Screams.

A full suite orchestra of screams spread through the air, bringing together the ghastliest of symphonies one would ever get the displeasure of hearing.

Broken splinters of wood and uprooted chunks of the ground flew up into the air. The traces of tranquil grasses in the green montane paths were crushed, trampled, destroyed. 

All the crude houses built up by the villagers of old were brought down as a colossal red tail swept through the incline. Rigid scales like flaky concrete covered the entirety of the red tail and the giant body it connected to.

“RUN! The Contulin Dragon! The Contulin Dragon is here!!“

Men and women grabbed their children and ran away from the ravaged craters that used to be their homes.

Donning tiny ashen tunics and tinier brown trousers, four children with wooden swords and shields in their hands ran down the rocky mountain paths. Their tear-filled eyes couldn’t see the brown of the dirt and the gray of the rocks ahead as their bare feet pressed down on the sharp fragment and sent pangs of pain up their legs.

The child at the forefront was about to tumble down the incline when a soft hand appeared at his sides and swooped him up.

“Jimmy! Jimmy! Thank god!”

“Mom!!”

Following right behind, the mothers of the other three children rushed and embraced their kids. They hugged them and stroked their hair, frantically checking for any wounds or injuries. The children felt safe in their parents’ arms, children as they were. The thoughts of the dragon left their mind as the tears they held back with all their might flowed out like a flooding well.

“Jimmy, Jimmy!” It was then that a weak voice, almost like a groan, called out to the leader of the children. Jimmy and his mother turned back to see a woman with silver hair staring at them. Her mouth hung open and pain reflected in her eyes as she held the bump in her belly with one hand.

“Where is he…” she asked. “Where is Vincent?“

“V-V-Vincent…” Jimmy pulled in his snot as his teeth chattered. His eyes widened and tears surfaced again at her question. His mother’s gaze was as worried as everyone else’s as they faced him. “We were playing hero… h-he was playing the guardian… waiting on the peak…”

“No…” the woman shook her head as realization dawned upon her. Her son, her only son. He was waiting up at the tallest peak of the region.

Her Vincent was the closest to the dragon.

Holding back her tears, the woman turned toward the village. “Vincent! Vincent!” she screamed his name as she waddled closer to the dragon. Tears streamed down her eyes. She wanted to run, but it was impossible.

Before she could do anything reckless, the other mothers held her hand and pulled her back.

“You can’t, Lydia!“

“Let me go! My son! He’s!“

“No! Think of the baby!” Jimmy’s mother said. No matter what her words were, the only thing she could imagine was how she would’ve done the same if it was her son that was lost. She felt her heart tremble, calling her a hypocrite, but she knew it was the right thing to do. She swallowed her weakness and pulled Lydia along down the path.

“You can’t. You can’t.” As if chanting a mantra, she pulled the pregnant woman along. Her screams and calls did not stop for a second.

 

---

 

The Contulin Dragon.

A being of enormous scale that would crush a galleon with only its feet. The giant dragon, covered with red scales, swung its tail down on the village, crushing a line of houses with a single sweep. It stepped ahead and mowed down the helpless cattle under its feet. It flapped its wings and blew away the rows of corps at the brink of yield.

The Contulin Dragon.

A being of dreams and tales that would only appear in stories of heroes and the achievements of knights. The immense dragon had made the village its target today. It snapped its head and looked around the settlement that stretched all over the short yet numerous peaks. Its eyes fell on the group of mothers and children running away from the fields and from the village. 

The sky above the red being lost its light as a fiery ball coalesced near its mouth. The dragon opened wide, magical energy flowing from all ends of the village and to its breath.

{Skill: Flame Breath}

A window appeared in front of the dragon as the magical energy surged. The grass around it uprooted and dust rose into the air from the sheer force of the magical energy, yet the Contulin Dragon continued charging its breath.

{Calibrating Aim: Processing}

The window in front of its eyes formed a crosshair. It rapidly moved all over the place as the Dragon readied to target the innocent children and the panicking parents. 

It stopped.

The crosshair of the system did not land on his targets, nor did it land on the dozens of other villagers escaping in its sight. Instead, the crosshairs stopped on the tallest peak in the village.

There, atop a lofty boulder, sat a child. His feet crossed and his hands sat against his knees as the child’s silver hair fluttered in the wind that had formed as the aftermath of the dragon’s skill.

{Skill Cancelled}

The Contulin Dragon turned its head up to look at the child in front of him. Pale skin the color of snow and long hair reaching up to his shoulders. The child had soft features, his cheeks squishy and lips pink as roses. The fit little child would have passed for a fairy any day, had it not been for his expression. Green eyes the color of emeralds stared deep into the dragon’s yellow. Not a fold appeared on the squishy nor near the sharp eyebrows, as the boy’s lips remained firm.

“Appraisal,” the dragon muttered.

{Skill: Appraisal <Dragon Eyes Enhance>}

{Error! Could not appraise the target}

The dragon could feel his eyes growing wide and bulging out. As if ants were crawling in its head, the wave of surprise spread through its face and to the back of its brain before sliding down its spine.

A failure of Appraisal. It would only happen when the skill was blocked by another. But what kind of skill could stop a dragon’s eyes?

Only one possibility entered the dragon’s mind. 

The being in front of it. It was stronger than the dragon itself.

That being? A child? A mere child? 

The Contulin Dragon.

A being of strength and pride that would make even heroes of yore bow at its feet. The wrathful dragon was about to snap out and crush the child when its eyes met his. Neutral and calm like a frozen river, not a ripple of fear or doubt appeared in the child’s eyes that seemed to swallow the dragon into the ocean of their depth. 

Fear.

It felt fear.

“Who…” the dragon asked before snapping its mouth shut and shaking its head. “Nay. What… are you?“

 

---

 

“Nay. What… are you?“

Vincent stared at the dragon in front of him with an aloof gaze. Though he could see the scary monster with its sharp fangs and deadly eyes, Vincent’s mind was somewhere.

Nowhere in the scenario that they had decided on, was a dragon mentioned. He wasn’t to be misunderstood. Dragons were a frequent topic in the conversations he had with his friends. He just didn’t think one would pop during this round of their roleplay game.

Just what kind of immersion were his friends going for? Vincent believed himself to be a perfectionist, which was a big word for a six-year-old, but he still believed it. That being the case, the fact that he never even thought of bringing in an actual dragon made him ashamed. He couldn’t hold himself up to the ideals he had set.

This was a situation for him to redeem himself. Vincent thought of the word that he heard when a bunch of traveling performers had passed by the village.

Improv. It was time to improv.

Never wavering even for a second, Vincent kicked into character and said. “I am…” he paused and lowered his voice. The curious dragon leaned in. “The guardian.“

“G-guardian… So you mean to say, a kid like you—”

“—Quiet!“

The Dragon snapped its mouth shut. Never in its life would it have imagined that its words would be cut off. Yet, this child in front of it dared to snap at it. The dragon once again wondered about the strength of the being in front of it as it stayed quiet. Just what kind of master would the child have to be? Was he a being bestowed with a great class, or a reincarnator? A regressor?

Despite its thoughts, Vincent was nothing of the sort. Vincent continued staring at the dragon after asking it to shut up. He wanted to go off on a speech about treating the guardian with respect and about the dragon’s insolence, but messing up while speaking would have been unbelievably shameful, so he gathered his thoughts and practiced his words in his mind.

On the other hand, the dragon interpreted the silence as the guardian’s way of testing the dragon. After thinking about it, the dragon wondered why a powerful being would bother explaining anything to the dragon anyway. In fact, it was a trick it had used on the many beings that had dared step into its lair over the years. So the dragon knew, the being in front of it was showing mercy. 

“Apologies,” the dragon said. “I ask, do you mean you are the guardian of this village?“

Now this! This was part of the script!

“Incorrect,” Vincent said, maintaining the stoic role of the guardian. “I am the guardian of the future and the past, the guardian of what has been and what will be. I may be the guardian of this village, but I am also the guardian of you, and all that ye destroy.“

The dragon reeled back. ‘Past and present? Time! Has been and will be? Probability! Me, the village, everything I destroy? Creation! Just whose ire have I earned? I thought it was a strong being when I couldn’t appraise it, but a god! A god has appeared in front of me!’

Seeing the dragon step back with clattering teeth, Vincent pumped his fist in his mind. ‘Nailed it!’ he said to himself. It was perfect, the words and the delivery! Reading novels upon novels every time he was to study had helped him in ways he couldn’t have thought of.

“Oh, Guardian of Time and Creation, forgive my insolence.” The Contulin Dragon bowed its head, half in fear and half in respect. Begging to be let go was the only thing it could ask for. Now that it had disrespected the being, that was all it could do.

The horns on the bowing dragon’s head entered Vincent’s gaze, the orange tint of the setting sun clear in his eyes. 

‘It’s late. Mother might get angry.’

Thinking it best to wrap it up right here, Vincent slowly stood up and walked closer to the dragon. He thought he should peek down the range, in case his mother might be coming to beat him up. The dragon shuddered at the approaching child but remained quiet.

“Return,” Vincent said. He hoped anyone coming up would understand that he was still in character and go back after hearing his words. For good measure, though, he added some explanation too. “I shall seek you out soon. This play… the real beginning is yet to come.“

‘OH, MY GOD!’ The Dragon screamed in its mind. ‘I thought I attacked the village from boredom, but was it all providence? Does that mean… the guardian had summoned me here?! He could even control my thoughts? Wh-what an immense being… Whatever play he has laid out, I have become a pawn of it. I treasure my life. I should comply!’

“I understand. O’ Guardian!” The Contulin Dragon announced. “I shall await the day when you call me again!“

Vincent wondered what the Dragon was on about, but chalked it up to it being tight on time as well. Vincent met the Dragon’s sincere gaze and nodded.

Words weren’t needed anymore. The Dragon knew the Guardian would tell it whatever it needed to know. After another deep bow, the dragon’s wings unfurled and flapped up. A torrent of air spread over the village, blowing away the signs of its destruction again.

That was the last the people of Lunask saw of the Contulin Dragon.

“I shall head home too,” Vincent said. “How did they even get a dragon?“