Ch 5: Training

Before we start, there are some things I'd like to say.

1. I've tried keeping it purely English, but it doesn't flow as well, so I'm replacing things like Big Brother to oni-san and Big Sister to one-san, and so on, from this chapter onwards. Essentially, I'll be adding Japanese name honorifics. I feel it flows better that way and doesn't sound too choppy. This will only be for dialogue.

2. Some bad news ... I will be going on a 1-to-2-week hiatus. My mid-terms for my summer courses are coming up, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I will be back by the end of the first week of July. I know this isn't what you might want, but I sincerely apologize. I hope you don't drop my book, but in the end, it is up to you.

Well, here's the chapter for today.

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With a hint of suspicion, Sharon walked into the house with Akeno and the girl named Suzaku. The fact she was easily able to find out about Sharon being a dragonkin triggered his danger senses as he had masked his aura from anyone below his own power level. Although that power level isn't very high, seeing someone around the same age as him with a higher power level was rare to him.

'She's strong!' Sharon thought as they all took a seat on the couches in the living room.

"It's been a while since you've visited, Suzaku. How've you been?" Shuri asked with a caring smile as Suzaku warmly smiled back, "I've been doing well, Aunt Shuri. The old guys from the clan have been stressing my training, so I'm a bit tired."

"Ah, I almost forgot to introduce you. Sharon, this is Suzaku. She's the heiress of the Himejima clan." Shuri said as a melancholic expression appeared on her face.

'I've never seen Shuri-san have such a sad expression. Why?' Sharon wondered as Suzaku interjected with a hmph, "Aunt Shuri, I told you not to call me that. I don't even want to do it. It's those geezers who are forcing me."

Shuri chuckled a bit before smiling at Suzaku as she said, "Just don't overwork yourself, okay?"

Suzaku nodded as a cheerful smile covered her face.

*Ring* *Ring*

A ringing noise came from the front entrance as Shuri made her way to the door. She opened the door as an old man with a hideous expression on his face scowled in what seemed to be unadulterated disgust. Sharon rushed towards Shuri and stood in front of her as Suzaku followed behind.

"Uncle, it's been a while," Shuri said with a hopeful expression as the man spat to the side of the door on the lawn.

"I have nothing to do with a slut like you." He said as he turned to Suzaku.

"I thought I told you not to come here, young lady. Let's get going, your clan trials begin in less than 6 months." He said as he forcefully dragged Suzaku away.

"Bye Aunt Shuri!" Suzaku said with a sad smile as Shuri waved toward her.

A couple of tears rolled down Shuri's cheeks as Akeno hugged her mother's leg.

"Mommy, don't cry. It'll be ok." Akeno said with her cheerful expression, making Shuri wipe her tears away and nod with a warm smile.

'What the hell?' Sharon wondered as the days once again went by.

Rather than spending a lot of time playing around, Sharon began to spend hours upon hours each day, training. He calmly meditated throughout the night as it not only accounted for sleep but also gradually absorbed the aura around him into his body.

Sharon could feel his body strengthening over the span of 5 months, allowing him to be ever so close to reaching the mid-class dragon power level.

Info Dump: ------------

Dragons have a unique power system like that of the devils, angels, and fallen angels.

Low-class: Beings who have a small affinity with the dragon bloodline within them. It also applies to beings with very little or impure draconian bloodlines.

Mid-Class: Beings who have gained a sufficient amount of experience with their draconian bloodline. At this stage, dragon-like features will develop with gained experience. Those features can easily be retracted into their bodies.

High-Class: Beings who have mastered the ins and outs of their bloodline and are ready to gain the power of dragonification: the morphing of certain parts of their bodies to be similar to a dragon's.

Dragon King: Beings who have gained the ability to dragonify. At this point, they gain a concept that they will dedicate all their power to developing. Like that of Vritra, who focused on absorbance and transference.

-->Dragon Kings have 3 stages. Low, Medium, and High. Low being those who have just gained a concept. Mid being those who have gained a sufficient understanding of their concept. High being those who have a near exemplary understanding of their concept.

Heavenly Dragons: Beings who have understood their concept to the point of assimilating with it. This will allow the being to derive techniques associated with that concept. Similar to Ddraig and his concept of domination, giving him abilities like Doubling, or Penetrate.

--> Heavenly Dragons also have 3 stages. Low, Medium, and High. Low being those who have just assimilated with their concept, with no derived abilities. Mid being those who have been able to gain an adequate symbiosis between their concept and themselves. High being those who have mastered their concept and are working towards gaining enlightenment. Gaining enlightenment is one of the hardest steps, leaving many unable to reach the next step. It is so difficult that only two dragons exist above the Heavenly Dragon level.

(A.N. Ophis and Great Red were created as Dragon God and True Dragon God with divinity within them. They didn't have to level up to their position, meaning that neither had to gain enlightenment to reach godhood.)

Dragon God and True Dragon God: Beings who have mastered their concept to the point of gaining enlightenment on divinity. This allows the being to remold their concept into a higher form. A higher concept that can't be chosen by a being who doesn't possess divinity. Similar to Ophis, who possesses the concept of Infinity, and Great Red, who possesses the concept of dreams.

----------- Info Dump End.

Sharon, who was endlessly approaching the mid-class, could feel his body slowly adapting to Ophis' blood, which had merged with his own. He gained a unique understanding of his potential and could feel incredibly tiny bumps on the upper-right and upper-left sides of his head.

The time had finally come for him to advance from a Low-class dragon to a Mid-class dragon.

Unable to contain his excitement, he jumped off his bed and ran towards Shuri, who was in the kitchen.

"Shuri-san! I'm going to the forest for a bit!" Sharon said with an excited expression as Shuri turned to him and nodded.

"Be careful, Sharon dear. Akeno and I will be going out shopping a little later." She said as Sharon nodded and waved to Akeno, who had been standing beside Shuri, helping with making breakfast.

"Mommy, where's Sharon-nii going?" Akeno asked with a curious expression as Shuri said, "Your big brother is going to become stronger. He's been waiting for so long, hasn't he?"

Akeno nodded as she said, "Mommy, I want to get stronger too!"

"Ara? Did seeing your big brother getting stronger make you want to get stronger too?" Shuri asked as Akeno just nodded.

"Well, keep practicing your purification magic, and when you grow up some more, you can ask your father to teach you some cool magic!" Shuri advised as Akeno nodded with an excited expression.

*In the forest*

Sharon, after running for nearly a half-hour, arrived at a clearing within the forest he first escaped from. He gazed around as he felt a comfortable energy slowly envelop him.

'It's time.' He thought as he sat in a cross-legged position and began to accumulate all the aura around him, into his body.

What he's trying to do is with the help of the external aura, he is condensing the aura into a thicker form, allowing for more to be stored within his body. This will not only strengthen his body but also increase the effectiveness of his abilities and skills.

Minutes turned to hours as the aura rampaged around his body.

*In Kuoh*

Akeno and Shuri had finished their shopping and were on their way home when Shuri had an awkward feeling.

She glanced around and she noticed a couple of men hidden behind some trees and some large rocks. Fear arose within her as she felt Akeno's hand in her own.

"Akeno, dear? Will you listen to Mama?" Shuri asked as Akeno turned to Shuri with a curious expression and a slightly tilted head.

"I need you to run home, okay?" Run as fast as you can." Shuri said as Akeno responded curiously, "Run? but why, Mom?"

"Please, Akeno, just listen to me. Run, okay? Don't look back!" Shuri said a bit louder as Akeno, with no choice left, ran towards their home as fast as she could.

"Finally, the day to kill the Fallen Angel's slut has come. We can rid our clan of this disappointment." A rough voice said as Shuri found herself surrounded by 5 men.

"Don't let the little monster leave. Bring her back." The rough-voiced man ordered as one of the five men nodded and raced towards Akeno.

"No! Please, leave my dear Akeno. It's me you want! LEAVE AKENO ALONE!!" Shuri screamed as she tried her best to protect her dear daughter.

"Hahahaha, you damned slut. Maybe if you didn't give your body to a Fallen Angel, we wouldn't have had to do this." A man said as the man chasing Akeno was on his way back, holding Akeno by the collar of her shirt.

"Why are you doing this? Didn't you already banish me and my family from the clan? Why won't you leave us alone?" Shuri screamed as the men laughed hysterically.

"We banished you so that you didn't leave an even bigger stain on the pride of our clan. As for why we're getting rid of you? We simply don't want someone who has stained our pride to live any longer." The men said as they slowly approached.

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That felt like a longer chapter, huh?

As usual, thanks to my readers for reading. I hope you enjoyed the chapter.

I'll see you all in a week or two.