- Out of the Frying Pan

The next key memory was of the death of Drago's father, a devastating day for him, but more so for the kingdom of Grimley. They lost a very important pillar of strength and there was nobody to fill in such a huge gap as Drago was too young to even hold a sword.

'Alfred Vermont Grussiva or known as the hero, Avegar, died at a very young age of 34, in a war that would have brought Grimley to ruin. The invading army outnumbered Grimley's, 5 to 1, and they had a commander who was as cunning as he was powerful in combat.

Grimley was fighting a losing battle. Multiple battlefronts were tipped against their favor and Heroes were beginning to fall one after the other.

Just when the battle was almost lost and Grimley was about to give the order to retreat, Avegar, with his squadron of elite dragoons, suddenly pushed through formation after formation as they were all eventually cut down.

All except one!

Avegar who was at the peak of his strength, with his broadsword Maggriz which was originally owned by the first Dragon Knight Legna, broke his limits as he triggered his [Draconian Manifestation] and decimated anyone blocking his way towards the enemy command center. This caused the enemy commander to send detachments with strong combatants to eliminate him.

However, despite the many injuries Avegar was given, he eliminated them one by one.

Not long after, he was able to reach the enemy commander and was locked in combat for a while. The commander was not a pushover himself as he also had trump cards just like the rest of his generals and strongest fighters.

At the climax of the battle, the commander was able to break Maggriz and disarm the formidable Avegar. Unfortunately, Avegar was so lost in his bloodlust that he pounced on the commander who in turn, drove his sword to Avegar's heart. This did not stop Avegar from tearing the commander's throat with his teeth. As the commander was bleeding out, the soldiers around them were terrified at the scene. Avegar's armor was barely hanging on that his skin was revealed only to show multiple gaping wounds and blood gushing out like geysers yet the Dragon Knight was ravenously tearing at the flesh of their commander's neck. Finally, Avegar took the enemy commander's head and poured the dripping blood onto his mouth.

The sight was so gruesome that even some of the elites who survived the initial slaughter could not move. If they could, they would not even run towards the deadly beast but far away from it. They wished in their hearts that Avegar had his fill and would stop there but their wish was not granted. Avegar whose body was covered in blood turned his gaze on those around him. This gaze made everyone who met it feel like time stood still. Yes, they saw the beast move ever so slowly, continuing to slaughter as many enemy soldiers as he could before the [Draconian Manifestation] wore off and the heavy injuries he accumulated took his life.

Even after Avegar died, his standing still made everyone around tremble in place for a long while, afraid that if they moved ever the slightest, Avegar would awaken and jump at them.

Those who luckily survived the slaughter were captured and interrogated about what happened among many other things. Those who listened and read their accounts and those who were unlucky enough to witness the event trembled at the power and the sacrifice that the one known as the Dragon Knight showed them that day.'

When the news reached the Grussiva family, it felt like their world was flipped over. Drago cried intensely but it could never compare to the wails of his mother.

Drago burned the feats of his father into his memory, imagining every moment written in the record. Even if some of them were exaggerated, he did not care. His father was the greatest hero in his heart.

As the kingdom recovered its peace, the topic of Avegar's power outweighed the sacrifice he made for the kingdom as the previous king, along with various supporters became paranoid that another invasion would happen while their overall might had fallen drastically from the last war.

This triggered a discussion regarding the early training of Avegar's son, Drago, who was still called Derek at that time. There was also a huge debate whether he should undergo the 'Ritual of the Dragon' before Avegar's blood would begin to lose its efficacy or not. The ritual would force Derek's blood to be granted a higher purity while inheriting the [Draconian Manifestation] ability by transfusing blood from a previous generation. However, he was still 13, 5 years too young for the ritual as it would have a high risk of killing him, especially with how potent Avegar's blood was compared to the preceding generations.

Of course, Drago's mother fought hard against it, facing the ire of the crown and the other families. Even the citizens despised the Grussiva Family's 'selfishness' as they were overcome by fear. However, the members of the Grussiva Family were the only ones who knew how to perform the ritual and as the de facto head of the family, Drago's mother had the final say even if the other members agreed to the ritual or were bribed. They could not kill her as it would risk causing Drago to rebel.

After a while, the issue was forgotten but radical groups plotted against the Grussiva Family and infiltrated their mansion to kidnap Derek and steal Avegar's preserved blood. Unfortunately, in an attempt to protect him, his mother was killed. It was at this point that the young Derek made his first kill... no... his first massacre.

Showing a battle sense that those who witnessed the scene would argue surpassed that of his father's, Derek overpowered and killed highly trained mercenaries double or even triple his age. From this night on, Derek's heart turned cold with a seething temper that could visibly be seen in his eyes. When the king received the news, he ordered a thorough investigation and when the culprits were found out to be a group of aristocrats, Derek asked for the colluding members to be executed on the spot, to which the king obliged. He also declared to the family of those aristocrats that if ever they wished to get revenge, he would welcome them anytime. Of course, some obliged and hired assassins but the king had other plans for Derek so he secretly gave him some protection.

However, there was no such thing as a perfect defense. There were many attempts that managed to slip through yet Derek was able to stand his ground time and time again. As he grew up, the king lifted the protection as he saw that he could handle himself and those who wanted to take his life were running out of resources to hire new assassins.

Throughout the years, Derek showed maturity and intelligence that awed those who were in his family as he assumed the role of being the head after his mother died. The members of the Grussiva Family were few. Only Drago remained of the main family as the rest were descendants of the branch families that were wed into it. The responsibility of leading and protecting them was also the driving force to his decision not to risk himself in performing the ritual before he was 18.

Derek used his wealth to hire the best combat experts to train him and even asked heroes who were more than double his age to spar with him. Within 5 years, he became an expert in fighting against all combat styles found within the kingdom and some styles from other kingdoms. His combat experience surpassed even the veterans who were leagues above his father's. However, just like them, he did not possess the raw might that Avegar had nor the latter's insane vitality and regeneration. From sparring alone, he suffered countless scars that a young man should never have.

On his 18th birthday, Derek underwent the 'Ritual of the Dragon'.