Next Journey

"He's a monster. How can a human be that strong?" The superior dragon sat on a sand dune with Vadh and Ajagar, discussing the fight. "He even had enough mana to summon us back. He wasn't going anywhere near all out. I think both of you know that." Vadh was the only one among them who truly understood the kind of person Velios was. "That's also got me wondering. Did he really go all out to defeat you? Like, in what way did you guys get defeated?" A glimmer of curiosity had started shining in Vadh's eye, wanting to know just how much Velios exerted himself. "I had no chance. Couldn't even land a single attack on him. Every punch he threw sent me flying in my dragon form. That final technique he used... it was fire magic, but... I don't even know what he used." Ajagar sighed, reflecting on the toughness of battling Velios and the amount of mana imbued into Velios' final attack. "Can't say I want to talk about it, but I guess it's fine since it's just us. He completely overwhelmed me from the start since I looked down upon him as a human. Let's just say that his final technique was so powerful yet so over the top, he just wanted to torture me."

The discussion continued. They all shared their experiences of defeat by Velios in the last two battles. "Oh yeah, I remember the name of the technique he used on me." The superior dragon sounded confident all of a sudden, as if he was proud of having died from Velios' attack. "He has so many techniques and different magical attacks; I doubt it's one of his stronger ones." Vadh sounded laid-back, as if he had heard this many times before. "No, no. Believe me, that attack must have been one of his strongest; he even had a name for it!" The superior dragon sounded just as enthusiastic as before, but Vadh became completely quiet. It was as if Vadh knew exactly what the superior dragon was talking about. "Yeah, I think the name was-" He got disrupted before he could say anything else as he heard a voice approaching from behind. "The name of the technique is 'Mana Dome.' It was indeed the technique I used against you." Vadh was shocked after hearing it.

"So what have you guys been talking about while I was training?" Velios cast a glance at everybody, expecting an answer but found the two dragons quiet and Vadh in a state of fear. "V-Velios. Did you really use it? The mana dome? Doesn't it take an extraordinary amount of mana and control over it?" Vadh, unlike the two dragons, knew just how hard and complex the mana dome was, even in theory alone. Vadh didn't remember how long ago the two of them talked about it, but he sure remembered that it happened. The more he thought about it, the more memories popped up in his head. "Yo, Vadh. What do you think about this idea? It's an artificial dome created by highly condensed mana, capable of acting like a barrier and shooting attacks from anywhere within. Do you think it's possible?" Vadh remembered just how stunned he was after hearing what Velios had said the first time. A technique so powerful that it would be dangerous for anyone to possess. Vadh deemed it impossible because of the huge amount of mana required and many more possibilities taken into account. Little did he know that he had used it successfully and that it was so powerful it could easily kill a superior dragon.

"Oh, we have just been talking about the battles we just had and your overwhelming strength, master." Ajagar responded just one second after Velios had asked his question. Realizing this, Vadh himself wondered just how much he managed to think during this time. "Wait, master! Did you really use it, the mana dome?!" Velios turned his body to completely face Vadh, who had asked the question. "Right, I forgot to tell you about it. Yeah, I was able to use the mana dome. Come to think of it, I thought that you said it would be impossible. Look who's wrong yet again." Velios mocked Vadh about it. They had become decent friends after the time they had spent together. Vadh was still left speechless from hearing the truth but still did not fully believe it. "Hey. Did he really use the mana dome to defeat you in your first fight?" Vadh tried not to look at him in any special way but he was staring at the superior dragon really hard. "Yeah, I don't want to admit it, but that technique sure was overwhelming. It was a giant dome of mana that had formed around us. I was already quite beat up, but I don't think I could have escaped even if I wasn't. It ended in an instant. I was regenerating the whole time, but master's attacks were so quick and precise that it was over in a second. It was like the slices were coming not from him but from every direction around me at the same time."

Vadh was left even more speechless. He didn't even know what to say in that moment. Velios and the superior dragons went back and forth in a normal conversation with Velios actually listening for once after he had heard something interesting. "Hey, superior dragon. What is this dragon city that you were talking about?" The superior dragon looked shocked but also happy that Velios was showing interest. "Oh, that. It's where we come from, at least the two of us. So there is a city east of here at the end of the desert. There will be a massive jungle with a huge volcano in the middle. You can't see it from the outside thanks to magic, but the whole forest is actually a part of our city. Oh and there's also a bunch of-" Vadh rushed to cover his hand as soon as he could. Ajagar understood what he was trying to do and did the same. "Hey, you guys, stop it-" The superior dragon was confused by the two's sudden shift in behavior. "You idiot! You want to put your city at risk? Don't just give out information like that; you're going to give Velios ideas..." Vadh turned his head to see just how Velios reacted when he had heard what the superior dragon had said.

"A city, full of dragons... A big city, filled to the brim with inferior, superior, and even elite dragons... What an exhilarating place." Velios broke out laughing with a huge smile on his face. "Thanks for telling me, dragon. As a reward, before we set out on our journey, I suppose that I will grant you a name. What do you think?" The superior dragon would normally gladly accept those terms. He was practically getting a name for free but at what cost. "You... you aren't going to go there to kill them, are you?" The superior dragon had an angry look on his face ready to kill if he had to, ready to sacrifice his life if he really had to. "No, no, no. I won't even harm them as long as they don't attack me or other humans. I can promise that. So do you want your name now?" The superior dragon showed his respect before getting down on one knee. "Yes, master." This stumped Velios just a little. "A little too formal, but no matter. Your name shall be Ragaja." The name had been selected and Velios got tired instantly but not as much as last time. "Let's begin our journey, to the dragon city of the east!"