Titan King: Ascension of the Giant-Chapter 848: A Goofy Son and a Perceptive Daughter
Xalathar was an exceedingly proud creature. Without Orion’s express permission, no one could command it. This included Orion’s own children; neither Elara nor Pallas could move the great dragon.
"Daddy, Pallas wants to ride the abyssal dragon too!" Pallas piped up from his perch on the other shoulder, following his sister’s lead.
As he had grown, Pallas had become cleverer. He had realized that he could often get what he wanted by either egging his sister on or by making his own request right after hers. In such cases, his daddy would usually agree.
"Alright," Orion said, reaching up to ruffle Elara’s hair.
As a look of disappointment began to cross Pallas’s face, only to be replaced by one of hope, Orion reached over and ruffled his head as well. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮
"Tomorrow, there’s a festival at the outer city’s textile market. It should be quite lively. I’ll have Dace accompany you, and you can ride Xalathar there. Remember," he advised, "Xalathar is easy to please. Give it plenty of food, and it will have a better attitude toward you."
As long as his children’s requests weren’t excessive, Orion was quite accommodating.
"Daddy, the fruits in the magical plant garden are ripe. I saved this one especially for you," Elara said. She reached into her pocket, pulled out a bright red fruit, and popped it right into Orion’s mouth.
The familiar, sweet flavor filled his mouth. He knew without thinking that it was one of the rare magical plants Lilith cultivated. It seemed his two little ones had been raiding her garden.
"It’s delicious," Orion said, a broad smile spreading across his face. It was a heartfelt gesture from his adopted daughter. The gift itself was small, but the sentiment left him feeling satisfied and content.
"As it happens, Daddy has a gift for you too."
After swallowing the fruit, Orion flipped his hand over, and three amber-like gems appeared in his palm. Within each gem, an elemental sprite—one red, one blue, and one purple—was sleeping.
"Ah... that aura... they’re elemental sprites!" Elara, being a student of magic, had enough knowledge to recognize them instantly.
"It seems our little Elara’s knowledge is growing broader by the day," Orion said, carefully placing the three amber gems into Elara’s small hands. He had obtained them from Aerin, and in all the Stoneheart Horde, Elara was the most fitting owner.
Elara cupped the gems, her face a mask of undisguised joy and curiosity. Under the watchful eyes of Orion and Pallas, she began to slowly chant an incantation.
Abruptly, the magical elements from across Stoneheart City began to converge in her hands. A gentle, multicolored light, soft and not at all glaring, bloomed from the gems, the sprites within releasing their own magical glow.
A moment later, three sprites, each the size of a human thumb with delicate features, chubby bodies, and thin, gossamer wings, emerged. They flitted about Elara, tumbling playfully through the air.
"Giggle... hehe... Fun... this is so much fun!" As the elemental energy pulsed from the three sprites, something within Elara’s own body seemed to awaken, filling her with a sense of comfort, joy, and happiness.
"Hehe... from now on, you’ll be Ruby, you’ll be Sapphire, and you’ll beAmethyst!" Elara was truly delighted. She held out her palm, and the three sprites came to rest there. She treated them like new pets, giving them names on the spot.
"Thank you, Daddy! Elara loves this gift so much!" She leaned over and planted a loud kiss on Orion’s cheek.
"Da...ddy... Pallas wants one too!" On the other shoulder, Pallas had been eyeing the elemental sprites with unconcealed envy.
"There are no more," Orion said gently. "These are elemental sprites. They are to help your sister with her magic training."
Pallas’s disappointment was obvious. Orion felt a pang of sympathy and, after a moment’s thought, retrieved a dragon egg from his storage ring and handed it to him. The egg had been a gift from Isabella, brought back from a trip to her own world. While she couldn’t procure dragon eggs in large numbers, as a Lord with an Archlord for a father, obtaining a single egg with a good bloodline was a simple matter for her.
Orion’s original plan had been to possess the egg himself, creating a dragon avatar like Leonidas if he couldn’t find a suitable target for his Scroll of the Devouring Avatar in the short term.
"Thank you, Daddy!" Pallas said, reaching out to hug the dragon egg. Seeing his son, who was barely bigger than the egg he was struggling to hold, Orion suddenly burst out laughing.
Elara turned her head and, seeing the comical sight of Pallas trying his best to hold the egg, also began to giggle. Her laughter was not as restrained as Orion’s; it was loud, free, and unrestrained.
"Go on, go find your mother," Orion said to Pallas. "Your mother is a Beast Tamer. She will know how to hatch this egg."
At the words "dragon egg," both Pallas’s and Elara’s eyes lit up. Even in the Stoneheart Horde, dragons were high-tier creatures, not something an ordinary person could ever hope to obtain.
In truth, the curiosity in their eyes was entirely different. Elara already had her own dragon egg, one that her mentor had even fused with a phoenix egg to enhance its bloodline. She visited her egg every day in the Valkorath Realm. Compared to her own egg, the one Pallas held, while very good, simply couldn’t compare. Just from the elemental fluctuations emanating from it, Elara could tell the quality was not as high as hers.
"Sister, sister, Elara-sister, fly, fly, fly! Pallas needs to fly!" Holding an egg bigger than himself, Pallas could barely walk. But he refused to let go or let anyone else touch his new treasure. So, he turned his attention to Elara.
"Go on, you two," Orion said, stroking Elara’s head, ready to shoo his two delightful nuisances out. "Those three sprites need to get familiar with the castle. Take them to see your mother."
"Daddy, Elara will come play with you again tomorrow!" Elara said, her eyes crinkling into little crescents. She gave Orion another quick kiss, then with a flick of her finger, lifted Pallas into the air and flew with him deeper into the castle.
Watching them go, Orion shook his head with a wry smile. He had seen the look in Elara’s eyes; it clearly meant she would be back tomorrow to ask for another gift. In contrast, his goofy son was so blissfully happy with his dragon egg that he had forgotten to even say thank you or goodbye.
It was clear that Elara was much more perceptive than Pallas. Of course, Orion reminded himself, Pallas was still very young.
