Chapter 21: The Evil Dragon

Aegon watched the dragon's every move, slowly taking the longbow from his back. He drew a specially crafted arrowhead from his quiver and fitted it onto a shaft made for hunting dragons.

Shhh...

Dreamshade's call wasn't the thunderous roar typical of other dragons—it sounded more like the cry of a large bird, echoing through the air.

Dreamshade tilted its head, its large silver eyes curiously fixed on Daenys as she swam across the lake.

She moved like a sleek silver fish, the water rippling gently around her. Her long silver hair floated out in the lake, merging seamlessly with the water, glimmering with an enchanting sheen.

Dreamshade watched her approach in silence, then slowly leaned its dragon snout toward her.

Aegon's heart clenched as he saw Daenys reach out and grab the glassy scale spines on Dreamshade's snout. In the next instant, a surge of force lifted her up and carried her steadily to the small island.

The dragon's gentle gesture made Aegon, who had been tense all along, finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Come on, Daenys."

Daenys stood inside the dragon's nest. Crystal droplets slid down her silky silver hair, trickling over her body before falling into the valley below.

"Dreamshade... don't resist. Can you feel my spirit?"

She gently stroked the dragon's nose. The slick surface of its scales, damp with lake water, felt extraordinarily pleasant to the touch.

Dreamshade half-closed its eyes, a soft, continuous hum rising from its throat. Then it nuzzled its head affectionately against her palm.

Smiling, Daenys looked up, rising onto her toes as she wrapped her arms around Dreamshade's glassy head and pressed a gentle kiss to its forehead.

Dreamshade seemed to have fully accepted her as its rider. It stretched out its long tail and softly curled it behind Daenys.

She smiled at its movement, then gently sat down on its tail.

With a slight lift, Dreamshade raised her until she was level with its head.

Aegon let out a breath and lowered the arrow he'd been gripping so tightly.

"Looks like Daenys did it."

He knew full well that if it had come to a real fight with this dragon, he'd most likely be dead by now.

The only reason he'd managed to cripple Skarak last time was sheer luck—and the terrain at the time had worked heavily in his favor. It had been a fluke, nothing more.

...

On the island at the center of the lake, Dreamshade gently placed Daenys onto the saddle on its back using its tail.

The saddle had been intentionally secured there by the Dragonkeepers before they left, so that once a dragon tamer succeeded, they could ride the dragon out of the canyon of the Fourteen Flames.

Daenys sat excitedly atop Dreamshade.

Gripping the reins tightly, she issued her very first command to her own dragon. She shouted, "Fly, fly, Dreamshade!"

Whoosh!

As if responding to her call, Dreamshade let out a loud cry.

It slowly rose from its nest, spreading its vast, leathery wings, and with a powerful flap, launched into the sky.

Aegon stood with his mouth slightly open, staring in astonishment at the ascending dragon.

It hadn't even needed a running start—just one strong wingbeat from a standstill, and it was airborne. That such a massive creature could lift off without momentum was nothing short of astonishing.

Dreamshade's slender body soared quickly across the lake, and from its back, Daenys cheered wildly.

At that moment, she seemed to have finally stepped out from under the shadow of her brother's death, her pure and carefree nature shining through without restraint.

"Wooo! Haha!" Daenys' joyful voice rang out clearly from above.

Aegon couldn't help but be swept up in her excitement, a smile spreading across his face as he watched the dragon soaring overhead.

Before long, Aegon keenly noticed the dragon's scales beginning to change. What had been a lush green on the island was now gradually turning into a silvery white.

As the dragon flew overhead, the wind howled past. Its outline could still be seen faintly, but if one weren't paying close attention, it would be hard to spot at all.

Daenys rode the dragon for nearly a quarter of an hour before finally, though a little reluctantly, guiding Dreamshade to descend.

The dragon landed smoothly by the lakeshore.

Its massive eyes stared directly at Aegon. The sheer presence of its enormous form made Aegon tense slightly, a hint of unease stirring in his chest.

Just then, Daenys slowly stood on the dragon's back, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. Her eyes settled on Aegon as she gave a command to Dreamshade: "Dreamshade, lick him."

Aegon froze the moment he heard that.

Obeying its master's command, Dreamshade immediately stuck out its long, pink tongue and started licking Aegon with enthusiastic vigor.

Watching Aegon struggle helplessly beneath its tongue, Dreamshade seemed highly amused. Its already huge eyes widened slightly, glinting with curiosity.

Daenys clutched her mouth tightly with both hands, trying hard not to burst into laughter—but her trembling shoulders gave her away.

During this strange "close encounter" between Aegon and Dreamshade, he used the chip to quickly scan and obtain Dreamshade's data.

[Name: Dreamshade, Dragon.

Length: 32m.

Attributes (growing): Politics: 1; Strategy: 15; Warfare: 5; Mental Strength: 159; Vitality: 1218.

Talents:

[D-Rank – Mimic Scales: Can partially change the color of scales and keratin to match the environment. Defense +10%.]

[E-Rank – Slender Fluid Form: Air resistance -15%, Strength -25%, Weight -25%, Agility +25%.]

[C-Rank – Dreamflame Breath: Your breath's heat is reduced by 50%. Dreamflame Breath deals continuous damage equal to 50% of your Mental Strength. If your True Dragon Knight is riding you, the damage is further stacked with 50% of the knight's Mental Strength.]

Skills: …]

It was Aegon's first time accessing a dragon's stats. Dreamshade's massive 1218 Vitality—over ten times that of an average person—was genuinely shocking.

Among the three talents, [E-Rank – Slender Fluid Form] had significant drawbacks. It clearly defined Dreamshade as an assassin-type dragon built for high-mobility combat, but it would likely struggle in direct confrontations.

As for [D-Rank – Mimic Scales], Aegon had already seen its effect during Dreamshade's flight: a basic semi-camouflage ability. It might not be too effective in daylight, but at night, it could be surprisingly useful.

The most formidable ability was clearly [C-Rank – Dreamflame Breath]. Even though the heat had been greatly reduced, the spiritual-level damage was something Aegon had never seen before.

He had yet to encounter anyone with gear that could defend against mental damage. If hit by that breath, a person might be turned into a fool on the spot—and even other dragons would probably suffer badly.

Meanwhile, Dreamshade was happily "bathing" Aegon with its tongue, and Aegon lay on the ground, completely at its mercy and thoroughly drenched.

After some playful chaos, Daenys finally leapt lightly down from Dreamshade's back and waved a hand, signaling the dragon to stop.

Aegon looked down at himself, now soaked in dragon saliva, and shot Daenys a glare. Striding up to her in long steps, he suddenly lunged, scooping her up around the waist and tossing her over his shoulder. With a surprised cry from Daenys, he leapt toward the lake, sending up a great splash of shimmering water.

They played in the lake for quite a while before the excitement gradually faded.

Aegon gazed quietly at Daenys in his arms, momentarily dazed. He hadn't realized when they had become so comfortable being this open with each other.

"You're beautiful, Daenys," he whispered, resting his forehead gently against hers and looking deeply into her vivid violet eyes.

Daenys was breathing rapidly, her snow-pale chest rising and falling slightly on the water's surface like gentle waves.

She reached up and held Aegon's head softly, tilting her face up and brushing her lips against his. Then, slowly pulling back, she looked into his eyes and said, "Give me some time, okay? Once this crisis with our house is over, we'll face these feelings properly."

At her words, Aegon released his arms from around her waist.

Daenys lowered her head, turned around, and walked out of the lake.

Dreamshade, who had been resting by the shore, lifted its head and affectionately nudged toward her. Daenys smiled and reached out, gently stroking the dragon's nose.

Suddenly, a large blue fish leapt from the water and landed with a loud smack right at Daenys' feet.

The blue fish flopped wildly on the ground, brimming with life.

Daenys glanced curiously toward the lake, where she saw Aegon gripping a fat fish in both hands, raising it high above his head with a broad, delighted grin as he looked at her.

"Catch some more! You're responsible for Dreamshade's share too," Daenys called out with a laugh.

"Got it!" Aegon answered cheerfully, then tossed the fish forcefully onto the shore and dove back into the water with a splash.

A little while later, Daenys had a bonfire going by the lakeside.

She lifted her chin slightly and gave an order to Dreamshade.

"Dracarys."

Dreamshade released a gentle stream of flame, instantly igniting the fire.

Five large, cleaned blue fish were skewered on tree branches and arranged neatly around the bonfire. They began to sizzle and crackle as they roasted over the flames.

Aegon emerged from the lake, shaking droplets from his hair before striding over to the fire and crouching down.

"Next, we're heading to the Abyss of Flames beneath the Blazing Breath Ridge," Daenys said, gently stirring the embers with a stick. "Now that we have Dreamshade, we should be able to fly there in just a few hours.

You need to get a good night's rest so you're ready for the dragon taming tomorrow. That red dragon is known as the 'Mother of Evil Dragons.' She's vicious, prone to devouring Dragonkeepers, and is the most dangerous of all the untamed dragons."

Aegon flipped one of the fish skewers without looking up. "Didn't the Dragonpit map say that red dragon likes to eat magic plants? I've got a few blood orchids with me—we can try using those. That's actually why I chose her in the first place."

Daenys was silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "Why don't we tame a different dragon? It would be safer. From the dragon tamers we killed earlier, I gathered information about other Dragonpits."

In the past, Daenys would have pushed for Aegon to take the risk, since House Targaryen was desperate for powerful, fully grown dragons. But now, things were different.

She had just lost her brother. She couldn't bear the thought of losing Aegon too.

Aegon smiled faintly, a flash of confidence in his eyes. "Let's give it a try. If the 'Mother of Evil Dragons' doesn't take kindly to me and won't let me get close, you and Dreamshade can come pull me out."

Daenys sighed deeply, unable to argue further. Her gaze drifted to the flickering firelight, her eyes clouded with worry as she silently contemplated.

...

Night fell. The two of them lay together, tightly embraced in Dreamshade's warm nest.

Deep into the night, that familiar tug on the spirit returned. This time, Aegon didn't resist. His spirit appeared once again in the mysterious dream garden.

Only now, he wasn't alone—there was a massive dragon with him.

Aegon was stunned. Just how powerful was Daenys' dreamweaving ability if she could even pull a dragon into the dream?

He couldn't help but marvel inwardly. The [Septon of Restraint II] talent boosting Spirit by 15 points was truly ridiculous.

Aegon lay down slowly on Dreamshade's back. Daenys rested her head gently against his chest, and Dreamshade folded one of his wings over them like a blanket.

The two humans and the dragon drifted into deep sleep within the dream garden.

...

...

Gaemon was running frantically through the rocky valley.

He gasped for breath as he passed a pile of rubble, and once again saw that same rotting corpse, reeking of decay. It still lay quietly among the stones, swarming with flies that buzzed around like a black cloud.

Gaemon's beast-like eyes flicked toward the corpse. His mouth stretched into a twisted grin, revealing a row of jagged, uneven teeth. His jaws clenched with a clicking noise, and his entire body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Finally, his shaking limbs moved. Step by step, he approached the corpse and reached out a claw as sharp as a blade toward the unlucky soul.

With a flick, he hooked a scroll from the belt of the corpse.

His trembling claw unrolled the scroll, and he scanned its contents urgently.

It recorded the location of a Dragonpit—one hidden in a foul swamp of bones beside the Abyss of Flames.

"Evil Dragon Cannibal? That's a weird name," Gaemon muttered, frowning slightly. "Anyway, if I don't get out of the canyon of the Fourteen Flames soon, I'll either starve to death or be caught by those inspectors from the Dragonlord Council."

He'd heard that within the Bloodpeak of the Fourteen Flames, horrifying blood sorcery experiments were still being conducted—inhuman rituals carried out by cruel sorcerers. Just imagining himself strapped to a sacrificial altar for those grotesque experiments sent a chill through his bones.

With that, he sprinted toward the cliffs ahead.

The flesh and blood of the dragons there would not only keep him alive but also serve as precious sustenance for his journey to tame one himself.