"Heh~ heh~ heh~"
The little green hatchling skipped along, three steps and a hop, humming some completely off-key, self-composed tune as he passed one upright dragon egg after another.
He eventually returned to the red dragon egg and flopped down in front of it.
He lifted his head.
The red egg stood there exactly as before.
No cracks.
No tremors.
No sign of hatching.
There were many eggs in the cavern.
But only one red.
And that was the only one he wanted.
Compared to the others, the imagined taste of red shell fragments filled him with far greater anticipation.
"Come on, little bro. Show some backbone."
Kaos sighed dramatically at the egg.
He was starting to resent it for not living up to expectations.
"You're red, for crying out loud. At least hatch faster than the green one."
The egg, shockingly, offered no response.
After muttering a few more complaints, he rested his chin back on the cool, dry cavern floor.
The temperature here was perfect.
Not hot.
Slightly cool.
Ideal for a green dragon.
His heavy eyelids drooped.
He would conserve energy and wait for the next lucky victim.
Then—
"An. Bilates. Baroalix."
A clear, crisp young girl's voice echoed through the cavern.
Kaos' eyes snapped open.
His round head shot up.
Oh?
Work just arrived.
He shot one last disappointed glance at the red egg.
"You really aren't it."
Then he sprang up and dashed toward the voice.
---
He rounded several eggs before spotting his target.
One egg had already cracked open at the top.
Clinging to the broken shell was a small, round, pitch-black hatchling chewing diligently.
A literal little coal ball.
Jet black.
Round body.
Small even for a hatchling.
Compact.
Refined.
Adorably snack-sized.
Kaos accelerated instantly.
He reached the shell—
And grabbed her by the back of the neck.
Meanwhile—
An was gnawing at her shell with full focus.
The moment she'd hatched and surveyed the surroundings, she'd realized something was off.
What kind of sane dragon mother lays over a dozen eggs?
In five different colors?
This was not normal.
No point thinking about mother.
Eat first.
Enter first slumber.
Gain strength.
That was priority.
"Mm?"
Why was the shell getting farther away?
She stretched her neck.
Snapped her jaws.
Missed.
Again.
Missed.
Her little black claws pawed at the air.
…Why am I floating?
She twisted her head back.
A green hatchling.
Smiling.
Way too close.
Kaos beamed at her warmly.
An: ...
Ah.
So it happened after all.
She'd suspected someone hatched earlier.
Now confirmed.
Kaos leaned closer, studying her.
Interesting.
This one wasn't struggling.
"Let's make a deal," he said cheerfully. "Give me some of your shell. Cooperate, and I won't beat you up."
He tilted his head.
"See? Aren't I good to you?"
No answer.
He shook her slightly.
She wobbled in his grip.
Her dark pupils shifted.
Then—
Fear appeared on her face.
"Okay… just don't hit me."
Excellent.
This coal ball understood survival.
Kaos examined her round black eyes.
…Kind of cute.
His playful side surfaced.
He leaned closer again.
"So tell me—haven't I been really good to you?"
An: ...
Shameless.
She nodded weakly.
"Thank you."
Satisfied, Kaos pulled back.
He almost wanted to keep teasing her.
But food came first.
He tossed her.
High.
She spun midair—
Flipped—
Landed smoothly.
Graceful.
Interesting.
Kaos didn't notice.
He was already drooling again at the scent rising from the shell.
He climbed onto it and peered inside.
At the bottom—
Egg liquid.
Perfect.
"Ah-woo!"
Crunch.
The texture was still like crispy chips.
But this one—
Cumin flavor.
He chewed downward efficiently until he reached the liquid.
Belly status:
100% full.
He patted his slightly bulging stomach.
Technically, he didn't need more.
But…
He glanced at the shimmering liquid.
What does black dragon egg liquid taste like?
Curiosity won.
"Just one sip," he muttered. "Only one."
He lowered his head into the shell.
Sniffed.
No scent.
Colorless.
Same as the green one earlier.
Fine.
He stuck out his pink tongue and licked.
Instant reaction.
His pupils shrank.
Sour.
Astringent.
He recoiled.
"Pah! Pah! Pah!"
Both claws grabbed his tongue, desperately trying to wipe off the taste.
It was aggressively unpleasant.
After several seconds, the sourness faded slightly.
He shot the coal ball a look.
How is yours this bad?
Such a soft, sweet appearance.
Total fraud.
But—
He narrowed his eyes.
Grinned again.
"Remember my name."
"Agatha. Tiamat. Thor."
"If you're dissatisfied, challenge me after your first slumber."
An gently shook her head.
"I… I won't challenge you."
Her voice was soft.
Timid.
Almost pitiful.
Kaos stared.
What a soft little thing.
He gave her a rare once-over.
Is this actually a metallic dragon painted black?
How does she have zero temper?
But no—
That blackness was pure.
100% chromatic.
Strange.
"Why not?"
"I… can't beat you."
She shrank her neck further, looking utterly submissive.
Instant boredom.
Too easy.
No fun.
He was full anyway.
Time to find somewhere to complete his first slumber.
Without another word, he turned and left.
---
An watched him go.
Her round black pupils slowly narrowed—
Thinner.
Sharper.
The softness vanished.
Only deep, abyssal darkness remained.
She waited until he was truly gone.
Then she stood.
Approached her shell.
And began eating.
Fast.
Efficient.
Maximum bite per mouthful.
Two chews.
Swallow.
Repeat.
If she had resisted earlier, it would've excited him.
Not resisting made him bored.
Exactly as expected.
As for revenge—
That arrogant performance earlier?
That name?
Highly unlikely to be real.
No matter.
She had already memorized his scent from the bite marks left on her shell.
And that—
Was enough.