Chapter 2Alex and the Elven Princess Laena stood face to face. Laena wielded a long, slender sword, and the moment she unsheathed it, thorny vines rose from the ground and wrapped around her blade. Alex swept his crimson eyes across the surroundings, determined to stay on high alert; vines could burst out from anywhere at any second. With a sudden tremor, vines shot rapidly toward Alex from the cracks forming in the earth. The princess glared at Alex with a cold expression. Alex coated his black sword with Blood Flames and began harvesting the vines. Grabbing onto one, he scrambled up, leaped off the giant vines, and launched a fast assault toward Laena. Laena took two steps back as blades made of wind flew toward Alex. Alex manipulated his mana to reinforce his sword's durability, shattering the wind blades. Laena could not hide her shock, but immediately summoned three vines as massive as mountains. Alex's crimson eyes widened as far as they could. Pink flowers began to bloom atop

I recognized that voice instantly. It belonged to Commander Gareth, the leader of the Blood Knights and my father's most trusted lieutenant. In my previous life, Gareth was the mentor who taught me how to wield the sword and master the lethal Blood Flames."Come in," I called out, striving to keep my tone natural for a toddler.The heavy door creaked open, revealing a tall, broad-shouldered man clad in crimson steel armor. A long dark cape draped over his shoulders, and his weathered face bore a prominent scar running from his left eyebrow down to his jawline. His sharp gray eyes scanned the room before settling on me inside the crib.Gareth bowed respectfully, placing a gauntleted hand over his chest. "Greetings, Young Master Rhaegal. Patriarch Aenys sent me to inspect your progress."I climbed out of the crib carefully, using the pillow I had dropped earlier as a stepping stone once again, and landed softly on the rug. Tessarion stirred at the noise, letting out a sleepy squeak befo

Alex pondered Osiris's words for a moment, but quickly maintained his composure and puffed out his chest confidently. "So you know a little something about my past."Osiris placed his hands on the table, and mana began to shimmer between his palms, projecting a hazy vision: a soaring dragon falling from the sky, and a boy fighting desperately on the ground, until both met their ultimate demise together.As the projection vanished, Alex raised an eyebrow. "What is the meaning of this?""This was your destined death," Osiris answered calmly.Alex narrowed his eyes. "Your knowledge is flawed; I did not die in that manner.""You are correct," Osiris replied. "The entity that killed you did not belong to this world. Because of that interference, the future shifted. This vision was how your death was originally meant to unfold. Princess Laena was sent to distract you, with the Elven Prince Elrond following right behind her. They were supposed to catch you off guard and eliminate you. Howeve

When Alex saw his father's aura once again, a surge of excitement ran through him. He had only seen it once long ago during a battle, and now it was standing right before him. Alex knew very well that this wasn't his father's full power. Aenys suppressed his aura and said, "Now go and sit down. You won't learn the Crimson Blood Formula overnight, so you'll need to train here every day. You should master it within a month at most." Alex smiled, sat down, and assumed a meditation posture. Aenys touched his shoulder and channeled mana into Alex's body to help him sense it more easily. Alex closed his eyes and plunged into the pitch-black darkness within his mind. There was not a single ray of light around him; he focused on feeling the mana his father had sent into him. Aenys watched him intently, thinking to himself, (He is remarkably focused. It seems he will sense mana much faster than I thought...)"I see it," Alex said, cutting through Aenys's thoughts.Aenys asked in surprise, "

Slap! A young boy collapsed to the ground from the impact of the strike. He was a frail boy with jet-black hair and blood-red eyes, his slender legs barely able to support him as he struggled to remain on his knees. This pitiful child was none other than Alex. Tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes as his mother, Reyla Dragonblood, stood over him, having just delivered the blow."You are nothing but a disappointment!" she said, her voice dripping with harsh contempt. "Realize that you are a dragon! Powerful blood flows through your veins, yet you... you can't even hold a sword properly. You are the disgrace of this entire family, and looking at you makes me sick."At those cruel words, Alex wept even harder, biting his lower lip until it bled to stifle his sobs. Tears fell one after another in this dark, damp room where he endured his mother's relentless scolding day after day.Behind the cracked door, two pairs of curious eyes peeked into the room. They belonged to Alex's twin