"But we were dragons. We were supposed to be cruel, cunning, heartless, and terrible. But this much I can tell you, we never burned and tortured and ripped one another apart and called it morality."
― Terry Pratchett, Guards! Guards!
---
-Ozpin-
Walking in the hallways of Beacon Academy, his coffee mug in hand, Ozpin glanced at the ongoing classes while his mind was wandering to the events days prior.
…
He was sitting on his chair in his office, reviewing the new semester's plans so Glynda didn't have more work to do. The poor soul was already burdened with more than she should have.
And during that time, he felt it.
An enormous pulse of magic; Unlike anything he'd ever felt.
It was so absurd that he reflexively bolted up from his seat— almost losing balance as his foot got stuck on the table's corner and spilled his warm drink on the paperwork in the process. But he didn't have time to worry about such small things as he pulled every ounce of his focus to this phenomenon.
It was… It was definitely not natural. That pulse of energy was too great for anything existing on this planet to produce and its signature was unique.
At that moment, he'd feared that the Gods themselves had come back for some unknown reason. His usually calm and serene mind, hammered to be resilient in the face of troubles, had faltered greatly at that moment, fear seeping into his core as the thought of divine judgment on humanity came back to his mind's forefront.
He'd been unable to unite the world. Humanity was still fragmented, and their treatment of Faunus was an issue that even he couldn't fix anytime soon. He'd taken a passive stance on it, hoping that time would heal the wounds and eventually people would learn to respect each other despite their differences.
Alas, if his fear was proven right, he had suddenly run out of time. His laid-back attitude over the decades was going to cost the entire Humankind and Faunuskind… everything.
But a part of him, the one with millennia of experience and reasoning forged over many a century, rained in that fear and uncertainty and enabled him to calm his nerves to think. And think he did.
And he realized the oddity. The signature he felt from his pulse of energy wasn't like the two Brother Gods. It was… different. Unusual.
That unfamiliarness of it managed to fully calm him for the time being and instead raised his curiosity.
It was clear that if he had felt that, that meant she had felt it as well. And that she was not one to let go of such curious incidents.
He'd furrowed his brows in thought and decided to call back his best hunter from his current mission prematurely.
This needed his attention. He needed to know what this phenomenon was and needed to ensure whatever caused this wouldn't fall into Salem's hands.
Nothing good would come out of such a scenario.
Picking up his scroll, he dialed one of the numbers on his speed dial.
"Hello?"
"Qrow."
"Oz, what's up? Kinda busy here."
"Drop your current mission and leave for the Dragon Continent immediately."
"Wha—?"
"It's urgent, Qrow. Something has happened there, and I don't know what. But whatever it is, it has likely gained her attention as well. She must have already sent someone to investigate and acquire whatever caused the phenomena. You're the only one who is capable of surveying the area covertly. Go, Qrow. Find out what is going on there."
"Wait, hold up. Where exactly do I need to go? That continent is quite big, you know? Also, what am I looking for exactly? What happened?"
Ozpin sighed and contemplated how to answer that question.
"Very well. Call me once you have acquired a bullhead."
Ending the call, he opened the scroll and sent messages to his trusted allies. This was something both James and Glynda needed to know. He would tell the others at a later time, once he had more information on the subject. There was no real need to cause panic.
Still, something had happened and he wasn't sure if it would cause a ripple. No, if his hunch was right—and it usually was— it would most certainly cause a ripple. What needed to be seen was how big of a ripple it would cause.
Sighing again, he turned to see the elevator door opening, and out of it came a gorgeous blonde woman with a stern but concerned face.
"What's going on? You sounded distressed."
He turned to look back through his window, trying in vain to find the answer himself.
"… I'm not sure, Glynda… I really am not sure. But whatever it is, I hope it isn't a herald of something bad to come."
The deputy headmistress frowned at that and looked in the direction he was looking.
"Is it her? Is she finally making a move?"
"Not this time, I think. Though I'm not certain, this wasn't her signature. It was something else. A pulse of power, unlike anything I've ever felt. Similar in magnitude to the power shown by the Two Brothers. So great in intensity that it would've likely been felt over the whole world—if people could sense it, that is."
"That does not sound good."
"Hmm… it is very concerning and intriguing. I've already sent Qrow on this."
"I only hope that drunkard will take this seriously."
Glynda spoke in mild distaste of the man. Even if she respected and acknowledged Qrow's strength and prowess, she also would point out his glaring flaws every now and then. And it was a fair assessment. Qrow was… he had issues. Not that Ozpin blamed the young man for it. Qrow had had a very complicated life. Plenty of things that made him into who he was today and the way he acted.
"He will, Glynda. Once I explain to him the severity of it, I'm certain he'll take this seriously."
Glynda simply nodded and didn't reply, but the lessening of her frowns was proof enough that she understood and, in some capacity, accepted it.
…
He was still waiting for Qrow to finish his surveillance and report any findings. So far there had been little progress.
This very much concerned the immortal wizard, seeing as it could mean that he might have been too late and she had gotten whatever caused that phenomenon, but the report that Salem's agents were also in the same region, seemingly looking for something relieved him just a little. Though their identities were hard to decipher from the hooded disguise they wore, he did identify one of the men from the captured images he'd received from Qrow and that had turned into a problem on its own. He'd learned of the unfortunate result of one of his many failures.
Hazen Rainhart had joined Salem.
Qrow was strong, possibly one of the best Huntsman in Vale, but he wasn't sure he could take on both Hazel and his unknown associate on his own, so he was to lay low and keep watch. Make sure to disrupt and capture the cause of the phenomenon in case they find it.
Thankfully, whatever it was they were looking for, they hadn't found it yet. That was good. As long as Salem didn't get whatever it was, he could at least feel somewhat at ease.
The ringing of the bell broke him from his thoughts as the students rushed out of their classes, heading out to the cafeteria for lunch.
Seeing the bright faces of the freshmen, he smiled as he sipped his drink. This new batch had some unusual and noteworthy students and he was curious how they would develop and grow. He dared to have high hopes for a few of the teams from this year.
After all, it was his burden to make sure the future of Remnant was in good hands. That was the task he'd taken upon himself seeing even he couldn't unite the world on his own.
Because even if he couldn't unite the world, he could at least give the world more time to grow and learn the importance of that themselves. That in this dire situation, their hatred and mistreatment towards one another was the last thing the world needed. He knew that by inspiring them to see beyond their differences and work together, they could face any adversity that came their way, and perhaps, one day, they might truly unite for the greater good. That was partly why he opened Beacon and taught youngsters to learn to work together despite their differences.
That was his duty, his responsibility.
***
Closing the [Notes] tab I stretched and got up from the bed.
I was inside the Trainer's Hut, my Home Sweet Home once I had repaired it.
Heading out, I reached the southern coast—noting that Pyra was still asleep in her habitat— and opened up the [Shop] and [Build Menu] side by side.
Popping my fingers, I began my task.
I had over 100k Gold to spend, almost all of it earned from Pyra's habitat.
I already had a list of things I wanted to buy in another [Notes] tab that I opened next.
One by one, I searched and bought the items on the list.
[Water Dragon Egg x1]
Element: Water
Rarity: Common
Description: A shimmering and tranquil egg, embodying the essence of the vast ocean depths, holds the potential to hatch into a graceful Water Dragon. Can be hatched inside a Dragon Hatchery or in a body of water.
Cost: 5000 Gold
[Water Dragon Habitat x1]
Tier: 1
A habitat for Water Dragons.
Can hold 1 Water Dragon once built.
Earns 200 Gold/hour.
Upgrade to higher tiers to gain more Gold and hold more Dragons.
Requirements to build: 10 Construction Golems of Tier 1 or higher.
Time to build: 8 hours
Cost: 10000 Gold
[Dragon Berry Farm x9]
Tier: 1
A farm that automatically produces delicious Dragon Berries for your Dragons and requires no care from the user.
Builds instantaneously upon placement and requires no Construction Golems.
Produces 100 Berries/hour once built.
Upgrade to produce more Berries.
Requirements to build: 2 Construction Golems of Tier 1 or higher.
Time to build: 1 hour
Cost: 500 Gold/farm
[Water Dragon's Temple x1]
Tier: 1
A temple that has a mystical power inside it.
Boosts the Water Dragons in a certain radius, allowing them to reach new heights in power.
Increases Level cap for Water Dragons from 10 to 20.
Requirements to build: 5 Construction Golems of Tier 1 or higher.
Time to build: 1 day
Cost: 50000
And finally, the thing that was required in all of these purchases.
[Construction Golem x28]
Tier: 1
A magical golem that helps you in building, moving, and removing structures and habitats in your realm.
Doesn't require anything to work.
Can be directed through the [Build Menu] or with the user's thoughts.
Cost: 1000 Gold/Golem
In total, I spent 97,500 Gold on all of my purchases, and that left me with 11,700 Gold.
It hurt a little to see all that Gold I spent a week saving disappear from my Inventory, but this was for the better. I could make up that Gold and earn even more with these new additions.
"All in the name of progress."
I muttered, consoling my greedy side that didn't feel happy with that big loss of Gold.
"Now then, time to set up the things and add to my collection."
Not wasting more time on dilly-dallying, I began placing the structures and the Habitat.
***
Placing the leathery blue-scaled egg inside the newly built Habitat, which was a large pond surrounded by sand and some stones, I crossed the second last task I had planned for in my [Notes] and that left me with an almost completed to-do list.
'So, I only need a Hatchery and I'll finish this list. But that'll have to come later. I don't have the Gold for it.'
The thing cost 125,000 Gold. An outrageous amount in my opinion. Especially because it was not a compulsory addition. The only two benefits it provided were the ability to hatch ANY type of dragon faster than the alternative way and store more than one egg for hatching at a time. Like most things it had tiers and at tier 1 it could hold 3 eggs.
Still, I would eventually buy it. It seemed pretty convenient and was part of the progression.
'Now then, I just have to wait for 30 minutes for it to hatch.'
I was excited and eager to meet my second dragon.
'I hope taming it will be as easy as taming Pyra was.'
***
[Attention!]
[Your Dragon is ready to hatch! Help it finish its hatching by gently rubbing the surface of the egg.]
Seeing the notification, I got up, shaking all the sand away from my hands and back, and made my way towards the pool.
Initially, I was going to make the habitat in the shallow ocean water since it made sense to me, but I found out that it wouldn't let me do that. Apparently, I had to place the habitat within the bounds of the island.
So, I placed it near the beach.
Walking up to the shaking egg sitting in the shallow water of the pond, I knelt and touched its cold surface, unlike the Fire Dragon Egg's warm one. Gently, I started rubbing and soon, I saw the cracks forming on its surface.
'Finally, my second dragon. I wonder how it'll look.'
The top finally cracked and out came the light blue head of the little dragon, once again larger in proportion compared to its serpentine body. It had two fins on the side of its head where one would expect ears to be and a small golden yellow horn adorned its snout between its two large slitted eyes with light blue sclera and opal irises.
I took a moment to take in the features of the baby dragon and let the dragon do the same. Then, I spoke, repeating what I did with Pyra. With a smile, I spoke.
"Hello, little one."
The baby dragon moved, causing its egg to fall from its vertical position. Then, with little effort, it crawled out of its egg and moved closer to me with its small legs that reminded me of a turtle's legs painted in blue with additional dark blue patches near the bottom.
I didn't move and simply observed its actions.
Slowly, it made its way towards my leg and then made a rapid clicking noise.
I blinked curiously, noting how different this dragon's features and actions were compared to Pyra's.
Then again, they were polar opposites in many ways. Their elements, their habitats, and even their bodies were shaped differently.
The baby blue dragon had no wings, for instance.
Finally, the little thing had crawled its way to me and started nibbling on my feet with its toothless gums, making clicking sounds.
'Sounds kinda like a dolphin's. But different.'
It took me a moment to process that thought and soon I was petting the little thing, feeling its cold body.
'Cold-blooded, maybe?'
With that thought, I pulled out a Dragon Berry, hoping to get its attention. As cute as it was to see it chew on my toes—since I was barefoot— it was a little strange and I didn't want it to get sand and dirt in its stomach.
The berry did its magic immediately as the baby dragon stopped nibbling on my toe and looked at the delicious—I presumed— food.
I brought the large berry near its mouth which it had now opened wide and watched as it took large bites of it, chewing it a little and then swallowing it.
Before long, the berry was gone and it was looking at me with its large, expectant eyes.
I chuckled and brought another one.
"Want more?"
It simply opened its mouth wide and that was enough of an answer for me.
"Well, here you go. Eat as much as you like."
And as it ate the berry, I felt a sensation I'd felt before with Pyra and I just knew I had tamed the baby dragon.
The first time, it had been vague and uncertain, but after reading the book I got in the rewards for repairing the Trainer's Hut, I now knew what it was. It was a link, a bond that I had with my tamed dragons.
It was a curious topic as from what I'd read, it wasn't just that, but came with more features such as being able to sense your dragon's moods and their general location in the realm—and even in the real world, if what the texts said was true, which it probably was.
But I had yet to find a way to do those things, especially the latter part. I could more or less tell how Pyra was feeling and as it leveled up and we spent time together, my senses towards its feelings only enhanced further. But I couldn't 'sense' its location when I tried. I could feel a connection, sure, but that was it.
I needed something else, but the book was vague about that topic, and one of the lines literally read 'The trainer would learn to hone their senses in due time and solidify the connection with their dragon(s).'
So, that was that. I would wait and keep trying to figure it out.
But that was for the future me. For now, I had a baby dragon to interact with.
"What should I name you?"
And I was back to struggling with a name.
'Wish there was a guide to naming dragons too.'
I mentally sighed and postponed that task to a little later. For now, I would simply let my new dragon eat to its heart's content.
***