The royal family listened quietly as Aerea recounted her adventures with Balerion, while two Maesters scribbled down her legendary experiences.
This Targaryen princess was the only person, after the Doom of Valyria, to enter its ruins and return alive. During the Bloody Century, a Dragonlord from Essos once rode his dragon there, never to be seen again. In Westeros, the King of the Rock took Lightbringer to explore the ruins and also vanished forever.
When Aerea finished her tale, everyone present was still caught up in the strangeness and danger of her journey.
"Krakens, corpse-dragons, bone insects, flesh monstrosities, living clouds of smoke, miasma, a metal throne atop a palace of flesh, a woman of the heart tree, demigods… Princess, your travels could be made into a magnificent chronicle. It's simply incredible," said Grand Maester Gawen with deep emotion.
Grand Maester Gawen was already in his twilight years. His lands were a sizable countship in Essos, granted to him by Emperor Aegon.
"A so-called Elder demigod who can prolong the life of a dragon… truly unbelievable. Perhaps the Doom of Valyria is tied to him in some way," Queen Rhaenys said thoughtfully.
Now, both Queen Visenya and Queen Rhaenys were well into old age. Though becoming Awakened Ones had given them vitality, it had not greatly extended their lifespans, and they were already stepping into their twilight years. For Awakened Ones, however, old age came with traits like those of dragons—their strength did not wane significantly, but instead continued to grow.
"Aerea, may I touch your dragon egg?" Aegon asked softly, his eyes full of expectation.
At once, every gaze in the room turned toward him. In the royal family, only Aegon and Rhaella remained without dragons, and they often endured whispered ridicule because of it.
Aerea hesitated briefly, then nodded. "Of course, Brother."
She stepped forward, took Aegon's hand, and guided it slowly toward the massive red dragon egg.
"What if I hatch your egg?" Aegon asked with a faint, teasing smile.
"Then you'll have to repay me," Aerea said, watching intently where his palm met the shell.
"Repay you with what?" Aegon asked, running his fingers over the uneven, scale-like ridges of the warm eggshell. Inside, it seemed to pulse with a fiery, surging vitality.
A faint blush crept onto Aerea's cheeks. "If you hatch my egg… then you'll have to… marry me."
The side hall erupted in laughter. Aerea lowered her head, face flushing even deeper.
But Aegon's attention was elsewhere—on the life force within the egg, which stirred something elusive inside him. It was like both a current of air and a flowing liquid, hard to describe. That heat seemed to draw the energy within him, slowly feeding it back into the egg.
Since he himself had returned Tiamat's egg, it was natural he could hatch it. As his spirit touched the life within, there came a sharp crack.
A fine fracture ran across the red shell.
The laughter in the hall stopped instantly. All eyes fixed on the egg as Aegon's palm was gently pushed upward by the head of a young dragon.
It was red-scaled, its head larger than that of most hatchlings—nearly the size of a grown man's.
Aerea gasped, covering her mouth, her wide eyes locked on the hatchling. "It really… it really hatched!" she murmured.
Another crisp crack rang out. On the opposite side of the shell, a second fracture appeared, and another red dragon head emerged.
"Roar!"
This second hatchling let out a skyward bellow the instant it broke free, its temperament fiercer than the first. It opened its jaws to breathe fire at Aerea—
—but Aegon was faster. He clamped its snout shut, forcing it closed as wisps of black smoke curled from its mouth. The little creature glared at him, its eyes full of defiance.
"Two hatchlings from one egg!" Alysanne exclaimed.
The royal family surged forward, crowding around Aegon.
Then, to everyone's astonishment, another crack split the shell. A third dragon head pushed through.
The sound of breaking shell came in rapid succession. Red fragments fell away, revealing the hatchlings' body.
It was all one body—three heads on a single, strange dragon. It writhed free of the broken shell, its wet crimson scales shimmering in the candlelight as its great, meaty wings beat the air with strength.
"Three-headed Dragon!" Little Aegon exclaimed in astonishment.
Queen Rhaenys couldn't help but echo the famous words once spoken by Emperor Aegon: "A dragon has three heads!"
"So beautiful… this big one is absolutely gorgeous!" Aerea's eyes sparkled as she stared at the newly hatched dragon. She longed to reach out and touch it, but hesitated, fearing it might lash out.
Since the red dragon's birth, the atmosphere in the side hall had grown suddenly lively. Everyone was captivated by the sight of this three-headed dragon—its form mirroring the sigil of House Targaryen, carrying extraordinary symbolic weight. Judging by its size at birth, it would grow into no small creature in the future. Perhaps House Targaryen was about to gain another Dragonlord.
Visenya smiled at her grandson. "Aegon, give it a name."
Aegon paused in thought, then crouched down, gently stroking the middle head. "You were brought back from the Valyrian Peninsula by Aerea, so you'll stand for curiosity and the spirit of adventure. From this day forward, your name will be Ghidorah."
Roar! Roar! All three heads threw back and roared toward the ceiling, joyfully announcing their arrival to the world.
With a thought, Aegon brought up Ghidorah's attributes before his eyes:
[Name: Ghidorah – King-tier Dragon
Length: 1.5m
Attributes (Growing): Politics 10; Strategy 15; Military Strategy 11; Mental Power 39; Vitality 105
Talents:
[B-rank – Greedy Plunder: By devouring extraordinary monsters, you can steal their talents. You may hold up to three talents at a time, and stolen talents can be replaced by newly devoured ones.]
[B-rank – Three-headed Dragon: Your death is no longer tied to a single head—so long as one remains, you will not perish. Vitality and Mental Power increase by 20% for each additional head; for every head lost, life recovery speed increases by 100%.]
Skills: …]
Two B-rank talents—truly the mark of a demigod's bloodline. Ghidorah had inherited its mother's devouring ability, though its [B-rank – Greedy Plunder] was focused solely on seizing talents.
Though it seemed less potent than Tiamat's [A-rank – Greedy Feast], which could infinitely increase vitality, Aegon considered the possibilities. If Ghidorah ever stole a talent similar to Greedy Feast—capable of limitless growth—this B-rank gift might surpass some A-rank talents entirely.
...
By now, Ghidorah had swallowed every fragment of its eggshell. All three heads called out toward Aegon, clearly asking for more food. He immediately ordered the attendants to bring live sheep.
He also noticed something curious—the three heads didn't behave as separate minds. They shared one consciousness, never fighting or competing over food.
As Aegon studied his dragon, a broad, heavy hand rested gently on his shoulder.
"My child, now that you are a true dragon, it's time you served the kingdom," came Maegor's steady voice from behind.
Aegon turned to face him.
From within his robes, Maegor produced an oval pendant engraved with a three-headed dragon—the crest of House Targaryen.
"I obey your command," Aegon said, rising to his feet.
The royal family watched closely, eyes fixed on the pendant. Some had already guessed what was coming.
"This is the badge of the kingdom's newly formed elite force—the Demon Hunter Knights."
Maegor turned the pendant over. His nails lengthened into sharp claws, and with them, he etched the name "Aegon" into the blank steel on its reverse. Stepping forward, he held the pendant with both hands.
Aegon inclined his head slightly, allowing Maegor to place the badge around his neck.
"The Demon Hunter Knights are made up of dragon kin, trained specifically to hunt demons," Maegor said with a satisfied smile. "You've studied enough about dragon kin this past year to know what demons are. Work hard with the Citadel's new project. The flaws of our kind will be overcome by these efforts. I hope to see that day before my life ends."
"I understand," Aegon replied calmly.
Rhaenys spoke then. "Child, the strange appetite of the Awakened is something we cannot help. But you must believe—the side effects of being dragonborn will be cured. The Citadel and the Demon Hunter Knights carry our people's hopes. As the first dragon kin in the world, do not fail us."
"Grandmother, I understand," Aegon said evenly.
The royal family began to leave the hall. Jaehaerys, on his way out, gave Aegon a slight nod.
At last, only Rhaena and her two daughters remained.
Rhaena stepped forward, gently brushing her fingers over the pendant on Aegon's chest. "What is dragon kin? Does it have something to do with your eyes?"
Aegon looked at her. "It seems you only know half the truth."
Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"The Awakened feed on human organs. Did Grandmother or our cousins ever tell you that?" he asked, bending to scratch Ghidorah's head.
Rhaena swayed in shock, staring at him wide-eyed, unable to speak.
Rhaella and Aerea also froze in horror.
They had never imagined that the family they loved so dearly were, in truth, monsters who ate people.
Rhaella's mind flashed back to her kind cousins playing with her—and to the strange, hungry look in cousin Viserys' eyes when he glanced at her stomach. A chill spread through her whole body.
"Seven hells..." Rhaena let out a sorrowful sigh.
She recalled being in the Emperor's infirmary years ago, overhearing her father Aenys speaking with her grandfather Aegon. Back then, she'd been too young to understand—but now she realized. The Awakened were truly monsters. No wonder Grandfather had wanted Father dead...
From behind, Aerea wrapped her arms around Aegon's back and whispered, "What should we do? Will Father eat us?"
Aegon paused before answering. "For now, we're safe. But you should avoid seeking out Father or Grandmother, and don't act like anything's wrong."
He gave Aerea's hand a gentle pat to reassure her.
...
Early the next morning, Aegon took Ghidorah to Dragon Square and let the young dragon take to the air, soaring freely above the city. Ghidorah couldn't carry him yet, but dragons grew quickly—within a few short years, Aegon would be able to ride it into the skies.
By afternoon, Aegon was dressed in armor, a steel sword at his hip, and set out from the Red Keep under escort from a detachment of the royal guard.
He was bound for the Demon Hunter Knights to report for duty.
From the high walls of the Red Keep, Rhaena and her two younger sisters watched as he boarded a royal barge on the Blackwater Rush. Aerea's eyes filled with tears—barely reunited, and now parting again. Rhaella, meanwhile, kept her gaze fixed on the three-headed dragon wheeling in the air above the boat, lost in thought.
The barge pushed away from the dock, heading upriver. Aegon stood at the stern and waved. Rhaena waved back, watching until his figure vanished beyond King's Landing's walls.
The royal vessel, reserved for House Targaryen, followed the Blackwater upstream into the River of Tears—a tributary of the Gods Eye.
His destination lay at the heart of that great lake: the Isle of Faces, where the Demon Hunter Knights were based.
...
In the cabin, Aegon pored over the order's records. The Demon Hunter Knights numbered fewer than a hundred, but each dragon kin within could match a hundred men in battle.
The order had no fixed military ranks or formal chain of command. They were a special operations force tasked solely with hunting down rogue demons. If a mission required multiple squads, the strongest present would lead.
Every member was ranked, from No. 1 down to No. 99. If a lower-ranked warrior successfully challenged a higher-ranked one, they would take that position. Lower ranks were bound to obey the commands of those above them without question.
This bred constant fighting and rivalry. Years of brutal combat against inhuman demons had also left many members mentally twisted. Bullying and oppression of lower ranks by their superiors were common—and more than a few had, in despair, chosen to awaken into demons themselves.
...
Knock, knock.
A rapping sounded at the door, followed by the voice of the captain of the royal guard: "Your Highness, your messenger has news for you. She's waiting outside."
"Let her in," Aegon replied casually, eyes still on the papers.
Every demon hunter knight was assigned a personal messenger to support them—delivering orders from headquarters and passing along vital information.
The door opened, and a woman in a tight black dress stepped inside. She was striking—slender waist, long legs, a full chest, and a face of alluring beauty framed by soft features. Her peach-blossom eyes held a lingering, almost pitiful charm whenever she looked at someone.
Seeing Aegon still buried in his documents without sparing her a glance, a flicker of disappointment crossed her eyes.
"Your Highness, my name is Ellyn. From now on, I'll be your messenger." She came forward and bowed respectfully.
Aegon set down the file and looked up. "What's the news?"
"Redheart Harren has been spotted in a village west of the Gods Eye," Ellyn reported, handing him a white envelope. "Headquarters instructs you to deal with this problem on your way to base."
Aegon's brow furrowed. "Redheart Harren's gang has been terrorizing the region for over ten years without being wiped out. So the Mystics have been backing them… turning them into demons?"
He broke the seal. Inside were the target's location and a note that this hunt would involve a three-person team.
Ellyn added, "The strength of a human-turned-demon depends on their mental power and will. Usually, the more vicious and depraved the person, the stronger they become—and the more valuable they are for study."
Aegon exhaled, tore the letter into pieces, and tossed them into the brazier. "Then let's deal with this small fry first."
...
[Upto 20 chapters ahead for now]
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