The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

"It sounds almost like the methods of a divine projection. Your greatness, too, is beyond my imagination," David said, half in genuine awe and half in a mutual exchange of flattery.

Such flattery brought gales of hearty laughter from the Green Dragon, who might have already reached an ancient age.

"It's merely one way to utilize dreams—'Dreamscape Otherworldly Travel.' It allows me to wander through other planes in my dreams or communicate with you like this. This is nothing like the divine projection of gods; those are two completely different concepts. However, now that you've discovered its true nature, even I can't maintain this dream for much longer. So, let's get straight to the point, David Uthos. I know why you're here, so let's proceed with this deal," the Green Dragon said.

"Wait a minute... You... know why I'm here?" David wondered, as he didn't think he had any particular purpose.

He was merely on a detour to visit Nifadora's mother before returning to the nest.

"Isn't that easy to guess? Seeing as you are accompanied by so many Five-Colored Dragonlings, isn't your journey for the sake of my daughter?" she asked.

Fortunately, her previous question clarified things; otherwise, David would have worried she'd misunderstood his intentions regarding her daughter. He quickly said with an apologetic tone, "I apologize, but your daughter is rather advanced in age and does not meet the enrollment standards of our academy." He was referring, of course, to Nifadora's sister, Shadila.

He certainly didn't want such an 'energetic' young dragon causing trouble all over his camp.

The workload he and Nifadora already had was quite enough.

Hearing David's tactful words, the mother Green Dragon showed no signs of disappointment. Instead, she switched to a teasing tone, saying, "Oh? It seems there might be some misalignment in our interests. I thought a young Red Dragon like yourself, merely a decade away from adolescence, would not refuse the allure of a 'three-dragon journey'—especially when they are my twin daughters, the most outstanding creations of my, Serubelia's, life, both stunning and delightful."

Holy crap! This mother-in-law—no, this old mother Dragon is playing some real tricks!

David's tail shot up instantly, and the turmoil in his mind nearly shattered the dream link before him. But before he could regain his composure, the mother Dragon added with a playful giggle, "Cunning little fellow, playing hard to get to gain more benefits! I might as well be blunt with you. I am about to explore deeper into the 'Barbaric Planes' of the Multiverse. When that time comes, this Emerald Dream will also collapse under the influence of more chaotic rules.

"Shadila and Nifadora are my last clutch. You may not fully understand, but you should at least be aware that for an ancient Dragon like me, who has entered the final stage of life, only this last clutch may birth a true sense of kinship.

"Especially Shadila, my last child. When I discovered she possessed talent even greater than her sister Nifadora's, I naturally spoiled her more, keeping her with me through her youth and into young adulthood. Even now, she remains ensnared in the Emerald Dream I've woven, unable to free herself.

"But dreams, after all, have a moment when one must awaken. And my child, who was supposed to be exceptionally gifted, now seems to pale in comparison to her sister, Nifadora.

"As their mother, this causes me some worry."

Believing only half of what the Green Dragon said, David immediately voiced his confusion, "But why not directly entrust this task to your daughter, Nifadora?" That way, the benefits wouldn't go to an outsider.

He heard the mother Dragon reply, "That involves another of my expectations, which she cannot fulfill."

"Cannot?" David was taken aback.

"I hope that before one of them nears their Legendary Destiny, you will take them to Athas, one of the Barbaric Planes. There, they are to meet my ancestress, the Emerald Matriarch Alexandara. Having been enlightened by the Emerald Dream, they will then understand all the legendary paths our Green Dragon bloodline has explored in the past.

"Then, whether they choose to continue down the legendary paths of our ancestors or to avoid routes monopolized by the gods and destined to be dead ends, they can forge new paths. This way, they won't have to waste as much time as I and other legends did, fumbling our way through our Legendary Destinies in mediocrity.

"Our Dragon lives may seem long, but once we embark on a Legendary Destiny, even thousands of years of life, when cast into the river of time, are merely a drop of rain never ample enough to squander."

David felt a surge of excitement. "Does that mean I might also..."

This is like getting to peek at game walkthroughs and tips from other 'high-level players'!

Though the paths of the Red Dragon and Green Dragon differed greatly, some things could be universally applicable.

The Dragon mother's smile carried depth and meaning. "Correct, that is part of the reward. Of course, there are prerequisites. Otherwise, even if you reached the plane of Athas, all you would see would be the barren and desolate Cataclysmic Remnant Sun, not the verdant lands where my ancestor resides. But in this regard, I trust my daughter Nifadora's eye for dragons."

"Cataclysmic Remnant Sun?" David was shocked. He had initially found the name Athas only vaguely familiar. Yet it was the very plane rumored to have been ravaged by uncontrolled magic that drained it of life, transforming the entire plane into a sun-scorched wasteland, abandoned by the gods and devoid of water and hope.