Gods Eye Lake was like a sheet of blue hammered out by the sun, covering a large portion of the world.
The tranquil lake surface shimmered, resembling a large piece of blue copper foil.
Gods Eye Lake was especially lively today.
Various boats sailed on the lake, all equipped with Scorpion Crossbows. Rhaegar had arranged this to test the strength of himself and his dragons against the anti-dragon weapon, the Scorpion Crossbow, to see just how formidable it was.
The Scorpion Crossbows were blunted, but still quite dangerous.
On a hidden shore not far from Gods Eye Lake, Rhaegar and the Silver Emperor faced each other.
Black Dragon Balerion and Purple Dragon Vhagar circled low in the air, maintaining vigilance for the two.
The Demonic Dragon's leathery wings spread wide, casting a massive shadow across the sky.
A cluster of flames ignited from Rhaegar's fingertips. Black, blue, gold, bronze, and dark iron colors flickered and shifted, resembling a brilliant rainbow in the sky. Runes occasionally danced within the flames, which transformed into the shapes of ancient shields, longswords, and warhammers, and also manifested as large fish, three-headed eagles, and springs of water. This was a flowing flower of fire.
Confusion flickered in the Silver Emperor's molten-gold eyes; he didn't understand what his partner was doing.
Rhaegar raised the flame, displaying it near the Silver Emperor. "Breathe your true fire! Young man."
The Silver Emperor hesitated, then began to prepare. The flame condensed and compressed, brewing in his neck like a snake. A small ball of brilliant silver fire was exhaled, enveloped by an outer layer of golden halo. The Silver Emperor's scales began to shine brightly, looking like glowing silver jade.
The silver flame was so hot that the air warped. Enhanced by the Purple Dragon Nest and various runes, the Silver Emperor's fire was extremely heavy and abundant.
The two balls of fire began to collide—Rhaegar's colorful flame and the Silver Emperor's gold and silver flame. Yet, they struggled to merge, remaining in constant opposition.
Rivers of fire crashed together, and the flames bathed both the man and the dragon in a halo of light.
The flames were fighting each other, yet they struggled to melt and reconcile. The Silver Emperor controlled the volume of his fire, sensing his partner's requirements.
When the time came, Rhaegar dripped his own blood into his flame. The Silver Emperor also considered this; the dragon's blood carried high heat and intensity, flowing with silver light and high temperature. The blood was not melted by the fire but was instead encased—the true dragon's blood within the flame.
Ordinary vows require ink and paper, but the Mind Rune requires the affinity of fire to fire, blood to blood, and heart to heart.
The two clusters of fire continued to clash, Rhaegar's flame and the Silver Emperor's Dragonflame, intensifying their power.
The fire and blood finally burned together until similar points of light began to appear on the brows of both the man and the dragon.
Rhaegar felt slightly exhausted to the point of collapse, his face pale. Generating such a massive amount of flame was tiring.
Fortunately, the ritual was nearing its end. Rhaegar and the Silver Emperor both ceased their flames. The two previous fire clusters interlocked like a chain, as if applauding their friendship, and then slowly began to dissipate. Finally, a single, indistinguishable ball of multi-colored flame split into two, rushing back into Rhaegar's and the Silver Emperor's bodies respectively.
Similar points of light flickered on their brows.
The Heart Curse officially took effect.
The Heart Curse is the foundation of the Binding Spell. Some require whips and long spikes to control a Demonic Dragon, but the highest-ranking Valyrian Dragonlords choose Binding Spells and the magical horn.
There is a pact between humans and dragons; the deeper the bond between them, the better the effect of the Binding Spell.
"Binding Spell (Heart Curse): Perfect. Blood and fire merge and grow together. When you ride a Giant Dragon, you and the Demonic Dragon will be a pair of Half-Dragons."
"Dragonflame!" Rhaegar silently commanded in his heart. The Silver Emperor did not hesitate, spraying massive Dragonflame toward the great lake ahead. The silver fire caused the lake water to boil and evaporate.
"Silver Emperor, maintain low-altitude flight!" The Silver Emperor plunged into Gods Eye Lake with Rhaegar, maintaining ultra-low flight and casting a huge shadow.
"Silver Emperor, maintain high-altitude concealment and protect yourself." The Silver Emperor soared into the high sky again, reducing his figure to a tiny speck of light.
The other two dragons sensed their partner's emotions and immediately joined the fray, indicating they were also part of the group.
Gorgeous Dragonflame shone like brilliant light, and the sky was filled with the roars of the Demonic Dragons. The dragons with beautiful scales glowed brightly all over, resembling the most dazzling gems.
This was yet another time the Demonic Dragons roared above Gods Eye Lake, but there was no tragedy of war sorrow or kin-slaying, only joy and elegance.
Currently, Rhaegar could only sign the Heart Curse with the Silver Emperor. The other two Demonic Dragons, relying on the Blood and Fire Chain, could clearly sense Rhaegar's and the Silver Emperor's emotions and movements. Although the coordination was not as perfectly precise as Rhaegar commanding the Silver Emperor, it was still quite skillful.
It was difficult to separate the three dragons; they preferred sticking together. The Silver Emperor acted as the main attacker, with Balerion and Balerion serving as supporting Demonic Dragons. There was no lack of martial ethics; although the three dragons also attacked each other in competition, they were ultimately a team.
Rhaegar felt exhilarated. This was the true Old Valyria Air Force: flawless coordination between man and dragon, like moving one's own limbs. Only this way could the Demonic Dragons unleash their greatest power.
The Targaryen Family, when riding Giant Dragons, especially younger ones, often failed to control the dragons' emotions and state, leading to many tragedies.
Regarding the magical horn, Rhaegar knew there were several horns: the dragon horn and the horn of winter. The dragon horn, currently, was highly likely still within the Smoking Sea Ruins. However, Rhaegar temporarily did not plan to enter the Smoking Sea, as it was truly too dangerous. Perhaps he would wait until his strength was greater before joining that exploration.
Rhaegar looked at his Status Panel; all his attributes were skyrocketing:
[Rhaegar Targaryen]
Identity: The Last Dragonkin (currently the only surviving Dragonlord), Blood of Fire (High-tier superior, considered outstanding even among the Valyrian Dragonlords. Activating the Heart Curse, Man and Dragon Dance Together. Fire Resistance and Fire Vigor continuously deepen. You are capable of being intimate with Demonic Dragons and mastering most Blood and Fire Magic in the world.)
Titles: Born at Summer Hall, Lucky Rhaegar, Silver Prince, Victor, spearbreaker, The Unburnt, Father of Dragons, Silver Dragon Prince, silver dragon knight.
Rhaegar looked at his long, tedious string of titles, but each one seemed to hold commemorative and symbolic meaning.
Aptitude: Dragonlord Potential (The pride of the Dragonrider, a Born Dragonrider), Sword Heart and Zither Mind, Awakened Dragon, Dragon Dreamer.
Charisma: Likable Silver Prince (Affinity with people, regardless of gender), Early Sage, triumphant general, silver dragon knight, Friend of Dragons (Affinity with dragons).
Rhaegar noticed his aptitude had begun to change. After awakening the Giant Dragon, this attribute turned into Dragonlord Potential. And the charisma not being limited by gender was somewhat terrifying.
Rhaegar then looked at his Achievements: kindling devourer, fate changer, dragon pact (Heart Curse enabled, bond continuously deepened), Rune Combiner (Mastery of Shield, Sword, and Hammer runes, corresponding to Defense, Attack, and Strength), Blood and Fire Chain (Man and Dragon Dance Together, guides and inspires all Demonic Dragons).
game of thrones (Player), Commander, Dragon Warrior (High-tier, mastery of some Fire Magic and Runes), lucky one, Dragon Dreamer, Explorer, Weapon Mastery (Proficient in Saber, Spear, Sword, Bow), Precise Strike (Increases attack accuracy).
Collection: Rhaegar Targaryen's dragon kings ring (Not fully developed), heart of fire dragon nest.
Rhaegar was very satisfied with his achievements. A Targaryen Mutant, crazily Allocating Points to Attack, Defense, and even Luck and Exploration.
Among all the peer heirs Rhaegar had met, only Fergo made him feel wary, alongside a bit of mutual admiration.
The foundation of the Sealord of Braavos was in no way inferior to the Targaryen Family, and in terms of financial resources, they even surpassed the Dragonlords. It wasn't too difficult for the Sealord Family to cultivate a perfect heir. Fergo was capable of enduring hardship and possessed extraordinary perseverance. However, Fergo had damaged his vitality and essence, and Rhaegar felt he would surely be plagued by severe illness in the future.
Rhaegar rode the Giant Dragon, rising with the wind, and began circling above Gods Eye Lake. Barristan, standing at the bow of a ship, still intended to advise Rhaegar.
Ser Barristan and Ser Thalassar looked worried. "Prince, this experiment of yours is too crazy."
Rhaegar smiled slightly and added, "Sirs, I am fully armored. Just let them fire. Furthermore, not all the Scorpion Crossbows are firing right now; we are starting with small-scale tests."
The White Knight could rest assured, watching how the Silver Prince and the Silver Emperor would defeat the enemy.
It was a great yet insane experiment. Rhaegar had ordered all the ships to be equipped with Scorpion Crossbows, and also arranged for Goldenheart Wood Longbowmen. The Targaryen dragons were born and trained for combat, but the intensity Rhaegar was applying was indeed excessive.
To better protect the young dragons, the first reliance was rune protection, and the second was the fifty imported Goldenheart Wood Longbows. The longbows had a range of up to four hundred yards and fierce power. In naval combat, they were also the nightmare of the Lysene people.
Even so, Rhaegar wanted to test whether his enhanced Demonic Dragons could withstand continuous fire from the Scorpion Crossbows and longbows.
Rhaegar leaped into the air, waving the Black-based Red Dragon Banner.