Demonic Dragon: Harem System

The wind blew hard through the destroyed streets of Kaelthur, bringing with it light ash that swirled like tiny specters of what had once been the city. Strax remained standing in the middle of the square, watching the forge that remained standing a few houses away. The heat emanating from the place was unusual—it wasn't just the heat of a fire fueled by coal or wood. It was a living, ancient heat that seemed to reverberate even in the depths of his chest.

He crossed his arms, his golden eyes half-closed. "Curious..." he murmured, his voice deep as muffled thunder. "There's something in there... like a coal made to shape iron. A persistent sensation, burning and refusing to go away."

Scarlet appeared at his side, silent as ever. The smile on her lips was unmistakable: she felt it too. "Now that you mention it... yes." She closed her eyes briefly, inhaling the air. "It's not just heat." It's a real flame, but not just any flame. It's as if someone's life has become a furnace.

Strax turned his gaze to her, and the intensity in his expression left no doubt. "It comes from inside that forge." He pointed with his chin. "The blacksmith who works there... is no ordinary man."

Scarlet narrowed her eyes, almost feline. "Yes... I sense an old man. His heart beats slowly but steadily, like someone who has accepted the weight of years. But underneath... there is more."

Strax nodded slowly. "A cultivator. High-ranking."

The word caused silence to fall between them. It was rare to find cultivators so powerful they could completely erase their presence, concealing even the smallest traces of aura. To Strax, this was a dangerous talent. It signified discipline, experience, and above all, conscious choice.

Scarlet tilted her head, her red eyes glowing in the twilight. "If he's so strong... why did he hide?" Why did you stand by while the city burned? If you were here all along, you could have turned the fate of this land upside down with a single gesture.

Strax took a deep breath, the air burning in his nostrils as if it, too, contained embers. "Maybe you chose not to get involved. Maybe you're tired of war. Or maybe... you're just waiting for something." His golden eyes narrowed with predatory curiosity. "But I want to meet you."

Scarlet raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a mischievous smile. "Of course you do." His voice held irony, but also a hint of warning. "Just be careful. Men who survive this long don't do so through strength alone. But through intelligence."

Strax chuckled softly, a sound reminiscent of the distant rolling of rocks in an avalanche. "Intelligence is any dragon's first weapon." He then turned his gaze to her. "And you? What do you plan to do in the meantime?"

Scarlet sighed, letting the wind lift a few strands of her red hair. She stared at the horizon, as if already planning something beyond that. "Since we're not just wandering aimlessly now, but heading toward total domination of this continent... I'll help the others."

Strax raised an eyebrow. "Help how?"

She turned to him, her eyes blazing like embers. "The girls haven't yet mastered their draconic forms. Some struggle with instincts they don't even understand. They all need stability. I can offer that. I can train them, guide them. I don't want a bunch of wild cubs running wild while we try to build something solid."

Strax kept his gaze on her, measuring every word. There was truth there. An army of uncontrollable half-dragons would be as dangerous to him as to his enemies.

Scarlet then added, her voice lower, almost intimate, "And perhaps it's time I started training myself again."

That caught his attention. "Return to training?" Her expression hardened, her golden eyes reflecting curiosity and judgment.

Scarlet smiled, showing her sharp teeth. "You know what I mean. I stopped for too long. I settled... and it cost me dearly. Now, if we're truly going to conquer this continent, I can't just be a shadow behind you. I need to be at full strength."

Strax watched her silently for long seconds, until finally he spoke: "Do what you want."

Her smile widened, victorious. "I always do," she replied, before turning on her heel and walking away, leaving only the soft sound of her footsteps fading into the wind.

Strax remained still, watching the forge in the distance. The smoke rising from the chimney was thick, but there was something different about it. It wasn't the ordinary smoke of burning coal—it was clean, almost crystalline, and carried with it a heat that wasn't just physical. Each wave that escaped that place seemed to carry a whisper of ancient power.

He took a step forward, then another. Each thud of his boots echoed through the ruins of the city. The few survivors still walking the streets instinctively moved out of his way, as if natural instinct compelled them to make way.

As he approached the forge door, the heat grew more intense, but it didn't bother him. On the contrary, it was like meeting a worthy rival—a fire that wouldn't bow.

He raised his hand and knocked once, hard enough to echo off the stone walls.

Silence. Only the metallic sound of a hammer clanging inside.

Strax waited, but not for long. The door creaked open from within, revealing an orange twilight from the glow of the forge. And there he was.

An elderly man, his skin marked by wrinkles and ancient scars, his graying hair tied back in a short ponytail. His eyes, however, were no ordinary old man's. They were deep, like molten iron about to harden into steel. He held a heavy hammer in one hand, and each movement seemed calculated, solid, as if bearing decades of discipline.

The man didn't speak immediately. He simply stared at Strax, measuring him as if he were a piece of metal freshly placed on the anvil.

Finally, his voice rang out, hoarse but firm. "You're not from here."

Strax didn't look away, his golden eyes flashing. "No."

A heavy silence fell between them, as if that single recognition were enough to start a battle or seal a pact.

The man took a deep breath, his eyes still fixed on the dragon. "So why are you standing before my forge?"

Strax gave a small, predatory smile. "Because I felt the fire within it. And I came to meet the man who keeps it alive."