Reborn as a DRAGON

Chapter 8: Defiance

They call it theft, I say it's ethical redistribution.I'm not breaking into poor people's houses nor am I robbing nuns. I'm not beating old ladies or pulling knives - I just do my thing, flow along, enjoy the day and stuff finds me. It's weird like that. But those people with their shining armors, they don't see it from where I am standing. All these nobles with their stores are their oasis, their bounty, but for us, they are a mirage in the desert. Cruel. The noble thief.

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For the first time in my short second life, sunlight momentarily blinded me as my father flew out of the dimly lit cave. It took a few seconds for my eyes to adjust to the sudden glare of the sun.

Yet as soon as I had, I was abruptly left lost for words at the scenery that stretched before my eyes. A sea of green trees and flowers greeted me.

I glanced back to the place where the cave was situated in. A tall majestic mountain, deprived from any greenery, it stood high in the middle of the forest akin to a pillar trying to pierce the skies.

I turned my attention back to the scene below as my eyes flew from tree to tree, noticing the buds ready to open into the light. They looked like countless green flags, waving in the ever-warming wind that tickled my scales.

It felt like wintertime had already passed in its somber majesty. I saw countless foreign and exotic flowers I never had before as they colored my vision. It took me a while to adjust to my enhanced eyes.

In my previous life, my eyesight was nowhere near perfect. I wore glasses all the time, not the thick type that made my eyes look small, no, just normal glasses to help with my deteriorated sight.

It always fascinated me how some people were able to just wake up and 'see' the world as it is. No glasses, no contacts, nothing, they could simply 'see'. Often we took things for granted, things other people would kill to have.

Letting out what seemed to be a sigh, I shook my head as I pushed the depressing thoughts of my past life to the back of my mind. There was no use thinking about that anymore, I was now a Dragon!

'And it seems like Dragons have a damn perfect vision,' I thought as I scanned the forest flashing by below. Father's large wings propelled us forward at unimaginable speeds as the scenery turned into a mere blur.

He held us in one palm and used his other to shield us against the strong winds as he flew through the skies. If he had not done that, then I had no doubt that I, alongside my siblings, would have been sent hurling backwards.

Peeking through the gaps between father's large claws, I watched in curiosity as the scenery

below changed. Within a dense forest with no end in sight, an incomparably large lake appeared right in the middle.

Father then landed with a loud boom, leveling a few hundred trees along the way. He then mercilessly turned his palm upside down and sent us sprawling on the ground.

Though I do not want to admit it, I failed in landing and instead ended up kissing the ground. Glancing at my siblings made me feel glad as I was not the only one. Golden boy had his head stuck deep within the muddy bank, while White somehow ended up landing on top of Blacky.

Surprisingly, Green had managed to nail the landing somewhat gracefully, as she had opened her large wings to lower her speed, which had gently brought her down next to me.

Once on the ground, she stumbled before quickly regaining her footing. I could almost see the somewhat proud expression on her face as she raised her tiny head high in the air.

'Already getting cheeky, eh?' I laughed inwardly as I stood up.

White and Blacky had long since moved away from each other. The calm indifferent young Dragon made her way next to me and Green under Blacky's penetrating gaze.

If looks could kill, White would have already died by now from the intense glare of Blacky. It was as if he tried to drill a hole through her skull with his eyes.

White on the other hand looked completely unbothered and did not pay him any heed. Meanwhile, Golden boy was still struggling to get his head out of the ground.

'Someone help him already. It's just embarrassing at this point,' I thought, and to my relief and surprise, Blacky was the one to make a move as he stepped closer to Golden boy and delivered a swift kick to his side that set his head free.

Father, who had been quietly watching us all this time, let out a low growl that revibrated all around us and even managed to cause my body to shake. I unconsciously stood straight and lined up in front of him with my head raised high, my siblings doing the same as all of our gazes met my father's enormous eyes.

'Was that a command of some sorts?' I inwardly thought as I recalled the low growl. I had moved without thinking, he had growled and my body had followed almost instinctively or something.

I did not like that. It was already bad enough that I had to keep my head lowered all the time in fear when facing him, and now it seemed like he also had the ability to command me, or rather us, to do whatever he wanted.

I did not like that. A burning feeling slowly rose within my chest as I could feel my blood boiling. I would like to think that I'm a normal guy, or was for that matter, that I try to think before I act and avoid doing anything stupid.

By not doing anything stupid I mean not defying my mountain of a father like I'm some teenager who just got grounded and was about to lash out against his parents, only to get an ass whopping after.

This was exactly what was going to happen if I defied my monstrous father. Perhaps not an ass-whooping, if I'm unlucky I might not even live to tell the tale.

My mind knew this, I knew this, but my body seemed to have different thoughts. My blood was burning as a fiery sensation rushed from the back of my throat.

My vision slowly turned red under the oppressing pressure of my father. My gaze met his, a flash of surprise seemed to pass by his eyes as I opened my mouth and roared with every fiber of my being.

"ROAR!"