The Red Dragon Just Wants To Do As It Pleases

Once this line of thinking opened up, taboo thoughts surged forth like a tide.

Lust…

David quickly shook his head, looking somewhat dumbfounded at this rather irreverent Red Dragon ancestor.

"Is all that necessary?"

He hadn't expected Ephelomon's expression to become so solemn and dignified. The ancient dragon raised its head, staring intently into David's eyes as it spoke in a deep voice, "It is necessary indeed. Perhaps too much time has passed, and you descendants have forgotten what flows in your blood. Long ago, during the ancient Age of Thunder, the strongest dragons of our kind bore the sacred mission of chronicling the draconic legacy and purifying our family bloodlines.

"No one could guarantee they would return safe and sound after each campaign in the millennia-long war against the Giants for dominion over Toriel, or in the subsequent Dragonfall War that lasted for three millennia.

"The extinction of every powerful lineage meant the permanent loss of potent bloodline abilities and draconic heritage—the gravest loss for our entire dragonkind.

"This continued until that accursed Dragon Rage catastrophically reduced our numbers—not even one in ten survived. The Slaying King Star's irregular appearances forced most of the remaining dragons to migrate to other lesser material planes. Consequently, survival and continuation became our primary strategy, overshadowing the need to purify bloodlines, a reality that persists to this very day.

"Do you know what this means?"

David, who rarely engaged in serious thought, pondered for a moment before asking with some uncertainty, "Does it mean a widespread, continuous, and irreversible degeneration and weakening of our bloodline?"

This wasn't too hard to discern. Knowledge gleaned from the draconic legacy suggested that the closer one traced their heritage to the source of the bloodline, the stronger it usually was.

This was determined by the environment:

The more intense, uncertain, and perilous the circumstances—where life and death hung in the balance—the higher the frequency of 'bloodline mutations'.

In contrast, the lesser material planes were relatively stable with fewer threats, which also diminished the possibilities for evolution and the continuation of legacies.

Similarly, the problem with the Astral Plane was more pronounced. Although it allowed escape from the onslaught of The Slaying King Star and retained some semblance of civilization from the Age of Thunder, the fundamental issue was that the Astral Plane isn't a material plane at all. Once living beings enter the Astral Plane, they become mere projections of thought and consciousness.

This meant that in the Astral Plane, living creatures do not need to eat, drink, or breathe. The concepts of harm and death also differ from those on the material plane. Although a being's astral form might resemble its material one, it is non-corporeal. This meant that while Dragons in the Astral Plane could still 'love,' they were unable to reproduce.

To procreate, they had to return to various material planes, much like salmon swimming upstream.

Thus, every trip to a material plane for commissioned tasks became a prime breeding opportunity for the Sed Ponga from the Astral Plane.

However, incubating a Dragon Egg takes at least two to three years. This period, factored into each trip a female dragon made to a material plane, significantly lengthened the breeding cycle.

Conversely, male dragons sowing their seed in the material world could 'bear fruit' within a few short years, but their offspring often shared the unfortunate fate of most Chromatic Dragon Eggs.

Take, for example, the somewhat anomalous geniuses of their generation from three great houses: Christoph, his mother Pafila, and David himself.

Their circumstances at birth were progressively worse with each generation.

"Correct! That is the price," Ephelomon, the Red Dragon ancestor, said, his voice tinged with the disappointment of unmet expectations.

"Yet, in recent times, my bloodline has produced extraordinarily powerful beings like Christoph and Pafila. Unfortunately, that fool Christoph was led astray by the Drow. He favors Humanoid Creatures to such an extent that the most outstanding descendant closely related to a Red Dragon is merely a Dragonkin Succubus, Yolanda!

"And the Dragon chosen with the greatest hope of revitalizing our Red Dragon Sed Ponga lineage—your mother—inexplicably took a liking to a Silver Dragon… Hmm!"

Sensing David's slightly uncomfortable expression, Ephelomon changed the subject, "Most importantly, She ascended to godhood far too early."

David instantly understood. Yes, his mother, Pafila, had become a goddess.

This essentially meant that he and Tania were Pafila's first and, likely, her last clutch of Dragon Eggs.

Kindling the divine fire signified a complete ascension to a different kind of existence, one not even strictly considered a living organism anymore.

Although still capable of reproduction, their methods were entirely different from those of mortal creatures. It was more akin to creating descendants through their will or magic—perhaps even by splitting off a fragment of their consciousness or an avatar.

With this realization, a sense of foreboding washed over David.

Then, he felt an unprecedented burden and pressure land squarely on his shoulders.

PFFT! David looked up, exclaiming internally as he found Ephelomon's mountainous head already near him, its four massive claws resting on his 'tender' shoulders.

"David Uthos, sole blood-descendant of me, Ephelomon! You are truly remarkable!

"Thanks to your diligence and effort, the destruction of the marked Slaying King Star is now inevitable.

"The resurgence of our Chromatic Dragon flight is unstoppable!

"However, as your ancestor, I too harbor a small, selfish desire.

"That is, for the revitalization of our Sed Ponga line…

"Go forth and sow your seed across the world, my child! Purify our Sed Ponga bloodline, David Uthos!"