Chapter 318: Red Comet!
The dragon fight ended abruptly, and Rhaegar guided the Cannibal away from the battlefield.
Dragonmont.
Vermithor still soared through the night sky while the Cannibal descended swiftly, using the shadows to blend into the rugged terrain.
"Roar--"
The Cannibal landed, twisting its hideous head to roar angrily at its rider.
Rhaegar raised a hand to shield himself from the foul wind and said helplessly, "Hey! Take it easy."
Sharing a bond, he sensed the Cannibal's annoyance and its urge to unleash Dragonfire on him.
"I'm really sorry, but we can't kill each other."
As the roar subsided, Rhaegar stripped off his dragon-saliva-stained black robe and tossed out two massive chunks of dried sea monster meat.
"Roar..."
The Cannibal's throat rumbled with a low growl as it nonchalantly picked up the jerky and swallowed it.
"Good one partner," Rhaegar praised, rubbing its pitch-black scales.
The Cannibal tossed its head, lying down in annoyance, unwilling to engage with its rider.
Rhaegar chuckled, a hint of curiosity forming in his mind. The Cannibal seemed particularly interested in sea monster meat, having devoured most of the remains from the Smoking Sea.
Shortly after, a massive dragon figure emerged from Dragonmont.
The Cannibal snapped its head up, green vertical pupils flickering as it stared at the dragon overhead.
"Roar..."
The dragon roared, flapped its wings, and descended, sniffing around.
It soon landed on a nearby hill, its gaze fixed on them.
Rhaegar, half-squatting on the dragon's back, observed the approaching dragon.
Green scales covered its body, silver-white wings, slender curved horns, and a powerful physique...
"Silverwing?" Rhaegar exclaimed.
Silverwing, as old as Vermithor, Cannibal, and Dreamfyre, had once belonged to Good Queen Alysanne Targaryen. It was large, slightly smaller than Vermithor but more massive than Dreamfyre.
Beneath its fierce appearance, Silverwing had the most docile temperament among the dragons.
"Roar..."
Silverwing glared at Cannibal with hostility, spreading its silver-white wings wide and issuing a sharp, challenging roar.
It had been awakened by its mate's battle with Cannibal.
"Roar-"
Provoked, the Cannibal responded with a warning roar.
The two dragons stared each other down across the mountain, locked in an intense standoff.
Seeing this, Rhaegar sighed, sensing trouble.
Silverwing's arrival was ill-timed, coinciding with the Cannibal's rage.
After a moment of silence, Rhaegar patted the dragon's back and commanded, "Go, Cannibal. Teach it a lesson."
He couldn't keep suppressing the Cannibal's nature and stifling its hunger for combat.
Choosing a worthy opponent would strengthen the bond between man and dragon.
"Roar--"
Cannibal roared with excitement, launching into the air with powerful strides, rushing toward Silverwing like a black meteor.
It wasn't necessary for it to eat other dragons, but the ultimate thrill of the hunt was irreplaceable. The terrified screams of its prey made its blood run cold with exhilaration.
"Roar..."
Seeing the pitch-black dragon charging, Silverwing roared angrily, unleashing a torrent of orange Dragonfire.
Bang...
The exuberant Cannibal didn't bother to dodge, charging headfirst into the Dragonfire, its green vertical pupils gleaming with cruelty.
Pfft--
In an instant, Cannibal reached Silverwing, biting down on its left shoulder blade and tearing out hot dragon blood.
Silverwing roared in pain, flapping its wings to knock Cannibal's head aside, and bit into its opponent's exposed neck.
"Roar--"
Cannibal dodged nimbly, thrusting its feet into Silverwing's abdomen, and unleashed a gush of eerie green Dragonfire.
The Dragonfire blasted Silverwing's head, causing it to roar in agony. It stretched its neck to avoid the flames, then bit back at Cannibal's right leg in a frenzy.
"Roar..."
The two dragons cried out in pain, launching into an even more frantic struggle.
In a short time, Cannibal was covered in bruises, its hot dragon blood splashing onto the steep mountain peaks. Fortunately, the injuries were mostly superficial, tearing through scales but not piercing the abdomen or breaking wings.
In contrast, Silverwing fared much worse.
After the chaotic fight, Silverwing was no match for the larger and more ferocious Cannibal. Its neck was missing a chunk of flesh, its left shoulder blade was shattered, and a deep gash marred its abdomen.
Rhaegar watched in silence from the sidelines.
"Roar--"
Cannibal bit into Silverwing's neck again, pinning it down and shaking its head madly to tear the flesh.
Silverwing roared miserably, struggling with all its might, its claws digging into Cannibal's abdomen, piercing the scales.
Only then did Rhaegar finally speak, "Cannibal, that's enough!"
Cannibal's biting action halted. It quickly tore off a piece of flesh and swallowed it before breaking free from Silverwing's claws to spread its wings and fly up.
Though a hard-fought tussle was painful, it had to protect its rider and avoid serious injuries. For a wild dragon, serious injury was tantamount to waiting for death.
"Roar..."
Silverwing roared in shock and anger, attempting to lift off despite its injuries. However, the damage was too severe, and its flight was unsteady, exacerbating its wounds and causing more blood to flow.
"Cannibal, let's go!"
Rhaegar's eyes were downcast as he guided Cannibal away. The fierce dragon had torn two pieces of Silverwing's flesh and blood, drinking deeply of its rival's lifeblood.
He sensed that each time Cannibal's mouth tasted blood, its own blood flowed faster and the fire magic within it surged even more.
The Cannibal, now hyperactive, seemed driven by an insatiable desire to devour more dragon meat and blood to satisfy its inexplicable greed.
"Eating dragons accelerates the Cannibal's growth," Rhaegar concluded calmly. Even though the feeling was subtle, he was certain.
Dragons were the pinnacle of magical creatures, and their scales, flesh, and bones contained varying degrees of fire magic.
Cannibal's rapid growth was likely due to its diet of stolen dragon eggs and hunted young dragons.
Rumble-
Suddenly, a rumble came from the sky, signaling something strange was happening.
"Roar..."
Cannibal let out a low, guttural roar, raising his head with alert intensity. Its green, vertical pupils reflected a hint of madness.
Rhaegar looked up as well, tousling his unkempt silver hair as he gazed at the sky.
The dark clouds parted to reveal the bright moon. Suddenly, a massive, blood-red meteor streaked across the sky, cutting through the night.
The meteor was enormous, its bright red color contrasting sharply with the darkness, trailing a long, fiery trail.
"What is that?" Rhaegar's heartbeat quickened, and he stared wide-eyed in awe.
The red meteor moved quickly, its trajectory long and fiery. Its size far exceeded that of ordinary meteors, resembling a small rising sun.
Rhaegar stood up on the dragon's back, his eyes fixed on the meteor as it disappeared into the distance.
He had heard of meteors before, and the blade of the Truefyre was also forged from some meteorite iron. But this huge, fiery red meteor was beyond his comprehension.
"Roar-"
Cannibal roared, spreading its wide, pitch-black wings and spewing eerie green Dragonfire.
It sensed a subtle shift in the world around it.
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
"Roar..."
Not only Cannibal but also Silverwing, injured and grounded, let out a roar, struggling to fly back to its nest.
The four dragons near Dragonstone Island roared in unison, their attention drawn to the red meteor.
From the direction of Driftmark Island, dragon roars echoed.
Vhagar awoke from its slumber, its ancient eyes fixed on the red meteor, releasing a long, deep roar.
Meleys and Sea Smoke emerged from their nests, joining the chorus of dragon roars.
In King's Landing, the dragons in the Dragonpit—Caraxes, Stormcloud—roared in response.
At the Dragon Nest of the Isle of Faces, Grey Ghost, hidden in the clouds, stopped fishing and roared.
Each dragon, startled by the red meteor, roared with various emotions.
They all sensed an unfamiliar element added to their world.
Back on Cannibal's spine, Rhaegar tilted his head back, closing his eyes, his face flushed as he took deep breaths.
He felt an intense heat, hotter than anything he had felt before.
His blood surged faster, rushing into the palm of his right hand. Rhaegar instinctively summoned his magic.
Zira!
A flame ignited in his palm, growing from a small spark to a blazing fire that engulfed his sleeve.
Pfft...
The flames contracted, forming a fireball the size of a faceplate.
Rhaegar's heart raced, and he muttered in disbelief, "The magic tide!"
The magic within him felt thicker, as if a stone had been thrown into still water, creating gentle waves.
"Cannibal, let's return to the castle!"
Rhaegar, filled with questions, wanted to find his family.
"Roar--"
Cannibal roared, abandoning any thought of chasing Silverwing, and soared into the night sky.
...
Under the night sky, an arrogant dragon roar echoed, accompanied by the heavy thumping of a dragon's tail slapping the ground.
"What's the rush? I'm working, aren't I?" A teenager shouted in frustration, a feeling of helplessness evident in his voice.
Outside the town of Dragonstone Island, at a farmhouse that raised livestock, a family of three peered intently through their old wooden door at the commotion outside.
A silver-haired, half-grown boy was yelling and running around a dirty goat pen, driving away a dozen goats. Finally, he grabbed a large goat and, with considerable effort, pushed it outside. "Come on, go sacrifice yourself to that evil dragon," he muttered.
"Baa~~" The goat screamed in terror, bouncing up and down. The boy, using all his strength, dragged the goat out of the courtyard.
"Roar..." An ugly, brown mud-colored dragon watched from the courtyard, one huge claw stomping on the dirt wall. It spread its brown wings, swaying them arrogantly as if to emphasize its stature.
With great effort, Aemond dragged the goat by one leg toward the dragon and yelled, "Eat! You thief!"
He felt humiliated, having to steal a goat in front of everyone.
"Roar..." The dragon glanced at him in disdain. Its dragon breath sprayed scattered brown Dragonfire, roasting the struggling goat into charcoal.
The dragon's tail flicked the silver-haired boy aside as it lowered its head to devour the roasted goat.
"Hiccup~~" Sheepstealer burped and lazily prostrated himself on the ground, its cunning vertical pupils fixed on the silver-haired boy. Despite the boy's slow pace, the dragon appreciated his admiring gaze.
"This asshole!!!" Aemond clenched his fists in indignation, glaring up at the smug Sheepstealer. If it weren't for this ugly dragon abducting him, he would already be on his way to taming Silverwing.
(Word count: 1,720)