Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

After a couple of seconds, Rain saw a translucent hydra in front of him, it was pretty similar to the dragon god as well. Half of its heads were adorned with scales of freezing ice, glistening like diamonds in the sun. These icy heads exude an aura of cold, their breath forming frosty clouds in the air. With each movement, they leave a trail of icy shards, freezing the ground beneath them.

The other half of the hydra's heads are a stark contrast, each one representing a different element. One head crackles with the energy of lightning, sparks dancing along its scales. Another head is wreathed in flames, its fiery mane casting flickering shadows. The third head is adorned with moss and leaves, blending seamlessly with its surroundings, a living embodiment of the Earth.

"Father…" Isa said.

"That magic presence… Isa… it has been so long that I can't even remember you anymore," The hydra said. "Forgive me."

"You can see him now even though you couldn't see the other dragon spirits?" Rain asked.

"I can feel his presence, and with my dragon eyes, I can see his silhouette in the shape of a shadow," Isa explained. "How are you still around, Father?"

"I am not… I have been sleeping here for the last few thousands of years," The hydra said. "I woke up a few times when our species started the war and when those other dragons arrived, though. I see… so that is how it is…"

According to Isa, dragons had the ability to change their form and become similar to humans, but they couldn't do that without a body. So, it made sense that Isa didn't have nine heads.

In the end, Isa took her time explaining things to her father, but he didn't look that surprised. It's not like spirits could show much surprise anyway.

"The secret that we always passed between the generations of dragon god after dragon god is that… we were created by a species from another planet," the hydra said. "We also have orders not to destroy the world. The current dragon god already knew that, and he didn't like the idea of following those commands."

"What else can you tell us?" Rain asked.

"... I can sense something that you two have in common," The hydra said.

"Something actually useful and that I don't know," Rain said.

As expected of the previous dragon god, he probably was able to tell immediately that Rain was a reincarnated person; as such, he didn't have to follow the rules and common sense of those who had been born on the second version of Earth.

"... He said to me that he will be the final dragon god," The hydra said. "and that he will find the one who played with his soul. I take it that you do understand the meaning behind those words."

While Isa was confused, she looked at Rain and saw him looking pretty serious while holding his chin… Rain knew that very well. The dragon god declared that he would look for the one who reincarnated him. He sure sounded pissed… even though he probably owed that being a lot, both of them owed them a lot.

It was weird that the dragon god could tell who that being was already… and considering his words, it wasn't someone that he found pleasant. Then again, Rain couldn't confirm that since the Dragon god was a maniac who believed that his butthole was the center of the universe.

"What do you know about his life?" Rain asked.

"Is that why you came to talk to me?" The hydra asked.

"Not really, but since we are here, we might as well," Rain replied. "Your daughter wanted to talk to you while I was planning to make your guys' power useful to our cause. Can't say if that will be possible, given that I killed a bunch of you guys."

The former dragon god studied Rain for a while… he seemed to be a genuine person and he could tell that Rain wasn't all talk since that had the aura of a dragon slayer… he wasn't a scheming either, nor was he planning to force the spirits of the dragons used to his group.

"... He was a normal young dragon," the former dragon god said. "While his power grew many times faster if compared to those of his generation, he didn't try to stand out and did his best to stay out of trouble."

"That is hard to believe with an ego that surpasses the size of the sun many times over," Rain said.

"He lived his life like that, he evolved after becoming one hundred years old and when he was five hundred, he turned into a hydra," The former dragon god said. "He disappeared from time to time for months, and no one could find him; after one of those disappearances, he decided to challenge me and defeated me with ease. That is all that I know."

Those trips were one of those that he learned that he was still on Earth and that things weren't as convenient as he had assumed… the dragon god tried to live a quiet life and enjoy his second life, but soon he did a 180.

"I guess it can't be helped… thanks for the information," Rain said.

"You a human, thanking me, a dragon?" The former dragon god asked.

"I guess you can feel offended by that," Rain shrugged. "Just tried to be a bit polite since you were a bit more useful than I expected. I can be an asshole if you want, and treat me like your species is my mortal enemy."

"... It seems that after not being alive for so long, my behavior changed a fair bit," The former dragon god said. "Don't you have anything to say, Isa? I thought that you would have a lot to say since we didn't part exactly on good terms. While not as bad as the current dragon god, I was pretty bad, after all."