Christina covered her mouth with her hand, which she had gently clasped, and laughed.
'The baby is holding another baby. How cute.'
Imugi also wondered what his appearance must look like, but he decided to leave it as it was, fearing that if he pushed the bird away carelessly, it might start crying again.
Suddenly, Imugi looked at Christina, hoping to resolve his doubts, and pointed at the bird with his index finger and asked,
'What is this bird? Why did a bird suddenly come out of a cooked egg?'
Although they couldn't understand each other's words, Christina nodded after seeing his gestures and expression.
"Are you asking me? It seems this baby is the new Phoenix of this generation."
The black hatchling tilted its head in confusion.
"The Phoenix is a sacred bird, so precious that only one exists in a generation. When the living Phoenix dies, another Phoenix is said to appear within at least 100 years."
Imugi nodded, understanding her reasoning.
However, Christina paused, sensing something strange.
"…This is odd. The Phoenix of this generation is still alive."
Although Christina's muttering was very soft, Imugi heard it clearly.
While he blinked and looked at Christina, she fell into thought.
'Has something changed in the world? Or is it a sign that the world is about to change?'
It was impossible to tell if it was a good or bad omen.
The Phoenix protects the darkness.
She could only guess that the first encounter with this fact was not ordinary.
'Even though it's just a young Phoenix and a hatchling… this isn't something to be taken lightly.'
After pondering, she thought of someone who could help with this matter.
At Christina's gesture, Rai, the spirit of white light, appeared.
Rai, delighted to be called, sprinkled a flurry of light particles and gently landed on Christina's outstretched hand.
Christina smiled softly and explained her request.
"I need to meet Phasias, the elder of the Red Dragons."
The father of the Red Dragon hatchling and the current elder of the Red Dragons.
Imugi felt a surge of excitement at the prospect of Christina going out, and Rai shimmered with a small light.
"The elder of the Red Dragons, who possesses the power of fire, is also raising a hatchling, so I'll discuss this child with him."
Rai's expression appeared on the orb of light.
Christina's lair was an inviolable sanctuary, even for Dragon Lords.
This meant there was no possibility of any misfortune occurring due to external attacks.
"Can you stay here, baby?"
Seeing the child's strong response, Christina chuckled.
'Although I'm worried about leaving you with Rai, for some reason, I feel you'll be fine.'
Even as a hatchling, the child seemed unusually mature.
'Is this typical for a Black Dragon hatchling?'
Christina herself was a prodigy, known for her intelligence and early maturity compared to her peers.
However, this was largely due to the influence of her parents and teachers.
Innate talent and mindset, experiences gained from the environment, and the fruits of contemplation.
'This child seems to have its own values, even without such experiences.'
The child, after hatching, never cried or threw tantrums out of instinct.
It was capable of fairly complex communication and had a clear sense of what was acceptable and what was not.
This gave her a strange sense of trust, something she wouldn't normally feel towards a child.
'When the young Phoenix showed hostility towards me, the child immediately intervened. Moreover, its handling of mana is remarkable.'
The mana surrounding the child changed steadily day by day.
Watching the child skillfully manipulate mana was truly astonishing.
'Even though dragons are naturally magical creatures, for a hatchling, it's too seasoned.'
The relationship between mana and dragons is like giving a child a toy or clay.
A young hatchling, given the freedom to manipulate mana, does so as it pleases.
This often leads to accidents, such as accidentally creating explosions or wind blades, due to the child's innate talent.
It's natural for adult dragons, protectors, or teachers to be present to protect such hatchlings.
However, the hatchling in front of her was different.
It could use mana neatly and intricately.
'I thought the child I'm raising wasn't an ordinary prodigy, but…'
A clever, kind, and adorable child.
And a child far too exceptional to be an ordinary hatchling.
She sighed, thinking of her long-gone teacher from the distant past.
'Before being entrusted to me, did you do something for this child, Teacher?'
Thinking of someone she could no longer ask, she looked up at the sky for a moment.
Her teacher, who she still remembered even after becoming an elder of the Gold Dragons.
But now, she had taken on the role of the teacher.
Realizing this, Christina smiled.
'Yes. Now I am the guardian and teacher of this child.'
She stroked Rai's light with her other hand, who was looking at her curiously.
"By the way, I heard Phasias' child is a very capable prodigy, so they might be able to help."
She whispered to Rai as she gently removed her hand.
"Please take good care of the children until I return. If anything happens, let me know immediately."
Christina smiled at the pure spirit's encouragement.
She also instructed Imugi.
"It won't take long. Stay with Rai."
Imugi, who had been blinking in confusion, nodded.
She gently kissed the shiny hatchling's forehead, wishing for a blessing.
The adorable sight of the hatchling rubbing its forehead in surprise melted her heart.
"I'll be back as soon as possible."
After laying the child back in the crib and looking at it with a wistful gaze, Christina left.
Imugi sprang up, clenched his fists, and raised one hand to the ceiling.
His reaction was like that of a child freed from parental supervision, but for someone who had been confined for nearly a thousand years, staying in the crib all day was a torment.
'I've been longing for this time! Without Christina, I couldn't even leave this room. It was suffocating.'
If he had a proper environment for training, it would have been somewhat bearable.
He recalled his recent, suffocating days.
'Although I could practice secretly, there were too many restrictions.'
To Christina, the spirit she assigned as a guardian, but to him, it was a bothersome overseer.
'Now, it shouldn't be strange to move around the crib area.'
He spread his wings and carefully descended from the crib, standing on all fours.
Glancing around, Rai followed quietly without a word.
'Good. The luck is on my side.'
The white baby bird left footprints on the bedsheet and hurriedly ran to him.
The baby bird, unsure if it was flying or rolling, quickly landed on Imugi's head.
He considered shaking it off but decided to ignore it since it was so light.
With the bird on his head, Rai also followed, flying in the air.
Standing at the door, Imugi stared at the handle on his head.
'I might be able to reach it if I jump. Should I try to open it?'
Staring at the lever handle, he took a deep breath and lifted his front legs.
Then, he pushed off with his short hind legs and jumped powerfully.
As his weight pulled the door handle down, it tilted.
The lock released, and Imugi let go.
The door opened without resistance.
Imugi started walking to explore outside the room.
Rai circled the hatchling walking in the corridor.
Although she looked worried, she didn't stop him from exploring outside the room.
Without teleportation magic, it was impossible to explore even half of the vast lair.
Rai thought it would be fine as long as she guided him back and kept him safe within the lair, which was safer than anywhere else.
Moreover, the Imugi she had observed was particularly troubled when hungry and was smart enough to peel and eat an egg on his own when he got hungry.
She occasionally signaled with her light, suggesting he return, but the hatchling ignored her and continued walking.
However, he also acknowledged that he couldn't explore even half of the lair with his baby steps.
'If I keep moving like this, I won't see much.'
But when would he get another chance like this? He couldn't just stay in the room obediently.
That didn't suit his temperament.
'After all… it's inconvenient without teleportation magic.'
Without Christina's help, he was just a 'baby' who couldn't even move.
'I'm glad I prepared for this.'
He grinned, revealing his baby teeth, which looked mischievous.
'I've been observing. The flow of power when Christina uses teleportation magic.'
He stopped and took a deep breath.
Recalling Christina's mana manipulation, he raised his hand.
Although he had never cast the spell himself, he had seen it many times and had already experienced it.
He felt his mana moving inside his body.
The surrounding mana responded like well-trained soldiers.
The sensation of sensing all the mana in the lair was like wielding the power of a transcendent being.
He smiled, one corner of his mouth curling up, and his eyes gleamed.
Rai, facing his expression, felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.
The subtle evil aura emanating from the cute hatchling was unsettling.
Meanwhile, Imugi, like a strategist deciding where to place his troops, gleamed with excitement.
He could feel the surrounding area composed of mana, where he could choose to move.
He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
In an instant, their figures disappeared.
Suddenly appearing in mid-air, they landed in different ways.
Imugi, falling on his back, tumbled without a proper landing stance, while Rai, although floating, was still processing the situation.
The baby bird flapped its tiny wings in surprise.