GO!

'I barely heard her say that, I only followed her arm as soon as my wing completely lowered I lost the feeling of the ground beneath my feet. All I heard was a 'Thump' and the rush of the wind.

With each flap there was always a low thump following. As we reached the first corner of the track we needed to extend our path to be able to make the turn but once we were back on the long straight part, it was like energy surged in my body and we continued, one, two, three flaps on the third we had already reached the other side and were making a turn wide again.

After the first lap it felt like the wind began cutting our scales, in practice we reached this point but could never think of a way until the race before us. All it took was covering our body in a coat of our mana it would also cause us to pass easier through the air, as a result.

BOOM!

After the first few flaps with the cover we easily reach double our speed, though it only lasted about a seconds before we slowed down to turn again.

After crossing the finish line, all five split in different directions so that we could loss speed without colliding, it took a minute to do drop down our speed, then flying to the starting line again. As we landed we saw everyone was speechless, all they did was follow us with their eyes.

It was Angela who broke the silence as she stormed over.

Angela: what do you five think you’re doing

Ryuu: well we were racing

Angela: well yes but how did you reach those speeds, I’ve never seen any hatchling reach speeds like that, only a few dragons should be able to do that

Kira: really but it’s so easy to achieve doesn’t everyone know wind magic

Angela: what of course almost everyone knows wind magic

Levi: so everyone can do this, we used wind magic and launched it from our wings to make us fly fast, then made a cover out of mana to protect ourselves from the wind.

Angela was speechless at how the five hatchlings were talking about advanced level techniques as if it was as basic magic.

'What’s with them, do they have so much potential or is it Kira who influences them, at this pace they will graduate years before their partners'

Angela: I’ll talk with you later; I need to talk with the chairmen about something

With that she turned around and walked back to the school.

After she was gone all that was left was hundreds of eyes staring at us. The silence was broken when Melody, Alice and three others, one elven boy, with short green hair and long ears, and the others were two girls both semi-humans, one had fox like ears and tail while the other had wolf ears and tail.

Melody: wow amazing all five of you.

Fox girl: how did you do that, man I wish they could talk in human language, it will be few months before that happens

Alice: but I’m wondering, when did all of them learn wind magic, I know about Kira but the others, could he have taught them.

Wolf girl: maybe, since they are still young it’s hard to know but to me Kira seems impulsive, if I had to guess its possible he taught them magic just to make the race interesting.

'Wow this girl is good, right on the bull’s-eye'

Alice: Julie, there is a limit to how ridiculous something could be you know, who would go to such extremes just too just have fun.

Julie: think about it, Kira is supposed to be someone who is from a different world right, so what if his old life was boring it would explain why he is impulsive.

'What the hell is this girl, maybe she is from my world as well'

Elf boy: that could be true, my parent know a few people that came from there, when they asked about it they were told how lame, it was only work with very little to do for fun.

At this point I got bored of their chat and went to the others.

Kira: how boring, I want to do something fun.

Levi: I hope the priestess doesn't plan anything too hard for us.

Relon: I welcome the challenge, the harder the challenge the stronger we get.

As we talk we notice that the class had recovered from the shock and were all commenting while the lizards were also chatting or doing something, probably training to try closing the gap in strength between us and them. Then our partners came over a picked us up.

Fox girl: let’s head over to the library; we might discover something that might give us a skill or two.

Teacher: hold on you Nika, I just received a letter from the chairmen saying all five of you and your partners are to go to the office.

The once cheerful faces were now frozen from the shock, but they recovered quickly.

Elf: what’s this about

Teacher: I don’t know Luis, that’s something you have to find out from them, now you guys get going.

Our partners start walking towards the school but it was easy to see fear on their faces.

Kira: wonder why they are so scared, are the chairmen that scary.

Relon: I heard from Alice, it seems all five chairmen are famous dragon riders as well as the founders of this place, they are supposed to be super powerful since they have lived a long time

Ryuu: then we don’t have to worry; if they are the founders then they don’t have a point in hurting us since this school is built around training dragons and lizards, also they are probably afraid because of respect.

Levi: I would be as well if I was in front of their partners.

As we talked we followed our partners in the air until we entered the school.

***

As we walk through the hall and got closer to the chairmen’s office the air began to feel heavy. Even the five of us were starting to get that feeling and it only got worst. When we reached the door it felt like we were submerged in the sea and were getting crushed by the pressure and it was even difficult to breathe. As soon as Alice knocked on the door the pressure weakened for a moment before Angela open the door and like opening a flood gate, the rush swept us away, Levi and Vent completely passed out as did Luis and Nika.

Angela: oh my, you five stop releasing so much killing intent, no wonder it took so long for them to get here.

She was shouting at someone but I could barely hear as I was fainting as well when all the pressure suddenly vanished and I remembered to breathe. We laid on the ground catching our breath as well as waking up the four that lost consciences.

It took a few minutes but after we were up again we walked in but unlike before, all ten of us were completely cowering in fear as we entered to see five men sitting and to add more fear to the already fearful kids, five huge dragons lay behind the men. Strangely enough, the dragons species were exactly like our, in the back two very large dragons, one emerald and the other sapphire, while to the sides three wyverns, two orange and one light green. Just then the man sitting in front of the emerald dragon stood up.

Chairman: Greetings children, please come in I’m sorry about the sudden burst of kill intent before, we were having a bit of an argument and it got out of control, my name is David Claws for those who don’t know me, this is my brother Andrew Claws, the others are Conon, with the green wyvern, and Vincent and Nathaniel with the orange wyverns.

Melody: Hello I’m Melody and this is Kira

Alice: Alice and this is Relon

Luis: I'm Luis, this is Levi

Nika: I’m Nika and this is Vent

Julie: I’m Julie, this is Ryuu

After greeting our partners sat down on the chairs in the middle of the room and we sat next to them, it felt like we were in front of a jury and the judge in court.

David: ok let’s get down to business, first off how many of you know about the annual beginner Dragon trainers tournament that happens in six months.

All five kids lifted their hands

Julie: it a competition to see show the skill of the strongest representatives of dragon trainers for each academy throughout the known world.

David: correct, so that brings us to the matter at hand, you 10 will be our academy's representatives for this year’s tournament.

Everyone’s mouth dropped but he just smiled and continued.

David: not only that but because of each of your partners latent potential, each of you will become the direct disciple of one of us chairmen and your dragons will do the same with our partners.

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

This news even shocks us dragons, from the looks on Melody’s face she looked like she was still in a fight to process all this information.

Luis: wait let me ask, why were we the ones chosen, aren’t there others?

Conon answered instead.

Conon: no even if there were other partners stronger than yours, you ten still would have been picked because of the single fact that your partners are dragons and not lizards, this is a Dragon tournament.

Luis: what do you mean?

Conon: let me ask what do you think the chances that a lizardling evolves into a dragon or wyvern

Luis: as high as any other

Canon: wrong because for dragon to born they must gain [fire affinity], [fire breath] as well as wings or if the abilities are gained first they will evolve directly after doing something to gain wings like jumping from high places.

Andrew: as for wyverns, you might have guessed but they didn’t learn fire breathe before evolving, the way to become one is to learn flying without becoming a dragon, but to get the force needed they moved their arms to add that force resulting in them fusing, also though a different kind of dragon they are still consider dragons and one of the effects both give is that they expand the lifespan of their partners.

Suddenly Melody raised her hand

Melody: um if they extend our lifespan then then how old are all of you? None of you seem to look more then your late twenties.

As she ask, all five as well as Angela started laughing.

David: well now, this is the first time someone has just went and asked directly, also thanks for the compliment young lady, well we are 112 years old, our dragons are 100 since we were 12 when they hatched, also unlike you we found our partners in the wild near our home village, we founded this school when Angela's partner Kaiser became the dragon god, the day he became god he told us to make this academy, that was about forty years ago he did the same in over fifty countries because the lizard and dragon creatures were near extinction, after the schools were established he created the original batch of eggs and told us to cultivate them for future generations.

Vincent: after a few years that the academies started training, several kinds of tournament started and the top most pairs of each kind of creature evolved from lizardling, from every academy participate, these students are chosen on the second day because that is the time all the lizards to evolve and before you ask no they don’t change after their first evolution.

David: ok now that that’s out of the way lets split up and begin training we don’t have all the time in the world if you want to know more ask on the move, for the first three months you will train separately from your partner, after the end of three months they will evolve into fledgling and become ride able.' He said and got up then walked over.

David: shall we go Melody and Kira.

Without warning he picked up he then gave me to Melody before picking her up in a princess hold.

Melody: w-w-w-what are you doing' she yelled at the top of her lungs while her face was deep red.

He didn’t answer but just walked to his dragon that started standing up.

Before it looked large, just laying down it was still at least two stories high, now standing even with the neck bent down because the room is too small for it but it still easily reaches the buildings five story high ceiling. After it was on its feet David bent down a bit then jumped, when we left the ground it was very fast.

'How the hell did he just jump so high' I though as he landed on the dragons shoulder then walked over in between its wings onto the back.

David: you can leave now, head to the Florian Mountains that should be an appropriate hunting ground to train these two.

As he said that he lifted his hand and the ceiling vanished and with a quick flap of its wing we rushed into the air.

***

After leaving the school, we rose in the air at an alarming speed before leveling out above the clouds, the sudden rise left me dizzy but that was more because of the speed then the thinner air up hear. After David’s partner leveled its body he put us down.

David: now begins your first lesson you need to learn how to stand on a dragon midflight without falling.

Melody: how can I do that, I thought dragon riders strapped to a saddle or something

David: we aren’t talking about a horse here; properly riding a dragon that is fighting you will need to use mana from the air around you or qi from inside of you, to stick onto the dragon’s body.

As I listen I get a general image of it, 'isn’t it just like the mana cover I used for flying fast' I try covering just my feet with it then carefully walk off Melody's lap, to my surprise I stick to the dragons body, which to my surprise has a mana cover over its body.

David: I see your partner figured it out already, Melody can you gather mana around your body, dragons use a type of magic called [Aura], it covers their bodies so they can safely fly at high speeds like you partners race before, all five were protecting their bodies with it.

Melody: I’ll try; I learned how to gather mana during morning class so I could cast basic spells.

As she starts to gather more and more mana her body begins to glow

'She is gathering too much' I though. I walk over the David and poke his leg.

David: don’t worry for a half-elf like her this isn’t much, also humanoids like us need more mana to do things like make aura.

'Wait half-elf what’s he talking about I thought she was human, maybe that’s why she dresses so plainly and covers her face'

As she gathers more and more mana her hair begins to raise up and that’s when I confirm what he said, her ears though human sized were pointy, I saw Luis before his were pointy and long, so a half elf must have small point ones.

‘I didn’t notice in the bath either how did she hide it’

David: that’s good; now concentrate the mana around your skin.

As he instructed she does so, as I watch I begin to see a glowing aura around her, but not just her one began to appear on David.

Acquired trait [Mana Detection]

After that voice said that the whole dragon began glowing, as I look around at its wings an even larger wing surrounded it.

'So this is an aura' when I look at my body I see a small aura around my own body, 'so this isn’t something I activate is it always active'

David: good now relax a bit but keep the aura up then try moving around, you shouldn’t get blown away or fall.

She gets up slowly but unlike how it should be she stays firm in where she was standing then walks around.

David: good now for most of the training you will keep it up at all times until it becomes natural.

Melody: ok I’ll do it.

David: great now test how strong it is' he said grinning

I felt something bad was going to happen so I cover myself with a stronger aura then hold onto Melody.

David: Goliath, go faster.

With the order the wing beats started going faster, after half an hour; Melody crouched and placed her hands on its body so as not to get thrown off

.

David: not bad half an hour for your first time is an impressive result, slow down a bit, also are we there yet.

Goliath: yes we will be over the planes next to the forest in a minute

She had a low but feminine voice, but it held authority in its word.

Soon she descended and landed in a grassy plain about fifty meters from a forest.

David: ok Kira you fly with Goliath, you’re her disciple now, please give her proper respect.

With that he picks up Melody again and jumps down while I take flight and go near Goliath face.

Kira: so master where do we go from here.

I felt a low vibration in the air coming from her.

‘Did she laugh at being called master, is this their first time teaching someone or is this the first time someone called her that

Goliath: try to keep up with me; we are going into the forest.

She said and takes off with me struggling against the wind she generated, even with my aura, behind her.