Alice in the Land of Steam

Chapter 1449 A pitiful fellow too?
It was another starless and moonless night, making Nidhogg easily recall his less-than-pleasant childhood in Hogarth. Other memories had become blurred, fading away with the passage of time, but the sights he saw, the events he experienced, and the words he heard at certain moments still echoed clearly, giving him a sudden illusion that time had never changed.

Facing the pitch-black night, the young Azure Dragon might lament how foolish the fate of the mortal world was, bringing about the repetition of all meaningless events. Only years later, when he persistently sought those memories within his fragmented and chaotic soul, would he discover that the meaning of fate was not bestowed by humanity, but predetermined from the moment of its inception. But now, he hadn't considered such complexities; he simply sighed, harboring no expectations.

From the mountaintop city of Adras came a lively celebration, with dragons roaring and the atmosphere fervent as they celebrated the birth of the new Dragon King. All of this had nothing to do with Nidhogg.

He looked up, gazing at the deep night sky, when suddenly a familiar voice came from behind him: "Are you leaving, Nidhogg?"

He turned around and saw his teacher standing there, quietly watching him. His expression and eyes were as calm as they had been many years ago, but time had taken away the vitality of his body and the fullness of his soul. Now he was in his twilight years and no one knew when he would be buried in the Dragon Tomb and his soul would return to the underworld.

If that day ever comes, Nidhogg feels he should return to see him off on his final journey, after all, he was his teacher, and perhaps the only person in the world who could understand him.

He spoke, his hoarse voice still bearing the marks of the fierce battle: "There's no need to stay here any longer."

The teacher stopped a short distance behind him, not looking at him, but gazing into the night as well, and said calmly, "They will all think that you are fleeing because you are unwilling to accept the humiliation of defeat."

Nidhogg sneered at this: "I don't need to care about the opinions of a bunch of idiots."

"His Majesty wishes you to stay. I mean, that His Majesty."

The teacher brought Nidhogg some surprising news: "He watched your duel with Herasvarg and believes you have great potential. Stay in Adras, and he will give you the highest honors, allowing you to gain even greater power. Moreover, a dragon bearing the name 'Nidhogg' should not stray from its kind and wander alone."

Nidhogg remained unmoved: "What use is there in bringing this up now, other than to demonstrate his dullness and pedantry?"

The teacher nodded slowly, agreeing with this assessment, as he shared the same sentiment. While it might be understandable that other dragons of the same age deliberately ignored Nidhogg's talent and growth out of jealousy, it was perplexing that the high and mighty Dragon King would do the same. Promoting talented young members of the clan was the Dragon King's inherent duty, something he had completely failed to do. Extending an olive branch only now seemed like compensation, and given Nidhogg's proud nature, how could he possibly accept it?
He knew how stubborn Nidhogg was; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. Neither the dragon kings of the past nor the present had that power. The solitary Nidhogg believed only in himself.

He changed the subject: "You had a chance to win."

To say such a thing only after the duel was over seemed like hindsight, but Nidhogg remained silent, seemingly acknowledging the statement. In the duel that had just ended, he did indeed have more than one opportunity to win, but each time, he deliberately gave Heraswalg some breathing room, which is why he was ultimately defeated by Heraswalg's "miracle."

Nidhogg had his own thoughts on this.

“I am not standing there for the throne of the Dragon King,” he said. “I have said that I will take away the pride of Horasvalg and make him understand what it feels like to lose it.”

"So, only by defeating him when he's giving it his all can we truly take away his pride?"

Nidhogg nodded slowly.

If it weren't for this, it would be meaningless. Even Heraswalg himself wouldn't admit it, so how could Nidhogg be satisfied?
"If that's the case, there are other options," the teacher said. "Defeating Herasvalg and taking away his seemingly inevitable Dragon King throne would also mean taking away the pride he has always upheld."

As a descendant of the Infinite Dragon God Bahamut, and a genius favored by the entire dragon race, Horace Varg is fully confident in his strength and future. No dragon is as certain as he is that he can become the Dragon King. If the final result is exactly the opposite, wouldn't that be a heavy blow to him?
"it's not true."

Nidhogg replied, "Do you, like other shallow dragons, think he cares a lot about the so-called Dragon King's throne, teacher?"

Even though the other party was his teacher, Nidhogg showed no restraint in his words.

However, the teacher, knowing his personality well, did not get angry, but said thoughtfully, "You mean..."

“During the duel, that guy once told me that he only does what is right, not what is righteous.” Nidhogg stared into the dark night: “For him, becoming the Dragon King is nothing more than what is right, not righteous, and certainly not what he wants to do. Therefore, he has no pride whatsoever.”

Carrying too many expectations can be repulsive. In this respect, Horace Varg, who successfully ascended to the throne of the Dragon King, was not as free as Nidhogg, who failed at the last minute.

At least the latter won't be bound by anyone's expectations, always staying in the same place, unable to leave.

"I will come back, teacher."

He added, "My battle with Heraswalg is far from over."

The teacher said, "But by then he was already the Dragon King."

"This has nothing to do with identity."

He spread his wings, the sharp edges of his dragon wings like swords, and pierced the night sky: "I will defeat him, that's the only reason."

Having said that, without waiting for his teacher's reply, he pounded the void, stirring up a howling storm, and rode the boundless darkness, gradually disappearing at the horizon. The teacher did not try to stop him, nor did he utter a word of farewell, for he knew that no one could stop Nidhogg from saying what he wanted to say or doing.

Since he said he would come back, he definitely will.

The newly born Platinum Dragon King, Herathvarg, has encountered the most powerful opponent in his destiny.

He suddenly had a vague premonition, as if these two equally lonely souls would never cease their battle. Even if one of them died, the other would transcend the boundaries of time and space to reenact the duel, endlessly repeating their destined fate.

Many years later, his premonition came true. Was it a prophecy or destiny?

……

Nidhogg had already decided where he should go: northward along the snowy mountains to the Yahr Empire, where the most powerful enemies awaited him to defeat and hone his skills. He would use every means, any means necessary, to become stronger, and what did he care about sacrificing others or overthrowing civilizations for this? After all, Nidhogg was a solitary and proud dragon, existing only to achieve his own goals.

He gradually moved away from Mount Platinum, traveling alone in the night when no one knew him. But suddenly, a familiar figure appeared on a mountain peak ahead. He stood there quietly watching Nidhogg, as if he had been waiting for some time and had finally waited for his arrival.

Nidhogg stopped, a rare look of surprise on his face: "Heraswalg?"

Waiting for him there was none other than Herasvalg, who had already been crowned Dragon King and should have been attending a banquet in Adras City.

"Are you surprised?" Heraswalg smiled slightly at his reaction. "No need to be so surprised. I just came to see you off after I knew you were leaving."

"Who told you that?"

Nidhogg's first thought was of his teacher, since only he knew about his impending departure, but Heraswalg shook his head: "No one told me; I guessed it."

An unexpected, yet logical, answer.

"We're going to be your opponents in the final duel, after all. I'm offering to help you on your way. You shouldn't refuse, right?"

he said with a smile.

Nidhogg didn't respond; he didn't quite understand why Heraswalg was there. The fact that the new king wasn't in Adras capital city when he ascended the throne would likely cause a huge uproar if discovered by other clansmen. Even if Heraswalg was a descendant of His Majesty Bahamut, he wouldn't escape scrutiny. "Haha." Seeing his reaction, Heraswalg seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and for some reason, laughed heartily twice, saying, "Don't worry, I've already spoken to His Majesty…Father about this, and he fully agrees with my approach."

"Why?"

Nidhogg asked coldly, "This is not in accordance with the rules, and the Dragon King is precisely the dragon who needs to abide by the rules the most. Otherwise, the Dragon King would not be able to rule the dragon race and become the supreme role model in the minds of other races."

"Because he felt it was a great pity."

Heraswag said softly, “You possess power comparable to the Dragon King, and the defeat in the dueling ceremony was ultimately my advantage, not your humiliation. Therefore, you have no need to leave Mount Platinum, and no one in your clan will laugh at you for this defeat.”

It turns out they, like the teacher, came to try and persuade me to stay.

Nidhogg's expression grew even colder: "Is this what you wanted to say to me?"

"Do not."

Herathwalg shook his head: "I was supposed to pass this on to you, but in my personal opinion, I think you should leave. After all, neither Adras nor Mount Platinum are insignificant." Standing atop the mountain peak, Herathwalg calmly said to Nidhogg, "I once heard my teacher say that you possess talent surpassing all your kind, even in the entire history of dragons, you are unique. Generally speaking, a dragon's size will be fixed due to the stagnation of power, no longer growing. However, your power has no upper limit, so your size is always expanding, invading the earth, devouring mountains, and obscuring the light... One day you will grow into a 'dragon that devours heaven and earth,' so you should not be confined to this small place and live a mediocre life."

His eyes were bright, as if reflecting the bright moonlight, but Nidhogg saw more than just light in them; there seemed to be a trace of loneliness and solitude.

Nidhogg was silent for a moment before replying, "So, you appeared before me to say these things?"

"This is just one of the purposes."

Heraswalg smiled gently: "There is one more thing, though it is not very necessary, but I would like to tell you."

"what's up."

“Nidhogg…that was supposed to be my name.”

The still-young celestial dragon's pupils suddenly contracted: "What did you say!?"

“It’s understandable that you’re so surprised, but I didn’t lie to you, nor was there any need to.” Hrascwald’s tone was as casual as if he were talking about something trivial: “This is what my father told me: Nidhogg was originally the name my grandfather… the first Dragon King Bahamut intended to give me, signifying his expectations and approval of me; however, after you were born, my grandfather gave you that name, and I, I am Hrascwald, you should know what ‘Hrascwald’ means, right?”

Nidhogg nodded heavily.

Heraswalg, in the language of dragons, means "the dragon blessed by heaven and earth," which is why he is called "the dragon of heaven and earth" by other races.

“My mother gave me this name, and it’s good. I don’t dislike it at all, but—” He paused, the smile on his face slowly fading, and said, word by word, in an unprecedentedly solemn and serious tone, “How can the blessings of heaven and earth compare to the boundless, limitless, and infinite vast universe?”

Nidhogg remained silent, unsure how to respond to his almost threatening gaze.

He suddenly understood why Hrascwalg had said those words to him that night; but he also found it hard to understand, unable to imagine what Hrascwalg was thinking or feeling when he said those words.

I always thought that Heraswalg only gained and never lost anything. I never imagined that he had lost the most important thing to him from the very beginning, and the one who took it away was me, who always thought that I only lost and never gained anything.

Is this fate mocking something, or just a simple coincidence?
Nidhogg didn't know, and perhaps he never would.

“That’s why I said I have no pride that can be taken away from me,” Heraswalg sighed softly. “It never existed in the first place.”

"..."

"That's all I wanted to say. You can remember it, or you can ignore it. Just know that a part of me once belonged to the name 'Nidhogg.'" With that, he flapped his dragon wings and soared from the mountaintop. The moonlight gently caressed his scales, making him seem as if he were swimming across a silver river, brushing past Nidhogg. "Go and fly, Nidhogg, grow into a true celestial dragon in the boundless universe. Then, we'll continue this duel."

It's far from over.

He flew away, returning to Adras to be crowned king, to receive the celebrations of the dragons and the blessings of the elders. He was the new infinite dragon god Bahamut, the third king of Mount Platinum, the most glorious crown in the mortal world.

but.

“Heraswalg,” Nidhogg said suddenly without turning to look at his opponent, “you are a pathetic fellow.”

The almost provocative remark made Hraswalg involuntarily laugh out loud: "Is this the first time you've noticed, Nidhogg?"

"..."

Why do I think this way?

At this moment, Nidhogg repeated the same question more than once. It was a self-examination, a detached empathy; through a startling intuition, he captured the emotions belonging to Hraswarg—a mixture of sorrow, loneliness, solitude, and melancholy that made him momentarily believe he was seeing another version of himself in the mortal world. Are all the years experienced equally long? Are all the things gained equally insignificant? Is all the lost pride equally stubborn and unyielding?
These questions are destined to remain unanswered, just as a duel may have clearly ended, but the outcome is never determined.

"However, I have to say something."

Herraswalg's voice drifted through the night wind and flew towards the distant stars: "You're a pathetic fellow too, Nidhogg."

……

Two equally pitiful dragons, thus, diverged at the crossroads of fate, going further and further apart. One, in the distant and lonely mortal world, had witnessed countless winds and snows, sometimes melting, sometimes accumulating, and countless footprints, great and small, coming and going, never stopping; the other, standing in the ancient and solemn palace of a dynasty, guided this behemoth forward with solemn eyes and unwavering will, but the dynasty's progress could not change his personal destiny, and thus he remained stagnant, without the slightest change.

Until one day, a covetous dragon, yearning for power, turned its eyes to the fairy paradise. A magnificent and terrifying calamity descended upon the land of Atorica from the other side of fate. A one-winged hero slew the dragon, forever leaving behind a legend of the evil dragon's blood. Only the dragon's soul remained bound by the power of the Holy Grail at the very heart of the disaster, becoming an eternal monument, awaiting the moment to fulfill its vow once more. In the ancient city of Adras, the Platinum Dragon King, upon hearing this news, only paused for a moment before quickly laughing and saying, "That fellow won't die so easily."

Although no one can escape the sword of a hero, even the Dragon King himself would find it difficult to escape unscathed.

But he believed that the dragon would not die.

"Because he is Nidhogg."

A symbol of infinity, boundlessness, and the infinite.

A colossal dragon that devours heaven and earth.

Nidhogg.

Give me some cats