Chapter 34: Valerion's Troubles
Ever since that famous 'Thick Smoke Incident' at the training ground, Kalendil had been acting as if he'd caught some incredible leverage, teasing Valerion with it at every opportunity. At first, it was just within their respective dens, but later, during meals, training, or even just idle moments, he couldn't resist throwing in a couple of remarks.
It all started within their own dens.
Every day, Kalendil would go to the eastern Lava Lake to show off his fire-breathing skills. Standing on the scorching-hot rocks, he'd take a deep breath and unleash a concentrated, perfectly straight pillar of fire with a 'WHOOSH,' accurately hitting a floating rock in the lake, turning the entire stone red-hot and glowing, nearly melting it into lava.
Then he'd turn his head and shout towards the direction of the western stone chamber, 'Valerion, watch me breathe fire!'
Valerion would usually be curled up in his own reinforced stone chamber, clutching a piece of black ore with the highest iron content, crunching away contentedly, completely ignoring the provocation from outside.
Kalendil wouldn't let up, running straight to the entrance of the stone chamber, hands on his hips, looking immensely pleased with himself. 'Can you do that? What can you do besides spewing smoke?'
Valerion slowly swallowed the rock in his mouth, lifted his round head, gave Kalendil a blank look, and said nothing.
Kalendil continued his assault. 'Moving chimney! Besides choking people, what else can you do?'
Valerion still didn't react much, only giving a slight swish of his tail on the ground, as if shooing a mosquito or simply couldn't be bothered.
Kalendil waited for a long time but got no rebuttal or argument. Finding it utterly boring, he pursed his lips, turned around, and sauntered off.
But this mockery didn't stop there.
Later, during mealtime.
Livia went out hunting and brought back three plump, tender Rock Sheep, one for each of the three dragon whelps, clearly divided. Kalendil tried hard to maintain the elegance befitting the eldest True Dragon son, tearing small, delicate pieces of meat and eating slowly and methodically. Aetheriel ate with extreme focus, all the while staring at his newly regrown tail tip—the new section was a shade lighter than the original, and he kept pondering it, feeling something was off.
Only Valerion ate quickly and decisively.
He gobbled down the entire Rock Sheep in a few big bites, his head bobbing up and down. After finishing, he looked up at Livia with clear, innocent eyes and said matter-of-factly, 'Hungry.'
Before Livia could respond, Kalendil set down the meat in his mouth and casually remarked, 'Why eat so fast? It's not like you need to fight. What's the point of eating so much?'
Valerion paused mid-bite, slowly lowered his head, stared at his claws, and said nothing.
Aetheriel looked up, wanting to say something in his brother's defense, but as soon as he opened his mouth, he let out a tiny burp accompanied by a few sparks, immediately choking himself into a coughing fit.
Kalendil snorted derisively, lowered his head, and continued eating his meat elegantly.
Later still, during group training.
Livia began formally teaching the three whelps basic combat techniques—breath attacks, claw strikes, low-altitude flight—one after another.
Kalendil was the most naturally gifted, learning the fastest. His breath attacks were precise and powerful, his claw strikes clean and sharp, and even his flying posture was exceptionally graceful, the very picture of a standard True Dragon template.
Aetheriel was the most chaotic. His breath attacks came with built-in lightning, often accidentally shocking himself; his claw strikes always missed, either swiping at air or hitting a rock and making his claws ache; flying was the biggest disaster zone—he'd lose balance mid-flight, tumble in the air, and land in a dusty heap.
As for Valerion, he was the slowest and least noticeable learner.
During breath practice, he'd muster all his strength, but what came out was still billowing thick smoke, filling the air with black soot. Aside from choking everyone and making it hard to see, it had zero offensive power.
During claw strike practice, he certainly had strength. One swipe could crack solid rock, but he always forgot to protect his claws with his scales. After each strike, he'd be left grimacing in pain, hopping around on the spot.
Flight practice was even more pitiful. His wings were short, his body round and heavy. After much flapping, he could only manage to rise two or three meters off the ground before plummeting back down with a heavy 'THUD,' making the ground tremble slightly.
Kalendil would watch from the sidelines each time, doubling over with laughter, unable to stop. 'Valerion, are you a dragon or a pig?'
Valerion lay on the ground, panting, saying nothing, his little tail drooping limply on the ground.
Aetheriel scampered over, wanting to help him up, but as soon as he raised a hand, he shocked himself first, yelping 'OW!' and retracting his claw, tears nearly welling up.
Seeing his pitiful state, Valerion let out a sudden 'pfft' of laughter.
He got up by himself, dusted off his body, and comforted, 'You're worse off than me.'
Aetheriel rubbed his electrified tongue, huffing and puffing as he tried to find something positive. 'Mine was an accident. Yours is... it's unique! Thick smoke is useful too! Like... like...'
He racked his brains for a long time but couldn't think of any legitimate use for thick smoke. His voice trailed off.
Valerion's tail, which had perked up a little, drooped back down.
That night, all the dragons returned to their dens, except Valerion didn't go back to the western stone chamber.
He lay alone in the most secluded corner of the main hall, facing the cold stone wall, motionless. His tail lay limply on the ground, utterly lifeless. Even his favorite chewing rock was tossed aside.
Livia returned from bathing in the Lava Lake. As soon as she entered the main hall, she saw that small, solitary figure in the corner.
Her steps faltered for a moment before she walked over quietly and settled down beside him.
'What's wrong?'
Valerion didn't turn around or speak.
Livia waited quietly for a while, then asked softly, 'Did Kalendil say something to you again?'
Valerion's ears twitched slightly, but he still didn't turn around. His small shoulders were tense.
Livia was silent for a second, her voice becoming even softer and gentler. 'Whatever he says doesn't matter. You are my son. That's enough.'
After these words, Valerion finally slowly turned his head.
His eyes were red, slightly moist, but he held back his tears. He looked up at Livia, gazing for a long moment before asking in a small, aggrieved voice, 'Mother, am I useless?'
Livia was taken aback.
'Can't breathe fire, can't fly, can't fight either,' Valerion lowered his head, his voice growing quieter. 'Kalendil is right. I'm just a moving chimney. Besides choking people, I can't do anything.'
Livia opened her mouth, about to offer some firm words of comfort, but the words died on her lips.
She looked at the round, honest, and clumsy little dragon before her—his short wings, his slightly worn fangs from years of chewing rocks, his current aggrieved and insecure expression—and her heart suddenly softened.
She suddenly remembered the day the three of them hatched.
Three dragon eggs cracked simultaneously. Kalendil burst out, spitting little flames, full of energy. Aetheriel emerged, crackling with electricity, lively and bouncy. Only Valerion crawled out quietly, looked around, then picked up a half-piece of broken eggshell and started crunching on it.
Back then, she had silently calculated: This one will have a strong build, suitable as a tank.
But now, looking into his red eyes, she couldn't bring herself to say the word 'tank.'
'You are not useless,' Livia said seriously.
Valerion looked up, puzzled.
Livia thought for a moment, counting off his qualities one by one. 'You're strong. Last time you got stuck in that rock crevice, I couldn't get in, Kalendil and Aetheriel couldn't either. Only you, bit by bit, slowly crawled out yourself.'
Valerion blinked. 'Crawling out... counts as a skill?'
'Yes,' Livia affirmed.'Stuck in such a narrow place, any other whelp would have cried in fear. You didn't cry or fuss. You quietly shifted for three hours and saved yourself. That's a great skill.'
A faint light sparked in Valerion's eyes.
Livia continued, 'Also, you eat rocks.'
Valerion was stunned again. 'Eating rocks... counts as a skill?'
'Yes,' Livia patiently explained. 'Rocks contain many hard minerals. Eating them makes your scales harder than anyone else's. Kalendil doesn't eat them, Aetheriel doesn't eat them, only you do. In future fights, when they hit you, it won't hurt; when you hit them, it will. That's a skill unique to you.'
Valerion's eyes instantly lit up, as if two small flames had been ignited.
'Really?'
'Really,' Livia nodded.
Valerion's tail, which had been lying on the ground, finally began to wag gently, happily.
He got up, shuffled his short legs over to Livia's side, and gently rested his round head against her body, nuzzling her softly.
Livia stiffened for a second, unaccustomed to such soft, affectionate closeness.
But the next moment, she still gently extended a claw, placed it tenderly on his head, and patted him softly, again and again.
Valerion closed his eyes, emitting a soft, gentle purr—not the deafening rumble typical of dragons, but more like a kitten's, soft, content, and at peace.
Livia looked down at him for a long, long time.
Then, she slowly lifted her head and looked towards the direction of the western stone chamber.
Kalendil was secretly standing at the chamber's entrance, peeking in their direction. As soon as he saw Livia look over, he immediately shrank back in fright, pretending to turn around and breathe fire at the wall, acting as if he knew nothing.
Livia didn't speak or go over to scold him.
But she silently noted this incident in her heart.
The next morning, Valerion was clearly in a much better mood.
As usual, he held a rock, crunching away. During breath practice, he still spewed billowing thick smoke. During flight practice, he still flapped for ages before crashing down.
Only this time, after hitting the ground, he didn't lie there limply like before. Instead, he quickly got up by himself, dusted off, and tried again.
Kalendil had walked over at some point, standing beside him. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then awkwardly closed it.
Valerion looked up, giving him a puzzled glance.
Kalendil awkwardly turned his head away, pretending to look at the distant scenery, and muttered a small, indistinct sentence. '...Your scales are pretty shiny today.'
Valerion looked down at his scales—still the same dark red as yesterday, completely unchanged.
When he looked up again, Kalendil had already turned and walked away, pretending nothing had happened.
Aetheriel immediately scooted over, his left eye sparkling, right eye crackling with arcs, analyzing with intense focus. 'Was he... complimenting you just now?'
Valerion thought for a moment, nodded, and smiled. 'Probably.'
Aetheriel nodded seriously in agreement, but then, distracted, another small arc of electricity zapped across his body, making him grimace in pain.
Seeing his pitiful yet comical state, Valerion couldn't help but let out another 'pfft,' laughing out loud.
Sunlight shone through the volcano's opening, bathing the four Red Dragons in its warm glow.
The once-low spirits and troubles seemed to dissipate bit by bit within that simple laughter.