Chapter 581: The Pale Dragon
"Roar!"
The young green dragon was seized by the neck and dragged into a deep, verdant canyon. A pale, human-like hand clutched its slender neck.
"Wake up, Uragax!" A hoarse voice echoed through the enclosed canyon.
As it was pulled forward, the canyon gradually opened up, revealing more of the surroundings.
"Roar..." The rustling of grass mingled with a rough, melodious dragon's cry, followed by a clear wail. Birds scattered, chirping as they flew away, while a hot, foul wind gusted from the depths of the valley.
"Croak."
Unnoticed by anyone, a nondescript toad emerged from the corner of a grass-covered stone wall. The dream-eating toad stared with its dead fish eyes, puffed up its cheeks, and settled on a pebble.
"Keep it down, ugly," said a gray, humanoid figure riding on the toad's back, blinking its bright purple eyes.
"Croak." The toad croaked dimwittedly and hopped forward twice. The wisdom of the runes was too weak to comprehend human speech.
Rhaegar sighed, continuing to play the role of an unknown Dreamer.
"Wake up, Uragax!"
The red-robed wizard wore a black mask, holding the newborn dragon as if it were no more than a mere chicken. The only part of the wizard's body exposed was a pair of pitch-black pupils.
"Roar~~" The young dragon let out a mournful cry, its small body trembling in fear.
The wizard remained unmoved, his grip firm and unyielding.
"Croak." The dream-eating toad trailed behind the man and the dragon, emerging cautiously from the grass.
Rhaegar's eyes were wide open, missing nothing in the canyon. His gray face gradually shifted in expression. As expected, he could only see images within his dream; the rest of his senses were lost.
'Eyes, ears, mouth, nose, body, and consciousness... The six senses make up a complete person,' he reflected. Each time he entered a dream, regaining one sense would mean losing another within the dream.
'This is the equivalent exchange for dreamwalking,' Rhaegar thought, 'and the limit for the dream eater to maintain a dream. When all six senses are restored, the dream will also collapse.
...
Deep in the canyon, a pale wall blocked a winding stream, allowing the water to wash away the grime clinging to the roots along its base. The mournful cries of a dragon echoed through the air, yet no dragon was in sight.
The red-robed wizard hobbled forward, each step as painful as walking on pins and needles, slowly approaching the pale barrier.
"Roar!" The wizard tightened his grip around the young dragon's neck, causing it to scream in agony.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, a wave of heat and stench surged toward him, whipping the surrounding trees and plants into a frenzy.
"Uragax!" the wizard shouted, raising his hands to the sky in excited anticipation.
Rumble!
The earth began to tremble as the pale barrier shuddered, appearing ready to collapse under the violent shaking.
"Roar!"
A pale dragon wing pierced the sky, blotting out the scorching sun and casting a shadow over the active volcano like a massive, eerie umbrella. The canyon filled with the foul wind, and the once calm stream churned with waves.
The red-robed wizard's pupils trembled as he stared in awe.
Boom!
A massive dragon's head, crowned with a towering horn, emerged from the canyon. The gaping maw of the abyss split open, releasing a torrent of pale dragonfire that roared into the sky. The dragonfire, vast and unstoppable, swept over the grass like a waterfall, its destructive power rivaling that of a volcanic eruption.
"Roar..."
In the final moments of the dream, Rhaegar’s vision blurred. He could only hear two dragon roars—one large, one small.
“Roar!”
“Roar!”
...
Outside, in Green Hell.
"Roar!"
Rain poured down in torrents as the black dragon glided silently through the night sky, its wings scattering raindrops with each powerful stroke. Below, the vast forest was shrouded in thick black smoke.
The dark green wild dragon unleashed a massive ball of orange and green dragonfire, crashing into it with unbridled fury.
"Brother!" Daeron burst out of the valley, his eyes wide with rage.
"Roar!"
Tessarion crouched on a cliff, curled into a ball, its blackened wings smoldering under the relentless rain.
"Come on, Tessarion!" Daeron shouted, his voice nearly drowned out by the downpour. His young face was indistinguishable between the rain and his tears. As he yelled, he quickly hid a black dragon egg beneath the rubble and dashed toward the forest.
"Roar..."
A mushroom cloud of thick smoke billowed into the sky as the dark green wild dragon plummeted from above, steam rising from its scales. For a moment, its speed surged.
Daeron's eyes widened as he searched the dragon's back, desperately seeking a familiar figure.
"Quiet, Uragax!"
A clear, cold voice pierced the night, carrying an unyielding command that brooked no refusal.
"Roar!"
Upon hearing the long-forgotten name, the dark green wild dragon let out a mournful cry, dragging its severely injured wing as it fell rapidly.
Rhaegar rode the wind, his silver hair whipping wildly, his purple eyes cold and proud.
"Turn right, Uragax!"
As the ground loomed closer, Rhaegar grabbed the left-hand rope with his left hand, issuing the command in both High Valyrian and the dragon’s tongue.
Uragax's pupils dilated in struggle as its massive body twisted, forcing its right wing into an almost impossible angle.
Hula!
The wind howled, and dragon blood spattered onto the ground. Uragax’s body jerked, slowing its descent, then it glided sideways and took off once more. Just as it regained balance, its bloodied hind legs smashed through treetops, nearly grazing the earth.
"Roar!"
Uragax roared, using the sway of its tail to stabilize and level out its flight.
"Land!"
Rhaegar scanned the surroundings, seizing the perfect moment to give the order. The dragon beneath him turned its head, its amber eyes filled with a complex mix of emotions as it adjusted its posture for landing.
"Don’t give me that look, old man," Rhaegar remarked with a grin, undaunted by the dragon’s gaze. If he weren’t skilled at what he did, he wouldn’t dare leap off a dragon’s back and switch places mid-flight. Over a decade ago, his uncle Daemon was hailed as the greatest dragon rider on the continent, a title that had been surpassed by the “Dragon Herder.”
"Roar... Roar..."
Uragax roared repeatedly, its right wing flapping erratically as it struggled to stay aloft. But eventually, it lost balance and crashed to the ground with a thunderous impact, the forest overwhelmed by the force, spilling mud in all directions.
Rhaegar’s body shook violently as the shattered dream world’s images flooded his mind. He recalled the pale dragon’s corpse, lying lifeless as maggots spawned within its decaying flesh. Though dead, it was in the process of rebirth.
The scene shifted, and the canyon transformed into a Dragonpit in ancient Valyria. A young green dragon was abandoned, left in a cold, damp pit to fend for itself. Nearby, several older young dragons hovered menacingly around it.