"Sir, I've been waiting for you," Rakhsahsa II said the mont he saw Taufik step through the gate. He gave a slight bow, his crimson cloak fluttering behind him. "I apologize for not greeting you sooner. A small issue ca up that required my attention"
Taufik raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What kind of problem?"
Rakhsahsa II chuckled nervously, brushing a hand through his hair. "Ahaha, nothing serious, sir. Hardly worth your ti. Just a minor problem"
"If you say so." Taufik's voice was casual, but his eyes flicked with curiosity as he began walking beside the King of Red Dragons. "Lead the way"
"Of course! Allow to give you a quick tour of my humble castle," Rakhsahsa II said proudly, spreading his arms wide as though he were presenting a five-star resort instead of a fortress carved from the bones of a mountain.
Towering obsidian spires reached toward the ash-choked sky, their tips glowing faintly red from the heat of nearby lava flows. The castle itself pulsed with arcane light, windows flickering like they were trying to wink.
The air outside shimred with dry heat, and every breath tasted faintly of smoke and lted rock. Distant rumbles echoed from the active volcanoes surrounding them, a reminder that this place was always one bad mood away from full eruption.
If Taufik were a normal human, the mont he stepped foot on this land, he would imdiately get sulfur dioxide poisoning.
As they passed through the iron-lined main gate and into the vaulted corridors, where it was surprisingly cooler, Taufik spoke again. "Have you decided where the portal should be installed?"
"I have, sir," Rakhsahsa II replied with a confident nod, his cape fluttering dramatically from a gust of sulfur-laced wind. "Just behind the castle lies an open field. I plan to turn it into a training ground once the portal is active. It's spacious, isolated, and most importantly, the air is... Quite refreshing"
Taufik paused mid-step, giving him a slow, skeptical look. "Good air? You're saying the air in this continent of lava, brimstone, and constant explosions is... Refreshing?"
"Huh? What do you an, sir?"
Taufik glanced sideways out a stained-glass window. In the distance, a flaming boulder casually rolled down a hillside. A smoke demon waved at him before lting into a puddle of ash.
"...No, forget it. If you say the air is good, then... Sure. Maybe I've just been breathing wrong"
Just then, a plu of thick black smoke curled into the sky behind the castle, followed closely by a distant *boom* the unmistakable sound of sothing massive crashing into molten lava. The ground beneath them gave a faint tremble, as a low rumble echoed through the stones of the corridor.
"See?" Rakhsahsa II grinned, entirely unfazed. "Nature's humidifier"
Taufik gave him a long, flat stare. "...Whatever. Just take to where I should build the portal"
Rakhsahsa turned smoothly on his heel, gesturing with a flourish. "Right this way, sir"
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"…But I must admit, I'm surprised you ca here alone, sir," Rakhsahsa II said, his footsteps echoing softly as they moved through the winding stone corridors of the castle. The torches on the walls flickered with unnatural fla. "Are you not concerned that we might try to… harm you?"
Taufik chuckled lightly, the sound dry and cold. "Ahaha~ I dare you. Try anything funny, and, well, let's just say there'll be no Red Dragons left in Draco"
Rakhsahsa II's steps slowed for a brief mont before he forced a laugh. "…Ah-Ahaha~ Just a joke, sir. Please don't take it seriously"
He glanced at Taufik from the corner of his eye, his expression briefly darkening. "We'd never do such a thing. Even if soone were foolish enough to try… I know the consequences. And I'll never let that happen... Not again"
Taufik said nothing, but his gaze lingered on Rakhsahsa II a mont longer, silent, sharp, as if searching for sothing unspoken in those last words.
"…You know what?" Taufik said after a mont of silence, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I'm surprised, too. I never would've guessed soone like you was Rakhsahsa's son. It's… Hard to believe"
He paused, curiosity flickering in his tone. "Now I'm curious... Who's your mother?"
Rakhsahsa II let out a dry chuckle, lowering his gaze. His voice grew quieter, more distant.
"…I don't have a mother, sir"
He walked a few steps ahead before continuing, slower this ti as if weighing each word.
"I'm not a real dragon. I was... Crafted. An artificial being, created from a fragnt of my father's soul"
He stopped beside a stained-glass window, the flickering torchlight casting fractured shadows across his face. "My father doesn't trust anyone... Not even his own blood. The only thing he ever believed in was himself. That's why he made . A son who couldn't betray him. A tool, really"
Taufik said nothing, his expression unreadable.
"I don't know when it all started. By the ti I opened my eyes, he was already involved with demons. Maybe he used so kind of dark art to shape ... Sothing unnatural," Rakhsahsa II's voice tightened, tinged with bitterness. "But now that I think about it… It's strange. I was born from his very soul, yet I feel so different from him. Like I was ant to be sothing else"
"…And you've proven it," Taufik finally said, his voice calm but firm. "You managed to lead the Red Dragons to change, to beco sothing more. That alone says a lot"
He looked at Rakhsahsa II, his expression softening just slightly.
"Sure, you were created from Rakhsahsa's soul… But the mont you were 'born,' you beca your own entity. A soul is a complex thing. It can't be asured or defined by logic or words"
Taufik let out a low chuckle, turning his gaze back toward the corridor ahead.
"Who knows… Maybe you were born from the purest part of Rakhsahsa's soul. That's possible, right? Ahaha~"
Rakhsahsa II stood silent for a mont, his expression unreadable, caught sowhere between disbelief and sothing almost like hope.
"…Ahaha~ Maybe you're right, sir," Rakhsahsa II said, his laughter quiet but genuine this ti. There was a faint smile on his face, small, fleeting, but real.
For a mont, the oppressive silence of the ancient castle felt a little lighter, as if sothing heavy had been lifted between them.
Then he turned, regaining his composure. "Co on, the field is just ahead. I've already cleared the periter of the portal structure
Taufik nodded, his eyes scanning the corridor ahead. "Good. Let's finish this"
They walked in silence, but this ti, it was a more comfortable one, less wary, more understanding. Sothing had shifted.
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For the next two days, Taufik dedicated himself to building the portal. Just as Rakhsahsa II had claid, the "air" in the designated area was… Decent, at least by Red Dragon standards.
The site was a vast, open field frad by rivers of molten lava and encircled by ever-rumbling volcanoes, their constant eruptions painting the sky with ash and fire.
The atmosphere shimred with heat, and the scent of brimstone clung to everything. In the distance, Rakhsahsa II's dark castle lood like a crown of black stone against the crimson sky.
Despite the hostile surroundings, the ambient Mana in the area was surprisingly stable and incredibly dense. It made the location ideal for constructing a portal that could automatically recharge by drawing on the mana-rich environnt.
Volcanic fus and rivers of lava might have been hazardous to ordinary beings, but to Mana-based constructs, it was practically nourishnt.
Through this process, Taufik had co to a fascinating realization. After installing portals across four continents, each with wildly different environnts, he noticed a pattern: the raw Mana in the air wasn't just neutral energy.
It carried elental signatures that reflected the land itself. In the volcanic lands of the Red Dragons, the Mana pulsed with fire; in forest continents, it leaned toward life and earth.
He hadn't noticed this detail when he set foot for the first ti in Draco, likely because his mind had been consud with one singular goal: returning to Earth. But now, with experience and clarity, he saw it for what it was: a natural phenonon both beautiful and imnsely useful.
Even though each portal he constructed followed the sa foundational blueprint, shaped by his Imagination Magic, the final form of each would subtly adapt to its environnt, absorbing not just mana but the essence of the land around it.
It was an impressive and unintended feature of his design.
Taufik worked with focus and efficiency, layering enchantnts and magical fraworks with the kind of precision that only soone of his caliber could execute. Every sigil, every anchor point, every dinsional tether was placed with purpose.
During his breaks, Rakhsahsa II often invited him to a friendly duel. It had beco a kind of ritual between them.
As expected, Taufik won every ti, sotis effortlessly, sotis allowing the match to stretch out for a bit of fun, but never with cruelty.
Rakhsahsa II, to his credit, always accepted defeat with a self-deprecating laugh or a thoughtful nod.
"One day, I'll land a hit," He'd mutter with a grin, wiping soot off his cheek.
Taufik would smirk in return. "I'll pretend to believe that"
And just like that, the portal was complete, precisely on the two-day deadline.
Now, only one thing remained: Taufik would return to the Forest Continent to gather his family. After that, their long journey will co to an end, and they will go back to Earth.
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