Hades really wanted to rest today.

After all, he had just returned from a long journey—and gone through an awakening.

Besides, Luna and Marilyn needed him right now. That was reason enough for him to stay with them for a while.

But his mother had other plans. She had already arranged a teacher for him.

'I can't blame her,' Hades thought.

Kaelith had always been his shield—protecting him from the world. But even shields have limits.

She could only do so much, and she couldn't be everywhere at once.

If something like what happened in Torseque happened again, Hades needed to make sure he could protect himself and those he loved.

That's why this training was necessary.

'Hmm…where could he be?' Hades thought as he stepped into the Death Well, his boots echoing softly against the stone floor. He began looking around, but the air felt thick and strange.

Avalin had said that once he was here, he'd easily find Vulcan.

But no matter how much he searched, he couldn't sense anything—just the faint presence of creatures lurking in the shadows.

"Huh?"

Hades flinched. Something moved under his feet.

He jumped back, but it was already too late.

Hissss!

A serpent burst out from beneath the ground, its long tail coiling around his legs and holding him in place.

Hades frowned. "Nasty thing."

The creature had several eyes scattered across its head, and its tongue split the air with a sharp whip each time it flicked out.

Its blue scales gleamed under the dim light, and its golden eyes narrowed on him with hunger.

"You think you can trap me like this?" Hades growled.

He pushed against the serpent's tail, his strength flaring as he forced it apart and broke free as he jumped over it's head to land on its massive body.

"Now, now. Don't move." Hades circled his arms around the snake's neck, choking it.

But before he could kill the thing, a shadow swept over him.

KHIUNK!

A massive vulture came crashing down, its talons aimed at Hades, leaving him no option but to jump away.

He barely dodged, landing in a crouch.

The serpent struck again, lunging with its fangs bared, while the vulture circled above, shrieking sharply as if giving signals to its partner.

The air filled with tension—the two beasts moved in rhythm, almost like a team.

Hades ducked under a venom spit that sizzled against the rocks behind him. Before he could regain footing, a gust of wind slashed down from above—the vulture's wings cutting through the air like blades.

He twisted aside, the strike grazing his shoulder, and rolled away as the serpent's tail slammed the spot he had just vacated, shattering the stone floor.

"Tch…they're working together?" he muttered under his breath.

The serpent coiled again, spitting venom in arcs while the vulture swooped low, slashing with its claws in perfect sync. Every attack forced Hades to move—dodge, duck, or leap away.

For the moment, he couldn't even think about launching a counterattack. One mistake, and he'd receive damage from both sides.

Venom hissed past his cheek; wind blades cut into the dust at his feet. The Death Well echoed with their screeches and hisses.

Hades's eyes narrowed—this was starting to get on his nerves.

*THUMP!*

He landed firmly on the ground after vaulting over the charging serpent, facing both creatures head-on.

The snake hissed, twisting its long body as its jaws split open wide.

Above, the vulture let out a piercing shriek and dove straight toward him.

In that same instant, the serpent spat a mouthful of venom, the liquid glinting under the dim light as it shot through the air.

Hades didn't hesitate. He sprinted forward instead of dodging, the venom splattering across his chest and arms.

The green fluid sizzled for a moment—then vanished into his skin. His body shimmered faintly, veins glowing as his flesh took on a green hue.

The vulture swooped down to strike, its talons slicing through the air—

—but Hades leapt upward to meet it.

Mid-air, his arm slashed out like a blade.

*THUD!*

The vulture's body split cleanly in two, its blood mixing with the dripping venom as it fell to the ground in a broken heap.

The serpent recoiled in alarm, its golden eyes flaring, readying to strike again.

But Hades didn't give it the chance.

*SLASH!*

He crossed his arms in a swift, cutting motion before landing lightly behind the creature.

For a heartbeat, nothing happened. Then—

*SHRRRK!*

Blood burst from the serpent's head, its body twitching violently before collapsing into the dirt, lifeless.

Hades exhaled, brushing off his hands as he straightened.

He glanced down at the faint stains of blood and venom on his clothes and patted them away with a small sigh.

"Disappointing."

The voice came from behind.

Hades's eyes widened as he instinctively leapt forward, spinning mid-air to face the direction of the sound—

—but there was no one there.

"You're far too disappointing."

Before he could react, a heavy hand clamped down on his shoulder. In the next instant, a swift kick struck his heel, throwing him off balance.

*WHAM!*

A palm slammed into his chest, sending him crashing into the ground with a deafening *THUD!*

The impact knocked the breath out of him. Hades stared up at the grey sky, dazed. He hadn't even seen the strike coming. Whoever that was—moved faster than his eyes could follow.

"That," the deep voice rumbled, "was for frustrating me with that weakling-like performance."

The man stood still, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

Hades gritted his teeth and rose from the ground, brushing off the dirt before facing him.

A giant of a man stood a few paces away—easily six and a half feet tall, with broad shoulders and arms thick enough to crush boulders bare-handed. His body radiated strength.

Red scales patterned his forearms and streaked faintly across his jaw. His eyes—deep crimson and sharp as molten steel—glared down at Hades with pure disdain.

His long black hair flowed in the faint breeze, framing a face that carried the unmistakable air of a warrior.

"You must be Vulcan," Hades said, lowering his head respectfully. "It's nice to meet you."

The man huffed, his tone sharp and dismissive. "I don't accept your respect. That's not how dragons greet one another."

Hades slowly lifted his head, meeting Vulcan's gaze. "I apologize," he said calmly. "Until recently, I was told that I'm human."

There was no reason to hide the truth. If his mother had entrusted Vulcan with his training, the man deserved honesty.

Vulcan's nostrils flared. "Only weaklings make excuses," he growled. "And I despise weak people."

Hades met his glare without flinching. "Then teach me," he said evenly, "so I can become someone worthy of being your student."

The silence that followed was heavy. The two stood locked in each other's gaze—the fiery mentor and the determined pupil.

Hades knew when to fight back and when to bow his head for the sake of growth. Pride could wait; strength could not.

And he could tell—this man before him wasn't his enemy. He wasn't angry. Just… disappointed.

After all, as the son of the Queen, Hades hadn't yet proven himself worthy of the title he carried.

The man stayed quiet for a while, his piercing red eyes fixed on Hades. Then, in a deep, rumbling voice, he said,

"You know why I'm so frustrated right now?"

Hades already had a guess, but he could tell the man wasn't finished. So he replied respectfully, "No, sir."

Vulcan's expression hardened. "It's because despite having the strength—despite being a higher being than those two vermin—you dragged the battle out."

Hades blinked, caught off guard. "But they were fighting in perfect sync… I could barely find an opening."

The man's voice rose, echoing through the cavernous space. "Then why the hell did you *let* them team up in the first place? You had a chance to crush that snake's neck and end it right there!"

Hades frowned. "But the vulture—"

"Oh, the vulture?" Vulcan cut him off sharply, stepping closer. "What could it have done? Scratched your arm? Plucked out your eyes?" He leaned forward, his glare burning through Hades. "So you got scared, huh?"

Hades fell silent.

He hated to admit it, but Vulcan was right.

He had hesitated. He could have taken the snake down first and dealt with the vulture afterward. Even if the bird had attacked, he could have handled it. A few seconds of pain would've been worth it.

But instead, he played it safe—and that had cost him his chance.

Vulcan continued, "Why were you restraining your wings? You are a fucking dragon! And that fucking vulture was torturing you in the air?!"

Hades lowered his head…he still hasn't gotten used to using <Featherless Flight> so it never crossed his mind.

"And where is your Dragon's Gaze?" Vulcan asked, his hands crossed, "You should have crushed their will to fight with your killing intent. I know that you have been killed before, not once or twice but hundreds of times. Yet….tch, as I said, you are disappointing."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading. Hades is going to be taught basics now.

Next chapter will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.