The Sword Of The Fire Dragon

Hydra the Dragon

Arya swallowed hard. He didn’t know what he would do if the great dragon attacked again. As much as possible, he would hold his ground while recalling and practicing all the moves he had memorized.

Before he could think further, the great dragon suddenly spewed flames in his direction. Instinctively, Arya leaped sideways as best as he could, though a bit late. Part of his clothing caught fire, but strangely, he didn’t feel any heat at all.

The great dragon smirked slightly, impressed by the progress shown by the handsome young man. It understood that the natural elements of the dragon’s realm absorbed by Arya reacted quickly, providing the protection he needed from the flames.

The dragon suddenly ceased its attack, its gaze fixed on Arya, who was ready to defend himself.

“Come here, young man! I won’t attack you again. There’s something I want to discuss with you.”

Arya frowned. He still couldn’t trust that the dragon wouldn’t attack again. From the seriousness of the earlier attack, he knew it wasn’t just for show.

“How can I trust you when you attacked me so seriously earlier?” Arya retorted, a corner of his lips curling upward.

“I wasn’t serious in attacking you, young man. If I had been, you would at least be gravely injured by now.”

“That wasn’t serious? Have you lost your mind?” Arya grumbled in frustration.

“Don’t take it to heart, young man. Even my earlier attack wasn’t a quarter of my full strength.” The dragon chuckled, its massive body shaking.

Arya furrowed his brows. His logic couldn’t comprehend the immense power of the dragon before him. He couldn’t imagine his fate if it attacked with its full strength.

“Do you promise not to attack me? What’s the guarantee?”

The dragon paused to think before replying. “Because the natural elements of my realm are within your body, you are now considered part of the great dragon clan. Based on that, I will accompany you wherever you go.”

Arya was taken aback. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. To him, the dragon’s words sounded like a joke. “How would that even work? If you follow me, will you just float above me all the time?”

The handsome young man began to believe slightly and stepped closer to the dragon.

“Why are you so foolish, young man? If I revealed my form, everyone would surely flee in fear.” The dragon snorted in annoyance.

“Then how?” Arya asked curiously.

“Didn’t you see me enter the sword last night?”

“How would you follow me if you stayed in the sword?”

“Why are you so dense? The sword is yours!” The dragon’s voice rose slightly.

Arya scratched his head. He then took out the sword Sarwana had given him, which was strapped to his back. He stared at it for a long time without blinking.

“Why would I feel attached to an ordinary sword like this? Perhaps you don’t know, but the sword where I reside is the strongest heirloom sword ever created. It is called the Flame Dragon Sword.”

“I don’t feel attached to this sword; I just feel unworthy of possessing such a powerful weapon,” Arya replied, then returned the sword to its sheath.

“You know I don’t have sufficient martial skills. Do you think I can protect it?” he continued.

“Hahaha... Who said you don’t have sufficient martial skills? Let me tell you something extraordinary about yourself, young man. Right now, you may not have mastered the techniques you’re learning, but once you do, you’ll be the most formidable warrior in the martial world.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because the technique you used to attack me earlier is part of the Dragon King’s technique manual, young man. That manual was once given by the Dragon King to a warrior.”

“My name is Arya. You can call me that,” Arya interjected, slightly annoyed at being continuously addressed as “young man” by the great dragon.

“Hahaha! I almost forgot to ask your name. You can call me Hydra!”

Arya finally began to piece together the chain of events that led to his memory loss. He gained profound insights from it.

He spent some time collecting all the information Sarwana had shared into a coherent story. Then he recounted to Hydra what Sarwana had told him about being prophesied by an old hermit.

Hydra appeared unable to hide its surprise. “So you’re the one they’ve been talking about in the dragon world?”

“What do you mean, Hydra?” Arya asked.

“I’ll explain it to you later. For now, follow me to retrieve the Flame Dragon Sword!” Hydra urged. The dragon, three times the size of an adult elephant, began walking without waiting for Arya’s response, confident the young man would follow.

Sure enough, with a faint smile, Arya nodded and walked after the mythical creature.

To others, dragons might only be myths, but not to Arya. He had seen with his own eyes that dragons were real.

An admiration lingered in Arya’s mind for the creature that had just offered to follow him. It was a feeling that defied logical explanation.

Despite Hydra’s massive size, not a single sound accompanied its steps, as if its movements were so light that its feet didn’t touch the ground. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of dust or footprints left behind. Arya could only shake his head in amazement.

“Didn’t you say earlier that you didn’t even use a quarter of your power when you attacked me? How can you have such immense strength?” Arya asked as they walked.

Hydra exhaled deeply, releasing a small burst of fire from its nostrils. “Are you foolish, or just genuinely naive?”

Arya chuckled softly. He wasn’t offended at all, even though the great dragon kept calling him foolish. “Didn’t I already tell you that this is my first time learning martial arts? Is it wrong to ask?”

Hydra suddenly halted its steps. The great dragon closed its eyes briefly before turning its gaze to Arya, who was walking beside it.