If something truly went wrong, Asterion could devolve or improve himself at any time. But the little Glavenus couldn't; he would be stuck with an uncoordinated or flawed body for the rest of his life... right?
Asterion was suddenly struck by a thought: Did this kid inherit my stomach?
His "stomach" was responsible for digesting, absorbing, and analyzing consumed food, while his evolution ability allowed him to reshape his body. Physical changes were merely the surface; these two abilities were Asterion's core. Would they be passed down?
When he was enjoying himself back then, he hadn't given it a second thought. Now, he couldn't quite tell if his current feelings were those of joy or revulsion.
If the little Glavenus inherited his stomach and evolutionary powers, then he would no longer be unique. Would the little one also be able to reach the peak of the Forbidden Species in the future?
Asterion didn't like that feeling at all. He felt that he should be the only one to become a Forbidden Species. Besides, if the little one inherited those two abilities, wouldn't he end up competing with him for food?
There's plenty of meat in the New World, but there's none for you, kid!
With that thought, the look in Asterion's eyes as he turned toward the little Glavenus became menacing.
"Roar!"
The Acidic Glavenus let out a deterrent bellow. Although the little one was nearly at the age where he'd be kicked out to fend for himself, he wasn't gone yet. She would still protect him.
"Roar!" (My child?)
Asterion also roared. The intelligence of a Glavenus was high enough to understand such complex concepts, including "father" and "mother"—they simply chose not to raise their young together. In their culture, a Glavenus was only recognized by the pack once it could survive on its own.
"Roar!" (Of course! You're finally awake!)
To the Acidic Glavenus, the hatchling didn't seem all that important. Compared to this thing that was becoming an eyesore, the guy standing across from her was far more significant!
Even though Asterion's appearance had changed again over the past two years, she could still recognize him. She had long since grown accustomed to this kinsman's shifting form. Now he just had a pair of large wings; his tail blade was as sharp as ever.
For a monster like the Glavenus, the tail blade was their most important symbol... perhaps even their "type"?
"Roar, roar!" (Come on, teach me! That sword technique you mentioned!)
Asterion could see that the Acidic Glavenus was getting impatient. According to the Old Shaman, she had come to the tree canopy nest looking for him several times over the last two years, but the Old Shaman had blocked her, claiming the Glavenus boss was still in hibernation.
"Roar!!"
The little Glavenus suddenly cried out. He watched Asterion warily, his sword-tail curved in front of his body just like the Acidic Glavenus's combat stance, ready to attack at any moment.
The little guy didn't actually have a concept of a "father." Even though the Acidic Glavenus had occasionally mentioned Asterion while feeding him over the past year, she only said that Asterion was strong and good at fighting—which was why she had laid eggs with him.
It was almost a joke; the little fellow still thought he was experiencing "motherly love."
I can't wait to see the look on his face when she hacks him out of the nest with her blades, Asterion thought, watching the little creature baring its teeth at him. He couldn't help but chuckle. Seeing the little Mirrorblade was like looking at his past self, except his younger self didn't have a female dragon around to look after him.
"Roar!" (Follow me.)
Ignoring the little one's hostility—this creature couldn't really be called a Glavenus or an Acidic Glavenus anymore; according to human scholars, he'd likely be classified as a sub-species called Mirrorblade—Asterion prioritized verifying if the kid had inherited his core abilities.
Going all out to hunt, it didn't take long for Asterion to slay a passing Anjanath on the outskirts of his territory. He hauled the carcass back and slammed it down in front of the Mirrorblade.
"Roar!" (Eat!)
It was a command!
When the Acidic Glavenus tried to step forward for a few bites, Asterion ordered her to stay back. Her eyes turned fierce for a moment, but fortunately, Asterion was a very capable fighter.
The Mirrorblade was stunned. Since birth, this was the first time he had received food from a monster other than the Acidic Glavenus. Usually, she would kill a monster and push it toward him to eat. For the first time, he gained a clear concept of the dragon his mother always talked about. This was his father—not just some strange-looking dragon he had met today.
After suppressing the Acidic Glavenus's protests, Asterion stared intently at the Mirrorblade as he dug in.
The little thing was genuinely delighted. For any animal, eating was a cause for celebration, especially in the cruel wild. He ate. He gorged himself. Then... he started to slow down.
"Roar!" (Keep eating! Who told you to stop?!)
BOOM!!
Just as the Mirrorblade felt full and looked up to let his mother have the leftovers, Asterion's roar was followed by his tail blade slamming heavily beside the youngster, gouging a deep trench in the earth!
The Mirrorblade was completely bewildered.
"Roar?" (K-Keep eating?)
He cast a lost glance toward the Acidic Glavenus, but she didn't speak up for him. She just watched coldly. Though she didn't know what Asterion was doing, she could tell he had a purpose. What little "motherly love" she had left seemed to vanish entirely in that moment.
"Roar!" (Eat!)
Asterion urged him on, growing impatient. What's he being so picky for? If someone had brought him an entire Anjanath to eat when he was this size, he would have been over the moon.
Under the dual pressure of Asterion and the Acidic Glavenus, the Mirrorblade continued to eat, looking utterly miserable.
Asterion was observing.
The little guy had some wits about him—he did have half of Asterion's blood, after all. According to the patterns Asterion had observed, his own flesh or shed scales could cause creatures that consumed them to evolve. This was especially true regarding intelligence; take the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, for example. Monsters at their ecological niche shouldn't be that smart, yet they were only getting smarter. It was the long-term consumption of Asterion's shed scales and the blood they drank during their "brotherhood" pact that had changed them.
So, what about this Mirrorblade?
Asterion had never seen what a normal Glavenus looked like as a hatchling, but over the years, he had seen adults. Comparing the Acidic Glavenus's reactions, he could tell the Mirrorblade's emotions were far richer than those of others. He could even make an "aggrieved" expression.
As the Mirrorblade gorged himself, Asterion kept his eyes fixed on the youngster's belly. As the Anjanath's flesh was shoveled down, the Mirrorblade's stomach visibly bloated.
Asterion let out a sigh of relief.
Fantastic. This kid didn't inherit my stomach.
When Asterion ate large quantities, his abdomen never changed. His stomach was like a bottomless pit; forget meat, he could swallow mountains of rock while digging tunnels without any physical change. But the Mirrorblade couldn't.
The youngster ate the fattiest parts and the internal organs, but that was his limit. He couldn't finish the rest. He left behind a lot of leg, head, and back meat. If it were Asterion, not even the blood-soaked dirt beneath the Anjanath would remain.
This was good news.
"Roar? Roar, roar?" (Do you feel anything? Bio-energy?)
"Roar!" (What are you talking about?!)
The Mirrorblade let out a confused cry.
"Roar, roar?" (That feeling of something flowing inside your body. That's bio-energy. You can try to control it consciously.)
"Roar!" (What are you even saying?!!)
"Roar, roar, roar?" (Any other sensations? Like you feel you could grow something new? Something from that guy you just ate?)
"Roar, roar!!" (I'M ASKING YOU WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT!!!)
Excellent. Evaluation complete. Asterion had the answer he wanted. This kid couldn't even sense the bio-energy within his own body. Just like the Bazelgeuse brothers and the Kulu-Ya-Ku brothers, he could only passively use that energy to strengthen his scales or body. Active evolution was out of the question.
SMACK!
While Asterion was lost in thought, the Acidic Glavenus suddenly swung her tail blade, striking the Mirrorblade—well, let's call him Mirrorblade for clarity. She whipped him right in the side without holding back an ounce of strength. She was dead serious.
"Roar!! (You're grown up now. Hunt for yourself from now on!!)"
With half his body sent flying into the Anjanath's hollowed-out chest cavity, the Mirrorblade struggled to climb out, his face a mask of pure confusion.
"Roar?" (Mother?)
He hadn't processed it yet. He called out and tried to move toward her—SMACK!
Another tail strike!
The Acidic Glavenus showed no mercy. The maternal instinct that had lasted a year vanished the second she confirmed Mirrorblade was old enough to forage.
"Roar!" (Don't bother me! I'm going to get stronger!)
Asterion almost laughed out loud. Seeing the Mirrorblade pick himself up, his yellow eyes darting in bewilderment between the Acidic Glavenus and Asterion, the dragon had to grit his teeth to keep from cackling.
The Mirrorblade's instincts were telling him this was just how a Glavenus lived—he was at the age of independence, so his mother would naturally stop caring—but his intelligent mind couldn't accept it. He still wanted to stay by her side.
Be satisfied, kid! I had to figure out how to hunt the moment I popped out of my shell. You've been fed for years. You've had a good life!
"Roar!" (Let's go. Hurry up. You promised me.)
Ignoring the Mirrorblade's pitiful expressions, the Acidic Glavenus looked at Asterion with impatience.
"...Roar." (...Fine.)
After a moment's thought, Asterion agreed. He had made a promise, and he was curious to see if she could actually learn the Glavenus Sword Style.
Seeing them prepare to leave, the Mirrorblade tried to follow. But he wasn't met with the usual nuzzle or roar. Instead, a tail blade swung toward him with lethal intent!
If the Mirrorblade hadn't reacted quickly, raising his own sword-tail to block, that strike would have seriously injured him. It was the Acidic Glavenus!
The female dragon's eyes were cold. She pulled her tail back and, without a single backward glance, walked toward the great tree where Asterion's nest was located.
"Roar." (Eat more meat.)
Asterion clicked his teeth together, offering a final bit of well-meaning advice.
"Roar, roar." (This is the fate of a Glavenus. Survive well.)
With that, Asterion turned and left, never looking back.
Between his past life and this one, this was his first child. To be honest, aside from the initial shock, he felt quite calm about it. Being a dragon was different; different bodies, different species, and a different environment naturally led to a different heart. What Asterion cared about more were the traits the Mirrorblade had inherited.
Based on this example, if he and the Acidic Glavenus mated again and produced another egg, would the new hatchling inherit his newly evolved organs? Does that mean the next one out of the egg might actually have wings?
Asterion's expression turned subtle. Following this logic, if he reproduced at every evolutionary stage, wouldn't he have many children that all looked different in the future?
The Nine Sons of Asterion, each unique?
Children born at each stage would eventually breed into new populations in the wild, just like the little Mirrorblade was carrying on the legacy of Asterion's "Mirrorblade" phase.
Looking at it from another angle... did the mother have to be an Acidic Glavenus?
What about... an Amatsu? She was quite beautiful.
Asterion's heart skipped a beat.
Cough, cough! Anyway, he shook his head and pushed those chaotic thoughts aside. That was a problem for his future self. It was just a way to kill time in a tedious dragon life. The most important thing would always be his own evolution. Until he truly became a Forbidden Species, Asterion would never stop moving forward.
"Roar! Horizontal slash! But don't just mimic my movements!"
"Roar, roar, roar! Follow your own physical instincts! Swing the blade in a way that feels most comfortable to you!"
"Roar! Roar, roar! Idiot! The tail blade is just a medium! The important thing is to use the movement to condense your bio-energy!!"
A clearing had been made at the base of the great tree where Asterion's nest was. Many Grimalkynes were hiding nearby, watching curiously. After all, watching one Glavenus boss teach another Glavenus boss how to fight was quite a novelty.
"Why is he teaching another Glavenus boss, meow? Shouldn't he be teaching the little Glavenus boss, meow?"
"That's not another Glavenus boss, that's an Acidic Glavenus, meow! Did you forget what we learned in class last time, meow?"