The Dragon King's Heart

Dante stood on the high ground. He had picked out a good vantage point that allowed him to view most of the nearby forest all at once. He held his hand up to feel the breeze blowing in the air. 

The air was filled with the smell of petrichor, it had just rained a while ago. Now, the grey clouds have cleared out and the animals have come out of their hiding spots. 

"This is a good time for a hunt," he muttered to himself. 

It had been quite some time since Dante got a chance to do so. Hence, he took advantage of the free day he had and headed out into the Lasken region of Dracona. These lands were rich with animals and wild creatures, a perfect place for a hunt. 

While he usually preferred to hunt in his dragon form, Dante decided to challenge himself today. He was going to hunt in his human form. He had chosen one of his favorite weapons, a spear. 

It did not take long for him to find suitable prey from where he stood. Once he caught hold of its scent, Dante sprung into action. He unfurled his large leathery wings and took to the sky. 

As he flew above the forest cover, he kept a close observation of his prey. He was waiting for a good time to strike. After following the creature for some time through from above, Dante landed in a forest clearing and continued on foot. 

He peered over the tree trunk he was hiding behind, grinning as he saw his prey. Despite its large size, the creature trod through the forest ground lightly, barely making a sound as it walked. 

It was a colossal forest deer. 

It was almost the size of an adult elephant, with muscular limbs and a pair of large antlers covered in leaves and flowers. Despite their appearance, the colossal forest deer have been known to be extremely hostile when provoked. 

Dante gripped the shaft of the polearm tightly as he carefully took a step forward. His feet crumpled the dry leaves beneath. The sound alerted the prey immediately. It turned to look in his direction at once. 

The thrill of the hunt was exciting. Feeling brave and courageous, Dante decided to face the deer head-on instead. He revealed himself to his prey. He raised his spear, pointing it at the colossal forest deer. 

"You will be mine," he declared with a grin. 

The deer did not respond verbally to Dante. Instead, it lowered its head in his direction and pawed the ground. Moments later, the deer charged towards Dante at lightning speed. 

For a creature of its size, it moved swift like the wind. Dante easily dodged the deer's incoming attack. He swiftly leaped to the side and swung his spear at it. A fresh wound appeared on the side of the deer's hide as blood seeped from it. 

Dante looked back, "Had enough yet?" 

But the deer was not about to give up. It turned back around. Pushing its front hooves off the ground, it stood up on its hind legs. As it slams its front hooves down. A wave of tendril roots burst forth from the ground. 

They shot out towards Dante, ready to pierce through him. Dante did not flinch nor did he dodge. He chose to take on the attack head-on. As the tendril roots were about to pierce through him, Dante masterfully swung his spear. 

Within a matter of seconds, he successfully cut through every single tendril root. As the pieces fell to the ground, another set came bursting for the ground. This time, some of the roots latched onto Dante's spear. 

It tried to rip the spear out of his hands but Dante's grip on it was tight. 

"Oh no you don't," he said through gritted teeth as he pulled his spear towards him. 

In an instant, a wave of frost enveloped the entire spear, turning it into shades of sapphire blue. The frost spread swiftly through the tendrils, all the way back to the deer. 

Before it could react, the beast was frozen in place and encased in ice. Dante looked on at his handy work with pride. He easily broke off the frozen tendrils and kept his spear as he walked up to his captured prey. 

Dante's ice magic was second to none in Dracona. It was cold enough to instantly stop the heart and kill any creature encased within its ice prison. This was the fate of his catch of the day. 

Seeing how beautiful and soft the fur coat was on the deer, Dante could not help but wonder, "This pelt would make a fine present for Laina."

With that, he made up his mind to give it to her. It had been a while since he had seen her, he wondered if she was doing well. To show his sincerity, not only was he going to give it to her; he would do so in person. 

"That should show her how much I care. Hopefully, she will agree to my earnest request," he said as he scratched his chin. 

Dante stored his kill and his spear in his spatial storage ring. Then, he flew back to his castle. Upon returning, Dante headed straight for his room and took off all his clothes. 

He stepped into the shower and let the rain shower wash down upon him. He wanted to look fresh and clean when he visited Laina. He only gave her the best. The cold water rained down upon his skin, trickling down his rock-hard abs. 

Once he was clean, he turned off the running water before stepping out of the shower. He grabbed a fresh towel off the rack and dried himself off. Then, he wrapped the towel around his waist. 

Dante walked out into his walk-in closet. He carefully picked out an outfit to wear. He had already noticed Marius, who had already made himself comfortable on the sofa in his room. 

"Welcome back, my King," Marius greeted him with a grin as he looked over from where he sat while waving his hand in the air. 

Dante paid him no mind as he took off the towel and changed into the clothes he had chosen. As he buttoned his sleeves while looking in the mirror, Marius walked up behind him. 

"How was the hunt?" Marius asked with a smile as he helped Dante put on his suit jacket. 

"Good. Hunted a colossal forest deer today," he replied casually. 

"A colossal forest deer? Fascinating creature, good hunt."

Dante picked out a pair of leather shoes from his shoe shelf. He sat down on the leather and stood next to the shelf to put them on. 

"Where are you headed to?" Marius asked as he leaned against one of the shelves with his arms crossed. 

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