Without him even realizing, time quickly moved on. Greyson had already been staying on this mountain for two months. Some days, he would practice by himself, whereas other days he would battle with his sister, Rosalie. Each time they fought, it was mostly Greyson getting pounded into the ground one more time. However, as he continued to a.s.similate with his new power level and experimenting with spells, Greyson began to fight back better than before. He had yet to actually defeat her yet, but he knew that it was only a matter of time. His time on the Snow Dragon Peak was extremely relaxing as he was surrounded by resources and powerful grandparents who showered him with love and wise teachings to increase his prowess. The only thing that would make him worry time to time was Lucius. Through their contract, Greyson could tell that he was alive and well and that he was not coming into any harm. The red string around his wrist was still solid and strong, meaning that Lucius did not run into any danger. Although this was true, this made Greyson even more confused about how he ended up with the Snow Dragon tribe by himself. Why would Lucius drop him off here and leave? Was there a situation he was not aware of after sealing himself off?He tried to shake any negative thoughts away from his mind and focus on training while he was in such a paradise, however, it was not easy to push away the unavoidable anxious worry and panic. Forcing all his thoughts into pa.s.sion for meditating, Greyson started to understand that his connection with the world only grew stronger after this breakthrough. If before, he always felt that he had to purposefully pull mana into his body, now, it felt natural as if he and the world were already connected. This type of connection was new and still weak, but Rosalie told him that this connection would only grow stronger as he grows stronger. She explained that this was the reason that a human"s lifespan will increase upon reaching higher levels. At one point, the world becomes an endless source of energy for the body and prevents it from breaking down per usual. Although this is not immortality, it was the closest a human could get to living forever. Legends say that if one becomes an Elemental G.o.d, they become immortals, but no one could corroborate this statement so most people believed it was false. Some people even believed that such a level does not exist. Otherwise, how could billions of years of history not record one single occurrence of an Elemental G.o.d?
Greyson was also unsure of his beliefs. However, there were many Elemental G.o.d believers throughout the different races. For the humans, it was the Church of Elos. Sister Lily was a believer of this church. Their message was not particularly harmful or bad. Elos was the name of a Light Elemental G.o.d who started as a doctor for the sick and a foster father to many until he became a G.o.d. His followers are all pacifists who work to heal the sick and raise the orphans. Actually, no one was even sure what the real gender of Elos is, his believers just like to imagine him as some peaceful and magnanimous old man. Greyson never really fed into the lessons he learned in the church, but he still respected the Church because he respected Sister Lily.
"Greyson, are you ready for our fight today?" A quiet voice broke Greyson out of his thoughts. Opening his eyes, he looked over towards the doorway towards his sister. Excitement filling his eyes, Greyson quickly rose from the ground to follow her out. Maybe today would be the day!
...
"Master, I do not know where this new boy came from, however, he will severely impact your plans the way things are heading." A cold monotone voice spoke out. If Greyson were here, he would recognize this voice as the one from the man who was trying to pull Rosalie away the day that he first woke up.
"Hmmm... Heinios, have you done your research on this new person?"
"His ident.i.ty is a complete mystery. Even using our connections in the surrounding areas, there was nothing about this boy. However, I can tell you, that he is also part elf like Lady Rosalie. When he first awoke, he had extremely similar features to her. Only, now, when I see the pictures drawn of him, he looks more like a Snow Dragon Beastman. My guess it that he is a mixed blood who miraculously has both a dragon bloodline and elf bloodline. A lot of the Snow Dragon tribe was upset because of the resources that were fed into his body while the boy was comatose. One of those was a Calming Fruit. Your servant is guessing that it was needed to allow the bloodlines to calmly interact. Recently, Lady Rosalie spends almost every day with this newcomer which does not bode well for any of her suitors. It seems that she may be thinking accepting him as her lover." Never once did the man"s voice waver as everything he said sounded like a plain everyday a.s.sessment.
"Hmph! Don"t even mention those suitors around me. All of them are not worthy of being my rivals. This mixed blood thing also is not even worthy of being my servant. Rosalie has become arrogant just because she is Elder Brevre"s granddaughter. Does she really think I want to marry her or something? Her looks are just enough to be my maid. I have been trying to take the nice route by allowing her to be full of herself and think I will chase her normally. However, some half-elf weakling like her wants to reject me? She doesn"t know her place!" Pure pride reflected in this new voice. Heinios made no reaction, however, as he cast his eyes upon the man lazing on a Grecian couch. This new person looked to be around 30 years old. His entire body was rippling with toned muscle and beautifully bronzed skin. Golden hair and golden eyes peaked through the curtains on the bed. He sprawled himself out and allowed the female servants around him to ma.s.sage and feed him. His face was undeniably handsome carried with obvious arrogance. "What level is this new person at anyway?"
"From his battles with his sister, he is a magister level stage three magician."
"That"s it? Then it seems I don"t even have to make a move personally. Just send one of my guards to take care of him. I"ve been missing Rosalie"s company these few months. Since she is so inclined to avoid me, I want you to make sure she is brought before me even by force." Waving his hand dismissively, he gave out his orders as deep possessiveness reflected in his golden eyes.
"Your servant understands." Saluting, Heinios took his commands and quickly departed.
"Snow Dragons? They are just trying to fight the inevitable. They think they can be the kings just because they control two elements? I"d like to see what they can do against me. I will receive what I desire!"
...
Greyson was unaware of the new storm that was brewing. He was walking back with his head drooping in disappointment after eating another loss. Rosalie tried her best to hold in her giggles, but she could not help but think that her younger brother was too cute. Patting his head, she ruffled his fluffy hair. She wanted to speak a couple words to console him, but she was interrupted before she could get out a word.
"Oh, Rosalie, my G.o.ddess, my world~! Dear beautiful flower, you brighten my world just by existing!" A disgustingly familiar voice echoed from behind the brother-sister pair. Even Greyson s.h.i.+vered hearing such obviously flattering words in such a flippant tone. Turning around, he came face to face with a good-looking youth around his early 20s or so. He had short green hair and seductive looking green eyes. His lips seemed to be curved in a permanent smirk that made him always look like he was up to no good. Greyson frowned deeply before pulling Rosalie behind him. Out of all the suitors he had run into thus far, this man gave him by far the worst impression.
"Oh, oh, oh? Who is this beauty? Such young and innocent charms... I could eat you right up!" Licking his tongue suggestively, he eyed Greyson up and down. This time Rosalie pulled Greyson into a protective hug.
"Cerul! Don"t you even think about it! You keep your dirty claws to yourself!" Bristling like a mother bear protecting her cub, she summoned a strong wind to push the newcomer back. However, the man just chuckled before easily blocking her attack. However, Rosalie just smiled instead as a large earth hand slammed the man into the ground with a loud smack. Crushed into the ground, Greyson flinched thinking that the guy was swatted away so violently just like a fly.
*Cough! Cough!*
"Rosalie, my dear. What did I say about attacking me? If you are so upset just say so, I do have an image to upkeep, you know?" Without a hint of embarra.s.sment, the man quickly pulled himself up off the ground. Covered in dirt, all his former grace was no longer present for a moment. Getting the wind to blow off all the dust and flipping his hair cleanly, Cerul quickly restored himself to the earlier playboy look.
"My, my. What a bad habit my loose mouth has! If I knew he was so important I would not have said anything." Slightly narrowing his eyes into crescents with a subservient smile, he did not seem to blame Rosalie at all. At this point, even Greyson realized that his sister did not actually treat this man with disgust. If anything, there was some annoyance and even helplessness towards his att.i.tude, but she did not reject him like everyone else.
"Hmph! Whatever. Your philandering ways will never improve. Take a good look with your eyes, this is my younger brother! He is off limits permanently. If I see you within even a 10 feet radius of him, I will smash your face in until you can no longer see anybody for months. Shoo, shoo!" Flicking her hands towards him, Rosalie glared at him while indicating he should leave. However, the man just laughed and looked at Greyson with interest before sticking out his hand.
"h.e.l.lo, little brother, I am Cerul from the Wind Dragon tribe."
Although hesitant, Greyson decided to reach out to shake the man"s hand and introduce himself.
"h.e.l.lo, I"m-" Before he could shake Cerul"s hand, Rosalie yanked him back.
"Don"t touch him. Who knows what diseases he carries with him?"
Looking wronged, Cerul grasped his heart like he just took a critical attack before trying to defend himself.
"Hey, now, Rosie, you can"t just go saying anything you want about me. What kind of dragon do you think I am?"
"A dragon in heat."
"Well..." Suddenly, Cerul could not help but look speechless.
"Sister?..." Greyson finally spoke out in a questioning tone. This was the first time he ever saw his sister acting so friendly with anyone excluding himself.
"Ah, Greyson, this is Cerul. Cerul, this is Greyson. Although I do not approve of including this disgusting thing, he is part of my closest friend group here in the Dragon Mountains. Do not fall for his friendly demeanor. Greyson you may not be aware, but each dragon tribe has a severe flaw. They are all born with extraordinary talents and powerful bodies. They are one of the most powerful magic beasts, but they each have a flaw. Wind Dragons are l.u.s.tful, Water Dragons are greedy, Fire Dragons are violent, Light Dragons are exceedingly arrogant, even the Snow Dragons are stubborn to a fault. All of them have this weakness that overrides their intelligence at times. It has caused a lot of the dragons to fall into traps and be easily captured or killed. The more powerful the dragon, the easier it is for them to control these impulses. Cerul does not have any morals when it comes to beautiful people or beasts. Even gender does not matter. Our group continues to try to fix his distasteful habits, but it is carved into his very existence to flirt." Rolling her eyes, Rosalie quickly explained her relations.h.i.+p with the newcomer. Greyson listened with interest as he had not heard of this information before, he did not focus on knowing all the specifics of each magic beast. More just knowledge of the common magic beasts and their abilities so that he could have better survival skills.
"Who are your other friends?" Deciding to ignore Cerul, Greyson followed up with another question since he was curious. He had yet to meet anyone else that his sister was close to, so he was shocked to know that there was actually a group.
"Well, that"s right, I guess you haven"t met them. They all went out on a little search mission for an herb that one of our friends is in need of, so they were not in the Mountains. I"ll introduce them to you when they all come back. That"s right, Cerul, didn"t you go with them? Is everyone back already?"
"Oh, I got back a little early, you know that I have always been the fastest." Winking charmingly at Greyson, he still responded seriously to Rosalie"s question. Snorting angrily, Rosalie once again glared over at Cerul. Greyson, on the other hand, just felt speechless towards this guy"s att.i.tude. However, after interacting for a little while, he realized that he may be l.u.s.tful but he was not overwhelming about it. For some reason, his forthrightness with his desires actually did not make Greyson feel repulsed. Instead, he just felt that Cerul was an interesting person.
"Alright, alright, it is enough. I can protect myself." Greyson spoke out. "h.e.l.lo, Cerul. My name is Greyson." Reaching out his hand, Greyson reintroduced himself. This time Cerul smiled without any shadiness and shook Greyson"s outreached hand.
"h.e.l.lo, little friend."
"Sister, why did you not go with them?" Returning to the earlier topic, Greyson was confused as to why his sister stayed around.
"..." Suddenly Rosalie turned silent as she looked extremely displeased by the question. Cerul just continued to chuckle.
"Oh my G.o.ddess, you are too cute!" He remarked. Glaring daggers at Cerul once again, she summoned another earth hand to smack him, however, this time, Cerul dodged easily.
"Tsk, tsk. I didn"t dodge last time because I felt bad, but I can"t just let you hit me all the time now, can I?"
Greyson looked over with obvious questioning in his eyes. Rosalie saw his look before pausing.
"... I am the weakest." She murmured almost incoherently.
"The weakest?" Greyson"s eyes widened.
"Don"t let their human forms fool you! Cerul, here, is almost 200 years old! All the rest of them are around that age as well. Greyson, dragons mature much slower than humans. They are still teenagers in the eyes of other dragons. They can almost naturally break through as long as they wait long enough. All of my friends, including Cerul, are all already Great Magisters. The strongest is already at stage two, but that dragon is also the oldest."
"200?" Greyson felt dizzy just thinking about it. To this day, he had lived for only around 14 years. He could not imagine what he would be like once he turns 200.
"Don"t be so shocked, Grey. It"s really, really difficult to become a Great Magister. Although, I am already at stage five right now, I might not become a Great Magister until I am 30 or so and that would still be breaking records. Plus, our grandparents pushed me through the magister stages so my foundation is still weak. You have to understand, that with each level, each stage also gets considerably harder. Due to your increasing lifespan, the golden period also becomes older and older. Before it was 10 years old, then it continued to grow right? Well the cutoff for Great Magister is 50 years and the cutoff for Magician King is 250 years old. That"s only the human standard too since our natural talent and lifespan is lower so we have less time. Dragons have very different standards and talent thresholds they need to meet. You will have to start building your patience because sometimes luck is also involved in breaking through to the next level. Just meditation will no longer be enough." Taking this chance, Rosalie once again started lecturing Greyson. Maybe it was to hide her own embarra.s.sment for being so weak, but Greyson was too deep in thought to think about teasing her about it. He was already pretty smug and happy with his fast progress that was breaking records, but listening to Rosalie, Greyson realized how young and weak he was still compared to the rest of the world.