For hours, Valerie watched her love paint on the canvas in the tower. She could not get enough of this kitten in front of her. The dragon loved the way that Bery was able to tune out the world around her and focus on painting. Valerie found it incredibly endearing.
The dragoness sighed and looked towards the horizon. She saw smoke rising into the sky, and she saw the banners of war. Her heart wanted nothing more than to stay with Bery and hold onto her. If she could just live in peace with the kitten at the top of the mountain, then everything would be fine somehow.
Bery finally looked away from her painting after hearing Valerie sigh. The kitten's cute, fluffy ears twitched. "Thank you for bringing me up here. I know that you wanted to ease my mind, but you don't need to wait for me. Do what you think is best. The only thing I ask is that you don't go killing everyone. They aren't all bad people…"
Tears formed in Bery's eyes as she stood up and hugged Valerie. Precious little kitten, your tears should not be shed for these miserable souls.
The dragoness placed a hand on Bery's head and returned the hug with her other arm. "I know that. I will see how amicable they are, but one thing is certain...their king must die."
Valerie channeled fire magic into her palms and covered the kitten with a barrier. If anything should attack you, I will destroy them.
Bery nodded after a while and finally let go of the dragon. "You told me that I can't die, but the same thing goes for you. I would never be able to forgive you."
Valerie smiled and kissed the kitten's forehead. "Believe me, kitten. No one in this world has the ability to do so. And if they did, I would make myself stronger for you."
"I love you…"
"I love you too, kitten."
It took a while, but Bery finally let go. Any more delays would mean that the humans would encroach even closer, and Valerie was not willing to risk the safety of her kitten any longer.
She leapt from the tower, and transformed into her dragon form in the same motion. Her massive crimson wings spread out, and they flapped, creating a huge gust of wind towards the ground below. Smoke crept out of the corners of her mouth.
Valerie found that her anger was harder to reel in than normal. Usually, she could just forgive the transgressions of humans, but for Bery's sake she would not destroy them all. For the kitten's sake, she would not become some unfathomable monster.
She took a deep breath before she spotted the helm of their army.
There was no slow introduction. No taking her time with the landing.
Her legs landed hard on the ground, and the world beneath her shook. Trees fell away around her, and the armor of the army in front of her vibrated. With her landing, she created a clearing so that the humans could see perfectly what they stood against.
Valerie's voice bellowed into their formation, striking at the king in the front. "So you are the foolish king who decided to encroach on my mountain?"
None of them moved. A dead silence struck all of them. Sweat dripped from every pore of their faces, yet the king was the one to remain steadfast in his saddle.
He raised his glistening sword towards the dragon before him, and a smile crept up his face behind his helmet. "So you finally decided to show yourself, dragon? Have you given up on hiding in your mountain?"
Valerie sighed, more smoke billowing out of her mouth. It would almost be hilarious if it wasn't for the fact that these humans would jeopardize the safety of others. They would try to make a mockery of Valerie protecting her kitten. If they had their way, they would rob Valerie of all of her treasures.
The dragon's red eyes narrowed. "For what purpose do you partake in such foolish actions? Is there any reason to it?"
King Crassius wrinkled his nose and ground his teeth together. "Don't play dumb, tyrant! Look at us! Look at this army! We have come to take what is rightfully ours. You are in our lands. Besides, even your own kind doesn't love you. Such an unlovable creature as you who dares to look down on us!"
"What would you know about…"
It was then that Valerie felt it, and she recoiled the slightest bit. An enormous gust of wind magic created vibrations in the air.
The king smiled once again. "You will die today, fiend, and our god will finally recognize me."
"I see…"
King Crassius raised his sword and pointed it towards the dragon. "Kill it!"
Several men rushed forwards, obeying their king's order. Yet they were astoundingly slow. Even the mage's spells were pathetic.
Valerie's wing deflected the magic, and a single flick of her tail was enough. All of the men struck by her tail died immediately from the impact and flew from their horses.
Fire bubbled from within Valerie's throat, and an enormous fireball shot from her mouth. The mages in the back who cast a spell were all decimated. No shield or barrier could withstand the inferno.
The king's eyes widened as he watched the lives of his troops end in an instant. He looked towards somewhere in the distance, a source of salvation perhaps, but it was for not.
A flick of the dragon's claw swiped off King Crassius's head. He fell from his saddle with a clanking of armor in the soil.
"Your king has fallen, the wise thing would be to---"
Valerie reacted to the large nearby mana signature, and her wing moved in a flash. A dense arrow of wind magic impacted the scales of the red appendage. Valerie looked towards the origin of the spell, finding the large silver dragon she had expected.
Wind formed around Catl's body, creating a large funnel barrier. "Valericae," his voice echoed.
Valerie's eyes narrowed. "You should know that I don't go by that name anymore."
"Hmm, how could I know? How could any of us know anything when you always do your own thing?"
"That has always been the way of us dragons. Besides, look around you...You are doing the same thing. You would even endanger the lives of the people who followed you."
The results of Catl's deflected wind spell were even more corpses, but lucky for most of the army, they had taken off running the moment they saw a second dragon.
"It doesn't matter. None of it matters anymore. I have gotten much stronger than in the past."
"Is that so?"
It was clear that Valerie's disregard for his determination, set Catl off. The dragon ran on all fours and launched himself towards Valerie with the help of his wind magic. He propelled himself from the ground and formed yet another spell.
Wind claws extended outwards from his actual claws, and they cut through the air.
Valerie leapt just in time, watching as the claws shredded the ground beneath them to pieces. Bits of rock and grass flew everywhere, and a vicious tornado spread from the ground below.
The red dragon took to the sky, flying higher and higher, and the silver dragon followed. It didn't take long for the two of them to breach the clouds altogether.
"This is what's wrong with you younger dragons. You never keep your pride in check, and it affects your ability to see things clearly."
"I will not be lectured by you," Catl said. "What will you do now? We have taken to the skies. This is my domain."
Valerie chuckled and ignored his provocation. Even the loud booms of thunder coming from Catl would not strike fear into her heart. "Your domain? No single dragon can lay claim to the skies."
A violent storm started forming in the sky. Clouds swirled viciously around Catl like a whirlpool. In no time at all, a hurricane had formed around the single silver dragon.
"Don't you see, Valericae? You can't keep mocking me forever!"
I never intended to mock you in the first place, fool.
Valerie shook her head with a hint of sadness. To watch someone that shared her bloodline be so consumed by anger and envy did strike a chord in her. But it was not enough to change her heart. No, after what you have done, you don't deserve to live anymore.
Red hot magic formed around Valerie and bubbled like a roiling volcano. The heat burned away the air itself, and the surrounding hurricane started to get sucked into vivid red flames. Her flames started eating away at the spell before Catl's eyes.
The silver dragon's eyes widened, and he channeled even more of his magic power until he created a swirling abyss of wind. And then he launched it with all of his might at Valericae, The Eternal Red.
But the spell was no match for the flames of eternity. They burned away the mana at the core of Catl's spell, and all of it was gone in an instant. The sky had turned into a vivid red, reflecting the eyes of Valerie.
"Goodbye, for good this time."
Catl didn't have time to utter a word of protest or even move. His whole body was swallowed by the flames of oblivion, and he was cast into a lake of burning hell.