The power of True Names was not something to be trifled with.
Veldora came as soon as his True Name – which only a few handful knew – was uttered.
“I greet the Second Prince.”
The dragon bowed his massive head.
He had retracted his Intent presence a while ago when he realized it was harmful to Neo. The air, once suffocating under the weight of Veldora’s overwhelming aura, felt lighter, almost calm.
Seeing him like this, Neo smiled faintly.
When Neo first arrived in the Underworld, the Wandering Giant, Neromax, an Exalted rank monster, had taken his blood.
Back then, Neo had heard that the Ancient Dragon Veldora, who had been sleeping for centuries, suddenly woke up.
The rumors spread like wildfire that Veldora and Neromax were fighting.
Neo had thought they were fighting for his blood.
But now he knew the truth.
Veldora was attacking Neromax because the Wandering Giant had tried to drink Neo’s – Veldora’s protégé – blood.
“It’s nice to meet you too,” Neo said.
“Prince, have you called us because you wish to meet the Monarch?” Veldora asked.
He could fly at a high speed.
It would lessen the time of travel by several weeks.
“Yes,” Neo nodded. “I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries by asking you, an Ancient Dragon, to give me a ride.”
“Not at all, Prince. It is my pleasure to serve you.”
Veldora lowered his colossal body.
The ground beneath them quivered gently.
With a moment’s hesitation, Neo climbed onto the dragon’s back, settling between the ridges of his scales.
The texture was surprisingly smooth, yet firm like tempered steel.
A few seconds later, the ancient dragon took flight.
His ascent was breathtaking.
The ground quaked as his wings unfurled.
Their sheer size blotted out the skies above.
A single beat of those mighty wings sent a gust of wind cascading through the forest and sea.
“Woah,” Neo muttered, amazed.
His hair whipped wildly as they rose higher and higher.
A single flap of Veldora’s wing could – and would – crush the entire forest.
Yet no trees were uprooted, not a single branch snapped in their wake.
Veldora’s control was beyond masterclass. It was perfect.
“Don’t be surprised just yet, Prince. There is a lot more for you to see,” Veldora chuckled.
He flapped again, and his body shot forward with an explosive burst of speed.
The Forest of All Beginning disappeared behind them in an instant.
The dense fog that once shrouded the forest thinned, replaced by the vast expanse of the Blood Sea that stretched endlessly in every direction.
The sea’s surface glistened darkly, as if a million crimson eyes stared back at Neo.
‘How fast are we flying?’
Neo couldn’t tell their speed.
The air around them was eerily still, with no drag or turbulence.
Wherever he turned, his gaze met the ominous crimson waters of the Blood Sea.
There was nothing that would allow him to compare their speed.
With nothing to do on the journey, Neo decided to train.
He closed his eyes and meditated.
Intent.
Neo had to learn how to close his Intent senses.
It wasn’t hard.
He could more or less do it already. Discover exclusive content at My Virtual Library Empire
‘The problem is balance.’
If Neo closed all his Intent senses, he would become blind.
After all, his physical eyes did not work.
He had to figure out how to close his Intent senses but leave them open just enough so he could still “see.”
‘Let’s try it.’
Neo focused on the Intent of the surroundings.
The air was filled with Intent of Death, Darkness, Destruction, Despair, Nightmare, Fear, Blood, Curse, and more.
These Intents originated from their respective elementals.
Neo found it marvelous how Elementals, who weren’t dead or alive, had their own Intent.
The Blood Sea had similar Intent, only countless times more sinister.
The Intent filled with deep-seated grudge was the most prominent within the Blood Sea.
Veldora had his own Intent too.
His thoughts created Intent, his body created Intent, his existence created Intent.
All those Intents were different.
The Intent of Thoughts revealed his inner musings.
The Intent of Body told Neo what his body was made of, what it was capable of, and what it was weak against.
The Intent of Existence told Neo the past of Veldora.
Neo focused on these threads of Intent and looked inside them.
The Ancient Dragon, when young – only an infant wyvern – met the Second Prince of Death.
The two became friends, helped each other, and were eventually separated when the Second Prince had to reincarnate.
The young wyvern had cried.
He didn’t want to be separated from the Second Prince, but the Grim Reapers, cold and emotionless, did not listen.
Their decision was absolute, and the young wyvern’s protests fell on deaf ears.
The wyvern could not stop the Second Prince’s reincarnation.
Back then, he had vowed his loyalty to the prince, tears streaming from his eyes, and he promised he would grow stronger.
He swore that the next time they met, he would protect the Second Prince, no matter what.
That young wyvern was now known as the Ancient Dragon Veldora.
He had indeed become strong.
But.
He couldn’t help the Second Prince.
Every time he saw the prince reincarnate, he would be reminded of his own failures. Of how, despite his strength and power, he could not keep his vow.
“It’s not your fault,” Neo said as he read Veldora’s Intent.
Veldora cared deeply for Neo.
It was why the ancient dragon allowed Neo to read all of his Intent, even his weaknesses.
It was his way of giving Neo something more – materials to study, tools to strengthen himself.
No one would do anything like this.
Most people did not know about Intent.
But those who did, like Veldora, knew how dangerous it was to let the other party read their Intent.
If the other party held sinister thoughts, they could cripple Veldora easily.
Veldora, however, was not worried.
He trusted Neo.
Days turned into weeks as they traveled.
Neo kept trying to find the perfect balance for his Intent senses.
He sat cross-legged atop Veldora’s back.
He worked to limit the overwhelming flood of Intent from his surroundings.
The Intent of Death, Despair, and Fear pressed against him like an invisible tide, but he slowly learned to control how much of it he absorbed.
“How is your training progressing, prince?” Veldora’s deep voice rumbled, breaking the long silence.
“I can manage the balance of my senses now. It’s not perfect, but it will have to do for now. Fine-tuning the balance will take a lot of time,” Neo replied, opening his eyes.
Since Neo had managed to find a somewhat good balance, he no longer needed to divert all his attention to training.
He talked with Veldora during his free time.
“There is something I’ve been curious about since the beginning,” Neo said.
“We would answer everything we can, prince. Please ask your question without hesitation.”
“What’s that in the sky?”
Neo pointed at the three eyes that hung in the sky of Underworld.
They seemed to observe everything in the Underworld with their unblinking gaze.
During the past few days, Neo felt like those eyes had been paying him particularly more attention.
