Passive Aggressive

Cordayl, still atop the beast and holding on for dear life, hides behind the blade as the dragon engulfs him in flames.

Getting a quick glimpse of Esquimo, who exits the cave with Prince Naja, Cordayl thinks that if he can get the prince his weapon back, he can assist him in defeating the beast.

Cordayl takes the blade and, with tremendous strength, cuts enough of the beast to allow him to grab hold of the wound. Then, Cordayl dislodges the blade and, with the best of accuracy, launches it toward Esquimo and the prince.

Still holding on, the dragon takes off high into the sky. The atmosphere turns cold as Cordayl realizes how high they are ascending. The pressure is a lot to withstand, but Cordayl is managing it.

Then, the dragon reverses direction and takes off back towards the earth. While descending, the dragon starts to beat Cordayl with its tail and successfully manages to make Cordayl lose his grip.

Wrapping Cordayl up in its tail, the dragon flips through the air. At a breakneck speed, the dragon releases Cordayl and slings him back into the atmosphere. Sending him launching back into the sky, high above the clouds.

The speed at which he is thrown renders Cordayl unable to move, as he is forced to sit there and endure the force restraining him.

The momentum of the toss dies, and Cordayl starts to fall back to the earth. He is so high in the sky that he can only see clouds as he approaches the world.

Then the dragon bursts through the clouds, jaws open, with sharp teeth and a fire blast slowly rising from the depths of its throat, ready to incinerate Cordayl.

All Cordayl can do is watch as time slows down. He can only observe the intense flame that is dying to reach him.

Cordayl is training atop a pillar, trying his hardest to keep the center pressed down using gravity manipulation.

His father walks up to the top of the pillar and observes as Cordayl trains. Cordayl tires out, and the sudden cancellation of gravity allows the center of the pillar to shoot back into its original position. The momentum of the stone throws Cordayl off of its surface.

Cordayl lands on his feet and puts his hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. His father walks over and throws a towel on him, telling him to stand tall.

Cordayl stands up straight, still catching his breath, as his father walks over to the center of the pillar and puts a hand on it. Cordayl watches as his father pushes the pillar down with physical strength alone, until its edge is below his waist. After slowly letting the pillar rise back up, Cordon turns to scold his son.

"You have been here for a week and are only on level 4? Why is this?" Cordon ask.

"I don't have an answer. I have been trying my hardest, but it seems that I just don't have a grasp on it yet," Cordayl answers, not wanting to look his father in the eye.

Cordon looks at his son. Contemplating what to do, he decides to take action. "I see. Maybe you need to feel the power you need to obtain to protect our people," he states, applying a pressure on Cordayl that could crush a mountain.

Cordayl tries his hardest to stand, even activating his gravity manipulation to try and nullify his father's power. It is of little help, though, as Cordayl soon finds himself on his hands and knees.

The top of the pillar is flushed flat with the thicker mid-level of the structure. Still seeing Cordayl struggle, Cordon realizes that he is still being too soft on his child and instead decides to treat Cordayl as an enemy.

Cordayl's face is smashed into the ground and he is rendered entirely helpless. Even with his gravity ability fully active, he still feels as if, any second, he will turn into dust.

The pressure Cordon has released also pushes the mid-level of the structure into the base then the base flat into the surface until the entire massive pillar is level to the earth Cordon stands on.

With the giant structure now flushed and flat with the ground, Cordon looks down at his son. Realizing he has made his point, Cordon frees Cordayl of the strain.

Cordayl is crying on the ground, angered by what happened and feeling powerless.

"Stand up, Cordayl," Cordon orders.

Cordayl sniffles and uses what little energy he has left to force himself back to his hands and knees. But feeling the his father's immensive strength has exhausted his young body completely, and he passes out.

His father walks over and picks his son up. Cordon, starting to walk away from the pillar, wipes the tears off of his son's face as he takes him away so that they can talk.

As Cordon's leaves the area, the giant structure slowly ascends to its original height.

When Cordayl wakes up at a table, He sees his father sitting across from him, reading a book.

"The power you just felt, Cordayl, where do you think it comes from? " Cordon asks, still reading the book.

"Years of battle experience," Cordayl answers.

"Yes and no. Battle experience builds strength, combat skills, confidence, wisdom, many things."

"Understood, Father," Cordayl says.

"And battle experience also helps build this power when you lose a fight. When you go into battle with 10, and you walk away with half of that. When you…" Cordon's voice trails off.

"Before I became the leader of our people. There was talk that a warrior of ours possibly had been selling routes and secrets to a rival. Your grandfather tasked me to wait outside the village and eliminate all who entered.

"I waited a month outside the village, but they arrived eventually. Killing them was no problem. No disrespect to those men, who were fine warriors and died honorably. But a man protecting his home is stronger than the man trying to destroy it.

"No, I felt nothing in killing them, but it pained me to learn that the one who had betrayed our village was my favorite cousin. Jealousy and anger had infiltrated his heart because I was rumored to take the throne when it was time. The throne he coveted. But I had to abandon my love for him and protect my home.

"I killed my family and was so distraught afterward that once I reported the success of my mission back to your grandfather, I left the village for six months to heal my heart," Cordon tells his son.

Sliding the book to Cordayl, Cordayl catches the book and reads the cover. "That book is read and studied by the older warriors, but I'm going to have you read it now to show you the pain we all carry," Cordon explains.

Cordayl flips through the book's pages, which detail the history of his ancestors. The images are a lot more gruesome than he expected, and he closes the book.

Cordon understands the feeling. "That book was written over 900 years ago when our ancestors were still captives to the Kings of the land at that time. Our ancestors were met with the cruelest of intentions and forced to be participants in some of the most inhumane experiments ever thought of.

"As you can see, that is a thick book. The author of it went on to be a celebrated scientist. The creation of this monstrosity brought him fame and made it a household must in a noble's home. Open the book," Cordon tells his son.

Cordayl hesitates but does what he is told.

"They enjoyed seeing this pain brought on to us. I need you to look at this book. While you do, I want you to remember all the people in this village who you love and who love you. I want you to remember your duty to protect them and ask yourself if you would ever allow them to be in this book," Cordon says.

"I'll die along with anyone who ever tries to hurt my people," Cordayl tells him.

"I know you will. Keep reading," Cordon says, closing his eyes and kicking his feet up on the table.

A few minutes pass, and Cordon sits quietly as Cordayl slowly flips through the book. "What page are you on?"

"25," Cordayl responds.

"The ancestor strapped to the metal pole during a thunderstorm. Struck 54 times?" Cordon ask.

"53," Cordayl answers.

"Hmm," Cordon hums.

Some more time passes before Cordon asks for the page number again.

"119," Cordayl answers him.

"The human firecracker. Forced to eat gunpowder and drink gasoline before being set on fire," Cordon remembers.

Cordayl reading and Cordon reciting the info continues until Cordayl finishes the book. Cordayl pushes the book back to his father and puts his head on the table.

"Come, my son, " he orders. Cordayl wipes his face and stands to follow his father.

Returning to the pillar, Cordon turns to Cordayl, who looks very troubled. Taking a knee so they are eye to eye, Cordon grabs hold of Cordayl's shoulder, "The source of this part of our power is pain and anger. It's the negative emotions we feel and the oppression we have been through that enables us to finally be able to hold our enemies down and make them feel powerless.

"I know what you just saw was traumatizing, but at your age, you have not been exposed to enough life to tap into that side of emotion fully yet. But now you have a better understanding of not only your pain or some of my pain but your ancestor's pain as well. Remember that. Never forget. I will return in 2 days.

I look forward to your progress." Cordon says, rubbing Cordayl's head.

"Yes, sir," Cordayl says, walking past his father to resume training.

Cordon returns when promised, and a small smile crosses his face to see Cordayl's progress.

Looking at the pillar, Cordon sees that Cordayl has managed to suppress the full pillar until only about 30% of the base of the structure is visible.

Cordayl is last seen on top of the pillar, entirely focused, as he pushes the pillar deeper into the earth.

Returning to the present, Cordayl stares at the growing flames inside the dragon's mouth.

"This lizard is angry because we woke him up from his sleep," the voice snickers. Let's show it what real anger looks like!"

Cordayl's expression changes instantly, and as the flames finally extend past the dragon's teeth, the fire is forced back into the beast's mouth, and this tremendous weight is released upon the dragon, sending it crashing back down to the earth.

As a confused Prince Naja pulls his blade from the rocky mountain surface,

Esquimo exhales and says, "Full of surprises."

Prince Naja sheathes his weapon and then has to steady himself as this invisible force is felt. It hits the lake's center, causing the water to move and overflow onto the land as this enormous pressure reaches the lake's floor.

Then, the dragon is seen falling from the sky, breaking past the meek clouds and exposing the sun.

As it crashes into the dry lake floor, Cordayl is seen slowly descending from the sky.

Esquimo peeps that Prince Naja clutches the hilt of his weapon upon viewing Cordayl's terrifying might.

Cordayl lands on the dragon's chest. The dragon is still resisting and trying to fight, so Cordayl increases the pressure even more.

The dragon starts to whine, and Cordayl takes that as its sign of defeat, releasing his hold on the gravity.

Cordayl reverses the gravity so that the returning lake water doesn't swallow him and the dragon.

As they ascend, the dragon head butts and licks Cordayl as a thank you for the mercy. Cordayl accepts the gesture, petting the dragon's nose. The dragon motions for Cordayl to hop on, to which he obliges.

As the gravity returns to normal, Cordayl and the dragon ride off to rejoin Esquimo and the prince.

The dragon lands and Cordayl hops off and pats it again.

Prince Naja steps into the scene, his aura swirling, with his hand on his blade. The dragon starts to growl, and Cordayl turns to calm it down.

"You can chill, prince. The dragon is friendly." Cordayl tells him.

"My next battle is with you.," Prince Naja says.

Cordayl cuts his eyes at him, trying to judge if the prince is serious.

"Or at least, it was supposed to be," Prince Naja admits, taking his hand off his sword.

"It seems I have misjudged you, Cordayl. I and the rest of the world think you are a monster. But the fact that you could wield my weapon proves you may not be as terrible as perceived.

"So, although you will be killed one day, it will not be by my blade. In fact, I owe you a thank you. So thank you, Cordayl, for all you have done for me these past 2 days." Prince Naja says, slightly bowing to Cordayl.

Cordayl, mildly shocked, accepts the thank you with a slight bow as well.

"It's so nice to see you making friends, Cordayl,". Esquimo smiles, making Cordayl and Prince Naja both grunt and roll their eyes.

"Do you think you can ask your friend for a ride?" Esquimo asks Cordayl.

Cordayl turns to the dragon, who blows a small puff of smoke out of its nose in agreement.

Esquimo cheers in glee and runs to hop onto the beast's back. Cordayl climbs up and asks Prince Naja if he is coming along.

"I'm fine with walking, thank you," Prince Naja says. But when the beast starts flapping its wings, preparing to take off, he changes his mind.

"On the second hand, I would look pretty cool returning to the kingdom on a dragon." Prince Naja says, sprinting to jump up onto the dragon's back.