CHAPTER 10: STORY OF SERENA MAIZONO (CONTINUATION)

SERENA MAIZONO

ORIGIN

“Is Serena Maizono a dragonoid?”

That was the leading news on all media sites. It became something like an urban legend and the rumors spread so rapidly like a virus in a zombie apocalypse. I have faced a lot of controversies during my career, and this is the biggest one. 

I outrightly denied the fact about me being a dragonoid. I lied to the people I used to give happiness. I struggled to dismiss all the claims and allegations even if it was true. My dreams and career would fall if the people discovered that I belong to the slave race.

I was the subject of paparazzi and annoying reporters who follow me around. Even my socialization in my high school was affected. Everyone would ask me “Are you a dragonoid?” and I will just lie that I am not. The same goes for my other co-workers, directors, and even die-hard-fans.

Little by little, my world crumbled. It’s all because of a fellow celebrity named Mayline Leviticus, who turned out to be envious of my achievements. She destroyed my reputation just to steal the spotlight from me. I don’t mind giving her the chance to shine, but I was bothered that she really has to destroy me just to achieve her dream. I am upset and frustrated by the mistake of trusting her to hide my secret. I should have seen it coming.

I became an apple of the eye of various aristocrats. Every day, our mailbox would be filled with letters; offers for my mother to sell me to those dukes and businessman for millions of fortune. They have assumed that I really am a dragonoid even though the fact has yet to be announced in public.

Among those dukes who offered the highest bid for me is a man named Don Lucio; who is well known for running a pleasure slave business in our city. He is also well known for having illegal activities such as trafficking and drugs, and his merchandise doesn’t always involve with dragonoids, even humans are victims of his cruelty. 

Of course, my mother refused to sell me, just like any other offer she rejected. There is no way that my mother would cast me away since we are only leaving with each other.

But one night, Don Lucio’s men seized our house without warning. They kidnapped me and locked me in the basement together with his dragonoid slaves. Accidentally seeing my crimson eyes, he discovered the truth- that I am indeed a Dragonoid. Don Lucio planned that I will be his greatest merchandise and a lot of humans would pay millions just to have their way to me. I will be his money-making object.

Thankfully, at the very same night, my mother and our dragonoid helpers sieged Don Lucio’s manor. Lots of our dragonoid helpers died together with Don Lucio’s men. My mother didn’t involve the police because she didn’t want more people to see the truth about me, and that was her greatest mistake.

My mother killed Don Lucio by stabbing his heart with a knife. She didn’t have any choice. 

And the death of Don Lucio led to my mother’s demise. She was captured by the police, held in the trial, and proclaimed guilty for murdering Don Lucio. She is sentenced for life imprisonment and she is destined to only meet me behind bars for the rest of her life.

My life continued without the aid of my mother. We lost all of our dragonoid helpers, and I ended up living alone in the mansion. With the issues about me that reached the whole country, my projects on show business started to diminish. I had more time for my studies and school, but nobody dared to become my friend for the rest of my youth.

All the people look at me the same. Their eyes are now filled with fear, disgust, and disappointment. Fear, because I was the daughter of a murderer. Disgust, because they think that I am from a slave race. Disappointment, because I was once a shining star who lost its glow and crashed down from the sky. 

I tried to make the world a better place by giving the people smile on their faces. But now, all I get in return are frowns and judging eyes.

Every night, I cry alone in my mansion. Every meal, I eat alone and taste my own tears. Every day, I walk alone on a path of despair. 

Just when I thought that everything has gone worse, the world conspired to give me the ultimate punishment; to materialize my worst fear.

I became a dragonoid slave.

During the last year of high school, I thought my world would still go on. But that’s what I thought. My classmates who secretly hated me for unknown reason circled around like vultures. They tied me up, removed my contact lenses and unveiled the true mystery of my being. Seeing that I became a Dragonoid, they contacted a slave trader from Alterra and sold me to them, earning millions of credits. My classmates divided their profits and had their way to easy money.

While me, I stayed inside the box for three months, together with dragonoids who ended up with the same fate as mine. I was transported from Elysia to Alterra, and I was moved to Vanilla when somebody bought me.

Thankfully, my owner is not a perverted duke. Alas, it was worse. My new owner is a psychotic witch-like duchess whose name was erased on my memory for the reason that I hated what she had done to me.

That duchess; she’s purely evil. She bought me as her torture material, fully envious of my pretty face, nice body, and silky hair. I have heard from her other dragonoid slaves that this particular duchess has been cheated on by dukes to another lady, causing her to be insane. And now she’s venting all her anger towards all beautiful dragonoid girls she could buy.

She chained my arms and hung me, whipped me with stingray tails, slap my face with her hands, and electrocute me like crazy. There are already three dragonoids who died with her torture, and I was supposed to be the fourth.

At that point, I don’t want to live anymore.

I wanted to kill myself before the duchess kills me.

But I don’t want to hurt myself.

I often ask why these things are happening to me, even though all I have ever done is to become a good person. I wanted to make people smile, but the people wanted to take my smile from me.

Just when I thought that I have given up, there came hope. 

I saw a glimpse of it when the Third Dragonoid War on the Vanilla City broke. Dragonoid slaves ran amok on my place, and those who are sick of the duchess’s face butchered her like hungry dogs who failed to eat for several days. 

It just turned out that the dragonoid slaves are part of the resistance called Arcadia, and they have the purpose of liberating all the dragonoids in the whole world. They freed me from the evil slaver, so I went with them and helped them locate and open the cages.

Sadly, the resistance is not powerful enough to defend their ideals. The human army of the Empire of Alterra shot dragonoids to death, fired their cannons to pulverize their secret bases, and used dragon knights to clean off what’s left.

Countless dragonoids died pitifully in front of my eyes; whether they were a terrorist or a helpless house slave. Humans mercilessly purged people who contain crimson eyes. I was the only one left.

I was the only one left to face retribution.

I found myself cornered by four soldiers in an alley. I don’t have anywhere to run. There is a wall behind me. I can never escape.

The four soldiers slowly step in. They are pointing their rifles against me, and any wrong move I make will lead to death. Forget that, these soldiers are planning unimaginable things to me. I won’t just end up dead at this rate.

“Help me! Somebody… help me!” I cried out loud.

I’m scared.

I have lost hope.

I have succumbed to despair.

But all those fear, hopelessness and despair faded when my knight and shining armor came. He relentlessly killed four soldiers swiftly yet in a brutal manner. He’s the man who became my shining light in the sea of darkness.

He is Xenon Wingate.