GREED: ALL FOR WHAT?

Father just shrugged and said, "I don't want to fight. I just want to help them make a decision. I already eliminated the weak one, so I won't kill anymore. I promise."

Mother asked him, "Will you save them if they go with you and encounter life-threatening danger in a fight?"

Father snorted. "Of course not. What's a fight without danger? If they go to fight, then they must be prepared for the consequences."

Mother said to them, "Do you hear that, kids? If you go with him, then you must be prepared to die in the fight."

That is information that they didn't know earlier. They assumed that their father was taking them for supervised hands-on training and not a fight to the death. It made the prospect of going with Father unpalatable. Even First shrank back just thinking about it. It reminded her of the ordeal she just went through.

Father didn't seem to notice their grave expressions. He asked with enthusiasm, "So who wants to fight?"

First hung her head low. She has had enough danger for one day, but she doesn't have the guts to reject Father to his face.

Only Second could speak. "I would rather train alone. I still have a lot of potential to unearth alone. I will go and fight when I need inspiration."

Father nodded. "You are right. You can still grow. You were the first to notice me when I arrived. The rest of them didn't sense anything. You have some talent."

"What about you?" Father asked Fourth.

Fourth raised his head and declared. "I will go and fight."

Father's face split into a grin. His sharp white teeth were fully displayed. "Good boy. Let's go."

Father grabbed Fourth with his divine sense, and they disappeared immediately. Mother sighed when they left.

She thought to herself, "I really shouldn't have asked him to come."

She started out with four dragonlings this morning. Now it seems she will only have two by the end of the day.

Then she said to the two that remained, "You should return to training."

First and second nodded and began to train. Their lives resumed as if Father never visited and as if Third didn't just die. They trained for hours, but Father and Fourth didn't return. They tried not to think about it, but they were anxious. Their anxiety didn't reduce until Mother informed them of his condition.

"Your fourth brother is safe for now. Your father said he will baptize him in blood and fire until it is time for the naming ceremony. Then he will take him to the naming ceremony. So your fourth brother will not return unless he passes the naming ceremony."

It made them realize something. Father didn't take Fourth for a single fight. He took Fourth around the continent, fighting other dragonlings that they encountered along the way.

Either Fourth will survive the string of fights and go to the naming ceremony, or he will die during a fight. The chances of him dying are high since Father has already stated that he won't interfere in a fight to save him.

It made First grateful that she turned down the opportunity to fight. But it was her loss. Fourth didn't die. He managed to survive until it was time for the naming ceremony.

He and Father were on their way to another fight when a slight spiritual fluctuation rang out through the plane. Only creatures with a dragon heart can hear the message within the fluctuation.

It said, "The first round of the naming ceremony starts in 24 hours."

Father lamented. "What a bummer. And here we were just getting into the rhythm of violence."

Fourth's eyes gleamed with anticipation. He said, "This is not so bad either. There will be more fighting after the naming ceremony."

What he said made father laugh. "That's true. Fighting is a delicacy that can be had at any time. Let's go now."

And so they flashed towards the center of the plane. Father pulled Fourth along as he streaked through the sky like a comet. Father is like that. He is always in a rush. If he decides to do something, then he will do it immediately, without delay. If there is something in his way, then he will destroy it. Fourth has learned that much from him.

He learned more than just how to fight. He learned how to behave like a victor and the true meaning of fighting. His father is always confident. It is more than pride. It is a simple confidence that he can never be defeated by someone of the same rank as him.

Father holds himself highly in this way, even when he is not fighting. Every dragon they came across, be they male or female, didn't want to fight him because of that confidence. So they allowed Fourth to fight their offspring. The parents would only interfere when their dragonlings were defeated and in danger. Which happened in every fight he fought.

Father once told him about confidence. "Confidence is another field of battle. The most confident person will be allowed to get away with some things without a battle. You don't need to fight to win a battle if you're confident. But if you are confident in battle, you will perform better than you could."

That enlightened him in various ways. He also learned what a battle is from his father.

Father had said, "A battle is a clash of existence. It doesn't need to be physical. It can be a mental or verbal fight. The existence that gives ground loses. To not lose, you must not give ground."

"That is the simplest way to victory. But you have to be willing to do everything for victory. If you don't aim to win, then don't fight. My fire burns everything in my way, including myself, so I am always victorious."

"If you want to be victorious, then you must be ruthless, both to your enemies and yourself. If there is only a slight chance of victory in any fight, it can only be achieved when you give your all for it."