Chapter 24: Chaosbringer [2]

The heat grew exponentially worse the deeper Craig ventured into the northernmost reaches of the Temple of Dragons.

The sparse, ash-dusted vegetation of the lower regions gave way to absolute desolation.

Blackened, cracked stone stretched out beneath his boots, and the air hummed with a volatile, suffocating haze.

He was approaching the base of one of the five primary volcanoes—a towering, gargantuan peak that spewed thick, sulfurous vapors into the sky.

If any other candidate were standing here, the sheer environmental pressure alone would have burned their lungs and overwhelmed their spirit.

But Craig possessed the Divine Draconic Physique.

The blistering heat did not hinder him; in fact, the raging fire element in the air wrapped around his body like a comforting blanket, fueling his inner pathways.

He was prepared for what lay ahead.

Because in this period of the timeline, Chaosbringer remained untamed and wild.

It was a beast so defiant and unstable that even his father, Duke Oscar von Darkstar, had once attempted to tame it in his youth and failed.

Craig stepped past the rocky threshold that marked the volcanic domain, and an eerie, abrupt silence settled over the world.

The eager young 1st-Tier dragons and the curious adult dragons that had been trailing behind him in hopes of a bond suddenly froze.

Their ears flattened, their pupils narrowed, and without a sound, they turned and scattered in utter terror, retreating into the distant fog.

They did not dare enter this territory. Craig was left completely alone.

"So this is where Chaosbringer laid its nest, huh?" Craig murmured, a faint, confident smile touching his lips as he stepped onto the desolate ground.

Although Dragons were known across the world as Children of the Abyss—abominations born with high intelligence and terrifying mystical traits.

Each was unique, strictly categorized by species and potential.

A dragon began its life cycle at the 1st-Tier after hatching, gradually evolving and breaking through its biological limits to reach higher tiers over centuries.

Despite living under the domain of House Darkstar, they were still Abominations at their core. Wild, unpredictable monsters.

And Chaosbringer was the absolute definition of such a creature.

Through the shimmering heat haze in the distance, Craig saw it.

Resting at the mouth of a massive, dark cavern was a gigantic crimson-scaled dragon.

Long, jagged horns swept back from its crest, and its cold, grey eyes drifted across the smoking landscape.

Craig felt the staggering weight of its presence from where he stood.

This was a true 5th-Tier Dragon.

An absolute calamity capable of purging entire fortified cities from the map without blinking.

As Craig observed the beast, Chaosbringer’s grey eyes shifted, locking onto his distant figure.

Yet, the dragon remained unmoved.

It simply laid its massive, horned head back onto the scorched rock, treating the approaching human with supreme indifference.

Keeping his guard up, Craig moved forward with calculated caution.

He avoided eye contact while remaining mentally prepared to draw his blade at a fraction of a second’s notice.

ROOOOOAAAR!

Suddenly, another high-pitched, echoing roar shattered the silence, bouncing off the canyon walls.

"What?" Craig stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes widening slightly. He immediately darted to the side, ducking behind a massive obsidian rock to conceal his presence.

In his past life, history recorded that Chaosbringer had lived in complete isolation within the Temple of Dragons for decades before violently breaking free into the wild and ravaging the world.

The texts never explained what caused its sudden madness or why it abandoned the sanctuary.

But now, standing in the living past, Craig finally understood the truth.

Chaosbringer had lived in isolation from humans, but it had not been alone.

Soaring down through the sulfurous clouds was a magnificent, purple-scaled dragon. Its long, elegant wings sliced through the ash as it descended with graceful precision.

Craig watched intently as Chaosbringer’s grey eyes softened, tracking the purple dragon’s movement with clear familiarity.

’He’s... tolerating her?’ Craig’s breath hitched, and a sudden, sharp realization dawned on him. A wide smile spread across his face.

’Chaosbringer had a mate.’

The purple dragon was his mate.

Since there was no record of this purple dragon in his past life, it meant she must have been killed or perished somewhere down the line, driving Chaosbringer into a grief-stricken madness that eventually broke its mind and turned it into an unbridled calamity.

The purple female dragon landed smoothly behind Chaosbringer at the entrance of the cave.

Unlike the 5th-Tier male, she was a 4th-Tier Dragon, radiating a sleek, deadly aura.

The moment she touched the ground, Chaosbringer rose from his resting spot, spreading his massive crimson wings in clear excitement.

The two colossal beasts began nuzzling each other, playing with their massive heads in a rare display of affection.

Craig stepped out from behind the obsidian rock, interrupting them.

GRRRRRR!

The shift in the air was instantaneous.

Both dragons snapped their heads toward Craig.

Chaosbringer bared his saber-like fangs, letting out a low, guttural growl that vibrated the ground beneath Craig’s boots.

The purple female flared her wings, her scales rippling with violet plasma, ready to incinerate the intruder.

They were both wild dragons, fiercely defensive of their territory.

But Craig quickly noticed how their bodies were positioned—they were intentionally blocking the dark entrance of the cave.

’A clutch of eggs,’ Craig realized. ’She laid eggs inside that cave.’

Chaosbringer took a heavy step forward, leaving his mate behind to guard the entrance as he approached the intruder.

Craig stood his ground without moving an inch, looking like a tiny ant before the monolithic crimson beast.

Chaosbringer lowered his massive snout until it was inches from Craig’s frame, opening his jaws and letting out a deafening, terrifying roar that blew Craig’s crimson hair wildly back.

It was a display of absolute dominance meant to crush the human’s spirit and make him run.

Yet, Craig remained completely unshaken, his golden eyes burning with steady, unyielding light.

Looking straight into the beast’s grey eyes, Craig opened his mouth and spoke in the ancient, double-toned cadence of High Darkstarian tone.

"Kryzor, Chaosbringer. Vael’drak koris."

(Calm your spirit, Chaosbringer. The dragon blood stands before you.)

The harsh, resonant language echoed through the air.

Chaosbringer’s eyes flickered with surprise upon hearing the ancient tongue spoken with such pure, natural authority.

Craig took another smooth step forward, addressing the gargantuan wyrm.

"Zul’Var. Mi Darkstari’o movëto, Chaosbringer. Draken’Kaa."

(Acknowledge my Darkstarian blood. I have come to be your master. Accept the Dragon bond.)

Chaosbringer let out another frustrated roar, swinging his massive, spiked tail sideways and shattering a line of boulders into dust.

Yet, despite his wild nature, he did not attack.

Something was stopping him.

The primordial authority woven into High Darkstarian, combined with the magnetic pull of Craig’s Divine Draconic Physique, held the beast’s aggressive instincts in check.

Chaosbringer watched silently, his grey eyes analyzing the calm, fearless youth approaching him.

The crimson dragon slowly lowered his massive head until it rested near the ground, staring directly into Craig’s eyes.

Craig smiled warmly, extending his hand toward the rough, fiery scales of the beast’s snout.

"You look as beautiful as ever, Chaosbringer," Craig whispered softly in Common.

The moment his palm pressed gently against the warm, rough scale between the dragon’s nostrils, a brilliant, transparent cyan panel flickered to life before Craig’s eyes.

DING!

[ Soul Resonance Established. ]

[ 5th-Tier Dragon: Chaosbringer accepts you as its Master. ]

[ Congratulations! You have completed your first Soul-Contract. ]

A massive ring of glowing crimson and gold runes exploded outward beneath Craig and Chaosbringer, binding their souls together in an absolute, immortal pact.