The Son of Ddraig

The Clownish Young-man

Xeno'jiiva woke up with a start. Breathing in and out in rapid successions as he remembered the day prior.

'I almost died.' The very thought filled him with hatred and self-loathing. He was still too weak. No matter how flawless his plan was, it was all upheaved in a single action: Deviljho's arrival. Even if the brute hadn't sent him and Odogaron spiraling down, the situation wouldn't have been any better. He still would have been nearly killed. Or worse, actually killed.

Slamming his foreleg into the ground, Xeno screamed. "Dammit!"      

Alerting Ddraig of his awakening. "So you're finally awake. And here I thought you were dead." he chuckled. "Not really." 

"Fa-" As he turned to face him, Xeno's breath hitched.

Lounging against the wall of their cave, Ddraig's large form was... different. Throughout the last year, Xeno'jiiva has seen his father with all kinds of injuries. Scars, burns, erosions, you name it. But now... Ddraig's wound was like none he had seen.

A gash, all the way across his left side, pulsating with ooze and puss, and coated in something more. As a recent victim of this "more", It didn't take long for Xeno'jiiva to recognize it. Effluvial, but far more potent than normal Effluvial. Way more potent.

 "... What happened?" 

Ddraig shifted slightly before speaking. "A few days ago, I sensed an Elder Dragon."

Xeno widened his eyes(and sensors). "Here? I thought all Elder Dragons stayed on Earth."

Goch shrugged. "There's been times where they go elsewhere, but yeah. They normally stay on Earth to feed on bio-energy. However, this guy wasn't born on Earth. And he wasn't here last time I was here, either." But that was a long time ago.

"Then, what was he?"

"Probably an amalgamation, from what I could tell. He wasn't natural and was definitely made by someone. Probably in an attempt to harness the Rotten Vale's power, given how he had an almost symbiotic relationship with this place."

Jiiva nodded. "So he could control Effluvial... and you went to kill it. That's where you got that wound." he realized.

Ddraig paused. "You mean this thing?" he signaled to the gash. "It's just a flesh wound. That damned bastard played dead at the last moment and surprised me. He gave me a few other wounds, but they've already healed."  

'Already healed...? Then what did it look like before?!' Xeno couldn't help but think. That wound is massive as is. Just how strong was this guy? To bring Ddraig to such a state...

Seeing the look on his face, Ddraig spoke. "He called himself Vaal Hazak. He was a rotten creature, to be sure, but he was a real Elder Dragon. That won't be the last we see of him."

Elder Dragons are known to come back to life, but that isn't what Ddraig is referring to here.

Xeno'jiiva bowed his head. 'I need more strength. I can't keep depending on him like this.'

The red dragon got up, ignoring his wound that was already smaller than earlier, if only slightly. "Hazak will take years to reform, and no other Elder Dragons will reach here. Focus on your training, my son. After all, you already have a goal, right?"

The Dark Light Dragon grinned, putting aside his guilt. "Of course. I want to beat Deviljo, the Violent Wyvern. That's my goal for the 

"Then you better get back to hunting. Killing that guy won't be easy." Ddraig warned.

His son chuckled. "It never is."

In truth, Xeno'jiiva's goal isn't just revenge. He wants to kill Deviljho, without a doubt. But his real goal was created over the last year, and finalized at this moment. Xeno'jiiva will become an Elder Dragon. Strong enough to fight for himself.

So that his father won't have to protect him anymore...

-_-

For the first time in a while, interesting things are happening. 

Rizevim almost wondered if he would die from boredom. But all of a sudden, his dear ol' grandpa got a bit sick. His old man didn't wait a moment to act, either. And his uncle just couldn't be left out, now could he? Starting what they have begun to call "The Great War".

 A bit pretentious, to be sure, but Rizevim liked the sound of it. Because this little war is making things so much more interesting that he could just die of a heart attack... Well, maybe not. But you get what he's getting at, right?

Regardless, he's been having a good time because of this war. A sinful time. And it just got a whole lot more interesting. 

Lounging around on a bean bag, the young prince was altered by a knock on the door. He smiled. "Come in!" It was one of his servants, a beautiful young lady. He grinned. "What is it, my dear?" 

His voice was sweet, but the servant knew better. "Milord, the tracking device on Vaal Hazak has gone silent." 

In a moment, his smile was gone and the servant began to sweat. Her lord's presence was like no other, she was sure. A prodigy even among the other races, he was second only to his father. But far more menacing, she believed.

"That's... fantastic!" He laughed. His hazel eyes lit up. "Who did it? It had to be a dragon, right? Who else could it be?!"

As he talked, Rizevim appeared across the room in the blink of an eye. His hands grabbed his servant by the shoulders as his glee turned maniacal. He never imagined that anyone could or would kill that fiend. Not even he could. And he created it!

 The maid shrunk back in fear but could not escape his grasp. 

"So, who did it?! Was it Taninn, the Blaze Meteor Dragon? Or maybe Valstrax, the Sky Comet Dragon? No, it couldn't be them." Rizevim shook his head. "They'd have to be stronger. Like a Dragon Emperor. Or, don't tell me... a Black Dragon!?" He gushed.

But, as he looked down at his servant, he found that she died, crushed to death. He sighed. His excitement got the best of him... again. 

Turning away from her corpse, Rizevim hummed. "I guess it doesn't matter who it was. Whoever killed him was strong... so I'll go visit them once this war is all over." He said with a laugh. "Or maybe not! I might have a new plaything by then..."

On that day, Rizeim's and Xeno'jiiva's fates were forever changed.