Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix

Under the cover of the dark night, Rain and Seara dove into the ocean and start swimming towards the underwater castle. The water was getting colder as they went deeper, but they didn't let that slow them down. They were on an important mission, and there was no time to waste.

The underwater capital was silent and quiet when Rain and Seara arrived there. They could feel the presence of people, but the number was quite small… the only explanation was that most of them left the area to fight the dragons.

Few of the guards were in the castle, but they didn't stop those two or tell them that the emperor wasn't there. Although he usually doesn't work at night, they found Seadrei on his throne studying the underwater maps of the area.

Seadrei's body bore the marks of recent encounters with sea dragons. He had several wounds that were healing thanks to Glutonous Recovery, evident in the form of teeth marks on his body. In addition to the bite marks, there were also scratches and claw marks on his body, further indicating that he had been in fierce battles with the sea dragons.

The wounds were gradually healing, but they served as a testament to the dangerous and challenging battles he had been engaged in while protecting his underwater kingdom from the relentless sea dragons. Despite the injuries, Seadrei remained determined and resolute, but a bit troubled for letting his daughter see him like that.

"Dad! Are you all right?" Seara approached in a hurry and then asked.

"Yes, I am," Seadrei said while showing a troubled smile. "I was hoping that you all wouldn't have to get involved in this, but I guess it can't be helped when their attacks are also affecting the human territory."
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Rain silently approached and checked the maps… he was surprised to see a half circle made with red points… dozens of them. The sea dragons had the magic people completely surrounded… to make matters worse, Rain could tell that Seadrei was feeling under the water thanks to the cold water.

"It looks like they are being fiercer than before…" Rain said. "I captured a kraken dragon, but when we were about to learn the reason behind their movements, the creature died, probably thanks to the authority magic put on them."

"At least that confirms that someone very high in the dragons' kingdom hierarchy is behind the scenes," Seadrei said. "We won't be able to tell what they want unless they reveal that… now we can just focus on fighting them with all of our might."

"Is the cold affecting your performance that much?" Rain asked.

"I am managing, and so are those who are a bit stronger or are two hundred years old," Seadrei explained. "The younger generation is the one having a hard time with this. Sometimes they freeze thanks to the cold in front of the enemy, and the result is what you can see."

As expected, it was a bit too soon for Seadrei to get hurt that much, even against fighting the sea dragons… he was stronger than before, and he recovered his calm demeanor as well, so there wasn't much to worry about that. Unless he is attacked by dozens of sea dragons.

"We are going to deal with some ice dragons and see how much we can improve the situation," Rain said. "Before you ask if that is wise or not, we need some bones to make weapons that can cause extra damage to dragons, so we don't have much of a choice. It is all for the sake of the future."

"I understand your point, but I am still worried since the more you kill them, the more you will attract them and put your family in danger," Seadrei said. "That kraken dragon that attacked you was attracted to your presence, after all. The smarter dragons will resist that and plan better and that is where the danger lies."

Rain could understand that, but he didn't have any other option? No. Trying to run away from trouble wouldn't help him… it would only come to bite him in the ass… so he might as well bring the fight to the enemies instead of letting them bring the fight to him.

"I will leave the future problems to the future me," Rain said.

"That is indeed something you would say," Seadrei said. "Regardless, we are on this together, so we can help each other. I have some plans in mind, and I will put them in action in case things take some difficult turns. When that happened, I will trust your judgment."

Seadrei carefully chose his words as he spoke to Rain, making an effort not to reveal the full extent of the challenges his people faced against the sea dragons. His ambiguous words were intended to shield his daughter from unnecessary worry, and Rain respected that decision.

Understanding Seadrei's intention, Rain chose not to press the matter further and trusted the sea emperor to handle the situation as best as he could.

Seadrei then proceeded to explain their nighttime defensive strategy, emphasizing that they played a more defensive role during the night to conserve their strength. He reassured Rain that, come morning, they would fight with all their might to defend their territory.

Taking Seadrei's advice to heart, Rain and Seara decided to return to the port town, where they would prepare for the coming challenges and join the battle against the ice dragons when the time was right.

"I want to help Dad, but I have a feeling that he won't be able to focus if I am around," Seara said.

"In that case, you should think of what else you can do," Rain said. "He is a bit simple minded, so you can help him by starting to think for him."

"I will do that for you too, since you also tend to dash ahead without caring about your well-being," Seara said after she raised her left eyebrow.