Ryder's eyes widened when he saw a familiar face as he and his dragons walked down the street of Oki. He hid his face and strode away as fast as he could, to the confusion of his companions.
"Hey, you! The one with dragons! Stop!"
"Fuck." He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Green was the first to turn around. The one who shouted was a teenager, much like Ryder. However, unlike Ryder, who wore a casual apparel and the jacket he had arrived in this world with, the other teenager was clad in high-quality armor with a halberd strapped on his back. Around him stood three of his party members, though their equipment appeared to be of lower quality compared to his. One of the members, a red-skinned man, glared at Green, making the dragon look away like his rider did.
"Hmm, what's this? An enemy of yours, Ryder?" Purple casually glanced back at the rapidly approaching blonde with a ponytail and scoffed at his stiff human companion.
"Ryder? Is it really you?" The knight was weirded out by Purple, but he still pushed forward and placed his hand on the dragon rider's shoulder.
"N-no...? I ha-ave no idea w-who that is....!" Ryder deepened his voice and tried to play dumb. This made Brown, in human form, snorted and the knight laughed out loud.
"I almost didn't notice you because of your changed hair color, but your awkwardness is as recognizable as ever, Ryder. I can't believe I missed seeing you." The knight turned him around and hugged as tightly as he could. Ryder tried and failed to squirm his way out. "I'm soooo glad I stumble upon a familiar face, even if it's you." The knight then left the hug with a bright smile.
Purple grinned with amusement while Green hid behind his rider, still avoiding the scary red-skinned man.
Ryder sighed and greeted back, "It's good to see you too, Elizabeth--"
"Ah, about my name. Don't call me Elizabeth anymore. I'm Andrew now, remember that~"
The dragon rider froze. His shock gradually turned to confusion, which then transformed into animosity as he pulled Andrew's hand from his shoulder.
"I see. If there's nothing else, Andrew, I will take my leave." Ryder turned around and attempted to leave.
"Come on, Ryder~ Let's hang out for a bit! I wanna know how have you been! And I'm curious--" He grabbed on to Ryder's shoulder again, but his hand was violently pushed off.
"I said," The dragon rider temporarily manifested his draconic eye and glared back. "I will take my leave now."
The knight recoiled slightly. Despite Ryder's rudeness, he still spoke in a friendly tone. "Then, at the very least, let's exchange address cards. You have one, right?" He removed a seemingly ordinary white card from his pocket and handed it to his friend.
The rider glanced at the card for a couple of seconds, sighed, and pulled one out from his waist bag, exchanging it with the blonde.
"See you soon, Ryder. Or whenever you want to meet." He turned on his heel and returned to his companions, leaving a bitter dragon rider behind.
X
"Care to share your story with princess charming back there?" Purple asked mockingly, while the flapping of his wings lifted him and kept him hovering in the air.
Ryder shot him a dirty look and readjusted his sitting posture on the top of a tree. "First, why do you care? Second, not 'princess'. Andrew is a man, and as much as I hate him, I refuse to stoop to his level."
"'Care'? My, you think too highly of me, Ryder. Nothing amuses me more than petty mortal quarrels. It's my favorite pastime."
The human broke off a branch and threw it at Purple, who easily dodged it. "However, I do find it intriguing that you insist on calling that mortal reeked with female scent a 'man'. Was 'he' cursed to be a woman? Your 'refusal' to stoop to her level is curious as well." The purple dragon stopped flapping and lay down in the air, showing off his mastery over gravity and wind magic.
"Just leave me alone. I don't want to talk right now." The teenager turned to stare at the city's massive walls in the distance again.
Purple tilted his head back, contemplating for a few seconds, before floating downward and landed on their camp. The rider was slightly surprised that he wasn't pushed further for a comprehensive answer.
Ryder remained quiet, growing a small bush from the tree to block the setting sunlight. Deep within his heart, the seething fire didn't stop raging since the encounter in the afternoon. The past, as he ruminated on, only served as fuel to the flame. He thought about letting it go, but the idea was instantly charred. "How could he?" kept repeating like a broken record in his mind. Then, at the end of the record, the thought of forgiving the knight surfaced. Maybe he should be the bigger person and let it go. Maybe. Maybe. May-be. Maybeeee. Maybe....
He sighed, took out his phone, and checked if there was anything new to see in futility. Even though the internet connection was strong, the flow of time between the two worlds was vastly different. Barely a day had passed on Earth since he arrived here. He could message his friends and family, sure, but the reply often only came after a couple of weeks in this other world, if he was lucky. Thankfully, access to YouTube and manga websites were not limited by the time dilation. His phone was the only thing that kept his sanity in check whenever a visceral sense of loneliness prowled into his heart and ravaged it. It was why he couldn't help but feel a sense of relief wash over him once his fiery emotions died down. He knew he wasn't the only Earthling wandering around, but meeting one that he recognized laid his fear to rest. Despite his hatred for the person now known as Andrew, he was still glad they met.
Green growled for him from below. He shook his head, trying to ignore the conflicting emotions battling within him, and descended from the tree. The phone was tucked into his pocket as protective vines wrapped it tightly before he washed his hand to start preparing dinner. The green dragon sensed his partner's feelings and tried to lift his spirit up while the other two waited for their meal.
