I Became a Kindergarten Teacher for Monster Babies!-Chapter 579 Painful

For a moment, only the quiet sound of slow breathing filled the room.

Drake lay in the center in his dragon form.

He was asleep.

Curled slightly, his small body rising and falling gently with each breath. His wings were folded against his back, his tail wrapped loosely around his legs. Around him, scattered across the warm ground, were pieces of his old scales.

They lay in the sand like fallen leaves, some whole, some cracked, some no larger than a fingernail. They caught the dim light, glinting dully.

Some still clung loosely to his arms and tail, edges curling, ready to fall.

Others had already fallen off completely, leaving behind patches of new, softer scales that glowed faintly in the warmth.

Blaze walked closer and crouched beside him.

Drake shifted slightly in his sleep, his brows furrowing faintly as if the discomfort had followed him even into his dreams. His mouth twitched, and he made a small sound, something between a whimper and a sigh.

His skin looked sensitive, slightly pink beneath the remaining scales. In some places, the old scales had pulled away completely, revealing the new ones underneath.

Blaze observed quietly, his eyes moving across his son’s small form with careful attention.

Shedding was never easy.

During this phase, a young dragon’s body went through intense changes. The old scales, which had protected them until now, began to loosen and fall away, making room for new growth. Beneath them, new scales formed, stronger, more durable, better suited to hold and channel their growing power. The process was slow, exhausting, sometimes painful.

But it was necessary.

It was how they grew.

The process came with discomfort. Itching. Heat. Restlessness. A feeling of being too tight in their own skin, of wanting to crawl out of themselves and leave the discomfort behind.

And sometimes exhaustion so deep that sleep was the only escape.

Blaze reached out and gently brushed away a loose piece of scale from Drake’s shoulder.

It came off easily, flaking away at the lightest touch.

Drake stirred slightly, his face scrunching for a moment, but he did not wake. His breathing stayed steady, his small body relaxing back into sleep.

"...Good," Blaze murmured quietly, examining the patch of new scale beneath.

The new scales were already forming properly. Healthy. Strong. A deep, rich crimson that would darken as they hardened.

He adjusted the warm covering around the boy, pulling it up higher, making sure the temperature around him remained stable. His hands were gentle, careful, movements that belied their size.

"This is your first step," he said softly, almost to himself. "You are growing. Becoming what you are meant to be."

Drake shifted again, curling slightly tighter, his tail moving weakly across the warm floor. His claws scraped softly against the sand, and his wings twitched.

Blaze watched him for a moment longer, his hand resting on the blanket near his son’s shoulder.

Then he sat back on his heels, settling in to wait.

He would stay here until Drake woke.

That was what fathers did.

Drake woke with a sharp, broken cry.

The sound echoed softly against the stone walls of the heated chamber, raw and full of pain. It was not the loud, dramatic cry he usually made when he wanted attention or when someone took his snack. This was different, full of pain.

Blaze startled immediately, his body tensing, his eyes snapping to his son’s small form.

"Little flame... what’s wrong?" Blaze said quickly, shifting closer. His voice was low but urgent, the calm father melting away to reveal worry.

Drake lifted his head slowly, his large eyes glossy with unshed tears that were already spilling down his cheeks. His whole face was scrunched up, his small features twisted with discomfort he didn’t understand and couldn’t escape.

"Dad..." His voice trembled, rough and strained, barely a whisper. "It hurts so much... it hurts..."

His body twitched slightly, a low whimper escaping him as he tried to curl in on himself, his wings dragging weakly across the heated ground. His claws scraped against the sand, leaving small marks, his tail thrashing once before stilling.

Blaze’s chest tightened.

He had known this would happen. He had gone through it himself. He had watched other young dragons go through it. He had prepared for it, readied the chamber, explained what would come.

But hearing his son cry like this was different.

He gently pulled Drake closer, one hand resting along his side, the other carefully brushing over his snout in a slow, soothing motion. His touch was firm but gentle, the way he had learned to hold his children when the world was too big and they were too small. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

"I know... I know," he murmured softly, his voice a low rumble against Drake’s ear. "I know it hurts, little flame. I know."

Drake let out another small cry, his claws scraping lightly against the floor, his wings trembling. The sound was thinner now, weaker, like he was too tired to even cry properly.

"It’s burning... it’s itching... I don’t like it..." he said, his voice breaking again, cracking in the middle like a branch about to snap. "Make it stop, Dad. Please make it stop."

Blaze closed his eyes briefly.

There was nothing to stop it.

Nothing to take it away.

As fire dragons, they had all gone through this. The first shedding was always the hardest. It was the body’s first real test, the first time it had to tear itself apart to rebuild stronger. The old scales, which had protected them since hatching, had to fall away. The new ones had to push through, harder, thicker, better.

It was necessary.

It was how they grew.

But it hurt. It always hurt.

He remembered it.

The discomfort that felt too big for a small body to handle. The strange mix of heat and irritation, like the skin no longer belonged to you, like you were wearing something too tight that you couldn’t take off. The helplessness of knowing there was nothing to do but wait.

Blaze opened his eyes again and gently stroked Drake’s head, his touch steady and careful. His fingers traced the curve of his brow, the spot behind his ear that usually made him laugh.

"It’s okay," he said quietly, his voice calm even as his heart ached. "It’s supposed to feel like this."