Rise of the Demon Dragon

Chapter 4: Frustrating Training!

The creature emerging from the bushes was a massive snake with a human head. Zyren had never seen anything so terrifying.

“Master, how could you heartlessly offer me to that demon?” he thought as he bolted, running as fast and far as his legs would carry him. 

But the horrifying creature relentlessly pursued him.

He lost count of how many times he stumbled over tree roots or tumbled down, but it didn’t matter.

Panic consumed him as he crashed through thorny bushes. The darkness of the night and his overwhelming fear left him unable to think clearly or find a safer path. His body was riddled with scratches and cuts.

Exhaustion set in. Zyren had no idea how to get back to the cave where he and his master lived. His vision blurred, his breath came in ragged gasps. 

Glancing over his shoulder, he saw the creature was only a few steps away.

Terror gripped him. His body trembled uncontrollably, and for the first time, his large, muscular frame felt utterly useless. He resigned himself to whatever fate had in store.

“Hahaha, it’s so delightful to see you scared, young man. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a human like you,” the snake hissed with the human head.

“W...what do you want?!” Zyren shouted, his voice cracking with fear. 

He wasn’t afraid of regular snakes or even tigers, but this—this was something else. 

A snake with a human head, a creature that wasn’t just a ghost or a demon meant to scare people—it was a demon that could kill him effortlessly.

“Of course, I’m very hungry, young man. Devouring your body will surely keep me full for days!” The snake demon slithered closer, its eyes locked on Zyren. 

He could only back away until he was pinned against a large tree trunk. There was nowhere else to go. 

The snake demon coiled itself around the tree, yet it hadn’t done anything to Zyren—yet.

The demon brought its horrifying face inches from Zyren’s. He shut his eyes tightly, too afraid to look at the monstrous creature looming over him.

“The scent of your blood is truly delightful, and...” The demon never finished its sentence—Zyren had fainted.

***

When he regained consciousness, Zyren found himself back in the cave where he lived with his master.

The sun was high in the sky. His head throbbed, and his entire body ached and stung. The former Aetherion warrior noticed his body was covered in scratches from the thorny bushes, but his master had applied medicinal oil to his wounds while he was unconscious.

Zyren staggered out of the cave, but his master was nowhere to be seen. 

He drank from a clay jar outside and splashed water on his face. He always fetched water from a small river not far from the cave where they lived. He had to carry the jar from the cave to the river and back, full, without slipping—if he fell, the jar would surely break.

The cave itself was nestled at the base of a rocky hill. In truth, it was just a large hole at the foot of the hill, not a deep, winding cave like those inhabited by bats or snakes. Sunlight still managed to penetrate the small cave entirely.

Zyren sat on the wooden bench his master usually slept on, his gaze drifting across the horizon as his thoughts wandered. At moments like this, he always remembered his past.

Yes, he used to be a ruthless thug—a man without education, a killer, a drunkard, a robber.

The only crime he had never committed was raping a woman. 

He often watched his men rape women they had robbed before killing them mercilessly. He had never been close to anyone and had never even been attracted to the opposite sex.

Zyren’s savage nature mellowed somewhat after he was imprisoned and subjected to routine tortures meant to break his spirit. Such punishment was reserved for robbers like him. 

At first, he couldn’t understand why he wasn’t sentenced to death. 

But eventually, he realized that the kingdom intended to recruit imprisoned robbers as soldiers.

This way, the Aetherion kingdom could more easily eliminate other robbers—after all, only robbers truly understood the ways of robbers.

Over and over again, during missions to hunt down robbers, Zyren played a crucial role in their success—whether it was locating their hideouts, luring them out, or eradicating them completely. 

Unfortunately, Zyren had a penchant for killing rather than capturing them alive. 

His commanding officer had repeatedly warned him against slaughtering the robbers, but Zyren didn’t care. Moreover, the commander took no action against him. 

As long as Zyren remained a loyal soldier and didn’t attempt to escape and return to his old life as a robber, he was safe.

Grandfather Master emerged with a large deer slung over his shoulder. 

Zyren couldn’t help but marvel at the old man’s strength. 

Despite his age, Grandpa Master was far stronger than him, which often left the young man feeling humbled.

“So, you’re awake. Now, skin and clean this deer,” He instructed, settling down on a wooden bench he had crafted beneath a large banyan tree near the cave entrance.

The old man often slept there, even after Zyren had joined him. No matter how many times Zyren urged his master to sleep inside the cave, the old man always refused.

“Was it you who saved me last night?” Zyren asked as he began working on the deer.

“Yes. You were nearly eaten by that demon. It’s truly embarrassing. You could have easily defeated it if you had fought back. It’s just an ordinary snake with a human head. That demon has no supernatural power since I removed its fangs years ago.”

“I was just so shocked, Master. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

“With your current abilities, it’s impossible for me to take you to a place that might be dangerous for you. That’s why I took you to the snake demon’s lair. It turns out you’re quite fearful. In three days, after your wounds heal, we’ll resume your training,” he said with a knowing look.

“Alright, Master. I won’t make the same mistake again,” Zyren replied with newfound determination. 

He was ready to face the snake demon again.

However, the old man had different plans for his next training. He was more focused on building Zyren’s mental resilience, knowing that his physical strength was already solid.

A few days later, the old man took Zyren out for more training. This time, instead of training at night, they left early in the morning.

“Where are we going, Master?” Zyren asked as they ventured into the forest.

“A bit farther from here,” the old man replied curtly.

After a long trek through the dense forest, they finally stopped at a secluded spot.

“We’ll train here. Your task is to run all the way back to the cave,” the old man instructed.

Zyren thought running back would be easy, but he quickly realized he was wrong. 

Without warning, the old man leaped into the tall trees, dropping several nests of poisonous wasps near Zyren.

The wasps, each the size of a man’s thumb, were furious and immediately swarmed, looking for the culprit who had disturbed their nests.

With Zyren being the only one in sight, the wasps quickly assumed he was to blame. Within moments, they were chasing him down with a vengeance.

“Damn old man! This is the second time!” Zyren cursed inwardly as he sprinted through the forest, crashing through thorny bushes in a desperate attempt to escape the enraged wasps. 

There was no river along the path back to the cave, so like it or not, Zyren had to keep running if he wanted to avoid getting stung.