The skinny dragon knight crouched slightly, raising both palms in a calming gesture toward Aegon.
"This dragon creature was first spotted by an inspector during the Dragon Taming Tournament. It was gnawing on a dragon corpse in Rockstone Valley. The inspector didn't alarm it but reported the sighting to us to confirm if it was an experimental subject that had escaped from Bloodsource Peak.
When our Bloodmage Master heard the description, he took an interest. He wants to bring it back for research—to see if it could be added as a 'pillar' to support the grand plan."
The tall dragon knight sneered mockingly. "You really are an idiot. Knowing too much isn't always a good thing. Do you know how all those Dragon Dreamer families vanished over the centuries?"
Daenys's lips trembled. "How did they vanish?"
"Because they foresaw the grand plan," the tall knight said coldly. "So they were wiped off the face of the earth."
The skinny knight's tone grew more earnest. "Friend, continuing this conversation is only putting yourselves in danger. Don't press any further. If we reveal too many secrets, we'll suffer for it too. Just hand over the dragon creature, and let's all pretend this never happened."
"Hmph! So you don't believe in the reputation of House Aurélion? You're trampling on our family's honor!" Aegon shouted, eyes blazing with righteous fury.
Tiamat roared in fury, opening her massive jaws and unleashing a series of deafening, unrelenting bellows. Saliva sprayed from her maw, mingling with soundwaves so intense they battered everyone's ears.
Aegon couldn't keep up the act any longer. He was forced to clamp his hands tightly over his ears, a pained grimace spreading across his face.
Gods, not again. Please, don't drag me into this! I'm terrified! I swear I'm terrified! the skinny knight cried inwardly, nearly on the verge of tears.
At last, when Tiamat's roar faded, Aegon slowly removed his fingers from his ears. He clapped his hands lightly and forced a smile.
"All right, one last question—really, the last one. What exactly is Bloodsource Peak's grand plan?"
"Fuck! He's onto us, Peter!"
The tall knight's face changed drastically. Panic took hold as he grabbed the skinny one and bolted toward his dragon, shouting as he ran, "The woman's dragon—it vanished behind the red one! It's a setup! We have to run!"
"What kind of freak did House Aurélion raise?!" the skinny knight yelled, trembling with rage.
"Blackrock, now! Get us up!" the tall knight screamed in panic, his voice breaking as he called frantically for his dragon.
Aegon watched the two of them flee like cornered rats, shaking his head slightly. "Only now you want to run? It's already too late."
He raised a hand and gave a calm wave.
Tiamat responded immediately. Her colossal form—like a living warship—lurched forward into a charge.
With thunderous boom, boom, boom footsteps that made the earth tremble, she surged toward the two enemy dragons.
She was like a living mountain in a full-speed stampede. The raw, violent majesty of her charge was a terrifying spectacle—beauty forged in chaos.
One of the enemy dragons had just managed to lift its rider onto the saddle when Tiamat slammed into them like an avalanche.
She didn't use her fire. Instead, she opened her massive jaws and launched a savage, physical assault.
Boom! A deafening crash rang out, followed by the chilling crack of snapping bone.
The brown dragon shrieked in agony.
Tiamat, tail raised and swaying excitedly, seemed to revel in the violence. She pinned the brown dragon beneath her, ignoring its desperate thrashing. In that moment, the brown dragon was utterly helpless—like a defenseless creature crushed beneath something far greater.
What happened next stunned even Aegon.
Tiamat bit into the brown dragon's belly and forcefully exhaled her superheated breath directly into its body. The dragon's organs flash-broiled from the inside, and it died within moments—unable to even draw a final breath.
The stench of scorched flesh drifted slowly into the air.
As for the two Bloodsource Peak dragon knights—during the chaos of the dragons' clash, they were reduced to pulp beneath the struggle.
The blue dragon, trailing behind its fallen companion, finally found an opening to escape. But just as it tried to build momentum for takeoff, Dreamshade appeared above it.
During the day, Dreamshade's mimicry wasn't perfect, but under Daenys's command, she had hidden behind Tiamat's massive body, camouflaged herself, then looped far around in the sky, silently repositioning behind the two enemy dragons.
From above, Dreamshade unleashed her breath—a silver torrent cascading like a waterfall—straight onto the head of the charging blue dragon. Caught mid-run, the dragon stumbled violently and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.
Seeing the situation, Dreamshade didn't let up. Using its nimble aerial maneuverability, it flew in the direction the blue dragon had fallen, matching the dragon's momentum as it moved. All the while, streams of silver dragon breath poured continuously from its mouth, blanketing the blue dragon's head without pause.
After that fall, the blue dragon never managed to rise again.
Though Dreamshade's breath lacked high temperature or overwhelming impact, it inflicted devastating mental damage.
By the time Dreamshade finally ceased its breath, the blue dragon lay sprawled on the ground, completely motionless—like a mindless husk. Saliva dripped uncontrollably from its open mouth.
It was technically still alive, but its consciousness had been utterly erased. It was no more than a breathing corpse.
The battle, a one-sided slaughter, had lasted mere seconds.
At that moment, Tiamat was already feasting—ripping into the brown dragon's carcass with savage delight. She seemed to prefer her meals raw. Her enormous, ferocious jaws tore out a massive chunk of flesh, which she swallowed in a single gulp. Blood splattered everywhere—the scene was nothing short of brutal.
Aegon watched and shook his head slightly, coming to understand his dragon more deeply than ever before.
Tiamat was every bit the beast they called her—worthy of the name "Evil Dragon."
...
Just then, Daenys cried out anxiously behind him.
"Aegon! My brother—he's regained consciousness! He wants to speak to you!"
Aegon turned at once and rushed to Gaemon's side.
Gaemon looked like a shattered porcelain doll—his body riddled with cracks. It felt as if the slightest touch might break him apart completely.
His vertical pupils locked onto Aegon, desperate to speak.
"You'll be okay, brother! We can still save you!" Daenys sobbed, her voice breaking as she tried to press the cracked plates on Gaemon's body back into place.
But the pressure only made things worse—more blood welled from the wounds, drawing a muffled groan of pain from Gaemon.
Seeing this, Aegon quickly knelt down and gently lifted Gaemon's upper body, propping him against a nearby tree to ease his breathing.
"Gah—!" Gaemon suddenly opened his mouth. The corners split all the way to his ears as he vomited up a torrent of blood, along with bits of unidentifiable internal matter.
After expelling it all, he seemed to regain a flicker of clarity—just enough strength to speak.
Gaemon first gave a faint shake of his head to Daenys, urging her not to cry. Then he reached out, clutching Aegon's arm with trembling claws, his entire body shaking as he tried to endure the pain.
"It's no use… I… I'm dying…" he said in broken gasps, his mouth barely able to form the words.
"Actually… even though everyone tried to keep it from me and Daenys… back on the night you returned to the family… Mother told me the truth… that you… you're Father's bastard. I've known all along…"
Daenys's tear-filled eyes widened. She turned to Aegon, stunned, her expression frozen in disbelief. Aegon… is their brother?
Aegon frowned. "Then why did you pretend you didn't know?"
A strained smile appeared on Gaemon's horned, battered face. "I… I thought maybe… if I showed you enough sincerity… it could ease your anger toward Mother—for forcing you away from home.
That's why I risked everything to save you… I even tried to let you be the elder brother. I hoped… it might bring peace between us…"
Aegon fell silent. His mind wandered back through every moment he'd spent with Gaemon—the arguments, the struggles, the shared battles. Maybe, at the beginning, Gaemon's sincerity had a purpose. But still… he had offered it wholeheartedly.
Gaemon's slitted eyes remained fixed on Aegon, filled with hope, sorrow, and the weight of something he wanted to entrust.
Aegon gave him a solemn nod. "You have my word—I won't take revenge on your mother."
Hearing this, Gaemon's face lit up with quiet relief. He slowly turned his gaze to Daenys. A single tear slipped from the corner of his eye.
He lifted a trembling hand and gently placed Daenys's hand onto Aegon's.
"Daenys… I'll leave her to you," he said hoarsely, each word costing him strength.
In his final moment, Gaemon placed his clawed hand atop theirs—his and Daenys's hands joined over Aegon's—and with the last of his strength, he squeezed them together.
"Protect… the Targaryens… for me, brother…"