Chapter 25: Summa Mensura (1)

Somewhere deep in Hidden World, there was a layer with plenty of crystals.

The Formonsus layer was a massive crystal forest with not many cave entrances. Unlike most layers, the place had no illumination at the ceiling. There were dirts, grass, trees and water, which made them similar to the surface. There was even cliffs and waterfalls.

What made them unique was their flora and fauna. The trees were growing small green-purple crystals instead of leaves; large clusters of purple crystals sprouted from the ground; and the water was glowing bright purple.

There were animals, such as birds, fishes, wolves and rabbits. However, their fur looked like sharp shimmering crystals instead of actual fur. They were also incredibly tame; predators would not attack when faced with a prey. Rather, they were content with eating crystals and drinking water.

Given the crystal flora and fauna, it was a very valuable place. Of course, because of their value, someone was bound to own them. The whole layer was part of Longfin Empire territory.

It was Wodensfang's personal lair.

At a large clearing somewhere in the forest, three dragons were present. Mathew and Avisha were standing there. The two Light Furies were waiting for Wodensfang to speak.

The arch alpha was resting at the clearing. He was currently in his full size. The massive Night Fury took more than half of the area. He was reading the content of Book Stone crystal they had given him. His huge claws were touching the small crystal on the ground.

It was a message from her daughter.

The arch alpha eventually let go. He looked deep in thought. "Did you read the content?"

"No, Arch Alpha." Mathew answered.

"Hrr..." Wodensfang frowned as he stared at them. The ground rumbled as he hum. "Half of the content is unknown to us. I was unaware of previous incursions..."

The arch alpha knew something was wrong. Few decades ago, he noticed an increase of deviant activities in surface world. From the Northern Alliance crisis in Greater Archipelago; attempted deviant take over of Great Britain; and deviant crisis in Americas.

It was rare for such event to happen.

The situation could be attributed to social development of the surface world. Wodensfang had heard of countries starting something unheard of in surface world.

Many returning deviant hunter dragons talked about a new human country called United States of America. The structure was unlike anything in the surface world; it was built on the foundation of enlightenment.

It was proof that the surface world was changing.

Regardless, everything was starting to accelerate. Given technological advances happening above, it made sense why things started to happen more often.

He had seen them happen before; it happened in parts of Hidden World millions of years ago. It was said that the invention of utility crystals brought democracy to some layers in Hidden World.

However, Wodensfang knew better. Their development spanned across millions of years of slow, incremental progress. It accelerated after the Great Dragon War two million years ago, where many greater and arch alphas experimented with different style of authority.

Initially, most bottom-to-top authorities were vulnerable to deviant take over. This was expected; they braved into uncharted territory for the sake of better future. However, as time went on, they became one of the most resilient layers against foreign infiltrators.

That was not to say they were left unprotected during this process. While they were figuring things out, the surrounding regions made sure they were not taken over by deviants. It was the interest of everyone to ensure deviants never set authority in Hidden World.

It became highest priority after Undead Dragon Cataclysm.

This time, similar situation was happening in surface world. However, this time, deviant hunters were the ones who made sure no kingdom or country was taken over by deviants. It was their responsibility to ensure the surface world was safe.

They were doing well so far. There were notable and remarkable deviant hunters exposing nefarious plots and resolving deviant crisis. He remembered one getting knighted by the British king for exposing an elaborate plot for deviant take over. That was just few years ago.

There were rumours that Northern Alliance was responsible for half of the attempts. While not yet confirmed, deviant hunters were sent scrambling to investigate every possible case. Wodensfang suspected they were trying to take over a region to create another army.

However, after reading Toothless' message, Wodensfang realised it might be a distraction.

While not important at a glance, the Isle of Berk held many secrets. It had been the ancestral home of Haddock family; plenty of things were buried there. These facts were kept hidden even to its inhabitants, lest anyone have any bright ideas.

It seemed that Northern Alliance was starting to pay attention.

As such, he was outraged that Furious, of all dragons, never reported those cases to him. There was no active or preventive measures against deviant incursion. It angered him that the greater alpha had neglected his duty. He thought Furious understood its importance.

Even if they destroyed Isle of Berk, the region was still important. Barbaric Archipelago was their corridor to the wider surface world. It connected them to Europe through Norway, and Americas through Greenland and Northern Passages.

The place was an important trade route for deviant hunters; humans and dragons alike.

Should Northern Alliance gain control of them, they could surround Greater Archipelago and encircle the region. If that ever happened, they would have no choice but to retreat and destroy Caldera. This meant the tyrant would have free reign to invade the world with army of deviant dragons.

Barbaric Archipelago was not equipped to handle deviant incursions. Unlike Greater Archipelago, they never faced threats like this before. Furious should have identified this error and worked to resolve them. If not Wodensfang, other greater alphas would be happy to help.

This gross negligence was unacceptable.

Suddenly, another dragon landed at the clearing. It was Aymar the Valstrax. The silver dragon bowed at the arch alpha in front of him. "You have summoned me."

"Yes. I need you to start dismissal and impeachment process for Greater Alpha Furious." Wodensfang gave his order. "I will send over the evidence to Arbitration office. Mathew and Avisha will stand as witness against him."

"Yes, Alpha. It will be done." Aymar responded, before looking up to him. "Who is the replacement?"

"I will reveal them after Furious has been dismissed." The arch alpha answered. He hardened his expression. "Make sure to inform him after you start the process."

Charcoal slowly opened his eyes.

He was in a familiar place. Floating at the endless white light, the humanoid dragon was confused to see around him. Unlike before, the low humming noise was surprisingly soothing. Charcoal wondered if it was truly the afterlife - only that the heavens seemed to reject them.

'Even the heavens did not want me.' The humanoid dragon bitterly thought. '... skies above... I'm a mess..."

The memory of recent attack was fresh in his mind. His own father had stabbed him, and he grieved for him. Charcoal wished he had killed him instead of finding out who he was. He did not know how he was supposed to handle the regret and shame for attacking him.

"... Charcoal!"

The humanoid dragon looked around. "What?" He whispered, trying to find the voice. It was much clearer this time. But it sounded desperate. "... there was that voice again."

"... you fucking idiot ... please, for the sake of..."

Suddenly, there was a bright light.

Charcoal opened his eyes once more.

He stared at the familiar wooden ceiling. The smell of herbs and medicine struck his nose. The humanoid dragon knew where he was: Gothi's place. It meant that he was back at Berk. His father had taken him along, and they brought him back to Berk.

The humanoid dragon sat up from the bed. Checking himself, he was only wearing pants. The table next to him had his clothes. His sword was nowhere to be seen.

Charcoal touched his chest and felt the scar from the dagger. He could feel them on his scales. Given the positioning, it was right on his beating heart. He wondered how he survived that stab. It was a lethal strike.

Given what happened, he thought he deserved it.

'The voice told me I'm an idiot.' The humanoid dragon bitterly thought. '... I guess I really am an idiot.'

Suddenly, the door flew open. Gobber was the first one to enter, followed by Spitelout and Gothi. The three Vikings stared at Charcoal, who was not sure why they were there. "Uh..."

Spitelout quickly rushed out. "I'll get Stoick."

Gobber moved to sit at the chair near the front, while Gothi went to grab something at the table. The elder grabbed a bowl of liquid medicine, before handing them over to the humanoid dragon. Charcoal accepted them. "Thank you." Before drinking them.

"Ya know we went searchin' for ye." Gobber spoke up, getting his attention. "When ye didn't come to dragon training, I thought ye ran away."

Charcoal exhaled his breath. "I'm sorry, Gobber." He apologised. "How long was it?"

"Two weeks."

"Two weeks..." The humanoid dragon was surprised. Toothless and Gryphon must be incredibly worried. "And my father put me here?"

Before the blacksmith could answer, a group of Viking entered the place. Stoick had entered the room, along with Spitelout and two other Vikings.

Charcoal recognised them. The first one was Bucket; a man with bucket head and hook prosthetic on right hand. The second one was Mulch; a large, bearded man with hook prosthetic on left hand.

The Vikings were silent. Charcoal stared at them. Eventually, the chief moved closer, before sitting at the chair next to him. The green-eyed man stared at the draconic forest green ones. The father stared at his son, before finally asked. "Why?"

Charcoal had no answer to that. "Where do you want to start?"

There was a pause. Stoick pondered his response. "... start from the beginning."

The humanoid dragon began his confession. He told the tale of Monstrous Nightmare attack five years ago. Those dragons were apparently Lycanwings. Charcoal was infected and became Night Fury that way.

He told him the tale of his life. From initial experience, to the moment when he gained his adult dragon name, and to the point before Charcoal found out about his own truth. He avoided talking about Toothless, since he did not know how they would react to her identity.

Regardless, the Vikings paid close attention. They took note of his two-years participation in the dragon war. There was some reaction when they learned he was responsible for destruction of Lava-Lout Island. They look both relieved and concerned.

Charcoal had no idea why.

Stoick did react when Charcoal mentioned Greater Alpha Furious. The humanoid dragon revealed that he was the ruler of dragons in Barbaric Archipelago. Charcoal knew Stoick was aware, because he had seen them before in Furious' mind.

Eventually, the questioning stopped. The Vikings fell quiet as they processed what they just learned. They wondered how come they never discovered the situation until now.

The situation could have been stopped if someone actually paid attention.

Gobber decided to speak. "Stoick, can we-"

"Not now, Gobber." Stoick stopped him. He focused on the humanoid dragon at the bed. "You still haven't answered my question."

"What was it?"

"Why?" The chief questioned. "Why did you try to kill me?"

Everyone fell silent, waiting for his response. Charcoal pondered the question. "The Northern Alliance wanted to take you alive. I can't let that happen." He confessed. "I can stay at Barbaric Archipelago to protect you, or..."

"Or?" Stoick insisted.

"... or kill you and burn your body." The humanoid dragon confessed, surprising them. "I chose the latter because I want to leave."

The chief softened his expression. "... why do you want to leave?"

"Because this place is getting dangerous." Charcoal answered the question. "I have a family; three sons and four daughters. I don't want to raise them in a place where they can get dragged in this war."

Stoick shuddered his breath. He grimaced as his eyes began to glint. The chief could not believe that he had grandsons. "Why..." he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I tried. Over two weeks ago before you left." Charcoal simply responded. "You wouldn't listen. I had to make the choice myself."

The son and father fell silent once more. Stoick was processing what they just learned. It was Spitelout that decided to ask. He raised his hand, getting their attention. "Umm... mind if I ask." He started. "But why Stoick? Why is he the target?"

Charcoal straightened himself. The questioning was getting formal, which made him comfortable. "Because they are getting desperate." He answered, looking at Spitelout. "Greater Alpha Merciless, the ruler of Greater Archipelago, spent most of his reign warring against them. They need something to tip the balance of war."

Stoick decided to ask. "How does this relate to me?"

The humanoid dragon stared at his father. "I know about Haddock." He revealed. "I know about the blood; I know about Hiccup the First; I know that some of us have dragon blood inside. I know about my mother, Valka, and how she was once a dragon."

The Vikings widened their eyes the more he revealed them, with some about to pop out. Charcoal continued speaking. "Most importantly, Northern Alliance knew about this." He explained. "The Lycanwings were sent by them to infect me. The giant deviant dragon was there to test me. They want to know if it's worth to kidnap you."

"Why?"

"Because you gave birth to me. A pure-blooded Haddock Night Fury." The humanoid dragon answered. "They knew who we are, what we are. They have dragons in human skin. Spies, we call them. They want to learn if it's worth kidnapping you to make you breed Night Furies for them."

That sentence was so absurd, they had to pause to process that. Stoick hardened his expression. There was silent anger in his eyes. "What else do you know?"

"There was a possibility that they have my mother, Valka. The only report we have is that she was kidnapped by a dragon." Charcoal responded. "There was no scheduled dragon raid at that time. Furious never ordered one, and it is forbidden to kidnap humans. The attack was solely done by Northern Alliance, disguised as dragon raid, to kidnap the only Night Fury they knew."

Stoick clenched his eyes, before standing from the ground. There was a long pause as they wondered what he would do. The chief opened his eyes, stared down at his son, before wordlessly walked out from the cottage.

Others rushed to follow, leaving Charcoal and Gothi alone inside.

Stoick was storming down the hill, heading down to the forest. The Vikings were rushing to follow them. "Stoick!" Gobber called out. "Stoick, wait!"

The chief did not stop. It was until they reached the forest edge that he finally stopped. Stoick simply glared at the tree in front of him.

He had made peace with the fact that Hiccup might have to be exiled. The interrogation was there to understand what was going on. He never thought there could be more beyond what they knew.

He never thought his wife could have been alive.

"Stoick?" Gobber slowly approached. "... ye okay?"

"... what else am I supposed to say, Gobber?" Stoick turned to face his best friend. He was conflicted and angry. "That my son knew more about the situation than I do?!"

"Ye can't know everything, Stoick." The blacksmith remarked.

"It is my duty to look after the village." The chief reminded them. He looked grave as he thought of the situation. "We spent decades fighting against our enemies. The Lava-Louts, the Outcasts - we spent our resource to know their every move."

The Vikings remained silent. Stoick continued speaking. "The Northern Alliance is too far for us to fight. I thought we could be safe by staying away." He clenched his fists. "... how... how dare they thought... disgusting thing."

Mulch decided to speak. "It is kind 'o surprisin', but not at the same time." He commented, getting their attention. "The madman has no limit for evil and cruelty. We already know this."

"Aye." Bucket sagely nodded, before staring at him with confusion. "Wait, do we?"

"Yes, Bucket." The short Viking confirmed. "We do."

"This would've not happened if yer being honest with us, Stoick." Spitelout called out. He did not look happy. "Why did you never tell us about Valka? I never knew she was a dragon!"

"Because she was cursed by a witch to become human forever." Stoick crossed his arms. "It doesn't matter if you knew or not. She can't even turn back."

"Stoick, you knew what our grandfather told us." The second-in-command argued. He was uncomfortable. "We were cursed to never fall in love with a dragon. We thought the blood ended with you!"

"The curse doesn't recognise dragons cursed to become human." The chief grimaced. "I thought Hiccup would be human. Maybe it refreshed the blood. I wasn't sure it would change anything until he was born."

It was an interesting loophole. The fact that Hiccup's birth had broken the curse was coincidental. He thought it would simply refresh the blood. He thought there might be another century of Haddocks with draconic power. It was why he was so afraid of awakening Hiccup's blood.

He never expected Hiccup to become a pure-blooded dragon.

"And that's the problem! Ye didn't tell anyone about this. Not even your own brother!" Spitelout outraged, gesturing at himself. "Ye didn't tell Hiccup things he's supposed to know. He had to make that choice himself. He tried to kill you, Stoick. How did you got here?"

Stoick had no answer to that. He understood the difficult choice his son had to make. Given the circumstances, had he told him of the situation, Stoick would have understood. They could have tried something to ensure their safety. He did not have to make that choice by himself.

He did not know what to do.

"... I don't know." Stoick confessed.

They finally fell silent. Spitelout shook his head, pondering what Stoick was thinking. It was Gobber who realised the situation their chief was in. "I think I know."

The Vikings turned their attention to the blacksmith. The chief unfolded his arms. "What do you know?"

"It's how he grew up that made him this way. He always has this... folks that kept harassing him." Gobber began his explanation. "Ye know what happened, Stoick. You heard what he said. But you didn't do much about it."

"Gobber, that's how we grow up." Stoick patiently explained. "Not everyone liked us. We just learn how to adapt and tolerate those we don't like."

"Did ye told him that?"

"He was close to learn that." The chief insisted.

"No, he does not."

"Yes, he is!"

"Stoick, please!" Spitelout raised his voice. He did not like the banter. "Listen for one second! We're trying to understand how we got here."

"I second that!" Mulch called out.

"Aye." Bucket raised his hand.

"Alright." Stoick simply grunted, before gesturing to continue. "Gobber?"

"Ye said it yerself. Hiccup's different." The blacksmith began his explanation. "He's smarter than all of us. He played Maces and talons a lot more than ye do, Stoick. He read plenty of books. And he made lotta contraptions. None of us were those things, and half of us couldn't even read!"

"Get to the point, Gobber."

"The point here is that most Vikings doesn't like him because he's different. Not even those of his age." Gobber summarised. "He tried to prove himself his way. He killed deviants attacking the village twice. The warships we made was his design. But what did he get? Nothin'. Not even a thank. Barely anythin' changed when he got bigger."

The Vikings simply stared at him. There was confusion on their face. Stoick was the one to break the silence. "I don't understand."

Spitelout widened his eyes. "I think I know what you mean."

The chief exhaled his breath. "Go on."

"Hiccup did a lot at the village. He did plenty of work for us in his own ways. That's what you said." The second-in-command explained. "But I've never seen him rewarded with anything."

"I gave him books to study and things to play with. He likes them."

"I don't mean that kind of reward." Spitelout elaborated. "I mean emotional things. He needs them to balance out the scorn."

That gained their attention. Stoick gestured him to continue. The second-in-command took a deep breath. "Ya know most Vikings don't like Snotlout, but he never went down like Hiccup did." He explained. "That's because he got his mother caring for him. I put him in fire brigade so he can make friends. All those things balanced out the scorn."

"Spitelout, Hiccup was in the fire brigade once. It didn't work." The chief crossed his arms. "And Valka is not here."

"That's the problem. Ye didn't pay attention. He was so different; nothing ever fits with him." Spitelout pointed out. "My wife told me that affection is the most important thing for a kid. She said unloved kid would learn them from bloodied axe."

Stoick grimaced at that. It made sense to him, but there was no solution to the problem.

There were times when he wished that Valka was still with him. She would know what to do with the situation. He had no idea how to deal with this situation.

The second-in-command took a deep breath. "... I know he's different, but I saw you in him." Spitelout continued speaking. "Talkin' father to father, ye almost reached that point of no return. If I were you, start listenin' to him. Mend that relation before it's too late."

Bonk!

"Ow."

Charcoal was still at Gothi's place. Gothi was tapping on the dusty floor she had written. The humanoid dragon was trying to read what the elder wrote. "... you want me to turn back?"

The elder nodded. The humanoid dragon took a deep breath as he will himself to transform. His body shimmered as he began to change. When the lights ended, his body had become fully human. Hiccup moved to inspect himself, including the scar on his chest. It was there on his skin.

Gothi checked for other wounds, before nodding. She grabbed the empty bowl from the table, before walking to the room at the back, leaving Hiccup alone. The boy rested himself on the bed, pondering about something before.

'Who was that voice before?' Hiccup thought. 'I wish I hear them before I committed myself to this...'

He wished he heard that voice sooner. It would have made him think before acting. Regardless of intention, he was too hasty making that decision.

'No point on regretting them. It already happened.' The boy mentally grimaced with that thought. 'I should've known not to be too hasty in decision making.'

Hiccup checked the situation. He took a deep breath as he concentrated on his mana circuits. His mana was full; the Storage Crystal was still there. However, there was something else displacing his mana pool. It was some sort of foreign thing latching on his circuits.

The thing was blocking his connection with Gryphon and Toothless.

Confused, the boy focused on expelling the foreign mana. He felt something pop, and a tiny pitch-black crystal flew out from his chest. Before the boy could see closer, the crystal poofed in a black smoke.

'What was that?' Hiccup thought, before reaching for circuit bond with his mate. "Toothless, you there?"

The boy felt his mate entering his mind. It was so fast, he physically reeled. "CHARCOAL!" She mentally exclaimed, making him wince. "Thank the skies, you're alive!"

"I'm fine. I'm here." Hiccup thought his response. He could feel her scouring through his senses and mind. "Why did you think I was dead?"

"I saw them carrying you at Berk." Toothless answered. She sounded visibly relieved and distressed. "Skies above, I saw the knife on your chest. I thought they're preparing for funeral!"

"Funeral usually takes a few days instead of two weeks." The boy pointed out.

"Oh, fuck off! So much happened in two weeks." The mother dragon cussed him out. "I'm at the cove with Gryphon and the hatchlings. Amber is also here. You-"

The conversation abruptly ended. Toothless was still in his mind, which made Hiccup worried. "Toothless?"

"Someone breached your mind. They left something inside." Toothless explained. "You need to get to the cove. Amber is here to help. We need to fix this."

"Don't worry. I'm going there." Hiccup gave his response, before remembering something. "By the way, can you try the human transformation again? See if you can do it."

"What do you..." Toothless paused, as if making the attempt. "... that works!"

The boy quickly checked her mana circuits, mentally getting her body measurement. "Feel free to experiment." He advised. "I'll get you some clothes."

"Oh, I will."

Hiccup stood up from the bed. He grabbed his clothes and checked for any holes. Surprisingly, there was none. There was supposed to be one at the chest.

'Some sort of self-mending properties?' The boy pondered. 'Now that I think about it; I've never ripped my clothes before. I had a Nightmare slashed me before, but it didn't go through...'

Regardless, he got himself an idea. Hiccup thought about making a simple draconic outfit for Toothless. Given that he had her measurements, he could make one for the mother dragon. It should take an hour or two.

It was the least he could do for his absence.

The boy moved to wear his clothes. When that was done, he moved to search for his equipment.

Looking under the bed, there was his sword and dagger. Hiccup strapped the dagger on his back. When he grabbed the sword, he felt them probing his mana circuits. He could feel concern coming from the sword.

Pulling them out from down under, Hiccup placed them on his lap. "I'm okay now." He whispered, connecting his circuits to it. "Thanks for worrying."

There was excitement and happiness from the sword. It suddenly vanished with blue flame as Hiccup felt his mana being displaced. The sword had put itself within his mana pool.

The boy realised that it had storing properties. He barely felt the change, meaning it did not displace mana that much.

Hiccup mentally focused them to appear. With a blue flame, the unsheathed sword appeared on his hand. The blade was burning with deep red flame.

When Hiccup dropped the sword, it disappeared instantly in blue flame, returning into his mana pool. The boy was amazed by this. "Awesome..."

Suddenly, the door flew open. Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout entered the room. They noticed the boy wearing his outfit. The chief was the first one to speak. "Hiccup? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to the forge. I need to make some clothes for someone." Hiccup gave his answer. "I also need medical attention of draconic variety."

"Alright." Stoick decided, before noticing something. "Have Gothi cleared you to leave?"

The elder had just entered room. Hiccup and Gothi stared at each other. The old woman gave a nod, before writing at the floor with her stick. They waited for her to finish writing. When that was done, the boy read them.

APOLOGISE.

Hiccup knew what needed to be done. He stood in front of his father, before straightening himself. "... I'm sorry." He whispered. "... for everything."

Stoick softened his expression. He moved closer and wrapped his arms around his son. "We need to work more on our communication." The man started, before leading Hiccup out from the cottage.

Meanwhile, the village was tense since Stoick's return.

Ever since Hiccup was revealed to be a dragon, everyone was on edge. It had been a while since someone was born with draconic features. Hamish the Second was one, and considering Haddock's history, some were not entirely surprised.

It did bring uncomfortable topic of Hairy Hooligan tribe. Half of the old families, such as Haddocks, Hoffersons and Thorsons, were rumoured to have close relation with dragons centuries ago.

While the tales were told since they were young, barely anyone took them seriously. They became tales to keep their children from doing bad things.

However, it seemed that those stories had some truths in them.

"THE END IS NEAR!"

The Great Hall was particularly crowded that day. Vikings were busy hashing out their knowledge about the village. There was a certain lanky old man shouting at the open stone door. Mildew had been shouting at passing Vikings, demanding them to listen.

"We have the heir as a dragon!" Mildew shouted, waving his wooden staff around. Some Vikings did paid attention to him. "And everyone is okay with this!"

One of the Vikings called out. "Hiccup the Second was half dragon!"

"It's because they are cursed! The God of Gods Odin cursed them!" The elder called them out. "Open yer eyes! Ye think they won't try to kill us?! Remember those deviant dragons!"

"Hiccup the Second was a deviant dragon hunter."

"Hamish the Second got dragon scales; Thor almighty, he slayed a thousand of them!"

"Come off it, Mildew! Go back to yer hole!"

Mildew scowled at them. "You'll see what I mean!" He shouted, before storming down the stairs, heading to the town square. "Cowardly Vikings..."

Meanwhile, Astrid, Snotlout and others were sitting near the stairs at the bottom. The petite girl was leaning against the wall; Ruffnut was standing next to her. Snotlout and others were sitting on small empty crates. The group was relaxing while watching everyone doing their thing.

"Looks like Hiccup's the talk of the village again." Ruffnut teased the petite girl. "No one paid attention to your winning."

Astrid scowled at her. "Shut up, Ruff."

"I wonder what kind of dragon we'll be facing next." Tuffnut spoke his thoughts aloud, before grinning. "Do you think they'll put Hiccup in the ring?"

Snotlout was happy with that premise. "Oho, he could be the dragon." He rubbed his palms together. "I can finally beat him with my hammer."

"No, 'lout. Astrid won the dragon ring." The female twin nonchalantly responded. "You heard what Gobber said. She'll be facing the Nightmare in a week. No dragon training until then."

"Oh yeah!" the burly boy remembered. "I can't wait to see her kill that thing!"

They stared at Astrid to respond. However, the petite girl was watching the street. She looked rather pensive - somewhat deep in thought. Fishlegs decided to speak. "Astrid?"

The petite girl looked back from her thoughts. "Yeah?"

"S- Snotlout said something about dragon training." The large boy nervously commented.

"Oh. Ignore him." Astrid frowned. "I'm just thinking about Hiccup. That's all."

"Why are you thinking about the useless?" Snotlout sneered at her. He looked offended.

The petite girl scowled. "Go away, Snotlout." She responded, before looking at Fishlegs to speak to him. "Did Gobber say anything about Hiccup?"

"Gobber didn't say anything." Ruffnut nonchalantly spoke to them. "The chief told us to ignore them for now."

"But everyone is talking about it." Tuffnut pointed out. "Hiccup tried to kill the chief. Looks like his father forgiven him."

Astrid was surprised. "And he just... let him go?"

"Yup! I heard Northern Alliance tricked him into it." The male twin jumped off from the crates. He stood on the ground and faced the petite girl. "No one knows what really happened, but rumours said it was about stuff of legends."

"Oh, something big is happening." Ruffnut alluded them. The others stopped to pay more attention to her. "Something great. Something horrible. Something that will change our lives forever..."

That made Snotlout excited. "I want to know what they're up to."

"I guess it's our job to find out." Astrid crossed her arms, smirking.

Later that day, Hiccup headed to the cove, along with Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout and Gothi. The boy was carrying a woven basket, which had the clothes he made for his mate. The other Vikings were there to go with him, mostly to see where he was going.

"So, Gobber." Hiccup started, getting his attention. "I was wondering... what happened to dragon training?"

"Ah, well, we dropped yer part." The blacksmith answered, scratching his back. "The trainin's over, lad. It ended yesterday."

The boy exhaled a sigh. "... who got to fight the Monstrous Nightmare?"

"Astrid Hofferson." Gobber gave the name. "She fought well on the ring. Gothi approved her."

"Good for her." Hiccup shrugged, seeing the cove entrance in sight.

Reaching the place, they carefully crawled through the stone obstacles. The boy was the first one to enter. There was not really anyone at the cove. "Toothless?" He called out, placing the basket on the ground. "I'm here."

Suddenly, someone tackled him to the ground. The offending person had pulled him into a hug. "Hiccup! I missed you!"

Stoick was the second one to enter. He took one look at the scene, before quickly looked away. "What the- Hiccup!"

"Thor's hairy ballsack!" Gobber exclaimed, utterly shocked by the scene. "Who is she?!"

"What?" Spitelout moved to check. "What's going on?"

Whack!

Gothi whacked the three men with her staff. It was obvious that she did not want them to see. Stoick, Spitelout and Gobber quickly moved out of sight, while the elder took cover behind the rocks. She simply peeked around the corner to watch.

Hiccup, however, had the full pleasure of seeing his mate as a human. Pushing her away, he stared at her green acidic eyes, similar to his forest green ones.

She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Her incredibly long, coarse blonde hair and fair medium skin seemed to shine under the sun. He could stare at her soft, green acidic eyes for eternity.

Eventually, the boy regained his senses. "Toothless?"

The girl simply smiled. "Yes?"

"... you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen." Hiccup gave his honest compliment. "And I'm glad to have you as my mate."

Toothless seemed to blush. "I think I need to get used to this body." She admitted. Her voice was melodic. "I'm blushing to compliments."

The boy reached for the basket. "We need to get you used as a human." He responded, before standing up from the ground. "Come on. Let's get you wear these clothes."

Since Toothless did not know how to wear them, Hiccup had to be the one to help. The boy took more attention to her appearance as he helped her dress.

The dragoness turned human stood roughly the same height as him. Her long, coarse blonde hair looked untamed; her fair medium white skin, while smooth in appearance, felt thick when touched. She had a wild appearance in general, as if announcing her rebellious nature to anyone who saw her.

Unlike most Vikings, she was large and incredibly muscular. If not for her large breast and beautiful appearance, anyone would have mistaken her or a man. The size of her quads and biceps implied she could break their neck and rip them in half. Literally.

In short, she was a unique combination of strength and beauty. The tomboyish appearance blending with feminine beauty. Her skin gave off a radiant, glowing appearance under the sun. Given the right outfit, Vikings might mistake her for Valkyrie from heavens.

Hiccup felt blessed to have her as his mate.

Eventually, Hiccup finished putting on her clothes. "There."

Toothless had something complex than his own. She wore a purple and bright obsidian long-sleeved outfit, which had orange lines on its trimmings. The dragon turned human also had thick dark purple shoes and leather gauntlets. It was surprisingly simple in design.

There were large dark purple scales on her shoulders, chest and back, acting as light armour. It also made up her belt, which had a knee-long dress with arrow-shaped ends. There were also leather pouches on her belt.

Overall, she looked like a princess ready for war.

Toothless twirled her body, showing her new clothes. "How do I look?"

Hiccup simply grabbed and pulled her into a kiss. The couple embraced each other, ignoring the world around them. They wanted to enjoy that moment after being separated for so long.

The boy entered her mind through their circuit connection, revelling the sensation of human pleasure. It was the most amazing feeling to embrace the one he loved the most.

"Ahem."

The couple finally broke off their kiss. Hiccup and Toothless turned to face the Vikings, who were utterly shocked to see them. Stoick was incredibly stunned to see his son kissing a female he never met. It showed how much he did not know about his own son.

Hiccup let go of his mate. "Dad, Gothi, Gobber, Spitelout, this is Toothless." He introduced them to each other. "Toothless, these are Spitelout, Gothi, Gobber and my dad."

Toothless gave them a small wave. "Hey..."

Gobber realised something. "Wait." He spoke up, getting their attention. "Yer Toothless? The dragon?"

"Yeah. I remember you holding that bola." The girl simply nodded, before narrowing her eyes to Stoick. "I also remember you considering trading my mate with the Lava-Louts."

Stoick simply froze there. That sentence short-circuited his brain. "What?"

"Stoick?" Spitelout shook the chief on his shoulder. "Brother, ye alright?"

That snapped him out from trance. The chief blinked for a moment, before focusing on his son. "Hiccup." He slowly started. "Your wife is Toothless?"

"I met her four years ago." Hiccup admitted. "We've been... a couple for three years."

Stoick and Gobber glanced at each other, before looking back at them. "... I see." The chief numbly nodded. "What was it you say about medical attention?"

Toothless was the one to answer. "It's a mind-related problem." She explained, getting their attention. "I can't say much until my friend comes back. Did Hiccup do anything that knocked him out?"

Stoick crossed his arms. "He tried to kill me."

The girl stared at her mate with incredulous expression. Hiccup raised his hands. "In my defence, I wasn't thinking clearly when I did it." He explained. "I just want to stop whatever Northern Alliance was planning."

"Charcoal, you know I hate my father." Toothless slowly responded. "But I would never, ever, wish him dead. What were you thinking?!"

"The Northern Alliance was considering kidnapping my father to breed Night Furies." The boy explained his reasoning. "The event leading up to this makes sense. I've read Furious' mind to see the whole picture."

"And you just trust Furious as is?!" The girl was outraged. "Charcoal, our nest was destroyed!"

Hiccup stared with shock. "What?!"

"General Nemo is a deviant. He's a spy working with Northern Alliance." Toothless explained what she knew. "He came with his deviant army and destroyed our nest. He melted the whole island down into the ocean."

The boy was frantic. He looked around the place. "Where are the kids?"

"Gryphon went missing. The hatchlings are safe. You're not seeing them until we healed your mind." The girl gave her answer, before continuing the topic. "Nothing was left. It's all gone. Everything. We barely made it out with your sea scooter. If not for Gryphon, we would all be dead!"

There was a long pause. The Vikings were silent as Toothless verbally ripped the boy a new one. Hiccup simply faltered. "I'm sorry." He apologised. "I guess I was too emotional to think."

"Emotional or not, you're not supposed to take things as it is!" Toothless pressed on. "There's no easy answer, Charcoal. There's no right answer, either. We're just a bunch of dragons getting the sharp end of this war. Let the alphas sort this out! Your priority is taking care of your family! Not martyr yourself trying to kill your own father! Your real father!"

Suddenly, they heard someone flying down from the sky. Amber the Light Fury had just arrived. She noticed that Toothless was together with Hiccup, along with four Vikings close to the entrance. The white dragon sensed the tension. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No. We just finished." Toothless huffed, before storming to the open cave. "Get his mind healed before I snap again."

At the balcony of Furious lair in Dragon Island, two dragons stood in front of the giant yellow eye.

The first one was General Grosvenor. The gluttonous titan wing Monstrous Nightmare stood with satisfaction. He had recently given his report related to Nemo the Deadly Nadder. It was a strong case he had been building against him.

However, the presence of the other dragon made it unnecessary.

Mursal the Hideous Heatwing was a red-white dragon with rhino-like horn at his snout. He also had a pair of horns on his head, as well as fins along his spine. His wings were massive, implying his capability to fly extremely fast.

The dragon was just as big as Grosvenor. However, he was a lot more muscular than bloated. There were all sorts of scars around his scales, including one running across his left eye. The appearance of this dragon was definitely intimidating.

It was not the most important part, however. Mursal was a dragon messenger. Specifically, Merciless' war carrier. His task was to deliver high profile messages from Merciless to their destination. His presence in the lair meant something important.

"Is Gryphon safe?"

"Yes." Mursal nodded. "The Valstrax is in our custody."

"And Nemo the Deadly Nadder?"

"Nemo the deviant Deadly Nadder, along with his army, were killed when they attempted to cross the border." The Hideous Heatwing answered. "We thought it was an incursion from the rear. Merciless took care of Nemo personally."

Furious thought that was alarming. He should have known there could be a deviant within his ranks. The incidents in Isle of Berk and the lack of response should have been the clue. Nemo had been using his authority to ensure non-interference.

It got even worse when he discovered what Charcoal did. He made his own conclusion and tried to kill his own father. It was a miracle that they survived.

He had to come up with something to resolve the situation.

'Charcoal, you are the stupidest dragon I have ever known in my life.' Furious thought as he recalled what happened two weeks ago. 'When I got my claws on him, I'll...'

The greater alpha dragon focused on calming himself. Charcoal would never make that attempt had it not for Nemo to convince him. Furious was sure that the deviant Deadly Nadder had orchestrated the whole thing. There was no telling what would happen if he succeeded.

In fact, Nemo was most likely responsible for isolating Charcoal's mind.

Furious could use his abilities to read Charcoal's mind without him knowing. He used them sparingly since he did not want Charcoal to notice. It was useful to make sure Charcoal's human and dragon life did not conflict with each other.

He knew something was wrong when he could not connect to his mind. It was too late to do anything when he found out about it. Toothless and her family were in hiding; Charcoal was being sailed back to Berk; and Merciless found out everything through Gryphon.

Thankfully, Charcoal had recently ejected whatever isolated his mind. He would have to talk with him later after this.

Suddenly, another dragon landed at the balcony. It was Aymar the Valstrax, Wodensfang's personal messenger dragon. "Greater Alpha Furious." He declared, staring at the giant yellow eye. "I have come to deliver official message."

Furious knew his day was getting worse. "Is it classified?"

"No. It is public record." Aymar answered, before speaking the content. "I hereby inform you of your dismissal and impeachment under the orders of Arch Alpha Wodensfang and Longfin Imperial Court."

Grosvenor and Mursal widened their eyes. The Longfin Imperial Court was composed of every greater alpha dragons under Wodensfang. It was incredibly rare for them to make bipartisan order with the arch alpha, since he was not popular amongst the greater alphas.

Furious was in deep trouble.

The Valstrax was not done yet. "You have 30 days to peacefully remove yourself from your position." Aymar continued speaking. "Should you refuse, we will remove you from the region with extreme prejudice."

It meant Wodensfang himself would remove him if he refused.

Aymar tapped his claw on the ground. A large black envelope with purple seal appeared in front of him. The Valstrax pushed them to the giant yellow eye. "The Book Crystal contains schedules of your impeachment." He explained. "It will start after your removal from duty."

"I understand." Furious responded. He did not sound happy. "What about my replacement?"

"It will be revealed after your dismissal."

It meant his replacement might not be popular in the region. "Very well." The greater alpha relented. "I will prepare for transfer of power."

Aymar bowed slightly, before taking off into the air. He flew out from the volcano and disappeared into the sky above. Grosvenor and Mursal glanced at each other, before looking back at the greater alpha dragon.

Furious was in deep in thought. The situation was not looking good. He had 30 days to resolve the situation before his dismissal. The greater alpha dragon did not trust the new greater alpha to do that. No one understood the situation more than he did.

The safety of Charcoal and his family were the outmost important.

Northern Alliance must be purged from Barbaric Archipelago before his dismissal. General Nemo and his army were the first deviants caught in the region. It was possible for more to exist within their ranks.

The greater alpha dragon thought of a plan.

"Messenger Mursal." Furious thought. "You are dismissed."

"Yes, Greater Alpha." The Hideous Heatwing bowed, before taking off into the air. He flew out from the Dragon Island, heading back to Greater Archipelago.

"General Grosvenor." The greater alpha dragon focused to the gluttonous dragon. "I need you to lock down the archipelago indefinitely. No dragons are allowed to leave the region, except for alpha messengers and diplomats."

Grosvenor straightened himself. He realised what the giant dragon was planning. "Yes, Greater Alpha." The red dragon obeyed. "Should I inform the others?"

"Yes. Tell them we are purging our ranks from deviants." Furious gave the order. "It would be our last action before my dismissal."

"Yes, Greater Alpha." The gluttonous dragon bowed, before taking off into the air.

After Grosvenor left, the greater alpha dragon pulled back into his lair. He would have to personally seal their storages and vaults, which were scattered all across the region.

They would be crucial for his plan.

"Look here. I found it."

Snotlout, Astrid and the rest of the group was inside the Great Hall. Like most Vikings that could read, they had been scouring the place for any book about the history of their own tribe. They were sitting at a small table, with Fishlegs holding a leather book.

The large man pointed at the text. "It says that Hairy Hooligan tribe used to be friends with dragons." Fishlegs explained. "They said Hiccup the First tamed a dragon. Hiccup the Second did it too."

"Ho..." Snotlout was awed. "Does it say how?"

"Uh..." The large boy checked other pages. "... it doesn't say how. This doesn't look finished."

"I guess that's it for our search." Ruffnut smirked at the group. "Too bad there's nothing about it."

The burly boy smirked as well. "We can ask Hiccup." Snotlout suggested. "I bet he knows how."

"You'll get caught if you try." The female twin warned. "His father's been watching him."

Astrid leaned forward. "I can always try them myself." She whispered, getting their attention. "A boy like him doesn't keep secrets for long. A few hits, and he'll be singing like a bird."

Fishlegs suddenly snorted, getting their attention. "Hah!" There was a long pause as they stared at them. The large boy shrunk at their glare. "Ah... sorry. I- I get that reference."

The mind healing took several hours. Hiccup was treated in his dragon form to ensure no complication during the healing process.

Amber used telepathy to analyse his mind, as well as helping him repair what needed to be fixed. They had to be thorough, since it meant their overall safety.

The Vikings came and went. Stoick and Spitelout had to do their duties, while Gobber was needed at the forge. Gothi had to return to tend her plants. Toothless had to hunt for the two dragons, since they had to remain at the cove.

The dragoness also had to feed her hatchlings, which Charcoal was not allowed to see yet.

Eventually, the process was done. It was afternoon when they were finally finished. Amber detached her telepathic connection with him. "I think that's done. How do you feel?"

"Like an unknown headache finally gone from my head." Charcoal gave his answer. He was comfortably resting on the ground. "That was mentally exhausting. Can I turn back now?"

"You can."

"Thank you." The male dragon nodded, before focusing himself to transform. He shimmered with yellow light, before shrinking down to humanoid form. When the lights ended, Charcoal had transformed back to Hiccup. The boy stretched his body.

Hiccup moved to the open cave, where Toothless was resting. The mother dragon was in her dragon form. Just like his draconic outfit, her clothes had adjusted itself to her dragon form. The purple and bright obsidian outfit was rather snug on her body.

The large dark purple scales had turned into carapace. It covered most of her vital parts, such as shoulders, chest, neck and belly, including her front wing bones. Her appearance seemed to give off the air of war dragon royalty.

The boy stopped in front of his mate. He simply stared at her. "It's done."

Toothless nodded, before unfolding her wings. The six hatchlings were all there. They leaped onto their father. "Dad!"

"Oof!" Hiccup was knocked to the ground. The hatchlings were wrapping themselves around him. "Calm down, kids. I'm not going anywhere."

"Dad, you're okay!" Calian exclaimed. "I'm worried."

"I'm scared." Helena added. Her eyes seemed to water a bit. "Mom said you were gone."

The boy pulled his hatchlings into a hug. "Hey, I'm okay now." He whispered, soothing them. "Did you stay calm when they attacked the nest?"

"Hrr..." The hatchlings hesitantly nodded.

Hiccup smiled at them. "That's my hatchlings. You're keeping yourself safe." The boy cooed, snuggling them. "You did great. I'm proud of you..."

The mother dragon remained where she was. Amber had moved to rest next to her. Toothless stared at her eyes, before requesting telepathic connection with her. Once accepted, the adult female black dragon began to think. "How was it?"

"Unusual case. His memories about Furious are connected to Furious himself." The Light Fury gave her report. "It's incredibly thorough; it might take years to fully rid of his presence."

Toothless darkened her expression. "His mind wasn't like that two weeks ago." She thought, glancing at the entrance. Stoick and others were entering the cove. "Furious did this in just a few minutes."

"I don't think Furious damaged his mind. The connection looks old; it haven't been used for months." Amber thought to her best friend. "The damage is recent. It looks similar to deviant hunter veterans after being captured. We're looking for a deviant that can cause mental damage in a short time."

"... I guess we'll have to find out." The mother dragon darkly thought.

Stoick, Gobber and Spitelout moved to approach the boy. The hatchlings noticed them. They moved to hide behind their father. Hiccup sat up from the ground, before turning around to face the Vikings. He was happy to see them there.

"Kids." Hiccup started as he moved his hatchlings in front of him. "They are our family."

The Night Fury hatchlings were hesitant. The boy gestured Stoick to come, which he did. The chief carefully approached them, before lowering himself. He sat cross-legged on the ground. He was awed by the sight of them.

"Everyone, this is Stoick the Vast. Your grandfather." Hiccup introduced him to his hatchlings. "He is a human."

The hatchlings were still hesitant. It was Amelia that made the first move. She carefully approached the large Viking, sniffing his scent to know him more. Stoick slowly moved to show his palm. The spring green eyed hatchling stared for a moment, before nuzzling his palm with her head.

Eventually, other hatchlings warmed up to him. The chief numbly stared as they began sniffing him. He carefully picked up the smallest hatchling, one with acidic green eyes. It reminded him so much of his own son. Stoick blinked a tear as he looked back at the boy. "They are..."

"Your grandsons and granddaughters." Hiccup gave him a smile. He began telling their name. "That one is Calian. The one with a bit of white is Winter. That's Helena; Amelia; and Iris. The one you're holding is Hamish."

Stoick silently gasped. "Hamish?"

"Hamish is the smallest. But he's also the smartest." The boy explained. "I thought about naming him Hiccup, but I decided against it. I want his future decided by what he does, not because how big he is."

They fell silent once more. Other Vikings were hesitant to approach, mostly because two dragons had moved to stand right behind Hiccup. They were daring them to try anything that might harm the hatchlings. Given the track record, they might not survive that encounter.

Toothless decided to speak. "Alright, hatchlings." She called out, getting their attention. "The grown-ups need to talk. Aunt Amber here will help you sleep."

"Aww..." The hatchlings whined but moved anyway. They ran off to climb onto the Light Fury.

When everyone was there, Amber walked to the open cave. "I'll be inside if you need me." She called out. "Keep me updated, will you?"

"I will." The mother dragon responded, before focusing herself to transform. She began to shimmer and shrunk to humanoid form. When the light died down, Toothless had transformed to her human form. "We don't know where Gryphon went. You have circuit connection with her. Can you check?"

"Yes." Hiccup looked to the ground. He mentally focused to reach Gryphon's mind. The boy had some sort of unknown circuit bond with her for reasons unknown. "Gryphon? Are you there?"

There was a brief pause. Gryphon suddenly screamed in his mind. "DAD! YOU'RE ALIVE!"

"Gryphon, where are you?" The boy questioned. "Toothless said you went missing."

"My mind isn't connected with her, but she knows I'm alive somewhere." The Valstrax replied. She was incredibly relieved. "Thank the gods, you're okay. I thought you died!"

"I'm just glad that I'm alive."

"Me too." Gryphon answered. "I'm currently at Greater Archipelago."

Hiccup was alarmed. "Why are you there?"

"Long story short, there was a deviant Deadly Nadder going after us. He came with an army." The Valstrax told the tale. "I thought I could outfly him, but I can't. I ended up flying to the border since Greater Alpha Merciless responds faster to deviant incursion. He saved me from that dragon."

"That must be Nemo. Toothless told me about the attack." Charcoal realised. "Where are you now, exactly?"

"I'm at the infirmary near the border." Gryphon answered. She sounded a bit desperate. "Barbaric Archipelago is in lockdown. Merciless won't let me go back unless you talk to him through me."

"Lockdown?" Hiccup was surprised. "When?"

"It was declared few hours ago." The Valstrax elaborated. "There are dragons at the border. No one is allowed to leave."

Hiccup slumped his shoulder. He looked back up to his mate. "Gryphon is okay. She's at Greater Archipelago. Merciless stopped her from going back unless I talk to him. Barbaric Archipelago is in lockdown since few hours ago." He explained. "General Nemo dead. They crossed the border and got Merciless involved."

Toothless softened her expression. "I'm glad she's okay." She expressed her relief. "I thought the deviants got her. She'll be safe as long she trusts my brother."

Hiccup relayed that to the Valstrax. "Stay at Greater Archipelago for now. Trust Merciless, and you'll be fine." The boy sent the message. "But don't show them what you can do, especially anything involving alchemy."

"Okay." Gryphon responded. "I won't go anywhere."

"I've told her to stay." The boy exhaled his breath. He stood from the ground. "What now?"

Toothless pulled something out of her pocket. It was the familiar greenish crystal plate the size of her hand. "Amber escaped with information about your other circuit." She offered the Stone Book crystal. "It should explain the context of your relationship with Furious."

Hiccup took the Stone Book from her hand. His mana circuit connected to the crystal. There was a minute-long pause as his mind processed the content of the Stone Book. The boy double checked to confirm what he was mentally reading.

He realised what Furious had done to him.

"... my ancient circuit is his son." The boy remarked. He was saddened after reading the Stone Book crystal. "I guess that makes sense. Furious seriously want me to be his son."

"I think that's the least of your worries right now." Toothless commented, getting their attention. "Amber found couple things in your mind. Have you ever been kidnapped by a deviant dragon, by any chance?"

"Not that I can remember." Hiccup admitted. He pocketed the Stone Book crystal. "Sometimes, I don't remember doing something, but everyone said I did."

The mother dragon in human form thought that was strange. "That must be Furious. Amber said he's not responsible for breaking your mind." Toothless concluded. "What was the last thing you remember before attacking your human father?"

"I was talking to Furious. He let me read his mind to learn... everything about my family." The boy answered. "He knew I don't trust him. That's why he let me into his mind. I wasn't even supposed to know what he knew about the attack."

"What about something before that?" Toothless insisted. "We're looking for a deviant that damaged your mind. We want to know how far back you've been influenced by a deviant dragon."

Hiccup paused as he tried to remember. He did not remember meeting or fighting any deviant as a dragon. However, the boy remembered something crucial. "General Nemo."

The dragoness in human form was concerned. "You've been alone with him before?"

"About two weeks ago. While talking to Furious, I left his lair because I had some headache. Nemo came to me searching for someone; he said they killed their own father to protect their siblings." Hiccup explained the tale. "He gave me a dewberry cactus flesh. It got rid of the headache, but after he left, that headache came back. It makes me harder to think."

"Dewberry cactus flesh is a remedy for common headaches. It lasts for about six hours." Toothless slowly explained. "What they are not is a remedy for telepathy-induced headache. That second headache is Nemo wrecking your mind."

"But the headache starts after he left." The boy expressed his confusion. Then, he remembered. "Wait. I ejected some sort of black smoking crystal back at Gothi's. It was blocking me from contacting you."

"Then Nemo poisoned your mind. He put something in that dewberry cactus flesh." The dragoness in human form concluded. She did not like where she was going. "Skies above, Charcoal. You know a lot about Psychic-Force. How come you don't know what unusual headache feels like?"

"I don't know. I've never felt it before." Hiccup expressed his frustration. "I just can't believe Nemo was the deviant! He was the only general that's nice to everyone. I didn't even know deviants can hide their wrongness."

Spitelout decided to comment. "It's always the nice ones."

Stoick let out a sigh. "Spitelout."

"What?" The second-in-command shrugged. "That's how we know Ascal before we knew."

"... they knew how to be one of us." The chief stroked his beard, pondering what they just learned. "They could be everywhere. It would be difficult to purge them from our ranks as well."

"From what I've seen so far, they exploited the one thing everyone refused to solve." Toothless glared at the Vikings and her mate. "They knew everything about us when we barely knew anything. Why did none of you tell anything about Ca- Hiccup's inheritance before now?!"

The Vikings fell silent. They stared at Stoick, who looked uncomfortable. Hiccup felt irritated, mostly because he had to learn everything from Furious. Everyone wanted to know why Hiccup's own father barely told him anything.

Eventually, the chief took a deep breath. "Because Hiccup is not ready."

"It doesn't matter if he's ready or not." Toothless patiently responded. "What matters is we learned them the hard way. He learned them the hard way. We were lucky that none of us died from this."

They fell silent once more. Hiccup and the Vikings looked uncomfortable. The mother dragon in human form did not look happy. They silently wondered how they could have done better in this situation.

Eventually, Hiccup confessed. "Before Nemo came, I never considered trying to kill you." He spoke as he stared at his human father. "I thought I could stay to protect you until Northern Alliance is destroyed in Greater Archipelago. I thought we could... talk about all this after you come back."

Stoick softened his expression. The boy took a deep breath. "It's too late now." Hiccup admitted. "We could've talked about this years ago when I befriended Toothless, or after my defeat by Alatreon. There's so many chances that we could've just... talk."

"You weren't..." The father paused. He thought about what he truly feel.

Stoick was afraid he might lose his son. When Hiccup was born as an egg, he knew the boy would come out as a full dragon. The blood was refreshed the moment he was born. Given their history, while most Vikings might accept him, wild dragons would not take kindly of him.

It was why he never told him. Before knowing the situation, he thought Hiccup could never adapt as a dragon. He lived his whole life as a Viking in a Viking village, and it was the identity he had in his whole life.

He thought Hiccup did not know how to fight and survive as a dragon.

However, it was not an excuse for not telling him. There was a reason why his father told him when he was 5-year-old. Stoick was trained with his powers since he was young. He could have done the same with Hiccup.

And yet, he didn't.

Stoick realised he might be the problem.

He was the one supposed to care for him. Between his chiefdom and taking care of the village, Stoick used every free time he had to spend for his son. It was a struggle being a single parent.

He knew his effort was not enough. It was never enough. There were so many things he wanted to do with his son; so many things to share. Barbaric Archipelago had plethora of things, and their island was the ancestral home of Haddock family.

And yet, there was barely anything to show.

Granted, Stoick had given every book and knowledge to his son. He was the one who brought Alexander Haddock to teach him. Hiccup had become someone far beyond any Viking in the village. The boy had exceeded their expectation.

However, it could never replace the kindness and affection from a parent.

He had failed as a father.

"No." Stoick finally confessed. "I am the one who is not ready."

That made them pause. Gobber was the one to ask. "Stoick?"

"I never told him because I'm not ready." The father stared at his best friend. "I knew he would be a dragon. I couldn't raise him as one. I thought I could tell him when we were ready."

Spitelout let out a sigh. "it's hard enough being a father, Stoick." He commented, getting their attention. "Ye had to add the drama by not doing what your father did."

The chief let out a long, drawn out sigh. He rubbed his temple as he thought of the situation. "I don't even know anymore." Stoick admitted, before staring back at his son. "What are you planning to do?"

Hiccup turned to look at his mate. "Toothless?"

"Northern Alliance is looking to get a Night Fury of their own. They tried to kidnap the hatchlings. The longer we stay in this region, the worse our problem gets." Toothless began explaining, getting their attention. "We need to figure out a way to reach Europe undetected. From there, we fly to Arabian Peninsula and get in contact with the arch alpha."

"It's not going to be easy getting out. Barbaric Archipelago is in lockdown." Hiccup explained the situation. "The army already secured the border. We need someone that can actually get us out."

Stoick decided to speak. "What about sailing?"

"Furious locked down the region to keep dragons in." The boy reasoned. "If we try to sail, he's going to be the one to stop us from escaping. He has tendency to know what we're going to do next."

"Oh, yeah..." Toothless realised the problem. "Ancient Night Furies can peek into the future."

The Vikings widened their eyes. Spitelout was the one to ask. "Peek into the future?"

"When a Night Fury reached 500-year-old age, they would develop the ability to peek into the future. They can know where and when something is going to happen." The mother dragon explained the context. "We know Furious is older than that. The only way to fight this is to have the ability yourself."

"He knew we were going to leave." Hiccup realised.

"He locked down the region few hours ago while Amber was cleaning your mind." Toothless pointed out. "He doesn't want us to leave this place. There's no telling what he would do if we try."

The group fell silent. They realised Furious had most likely predicted their every move. It was going to be difficult to leave the place without confrontation. Should they make an attempt, Furious might come to them, which was something they tried to avoid.

Toothless suddenly remembered something. She began rummaging through her pockets. "Wait. I have something to help." She pulled out a small, glowing white cubic crystal. "Relocation Crystal. It's my emergency transport to Greater Archipelago in case I was ever kidnapped."

Gobber widened his eyes. "A crystal."

"We can use it to escape." Hiccup realised.

"It only works for one dragon." The mother dragon admitted. "I have this for so long; I don't remember the exact location it would transport me to. It leads to somewhere in Merciless' lair."

The boy faltered. "It's not really much use, then."

"We should consider fighting against Furious." Stoick spoke up, getting their attention. His arms were crossed. "Lead us to their nest behind Helheim's Gate. We'll bring the fight to him."

That was the Viking option. Hiccup pondered how to explain the situation. "Have you ever seen a Night Fury the size of an island?"

The chief raised his brows. "I know roughly about Furious' size."

"But you haven't seen his true form." The boy continued to describe. "He has these weird tendrils and moving black flame. Those things absorbs light. I've never seen anything like that before."

"Oh, that explains how he can enter your mind." Toothless realised, turning her focus. "Furious is an Ebonclaw Night Fury."

That confused them. Hiccup was the one to ask. "Ebonclaw Night Fury?"

"Because of our long lifespan, Night Furies tend to accumulate all sorts of powers and mutations. Their hatchlings then inherit those things." The dragoness explained the context. "It's basically subspecies, but everyone is still a Night Fury."

"Oh, it's like Celestial Royalwing!" Hiccup realised.

That confused everyone. "Celestial Royalwing?"

"It's a variant of Deathly Galeslash, which is a hybrid of Deadly Nadder and Stormcutter." The boy explained the context. "They have golden scales. It was said that they breathe pure, radiant light. They are great fighters against deviant dragons. I read it in Hero's Guide to Deadly Dragons."

"Okay. It's sort of like that." Toothless confirmed, getting their attention once more. "A Night Fury family usually have their own secret techniques. Only their family knows about them."

Stoick moved to approach. "Legend says that our family name is related to our blood." He started, getting their attention. "We assume it meant something to our ancestors."

"Haddock is the family name. Haddock Night Fury is what Hiccup the First was before." Toothless explained. "For comparison, I am a Lynx Night Fury. Just like my father, Wodensfang."

"Wodensfang..." The chief widened his eyes. "Hiccup the First's dragon friend?"

"I'm his daughter. Yes."

Hiccup decided to ask. "So, Furious is an Ebonclaw Night Fury." He pondered. "What can they do, exactly?"

"Furious is an Ebonclaw. They are known for their... eldritch abilities." The girl explained to them. "That's what we call them. We barely knew anything about them. We know that they can take this... weird incomprehensible form that can drive us insane."

Stoick was the one to ask. "How can their appearance make someone insane?"

"Imagine running through never-ending hallway with thousands of doors around you. Imagine those doors leading to the same never-ending hallways." Toothless simply described. "Trying to understand why and how to get out can drive you insane. Eldritch form, as I like to call them, force your mind to suffer a day for every second with no way out."

That gave terrible imagination for everyone discussing them. The Vikings shuddered at that thought. They realised that they might be dealing with something more terrifying than a simple fire breathing lizard.

"I did look at his form before." Hiccup pointed out. "It didn't drive me insane."

"That's because he wants you to be sane. Furious can control this ability. It's what makes him terrifying." The girl further explained, staring at the boy. "The more you see his true form, the more you know about him, the more he knows about you. We've sealed and redacted some of your memories, so Furious can't enter your mind anymore."

The boy did not know what to say. Hiccup wondered how it come to this. "I think he does mean well." He admitted. "He went looking to cure me from Lycanwing. He did consider me his son. If I ignore his deception, Furious genuinely care from the start."

Toothless grimaced at that. The Vikings looked uncomfortable. Gobber knew where that conversation was going. "Hiccup." He began, getting their attention. "Stoick cares for ye, lad."

"I know." Hiccup stared at the blacksmith. "But the situation is more complicated than that."

"Well..." Gobber shrugged. "He raised ye."

"And Furious made me his son." The boy explained as he pulled out the Book Stone crystal. "He had a son. His name was Mimir. He was a 500-year-old Night Fury. Somehow, Furious put his dead son into me, like two irons moulded into one."

The Vikings were silent. They were too shocked to hear that. Hiccup continued speaking. "We found out something was wrong about a year ago. In short, they found a 'body' inside of me." He showed the crystal to them. "Today, we just found out who it was. Amber the Light Fury had to break into a high security place just to get this."

"She almost died getting it." Toothless supplied.

"And it would be a waste if we don't take action." The boy explained the context. "Furious wants his son back. He made me his son. What do you think his plan is going to be?"

Stoick felt dread. "... he's going to kill me."

Hiccup paused at that. "I was about to say 'erase our memories and pretend this never happened'." He corrected. "But I think that's possible."

The chief hardened his expression. "Then we have to kill him."

"Dad." The boy was exasperated. "Furious is an arch alpha dragon. He doesn't just become one by killing his predecessor. There's nothing in this region that can challenge him."

"Maybe not alone." Stoick looked determined. "Our ancestors had measures for this situation."

"Huh?"

The village plaza was rather busy. It was not surprising, considering that was where the Great Hall stairs were. The Vikings ignored Stoick when he brought everyone there.

Most of them took note of Hiccup, who was walking along Spitelout and Gobber. The two Vikings were carrying large metal crowbars, with Hiccup carrying a pickaxe. Toothless was following them. It was her first time walking amongst the Vikings as a human.

The group stopped at the centre of the plaza. Stoick pulled out a small journal book, before flipping its pages. "... hmm." The chief hummed as he stopped at a page. "We need to find four different tiles with different colour."

"Chief." Spitelout called. "Yer standing on one."

Stoick looked down at the cobblestone ground. While all the stones were black, white and grey, the one he stood on was blue. The chief moved away, before giving his order. "Hiccup, smash this cobblestone."

The boy did as he was told. He raised his pickaxe and smashed them onto the blue stone. It shattered into pieces, exposing something metallic underneath. Hiccup used the pickaxe to push the rocks away, revealing a long metal handle.

The chief noted its appearance. "Spitelout, Gobber."

"Aye." Both Vikings nodded, before going to work. They hooked the crowbars onto the handle and pushed down like a lever. That unstuck the handle, making it easy to pull them up. The two Vikings did just that.

The thing they pulled was a long, black metal tube. The centre part was hollow, as if something was meant to be put in there. The group leaned to check. There was a dull white crystal at the bottom.

"This is a fuel rod." Toothless recognised. "An Amethyst Scale can fit there."

"I thought the blue stone was a sewage marker." Hiccup numbly commented.

"It's not. This was built when Chucklehead was the chief." Stoick commented as he pulled out a small, purple, octahedral crystal. It was an Amethyst Scale. "He, along with his brother Hiccup the Second, made them as desperate measures against threats of the village."

The man placed the crystal inside. It floated inside and began to shimmer. Suddenly, the ground rumbled slightly. It lasted for a second. That was when everyone around them noticed the metal pillar. Before anyone could say anything, the metal pillar went underground.

Not wanting to wait around, the blacksmith readied his crowbar. "Alright then." Gobber spoke up. "Where's the next place?"

It did not take them long to find the rest of the markers. They were placed at the corners in front of the Great Hall stairs. The group dug them up one by one, filling them with a piece of Amethyst Scale. The Vikings around the plaza began spectating their work.

After the last one was filled and went underground, something happened.

The tiles at the centre began moving up, creating a large solid ramp. There was a large iron double-door there, implying that it was stairs leading underground. It looked like it could fit two large dragons at the same time.

The Vikings congregated around the large iron door. Stoick stood at the front; he was holding the book. "This bunker was built by Hiccup the Second as precaution against deviant incursion." He read the passage. "It contains weapons, materials, and knowledge on how to use them. It can only be opened by certain people."

The chief flipped the page. "However, as time went on, those who could open them were either killed or died of old age." Stoick continued reading. "Hiccup the Second and Chucklehead were the only ones that could open them."

"Bit of an oversight, if ye ask me." Spitelout commented.

"Oh, someone did cracked them open." Stoick gestured at the door. "Hamish the Second. He expanded the bunker, reinforced them and changed the security."

Gobber raised his brows. "How do we open it now?"

"It can only be opened by a pure-blooded Haddock Night Fury." The chief answered, before closing the book. "Under condition that the existence of the village is truly in danger. Fail this; it will destroy the bunker, and everything inside."

The Vikings whispered amongst themselves. Hiccup realised that was a test he must go through. Taking a deep breath, he stepped forward to face the doors.

In all appearances, the doors and stones had nothing unusual. Hiccup could not sense any spells at the doors. However, he felt something at the left side. The boy placed his hand right at the spot and cast Identify.

The door responded by exposing a mana circuit for him to connect. At the same time, it engaged something behind the doors. There was a loud clank. Vikings moved away in case the doors decided to explode.

Toothless stayed put. "Be careful."

Hiccup heeded that warning. He connected his circuit onto the door. The unknown circuit revealed itself to be some sort of interconnected Logic Crystals. It asked him to expose his mind to it. The boy took a deep breath, before opening his mind.

The circuit scanned his mind. Hiccup remained steadfast as it went through his memories.

He needed the bunker opened due to the threat he was facing. The deviants and the greater alpha. This threat endangered him, his family, and the village. They needed everything they could get to tackle this threat. Their survival depended on it.

Click!

The double door was unlocked. It opened slightly outward. Hiccup severed the connection, grabbed the door handles, and pulled them open. This revealed extremely dark and dusty spiral stairs leading somewhere underground.

Everyone was hesitant to enter. Toothless moved to stand next to her mate. Feeling assured, Hiccup took a step forward. The two dragons in human form slowly walked down the stairs.

CLACK!

They jumped when lights suddenly appeared. Rows of yellowish white crystals on the ceiling began to glow, providing illumination for the spiral staircase. Everyone took a deep breath as they waited for something to happen.

A moment later, Hiccup began walking down the stairs. Toothless followed behind. Stoick and Gobber went down as well, followed by Spitelout and some curious Vikings. They wanted to see the thing underneath the village.

It was a long spiral staircase going down. Gobber began the conversation. "Why did we never try to open this?" He questioned. "It would've been useful in dragon raid."

"I don't want to risk it. This place is built underwater. The collapse would sink half of the island." Stoick answered as he watched his steps. "Hamish predicted the return of Haddock Night Fury. In a way, he was right."

Reaching the end, they were faced with long cavern clearing with massive iron door at the end. It looked like a giant vault. There was a large metal hand-wheel at the centre.

Gobber pushed ahead to knock on the metal door. It felt like knocking a thick concrete. "... well, that's a bunker, alright."

"It looks new compared to the doors upstairs." Hiccup commented.

Stoick stroked his beard. "This is the part Hamish the Second built." He remarked, before checking the journal. "... we need to turn the wheel. Spitelout?"

"Alright, let's open this thing." Spitelout approached the hand-wheel. He glanced at the small crowd of Vikings. "Kevlar, Agnar, Magnus, help me turn this."

The Vikings quickly went to work. They grabbed the large metal hand-wheel and began to turn. Something whined at the door, as if the locks were unlocking. Eventually, after couple of turns, they hit the end of the wheel.

"Pull!" The second-in-command Viking shouted.

The four Vikings pulled the hand-wheel, opening the door. The giant iron door creaked as it slowly swung outward. It seemed to be brighter behind the iron door.

While the door was opening, Hiccup slid himself into the bunker. He moved inside to see what was inside the bunker.

The place was vast and massive. It was also dusty. There were stone shelves full of ingots, armours and weapons made of things he didn't know. There were also bottles, contraptions and many other things he did not recognise.

At the end side of the wall was a massive crest of a dragon. It looked like an inverse of the Hairy Hooligan crest; the dragon was missing the wing and overall design looked simplified. This crest was carved onto the stone wall of the bunker.

Eventually, the iron door was fully opened. The Vikings had entered the place. They were amazed to see everything around them.

"An armoury." Spitelout whispered. "Here, under the island!"

Stoick grabbed a dusty sword from one of the shelves. He noted the different colouration on the metal. There was a dark hue on the blade. "These equipment are made to fight deviants."

Gobber approached and inspected the sword. The blade was dull and chipped. "Ye won't be killing deviants with that."

The chief returned the sword. "Then we need to reforge them." He turned to face the Vikings. "Spitelout, get everyone to move what we can to the forge above. We'll repurpose this place as war shelter."

"Yes, chief!" The second-in-command straightened himself, before turning to face the rest of the Vikings. "Ya heard the man. Let's get moving."

The Vikings began to work. They began collecting the weapons, steel ingots and contraptions, carrying them up to the village. Hiccup and Toothless went to the corner, where stacks of large leather-bound books were resting.

The boy noted stacks of unmarked books with the same crest as the wall. He grabbed one to check the content. The book was written in Latin. Given the style of writing, it was most likely from some time in middle 18th century.

Toothless leaned to check. "What is it?"

"The alchemical recipe for Wyrmsteel." Hiccup answered, before flipping the page. "It's the metal that everything here is made of. Half the weight of iron, but twice as strong. It's meant to be forged into draconic weapons. They can be alloyed to make incredibly strong steel."

The boy flipped the page once more, only to find them blank. He checked more pages and found some with content, while others were blanks. "... some of them are gone." Hiccup realised. "They didn't put empty pages. There was something inside."

"Hiccup."

The boy and the girl noted the chief. Hiccup straightened himself. "Dad."

"You'll be helping Gobber getting everything up and running." Stoick gave his order. "We're going to need everything we have before the next expedition."

"W- Wait." Hiccup widened his eyes. "You're going now?"

"Tomorrow. We're bringing Alex to help." The chief answered, before grabbing a sword from the shelves. "Finding him should only take a few days, hopefully before the dragon ring. He'll come back if he saw this sword."

"Dad, I found out why there's empty books in Hiccup the Second's place." The boy showed him the book. He flipped them to show the filled and empty pages. "Some of these pages are empty. The inks are gone!"

"I trust you to find out why." Stoick holstered the sword onto his belt, before turning around to leave. "You can keep the books."

"I..." Hiccup watched as his father walked out from the place. "I'll try my best."