter's domain. Almost like the forest on a much higher difficultly. It will help him master his new fighting style and evolve once again.

Xeno'jiiva shook off the nervousness and cracked a smile. "Since when was failure an option? Losing anywhere is death. And I plan to win. Just watch." He grinned. "I'll reach the top in a month."

Ddraig almost laughed in pride. "I'll hold you too that."

After all, Xeno'jiiva has done nothing but destroy his expectations. If anyone could conquer the Vale in such a short amount of time, it was him; beyond any doubt in Ddraig's mind.

Xeno'jiiva will succeed.

-_-

Back on Earth, multiple people noticed their departure. And with no call left to follow, returned to their territories. Except for one monster. A beast many have grown to fear in the past few years for his excessive violence and brutality.

A dragon that, upon sensing Ddraig's and Xeno'jiivas signatures fade, roared to the heavens in fury. But by no means had given up. It would chase them anywhere, no matter how far. After all...

This is Nergigante that we are talking about.