Valtak flew faster and faster, opening a Warp Steps after the other. After less than a minute, Lith recognized the mountain border that separated the Kingdom from the Empire as they crossed over it.
The scenery changed so quickly that if not for the drop in temperature and the perennial snowy peaks he would have missed it.
‘Fuck me sideways, Dragonspeed is not just an expression.’ He thought. ‘I have no clue where we are and without dimensional coordinates, I can’t use Warp Steps. I’ll be at the mercy of this overgrown lizard.’
Lith’s paranoia demanded him to always be in control but now he was in a position of weakness.
The landscape alternated between grasslands and mountain ranges until it became barren. The soil was black and nothing grew there except for a few stalks of some weed too stubborn to give up.
Lith and Tista could see in the distance the cause of that desolation. There were a few active volcanos in the nearing mountains, each producing black clouds that smelled of sulfur.
One of them was erupting right now, producing from time to time a pillar of fire as a stream of lava slowly ran down its slopes.
“We’ve arrived.” Valtak landed at the farthest edge of the lava river from the volcano. “Welcome to my home.”
“How is this place called?” Lith could almost see a flaming eye Forgemastering rings of power in the fiery heart of the mountain.
“The valley of life.” The Fire Dragon replied.
“In a sarcastic way?” Tista waved at the emptiness around them.
“No. You see, this place is indeed barren, but the volcanic ashes are a great fertilizer. It’s because of them that the nearby lands can be cultivated all year around or risk of soil depletion.” Valtak said.
“They are far away enough to be spared from the heat but close enough for the wind to carry over a steady supply of ashes. People from all over the Empire come here to collect what they need to turn the harshest of lands into fertile grounds.
“Always remember, child. Fire is as much life as it is destruction.” Valtak said. “Think about it like the sun, if it makes things easier. Its heat makes you thirsty and can even kill you but without it, there’s only death.
“Now, I need to know everything about your bloodline abilities.”
“Everything?” Lith echoed in suspicion.
“If you want, you can limit yourself only to the fire-based ones but I don’t recommend it. Things are often connected to each other in ways that are hard to notice if you can’t see the whole picture.” Valtak replied.
“Of course, spare me the details about Domination and the powers of your eyes if they work the same way as a Tyrant’s or a Balor’s.”
“How do you know about that?” Tiska asked.
“Please, child, I’m old and the patriarch of one of the most ancient Dragon bloodlines. I possess the knowledge of my species and we’ve seen Balors born and fall. We know they descend from humans just like the Tyrants.
“The moment I saw your eyes, I understood the role your human side plays in your physiology.”
Lith talked first, sharing with the Father of Fire everything about his bloodline abilities that were public knowledge.
‘There is no point hiding what he can learn from watching videos and reading reports. If he can help me in any way, I’ll disclose the rest.’ He thought.
The only exception he made was about his experience in the Garden. Lith explained to Valtak how the Garden worked and how via the Void fragment feeding off Maergron Lith had gained temporary control over several kinds of Flames at the same time.
“Interesting. Your eyes play a role in conjuring Cursed Flames.” The Elder Wyrm sounded intrigued but Lith could swear there was also a tinge of disappointment in his voice. “What about you, young lady?”
Tista, instead, explained everything she knew about her own bloodline abilities which wasn’t much.
‘There’s no point hiding behind a finger or wasting time discovering everything by myself when I can have the help of an expert.’ She thought. ‘If Valtak wanted to kill us, he would have ambushed us instead of asking us to follow him.’
“So, you call your ability to cast spells with your feathers Prismatic Wind.” The Fire Dragon pondered. “What about the one that allows you to share the burden and power of your Flames?”
“…” Tista muttered something with a voice so low that even a Dragon couldn’t hear a word.
“Field Dressing?” Lith asked.
“No, I think it was something like Quirk Pressing.” Valtak said.
“It’s Queen’s Blessing, okay? Feel free to mock me now.” Tista blushed in embarrassment and turned away.
“That’s pretentious, to say the least.” Lith said with a chuckle. “Big words for someone so small.”
Lith patted her head. With her 20 meters (66 feet) the Hekate was the shortest of the three and by a lot. Her horns barely reached the chest of the Fire Dragon.
“It’s not my fault if Nana called me Fairy Queen. On top of that, when Solus explained this power to me, she compared it to a Queen blessing her knights so feel free to blame it on them, King of the Spirits.”
“I was just joking.” Lith raised his hands with the palms out. “That said, I’ve always wondered how prophetic Nana’s last words had turned out to be.”
“Tell me more about this.” Valtak took the matter with unexpected seriousness, even though Lith himself considered it nothing but a heartwarming anecdote.
“It makes sense.” The Father of Fire said after listening to the whole story, making their eyes go wide in surprise. “This Nana was just a human fake mage, but she knew you all your life.
“Sometimes, people in their final moments can see past the veil of the physical senses and glimpse into the true nature of things, something like the Guardians’ Soul Vision. Do you know about it?” He asked, receiving a nod in reply.
“Dammit, now that I think about it, I never asked what I look like under Soul Vision. Not even while working with Aalejah.” Tista slapped her own forehead.
“Big deal. I did and it never helped.” Lith shrugged. “Now that you know more about us, how can you help us and why did you bring us here?”
“I would love to tell you that I can teach you all about your abilities but I can’t. Nobody can.” Valtak shook his head. “You both belong to a new species and it’s up to you to discover and master your gifts.
“The only thing I can do is help you along the way and give you suggestions based on my experience. Your mother carries my same blood, after all, and I’m pretty good with fire-based spells.
“As for the why here, it’s because this is the place where Fire Dragons teach their hatchlings. If you are anything like us, it will come in handy. Now give me a demonstration of your abilities.”
Lith breathed all kinds of Flames, failing to conjure Primordial, Immortal, and blue flames. Tista did the same, but also failed to activate any of her bloodline abilities connected with her wings.
