Chapter 36: Emberclaw · iron spine
When Valerion slowly opened his eyes, the first thing that met his gaze was the familiar rough rock wall at the top of the nest. The faint heat of lava drifted in the air, along with a subtle scent of herbs mixed with the smell of coarse cloth unique to the Kobolds, allowing him to recognize instantly that he was in the main hall of his home.
Once his vision cleared completely, he suddenly discovered a circle of small heads surrounding him. Three heads were huddled right in front of him, staring at him motionlessly, nearly giving him a fright.
Kalendil was crouching on the far left, his expression awkward to the extreme. His gaze drifted about, looking at the ceiling one moment, the floor the next, and then darting a quick glance at Valerion. However, as soon as Valerion looked back, he immediately averted his eyes, not daring to make direct eye contact for the life of him. His small ears were slightly drooped, giving him a guilty and embarrassed appearance.
Etheriel was crouching in the middle, incredibly focused. Sparks flickered in his left eye while arcs of electricity crackled faintly in his right. His little head bobbed slightly as he stared intently at the wound on Valerion's back, as if he were studying the most interesting mystery in the world, unwilling even to blink.
On the far right was the Kobold Chieftain, his eyes red, clearly having stayed up all night without sleep. His tail wagged behind him like a small windmill, fast and frantic, full of excitement and anticipation.
"He's awake! He's awake!" The Chieftain was the first to react, his voice low yet unable to hide his excitement as he shouted softly and eagerly, "Our Ironspine Dragon Son is awake!"
Valerion blinked and struggled to climb up, but as soon as he exerted force, a sharp and deep pain shot through his back. It hurt so much that he let out a soft gasp, and his movements instantly froze.
"Don't move."
A gentle and steady voice sounded from the side.
Valerion slowly turned his head and saw Livia lying quietly by his side. Her golden eyes watched him tenderly, with a hint of deep-seated heartache in her gaze that he had never seen before.
"Seven scales were torn from your spine, and the flesh beneath was exposed," Livia said in a level tone, offering a word of advice. "I have already treated your wound with Dragon Saliva to stop the bleeding and pain. However, for the next few days, you must rest quietly. You cannot move around, and you certainly cannot use your strength to push things anymore."
Valerion nodded half-understandingly and subconsciously looked down at his own body.
At this sight, he was stunned.
There was actually a heavy cloak draped over him.
The cloak was sewn from a type of dark gray coarse cloth. It felt a bit prickly to the touch, but it was exceptionally thick and durable. One could tell at a glance that it was Fireproof Fabric hand-woven by the Kobolds. Wearing it could steadily block the heat and debris of the volcano. And in the most prominent position on the cloak, two large characters were embroidered crookedly with dark red thread—
iron spine.
Valerion stared at those two characters, looking at them seriously for a long time. His small brow furrowed slightly, his eyes full of curiosity.
"What is this?" he asked softly.
"It's a cloak," Livia explained. "The Kobolds made it for you overnight. It's fireproof and heat-resistant, and it will protect you during your daily activities. Those two characters were embroidered on by them, stitch by stitch."
Valerion looked down again and touched those two crooked characters.
iron spine.
Although he didn't know how to read these two characters or exactly what they meant, he vaguely understood that this was a name unique to him, a way for others to address him.
He looked up at the Kobold Chieftain, whose eyes were red from fatigue.
The Chieftain immediately began to tremble with excitement. He placed his hands over his chest, his gaze so devout it almost seemed to glow, and his voice choked up: "Great Dragon Son! That day, you saved seventeen of our clansmen, using your tiny body to hold up such a massive rock! From today onward, you are the iron spine of our Kobold tribe—as hard as steel, the spine that supports everyone!"
Valerion listened quietly, remained silent for three seconds, and then said very honestly: "I... I don't know how to read."
The Chieftain was stunned for a moment, then immediately nodded frantically, his tail wagging even more joyfully: "It's okay, it's okay! It doesn't matter at all! We will teach you every day from now on! We'll teach you to write stroke by stroke! I guarantee you'll recognize your own name very soon!"
Valerion thought about it and nodded seriously.
Just then, Livia slowly stood up and walked over to him. She lowered her head slightly, looking down at him with a solemn and serious gaze.
The entire main hall instantly fell silent.
"From this day forth," Livia's voice was clear and steady, echoing through the nest, "you are formally named Valerion Aetheri Eldir, with the title—Emberclaw · iron spine. Simultaneously, I appoint you as the Commander of the Servant Army."
Valerion was completely bewildered. His round head tilted to the side, a look of utter confusion on his face: "M-Mother... Commander of the Servant Army? What is that?"
"It means leading all the servants who follow us," Livia explained patiently. "The Kobolds down the mountain, the flocks of Fire Hawks on the cliffs, and perhaps more tribes that join us in the future—they will all be under your management. You will be responsible for looking after, commanding, and protecting them."
Valerion opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again. His little face was written all over with a lack of confidence, and his voice was soft: "But... I'm stupid... I'm no good at breathing fire, I can't fly high, and I can't fight well... I won't be able to manage them..."
"Who said you were stupid?" Livia's tone was calm, yet carried an unquestionable firmness.
Valerion didn't speak. He just very honestly and naturally turned his head slowly to look at Kalendil beside him.
In an instant, everyone's gaze focused on Kalendil.
Kalendil's face went red from the tip of his nose to the tips of his ears, flushing crimson in an instant.
He hurriedly opened his mouth, wanting to explain, to argue, to say loudly that he didn't mean it that way. But when the words reached his lips, he couldn't utter a single one. In the end, he could only awkwardly turn his head away and mutter softly, "I... I didn't say... I didn't say he was stupid..."
"You did."
Beside them, Etheriel very honestly and seriously raised his little hand, delivering a blow on the spot. His voice was clear and bright, not giving his brother any face at all: "You used to say every day that he was a Mobile Chimney, that he was like a little pig, and that he couldn't do anything except choke people. You said it many times."
Kalendil's face turned so red it looked like it was about to start smoking. He wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
He stood up abruptly, wanting to argue loudly, to have a fight with Etheriel. But as his gaze fell upon the cloak on Valerion's back embroidered with the words "iron spine," and as he thought of how his brother looked that day, covered in blood while holding up the giant rock, all his stubborn words were forced back down his throat.
He stood there, at a loss, his small body trembling slightly. He was ashamed, sad, and didn't know what to do.
Livia watched him quietly, without getting angry or scolding him. She simply spoke in a calm tone, each word falling clearly into the heart of every dragon:
"Wisdom and talent are innate. But courage, loyalty, and responsibility are things you choose for yourself."
Kalendil slowly raised his head, his eyes red as he looked at his mother.
"No matter how accurately you breathe fire, how fast you fly, or how elegant your posture is—when you encounter true danger, is the first thing you think of yourself, or the servants beside you?" Livia asked softly.
Kalendil opened his mouth but couldn't say a word. He could only lower his head in silence.
"Valerion cannot breathe a decent flame, he cannot fly high, and he isn't particularly good at fighting," Livia continued, her voice gentle yet powerful. "But when the mine collapsed and the giant rock was crushing down, it was he who rushed forward without hesitation. Using his small body, he held up a ten-ton rock to buy time for others to save people. At that moment, he wasn't thinking about whether he would be injured or whether he would die. The only thought in his mind was—there are still three people who haven't been rescued."
Kalendil's shoulders shook slightly.
"And you?" Livia looked at him and asked softly, "What were you doing then?"
Kalendil lowered his head completely, burying his face against his chest without a word. His small body trembled slightly, filled with regret and self-reproach.
Seeing his brother looking so sad and helpless, Valerion suddenly spoke up, his voice soft and simple: "Mother, please stop..."
Livia turned to look at him.
Valerion thought for a moment and very seriously explained on Kalendil's behalf: "He... he also wanted to help at the time. He breathed fire and tried very hard to blast the rock open. It's just... he just aimed wrong. He didn't do it on purpose."
Kalendil snapped his head up, his eyes wide with disbelief as he looked at Valerion.
He stared into his younger brother's clear, clean eyes, which held not a hint of resentment or grudge. He stared at that simple, honest face that was speaking up for him even though he was the one who had been wronged. Kalendil opened his mouth, but his throat felt as if it were blocked. He couldn't utter a single word, yet his eyes grew redder and redder.
Etheriel, being very cooperative at the side, raised his hand and added softly, "I also aimed wrong... my electricity also shocked the rock."
Livia gave him a flat look.
Etheriel immediately straightened his little chest and added righteously, "But I really didn't do it on purpose!"
The entire main hall fell into a brief three-second silence.
In the next second, Kalendil suddenly spun around and ran out without looking back.
He sprinted out of the main hall and charged into his own lava pool nesting area. With a "bang," he hid himself away and did not come out again.
Valerion watched his brother's hurried, retreating back and was stunned for a good while before turning his head in confusion to look at Livia: "Mother... what's wrong with him? Is he angry?"
Livia was silent for a second and then let out a soft sigh, her tone a bit helpless yet knowing: "...It's nothing. He's just a bit embarrassed. He'll be fine in a little while."
Seeing the topic end, Etheriel immediately raised his small hand high, his eyes sparkling with anticipation: "Mother! Mother! I want a cloak too! I want the kind with words on it, a cool cloak!"
Livia looked down and watched him calmly.
With sparks in his left eye and arcs of electricity in his right, Etheriel wore a look of obedience and expectation, trying his best to show his most well-behaved side: "Just like Big Brother iron spine's! Embroider my name on it! Please?"
Livia stared at him, watching him quietly for three seconds.
Then, she said very calmly, "When the day comes that you no longer accidentally shock yourself, we'll talk."
Etheriel was stunned for a moment and quickly looked down at his small claws. A few tiny, thin arcs of electricity were flickering on his claws, jumping about quietly and looking very obedient.
He immediately looked up and reported happily, "Look, Mother! I'm not shocking myself now! Not even a bit!"
As soon as he finished speaking—
*Zap!*
A tiny arc of electricity shot out from his claw without warning and accurately struck his own leg.
"Ow—!"
Etheriel instantly jumped three feet high in pain. Clutching his leg and grimacing, the fur on the tip of his tail puffed up again as he spun in circles from the sting.
Livia remained expressionless and said nothing, just quietly watching him.
Lying on the soft cushion, Valerion watched his younger brother's miserable yet hilarious antics and finally couldn't help it. He let out a soft "pfft" and began to laugh gently.
The laughter was simple and soft, carrying the weakness of someone just recovered, yet it was exceptionally clean and bright, drifting gently through the warm nest.
Sunlight shone in through the volcanic cave entrance, falling upon the four Red Dragons, feeling warm and cozy.
The past awkwardness, quarrels, and misunderstandings seemed to slowly dissolve within this peaceful and warm laughter.