Chương 408: Fire Keepers Heir

(Eskar POV) Eskar's body flew through the night sky, carried farther from the group with every beat of the creature's wings. The gap between them was growing fast. If this kept up, he might not reach the others before they entered the domain. His single eye narrowed as he shifted inside the huge claw and studied his captor. He knew that skull. A wyvern. The Magma Borne. They were one of the strongest wyvern types in the world.

They were said to be distant kin of the Bloodscales, though they had become a lesser race long ago. Even so, they were still deadly. From its strength, Eskar guessed it was at least a Category Six. He clicked his tongue.

"Well, that explains why you stopped caring about the others." The wyvern turned its head toward him. Its black scales shone under the moon, smooth like dark stone. Then bright orange light formed between its claws. Fire burst out, forcing the wyvern to let go of Eskar with a sharp cry. Eskar grinned. His plan had worked. He twisted in the air and fired flames from his remaining hand. The flames slowed his fall and sent him toward the trees below. He landed lightly among the branches while the wyvern circled above.

Of course, it wasn't going to leave him alone. Eskar looked up and sighed.

"Come on. We don't have all night." The wyvern roared. It folded its wings and dove at him. Eskar's eye widened.

"Fast." He covered himself in flames and moved aside. The wyvern changed its path at once. Eskar had no time to dodge again. The beast slammed into him and drove him into the ground. BOOM! A shockwave tore through the forest. Trees snapped, while dirt and stones flew into the air. A wide crater formed beneath them. For a few seconds, nothing moved. Then the Magma Borne stood up. It shook the dirt from its scales and looked into the crater. Seeing no movement, it seemed to think Eskar was dead.

Then crimson flames burst from below. The wyvern jumped back and spread its wings. Eskar climbed from the crater. His armor was torn, but his body was fine. He brushed the dirt from his shoulder and smiled at the wyvern.

"Alright, how about a deal?" he asked.

"I'll leave, and you let me go. We don't need to waste time fighting." His smile grew.

"Sounds fair, doesn't it?" The wyvern only stared at him. Then it roared. The sound shook the trees. Birds fled from the branches, and smaller beasts ran through the forest. Eskar sighed.

"Alright. I should have known." Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. He had not wanted to kill it. But now he was curious. Magma Bornes were called Category Six beasts because of their great firepower. Eskar wanted to see if this one truly deserved that rank. He studied it. It was about the size of a large dinosaur. Its wings were thick and strong. Its back legs were made for short bursts of speed. Its long tail ended in a sharp, blade-like tip.

Every part of its body was built to kill. Eskar lowered his stance.

"Alright. Let's see what you can do." The wyvern roared again. Then it vanished. It crossed the space between them in a single leap. Eskar moved aside at the last moment as the beast rushed past him. He raised his hand and sent a thin stream of fire toward it. The flames struck its side. They did not burn it. Instead, Eskar used the force to knock it off course. The wyvern crashed into an old tree and split the trunk in half. The falling tree struck several others, sending them down as well. Eskar chuckled.

"Well, that was my mistake. I'll do better next time." The Magma Borne roared again. Eskar watched as more beasts fled from the area. Then an idea came to him. Magma Bornes were proud creatures. Like their Bloodscale ancestors, they could sense strength. More importantly, they could serve someone they saw as worthy. Eskar smiled.

"I'll make you mine." The wyvern lowered its body and charged. One claw swung toward him and smashed into the ground. Eskar had already moved. The claw sank deep into the soil where he had been standing. Eskar opened his hand. Crimson flames rose around him. The wyvern struck through the fire with its other claw. Eskar was gone.

"Missed me." His voice came from the side. The wyvern turned, but Eskar was already attacking. He thrust his palm forward and fired a blast of crimson flame into its side. BOOM! The Magma Borne flew several meters through the air. It twisted before hitting the ground and dug its claws into the soil. Eskar grinned.

"Come on. Use your flames." The wyvern began to circle him. Its eyes had changed. There was no longer simple hunger in them. It was watching Eskar with respect. It had recognized his strength. That was the first step. Now he had to prove himself. Eskar smiled.

"Easier said than done." He moved first. Eskar jumped and brought his leg down. Flames burst from the ground and rushed toward the wyvern like a wave. The beast moved. It shot to the side so fast that most people would have lost sight of it. Eskar's flames followed close behind. The wyvern moved around him again and again. It appeared between the trees, then vanished just as quickly. Eskar raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? A smart one." The wyvern suddenly dove at him. Eskar prepared to strike, but the beast flew past him instead. His flames continued forward. The wyvern had tricked him into attacking himself. The flames faded before reaching him. Eskar stayed calm. The wyvern hissed. It was running out of options. It could not beat Eskar in close combat. It could not catch him. Its own flames were also unlikely to hurt someone with control over fire like his. The beast seemed to understand that. Eskar saw it in its eyes.

Then his expression changed.

"Yes. That's it. Give me everything you have." The wyvern's body began to glow. Its jaw opened as orange light spread through its scales. Heat began to build inside its body. The black scales started to soften from the heat. Soon, its body no longer looked like flesh. It looked like living metal filled with molten fire. Eskar stared in wonder.

"Magnificent." The Magma Borne opened its jaws. Heat spread through the forest. Eskar slowly raised his hand. His face became serious.

"I'll meet your all." His divine heart beat once. THOOM. Crimson flames gathered around his palm.

"With my all." His heart beat again. THOOM. The flames grew stronger. For a moment, neither moved. Both were ready to release everything they had. Either attack could destroy a large part of the forest. Then the wyvern fired. A huge beam of flame burst from its mouth. The force pushed the Magma Borne backwards. Trees vanished as the beam passed through them, while the ground melted into burning stone. Eskar's eye widened.

"Amazing." The beam swallowed him. His body vanished inside the flames. The forest behind him was destroyed as the attack continued forward, turning everything in its path into fire and molten earth. It was not called Magma Borne for nothing. But even then, a wyvern was still a wyvern. Something moved inside the flames. A presence. Guided by a single word.

"Ishra." Crimson flames burst outward. They did not block the Magma Borne's attack. They consumed it entirely. The entire beam vanished in an instant. The crimson fire rushed toward the wyvern and crossed the gap in less than a heartbeat. The Magma Borne froze. Its vision filled with red. The forest disappeared. The sky disappeared. Even the ground seemed to vanish. There was only fire. The fire of its ancestors. The fire of those above it. The fire of a true dragon. The flames swallowed the Magma Borne.

Fear appeared in its eyes. It stopped attacking. Its body lowered, and its eyes closed. It accepted death. But the flames never came. They simply vanished. The forest became quiet again. Slowly, the Magma Borne opened its eyes. Eskar stood before it. Completely unharmed. The wyvern stared at him. At last, it understood what stood before it. This was not an ordinary boy. He was not a normal human. He was not simply a Visorian with strong control over fire. A true dragon stood before it.

Eskar took a slow step forward. His smile softened as he held out his hand.

"So, Magma Borne. I'll ask you once." He looked straight into its eyes.

"Will you serve me?"