The Legend of Igashu and Epala

First Encounter

Prologue

It was late at night, I was ambling my steps rapidly in a massive way. Gleaming on my ears, where I knew for sure that my little princess awaits my presence. I saw no one as I sauntered beyond the village, hauling the present that I made for my little princess. When I suddenly heard a limping sound like an old man, lurking near the white bridge village, where I knew for sure where my little princess used to wait for me. I gently peek when I saw Esme turned into a melted acid, I was in terror from the glimpse I saw. I was paralyzed to move, still not getting the whole scenario. I turned my head to the creature who was oddly tilting its head, I scanned and noticed a scale on its skin, nails as sharp as a knife, and ears that were lanky like a grotesque one. I howl in agony after I manage to realize her death right in front of my eyes. I shriek out loud, making the grizzly creature surge in my direction. Turning the whole scenario into a commotion. It was late when I noticed the strange figure vanished when a young maiden shoved the creature away, drowning under the bridge. A tear drops on my face as I crunch and clench my fist in outrage. "Ferals" she mumbles as she offers out her palm, reaching from mine. I shut my eyes and weep in misery, staring at the rotten body of my little sister who vanished in an instant. That night was traumatic and unbearable to me.

Chapter I First Encounter

There was a legend about dragons. Someone informed me about the dragon's existence when one of our tribes cast an animal into a giant serpent and used it as a weapon for a battle between the Subartu and Elba empire's conflict. An Averchinari pleaded to the late emperor of the Akkad empire to ratify her notion, persuading the king to grant her wish, saying it will benefit their economy by petting those giant serpents, making them front liners, soldiers, and the royal's personal transport. The late emperor was said to have agreed to their agreement. Later, they found out that the crown prince of the Akkad empire was accidentally killed by the serpents that the Averchinari used to construct. The King was furious and ordered his men to execute every dragon loitering near the palace. Even our very own kind was on the verge of the king's threat, we had to conceal ourselves by hiding in a place where no one had seen to visit the island, the Fiasco mountain. An island that no one has ever riches on that place. We, Averchinariams are a guide spirit, and healer of the soul, body, mind, and spirit. With the four tribes of the clan, the Agranthis, head of the tribe, healer of the soul. Delmetorvo, critics, and healer of the physique. The Schelvians, the instructor of the four tribes, are healers of sanity. And the Brovioms, learners from the Schelvians, healers of the spirit. And to retrieve our clan, the Emovinorioms, or the ancestor and founder of the Averchinari clan, concluded to develop a possession to gain power given by their mana that was absorbed inside of us.

We are the Averchinarims who can bid a magical power for healing bases, and being one of the clan is hopeless. We were only a spirit without a soul, once we died we will never come to life since we were just a spirit without a soul. therefore, we always took the path that would not risk our kind and prevent our clan from being extinct.

"Igashu Cassius, son of Maya, who bid a forbidden spell. You are banned from using any magical abilities and will never be acknowledged by the four tribes" said the critics of the tribe who uphold the law of the Averchinariams. I bowed my head to Delmetorvo as I implored my courtesy to the critics. On the day of the declaration as a full-fledged physician, all of the clan gather at the shrine where the possession took place. The day of declaration is when they proclaim the official clan you belong to, whether you are a critic, a judge, an instructor, or a learner. And the possession where the Emovenorioms share their mana with the clan and serve as our healing power. And to gain the mana and absorb the power given by our ancestors, each Averchinari must suffer an illness after consuming a powerful mana. Some were unable to outlive the pain and ended up dying during the possession, some were severely injured and decided to abandon their healing ability. And some survived.

During the possession, I was prohibited from entering the shrine. I spent my time peeking at the gate, wishing that someday, I would be declared a full-fledged physician. I chuckled knowing that it would never happen in my entire life. I decided to flee from the site and strolled back to my quarters when a young maiden approached me and said. "I can make you one of us, no, I will turn you into a powerful physician if you agree to join hands with me" a sinister face I saw from hers as she whispered her words. Result of my curiosity to gain power, I agreed to join hands with her, on one condition.

" As a member of the Agranthis clan, I will let you experience being part of our tribe, on one condition, you must eliminate every serpent loitering and lurking on the entire village of Mesopotamia, from the Akkad, Elba to Subartu empire, every piece of the giant creature must die by piercing their heart, you can tame the dragons if you attack their tail, that is their weakest spot." As she mumbled those words, portraying her scheme, soothing an extinction to the dragon's kind. An expression of a bolt from the blue can be seen on my face, gaping at her with a qualm.

The next day, I fled from the island where we were staying, isolated and hidden. From the northeast, I traveled to the lower region and began my mission. I entered from the village of the Akkad empire and initiated the hunting of the lost dragons. As I was strolling to a village known as the East lake village, I came across some Babylonian civilians, who were trekking barefoot on their way to their prospective houses. I remember encountering a tall skinny maiden, with curly dark hair and skin that render like a tanned brunette beauty, her lips were moped in pink. I followed her behind when I noticed a glare coming from her, side-eying me as she turned her head around, halfway facing my spot. I then separated my ways from her and went west, drifting to the virgin aisle village near the Akkad palace. I saunter and wander until I manage to reach our old village, the Chanty village where all the clans used to gather in one place, funded by the king who favors our safety. But unfortunately, it was a long time ago, probably a decade and more.

I just realize how stupid I was, I spent my day lurking and circling my voyage when I can just directly walk to the white bridge village and reach it earlier than I did just now, no wonder I was panting heavily, stupid me. As I was resting on a wooden base, I noticed a weird sound coming from behind. I gently turned my head when a grizzling creature crawled on its torso, reaching my spot. I instantly stood up from resting and started giving a massive space between the two of us. I examined the creature and discovered it was blind, her hands had a huge scratch on its wrist, and her nails were torn apart from her hyponychium. Her skin has a hole in it and her head was bald enough to catch a glimpse of her encephalon. It also has a stinking scent just like fumes. I was coughing on my arm, covering my mouth and nose from the fetid odor coming from the creature. I tried to grab some stick to stab the beast when I felt a grasp on my wrist. I looked up and noticed a young maiden, covered with silk on her face as she utters a word that is unbearable to hear. "Ferals, leave and soak your face in the water" a cold breeze shivered on my spine as I heeded her voice echoing in the abandoned village, cold with huskiness on it. I promptly shoveled myself into a well near the village and soaked my face with water, rinsing my face. I heard the sound of her sword being jabbed at someone, I ran back and saw the creature laying on the cold ground.

Igashu: What was that thing?

???: Feral, deadly wild creature

Igashu: What is a feral?

???: Dragons who run wild, most of them are shapeshifters who coerce themselves to impose such a formidable enactment.

Igashu: they're dragons, who what?

???: Chattering idiot, will you quit talking?

Igashu: sorry what?

???: You heard me right…

She departed after mumbling her words that perhaps made me want to convey a bloodlust. I followed her to the exit when we bumped into a man who was calling

out her name. "Moirai" is what I heard.

Igashu: Wait, do you know about the dragons?!

I said yelling as I saw them leaving me behind, I started gluing behind their backs, wobbling as we stroll across the village. "Where are we going?" I asked but no one dared to respond to my query and proceeded to wander to the Lockwood village and embark into their domiciles without even noting my manner as I followed them behind. They were surprised when they saw me loitering near the front door of their inn, taking off my slippers as I pushed to the limit to joining inside their quarters. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" she said, yelling as I froze from taking any further step forward inside the inn. "I was following you behind" I responded as I gently perched on the floor, sliding my butt. "By the way, I caught a glimpse of a young maiden gawking at us from behind just now," I added. "What do you mean by that?" She raised a question while frowning her eyebrows.

Suddenly, a banging noise was given attention, after she interrogated a question to me. The three of us gathered to peep from the outside, investigating the whole scenario but we saw nothing but a taste of a cold breeze, air shivering in our spine.

Igashu: Sorry to interrupt but let me introduce myself to you, I am Igashu Cassius son of-

Moira: Where were you from? I've been dwelling here for over a decade and didn't even recognize your arrival?!

Igashu: I-I came from the village of death.

Moirai: You are from the Subartu empire?

Igashu: Y-yes

Moirai: Why are you stuttering?!

Igashu: because you're making me nervous here.

Cyrus: he's right, look at your face Moirai, a glimpse of you is scary enough to stare at.

Moirai: Why are you taking his side, Cyrus?!

Cyrus: I'm not

Moirai: a ludicrous laughingstock.

Igashu: Can I stay here and spend the night with the two of you?

Moira: No

Cyrus: Yes!

Moira rolled her eyes at her friend and added "not for free, you must clean the entire house, cook, and serve us as well"

Igashu responded with a joyous pitch, emerging with a smile on his face, thankful for acknowledging him inside their domiciles.

In the daylight, Igashu was seen doing his assigned assignments conveyed and instructed by Moirai who was dumbfounded by the action shown by Igashu who was seen to be ecstatic on his own.

Cyrus P.O.V

For the first time in history, Moirai has ratified to allow someone to enroll within our company without retaining any hesitancy and skepticism toward someone like Igashu, careless and jester at the same time. Like how preposterous are you to let yourself confront a feral without knowing how harmful they were? You could either turn like them or subside like smoke in the air, luckily Moirai was quick enough to scent the feral attack, where she can sniff two blended scents of a soul and the shapeshifter dragon colliding in one place. But before the incident occurred, Moirai felt an odd sensation, she senses only the scent of the shapeshifter without someone else's soul. This could possibly be her motive for acknowledging a vagabond traveler.

As a shapeshifter dragon itself, we conceal our true form after the bloodlust of the late emperor of the Akkad empire, and the incentive for lingering near the palace was to assure our last will to the Akkad royal blood. That for the last time, we will ensure their safety from any attack coming from the other empire that seeks the downfall of the sixth emperor of the monarchy. We were still hunting other dragons who withstood the downpour of our kind after the slaughtering regime in the previous year that had passed. We were only nineteen who gathered in this Lockwood village, withholding our true form as a human shape. We cannot rest assured that we will turn like the ferals who undertake several shape-shifting techniques. Well indeed, there are wise, weak, and other serpents who might outlive back then and afford to flee or conceal their form into something bearable to familiarize their true structure.

In the past, I only managed to recall the five types of dragons. It was said that the Averchinari who endeavor our kind were said to collect reptiles and one human form to conjure our kind. The first serpent who was able to conjure was the Weagenona dragon, a warrior of the knight, rendered as a snake that can manipulate poison on their bites, they're that kind of dragon that is slighter on the ground or even underwater. They can either cloak to conceal their true form or attack their prey. In the legend, they were known as a traitor companion. The second serpent that was cast by the Averchinari was the Frofroen dragon, which I belong to this kind. We are the healer of the soul and were said to be rendered as lizard reptiles. We were known to have a sticky scale and were labeled as the weakest serpents that were ever cast. A type of creature like us was able to squirm on land without wings, the same thing as the Weagenona dragon. For the third serpent, the Dayyelsun dragon who was rendered as a scorpion, it was said in the legend that they were the grumpiest type of serpent that was ever cast by the Averchinari. They were labeled as the slayer of the serpents, they have the skill to read someone's mentality and can even control them. They're the type of form that has wings with tails that has poisonous venom. The fourth serpent was known to be rendered as the lion figure, the beast, and the wise hunter. The Earfoley dragon is known as the destroyer of earth, there are no other details about their kind but was said to be the most harmful serpent that was ever cast. And for the last classification of dragon, the Ambidexterity dragon, the eternal, Moirai's mammal kind of serpent who was known to be rendered as a human structure, they were said to be able to manipulate all the abilities of the previous dragons. But Moirai insisted on conjuring or cultivating all the abilities of our kind.

Additionally, we have a privilege that no one should ever comprehend, for they might take advantage in the future and affect our souls.

We, the Transvovion or known as a shapeshifter human structure must conceal our true form, or else, we died in the hands of the emperors who ruled the entire monarchy. We were just mere souls without a spirit to live for our second life. We are not like human beings who have a body, soul, and spirit, once die can live a second life after death, and be reincarnated in the next life. Unlike us, we will perish in the human world like dust in the air once we die or become ferals.

End of Cyrus P.O.V

Moirai: Cyrus! What are you doing?! Go assist Igashu in his chores!

Cyrus: Yes your highness

Moirai: How dare you call me "your highness! Do you wish to be beheaded by the royal guards?! What if someone hears you, idiot?

Igashu was stunned by the bond between the two. A feud between a human and a lizard in front of a weakling physician who was in terror by the quarrel between these two clowns. Without even knowing what lies ahead of their futures as the soul and the spirit collided in the end they would modify themselves into something new from their previous roles.

Epilogue

"I was on the verge of a hurry, I'm running out of time, and I got to explore this town and its privileged insights. I cannot quit without having a clue, or else I'll die of inquisitiveness and might be neglected as a weakling vagabond. I need to know more about the ferals and the lost dragons. I was strolling at the Eastlake village when I took note of somebody who was wobbling behind my back, I turned around, side-eying the jobless civilian who appears to be destitute, I took a glare at him to alarm him sufficiently to escape from my spot, luckily I manage to scare him and proceeded to dig into about the dragons. I was able to reach the area known as the Chanty village, it was said to be the residence of the physicians within the legend. I was pondering when I noticed a man and a lady chatting. She was carrying a sword on her wrist when her companion cleared out to splash himself at the well. I saw the decent maiden butchering a nonhuman structure. I must take after them and explore with them what they know approximately about the ferals and the lost dragons. "

"So they knew about the legends of the dragons, I must take in myself and form an allay on them. "

End of chapter 1