The Flame Dragon born in the same clutch as Lai En was named Gondor.
Like Lai En, it was barely over a year old.
The Dragon Clans grew at a terrifying pace; only the first year was infancy, and for the next several hundred years, they would soar through the skies.
At this moment, Gondor was with its father, discussing matters concerning its mate.
Gondor had only just reached adulthood, but in the future, it would become the leader of the Flame Dragons, one of the few great rulers of the Dragon Realm, capable of deciding the fate of its own tribe and even the entire Dragon Clans.
“Gondor, in a few days’ time, you shall be united with the Ice Dragon Princess.”
“Yes, Father.”
Gondor lowered its head, covered in deep crimson scales.
“Also, you haven’t been harboring any other thoughts about your brother lately, have you?”
Ahead of Gondor, the golden light of the throne blazed brilliantly.
The father of both Gondor and Lai En was the one seated upon the pure gold throne: the Flame Dragon King, Garrod.
“Father, we Dragon Clans never show mercy to the weak. Its death brought about my strength.”
Gondor had initially felt a pang of guilt over Lai En’s death (though it naturally never knew that name).
But power, prestige, and even the female dragons had made it understand.
If Lai En had lived, then it would have been Gondor thrown into the Abyss.
Whether it was the gold or the Ice Dragon Princess, all of it would have belonged to its own flesh and blood.
That cruel fate had been decided the moment the two Dragon Eggs were laid.
And Gondor was the victor.
Lai En was its stepping stone, a waste that deserved to be eliminated.
“Father, the strong should conquer the weak, and even humiliate them mercilessly!”
“Only power is everything, only power is eternal. My brother will become the first step on my path to strength. I thank him for the contribution he made to me.”
The more Gondor spoke, the more excited it became, as if every scale on its body were breathing.
“Hahaha, well said!”
Garrod looked at Gondor with approval.
“The weak have no right to live. Their only purpose is to become our nourishment.”
“All of this is what you deserve, Gondor.”
Garrod understood that the Steel and Fire Ladder of the Flame Dragon clan required true strength to climb.
No weakness was permitted.
“You must understand, Gondor, this world divides all living beings into ranks.”
“The lowest rank consists of those magic beasts with meager intelligence. Above them are the fragile Humans, Elves, and similar species, while we stand at the very top.”
“If you feel pity for an ant while crushing it, then you are unworthy of being strong. Remember my words.”
Gondor gazed at its father with fervor, as if Garrod had already placed a crown upon its head.
“Father, I will give my all from now on, become strong, and trample every dragon beneath my claws.”
“That’s right, Gondor.”
At that moment, Garrod knew that the Law of the Jungle had been firmly planted in Gondor’s mind, and it would surely accomplish great things in the future.
Now was the time to guide it, to set it on the path of growth.
“One must endure the bitterest hardship to rise above all dragons. From now on, even if you shed skin and flesh, you must keep growing stronger and never give any dragon a chance to surpass you!”
Upon hearing this, Gondor immediately felt shame for the pain it had endured during past training.
“Father, from now on, I will strictly follow your plan, tempering my body and honing my will.”
“That’s the spirit. Now I can rest easy letting you unite with the Ice Dragon clan.”
After this conversation, Gondor had completely dispelled any lingering complicated feelings about its brother.
Serves it right—
Who told it to be so weak that it was abandoned before it was even born?
A dragon with Talent inferior to others from birth does not deserve to be strong.
Gondor returned to its lair and began training obsessively.
Whether it was Battle Techniques or magic, it improved at lightning speed.
Soon, it became the strongest Flame Dragon among its peers.
And what did Garrod think of Lai En?
He didn’t care at all.
Although Lai En and Gondor were both his offspring, he despised weak dragons from the bottom of his heart.
If his progeny were frail and useless, he would rather kill them on the spot.
In Garrod’s own words, letting Lai En die mindlessly inside the egg was already a form of mercy.
In truth, Garrod had originally intended to devour Lai En himself, but Dragon Eggs were no ordinary material—they carried the ancient blessings of the Dragon Clans and could not be easily broken open.
So Garrod simply tossed Lai En into the bottomless Abyss like garbage.
Within the Dragon Clans, anything that couldn’t be destroyed but still needed to be killed or sealed away was dealt with in this manner.
But what Garrod—and indeed, all the Dragon Clans—could never have imagined was that a dragon would actually fly out of the Abyss.
……
[After an extremely long flight, you finally reached the upper part of the Abyss]
[“It took this long—with rests, we used a full five days just to reach the upper layer.”]
[Winteria’s stamina was running low, and naturally, you weren’t in much better shape]
[But the world beyond the Abyss seemed to be beckoning to you]
[Sometimes, when you flew until your strength gave out and thoughts of giving up crept in, Winteria by your side would always encourage you]
[You thought to yourself, if Winteria could endure all this without giving up, how could you?]
[And so, you finally arrived at the entrance of the Abyss]
[A light appeared—at first a small crack, then it grew larger and larger……]