Foreheads pressed together, eyes locked.
In that moment, after so long apart, their yearning and longing seemed to take form, flames swirling around their bodies as if carrying their emotions.
In the brilliance of each other's pupils, the entire world seemed to vanish—leaving only the other.
Breaths mingled, unwilling to part even for a heartbeat.
Wings stretched, claws entwined, tails pressed close. Gold and silver figures interlaced in the glow of flames, shaping a radiant, flickering heart.
Waves of heat surged outward with each powerful beat of their wings.
Because the Fire Wyvern pack had long gathered in the Ancient Tree, the surrounding fire-element energy had grown dense—much like the lair within the Wildspire Waste back then—transforming the area into a place overflowing with fire-aligned power.
And due to their symbiotic trait, the Fire Wyverns' heat resistance had risen by countless levels.
Thus, within this scorching atmosphere, the Fire Wyverns that came to witness the scene felt no discomfort whatsoever.
On the contrary, caught in the resonance of such powerful emotions, they all threw back their heads and roared skyward.
Yet in the midst of the deafening chorus, the tempered Azure Rathalos found itself rather awkward.
Its mate, while raising its own voice in unison with the crowd, cast it a bitter, reproachful glance.
As if to say: "Look at them!"
What could the tempered Azure Rathalos do?
It could only edge closer to the Pink Rathian, quietly spreading its wings to shelter her, rubbing against her, licking her gently, soothing her as best it could.
At the same time, it couldn't help but grumble inwardly at Logan—everyone was just returning home after a long absence, so why make such a spectacle of it?!
Couldn't wyverns live an ordinary life anymore?
As the temperature continued to rise, suddenly flames of deep orange-red burst alight at the tips of Aki's wings.
Though faint and confined to her wingtips, these flames were a true mutation.
The Flame Rathalos, blending in among the pack and doing its best to keep a low profile, had been gazing enviously at Logan and Aki soaring high above. Suddenly, as if responding to some unseen call, it burst into the sky, its entire body engulfed in blazing fire, slipping uncontrollably into Flame Mode.
Right after, several tempered Fire Wyverns from the original pack also shot out above the canopy. At that moment, like Aki, flames ignited at the ends of their wings as well.
The Fire Wyverns' symbiosis was like an energy pyramid.
With the emergence of Elder Dragon blood within Logan, his life tier had risen yet again. He now resembled a Gore Magala nearing its final molting stages—its body beginning to give rise to the power unique to Elder Dragons, though it had yet to complete the final transformation.
Thus, with Logan at the peak of the pyramid ascending, the exchange of energy naturally elevated those closest in the second tier—Aki and the others, the first Fire Wyverns to receive the surge.
As for the degree of their growth, it depended on two things: their innate talent, and the energy they had accumulated in daily life.
Once they advanced sufficiently, the Fire Wyverns of the lower tiers would be next in line.
And with their rise, the blessings they fed back into the network would only grow stronger.
It was a perfectly positive cycle.
Yet just as the air brimmed with joy and warmth—
Suddenly, an utterly discordant "Gwaa!" shattered the atmosphere out of nowhere.
Amidst the chorus of Fire Wyvern roars, one voice rang out so jarringly out of place!
"Gwaa! Gwaa!" (So hot—so hot, gwaa!)
From within the billowing cloud of spreading flame, the Chameleos suddenly appeared, its forelimbs frantically slapping at the scorched, burning scales on its belly.
It had only been lurking nearby, quietly spectating. Who could have guessed that Logan would suddenly unleash such fire?
Caught unprepared, the Chameleos had taken the brunt of the flame burst at close range, forced out of invisibility as the blaze seared its body.
The abrupt reveal made the hearts of the Fire Wyverns that had once joined the Chameleos expulsion battle thunder wildly.
As for the newer Fire Wyverns that had not experienced that war, even they felt their hearts hammered by the innate Elder Dragon pressure radiating from the Chameleos.
That primal oppression stirred chaos within the pack below.
Yet as time passed, their increasingly disciplined group instinct held them firm. Instead of scattering, they suppressed their fear and waited for Logan's command.
The Chameleos's panicked cries jolted Logan out of the world he had shared with Aki.
Seeing the creature flailing about, even spewing out white mist to cool itself, Logan's eyelids twitched. A deep, rumbling growl rolled out from his throat.
At the same time, Aki snapped back to awareness. Almost by instinct, she spun around, spreading her wings wide as a shield before Logan. She let out a threatening roar toward the Chameleos.
If the suddenly revealed Chameleos held hostile intent, Aki would be the first target of its attack.
And if the difference in strength proved too great, then this act was equally her way of staking her life to buy Logan time to escape.
Even now, though Logan's power had already surpassed hers, in daily life he had always been her pillar of support.
But when danger loomed, deep in Aki's subconscious, Logan was still the one she would stake her life to protect.
"Gwaa!" (I didn't mean to!)
Faced with Aki's wariness and Logan's obvious displeasure, the Chameleos's Elder Dragon intellect quickly grasped that its appearance was poorly timed, that it had done something foolish. Without hesitation, it rushed to defend itself.
"Rooaaar!" (Get lost! Don't make me smack you when I'm at my happiest!)
Logan barked angrily over Aki's shoulder at the Chameleos.
"Gwaa!" (Understood!)
The Chameleos, showing rare tact, immediately shut its mouth. With a twist of light and shadow, its figure vanished once more, the oppressive aura of an Elder Dragon disappearing completely with it.
But its sudden appearance had thoroughly shattered the mood.
The fiery clouds in the sky dissipated, and silence fell over the Ancient Tree.
The Fire Wyverns all stared at Logan in unison, as though they were looking at some strange, impossible creature.
What had they just witnessed?
Their leader had actually roared at an Elder Dragon!!
That was an Elder Dragon!
The pinnacle of existence in this world—beyond the laws of living creatures, even worthy of being called a "god."
And yet, it had been yelled at—
—and not only had it taken no offense, but had simply left, clean and straightforward!
At that moment, the Fire Wyverns felt their very worldview start to crack apart.
Especially the ones from the Elder's Recess, or the tempered Fire Wyverns that had once traveled there. They were utterly stunned.
In the Elder's Recess, Elder Dragons appeared often, and they had seen them more than once.
But which of those Elder Dragons wasn't haughty and domineering?
Forget roaring at them—any slight offense was enough to bring down a calamity.
So… just what had their leader gone through during his time away?
Like the other Fire Wyverns, Aki too was deeply surprised by the Chameleos's behavior.
At first glance, she had thought it was the very same Chameleos from years ago, the one that had left such a deep impression on her, returning now to seek revenge.
But then—seeing the creature's beaten, submissive look, and Logan's righteous, scolding stance—her worldview was completely shattered.
An Elder Dragon… could it really be scolded like this?
Aki's head couldn't quite wrap around it. Yet one detail suddenly caught her attention.
That Chameleos… seemed to be female, right?
Perhaps humans would struggle to tell the difference, but for monsters, distinguishing gender through behavior and posture was easy.
Aki's wariness spiked at once.
Even if she believed her mate would never be interested in any creature outside their kind, this was an Elder Dragon!
That strange way of interacting just now—could an Elder Dragon really accept such treatment for no reason?
Had something happened between them before?
The only reason Aki had felt so secure about Logan during last year's matchmaking gathering was because she knew well—Logan had no interest in ordinary female Fire Wyverns. And even if he did, Aki was confident she could deal with them.
But this time… it was an Elder Dragon.
Sneaking close, Aki sniffed at Logan's back. Finding no foreign scent lingering on him, she finally felt much more at ease.
Even if the chance was only one in ten thousand, she wanted to make absolutely sure before she could relax.
In fact, compared to the female Fire Wyverns of the New World, Aki's possessiveness was more like that of the Old World's females—perhaps some kind of atavistic trait surfacing in her bloodline.
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