Paragon of Destruction

Arran and Snowcloud carefully climbed onto Crassus's back. In his dragon form, Crassus was the size of a small mountain, and although though he had lain down on the ground it was like scaling a cliff.

Arran noticed that Snowcloud glanced down several times as they climbed, and there was a gloomy expression on her face which only got worse the higher they climbed.

When she saw Arran look, she gave him a weak smile, then said, "I'm not very fond of heights."

He wisely kept his mouth shut. Reminding Snowcloud that this was just the start of it seemed like a bad idea — not to mention that she seemed well aware of it already.

He finally chose a spot at the base of Crassus's neck, where several large scales stuck out like rocks.

"You should probably sit behind me," he said to Snowcloud.

While he was strong enough to hold onto the scales, Snowcloud would have an easier time if she held onto Arran. And more importantly, judging from her fearful look, she could use some reassurance once they took to the air.

She did as he suggested without protesting, sitting down behind Arran and wrapping her arms around him. "I suppose it's too late to change our minds now," she said after she sat down, and miserable as she sounded, Arran half suspected that she would prefer facing their enemies over facing the skies.

"We're ready!" he called out in a loud voice.

A moment later, Crassus stood up and spread his wings, and the sight left Arran awestruck. Crassus's wings were large enough to cover much of the valley, shrouding it in darkness as if night had arrived several hours early.

Then, Crassus dragon began to move, his wings slowly flapping as he prepared to take off.

Just that small bit of movement to cause a storm within the valley, with the wind around them roaring and howling loudly. Once more, Arran found himself amazed at Crassus's sheer power. They hadn't even left the ground yet, and already he was causing the valley to tremble.

Then, in a sudden sharp movement, Crassus flapped his wings forcefully, and Arran's heart fluttered in his chest when he felt that they were leaving the ground.

At the same time, at the edges of the valley, man-sized rocks were blown aside by the force of their ascent, and the mountains around them shook violently. A moment later, the half-collapsed cliff at the end of the valley reached its limit and broke apart entirely, crumbling into pieces beneath Arran's eyes.

It was a sight that normally would have astounded Arran, but now, he barely even noticed it, because right at that moment they surged up into the sky.

Arran's mouth fell open in shock when he looked down and saw the mountains rapidly growing smaller beneath them. Within moments, he could see for tens of miles around them.

The sight was both beautiful and stunning — it was like standing on the tallest mountain in the world, looking out over the entire vast mountain range where they had spent the past months.

Yet Arran had no time to enjoy the sight, because, at that moment, Crassus suddenly surged forward with such force that he nearly lost his grip on the dragon scales. Arran hurriedly strengthened his grip on the scales, and he could feel Snowcloud grabbing onto him tightly.

He thought he could hear Snowcloud saying something, but as they tore through the air, the sound of the wind around them was far too loud for him to make out what she said.

It was as if they were standing right at the center of the strongest storm in history, and Arran found that he had to grip the scales tightly just to avoid being blown away — and plunging into the depths below.

For a brief while, Arran's attention was entirely focused on the unexpected danger. Yet soon, he grew more comfortable, and as he did, the short flash of panic he had felt made way for exhilaration.

He had been excited about the idea of flying even before they took off, and reality far his expectations. The only regret he felt was that it would last just a single night — if he could choose, he would fly the skies every day.

Much to Arran's disappointment, it wasn't long before the last light of day faded and the lands beneath them were shrouded in darkness. In the dim moonlight, he could only barely make out the shapes of the mountains that passed under them, but even so, his eyes were filled with awe as he gazed at the lands below.

With Arran fascinated by the sight, the hours passed quickly, and as night fell, the air around them grew even colder than before — though Arran only noticed this when Snowcloud held onto him even more tightly than before, pressing her soft body against his back.

After the first few hours, when they had left the mountain range, he could occasionally see small lights on the ground below. These, he guessed, were towns and cities, filled with people who had no idea that a giant dragon was flying above them.

More hours passed, and Arran knew they were crossing hundreds of miles in a single night. Every hour, they crossed a distance that would have taken at least a week on foot.

He silently wished they could make the entire journey like this. They would be back in the Sixth Valley within weeks, with their enemies having absolutely no chance of catching up.

Yet soon, the first light of dawn appeared — far quicker than Arran had thought or wished. And when it did, Crassus immediately dove toward the ground.

Of course, Arran understood the reason for this. A mountain-sized dragon flying through the skies would draw attention for dozens of miles around, which was something they had to avoid. Still, Arran felt some disappointment when he realized the flight was coming to an end. Had it been up to him, it would have lasted for days instead of hours.

Crassus descended sharply, and they plummeted toward the ground at a staggering speed. Only at the last moment did he suddenly flap his wings again, and although that slowed them a bit, the landing was still a violent one.

With a thunderous bang, Crassus's claws slammed into the ground, bringing them to a halt in an instant.

After a moment to recover their senses from the rough landing, Arran and Snowcloud stood up, preparing to climb down to the ground again.

"Are you okay?" Arran asked with a look at Snowcloud. She was even paler than before the flight, and her body trembled slightly.

"I'm okay," she said, though her voice suggested otherwise. "But I'll be better once I can feel the ground under my feet again."

They quickly made their way down, after which Crassus wasted no time in transforming back to his human shape. When he did, Arran saw that his expression was thoughtful.

"I rather enjoyed that," Crassus said. "But the region… I last flew here centuries ago, when the Eidaran Empire was at the height of its power. Back then, you could see endless little lights for hundreds of miles around, with towns and cities everywhere. But it seems the stories of their misfortune weren't exaggerated."

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice as he spoke, and Arran found himself surprised — this was a side of Crassus he hadn't seen before. Yet when he thought about it, it made sense. The man had lived for hundreds if not thousands of years, and Arran could only imagine what it must be like to see the world change as much.

"But enough of that," the man said. "Did the two of you make it all right?"

Arran nodded enthusiastically, though Snowcloud's response was rather less excited.

"I just need to lie down for a bit," she said with a weak smile. "I'll be fine after that."

Crassus chuckled. "Not everyone has an easy time flying," he said, then turned to Arran. "While she rests, there's a matter we need to discuss."

"All right," Arran said. "What is it?"

A serious expression came over Crassus's face. "I take it you got more than just strength from my blood. That will benefit you greatly in the future — but there's danger as well."

"Danger?" Arran frowned. "The Body Refinement technique in your blood… it's dangerous to me?"

"It isn't," Crassus replied. "But the people who want it are."