Chapter 31: A Father's Gift

A terrifying pressure spread around the Pure White Castle with the appearance of the Titan through the spatial gate, silencing all noises, including the roars of beasts, the chirping of birds, and the buzzing of insects. In that instant, everything fell silent, as if all of creation was paying homage to the arrival of this formidable being.

The giants following Muria knelt in unison at the sight of the black-haired, golden-eyed Titan, welcoming him with a humble posture.

"Father," Muria was the only one unaffected by the oppressive aura. He gazed somewhat blankly at the Titan, who had made a shocking entrance by tearing through space right before him. The bond of blood compelled him to call out instinctively.

"Hmm!" Hearing Muria's voice, the legendary Titan Ansor responded with a nod, then dragged a very robust dragon out of the spatial gate.

Only then did Muria see his father, Ansor, and was taken aback to find that the mighty Titan seemed a bit off.

Ansor was clad in a black suit of armor with gold patterns, covering everything but his head. The armor was simple, without any unnecessary decorations, even the gold patterns were designed to amplify and transmit the Titan's power.

Despite its ancient and majestic appearance, Muria noticed alarming dents and claw marks on the legendary alloy armor, clearly indicating that his father had been through an extraordinary battle.

"I encountered a powerful adversary while looking for a gift for you," Ansor explained, noticing Muria's astonishment, and then threw the creature he was dragging in front of Muria.

"This is..." Muria was shocked at the sight of the enormous dragon before him, wrapped in a soft glow, its body covered in semi-transparent scales that refracted light like diamonds, "A legendary Strength Dragon."

"This Strength Dragon was a formidable opponent, and fighting it was exhilarating, although it seems it had just reached adulthood and its power was not fully developed. I found the fight somewhat unsatisfactory," Ansor commented with an unfulfilled tone, his previously impassive face now lit with excitement.

"Unsatisfactory..." Muria murmured, looking at the Strength Dragon thrown before him, his mouth twitching.

The dragon was in a sorry state, with broken scales and dents all over its body, remnants of gold lightning and tiny wind blades — evidence of the battle with Ansor.

These residual powers clashed with the dragon's own, causing semi-transparent dragon blood to flow out intermittently. The stunned Strength Dragon's body twitched from time to time.

"Father, you brought it back... what do you intend to do?" Muria cautiously inquired, overwhelmed by his father's combat prowess.

"If it knew the Strength Dragon could become a legendary dragon that could confront gods in its elder years, it would understand why Ansor, the legendary Titan, had beaten it into unconsciousness and dragged it back by its tail to the Titan Isles.

"This dragon is still in its youth. I thought of waiting for it to mature before challenging it again. But I was concerned I might not find it next time, so I decided to bring it back," Ansor earnestly explained.

Very reasonable, Muria thought, nodding to himself. To ensure future battles with the Strength Dragon, what could be more appropriate than bringing it home? But, seriously, a dragon that could face gods, brought home as a pet?

"Father, this is a Strength Dragon. Aren't you worried it might seek revenge after it grows stronger?" Muria asked hesitantly, aware of the dragon's formidable reputation from inherited memories.

"Revenge us? Ha..." Ansor paused, then burst into a hearty laugh, brimming with confidence, while Muria felt awkward, unsure what he had said wrong.

"Muria, my son, you are still young, but I can tell you now, even if a primeval Strength Dragon dared to cause trouble here, the only outcome would be its skeletal remains added to our Titan collection," Ansor proclaimed with overwhelming pride, his eyes blazing with a tangible desire for battle.

"Oh, right, I went out to find you a gift. Do you like it?" Suddenly remembering his purpose, Ansor bent down and began taking out dragon eggs from his storage space, placing them in front of Muria.

Red eggs shimmering with a fiery glow, blue eggs wrapped in electric arcs, green eggs with a hint of vegetation, black eggs with a faint sulfurous smell, and white eggs covered in frost.

Muria stared at the neatly arranged eggs, mouth agape. The eggs of the five chromatic dragons, all collected by his father and presented to him. But each type was not represented by a single egg; even the red dragon eggs numbered thirteen.

Ansor watched his son's shocked expression with satisfaction, interpreting it as delight based on information from the Gold Dragon Mother, Atreus.

"This is the gift I prepared for you after consulting with your mother. Since your birth, I haven't been able to visit you. Are you satisfied with this gift?" Ansor looked at his son expectantly.

Muria, speechless, how could he express discontent with these dragon eggs, embodying creatures of inherent evil? If Muria were merely a thirteen-year-old Titan and Dragon's child, he might whimsically voice his true feelings, but he also carried memories of a past life, restraining his words.

The commonality among the five chromatic dragons was their evil nature, each with unique power attributes, dictating their preferred nesting grounds.

Red dragons favored warm mountains, preferably volcanoes; blue dragons burrowed nests in deserts; green dragons chose dense forests; black dragons dwelled in warm swamps; and white dragons nested in icy regions.

To gather these eggs, Muria's father must have ventured into each dragon's favored habitat, inevitably engaging in battle.

Protectiveness is an instinct for all creatures, dragons included, though they might abandon their young in life-threatening situations. Still, collecting these eggs was no easy feat for Ansor, especially considering the presence of legendary ancient dragons among the chromatic species.

"I love this gift, Father," Muria said with a bright smile, genuinely happy.

"Ha, good to hear," the majestic Titan replied, pleased with his son's response. "Because of your mother, I couldn't target the metallic or gem dragons due to their scarcity and their lawful nature. So, I opted for the most abundant, the chromatic dragons. I'm glad you're satisfied."

Muria maintained his smile, feeling a warm sensation and a slight sting in his nose, realizing his father would have even confronted gem dragons for him. With such a father, how could he be discontent?

"Since you like these eggs, take good care of them. These are evil dragons; don't hesitate to discipline them with your fists if they disobey," Ansor advised, teaching his son the principle of "act first, speak later."

Muria's smile stiffened upon hearing his father's words, but he nodded in agreement, echoing the sentiment.

"That's all I wanted to say!" Ansor, a man of few words but lengthy speeches, made Muria feel oddly uncomfortable yet increasingly fond of his father.

Noticing the Strength Dragon's twitching tail, showing signs of awakening, Ansor shook his arm forcefully, eliciting a cringe-inducing crack from the dragon, rendering it even more unconscious.

"I'll be going now. Enjoy raising your dragons,"

 the legendary Titan bid farewell and stepped through a spatial rift, dragging the Strength Dragon with him...

As Muria watched his father disappear, he turned to the still-kneeling giants. Throughout, his father had not glanced at them, yet they remained respectfully silent on their knees.

"Stand up, everyone. My father has left," Muria commanded. The giants rose, their eyes filled with even greater reverence for Muria, having witnessed the true might of a Titan as the legends described.

"Albert, Bolton, all Cloud Giant leaders, come here," Muria ordered, looking at the numerous eggs and calling for the giants.

"From now on, decorate this castle with gems, crystals, and gold and silver. For the other castle, murals and sculptures will suffice. Also, strip it of all its embedded jewels and metals."

"Your Highness, why?" one of the Cloud Giant leaders asked, puzzled by the request to remove the precious decorations.

Muria glanced at him, then gestured towards the eggs, "That castle will be used for dragon rearing!"