Chapter 12: At the Beginning of Dragons, Nature is Malevolent

"Crack! Crack!" The familiar sound of eggshells breaking echoes in Muria's ears.

"Ha ha, today is really a good day." Muria looks delightedly at a red dragon egg in his room that starts to show cracks on its surface. The dragon egg he has been nurturing for so long is finally about to hatch.

During his sleeping period, Sophia diligently cared for these six red dragon eggs, constantly replacing the fire element crystals that had been depleted and turned into ordinary crystals.

Thus, three years after Muria acquired these red dragon eggs, he is able to witness their hatching upon waking.

"Crack!" "Crack!" "Crack!"...

An even more exhilarating series of sounds follows, indicating that five more dragon eggs are breaking open. This means all six red dragon eggs have hatched, with no dead eggs among them.

The red dragon eggs crack open one after another, revealing six hatchlings the size of foals, each revealing their true dragon names in order of birth.

"Auston Igneel."

"Cynthia Igneel."

"Andrei Igneel."

"Jessica Igneel."

"Albert Igneel."

"Renata Igneel."

After stating their true names, the six hatchlings immediately start to consume the shards of their own eggs, beginning their first meal without paying any attention to Muria or Sophia.

These newly born red hatchlings, possessing high intelligence from birth, know they are safe for now. They have spent three years with these two annoying-smelling individuals in their room, reasoning that they would not harm them.

Hearing the hatchlings munching on their eggshells, Muria smiles. Six dragons, perfectly balanced with three males and three females, and he feels a great sense of achievement for successfully hatching all six red dragon eggs.

"Sophia, bring some meat over," Muria instructs the head maid, knowing the eggshells alone won't satisfy the hatchlings' hunger. They need more food.

The blonde girl sighs softly and shakes her head before leaving. She returns shortly with six strips of sun-dried jerky, handing them to Muria.

Muria frowns, "Why bring this kind of meat?"

"Dragons can eat metals and stones when hungry, dried meat is sufficient for evil dragon hatchlings," Sophia responds.

Nodding, Muria squats down, holding the meat strips, and then reaches out with one to the firstborn hatchling.

"Auston, here, have some meat." Muria calls out the hatchling's true name with a gentle smile. Auston, having finished its eggshell, looks at its siblings' shells.

Auston lifts its disproportionately large head, measures Muria, then, with limbs covered in bright red scales and bat-like wings dragging at its sides, bites into the meat and pulls away.

Muria then calls out the names of the remaining red dragons, distributing the jerky to each.

As Muria is about to give the last piece to the youngest hatchling, Renata, Auston, having quickly devoured its share, looks at Muria again. It licks its teeth clean of meat residue and commands in Dragonic, learned from inherited knowledge, "Give me the meat in your hand; I'm not full yet."

Muria, hearing the childish voice, suppresses his rising irritation, "Auston, this is your sister's meat. If you're not full, wait a bit, and I'll give you more."

"I want it now." Auston opens its mouth, releasing a wisp of red dragon flame, displaying the greed and belligerence inherent to evil dragons.

"Impossible." Muria hands the meat to the eagerly waiting Renata.

Renata, being the smallest and last born, would only have starvation to look forward to if her brother decided to take her food. She relies on Muria.

"Roar!" Auston, denied, growls lowly, flaps its now somewhat sturdier wings – not enough to fly but enough to attack more swiftly – and charges at Muria.

"Rascal." Muria, shocked and angered at being bitten on the wrist by the hatchling, hadn't expected this highly intelligent newborn to attack him, disregarding their size difference.

The other hatchlings also show eagerness to join their brother in attacking Muria. Noticing this, Muria's anger intensifies.

His patience at its limit and consumed by rage, Muria retorts with a laugh, "You think just because I hatched you, I won't harm you?"

He stands, lifts his left hand, and with a fierce swing, sends Auston flying. The hatchling arcs beautifully through the air.

"Thud!" Auston crashes hard onto the crystal floor, covered by enchantments, suffering secondary injuries from the impact.

"Roar!" The hatchling growls, trying to stand, one wing and the limbs on the same side twisted unnaturally, obviously broken.

"Such is the resilience of dragons. Even as hatchlings, they possess incredible vitality," Muria remarks, his smile turning grim as he observes Auston struggling to stand, still trying to roar at him.

Despite just a nearly imperceptible red mark on his wrist from Auston's bite – not even breaking skin – Muria's true anger stems from the hatchling's behavior.

After three years of care, the beings he hatched view his kindness as weakness, attacking him over a piece of jerky.

Muria approaches Auston, picks up the hatchling by its belly, and smirks at its attempts to bite him, "Sorry! I forgot you're an evil dragon hatchling. I'll remember that from now on."

"Release me, you despicable golden dragon," Auston mistakes Muria's dominant golden dragon aura for that of a pureblood, partly justifying its attack.

Ignoring Auston, Muria faces the other hatchlings with a smile, "From today, learn this lesson: anyone who dares attack me will be severely punished."

"Like this," golden thunderbolts emerge from Muria's hand, coursing into Auston.

"Aow!" Auston screams in agony as the golden thunderbolts sear its body, turning bright red scales to blackened char, smoke rising, and the smell of burnt flesh fills the air. After a wail, Auston faints, overwhelmed by pain.

"Thud." Muria drops the charred hatchling to the floor, its scales turned to brittle char. The sight terrifies the other hatchlings, who tremble in fear at Muria's brutality.

"Don't worry, it's not dead!" Muria checks, relieved to see Auston's chest still moving. Despite severe injuries, as long as a dragon lives, it can recover, given their robust vitality.

"Sophia, clean up. Don't let them leave the room. The rest is up to you," Muria instructs the head maid, who has been watching unflinchingly, before leaving the room.

"As you command, Master Muria," Sophia nods.

Muria steps out of the room, exhaling deeply as if to expel all his frustrations.

"Inertia thinking can be deadly," Muria muses, regretting how his past life's memories affect his judgment.

"Every dragon is born with innate knowledge and stands. I knew this, yet I harbored illusions about these evil dragon hatchlings. Even though they're familiar with my scent, they still see me as an enemy because I possess golden dragon blood.

The golden dragon mother instructed me to nurture these evil dragon hatchlings with a gentle approach, but that's utterly ineffective. Altering the first line of the 'Three Character Classic' to describe them seems apt: At the beginning of dragons, their nature is malevolent.

To deal with evil dragons, only violence can educate them. Heh, if a Crystal Dragon can raise a chaotic evil White Dragon into a lawful good one, then I can surely turn these ungrateful dragons into loyal Husky Dragons."

Exiting the room, Muria reflects on the lesson learned. Despite the innate intelligence and capabilities that come with being a dragon, their fundamental nature can clash with those trying to nurture them, especially if there's a divergence in their moral compasses. Muria's initial expectations met the harsh reality of their intrinsic nature, but this encounter has only solidified his resolve. His new approach would involve a mix of stern discipline and guidance, a stark departure from his previous leniency.

This experience marks a turning point for Muria. It solidifies his understanding that while he may share a bond with these creatures, the relationship is complex, shaped by their inherent nature and his own lineage. The incident with Auston wasn't just a lesson in draconic behavior but a reminder of the responsibilities that come with power and the importance of setting boundaries.

Determined to adjust his methods, Muria plans to establish a new order, one where respect and obedience are earned through strength and fairness. This doesn't mean he will resort to cruelty or tyranny, but rather that he intends to assert his authority in a way that commands respect without instilling fear. He realizes that to guide these hatchlings towards growth and perhaps even change their inherent nature, he must blend the wisdom of his golden dragon heritage with the strength of his will.

As Muria steps further away from the room, leaving the aftermath of his decision behind, he carries with him not just the weight of his golden dragon bloodline but also the weight of his newfound role as a leader and mentor to these formidable yet impressionable beings. His journey is not just about shaping the destiny of these six hatchlings but also about defining his own path as a being of power and wisdom in a world where the lines between good and evil, strength and tyranny, can often blur.