CHAPTER 210: A LITTLE ABOUT THE PAST

*PTPTPT*

Inside the cave, a single droplet of water echoed again and again, breaking the silence that hung heavy in the air.

A lone figure stood in the center—bare-chested, his pants torn and dirt-stained. The pattern of the rips made it clear this wasn’t from fashion, but from battle and strain.

It was the sixth day of training under General Vulcan.

The General stood at a distance, his sharp eyes fixed on the boy standing still with his palms pressed together and eyes closed.

The air around him felt different—unsettling. Vulcan couldn’t quite name it. It wasn’t dread. It wasn’t rage. It was something deeper, rawer. A storm of chaos that refused to settle.

The heir of the Chaos King.

When Vulcan had first seen Hades, he was disappointed. The boy seemed too calm, too controlled. But as the days passed, the General began to see what lay beneath.

Hades came to training every single day—no matter how bruised, bloodied, or exhausted he had been the night before. He never complained, never questioned Vulcan’s brutal methods.

’For someone so young,’ Vulcan thought, ’he already holds something even veterans lack...’

Patience.

And maturity.

Those didn’t come with age—they came with will. And Hades had both in abundance.

"Ha..."

The quiet exhale pulled Vulcan’s attention back. Hades slowly parted his palms, and between them spun a small red orb, glowing fiercely.

It wasn’t just energy—it was chaos itself. Wild, angry, alive.

The particles twisted and pulsed as if trying to break free, their violent essence lighting up the cave walls in flickering crimson.

Vulcan folded his arms. "Go ahead," he said, his tone steady. "Try it."

Hades nodded slightly. Sweat trickled down his face—not from exhaustion, but from tension.

If he miscalculated even a little, the entire mountain above could collapse.

But he couldn’t stop now.

When Vulcan had sealed the entrance with a massive boulder earlier, he had given Hades a simple order—destroy it using chaos energy.

Hades stepped forward until he stood twenty meters from the stone barrier.

He narrowed his eyes, focusing all his will into that small orb.

’Should this really be enough?’ he asked in his thoughts.

[Yes, it is. Just make sure to take cover.]

The inner beast’s voice echoed within him.

Hades took one last breath, steadied his stance, and thrust his hand forward.

The orb shot through the air—and vanished before hitting the rock.

Vulcan’s eyes widened slightly. Then—

**CRACK!**

**CRUMBLE!**

The sound tore through the cave as the massive boulder shattered—not from an explosion, but from within. A gaping hole burst open, and sunlight streamed through the collapsing debris.

The dark cave was flooded with golden light as the last fragments fell, and Vulcan’s lips curled into the faintest of smiles.

He didn’t need to say it.

The boy had done it.

"So... what do I need to do?" Hades asked, letting his arms fall limply to his sides.

Vulcan stepped out of the cave, motioning for him to follow. "That was your test for the day. You’re free to go now."

Hades blinked, surprised. The sun was still high—their sessions usually ended only when darkness had fully claimed the sky.

He hesitated. "Already?"

"I’m not someone who torments people without reason," Vulcan grumbled as he stepped under the waterfall. "You met today’s goal. That’s enough."

Hades gave a small, amused *ooh* and joined him, wading into the rushing water. The cold stream stung as it met his cuts and bruises, washing away the dust and blood from another brutal day of training.

Once done, he moved to the edge of the rocks and sat down cross-legged, closing his eyes in silence.

Vulcan noticed. "Why are you still here?" he asked, frowning.

Hades slowly opened his eyes. "Focusing on my core helps me heal faster," he said calmly.

Vulcan scoffed. "Don’t you have servants for that?"

A faint smile curved Hades’s lips. "Yes... but I’d rather not worry my wives every time I come home wounded. If at least half of these marks fade before then, it saves them the trouble."

Vulcan snorted but said nothing more. Yet, behind that gruff silence, a hint of respect flickered in his gaze.

"I have heard a lot about you from the Queen," the man said, seated on the small platform in the middle of the water with his hands resting on his knees. "Heard how you’re different from other dragons."

Hades smiled sheepishly. "Mother loves to talk about me."

"Surely she does," the man replied with a nod before falling silent, washing under his arms and rubbing his belly with the clear water.

After a moment, Hades asked, "Sir Vulcan, may I ask about our standing on this continent?"

"Of Aethernox?" Vulcan raised a brow. "What do you want to hear?"

"There are only three nations on this continent," Hades said. "Ours, Sir Argon’s, and Dragon King Cravanvor’s. Cravanvor was said to have broken a pact—what kind of pact was it?"

Vulcan scoffed. "If there’s any pact, oath, or truce involved, you’ll always find Argon’s name tied to it."

Hades nodded quietly, listening as the man continued, "That old being has always sought peace—more so now that he’s grown ancient. The pact between the three nations was his doing. He enforced it."

"Enforced?" Hades frowned. "And Mother agreed to it?"

Vulcan sighed. "A necessity arose—from her concern for the people."

He tilted his head upward, eyes tracing the pale sky. "About twenty years ago, before this nation even existed, a prophecy descended. It foretold that the young heiress of the Aethernox clan would bear the child of Chaos. From that moment on, the world was thrown into disorder."

"I’ve heard a little about that," Hades replied quietly.

Vulcan hummed. "Cravanvor, at the time, sought Argon’s aid to claim the title of Dragon King by overthrowing his brother—a tyrant known for his cruelty and injustice."

His gaze hardened. "That man brought calamity wherever he went. Even Argon desired to see him dethroned."

Rising from the smooth rock, Vulcan leapt lightly onto the shore. Hades followed close behind, their footsteps soft against the damp ground.

"Once Aethernox set its sights on becoming a sovereign nation," Vulcan continued, "Argon saw an opportunity."

Hades made a low, questioning sound.

Vulcan gave a wry smile. "A nation led by those who worship the Chaos King—such an idea was bound to invite resistance. No one wanted it to happen... except one."

Hades frowned. "You mean... Sir Argon helped us?"

Vulcan nodded, then added, "But only on one condition—the Pact."

Hades bit his lower lip, connecting the dots. "So you mean... he also helped Cravanvor, since he’s the undisputed King of the North, just to ensure he’d agree to the pact?"

"That’s right," Vulcan hummed. "Argon could have aided Cravanvor years ago, but if he had, Aethernox would’ve rejected the pact. These agreements must be forged simultaneously. That’s why the ancient dragon waited—until the moment he could bind all three nations together with a single, unbreakable thread."

Hades nodded, genuinely impressed. No wonder Argon was revered as the wisest of the Dragon Kings.

"But... what exactly does the pact state?" he asked.

Vulcan lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "I don’t know every detail. Only the reigning Dragon Kings of the three nations are privy to the full terms. But one thing’s certain—the nations are forbidden from waging war against one another. And under no circumstance can a king take the life of another."

Hades let out a quiet "Ah," before murmuring, "That’s why Mother didn’t kill Cravanvor back then."

He had heard from someone that Kaelith recently fought the northern dragon and easily defeated him—yet she hadn’t finished the job afterward. Knowing her temper, Hades always found that strange. Now it made sense—she had been bound by the Pact.

"Cravanvor isn’t even strong enough to be called a Warlord. Fucking fraud," Vulcan spat, his tone thick with disdain.

That made Hades recall something. "Warlord isn’t a rank earned through strength alone or by clearing dungeons, right?"

Vulcan frowned, glancing sideways at him. "You don’t even know that?"

Hades smiled awkwardly. "I’m still focused on reaching Duke rank."

The older man sighed and shook his head in quiet frustration. "A Warlord," he explained, "is someone who serves directly under a Dragon King. Sir Argon had seven—the most ever known. Cravanvor, on the other hand, only has three. To become one, without wanting to serve a Dragon king, you must defeat an existing Warlord and claim their title yourself."

Hades nodded in understanding before he asked, "By the way, how many Warlords serves my mother?"

Vulcan crossed his arms, "Two, including me."

Hades’s brows lifted, "And...who is the other one? I never saw that person."

Vulcan wryly smiled at that before he muttered, "Oh you have met her...you even see her regularly in that castle. Someone who is hailed as the Queen Shadow."

Hades’s eyes widened, "A-Avalin?"

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far then make sure to leave a review or comment.