Nameless King

Kadridas approached the gate, put his palm to it, and there was a loud cracking sound.

The gate slowly opened as bright light burst forth. The lifeless earth around it suddenly began to cover with grass, tree sprouts sprouted from the cracks, and the tiny insects grew much larger and stronger.

"What the hell...? Have these insects turned into monsters as powerful as Second Chronicle?" Wain muttered with a dazed look.

"Yeah. If I opened a gate in the city, it would be a real disaster." Kadridas nodded with a slight smile on his face, "The pressure from the gate would destroy all the buildings and thousands of people would die, at the same time many of the monsters around would become much stronger."

"Is that the power of life...?" Wain asked while in confusion.

"Hmm? No, of course not, it's just the effects of a lot of energy." Kadridas waved his hand, "Fine, let's go, I don't want this place to turn into a hidden oasis in a minute. Every day there are fewer and fewer lifeless wastelands in this world."

Kadridas headed into the portal as he disappeared into a boundless stream of light.

Wain looked at the monsters that continued to evolve because of the incredibly pure energy and wondered.

'If I become as strong as the Dragons, will I be able to resist fate? Although... Even they can't escape death, so... I have to go even higher, right? Is it possible?' Wain inwardly muttered.

'Hey, come on, let's not keep him waiting.' Gladius said in a serious voice.

"Yeah, you're right." Wain nodded before entering the gate.

Whooooooooosh.

A bright flash of light blinded him, then he found himself next to Kadridas on the massive platform that floated in the middle of nowhere.

"Hmm? Where are we?" Wain asked with a confused look.

"Don't worry, it'll just be a little test."

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

Suddenly the space shuddered as a massive purple staircase appeared in the distance from which someone was slowly descending.

"Kadridas? You're back sooner than I thought."

It was a tall man, with black hair, amber eyes, and purple skin. On his head were two long, straight horns and massive black wings hiding behind his back. He wore a spacious robe that slowly fluttered in the wind and thin white gloves.

"Well, I have some urgent business to attend to." Kadridas shrugged.

"Who's that...?" Wain muttered with a wary look.

"This is a good friend of mine, Cetid, the Gatekeeper." Kadridas said with a slight smile on his face, "Everyone who passes through the Gate must pass his inspection. He has a special status, for even the Elders should go through it."

"Argh... Kadridas, you know I don't like it when you talk about me that way. I'm just doing my job." Cetid said in a calm voice as he approached them.

He stared at Wain and asked, "You brought a human here? Unexpectedly... Does he have a reason to be here? I can't let him in here just because you want him to."

"Sure. I understand that better than most." Kadridas nodded as he pointed at Wain, "I don't know how, but there is an item in Dragon World that belongs to him, so he must take it, then I will bring it back to World of Destiny."

"Hmm..." Cetid frowned, touched his chin, and asked, "Is that true? If you've somehow tricked the Kadridas, you're in more trouble boy."

"Yeah. I don't want any problem, but I really need to get into Dragon World." Wain said with a serious look.

Step.

Cetid stepped forward as he came close to Wain. The distance between their eyes was less than the length of his palm as if he were trying to see something in Wain's soul.

"Fine... I will remember you, as I will remember all who have passed through this gate." Cetid uttered, stepped back, and snapped his finger.

Behind them appeared a path of stone slabs that led to a replica of the gate through which they had come.

"Great. Cetid, next time we meet I'd like to have tea with you." Kadridas said while heading towards the gate.

"Hmm? Today you are more fun than usual..." Cetid uttered with a confused look.

Crackle.

Kadridas opened the gate as they left the place.

Cetid was left alone on the massive platform and with a calm look muttered, "This guy's soul reminds me of something... Hmm, very rare to find such people whose Souls I can't get a good look at, it's curious."

...

They passed through the gate and Wain finally saw what Dragon World looked like.

They found themselves on a snow-white bridge that overlooked massive mountains, waterfalls, lakes, and dense forests. Among these picturesque sites were massive buildings, each home to one or more Dragons.

"Wow... It's not at all what I expected here..." Wain muttered with a dazed look.

"Hmm? What did you think Dragon World was going to look like? It looks like the best possible one to me." Kadridas asked with a slight smile on his face.

"Well... It's very quiet and peaceful, yet majestic... I would think that since you are one of the strongest races you would try your best to show it off." Wain said as he waved his hand.

"Huh, there's no point in us proving anything to anyone, the Dragons make sure no one breaks the rules of the world and do something routine in their spare time." Kadridas shrugged as if he was stating the obvious.

Wain nodded and they headed forward across the bridge. Wain looked around and something caught his eye.

In the distance, near the lake that was at the foot of the mountain, two monsters were fighting. One was a lightning wolf and the other a fire lizard.

"Hmm? There are monsters here...?" Wain uttered while in disbelief.

"Sure. In Dragon World, the Dragons rule everything, but that doesn't mean we're the only ones living here. Although, monsters are our only permanent neighbors." Kadridas said as he waved his hand in a careless manner, "Sometimes people like you come here, everyone has their own reasons."

"I see..." Wain muttered with a slight nod.