"Village Chief!!! Village Chief!!!" "What? Why are you screaming?" "Ther... There's trouble!!" "Trouble? What could be so troublesome that you forget we are protected by King Heilder?" "A... A dragon... There's a dragon at the front gate!!" "A dragon? So, what? A mere dragon does not frighten me. We have our wonderful King..." "Oh?" I ask from outside the village chief's house. "No fear at all. I'm surprised." I rip the roof from his house. "So, you are the village chief," I say, looking at the priest from earlier. "Where are my friends?" "Your friends? Ah, you must be the visitor from earlier. Well, colour me surprised. I never expected you to be a dragon." "Enough small talk. Answer my question." "I am sorry, dragon whose name I know not. As I said earlier, your friends are not here." "He's lying," screams the little boy. "Tristan?" asks the village chief. "Where were you? We have been looking for you. Come here," he says spreading his arms and wearing a creepy smile, "I w
"An ape-like creature. Its ability to walk on two feet is not the only aspect it shares with humans. The Yeti can understand and converse with humans. Many speculate about the Yeti's favourite dish. Some believe it to be grass, others think snow. However, the truth is that the Yeti is a carnivorous beast who loves the taste of human flesh. With three humans trespassing in this pocket dimension, he is bound to reveal himself." "Two humans," I say, correcting her. "I am a dragon." "A dragon? I see. Now I understand the force behind your magic. But that does not change anything." "Why do you say that?" "The Yeti is the only one of its race. However, because of this, it has an immortal life and regeneration surpassing a hydra's. On top of this, the Yeti has complete mastery over Ice Magic. Even the god governing ice is helpless before its mighty magic. That is why Yeti is known to seek out dragons - who are known as the strongest race - and challenge them to battle. It has felled many
"Do you know where they are?" asks Tess as we run. "I can hear voices." "Do you believe your friend will reach us?" asks the Village Chief's voice. "I know Haruki will find us. And once he does, you will regret holding us as hostages." Rai? Thank god she's okay. "This way. We need to increase our speed," I say, punching through walls. "Even if he does show up, he will never defeat my Yeti." "Haruki is powerful. Your Yeti doesn't stand a chance." "You are adamant on your knight. I wonder... What face will you make when we present his corpse to you?" "Haruki will not fall to the likes of you." "Princess Rai, you are quite the feisty one. I was going to present you to King Heilder, but I think he will dislike your personality. Therefore, I shall take you as my own and present those knights to King Heilder. Now, princess, are you prepared? Do not worry. I have pleasured many in my time. You, princess, will be subservient to me." I feel my blood boiling. I punch through the final
It's been three weeks since we departed. Accompanied by Seanan and Doll, we travelled to the centre of Sakura Kingdom's technology, the City of Science, Lura. "Welcome to the heart of our trade, Lura," says the round gentleman before us. "I am the Duke of this town, Neko Lura, and also the head scientist of that factory over there." He points to the building at the centre of the town. He looks back at me and scans my body. "My, my. What a fine specimen you are." "Specimen?" I ask, baffled. "Neko, cease your rude remarks," demands Seanan. "This here is the hero, and king, of the Borneheimer Kingdom, Niklaus Borneheimer." "The Borneheimer Kingdom? Ah, that ancient Kingdom, huh? Don't worry, Hero Niklaus. I will not bore you with silly science talk." "Science? What's that?" "Oh my, your stupidity knows no bounds, does it?" "Neko!!" yells Seanan. "Hear me, Hero Niklaus," dramatizes Neko, ignoring Seanan's warning. "There are many idiots in this world. This includes our hero, Erika
The next day at the Duke's mansion, I get up early to start training. In the courtyard, I see the Duke. He looks back and waves his arms like a child seeing their hero. "I hope you all slept well," says Niko. He's chipper this morning. "We have some business to attend to," he continues. I look around. "Where are Seanan and Doll?" "They left." "Left?" "Yes, something about Leviathan." "Leviathan!?" I scream, surprised. "Did they find him!? Where are they? Maybe I can...?" "What?" "Sorry?" "Maybe you can... What? What can you do, Niklaus Borneheimer?" "What do you...?" "Niklaus, I will put it in simple terms. You are a liability to your team. An unsharpened blade. Someone with enormous talent, but all of it is wasted on you." Where is he going with this? What happened to him to behave this way? He starts laughing maniacally. "Did you truly think I was a good person, Niklaus Borneheimer? Your friends already saw through my facade, but you... Instead of being aware of your su
It's been three weeks since our departure from the capital. With Yukio and Emihiko, we travelled through a village needing help. The task was simple for the three of us, so we solved it in under a day. Despite their hot-headed personalities, the boys have become quite attached to me. "Is something wrong?" asks Emihiko, concerned. I stare into the campfire we lit. "No," I reassure, "There is nothing wrong." He looks at me suspiciously, then gives in and says, "Okay. If you say so." He gets up and sits next to me. "Hey, Ivy. Can I ask you something?" "Anything," I reply instantly. He looks down, flustered. "C-Can I... can I call you... sister..." He looks up at me, and my eyes are filled with horror. He becomes uncomfortable and says, "No... forget I said anything." He returns to his spot and wraps himself like a burrito inside his blanket. Why did I do that? The more time I spend with them, the more they look like him. My eyes become heavy, and I dose off. I wake up the followi
"Hey, did you notice Aqua avoiding us?" "..." "I don't think it's fear, but something else." "..." "Hey, Elisabeth. Are you listening?" "..." "Hey!!" "It's been three weeks since we left the palace. It's been three weeks since I departed with Haruki." "Is Haruki the only thing you ever think about?" "You try being away from the person you love for centuries. Once you meet him, you won't want to leave him." "But you're the one that said I should leave him be." "That can't be helped. If we took him with us, the King would have died." "The King?" "Forget it. That problem has been solved." And Haruki has grown in the process. "So, do you think Aqua fears us?" "Why are you asking me?" "Because you are the expert on minds." "Memories, not minds. I'm not a psychic. I only read memories." "You know, you both are terrible at whispering," says Aqua, finally speaking to us. "If you can hear us, tell us why you're keeping your distance from us." She continues marching forward,
After rescuing Rai, Erika, and Elsie, we prepare to depart for the Capital City. "Are you sure you want to stay?" "I need to stay here," she says with a mourne-filled expression. "This village depended on the Village Chief. With him gone, we need to rebuild this village into something you would love to see the next time you visit." "Yeah. While you do that, I will rescue Tristan's brother." "Do you know where he is?" "No, but if anything, I'll bet they took him to the capital city." "Knowing the village chief's obsession with King Heilder, I also believe he was taken to the capital." "What is it like?" "What? The Capital?" I nod my head. "I have never been there. I only know it's called Arctic." She hands me a map. "It's not far off from here. If you fly in your dragon form, you should make it in an hour or two." "Thank you, Tess." "I hope you find who you're looking for, Haruki. And don't forget to visit once in a while." We waste no time in our departure. "Looking at th