Morning arrived slowly within the Dragon Realm.
The crimson heavens never truly brightened like human skies. Instead, the world gradually shifted from deep violet darkness into burning scarlet dawn as volcanic light reflected endlessly across the clouds above. Ancient mountains stretched across the horizon like the corpses of sleeping titans while rivers of molten magma illuminated the valleys below with an eerie glow.
Cold winds drifted through the silver forests.
And somewhere beneath those ancient skies—
Kel walked alone once more.
The massive silver tree where Seralyth departed last night slowly disappeared behind him while glowing insects faded with the coming dawn. The quiet atmosphere from before had vanished completely now.
Kel's expression returned calm.
Focused.
Because now—
He had a target.
The future Dragon King.
Sairen's voice echoed softly through the soul-link.
"…You barely slept."
Kel calmly walked along a narrow mountain trail while volcanic winds moved through his dark hair.
"I slept enough."
The guardian sighed quietly.
"…You say that every time."
The black-haired man ignored the comment entirely.
His dark eyes continuously observed the enormous draconic civilization spreading across the valleys below.
Ancient cities carved directly into volcanic cliffs.
Gigantic bridges stretching between mountains.
Flying draconic beasts crossing the skies.
Countless mana signatures moving through the realm.
The Dragon Realm truly resembled another world entirely.
Not monsters.
Not beasts.
A civilization.
And hidden within that civilization—
Was the future Crimson Dragon King.
Kel still remembered him clearly from Destiny.
One of the most terrifying rulers later in the game.
A conqueror whose name spread fear across multiple realms.
The being who eventually unified draconic clans through overwhelming strength and ruthless political dominance.
The Crimson Dragon Emperor.
During late-game storylines—
Even divine races avoided provoking him carelessly.
And now—
Kel intended finding him before ascension.
Before power.
Before destiny fully awakened.
Sairen softly asked—
"…How exactly are you planning to locate him?"
Kel calmly stepped onto another obsidian ridge overlooking one of the larger draconic cities below.
"He was never hidden."
The guardian remained silent.
Kel continued quietly.
"The game already established his early life."
A faint pause followed.
"Humiliated noble."
"Unwanted heir."
"Target of ridicule."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"The future Dragon Emperor began from the bottom."
Sairen softly muttered—
"…And now you're going to interfere with fate itself."
Kel quietly smiled faintly.
"I'm going to invest early."
The guardian sighed deeply inside the soul-link.
The draconic city beneath him looked enormous.
Towering volcanic architecture rose across the mountain valleys while countless dragons in humanoid forms moved through elevated roads and suspended bridges beneath the crimson skies.
Clan insignias decorated buildings everywhere.
Military patrols crossed the streets constantly.
And beneath all of it—
Politics moved like poison.
Kel quietly entered the city disguised beneath his illusionary draconic appearance once more.
The atmosphere here differed completely from Blue Valley.
Less open hostility.
More hidden contempt.
Noble dragons walked proudly through the streets while lesser bloodlines instinctively lowered themselves aside.
Status ruled everything here.
Kel calmly moved through the crowded pathways while carefully observing conversations around him.
Listening.
Searching.
Then eventually—
He heard it.
"…That crippled crimson mutt again?"
Kel's steps slowed slightly.
Nearby—
Several young noble dragons stood near a large stone plaza laughing openly amongst themselves.
One gold-scaled noble snorted mockingly.
"I heard he challenged another combat trial yesterday."
Another laughed harshly.
"And lost again?"
The first noble dragon grinned coldly.
"When does he not?"
Several others laughed openly afterward.
Kel quietly observed them from a distance.
Crimson.
The future Dragon Emperor belonged to the Crimson Bloodline.
Which meant—
He was close.
The black-haired man calmly followed the direction their attention occasionally drifted toward.
Past elevated bridges.
Past draconic marketplaces.
Past towering volcanic statues.
Until finally—
He reached one of the lower noble training districts near the outer edge of the city.
And there—
Kel saw him.
Silence.
For the first time since entering the Dragon Realm—
Kel genuinely froze slightly.
Because the sight before him completely contradicted memory.
A young draconic man knelt against shattered stone near the center of a damaged training arena.
Blood dripped slowly from the corner of his mouth.
His crimson hair looked disheveled beneath the burning sky while broken scales covered parts of his arms and neck.
And surrounding him—
Several noble dragons laughed openly.
"Stand again, bastard."
One silver-scaled noble kicked him harshly across the ribs.
CRACK.
The crimson-haired young man coughed violently against the arena floor.
Yet despite the pain—
He still slowly forced himself upward again.
His body trembled visibly.
But his eyes—
His eyes burned.
Not with fear.
Not with despair.
Hatred.
Pure terrifying hatred.
Kel quietly stared at the scene.
And internally—
For the first time in a long while—
He felt genuinely stunned.
"…This…"
The black-haired man watched the beaten draconic youth rise again despite overwhelming humiliation.
"…is the Almighty Crimson Dragon King?"
The future emperor.
The conqueror feared across realms.
The dragon who would one day shake civilizations.
Currently—
Looked utterly broken.
The surrounding noble dragons laughed louder seeing him stand again.
"You still don't understand your place?"
Another draconic noble sneered coldly.
"Trash bloodline."
"You should've died with your mother."
The crimson-haired youth's fingers tightened violently against the shattered arena floor.
Blood dripped from between clenched claws.
Yet he said nothing.
Not a single word.
Kel quietly observed him beneath the crimson sky.
And slowly—
Understanding surfaced.
Of course.
Every monster begins somewhere.
Every emperor first learns humiliation.
Every conqueror first experiences helplessness.
And suddenly—
Kel understood why the future Dragon Emperor became what he eventually did.
Because hatred like that…
Could either destroy someone completely.
Or forge something terrifying.
Sairen softly whispered through the soul-link.
"…His eyes…"
Kel calmly nodded internally.
"Yes."
The guardian fell silent afterward.
Because even she understood now.
The draconic youth kneeling inside that broken arena no longer looked merely pitiful.
He looked dangerous.
Not because of current strength.
But because his hatred already surpassed reason itself.
Meanwhile—
One noble dragon suddenly grabbed the crimson-haired youth by the collar and slammed him violently against the stone pillar nearby.
"You should stop dreaming about the throne."
The noble sneered coldly.
"A failure like you embarrassing the Crimson Bloodline is already pathetic enough."
The crimson-haired youth slowly raised his head afterward.
And for a brief moment—
His burning crimson eyes met Kel's from across the arena.
Silence.
And strangely—
Kel almost smiled.
Because even beaten nearly half to death—
The future Dragon Emperor still looked at the world like he intended burning it someday.