BURNING

---------- From the ---------

I N S I D E

DEVARSH YAGNIK
 Table Of Contents

Chapter 1: Forest of Gloom 6

Chapter 2: Final Selection 16
Chapter 3: Game of Trust 28
Chapter 4: Ranked 39
Chapter 5: Discovery 57
Chapter 6: First Mission 79
Chapter 7: Inferno Seed 98
Chapter 8: Terra 116
Chapter 9: Who Am I? 135
Chapter 10: White Lies 150
Chapter 11: The DragonSpines 167
Chapter 12: Dragons Unveiled 183
Chapter 13: Burning From The Inside 194
Chapter 14: Drayer’s Talisman 211
Chapter 15: S-Ranked Assassin 231
Chapter 16: Attack! 252
Chapter 17: Hostage 272
Chapter 18: A Morphing Mortal 294

⩶⟪ 2 ⟫⩶
 Before You Read

A world where dragons exist among humans, as

Cloaked Shapeshifters. An organization named
"Drayers"(Short for Dragon Slayers) Is established
to secretly fight off the camouflaging dragons. They
use a special metal to kill Dragons. Although the
reason behind the Dragon's camouflage is still a
mystery, But the Dragons are caught red handed
several times by drayers for mass killings, Human
Trafficking, and Causing Wildfires

The reason why both the Drayers and the Dragons

want to keep themselves hidden is to avoid the
massacre of the Dragons, because not all Dragons
are guilty. Drayers carefully choose the guilty ones
and send their teams to eliminate them.

Diato is a new comer to the organization. After

passing the final selection, He gets his rank and
goes on his first Mission. The mission, However, is
miss-ranked, and he is accidentally sent on an S -
Ranked Mission. His journey of self-discovery
begins from this point on.

⩶⟪ 3 ⟫⩶
Join Diato in a journey where the fate of both
realms lies on his fingertips. A journey where he has
to either kill or get killed.

⩶⟪ 4 ⟫⩶
 MAP

⩶⟪ 5 ⟫⩶
 Chapter One
Forest OF Gloom

She walked right into the trap. As the string

plucked a little with the striking of her leg, it sent a
signal, to the mechanism, and her leg got caught in
the string. The string wrapped around her leg, and
pulled her upside down from the stem, of a dry tree.
She hung upside down from the thread: she stepped
on, and before she could realise what was going on,
and why was she suddenly hanging upside down -
An Arrow Was Fired, from all of the trees, towards
Her. The trees had arrow machines in them, which
shot arrows. The aim of the machines was drawn
toward her and all the arrows fired at once.

Diato didn't just stand there to do nothing. He

immediately pulled out his bow and charged up an
arrow, he took a bit to aim properly, but he wasn't
slow at all. He fired the arrow and it mixed with the

⩶⟪ 6 ⟫⩶
other arrows but only for a while. As the arrows got
very close to her and were about to hit her in the
face. But Diato's arrow was quicker, it struck the
string and tore it.

Diato fell to his knees and threw a knife. The knife

went spinning and tore all the strings across the
area. The trap was disabled. She had barely dodged
the arrows while falling when she saw a knife below
her. She remembered the lady's words at the Wild
Circle.

You're Allowed to Kill your Fellow Drayers, But

Not Allowed to Help them. She thought Diato was
here to kill her so that she doesn't come in the way
of his success. But she was wrong. The knife went
past her before she struck the ground on her head.
She fell to the ground and glanced at Diato who had
cut all the strings which could or had trapped her
and saved her from the arrows. He saved my life. She
thought

She hauled herself into a standing position, and

looked at him, with her yellow, almost golden eyes,
staring at him. Feeling thankfully pleased. Diato
went to her, while they exchanged glances.

"Be careful pal" Diato started

⩶⟪ 7 ⟫⩶
"Thanks," She said,

He ignored her and said, "Let's find that structure

together"

"What?"

"Yeah. There's no point in hiding that we've broken

the rules. Trust me you don't wanna be a drayer
who passed the selection by cheating"

"You're right" She gazed down at her feet, with a

sigh.

With a slight nod, Diato started walking in a

random direction. The girl also caught up to him,
with a little jog. She glanced at him. She realised
she was not short compared to Diato. She looked at
the drop of sweat slipping across his neck, she again
glanced at his face,

"What's your name?" She asked

"It's Diato. What's yours?"

"Mine is, Bella"

"Like the one in the song? Bella ciao?"

"No. Of course not"

⩶⟪ 8 ⟫⩶
"What's your full name?"

"You know we aren't allowed to say our names.

We'll be called by our I'D Code. If we pass the
selection"

They didn't watch their steps but only the words.

They didn't know where they were going but they
were hoping it would lead them to the selection
structure. After trudging for about three hours,
they finally decided to take a break. They came near
a giant tree. Probably a banyan tree. They came
near the trunk. He glanced at her,

"I think it would be a good idea to take a break

here" He started

She was not sure what she was going to do. Does
she have to waste all these months of training,
trying to be nice to a guy who saved her life, and
not become a drayer? Was breaking the rules and
staying with him worth wasting all those months of
training to become a drayer? She would've dodged
her death many times, and this might be one of
them. Probably it wasn't worth wasting her
training. She didn't know that she would not just
have his trust but also his heart. Because he

⩶⟪ 9 ⟫⩶
expected the people to treat him the way he treated
them.

He would be nice to everyone and be expecting

good from the other person too. She was going to
break his heart by betraying him and leaving him
just for some points. She glanced past him, a dragon
was hiding on the branch of a tree. He was just
sitting there, watching them, with his legs swinging
back and forth. She thought that Diato would do the
same and fight her to kill that dragon for some
points.

Diato noticed her glance and saw the dragon

followed by her glance. With a slight smile on his
curled lips, he Turned back at her, she thought he
was going to fight her, for the points. She couldn't
let that slide. She immediately launched her fist
below his chin. She pulled up her leg, and forcefully
landed it on his stomach. He slipped on the ground,
as she ran towards the little dragon perching on the
branch of a tree. She stepped on Diato's stomach
while running. She threw a small anchor with a
thick rope aimed at the branch. The smell of wet
soil reached Diato's nose when he got up to his feet.

Bella pulled the rope, and the baby dragon fell. He

tried to fly but he was too small to learn how to fly.

⩶⟪ 10 ⟫⩶
He fluttered his wings simultaneously but failed to
fly. He hit the ground, still fluttering, trying to get
up on his feet. As she pulled back the rope, ripping
the branch apart from its trunk: she spun it in a
circle around her fist and threw it again, aimed at
the baby dragon's neck. The anchor wrapped
around its neck and hung on the rope.

Diato was still standing there trying to understand

what the fuck was going on, he had been feeling a
little bit dizzy from the punch. He looked at the
poor little dragon baby whose neck was about to get
ripped apart. He found a strange sense of mercy for
him at the back of his head. He wanted to become a
drayer and yet wanted to show mercy to them. He
questioned his goal, and what was his motive, as he
watched Bella pull the rope again: ripping the baby
dragon's head, apart from its body. Blood splattered
on the ground and on her hand. The picture of the
scene was mirroring in Diato's pupils, as they grew
wide in disgust.

"Why did you do that?" He asked, trying not to

sound sad

"Sorry" She replied with a sigh, "I thought you'd

attack me for the points so I did it first"

⩶⟪ 11 ⟫⩶
"It's not about the punch. It's about the baby
dragon"

"Come on he was a dragon"

"A BABY DRAGON!"

"so what? Someone was gonna kill him"

"Really huh?"

"Okay, be real alright?"

"I'm sorry if not as merciless and as cold-hearted as

you expected," He said with rage

He jerked his head in another direction and went

forward. He was half running, half walking, trying
to get away from Bella as soon as he could. Bella
realised her guilt and followed Diato. Trying to
catch up with his speed while jogging but still
falling back several times. After a while, she finally
reached Diato, it seemed like he was walking faster
than a car.

"I'm sorry" She started, trying to get his attention

He was muttering something under his breath. She

was able to derive one word, "Leave". She stopped
immediately: staring at him; feeling the unwanted

⩶⟪ 12 ⟫⩶
guilt in her heart. She knew she shouldn't have done
that. But she couldn't derive why. She stood there
thinking if she was even good at slaying dragons.
She doubted her desire for points. What have I done?
She thought. Is he a dragon himself? No, why would he
save me then? Was he merciful? No, it was a fucking
dragon, who would show mercy to a dragon. What was
it then? Was that about me hitting him twice just for
some points? But he would've done the same, wouldn't
he? She didn't know what she'd done wrong but kept
thinking about it.

He continued his path in another direction. He

walked while dragging his club on the ground and
the other hand on the bow's grip, which was
hanging on Diato's left shoulder. He had lost his
knife at the Distraction Structure. He knew he was
lost, as he didn't know the path from the beginning.
He never knew where he had to go: he just roamed
in the forest aimlessly.

He was disappointed that she would kill a poor baby

dragon. Not that he was betrayed just for some
points, but she didn't have to take that baby's life!
We were supposed to fight each other for points but
why did she kill that fucking baby? The baby didn't

⩶⟪ 13 ⟫⩶
even try to attack us, he just tried to hide himself
from us.

He was thinking all about it again and again in his

mind. He wasn't watching his step; which was an
obvious mistake for a rookie like him. He stepped on
a small stick. It made a satisfying crack sound when
it broke the silence at the moment. Stepping on a
stick wasn't a mistake: but making a sound in a
quiet area would easily attract all the dragons
toward him.

He heard the sound of stepping behind him. He

slowly turned his head around to see who it was. He
finally turned his body along with his neck and
looked at the man standing in front of him, with
long - pointy nails, and pointy - Large ears. His
bright red hairs shone from the sunlight. He stood
in front of Diato, Naked, while they exchanged their
glances.

"Get some clothes buddy" Diato started

"I don't think I will" The dragon spoke.

"Your pointy ears tell me you don't have a right to

live"

⩶⟪ 14 ⟫⩶
"And your Attitude tells me you don't have a right
to be a drayer" He moved his tongue across his
teeth on the upper jaw, while smiling

He raised his unclenched hands in front of his chest

across each other. Little red particles started to
generate out of his palm. They slowly multiplied
and created a fireball. Diato could feel the warmth
of the fireball on his chest. The Human Dragon's
eyes turned orange as he leaned forward and aimed
the Fireball at Diato. Diato, on the other hand,
prepared himself with a tight grip on its hilt-

⩶⟪ 15 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Two
Final Selection

Few Hours Earlier

He Whirled his white fingers around the hilt of a

Spiky Iron Club and picked it up, He also Picked up
A wooden bow, and a leather quiver: full of arrows,
along with a butterfly Karambit knife. Diato's lips
stretched to a side, resulting in a slight smirk, as he
was pretty sure that these weapons suited him best
to slay a dragon. Because if the dragon was close,
he'd use the club, and if it was far: he'd use the bow.
Despite the modern technology; there were no
options for weaponry like guns or grenades. And it
also made sense as it would be hard to make so
many bullets with the only metal which can kill a
Dragon. Because other metals like iron were not
enough to slay a Dragon.

⩶⟪ 16 ⟫⩶
"Are you sure you'll take these weapons, Deleto?"
His Trainer asked him who placed himself in a
relaxing armchair, swinging back and forth

"It's Diato!" He turned to him, With a slight smirk

still hanging on his face. He stared at him with his
dark brown eyes and said, after a long pause, "and
Yeah, I'm pretty sure"

"Okay then, as you wish" The trainer hung a pale

smile on his face, "Look how far we've come! Where
were you then: struggling to handle a butterfly
knife? And where are you now: still struggling with
that knife but with some skills"

"Was it an insult? Or a compliment?" Diato

jokingly raised an eyebrow, as he turned back to put
his selected weapons in a bag,

"Depends on what your last two brain cells think,

Deleto" The trainer smiled widely, trying to control
his laughter as according to him: his jokes were
funny

"It's DIATO!" He smiled as he knew the trainer was

messing with him

⩶⟪ 17 ⟫⩶
"Whatever, you can leave the weapon room now, or
you'll be late for the final selection lobby. And you'll
have to try next year" The smile faded

"I know" He picked up his bag pack: containing the

weapons he chose, "Where's the lobby; by the way?"

"at the Wild Circle"

"'kay," He said while hanging one strap of his bag

on the shoulder

Diato went towards the sliding glass door which

was the only way to enter or exit the weapon room,
as it had no windows or any other doors. The only
thing the room had was a Room large enough to fit
three double-decker buses Horizontally. The Walls
were painted with a colour that looked grey to some
people while it looked off-white to others.

The glass shelves stuck on the walls carry Several

Knives. There were eight to nine shelves on each
wall: all of them filled with different kinds of knives
piled on top of each other. Various kinds of medieval
Weapons like Swords, Clubs, Spears, and Bows
were hanging from the iron nails. The wall on the
right had all kinds of Different Swords while the
Wall in the middle had All Of the spears you would

⩶⟪ 18 ⟫⩶
have seen in your entire life. The left wall was full
of bows.

The Weapons were hanging as if they were in a

museum but with no glass protection. There were
also Some wooden tables with glass tops and
wooden legs on the corners which had things like
arrows, Grips, Handles, Empty quivers, And many
more piled like a mountain on the tables. The door
was on the bottom left corner of the room. Despite
being so large: The room was just a small part of
the Drayers Organization Building in the middle of
the town. But it was well hidden so no one could
find it. It was under the Town centre, and its
entrance was from under Willow Lake.

Diato thought that the glass door was open and

tried to step through it while swallowing his drool
to get rid of his dry throat. But the door was closed.
He Crashed his nose on the glass. His sweat made a
mark on the glass as the pain started to flood. The
trainer, along with some other random dudes,
packing their weapons: chuckled at him for crashing
his nose on the glass door.

There was a big dude, with bulky muscles, he

almost looked like the Incredible Hulk if he was
green. The other two were girls, probably twins, as

⩶⟪ 19 ⟫⩶
they had the same coloured clothes and both had
multicoloured hair. Diato could never understand
why some girls wanted the gay flag on their hair
even when they were straight. He was sure that the
girls were twins or else they'd be fighting each
other for not matching their clothing. Other than
the Bulky dude, The Twins, and His Trainer; No
one was in the room.

Diato was sure that the bulky dude would most

likely smash the Dragons and his chances against
him were low, very low, lower than low itself. He
always had trouble with doors. Even at his own
house. He shook his head and covered his nose with
his hand, gripped the side panel of the glass door
with his other hand, and pulled it open. It didn't.
The door must be jammed he thought. While he tried
to pull it again and failed.

The trainer jumped out of his chair and went

toward him. He gripped the door from the opposite
panel and slid it open, while giving him a pale
sarcastic smile, before heading back to his chair.
Diato stared at the door for at least five seconds in
surprise before leaving the room. But his bad omen
wasn't over yet. While heading out: he struck his
pinky toe on the side panel of the door. He
immediately pulled his leg up and gripped his toe

⩶⟪ 20 ⟫⩶
with his hand while his other hand was still
covering his nose. He jumped across the hallway
with one leg. While everyone continued to chuckle
at him

*****

8:00 PM, Sunday

He slid into the crowd of well over twenty people:

standing in front of a mini-stage at the Wild Circle.
There was an Attractive Lady probably in her
forties, standing on the mini stage. She was holding
a mic in her hand while her other hand swung from
her shoulder. She was wearing a yellow dress. It
was shiny and was reflecting the rays of the
morning sun right into Diato's Eyes. He Lifted a
hand to block the light. His hand wasn't blocking
his vision, but just the light. There was an iron
fence wall behind the mini stage, which had a big
gate and a board on top of the gate that read, "Final
Selection"

Diato wondered how they kept the organization

secret if they had a massive sign saying 'Final
Selection', and an iron fence around the whole
forest. Some very intense discussion was going on
in the crowd,

⩶⟪ 21 ⟫⩶
"Do you think you'll be able to pass the selection
like this?" A voice murmured in his ears,

"I will" Diato turned to see who this bastard was,

and how dare he.

It was an old man with a wrinkled face. his skin

hanging upon his eyes and dark circles which
seemed deeper than a black hole, and darker than
dark itself. his eyeballs popped out of his face as
they could just slide out any time and fall on his
shoes while he would take longer to realize what
was happening because his movements were as slow
as a sloth.

the man was wearing a white cloth beneath his open

torso with a mixture of dense black and white
vegetation on his chest: the cloth looked like what
Diato would call a 'Langot' in his language. Diato
recalled an Indian traditional cloth worn just like
that called Dhoti, which people wore and almost
seemed like it was torn. The old fella barely
stretched his lips across his cheeks, just to throw an
awkward grin you'd make when your friend took
you to a party and you had to act like you were
enjoying it, while you were not.

⩶⟪ 22 ⟫⩶
"What's wrong with you?" Diato asked in
astonishment, "You're very old: what do you think
you're gonna do after becoming an official Drayer?
Tell bedtime stories to dragon kids?"

"I Dunot know what yu are taking 'bout," the old

man said in an Indian Accent while he hovered his
fist in the air, just at Diato's Eye level. He suddenly
popped a middle finger out of his fist and showed it
to Diato, "Phak Yoo"

Diato had come up with the most savage reply in

his mind 'Joe Mama So Fat -' But he decided not to
say to maintain the old man's respect in the crowd
of twenty people.

"Attention Everyone!" The Lady on the stage spoke

in the mic, "We are currently at The Wild Circle,
And behind me - is the gate to the Archers' Woods"

The murmuring in the crowd seemed to disappear

like sunlight disappearing behind clouds randomly
in the monsoon season. The Lady Continued after a
short pause, to see everyone's attention span.

"You'll have Twenty - Four hours to stay in the

forest." She said, after a short pause, she continued,
"You have only two tasks: first - Kill any dragon

⩶⟪ 23 ⟫⩶
you see in sight, second - Find the hidden structure
in the jungle: from where you'll pass the test.
Considering that our Drayers Organization is a
secret society - The People who Fail: will be left in
the forest to be killed"

The murmuring slowly blew back in the crowd. But

their sentences were killed by the lady on the stage,
who announced,

"Last Thing" She continued, "Rules. You'll have to

follow certain rules. There are five rules. First -
Don't Spare any Dragon, Second - More Dragons
you kill; the more points you'll get, Third - More
Points Means Higher Rank and Fewer Points
Means Less Rank. Fourth - You're Allowed to Kill
your Fellow Drayers, But Not Allowed to Help
them. Fifth - You Cannot Quit once the test has
started. But you can do it right now. You have forty
seconds on the clock, for anyone who has changed
their minds, and wants to erase their memories
about Drayers and go back to their normal lifestyle"

From the Crowd of twenty people: six of them

raised their hands, symbolizing that they want to
quit. The lady, with shock, gestured to them saying
'You can leave' Politely. Diato still couldn't figure
out what the gesture meant, or even what the rules

⩶⟪ 24 ⟫⩶
were. The only thing he understood was the tasks.
The rules bounced off his head. The six people
gazed at their feet while leaving back to the
organization to get their memories wiped out. The
clock finally hit forty seconds, and some of the
people regretted not leaving the crowd when they
had the time.

"Now then" She spoke again as the gate slowly flew

open, with an unsatisfying screeching sound. The
sound seemed to speak 'Please oil me!'. The lady
continued, "You should hurry, as the twenty-four
hours start now!"

The crowd rushed to the gate, along with Diato.

Everyone went in different directions, our man
Diato decided that he'll go left, beside the river;
because that was the only way no one chose and he
would seem unique if he did what no one did. Diato
was prepared for it, with his hands firmly holding
the Club's hilt and the other hand on his belt near
the knife. The bow along with the quiver was
hanging on his back with a diagonal leather strap
holding it. And the string holding the bow on his
shoulder.

Diato - Trudging alone, along the Treacherous

path. Making a satisfying sound every time he

⩶⟪ 25 ⟫⩶
stepped on the dry-packed filth leading a way that
seemed endless. Diato now felt like a fool, not
studying the Archers' wood's map. Although he
knew that the selection structure's location was
moved every time, at least he would know where he
was going. He regretted how his trainer only taught
him practically, and not theoretically. Because
everyone else he saw was prepared in both ways but
only Diato was taught in only one way - Practically.

With every step - came a new regret in his mind.

His hands were still holding the club and another
hand on the belt - near the knife. But he was off -
guard and anyone could kill him easily. But he
wasn't that weak either. If he wasn't off-guard, it
would be difficult to do so.

He walked through the depths of the forest. He

came across a Cave, with the text carved on its
stone Archers' Cave I. Diato thought that must be a
trap. Why would there be a random dark cave
inside a forest? He felt a strong prejudice towards
the cave. However, everyone else was trying to find
that cave, because they knew the cave was man-
made, And the other end of the cave always opened
at the selection structure.

⩶⟪ 26 ⟫⩶
Diato was unaware as he was only prepared to fight
and survive. He saw smoke in the distance, Am I
finally there? He thought. The smoke didn't go high
enough so he must be near the selection structure.
He went towards the smoke. After reaching, he
found a campfire surrounded by brown-dead - dry -
Leafless trees. He was going to go to the campfire,
but it seemed like an obvious trap.

He glanced at an almost invisible string, across the

whole area. He leaned down, to see the string
properly, as it shined with sunlight after seeing it at
a specific angle. He bent down until he saw the
shining string, spread all across the Distraction
Structure.

He saw a girl coming towards the structure. But she

was on the other side. He couldn't shout, or he'll be
caught helping his comrades. Which was against
the rules. He tried to gesture to not come there, but
her curiosity rose, as she came closer, and closer, to
the trap. She was unaware that there was a trap. She
couldn't see Diato in the corner of her eye.

⩶⟪ 27 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Three
Game Of Trust

Present

The dragon breathed so loudly, and deeply. Fire

came out of his mouth as he exhaled loudly. Fire
blows aimed toward Diato. Multiple at once.
Somehow, He was flexible enough to dodge them
all. Diato Sat on the ground with his knees, while he
dodged all the fire. He jumped toward the dragon
with his club: ready to strike the Dragon's head.

Before the dragon knew it, the spikes tore the flesh
off his head. the club struck his face and pierced
through his skin. the metal spikes pierced inside the
man's eyes. His eyeballs popped out and rolled on
the ground as blood splattered all over the ground.

⩶⟪ 28 ⟫⩶
his cheek, forehead, and mouth's skin were torn
apart as well. the pieces of skin fell in the puddle of
his blood. He slowly fell on his knees and to the
ground, as Diato Gasped with relief. The metal was
a special one. specially made to kill dragons.

Diato pulled up the club and it landed on his

shoulder. he walked past the headless naked man's
body: half transformed into the Dragon; not enough
to hide his nudity. Diato Thought about eating a
poisonous leaf and dying a stupid death.

Of course, he wasn't afraid of death. but he was

afraid of one thing: doors. He could never open a
door properly without people laughing at him.
Diato was afraid that someday, his future wife
would find out about him being bad at opening
doors. She'd leave him and he would have no one to
rely on.

I wish that never happens. I hope I master the art of

opening and closing doors before I propose to my crush.
Though I don't have any current crush, I surely will in
future, He thought. He walked to a tree. Because as
far as I know myself, I fall in love with nearly every girl I
see on the street. Except the ones that are bla— wait...
Look at that tree.

⩶⟪ 29 ⟫⩶
It's a mysterious one. Grey coloured. It has no
leaves, no branches. no trunk. Oh, maybe that's
called a rock. He felt dumb. He touched the rock
with his hands: with dry blood and dirt stuck on it.
and he was afraid to remove it with the other hand,
What if it sticks back to my other hand?

He decided to walk past it. He walked for a pretty

long time before he realized that he was running.
From a Tiger. What the fuck is this cock sucker doing
here? He thought the jungle was safe and he only
had to encounter dragons.

The black stripes over his body, Courageous eyes,

Filled with confidence. Powerful legs which were
probably faster than Diato. That's the spirit, My boy. I
don't think he wants to hear that, does he? He ran as
fast as he could

He remembered the tactics he saw on television. He

saw that hurting an animal in a Forest: will make
the animal run toward the depths. He ran his hand
across his belt: trying to find the knife. Ah Fuck. I
threw it away, trying to help that bitch, he remembered.

He turned around swiftly: pulling out an arrow

from the diagonal quiver on his back. In the blink of
an eye: he threw the arrow. The throw wasn't

⩶⟪ 30 ⟫⩶
powerful enough to pierce through its head but it
was impactful. The arrow struck the same tiger's
head. Diato didn't stop there. He turned around,
spread his arms in the air clenching a claw out of his
fist. He roared

"Aaagghh!! DOORS!!! I'm the door monster!!!!"

Wait, what the fuck? Is the tiger also afraid of doors?
The tiger ran away. He thought it must be his
amazing acting skills and definitely not the roar and
the arrow making the tiger think he is a bigger
animal, and can hunt him down. Even tigers are
afraid of doors. Wait.... Doesn't that make me a tiger?
Well.... Who's talking about making, I am a tiger.

He walked in the direction in which the tiger ran.

I'll find out whose doorknob you've sucked, tiger.
He moved forward with his fierce shoelaces daring
to slip out of its tie and getting stuck under his
other leg. Worst timing. His shoelace got stuck
under his other leg and he slipped. He would have
fallen on the ground. But thanks to his fast reflexes,
he pulled out his hands just in time, and didn't let
his chest hit the ground.

His palms reached first. He was glad his jaw didn't

hit the ground. He got back on his legs, and
continued to trudge inside the forest. He roamed for

⩶⟪ 31 ⟫⩶
a long time and was not expecting to see anything.
But he did. He saw a long cylinder hole clearly dug
by a man. It was surely a trap

He wanted to see if anyone was trapped inside it. He

went to the hole, pulling his club behind his legs.
He rested his elbow on his knee and gazed down at
the hole. It wasn't very deep. He removed his elbow
from the knee and grabbed the dry grass. To his
surprise, the whole thing came out like a circular
plate. He felt like he was opening the lid of a
manhole.

He slid the grass aside, and tried to figure out how

deep that hole was. He wanted to study the trap, for
some reason. He got back on his feet. He felt a little
tickling in his nose. Oh Yeah, I haven't sneezed in a
while, I should let that sneeze out! He prepared his
hand to throw at his nose when he sneezed. Oh shit.
I forgot to bring a handkerchief . He didn't worry
about it though. He never washed his hand
anyways.

The sneeze was going to hit anytime soon. He was

prepared. He even stopped inhaling to make himself
sneeze faster. He couldn't stay without inhaling for
longer than ten seconds. After waiting for a
whopping ten seconds, his nose forced him to

⩶⟪ 32 ⟫⩶
slightly inhale. It was all over. The sneeze wasn't
going to come out any time soon.

Fuck it. Why does things like this always happen to me?
He was disappointed. He really wished that he had
sneezed. He walked forward in disappointment. He
completely forgot about the hole ahead of him. He
walked straight into the trap. He stepped ahead and
felt as if the ground glitched. Before he could
balance himself, he found himself falling into the
hole. It wasn't very shallow either. He fell inside a
cave.

After spitting multiple times to clear out dirt from

his mouth and lips, he got back to his feet. He
realised that he had also left his club outside the
hole, and there seemed to be no way of going back
up. He saw the cave led to two sides and he was
thrown into the middle of it. If I were the mapmaker
of this place, where would I make the cave lead to? If I
was there, I would've made it so that this trap would lead
to the selection structure, so that people wouldn't know it
and they try to avoid it! he decided he would go on
the right side.

He pulled out his bow and loaded it up with an

arrow. Just to prepare. Wait… I think this cave leads
to the selection building. Because that's what I'd do and

⩶⟪ 33 ⟫⩶
Probably that's what they could've thought! He was
pretty confident this time.

He went through the uneven cave, throwing spiders

and bugs off his shoulders, and scaring mice away
with his Door Monster acting. Sometimes
crouching, sometimes crawling, and sometimes even
running depending on the size of the cave which
seemed to change with time. He finally saw light.
Rays of sun. Rays on hope. He was probably there
for about five hours. He even decided to take a break
on the way, but then he remembered the time limit.
He couldn't get himself to convince that it had been
twenty two hours, and there were only two hours
left.

He had to get to the structure and qualify as a

drayer, or else, he'd have to pay his trainer for
another year. Because if he didn't, his memory
would be wiped out. And he didn't see anyone on
their second attempt. Probably because they didn't
have the option to not get their memory wiped out.
And there was a high chance that their whole
memory would be wiped instead of some. Fear
cursed through his veins as he went closer, and
closer to the exit. Towards the light.

⩶⟪ 34 ⟫⩶
He stepped outside the narrow cave. He was glad he
wasn't a fattass and he didn't get stuck in the cave.
He pushed his hand out first, followed by his head,
then his stomach, and finally his legs. His flexible
body allowed him to swiftly slide out of the narrow
cave. He slid the dirt off his shirt and pants. After a
final wipe at his lips to wipe away the dirt, he again
loaded his bow with the arrow. Although he resisted
himself from pulling the string as it would damage
the string.

He was surrounded by trees, as usual, but there was

something else that caught his eye. The top of the
tower was visible. He knew he was there! It's the
selection structure! It's a fucking tower! His
enthusiasm was boosted. He ran near the structure.
But before he crossed, the bushes, he saw something
incredible.

It was bella. Standing near the structure. He

recalled all the events like flashback. The way she
tied a rope around that baby dragon's neck, and
pulled it, the way she saw the innocent baby
dragon's head get ripped apart without any regret.
The head fell on the ground, away from its body.
She deserved to die! But Diato wasn't a person who
thought he was capable of justice. He left justice
upon god and just did what he thought was right.

⩶⟪ 35 ⟫⩶
He pulled the string of the bow and aimed it beside
her. A female dragon awaited her. She was hiding
behind the tower, in a human form. Her pointy ears
were quite visible to Diato. Bella didn't even notice
that dragon and let her guard down. Diato aimed at
the dragon. If he missed just an inch, the arrow
could hit bella. He took the chances.

He let the arrow leave the bow with a force of the

string. The arrow danced through the air, diving
swiftly through the air. The female dragon was
unaware of Diato's arrow. Her wings popped from
her back as she prepared to throw a massive fire ball
at bella, enough to kill her. She was indeed a higher
ranked dragon.

She prepared her fireball between her hands with a

gesture which reminded Diato of Goku's
Kamehameha. He saw the arrow accurately hit the
female dragon's forehead. The arrow pierced
through her skin, right into the brain, shattering
her skill. This bow is damn powerful. Blood
spattered across ger face face, as the arrow held
itself on the dragon's forehead. Diato raised back to
his feet, watching bella in shock. She didn't know
what happened. She immediately jerked her head
here and there.

⩶⟪ 36 ⟫⩶
She saw Diato standing there, holding a bow. She
was sure it was him who shot the arrow on the
dragon's forehead. She jerked her head back at the
tower. How did this guy get here? Why did he save me
from that dragon that was about to kill me? She
thought. Diato however, pushed the bow back on
his shoulder, and leapt over the bushes he was
standing behind.

"I never thought I'd see you again, bella ciao" Diato
started in a jesting manner, "but don't mistake that
I've forgave you for taking that innocent life" His
jest was gone.

"But... You also killed a dragon!" She urged, "wasn't

she innocent according to you?"

"An Adult Dragon" He corrected her, "that baby

must have never killed anyone. But these adult
dragons just don't deserve to live. Because they
have taken many innocent lives. But that baby was
an innocent life himself"

"Oh yeah?" She replied, "well, don't you —"

"OKAY!" He said, cutting her off in the middle of

her sentence, "I GOT IT! you have comebacks. But

⩶⟪ 37 ⟫⩶
those shitty ass talks aren't gonna change the truth
that you've taken an innocent Life"

She looked away from him with a sigh. Maybe she

was a monster. Who knows? She didn't even
hesitate to kill that dragon, didn't appreciate Diato
for saving her life, and she's not ready to accept her
sin. Who'd say she's not pure evil.

Diato walked away in grief, towards the building.

He knew he was qualified. He knew he was gonna
be a drayer. Who'd stop him? Oh yeah.... She follows
the rules. And you cannot let another person win in front
of you, or something like that is in the rules. She's
definitely gonna try to stop me.

Diato grabbed the hilt of his bow, prepared to look

back, at her and face her hand to hand. She pulled
out a dagger from her jeans' belt. She tightened her
grasp on the hilt of the dagger as Diato pulled his
bow out again. I don't think I'm merciless enough to kill
her. She is. I'll have to dodge as much as I can. And I'll
have to do the unthinkable. Because If I don't kill her -
she will.

⩶⟪ 38 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Four
Ranked

He turned around, as they exchanged glances.

Diato's eyes suddenly seemed to dry out. With
burning eyes of tiredness, he forcefully pushed his
pale hand behind his back, to reach for his quiver.
The wind hustled the leaves and dust on the
ground, as she threw her dagger to her other hand.
Her other hand caught it swiftly.

Her hair blew from the wind and landed back on her
shoulders as she blinked several times to get rid of
the hairs in front of her eyes. Diato however, didn't
have to worry about his hairs getting into his eyes.
They were short enough to barely reach his
eyelashes. He wrapped his long white fingers
around the bottom tip of an arrow and pulled it out
from the quiver. A sinister smile curled up her pink
lips.

⩶⟪ 39 ⟫⩶
He loaded up the arrow in the bow and pulled on
the hard string. She started sprinting towards him
with her dagger charged, ready to attack. The
arrow was released from the bow, and it went flying
straight at her face. She knew that he was going to
aim for her face, and she was prepared for it. She
knelt but didn't halt her sprint. As soon as the
arrow passed her, she got her back straight again.

Diato knew he couldn't fight her in close combat.

Especially when he didn't have any close-range
weapons. He again launched his hand behind his
back, to grab another arrow. He again loaded up the
bow and aimed it at her neck this time. He knew
he'd miss, and wouldn't hit her neck and the arrow
wouldn't kill her. He fired the arrow expecting it
would hit her anywhere except vital organs.

She launched her hand with the dagger and hit the
dagger's sharp metal blade at the arrow's stick. The
shining metal cut through the arrow's wooden stick
and broke the arrow in half, also breaking its speed.
The two pieces of arrow fell on the ground, as she
glanced back at him. Neither of the arrows managed
to stop her. He panicked, what the fuck?? How did
she do that? She's so close now, I don't have time to
load up another arrow. I'll have to throw it using my
hand!

⩶⟪ 40 ⟫⩶
He again launched his hand at his back grabbing an
arrow. He knew he had no time to load up the arrow
and fire it. He charged up his arm, ready to throw
that arrow. He didn't care if the tip of the arrow was
in the right direction. The only thing he wanted to
do now was slow her down or stop her. Why does she
have to take the rules seriously? Like we can go inside the
tower together without fighting, can't we?

He launched his hand at her with all his force. The

arrow escaped his hand and went flying towards
her, but she was faster than he thought. She raised
her hand at face level and opened her claw. Her
palm caught the arrow. She was way more swift
than diato thought. Her hands moved like a cat's
soundless soft paws. She threw the arrow at the
ground in an instant. She was still running and
didn't stop. As it all happened so fast Diato couldn't
even remember what he thought a second ago.

She was close enough now. She decided to jump at

diato with her blade. She thrust her legs on the
ground and leapt at him. Her hand ready to stab the
blade into Diato's neck, she realised Diato had
somehow caught up to her speed. Diato lifted his
leg, foot aimed at her. His lips curled into a slight
smirk. He knew he caught up to his speed and now
could potentially defeat her.

⩶⟪ 41 ⟫⩶
She was shocked to see how high his leg could
reach. His foot thrust at her chest as she was about
to land. He didn't push her back, as she expected.
But instead, he pushed his leg downwards. His foot
seemed to stick to her collarbone, as he pushed her
down. She managed to land on her knees as she hit
the ground. Before she could do anything else, he
had already planned his next move.

He pushed his hand holding the bow towards her

face. He pushed the bow down her head, near her
forehead, and pulled it with the string behind her
neck. Without hesitation, and complete satisfaction
covering his eyes, the smile still hung on as he
released his grasp on the bow. The strong pulled
the how's hilt towards her face with brutal force.
Her eyes widened with shock to see how good diato
was at fighting strategically. After all, his trainer
had trained him practically and physically instead of
making him study the map of the forest and stuff.

The hilt of the bow hit her face with brutal force,
destroying her nose. Her nose started to bleed, and
it didn't seem like the blood was stopping for
another fifteen minutes. Although it wouldn't kill
her, it would stop her for a while.

⩶⟪ 42 ⟫⩶
"That one was for that innocent baby dragon" Diato
spoke. She saw the sinister lying within him. She
saw that he was cold-hearted enough to hurt
someone badly, But not the innocent. He would
never get himself to hurt the innocent. She realised
that Diato had given her a chance to go away by
walking away from her. But she was the one who
started the battle between them.

She deserved it, he thought, as he stepped forward

towards the tower. The tower seemed pretty odd. It
wasn't strong. It was made out of clay and seemed
like the floor would break if he went any higher
than the ground floor. He glanced at the door. He
looked back at her. She was lying on the ground,
pushing her palms on her nose. The smile faded
away as he gazed back at the wooden door. It was
rotten. Algae covered most of the door, and the
handle seemed like it would fall out any minute. He
grabbed the door and twisted the knob. As he
pushed the door, he saw the inside. It was
surprisingly weird. He peeked inside. He saw no
ceiling, and no stairs leading upwards. All that was
visible was the top of the tower and the ground.
There was no floor, no stairs to go up, no ceiling,
nothing.

⩶⟪ 43 ⟫⩶
No wonder this structure changes its position every year
during the final selection. It would be easier to move this
way. He thought. He stepped inside the door and
shut out carefully behind his back so he wouldn't
break it. He made sure to not lock the door for some
reason. He walked near the centre of the tower.
There was a secret passage there. There was some
dry grass covering the floor. But Diato's eagle eyes
noticed the passage. He went near the passage and
knelt beside it, the dry grass pricking his knees
through his jeans.

He picked up the grass and slid it aside. Some little

grass fell inside the tiny hole. Okay. So this little hole
eliminates the fat people trying to become drayers.
Though I'm not fat. He thought. He pushed his leg
inside the hole. Followed by his other leg, he slowly
slid down the slim passage.

The passage was more of a slide than a path. He

didn't even get enough time to hold the top of the
passage. He was swiftly transferred into a metal
slide. It Was cold. The metal was cold and the heat
generated by rubbing his butt on it was fading
away. His butt slowly cooled down, as his breath
became slower. There was complete darkness. All
Diato could see was pitch black. As if he was sucked
into a void.

⩶⟪ 44 ⟫⩶
 *****

7:00 PM, Monday

He opened his eyes again and found himself inside a

cylindrical glass chamber. He was shocked to see
the advanced machinery. He glanced back up. A
black circular plate covered the path that led him
here. He glanced back down trying to ignore the
sounds of large machinery.

He saw a guy sitting at his desk on his computer.

His computer had a large monitor, stuck on the
wall. It had almost thirty-two cameras, but he
couldn't make sure those were thirty-two. There
was a grey sofa in the middle, with the lady from
the wild circle sitting on it, along with two random
guys. One had brownish hair, and the other had
blonde hair. He turned to his left just to find a wall.
He turned to the right and saw that the room was
much bigger than he thought.

There were other three chambers beside him. All

identical. He glanced back at the middle-aged lady
sitting on the grey sofa. The blonde guy looked at
Diato with a smile and turned to the lady in the
middle.

⩶⟪ 45 ⟫⩶
"I thought no one would qualify this year," He said.
The other guy smiled back at him after he saw the
lady ignoring him.

"Me too," he said, "but we do have a winner"

"Yup"

Diato looked at them while he stood there

dumbfounded. He turned again to his right as he
heard the sound of large machines coming above
him again. An old man fell into the chamber. He
was too old to stand without a stick, but there he
was, getting qualified at the Drayers'. The old man
turned to Diato. Diato's eyes grew wide as he saw
that the guy was from the wild circle. 'PHAK YOO'
he said.

He stared at the old man as he heard the lady and

those two guys complimenting the old man for
qualifying as such an age. Soon after, the machine
started again, and it was a girl this time. No wonder
it was Bella. With a cloth tied around her bleeding
nose. She gave diato a death stare but he knew it
was over now. They weren't going to have a
rematch and Diato was the final winner between
them. Her stare didn't bother him at all. Instead, he

⩶⟪ 46 ⟫⩶
thought that her anger was his complement for
being better.

He waited for the final person to drop so that they

could get released from that chamber. The lady told
them that only four people qualify every year, not
because of lack of skill but because there are only
slots available for the first four people. After a
while, another random boy dropped into the
chamber, just as confused and as excited as they
were, the first time they entered.

The doors of the chambers slid open and they were

free to come out. Diato stepped out of the chamber.
He glanced around, but nothing had changed in the
last fifteen minutes. The lady stood up from her
place and glanced at all four members who passed
the test.

"Okay Rookies," She said, "welcome to Drayers."

She pulled out a pile of files. There were four thin
files stacked on top of each other. She handed them
their files. Their names were printed on the covers.,
"I was preparing raw reports on everyone, and I
was tracking everyone's journey. Then I prepared a
small rough report on your performance. The
highest ranked member of your team shall study
and give you a rank according to them. You can go

⩶⟪ 47 ⟫⩶
with your teams till then. They'll show you around.
And the map of the building along with information
about your team."

The blonde guy stood up from his place and gazed

at Diato. After a while, he went near him as the lady
walked out.

"You're in my team, bud" The blonde spoke, "I'm

Max. You?"

"Diato" He replied with enthusiasm coursing

through his veins, "call me Diato"

"Come with me to the cafeteria, I'll show you

around and introduce you to the team members,"
Max said.

Diato replied with a nod. Max turned around and

walked towards the door. Diato also followed him as
he saw another two guys walk in and shake hands
with the rookies. Max took him through the long
corridors. He felt like he was walking in a large
maze with Max. And Max seemed to know exactly
where to go. He could see the back of Max's head
and the grey walls of the corridor. Diato stared at
the back of Max's head.

⩶⟪ 48 ⟫⩶
After roaming around in what seemed like an
endless loop of a grey corridor maze, they finally
reached a big hall with dozens of metal tables
arranged in order, along with long shining metal
seats attached to the tables. There was what looked
like a shop at one wall and all the other walls were
filled with doors and windows. Various hallways
lead to the cafeteria. There were about six tables in
each row and each column. But at first sight, no one
could tell that there were thirty-six tables. But diato
counted the rows and columns and multiplied them
at first sight. He did learn some things from his
trainer, after all.

Max located the table with John sitting on it. Max

finally reached the table and sat beside John. Diato
took his seat on the cold shining metal. The
cafeteria felt like a school. Diato glanced at John,
with curly brown hair, sipping at his warm coffee
with steam flying out of it like pigeons fly after a
loud sound. John greeted Diato with a smiling nod.

"John, this is Diato" Max gestured his hands at

Diato palm side up, "Diato, This is John" His hands
shifted from pointing Diato to pointing John.

Max's hands finally rested on his lap as John began,

"Hey, Diato. I've heard you were the first qualifier"

⩶⟪ 49 ⟫⩶
"Indeed, I was" Diato replied as a smile curled up
his lips. He felt privileged to be the first qualifier.
But little did he know, it was the first and the last
time he would feel privileged for being the first
qualifier of the final selection.

"So, tell me about yourself, Diato" John spoke

interestingly.

"I am Diato. I don't have a surname, because I'm an

Orphan. And I hate doors, but I do love windows,
and I -"

"Yeah okay, that's enough" Max cut him off in the

middle of his sentence. “what are you having?"

"I just finished eating" John replied, "I ain't eatin'

Anything now"

"Well... I have tooth decay" Diato replied after

John, "but I'll have an ice cream"

"Very well, then" Max stood up, "what flavour?"

"Tell 'em to mix the mint and chocolate flavour"

"Are you sure?"

⩶⟪ 50 ⟫⩶
"Pretty damn sure"

"Alright," Max left.

Max went to the counter and ordered the custom-

made ice cream along with a strawberry doughnut
with strawberry sauce sprinkled on it. He got the
plate with his orders and headed back to the table.
They discussed various topics as Max ate his
doughnut and Diato finished off his custom-made
weird ice cream which he somehow seemed to like.

"So, there are only guys in our team?" Diato asked

curiously, are the drayers sexist? Do they discriminate
between men and women? Diato thought.

"Nope," Max replied, "it's a small team of three

people. Four now"

"Thar didn't answer my question," Diato said

"Yes. There is a girl in our team" John replied,

"You are D-ranked, my friend. You must've known
that from Max"

"He told me nothing about my rank," Diato said

⩶⟪ 51 ⟫⩶
"Yeah. So, You are D ranked, I am C ranked, Max is
B ranked, and Terra, the female member of our
team is A ranked" John explained.

"How many ranks are there?" Diato raised an

eyebrow

"There are five ranks" John continued to explain,

"D rank, C rank, B rank, A rank, and S rank. Ranks
from A to D, are put in a team. People of S rank
control four to five teams and assign them missions.
We get our missions from James. Terra decides
whom to send based on the rank of the dragon to be
hunted"

"So... " Diato started, "Do we get any specialized

gadgets or something?"

"You have not explained anything to him, have

you?" John sighed at Max.

"But you can," Max said,

"Alright" John started again, "so Diato, We get

specialized glasses to wear, and they show infrared
rays. And dragons emit high-temperature radiation.
Those glasses are made to identify the radiation and
locate them in a crowded area. The higher rank you

⩶⟪ 52 ⟫⩶
have, the less crowded areas you have to go
through. Because higher-ranked dragons are firm
and don't hide in the crown. Weak dragons
shapeshift into humans and hide among them"

"So why don't we use guns to kill them?"

"Because a special metal is required to kill the

dragons. So we can't afford to make bullets out of
them. So we make medieval weapons. We are also
given high-tech watches to identify dragons in the
surroundings. And the glasses do the same but in
3D"

"Alright," Diato said, "I got it"

"Now, let me show you your room" John softly

thrust his palm against the metal table.

Diato looked at his wristwatch and realised that it

had been an hour, and he had already finished his
tasty ice cream mix. Diato found himself following
Max again, staring at the back of his blonde hair, he
realised, that he now had to live at the organization.
It wasn't like he was going to miss his home. It
wasn't fun at home either. He recalled, that the
moment he heard about the Drayers Organization,

⩶⟪ 53 ⟫⩶
He decided that he'd become a great and well-
known Dragon Slayer, or say: Drayer.

In no time, they were at the door of Diato's room.

He read the room number: B-201. Max's white
fingers curled around the door knob. He twisted it
open. A slight push and the door pushed itself open
with a long screech followed by a crash at the wall
behind the door. Max's fingers reached for the
switch on the right. As he turned on the switch, he
slid himself aside for Diato to have a clear look at
his room.

"Have a good one" Max said before he left.

Diato shut the dark brown wooden door behind his

back. He looked around inside the room. It wasn't
too fancy but it wasn't too old school either. There
was a single bed in a corner. A window with a
purple-tinted glass. There was a wooden table on
the opposite corner of the bed. The table had two
drawers and a cabinet. Speaking of cabinets, a
cabinet was just in the opposite corner of the door.
The door beside the table opposite the bed in the
adjacent corner of the cabinet led to a washroom.
The washroom had a standard toilet and a shower
with a bucket and a tumbler. Of course, there isn't a
bathtub. He thought.

⩶⟪ 54 ⟫⩶
He threw his bags on the floor and leapt on the bed.
He slept under the purple moonlight that fell on his
chest through the window glass. He knew that the
people outside couldn't see him. They'd see their
reflection, while he could see them, so he didn't feel
the necessity to close the curtains. The thought of
doing a mission the next morning, meeting a new
and better, probably attractive team member: kept
him awake. But he still managed to fall asleep, after
throwing his T-shirt, jeans, and underwear on his
bag. He was used to sleeping naked. He made sure
he locked his door before he slept. He didn't want
people staring at him at night when he might have
thrown his blanket off himself. He pulled the white
blanket to cover himself.

*****

Diato went to a busy town street. Churchill hood. He

roamed around in a black suit with a white shirt. He was
wearing those specialized glasses and watches. As he
sneaked past a dragon, he secretly stabbed him. He looked
like a normal human except for his ears. They stood out
and it helped Diato spot them.

But little did Diato know, he was about to be in danger.

The dragon didn't hesitate to transform into a dragon.
His shirt tore apart from his back as wings popped out

⩶⟪ 55 ⟫⩶
and his pointy tail put a hole in the pants. His fingers
seemed to seamlessly mix into his nails. The crowd
around them started screaming, and everyone ran away
from the dragon: terrified. Diato knew he had made a big
mistake by missing the chance to kill him in one go.

Diato stood there, as he heard Max curse and swear on

the Bluetooth communication device.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Diato! It was your

first fucking mission and you fucking messed it up! You
Cock Sucker, normal people are not supposed to see the
Dragon! How will we erase the memories of this many
people? Why do you think the organization is a secret?
We don't want the military or police included in dragon
hunting!"

"Ayo Chill... " Diato spoke as he found himself face to

face with the dragon and all the other people tan away.
An empty city street with just a Dragon and Diato."I get
it. I shouldn't have messed it up but I can't change the
past" Diato pulled out his metal club, ready to fight the
beast that swore to destroy him.

⩶⟪ 56 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Five
Discovery

The dragon exhaled his powerful dragon breath. But

Diato was prepared, He rolled beside the dragon and
dodged the breath. He threw the club at the dragon's left
wing. The club's spike tore through the skin of the
dragon's wing. As blood spattered like molten lava, The
Dragon roared in pain and turned to Diato to shoot
another Fire breath. Diato did not see it coming.

The flame reached Diato. He felt his chest inflating off

heat, and his skin burning on the fire. Before he could do
anything, he found himself lying on the ground, with fire
burning his clothes and his skin. He felt the head go
through his skin inside his lungs. This mission was way
harder than the final selection.

*****

⩶⟪ 57 ⟫⩶
His eyes grew wide as he stared at the ceiling. He
threw off his blanket. There was too much heat for
him. His chest was still feeling the dragon's heat. He
touched his chest. He was unharmed. Was it all just a
dream? Am I going to fail my first mission? Oh, thank
god it was all a dream! He thought. He tried to forget
his lucid nightmare as he went through his daily
routine; wore a grey T-shirt, jeans, and a watch in
both of his hands. The other one was a backup
watch: just in case the first one stopped, he wouldn't
be able to not see the correct time. Then, It was the
hardest part of his routine: DOORS.

He whirled his white fingers around the metal knob

of the wooden door. He twisted it. As he pushed the
door, something very much expected happened. It
didn't open. He pushed harder. The door seemed to
have become a non-Newtonian fluid. The door
resisted no matter how hard Diato pushed. He was a
little short-tempered about doors. He wouldn't get
easily angry on anything but doors.

"DOORS!" He shouted in pain,

He was now hitting his shoulder at the door. The

door wouldn't budge. He finally gave up and let his
body fall to the ground. As he slammed his butt on

⩶⟪ 58 ⟫⩶
the ground, the door slowly slid itself open on the
inside.

"I HAD TO PULL!?" He shouted again in pain.

He again got back on his legs and exited his room.

Before I get lost in this building, I should memorize its
map! The map would be in the library. He thought. He
dashed through the hallway. He reached the
cafeteria. There were no doors in the cafeteria
except the toilet and that was a relief. The smell of
Truffle oil and yoghurt reached his nostrils.

The smell changed simultaneously as he strolled

beside more tables. The truffle oil's smell was taken
over by the smell of a cake, then it was again
overtaken by the smell of pasta. The change of
smell continued till Diato reached the little shop.

"French fries with peri peri please," He spoke at the

counter.

"Coming right up," The guy sitting on a chair at the

counter said.

"And yeah," Diato spoke again, "Please Don't add

anything or any sauce that has meat in it" He added,
"I'm Vegetarian"

⩶⟪ 59 ⟫⩶
"Alright Sir Got it," The guy said as he went behind
the door which separated the kitchen from the
counter. It seemed like a mini restaurant by itself.

The guy later came back with a thin cardboard box

with fries in it, with peri peri sprinkled on it. Diato
handed that guy, the money, and said,

"Does the Organization have a Library?" Diato

asked,

"Yes, it does" The guy at the counter replied, "take

the seventh hallway and take one left turn and then
two right turns. You'll find yourself at the library"

"Thank you sir" Diato left with his fries. He

followed the man's instructions: the seventh hallway
from the cafeteria; One Left turn; Two Right turns.
The corridor itself wasn't any less than a maze
itself. But with instructions, Diato could locate the
library. Thankfully: the library doors were
automatic glass doors.

Diato stood near the door, waiting for it to open

automatically. He stood there for a while, but the
door didn't seem to open. A woman was sitting at
the table beside the door. She was the librarian.

⩶⟪ 60 ⟫⩶
"Sir, Why are you standing in the middle of the
door?" She said, "Either come in or get out."

"No, I'm waiting for the Door to open," He said,

without realising it.

"Sir, It's already open" She cringed at him a bit,

"you're preventing it from closing by standing in
the middle. You're letting the air conditioning air
out."

"Oh, is that so?" He said with dumb guilt clear on

his face.

He got near the table and rested both his palms on

it. He looked around. The table was the least of his
concerns. He saw the high bookshelves on the wall
and in the middle. There was no table or chair, to sit
and read peacefully. This reminded him of the
stronghold library in Minecraft. He felt that
librarian breathing down his neck. He turned
around to her.

"Can I have a map of this place?" Diato started, "A

blueprint or something?"

"Yes," She replied.

⩶⟪ 61 ⟫⩶
He gazed at her awkwardly for a while before
gesturing with his face, so give it? Then she gestured
back with her face, go and get it yourself. He found it
rude but realised he would've done the same if he
was the librarian. Especially after he had stood at
the door for about five minutes before she told him
that the door was already open. He went towards
the high bookshelves' rows which had thick, thin,
filthy, clean, heavy, light, small, large and all kinds
of different books he could think of.

He wasn't looking for any of it. He went to the

Maps section. The high bookshelves were making it
more confusing. There were several white metal
ladders. Surely they were to climb up to reach the
higher section of the bookshelves. He got a Drayers'
Organization Map. He took the book and went to
the librarian.

"I'm taking this" Diato spoke, "is there any money I

have to pay?"

"Sir, this is not your local library" The librarian

replied, "The books available here are not easily
available in a local library. Although there are some
common books available but not books like novels
or comics"

⩶⟪ 62 ⟫⩶
"Or you could just say no, they're free," Diato said,

"Yes they're free," She added, "as long as you return

them"

"So where do I read this?"

"At your room, cafeteria, anywhere you like, but the

library." She spoke.

Diato nodded at her and headed back to the

cafeteria. Everything was easier to locate from the
cafeteria because it had many hallways connecting
it. It was like a corridor centre where you'd choose
which way you wanted to go. He read and
memorized the map. The building was dual-floored.
But only people above B rank were allowed to go on
the first floor. And then there was the terrace to
take care of the building's safety. It was safe to say
that the terrace would be pretty wide. After all, it
was home to over ten thousand drayers: of different
ranks, workers, guards, weapon makers, trainers,
and others.

He memorized the map of the ground floor. Now he

knew where each corridor led. Where the actual
common hallway was to connect all other hallways.
That common hallway had a staircase to the first

⩶⟪ 63 ⟫⩶
floor. After a while, he had the map by heart. After
about an hour, he returned the book to the library.
While returning, a strange book caught his eye. It
was Dragons Of The DragonSpine. It was a normal
book like every book else. But the word
Dragonspine caught his eye. Can this book contain
clues about what's on the first floor? Or what's at the
Dragonspine Mountains? He thought.

He went to Max's room. He knocked with his

knuckles. Max pulled the door open.

"Guess what?" Diato said with excitement,

"What now?" Max said, showing no interest.

"I just memorized the map of the entire

organization!" He replied with enthusiasm, "Ask me
to bring anything and I'll know where each of it is!"

Max was not interested in testing Diato's memory

at all. He was bored and was doing something to
get rid of his boredom. He didn't want to upset
Diato either. "Go bring me a book about the
Dragonspine Mountains," He said. He thought it

⩶⟪ 64 ⟫⩶
would take much time for him to find a specific book
in a large library.

"Okay, I'll bring it now! But what will I get in

return?"

"I think it's a tough challenge, you'll fail for sure. I'll
give you twenty-four hours"

"It would take way less than that but that still
didn't answer my question"

"A hundred dollars," Max said, "I bet a hundred

dollars you can't get it in time."

"Prepare that money. I'm coming for it!" Diato said

before finally leaving Max alone again

Diato knew exactly where to go. He dashed through

the corridor, straight to the library. He felt a shock
of enthusiasm down his spine as he was running like
a child through the corridor, pushing aside
everyone he met on the way. He finally reached the
cafeteria. It was easy to locate everywhere from the
cafeteria. Even though he had memorized the map,
the man's instructions were clearer. "take the
seventh hallway and take one left turn and then two

⩶⟪ 65 ⟫⩶
right turns. You'll find yourself at the library" Diato
recalled him saying.

He again followed the instructions and disappeared

into the long corridor, with grey walls and white
tiles. He again found himself at the library's door.
He walked straight through it, but little did he
know, it was closed. His nose struck the glass. He
threw his hand at his nose which was aching. It sent
a chill up his spine. As he angrily stared at the glass
door, it slowly slid open. He saw the librarian
having a good laugh at his stupidity, with her hand
thrown to her mouth.

He went straight to the maps section again. And

returned from it: his eyes moving like a three
hundred sixty degree camera, to all the sides. He
walked slowly, making sure he hadn't missed
anything. He knew what he was looking for:
Dragons Of the Dragonspine. His eyes jerking here
and there near the Dragon Section caught the
librarian's eye. She pushed her chair back as she
hauled herself into a standing position. She threw a
finger to get her glasses back up to her eyes from
her nose.

She was too young to be a librarian according to

Diato. Because she was only twenty-five and also

⩶⟪ 66 ⟫⩶
because he had always seen old people as librarians.
And she did not have a single wrinkle on her face.
Though she did have some acne. She went to Diato
and stood in front of him: her hands folder on her
chest; giving Diato a scary-teacher-like look. She
seemed to stare into Diato's soul and it looked like
she wouldn't stop even if Diato Died and his bones
degraded into the ground.

He glanced up at her. Hoping not to get detention.

He instantly realised that this wasn't a school, and
he was not going to get detention. Thank God, I'm
not at school! No more exams! No more study! He
thought. Then his eyes reminded him of the
librarian breathing down his neck as he looked
through the book.

He found it. The title was clear: Dragons of The

Dragonspine. There was no mistaking the golden
text on the maroon book with the golden
oversimplified dragon logo printed on its front
cover. Other than that, the whole book had a plain
maroon colour. His hands were automatically
thrown on the book and he pulled swiftly.

"Sorry sir" The librarian spoke, "you can't take that.

That requires a B-Rank at least. Anyone below it
can't access it"

⩶⟪ 67 ⟫⩶
"Oh really?" Diato raised an eyebrow, "Can you tell
me where that is mentioned?"

She pointed her finger at the black text in the

bottom right corner. The text was: 'Rank: B+'. How
could anyone see a small black text on the maroon
cover? Diato was not sure how to convince her. But
he gave his negotiation skills a try: which his
trainer taught him.

"Here." She said, trying not to sound rude. But it

was easy to say that she failed not to sound rude.
She continued, "You can't take this book as you're
just D-ranked"

"Okay," Diato said, "I don't want it. A B-ranked

member of our team: Max does"

"So tell him to come here and take it himself"

"No, you don't understand. He sent me to get the

book for him"

"Was I supposed to laugh? 'Cause that just seemed

like a joke" She said sounding rude on purpose.

"No you were not supposed to laugh and this ISN'T

a joke. I seriously need the book. It's urgent" His

⩶⟪ 68 ⟫⩶
tone seemed a bit convincing but not enough to
convince her

"No means no"

"What'll you do If I don't listen to you?" He raised

an eyebrow. His smile was clear: he was about to do
something unexpected.

"I have my ways of stopping people. Don't think I'm

just a defenceless girl going up against a big bulky
guy"

"First: I ain't no bulky. Second: You're only

defending yourself, if you know from what you're
defending yourself."

"What'd you mean?" She asked, half scared about

what was happening. Does he have other people with
him? Was he just here to distract me? She thought.

"You thought I was here to get the book, didn't

you? I was here to Distract you" He said as a
sinister smile curled up his lips. This sent strong
chills down her spine.

"Wh - What'd you mean?" She said, her voice

shaking with fear.

⩶⟪ 69 ⟫⩶
"Did you notice that something was just stolen from
your drawer?"

It struck her. The Key! How can I leave the key

alone? She panicked. She jerked behind at her table.
She dashed towards the table. She found Diato
Following her. Diato was also running after her. As
if he was following her to distract her for a little
longer. Thank god she bought the story! I completely
made that up. I'm glad she kept something important in
her drawer so she believed that I stole something, even
though I didn't. He thought as he was running
behind her with the book in his grasp.

She reached her table, and jerked the drawer open in

a hurry, as Diato was after her. She didn't want to
look back to confirm it: the sound of the footsteps
was saying it all. He was still after her. She picked
up the large yellow envelopes. There it was. The
gold key shimmered like glitter under raw sunlight,
from the large window behind the table. The large
bow of the key with the golden shine gave the key: a
majestic look.

She was confused now. Diato said he was going to

steal the key. Although she didn't know that the D-
ranked members had no idea about the key. And the
key wasn't stolen either. She jerked back at Diato.

⩶⟪ 70 ⟫⩶
He wasn't behind her. She expected him to be
behind her waiting for him to grab her any minute.
But he was nowhere near her. She glanced at the
door. She found Diato there: running out of the
library with the dragonspine book under his arm.

"He Lied!?" She said as she realised that he wasn't

here to get that key. He didn't even know about the
existence of that key. He was just here to steal that
book.

He went back to his room. "I want to make sure I

win that hundred dollars. I don't wanna do small
goofs and ruin the bet. I'll make sure I have the
right book and then, I'll give it to Max" He decided,
without realising that he was saying it all aloud. He
started reading from the first page. It was the first
chapter. No introduction, no 'before you read', no
'foreword' or 'author's note', no 'non-fictional', no
nothing. Just chapter one from page one. Diato
found it weird but It was What It was. He started
reading:

⩶⟪ 71 ⟫⩶
 Chapter One

The Enigmatic DragonSpines

Nestled in the northern reaches of an

uncharted and remote land, the
Dragonspine Mountains rise with a
formidable presence that has captured the
fascination of explorers and scholars for
centuries. Stretching for hundreds of
miles, these ancient peaks are a striking
geological phenomenon that has shaped
the history and lore of the region.

The Dragonspine Mountains are located in

the heart of a vast, untamed wilderness,
far from the bustling cities and settled
lands. Their isolation and inaccessibility
have given rise to a sense of mystery and
awe. To reach their base, one must
navigate through dense, ancient forests,
winding valleys, and treacherous ravines. It
is a journey fraught with challenges, but
those who undertake it are rewarded with
a breathtaking sight as the majestic
mountains come into view.

⩶⟪ 72 ⟫⩶
The towering peaks of the Dragonspine
Mountains are a geological wonder. Their
granite and limestone cliffs stretch
skyward, their jagged edges cutting
through the horizon. Many of the peaks are
cloaked in perpetual mist, lending an
ethereal quality to their appearance. Snow-
capped summits glisten in the sunlight,
even during the height of summer. These
mountains are known for their extreme
and unpredictable weather patterns, which
can range from tranquil, sunny days to
brutal storms and blizzards within a
matter of hours.

The geography of the Dragonspine

Mountains is a labyrinth of narrow valleys,
hidden alpine lakes, and secret glens. The
landscape is dotted with ancient trees,
their branches reaching towards the
heavens, and crystal-clear streams
meandering through rocky canyons. It is a
place where the forces of nature have
sculpted the earth in grandeur, creating an
environment that seems as though it has
been plucked from the realm of myth.

⩶⟪ 73 ⟫⩶
As the sun sets behind the jagged
silhouettes of the mountains, they take on
a haunting, otherworldly quality. The very
land itself seems to hold its breath as if it
is guarding age-old secrets in its stony
heart. The Dragonspine Mountains are not
merely a collection of peaks; they are an
enigma, a place where the earth touches
the sky, and where adventurers have long
sought to uncover the hidden truths that
lie within their midst. It is from this awe-
inspiring backdrop that the tales of the
Dragon Ruins and The Unknown Cave
emerge, beckoning the curious to embark
on a journey into the unknown.

__________

⩶⟪ 74 ⟫⩶
His Reading was disturbed, as he had just started
developing interest in the book. He saw Max
standing at his door: casting a long shadow over his
lap. He shut the book in a hurry and buried it under
the blanket before Max saw it. To his surprise -
Max didn't notice the book at all. Perhaps
something was waiting for him which was more
interesting than this book... Than a hundred
dollars... It was His First Mission.

⩶⟪ 75 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Six
First mission

As Diato noticed the long shadow casting over his

lap, he panicked: is this the librarian? Will she take the
book back? Will I lose a hundred dollars? Will she
downgrade my rank? Or maybe take points from my
house? Oh I remember I ain't at Hogwarts. I don't have
houses. I can break the small rules. He thought as his
neck did not seem to be in his control and his head
jerked towards the shadowy figure's face.

It was none other than Max. In a hurry, he quickly

slammed the book shut and shoved it under his
pillow. He instantly grabbed his blanket without
breaking the eye contact. He covered the pillow
with the blanket and stood up with the movement
to make it look more smoother. He finally got on his
feet. As he blinked several times: he realised that it
was not Max. It was John. His heart suddenly

⩶⟪ 76 ⟫⩶
seemed to fade into tranquility. He wasn't in
trouble.

"You've got your first mission" Said John gladly

"Really? I was waiting for it for almost eternity!"

Diato jumped out of the bed and went to John.

"Here. I'll come with you to ensure that you come

back alive. And then you'll get your solo mission
after that"

"Got it" Diato said as he snatched the yellowish

envelope from John's hand before he extended it to
hand it to Diato.

Diato jumped back on his bed and took a good look

at the envelope. The yellowish envelope. It was
similar to the one that the librarian picked up from
the drawer to make sure Diato didn't steal that key.
There was a purple seal that seemed to change its
color depending on the angle you look at it. He
quickly tore the seal apart and opened the envelope.
It smelled just like the library's scent. The scent
was a mixture of the smell of old books, new
wooden furniture, and stationary and tranquil
golden dust in the sunlight.

⩶⟪ 77 ⟫⩶
He pulled out the thick page which felt like a
parchment but he was sure it was just some quality
paper. Or it could even be a parchment but Diato
couldn't care less. He was more interested in the
text written on it than the parchment itself.

⩶⟪ 78 ⟫⩶
 NEW MISSION

Mission Code: 29sj50aj27

For: Ja 𝓓𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓸
Rank: 𝓓

Location: 𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵 𝓣𝓸𝓰

𝓣𝓱𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓻𝓮𝓹𝓸𝓻𝓽𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷

𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓪𝓽 𝓣𝓻𝓸𝓵𝓵 𝓣𝓸𝓰. 𝓣𝓱𝓮
𝓻𝓪𝓭𝓲𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼 𝓼𝓮𝓮𝓶𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓫𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓪 𝓜𝓪𝓵𝓮
𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷. 𝓗𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓽𝓽𝓵𝓮 𝓽𝓸 𝓷𝓸 𝓱𝓪𝓲𝓻.
𝓘𝓽 𝓶𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝓫𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓫𝓾𝓽 𝓲𝓯
𝓱𝓮 𝓲𝓼 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓬𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓫𝓵𝓪𝓬𝓴
𝓽𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓸𝓸 𝓸𝓯 𝓪 𝓼𝓷𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓸𝓷 𝓱𝓲𝓼 𝓫𝓪𝓵𝓭 𝓱𝓮𝓪𝓭
𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓲𝓽 𝓮𝓪𝓼𝔂 𝓽𝓸 𝓼𝓹𝓸𝓽 𝓱𝓲𝓶 𝓲𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮
𝓓𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻 𝓲𝓼 𝓽𝓪𝓵𝓵 𝓮𝓷𝓸𝓾𝓰𝓱.

𝓐𝓬𝓬𝓸𝓻𝓭𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓽𝓸 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓸𝓫𝓽𝓪𝓲𝓷𝓮𝓭

𝓲𝓷𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷, 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝔂𝓮𝓻 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓽 𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓬𝓱
𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓸𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓽𝓸 𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓶𝓲𝓷𝓪𝓽𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓓𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷
𝓪𝓽 1:00 𝓟𝓜 𝓽𝓸 𝓬𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓭𝓻𝓪𝓰𝓸𝓷
𝓻𝓮𝓭𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓭 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓬𝓻𝓸𝔀𝓭 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓮𝓮𝓽.

Good Luck,
𝓛𝓪𝓲𝓵𝓪𝓱 (𝓛𝓲𝓫𝓻𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓪𝓷)

⩶⟪ 79 ⟫⩶
"This is from the Librarian!" Diato said in shock, as
he saw that it wasn't printed. It was handwritten. In
beautiful handwriting.

"Yeah, she's the one who assigns us all missions."

"Doesn't James give it to us? And then Max decides

whom to send?"

"I mean... Actually, The Librarian collects the

information about the dragon, and then prepares an
envelope of the Mission. Then she gives it to James
and then you know the rest"

"Alright, but how does she singlehandedly handle

all the thousands of missions of the organization?"
Diato Raised an eyebrow.

"She doesn't" John replied with a smile, "she just

handles missions for the teams which work under
James. And I mean... James only handles Three
teams"

"Okay I get it now" He added, "by the way, where

Do I get my weapons? I lost them all during the
final selection!"

⩶⟪ 80 ⟫⩶
"Don't worry" John said as he gestured, Come after
me. Diato got up from his bed again, throwing the
envelope cover on the bed, with the thick paper still
in his hand. He followed John throughout the
corridors to the weapon room.

John pushed the glass door open and Diato entered

the room just behind him. He saw the weapon room.

"You might've been here. I mean... This is where

you might've chosen your first three weapons." John
said, "If you'd like to change them, you can. Pick
any three weapons to keep for the rest of your life...
I mean... For hunting... I mean... You get it right?"

"Yes I got it" Diato said as he picked up the same

weapons again. Bow and arrow, Metal club, and a
butterfly knife. Then, John gave him the suit he
needed to wear.

"Here, wear this fireproof thin suit under your

clothes to protect yourself from the fire" John
explained as he handed that black suit folded up in
his hands.

Diato grabbed the suit and took a good look at it.

The hexagonal honeycomb-like pattern was
shining. Diato also saw the fabric. It was

⩶⟪ 81 ⟫⩶
stretchable, thin, lightweight, and still quite
fireproof. He went back to his room and wore it
under his clothes. John was also there in his room to
help him get the suit on.

"Here, if you press your left thumb under your right

underarm tightly: the suit will become half sleeved.
And if you press your index finger there, the suit
will become no sleeved." John explained, "and if you
want to really protect yourself, just cover your face
with both of your palms and the fabric will extend
from the neck and cover your whole face. It can also
suffocate you so as soon as you pull your hands
back: the fabric will pull itself away from your face,
allowing you to breathe." John was out of breath as
he finished.

The technological stuff always gave Diato

goosebumps. He wore the suit with the help of john
as it was very tight. Especially near the chest. It
made Diato suffocate for some moments before
Diato's lungs adjusted to it. It felt like someone was
constantly pushing on his chest but it didn't matter
anymore as Diato had already adapted to the
pressure after a while. He wore the grey T-shirt on
top of it, along with jeans.

⩶⟪ 82 ⟫⩶
"I mean... Now you're ready, Diato" John said,
handing him the glasses and a watch. His other
palm contained a little what seemed like an earbud
but was actually a Bluetooth communication device.
Similar to a walkie talkie.

*****

They got into the basement through the stairs in

the common corridor.

"Choose your Bike, buddy" John said, "I mean...

they start from your mission code, so you can't take
them unless you have a mission. Also you can't
enter a fake one as it has powerful AI to recognize a
mission code."

"Got it" Diato said. He pulled out the piece of that

thick parchment like paper, and entered the
code: 29sj50aj27, on the little key board on the
petrol tank of the bike. It was unlocked with a green
light on its speedometer.

John went to another bike and entered the same

code. "You can unlock a maximum of five vehicles
with one code" He explained.

⩶⟪ 83 ⟫⩶
Both of them exited the basement and crossed the
river separating the northern and southern
Senezwa. They saw the dirt pathway leading to
Shenezwa. Diato wasn't very interested in what was
on the right side of the road. They turned left and
Troll Tog was in front of them. But still quite far
away.

"We aren't wearing helmets!" Diato shouted at John

so that he could hear it, because there was too much
noise from their bikes.

"You don't need to shout! I mean... I can hear you

from the device in your ear" John explained with his
voice calm as the sea.

"Okay" Diato replied, "bu-"

"No, we don't need to wear helmets. I mean... we

ain't going on a long drive!"

"Alright got it" Diato Replied.

Their bikes were not harmed by the pointed rocks

on the dirt path as they were made pretty durable.
Diato's breath got warmer and warmer due to the
atmosphere. He had spent too much time at the
forest, surrounded by trees, that he forgot what it

⩶⟪ 84 ⟫⩶
was like at the bustling city streets. He was
reminded of the warmth, and the smell of smoke,
dust and mixture of smell from various people,
reminded him that he was back in the city.

"This is Max" Max spoke in the ear device, "John,

there is an emergency at Churchill Hood in the
south. Leave Diato alone and head straight to
Churchill Hood. There are radiations of a fully
transformed C ranked dragon. People can't see fully
transformed dragons. They'd be too weak to
perceive their existence. You must reach there in
time and kill the dragon before it's too late."

"On it" Said john, "good luck on your mission

Diato, see you later. I mean... I gotta go"

"Yeah I heard that" Diato replied, "good luck to you

too"

John accelerated his bike and went ahead. Diato

stared at the back of John's head before it slowly
faded away in the city fog. Diato found himself at
the Troll Tog. Here I am, he thought. John was still
visible in the distance as Diato hit the brakes of his
bike to look for the Dragon. Where are you bald Eagle
- No, Bald Dragon? I'll find you. He thought as his
eyes hovered over the crowd like a camera. He

⩶⟪ 85 ⟫⩶
scanned everywhere but the dragon was nowhere to
be found.

He went further into the crowd and pulled out the

glasses john gave him. He wore the glasses and
pressed the button on its frame. His eyes grew wide
as he saw that the glasses turned the world seem
like a simulation. No colors were visible. Only the
outline of people, land and buildings were visible.
Black background with white outlines of each and
everything including himself.

He struggled a bit to figure out what he was

looking at but his body quickly adapted to his new
surroundings. His adaptation sent a chill up his
spine as he saw a bald man wearing a black hoodie.
His outline had colors and his whole body was
glowing in red color. He had found him. It was the
dragon. Come on, I can do this! He thought.

He pulled out his butterfly knife, from his pocket.

He was still standing near his bike. He lifted up his
leg and climbed on top of the bike's seat. He barely
balanced himself, as he felt his toes almost getting a
cramp. He was glad he didn't get a cramp because if
he fell, he'd lose one of his toes, according to him.
He pulled the glasses from his eyes and shoved
them back in his pocket. He was standing in the

⩶⟪ 86 ⟫⩶
corner of the road and no one seemed to care that a
person was standing on the seat of his bike with a
butterfly knife.

He twisted the butterfly knife and its blade was

exposed to the air, its metal shining in the raw
golden sunlight. With immense force, he threw the
knife. He forgot that this wasn't a normal knife. The
knife folded itself back in midair and its blade was
not exposed anymore. The blade seamlessly seemed
to vanish in the hilt of the knife.

The knife reached the bald man and hit the back of
his head. Diato panicked. What the fuck happened? He
is not killed! He might turn into a dragon! What do I
do? Suicide? No, I can't die a virgin! What should I
do? He thought. His heartbeats raced like a bullet
train and his heart sank into the sea of chaotic
tranquility. His mind pounded heavily, sending
chills down his spine.

He was in big trouble if the normal people saw a

fully transformed dragon. The bald guy turned
around, his eyes flaming with anger. His hoodie slid
off his head as his head jerked here and there, trying
to figure out who had hit him. Diato's eagle eye
noticed the man's ears: it's not a dragon! He thought.
He had accidentally hit a normal pedestrian. He was

⩶⟪ 87 ⟫⩶
glad it wasn't a normal dragon. He was glad that his
dream hadn't come true.

But then, an even bigger question arose: where was

the dragon? Diato jumped down from his bike,
hoping that the bald man didn't see him. Because he
didn't want to get in a fight. He pulled the glasses
out again. He smacked the glasses on his face and
started looking again. He saw a man just behind the
bald guy escaping the area in a motorcycle. Diato
had made a mistake. He thought that the bald man
was the dragon, but the man behind him was. The
outlines confused him but now je was sure that the
guy on the motorcycle heading to southern
Shenezwa was the dragon.

He immediately shoved his glasses back into his

pocket and mounted on his bike. Thankfully, he
forgot to turn the engine off so he didn't have to
reenter the code. He twisted the accelerator and
followed the dragon on the motorcycle. He followed
the dragon but his motorcycle seemed to be faster
than Diato's bike. Diato still managed to keep an
eye on him while he drove past several close calls.
He was about to be hit by a truck, but he somehow
managed to dodge the accident while keeping an eye
on the dragon. The dragon was running because he
was now aware that he was being hunted by a

⩶⟪ 88 ⟫⩶
Drayer. The bald guy didn't know who hit him, but
the dragon did and now was running away from
Diato. After a long chase, he finally left Shenezwa
from Stroll Tog.

"He has left the border of Shenezwa!" Diato spoke

in the ear device.

"Follow him until he's dead!" Max said, "don't go

deep into the forest, and try to kill him while he's on
that motorcycle"

"But I don't have my knife!" Diato replied in panic

"It's your problem now, then. We want the mission

completed. And after all, you wouldn't like to fail
your first mission, would you?" Max said.

"I wouldn't. I'll figure it out myself, then" Diato

said.

He again focused on the dragon going ahead of him.

He realised that they were now going towards the
Brigands' Bog. Max told him not to go into the deep
forest and that was the only thing he was doing. He
realised and felt the need to do something before
they reached there. He pulled out his bow and an
arrow from his quiver. With only one hand, he

⩶⟪ 89 ⟫⩶
readied the bow and arrow. Now he only had to pull
and let go using the other hand which would take
about a second.

Diato thought of hitting the arrow on the dragon's

motorcycle's back tyre, so that he wouldn't go
further. He stabilized his steering handle and used
his right hand to shoot the arrow. As the arrow left
the string of the bow, Diato felt like the bike was
losing its balance, and he could fall any minute now.
He quickly let go of his bow and held the handle
tightly with both of his hands.

He realised that it wouldn't take long for the bow to

disappear behind him because of the speed he was
going in. Sixty Kilometers per hour is not
considered slow, after all. He realised that he had to
now depend on his club now. And he can't keep
losing his weapons like this. He decided that he
would collect all of his dropped weapons once he
finishes his mission. Maybe the knife would be easy
but he was sure it was hard to find the bow in the
open fields. It would be like a needle in a hay stack.
Because the bow was too small for this large plain
area to be noticed immediately on the first try. He
decided he'd worry about that later as he had a
bigger problem now.

⩶⟪ 90 ⟫⩶
He hit the brakes as hard as he could but that wasn't
enough. He saw the dragon lying on the ground in
its human form, with the motorcycle with an arrow
in its back tyre. Diato's bike hit the dragon's
motorcycle. Diato couldn't hit brakes in time and it
resulted in a crash. Diato found himself lying on the
ground.

His eyes slowly grew wide, as he perceived that he

wasn't unconscious. It was just a little crash. He got
back up on his feet. He saw the dragon standing
firmly in front of him. He glanced at the crashed
bikes. He immediately pulled out his metal club
from his bike. Diato was ready to fight him and it
seemed like the dragon was waiting for it to happen
for eternity.

"Now, Nothing can stop my wings from

expanding!" The dragon spoke.

Diato realised that the Dragon brought him here to

fight him because he wouldn't be able to transform
without his wings banging itself everywhere. Diato
now realised that the dragon lured him to the
brigand's bog to have a good fight. And he hadn't
seen any dragon this brave who takes his hunter at
a place to fight. He was a little bit scared but also
pretty confident. He had killed two dragons at the

⩶⟪ 91 ⟫⩶
final selection after all. Most of the people didn't
even encounter one.

Diato's grasp on the metal club tightened, as he

looked at the dragon. The dragon's eyes turned
orange: his pupils turned from round to an oval
shape, similar to a cat's pupil. The Dragon's shirt
slowly tore itself apart from behind as his wings
popped out. His crimson wings with scales
shimmering in raw sunlight. The dragon was firm.
And so was Diato.

The dragon deeply exhaled his powerful dragon

breath at Diato. Diato rolled on his back to the side
and dodged the fire. Diato dashed towards the
dragon with his metal club aimed for the dragon's
head. He jumped as he got close enough to the
dragon. But the dragon was way too quick than he
expected. Diato thought that the dragons at the
final selection would be similar to the dragons in
the city. But he couldn't be more wrong. The
weakest of the dragons were captured for the final
selection to reduce the death rate of new drayers.

The man grabbed the club with his bare hands. He

didn't seem to care about the spikes tearing his skin
apart. Orange blood slipped down his arm as he
charged up his fist with fire and aimed it at Diato.

⩶⟪ 92 ⟫⩶
Diato knew it was the end for him. The clenched fist
hit Diato's jaw. He felt like his jaw was crushed. He
fell down on the ground.

He again got back to his feet. This time, he was

prepared to let himself all out. He knew he would be
defeated if he held back anymore. He tightened his
grip on the hilt of the club and again raced his legs
towards the bald man. The half transformed bald
dragon man shot fireballs from his palm. The fire
balls cut through the air to reach Diato. Diato was
not going to be defeated this time. He hit the spikes
of the club on the fireballs to crush them mid air.
The fireballs' pieces fell on the ground as Diato
smacked his club on the Dragon's neck.

Blood spattered around the ground and on the club

as the man's head separated from his body. The skin
of his neck was torn apart by Diato. His head went
flying in the sky. As the head without the body
rotated in the air, Diato took a deep breath of
satisfaction. He knew he had defeated the dragon. If
defeating the least ranked dragon is this hard... How
hard would it be to rank up? And how powerful must the
B-Ranked or A-Ranked dragons be? Diato thought. As
he glanced back at the head still in the sky, falling
down.

⩶⟪ 93 ⟫⩶
He could feel the tickling of victory in his heavily
pounding heart, and slightly aching brain. He could
feel the painful slits fading back to tranquil
painlessness. He knew that he had won. But he
couldn't be more wrong. The head - still in the air -
regenerated its body. A large lump of flesh grew out
of the neck. In no time, hands and legs popped out
of the naked body. The body with clothes was still
lying down in front of Diato. Wings and a long tail
also popped out of his bare skin. His wings flapped
in the air to keep him from falling.

Surprisingly, the wings were flapping very slowly

which made Diato wonder if he was even flying
with the wings or with something else. Diato's eyes
grew wide as he swallowed his drool of defeat. He
knew he didn't win. He was shocked to see the
dragon alive. The inscrutable revival of the dragon
was breathtaking. Diato sensed the smell of
lamentation, as he saw the dragon regenerate and
come back to life.

The dragon's wings flapped in the air. Diato saw the

wings and wondered if there were bones in those
wings. Because they were too flexible to have bones.
Diato swallowed his drool in dismay. The dragon
was alive and Diato didn't learn how to kill flying
dragons. Maybe he did, but he didn't remember it at

⩶⟪ 94 ⟫⩶
the right time. The song Bella Ciao kept playing on
repeat in his head as he tried to shut his brain up
and focus on getting out alive. Because he forgot
that dragons could fly too. The city was left behind
but he could still feel the warmth. It made him
dizzy. He was tired. He had stolen a book... Read an
interesting first chapter... Left for his first mission
in excitement... Hit the wrong guy... Chased the
dragon down the city... And now he is about to be
defeated.

The dragon's wings strongly flapped in front of

Diato - firing a strong swipe of the wind. Diato was
tired, and he couldn't resist the flow of the air. Not
because he was tired, but the force of the air was so
strong that it seemed impossible to stay still. The
dragon had intentionally shot an air blast at Diato
with his wing. He got dragged behind. He fell on
his back away from the Dragon. He knew he had to
get up before the dragon took advantage of him
lying on the ground.

The dragon fluttered its wings and flew near Diato.

Diato finally caught his breath. He jumped back to
his feet - ready to fight the dragon again with all his
might. He lifted up his club, as he began to run. The
dragon rotated his arm in a circular motion. Diato
saw some orange particles shone from the dragon's

⩶⟪ 95 ⟫⩶
hand. They slowly made a shape. The particles left
behind from the fist formed a circle in front of him.
The particles seemed to have come to life. They
somehow knew exactly what to do. The particles
looked like an unstable atom which vibrated the
world around it. The particles seemed to tear the
soft fabric of reality itself. Diato couldn't figure out
what the dragon was doing but he knew he was not
going to go empty handed without killing this
dragon.

It was his First Mission after all...

He decided to keep sprinting towards the dragon as

he was thrown at far distance from the dragon
because of the wind attack by its wings. A portal
opened - bending the fabric of reality - The dragon
inserted his hand inside the portal. Diato saw an
even bigger and even larger portal. A large hand
popped out of the large portal on the ground right
under the dragon. Diato finally reached the dragon
but he had a problem... How'd he kill the dragon?

The dragon's hand popped out from the portal

below him. Not just the portal but the hand itself
was enlarged too. The hand swiftly caught Diato.
Diato tried as hard as he could but he could do
nothing. The grasp was too tight. He felt his lungs

⩶⟪ 96 ⟫⩶
crushing under the hand's pressure and from the
heat of the dragon. He slowly flew near Diato's ear
and whispered.

"You might be mistaken brother... " He whispered

as Diato stayed in his place like a stone statue. "I am
not your average D-Ranked Dragon. Your attacks
were too weak"

Diato finally glanced at the dragon with his head

trembling,

"I am a powerful S-Ranked Dragon!"

His eyes grew wide in shock. How did this happen?

Why would Lailah do this to me? Is this a glitch? It can't
be! How is this possible?! He thought, as he became
stationary again like a statue.

⩶⟪ 97 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Seven
Inferno seed

The dragon threw his hand behind his back to

grab something, as he backed away a bit from
Diato's ear, while still keeping a strong grasp on
him. He pulled out his hand back, holding
something really tiny with his forefinger and
thumb. It seemed like a yellow grain of wheat. Diato
glanced at the seed - trying his best not to move. He
was thinking of playing dead but that wouldn't
work as the dragon's grasp was too warm and he'd
eventually burn to death. Moreover, he thought of
insulting the dragon, Your breath stinks! But he knew
he'd get hit by an actual dragon breath - which
would again burn him to death.

He didn't know what to do. He decided to stay

stationary and think of something to do. His
stomach felt the heat coming from outside. His suit

⩶⟪ 98 ⟫⩶
wasn't working. Shit! I think the suit's burning! Ah
Fuck me in the eye! He thought. He could feel the
heat through his nerves and skin. John told him to
not wear anything under the suit. He could feel the
suit burning on his bare skin. He could smell the
toxic fume of the suit burning in air, without
releasing any smoke.

He was in pain but he couldn't shout out loud. The

dragon would surely attack to shut him up. And he
was already suffering from intense heat, tracing
every inch of his bare skin. He didn't want more.
The dragon hovered the seed in front of Diato's
eyes. He could see the seed but he couldn't care less.
He didn't care about a random seed while he was
suffering through intense heat. He didn't know that
the heat would be the least of his concerns after a
while.

The dragon shoved the seed inside Diato's mouth,

and pushed his jaw back up with his hand.

"Swallow it!" The dragon shrieked, "or else... "

"Okay! Je - Jeez" Diato said with his voice hesitant

and the seed stuck between his teeth.

⩶⟪ 99 ⟫⩶
He swallowed his drool, but he wasn't a fool who'd
eat something from a stranger. The seed was still
stuck in his teeth, but he created an illusion that his
swallowed it so that the dragon would let him go.
He didn't know shit about that seed. But he didn't
care as he was going to spit it anyways. I should get
back to my bike as soon as I get released! I'd gain speed
and maybe I'll be able to counter his high ground by
making him miss his attacks because I'd be moving with
high speeds on the ground. He thought.

The dragon was gullible enough to believe that

Diato swallowed the seed. The dragon's goal was
complete. He thought he had made a drayer
swallow the inferno seed. The Unknown would be
proud of me! The dragon thought as he found his lips
curling into a smirk. He loosened his grip on Diato
and slowly threw him on the ground as he pulled
his wing back. It was easy to make Diato swallow
the seed because he wasn't moving much.

Diato thought he'd be softly put on the ground but

he was proven wrong. He smacked his butt on the
ground. He felt the seed slipping from his teeth
because of the fall. The seed slipped through his
tongue all the way to his throat. Ahh What in the
Door Demon World? He thought ragefully as he
choked on the seed in his throat. Diato's heart

⩶⟪ 100 ⟫⩶
skipped a beat as the seed slipped all the way down
his stomach. He tried as hard as he could to spit it
out while it was still in the throat but he failed.

He didn't know what to expect. Was it a poison? Was

it a memory erasing seed? Is that going to grow a plant
in my stomach? He was too scared to do anything to
get it out now. He accepted his fate as he got back
on his knees. He sat there gazing down at his hands.
The dragon was too happy to not smile. He had
done it. He had fed an Inferno Seed to a drayer. He'd
now be eligible to become the clan leader's close
protector.

The dragon touched his feet on the ground as his

wings slowly shoved into his back. He fully
transformed into a human. No one could tell he was
a dragon now. Except the fact that he had pointed
ears like an elf. And the fact that he was standing
naked. But he wasn't a human. He didn't care about
covering himself as he didn't feel any shame.
Dragons never wore clothes in their dragon form
anyways.

Diato glanced at his hands. They were slowly

turning dark red. It must be my blood. Diato thought.
His nails grew simultaneously. His nerves seemed
to pop out of his skin. And it seemed like his nerves

⩶⟪ 101 ⟫⩶
would explode any minute. But they didn't. His skin
turned orangish red. His body suddenly felt warmer
and warmer every second. The burning suit didn't
burn Diato's skin anymore. Although it was still
there on his skin - burning. But Diato couldn't feel
the heat. The only heat he felt now was the heat
within him. The seed must be a fire poison which would
burn me from the inside he thought, I wish I
could prove to Max and John that I was the best new
Drayer. I wish I could open any one door without
help. He knew he was going to die. But he didn't
know how.

He felt something pop out near his butt. And I

pooped myself... Probably. He thought. He didn't know
it wasn't poop. He also felt something pop out of his
back. His teeth felt suddenly like a vampire. The
heat inside his body was now visible on his skin. His
skin is glowing orange due to the heat inside of him.
The Dragon gazed at Diato with concern as he saw
Diato's ears changing its shape. Diato knew it was
the end for him. He closed his eyes... Waiting for his
Death... Waiting for the seed to burn him
completely... Waiting for his fate.

*****

⩶⟪ 102 ⟫⩶
Diato woke up and found himself in his room. Was it
a dream again!? He thought. He hauled himself to a
sitting position as he glanced at his forearms.
Nothing. It was all normal. Except the
book. Dragons of the DragonSpines. It was still there
under the pillow. Diato remembered taking the
book. This mustn't be a dream. It was the truth. He
gazed up and found Maz and John sitting there -
staring at him.

"So... What happened?" Max asked softly, clearly

not wanting to stress out Diato, "John found you
unconscious... Beside the dead body of a Dragon...
An S-Ranked one... "

"... And you were naked" John added.

"That's not important" Max suggested, "How did

you survive? Do you remember
anything? Anything?" Max urged.

"The - The Dragon caught me in his wings... "

Diato started finally, trying to remember as much
as he could. "He - he - threw me on the ground - I
felt the poison... That's all - all I remember" He said
with his teeth.

⩶⟪ 103 ⟫⩶
"What poison? Did he feed you anything?" Max
asked, his tone clearly said that he was worried and
confused for Diato.

"I don't remember... " He Lied. He remembered the

seed. He didn't want to put stress on him and
preferred to die in peace if that was what was
written in his destiny.

"Give him some time to rest... I mean... He'll slowly

recall what happened" John suggested.

"You're right" Max stood up with John. "Go and

rest Diato. We've gotta meet that A-Ranked
member this evening. Around six O' Clock. Get
ready if you feel well. And if you remember anything
else let us know immediately"

Diato opened his mouth to say something but then

closed it again with a nod. He saw Max and John
leave the room. He found himself surprisingly
alive. What was that seed? Why didn't it kill me? It was
literally burning me from the insides! What happened?
Why don't I remember killing that dragon? Was it
someone else? He thought as he continued to stare at
the chair Max was sitting on.

⩶⟪ 104 ⟫⩶
He stood up from the bed and walked to the door.
He pulled the knob and slammed the door shut. He
did not forget to lock it this time. He didn't want
any disturbance now. He pulled out the book under
his pillow. He gazed at the cover for some time and
then it struck him. There must be a book for that
seed! He thought. He opened the door again and
dashed to the library. While on the way - he tried to
remember the appearance of it. He tried to
remember what happened after he accidentally
swallowed the seed.

His body turned almost orange. Hus nails and teeth

grew like a vampire. No! Vampires don't exist! He
convinced himself. It must be a poison. Which was
killing him from the insides. Finally reached the
library. He slid his foot in to check if the door was
closed. It wasn't. He stepped inside. He was met
with a similar voice.

"Go take anything you want!" It was Lailah the

Librarian, "I'm not risking any other lives for a
stupid person." She said with her teeth clenched.

"What do you mean?"

⩶⟪ 105 ⟫⩶
"You remember this morning you took - I
mean stole a book from here by telling me that you
came to distract me?"

"I do. What about it?"

"I checked the drawers and it cause me to mix all

the mission envelopes! I accidentally sent a D-
Ranked drayer on an S-Ranked Mission! All because
you told me you stole something from that drawer!"

Diato realised it. It was his own mistake which led

to him almost getting killed. He was the one who
caused the librarian to missrank the missions.
Thankfully the librarian didn't know that he was
the one who was sent on the S-Ranked Mission. He
thought it was the librarian's mistake but it was his
own.

He went to the restricted section again, with guilt

coursing in his veins. He knew he was guilty. The
librarian didn't. She didn't know that Diato was
him. Diato reached the map section again and
started moving his eyes in both direction again. He
saw the empty slot of the DragonSpines book. The
slot revealed the cover of the book behind it. The
cover caught his eye. Inferno Flower. He saw the
title. He knew he was in sime herbs section or

⩶⟪ 106 ⟫⩶
something. Because he was looking for book that
had plants. Because seeds come from plants. And plants
come from seeds. Interesting. He thought. He saw the
cover was naroon with the golden text on it that
said: Inferno Flower. The writer was David Davis.
He also noticed the small letters: Rank: A+.

He pulled out the book and read the introduction.

Thankfully, it had the introduction.

⩶⟪ 107 ⟫⩶
 INTRODUCTION

The Inferno Flower is farmed especially

for its seed. The Inferno Seed. That seed
possess immense power. If consumed - it
can even kill the person. Its mainly used
by S-Ranked dragons. This book
discusses about where to find the flower
- how to grow it - effects of the Inferno
Seed - Side Effects of the Inferno Seed.

DISCLAIMER

This book is for knowledge purposes

only! Do not grow the Inferno Flower as
it is highly radioactive and poisonous.

⩶⟪ 108 ⟫⩶
It was all fine and stuff until the word Poisonous
caught Diato's eye. He decided to take it to his room
secretlty as the librarian would be suspicious if
Diato took the book as she would know who Diato
is and what happened if she would pay attention.
Diato didn't want that to happen. He dug the book
on bis chest with both hands covering the back
cover. He left the library without making eye
contact with her.

He did notice that she was acting different. She was

chewing on the frame of her glasses while talking to
someone on the telephone. Diato imagined her to be
like an old grumpy lady but she wasn't and now
this. Something was going on about the librarian
which Diato didn't know and everyone was olay
with it. We aren't allowed to communicate with our
family. But she is? That's not fair! He thought, as he
saw her smiling and giggling lightly while
talking. Who'd giggle while talking to someone who's
not one of their family? She is definitely talking to a
family member. This made Diato kinda jealous as he
grew up as an orphan. And no one wanted to be his
friend because he read too many books. They called
him a book worm at the orphanage.

He finally reached his room. He wasn't expecting

guests. He saw the door open. His heart beats

⩶⟪ 109 ⟫⩶
started racing. Did someone find out about the book I
was hiding under the pillow? He thought. He finally
peeled through the door which was wide open. It
was John. He was sitting at a chair beside the bed. It
looked like he was waiting for Diato. Diato couldn't
show john the book. Or he'd know about the seed.
And he wouldn't let Diato die in peace. He slammed
the book upside down on the table beside the door,
abd shut the door behind him. He went near John
and sat beside him.

"So... Did you remember anything?" John asked

politely.

His voice was so soothing Diato wanted to spit out

the truth like vomit but held it all back.

"No" Diato shook his head. "I told you all I could
remember."

"Okay" John replied with ease, "no problem. You

really need some rest. And I brought you some
fries."

"That's so nice of you" Diato said and he jumped on

the bed, grabbing the dries from John hands.

"And I have called out doctor. He'll be here soon"

⩶⟪ 110 ⟫⩶
"What? Why do I need a Doctor? I'm perfectly
fine!"

"You said you felt like there was poison inside you,
didn't you?"

"Yes, because I felt the nausea. I guessed it might be

poison. I'm not sure!"

"You didn't mention that! I gotta tell the doctor

now" John said in a hurry while he stood up and
made his way outside.

Diato locked the door behind John as he grabbed

the book he had brought. Inferno Flower. He went
towards the bed, and pulled the courtains shut. The
room seemed too dark so he turned on lights. I don't
know why but it feels illegal to turn on the light in the
noon. Diato remembered he hadn't eaten his lunch,
as he devoured the fries in a matter of minutes. He
threw the box out of the window and jumped back
on his bed. He didn't care where the box landed. All
he cared about was to keep his toom tidy. Even if it
meant making the world untidy.

He read the book with intrest. Not because he was

actually intrested in it. But because his life depended
on it. If the seed was an actual poison... He was in

⩶⟪ 111 ⟫⩶
big trouble. He read the book carefully. Around two
hours later - he slammed the book shut and threw it
on the side table. He hauled himself in a sitting
position and rested his elbows on his knees as he
rubbed his eyes and forehead with his palms.

The book said that the Inferno Flower had an

Inferno Seed which was used by S-Ranked dragons
to turn normal people into uncontrollable S-Ranked
Dragons. Any human who ate the seed would turn
into an S-Ranked Dragon and get out of control.
They wouldn't remember anything. But they'd
destroy everything. And the consumer of the seed
would die in twenty four hours. The seed would
also act like an instant poison after twenty four
hours.

He was scared. Too scared. Diato wasn't scared of

anything in his life except doors. But he was now.

Death...

This couldn't get any worse now. He laid back on

the bed again. Thinking about all the times he was
bullied at the orphanage. He hadn't had any good
memories to think about except the ones that he
passed the final selection - and how exceited he was
to go on his first mission. His eyelids felt heavy and

⩶⟪ 112 ⟫⩶
in no time - they were glued shut. Diato fell asleep
with dried out tears not daring slip down his
cheeks.

*****

A loud thud noise woke him up after an hour. It was

someone banging at the door. "WHO THE FUCK
IS IT?" Diato shouted from his bed so that the
person outside could hear him. He didn't want to
get out of bed. The little nap had helped so much. It
had helped put down half of the burden. Half of the
sorrow. Twenty Four Hours... Diato didn't know how
long it would take toto pass that much hours.

"It's me!" It was John, "I was here to just remind

you to het ready if you are feeling well. You can
come with us at the cobble garden. Terra is coming
there. That A-Ranked team member... Remember?"

"YEAH! I'M COMING" Diato shouted back. He

thought it would be a good idea to hang out with
his team. After all t was twenty four hours not
twenty four minutes. He decided he'd have as much
fun as possible before he died. So he'd have
something to remember at the time of his death.

⩶⟪ 113 ⟫⩶
He jumped out of his bed amd changed his T-shirt
which had dried tears on it. He wondered how did
John even find his clothes. He pulled out some nice
pair of new and washed clothes and wore them. He
combed his hair and now was ready to meet the new
member. He was now not afraid to open the door.
He grabbed the knob and pushed it. It didn't open.
Then, he pulled it. The door swung open with a
smile on Diato's face.

*****

He met Max and John in the basement, unlocking

their vehicles with some code. They stared at Diato
as if he was supposed to do the same. But Diato
stood there stupidly, not knowing what to do.

"Oh yeah he doesn't know about that" Max told

John and then turned to Diato, "Enter your name
and the vehicle will boot up. It will he basically
taken on rent and the money will be taken from
your bank account. You might not have connected
your bank account yet so sit behind me"

Diato nodded as he jumped on Max's bike. Diato

was excited to meet the new member but something
pounded in the back of his head...

⩶⟪ 114 ⟫⩶
Twenty four hours...

⩶⟪ 115 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Eight
TERRA

They left the Organization and turned left again.

Towards Troll Tog. Even though he was not
driving the bike, he felt like he was. Because he
wasn't used to sitting behind people on a two-
wheeler. The only time he saw behind someone was
on a bicycle. He sat on the carrier of the bicycle of
the bully. And he was intentionally thrown off the
bike. Since then, he never trusted anyone who told
him to sit behind them. But he did now. He knew
Max wasn't a bully... Hopefully. They reached the
Northern Slum, and the destination was near.

Diato jumped off the bike in the driveway. John and

Max parked the bikes and they together went inside
the garden.

⩶⟪ 116 ⟫⩶
"I came here on a trip, once! It's a spiral-shaped
garden with a campsite and the best part is the
adventure cave! There are so many fun things
there" Diato spoke.

Max completely ignored Diato but John didn't want

to eliminate his mood so he agreed with him with a
nod. They walked over the little bridge and reached
the campsite. There were no campers, of course.
Who'd camp in monsoon? But there were several
benches to sit on. Diato sat beside John on a wooden
bench. Max sat alone on the bench beside John's
bench.

"She told me she went on a mission at the Menders'

Fields" Max started.

"Yeah. There was some sort of... You know...

Abnormal activities. It was suspected that it was a
dragon's activity." John replied.

"So what in the actual fuck are we doing here?"

Diato cut in the middle.

John opened his mouth but closed it again as he

heard Max say something, "We're waiting for
Terra. And Don't you dare use that language with
us again"

⩶⟪ 117 ⟫⩶
"What language? English? Okay, ich werde nicht"
Diato said in a light-hearted tone.

"I mean that cursing and swearing stuff," Max said,

trying to sound calm as he held back his anger. He
had never found anyone who talked to him like that
but Diato was just having some fun - joking around.

"Wakarimashita, gomen'nasai, dikkuheddo," Diato said,

"and that was Japanese by the way. It means I'm
Sorry"

"You know we don't know Japanese. So talk to me

in English or don't talk to me at all" Max said, his
tone clearly saying that he was holding back anger.

"Calm down dude. He's just just joking. I know he's

not that rude" John added before Diato could reply
rudely.

"John's right dude. You take too much personally."

Diato said.

Diato saw John talk about other missions with Max.

Diato had no idea what he was talking about. It was
probably some C-ranked stuff he was too D-ranked
to understand. He sat there dumbfounded, staring
at Max and then at John repeatedly. He had nothing

⩶⟪ 118 ⟫⩶
to do. He pulled out his phone and started to act like
he wasn't sitting there awkwardly but was busy on
his phone.

He went to Instagram, and updated his bio from:

Book Worm
Hate Doors
Hate My Life
Love Windows
Love Mac
If someone feels like I deserve something, they can give me
all of their property.

To:

Was Book Worm

Hated Doors
RIP...

He was prepared for it. He wasn't worried because

he was going to die... He was worried because he
wasn't going to die a Warrior's death. He always
wanted to die after he did something big... So that
the world would remember him. He couldn't do
anything good for him to be remembered. All he
could do was wait for his death like a coward.

⩶⟪ 119 ⟫⩶
He saw John stand up and go near the bridge. He
glanced at Max, who didn't even ask John where he
was going. Diato couldn't stop himself from asking
Max,

"Where is he going all of a sudden?" Diato inquired.

"He's going to the washroom" Max replied with his

face more neutral than distilled water. "Didn't he
just mention it before he went?"

"I didn't hear it," Diato said, realising his absence of

mind, "but there's no washroom near the bridge. Is
he going to pee in the bushes?"

"No, you dummy" Max replied without looking at

Diato, and his expression the same as before,
"there's a restroom near the watchtower. You said
you've visited this place, how do you not know
this?"

"Because our guardian just let us pee in the bushes.

And we were children" Diato replied in a similar
tone as Max to show him how irritating his tone
had suddenly become.

Max, however, didn't care at all. Diato was shocked

to see that he wasn't irritated by someone who was

⩶⟪ 120 ⟫⩶
talking like him. Diato would be annoyed with
people when they tried to mimic him. After a while,
John returned with a girl. Diato's eyes grew wide,
as he saw John walking back towards them with his
hands dry. Does he not wash his hands? Diato thought
for a moment. He completely ignored the girl. He
didn't know that she was Terra.

"Didn't you go to the washroom?" Max raised an

eyebrow

"I did, but then I saw her on the way back," John
said.

"You managed to get a girl while returning from a

fricking washroom!?" Diato said he was shocked.

"Shut up, Deleto, she's Terra" Max said as his lips

curled into a smile. He glanced back at her, "Now I
won't have to do all the mission work!"

"You're right" Terra started, "Hello everyone. And,

respectfully - who the fuck is this guy?" She said as
her eyes froze on Diato.

"He's Deleto" Max replied

"No, He's Diabeto!" John cut Max in between,

⩶⟪ 121 ⟫⩶
"I'M DIATO! Not Deleto, Not Diabeto, Not
Despacito!" Diato said in a high voice.

"First of all, Keep your voice down" Terra ordered

him, "second, You might be the new member
right?" Her tone suddenly changed.

"Yeah, I'm the first qualifier," Diato said, with his

chest inflating with pride, "and I am D-Ranked"

"Nice to meet you... Mr... " Terra spoke, with her

voice hesitant, as she didn't remember what he just
said his name was,

"Nice to meet you too, I am Diato, and I am an

Orphan. I hate doors but I do love windows, And I
am the first hindu Drayer. I am a strong supporter
of veganism. It's not like I hate non-vegeterians but
I—"

"Okay that's more than Enough..." Terra stopped

him as she sat beside Max, "What was your name
again?"

"Diato"

"Okay. Don't be offended but I don't think I'll be

able to remember it so please don't get angry if I

⩶⟪ 122 ⟫⩶
call you by another name" She said trying to sound
polite.

"Yeah. I won't." Diato said trying to sound neutral.

No one talked to him in such a nice manner, since
childhood. The only one who did was the common
orphanage guardian. But as Diato grew up, he
realised that it was just his job and he wasn't nice to
Diato because he was Diato but because he was a
child. This was the first time someone was nice to
him because he was Diato.

"I visited my house on the way back, and brought

some clothes" She explained, "the mission was
awesome and as Di - Dia - Diablo doesn't know, I
had to stay at the Salt Flats for two whole weeks. I
finally figured out that the dragon was a fisherman,
so I eliminated him at night so that he wouldn't
turn into a dragon and then I returned."

"That's good. But don't you think you took too long
to figure out who the dragon is?" Diato asked as he
didn't feel a bit offended when his name was not
spoken correctly. And this was the first time.

"That's actually how A-Ranked Missions work. You

have to figure out yourself who the dragon is. And
this might even take days. The longest A-Ranked

⩶⟪ 123 ⟫⩶
Mission was recorded at three hundred forty-two
days, by Roman Ross. That's almost a Year" She
explained, as she knew he didn't know how this all
worked at higher ranks.

Diato nodded with interest. Terra's face lit up as she

remembered something. She looked at Max, as a
smile curled up her lips.

"Don't... " Max demanded as his lips curled up into

a thin line like a slit.

"...How's Lailah?" She asked as he let out a slight

laugh, "did you ask-" She was about to continue but
Max cut her off,

"-I don't wanna talk about it in front of him" Max

gestured at diato with his eyes.

"Why? 'Cause he's new?" She urged, "Well if you

don't talk, I'll tell him everything... In Detail" She
threatened him in a lighthearted way.

"No, okay don't tell him in detail," Max replied, his

voice hesitant. "I'll tell him. I - I'll tell you first"

⩶⟪ 124 ⟫⩶
"What are you guys talking about? Is this about
me?" Diato said, wondering if they'd found out
about the seed.

"Don't worry, it's not about you." Max turned to

Terra as he spoke, "And for you - Yes, I asked her.
And she agreed. I can't tell much about what's
going on in her mind."

Diato looked at them dumbly. He thought it must

be about Lailah talking to her family inside the
organization. Or because she misranked his mission.
Although it wasn't her fault, they might blame her.
Max seemed like the kind of person that would do
it.

"Okay, That's enough, are you gonna tell me in

detail or should I tell him in detail?" Terra
demanded.

"Ayo chill... I just asked her if she wanted to go to

the movies with me. She said she was afraid of the
dark and barely went to the movies, and roller
coaster would be a better idea... "

"... And you're afraid that only thing, am I right?"

Terra spoke,

⩶⟪ 125 ⟫⩶
"Yeah. So I declined. Saying that they were kind of
mid, and not fun enough. Because I have ridden
many and they're not fun anymore. We finally
agreed to go to a McDonald's, grab some meal, and
eat it at the willow lake next weekend" Max
explained.

"So you and Lailah are...?" Diato asked him

confusingly,

"... Daitng" Terra finished the sentence, "they're

dating. They're dating next week. Max has had a
crush on her for a long time so I became her friend
and we motivated him to ask her out. But this fool
never did" She turned to Max, "you know, Max.
Girls like me and her don't like it when you straight
up say, come to date with me, or I love you, you have
to let us catch up to your feelings and -"

"That's the third time you're saying that" Max

pointed out, to shut her up. Diato had heard enough
to blackmail Max. All the dots were now
joining. That was why she was smiling while talking on
the telephone. She was talking to Max! Diato thought.

"You know, Max." Diato started, "You should listen

to Terra. She's a nice advice giver. Just like Timmy
from my orphanage. She was a really good friend of

⩶⟪ 126 ⟫⩶
mine until her brother started bullying me and a
fight broke out between us. Then, she stopped
talking to me. That made complete sense to me so I
respected her behavior. Although, she didn't." He
finished, as he ran out of breath. He started heavily
breathing and quietly with his mouth afterwards.

"I know!" Max exclaimed as he was done hearing

this all. He was acting like he had heard it more
than a hundred times. "I understand what she's
trying to say, I understand it all, and I'm ready to
do it. I never declined it. I just postponed the idea to
build up courage"

"Why do you need courage?" Terra cut him off,

"Just act normal like you're her friend. Just like you
act with me. It's that simple."

"When did I say it's not!? Are you here to bully me

until I go out with her? Because to your kind
information, I have already asked her out and she
has agreed."

"That's why I'm happy. I was just explaining it

again in front of Diato so that I don't have to tell
him in Detail." She said, pressuring the
word detail on her tongue.

⩶⟪ 127 ⟫⩶
"Yeah, Okay, Alright, Good, " Max said trying to
change the topic, "how was your mission? Oh wait
you already said that! Umm... What about Diato?
Oh, he introduced himself to you. What about John?
Oh, nothing about him."

"You're trynna change the topic, aren't ya?" John

said. It was pretty clear Max didn't want to talk
about her. No one knew the reason. Not even Max
himself. Diato saw the way of her talking and the
sudden change in Max's mood. Max was all grumpy
and stuff until Terra came back. It felt like a little
family sort of thing inside their team. Where Terra
was in charge, like an elder sister or a mother. John
was like the middle child, that everyone forgot
existed because of his introverted personality. And
Max was like that spoiled child who only listened to
one person. And she was Terra. Diato didn't know
what role he'd get. But right now, he felt like a pet.
A pet that no one listened to but everyone
somewhat cared about, not because it was a pet but
because it couldn't care about itself.

"Diato... " John turned to him curiously. Diato

wished he wouldn't ask about his first mission.
"Share your experience about your first mission
with us"

⩶⟪ 128 ⟫⩶
"Yeah... " Diato said, not interested in sharing it.
"So I reached the Troll Tog, and there I saw a bald
guy. I threw my butterfly knife but it folded up
midair and the handle struck the man's head. My
heart sank for a while but I was pleased to know
that he wasn't the dragon. The dragon, however,
saw me and ran away on his motorcycle. I followed
him and punctured his tire with my arrow. But I fell
into the crash too. Then I had a little fight with
him. He was kinda powerful though. Then he
grabbed me with his gigantic hand and... Then... I
don't remember anything else. The next thing I saw
was the ceiling of my room with bandages on my
hands and stuff"

"Yeah," Max continued Diato, "he was found

unconscious next to the dead body of an S-Ranked
dragon-"

"-And he was naked" John added, "like, Butt naked"

"You don't need to add that," Diato said with his

jaw clenched. Diato wished John didn't go around
mentioning that he was found butt naked.

"Yeah, that's really unnecessary," Max said,

shutting John up.

⩶⟪ 129 ⟫⩶
"No," Terra said, "it is necessary. Were his clothes
near him somewhere?"

"Nope, they were nowhere to be found" John

replied.

It struck Terra, It must be the inferno seed! It struck

Diato at the same time, She knows. She turned to
Diato with her worry visible in her eyes.

"Did the dragon feed you something?" She asked

Diato to ensure her that her doubt was a reality.

"No, he didn't," Diato said with his teeth.

"Don't lie, Diato" John said, "she'll help you." He

turned to Terra, "Yes, the dragon fed him some sort
of poison seed or something. He felt that he was
poison but he is alive."

"Okay," Terra spoke as she curled her legs straight

and jumped out of the bench, "we're heading back to
the organization. Now" She ordered Max.

In an instant, Mac also jumped to his feet and

followed Terra outside. Diato felt a need to stand up
but if she did further investigation, he'd be caught.
He didn't want to take the risk. John was still

⩶⟪ 130 ⟫⩶
sitting beside Diato. Thankfully, he had brought the
Inferno Flower book with him. So he was sure that
she wouldn't find it in the library or his room.

"I'll be right back," Diato said as he jumped on his

feet.

He walked on the bridge and went to the circular

path. John knew diato didn't go to the washroom
but he couldn't tell where he'd gone. He decided to
patiently wait for him to return, and in the
meantime, he'd use his phone. Diato reached the
centre of the spiral path. He saw that second
adventure cave and sat under a tree behind the cave.
No one could easily spot him from the outside
because of the dense amount of trees.

He felt the breeze on his spine as his body hair

experienced cold creeps. He dug out the book of
Inferno flower out of his T-shirt. He was hiding it
under his T-shirt which was tucked into his pants
so it was hard to notice he was carrying a book. He
relaxed himself and continued to read the book.

*****

Max and Terra reached the organization. Terra

instantly called the elevator and they reached the

⩶⟪ 131 ⟫⩶
ground floor, from the basement. She strolled across
the corridor, straight to the library. Max was
struggling to keep up with her. He didn't know if
she was going to confront Lailah or talk about
Diato. But he had to follow her across the corridor.
It was an order. She was like a strict elder sister to
him whose orders couldn't be declined without
punishment. She wasn't that bad if you followed her
orders.

The glass door slid open as she strode inside. Max

made a little jog to catch up to her. It still wasn't
enough. Though, he didn't want to crush his
personality in front of Lailah. He stopped trying to
catch up to her. His feet fell slowly and slowly came
to a halt near a shelf. The library was the dark part
of the organization for Max, which he never liked to
visit. The velvet books, high ceilings and the
constant smell of raw planks irritated him. The only
scent he liked was of vanilla essence and he
preferred rooms with short ceilings. Not that short,
but not many high ceilings either.

It felt like he was entering the library for the first

time. The library was circular, with a ceiling that
tapered to a point as if it had been built inside a
tower. The walls were lined with books, the shelves
so high that tall ladders set on casters were placed

⩶⟪ 132 ⟫⩶
along them at intervals. These were no ordinary
books either - these were books bound in leather
and velvet, clasped with sturdy-looking locks and
hinges made of brass and silver. Their spines were
studded with dully glowing jewels and illuminated
with gold script. They looked worn in a way that
made it clear that these books were not just old but
were well-used, and had been loved.

After a while, he saw Terra coming back, with her

gaze down than usual. He knew she wasn't
expecting something. He waited for her to speak.

"The book of the inferno flower isn't here" She

spoke, as he gaze shifted to the shelves and then
back at Max's eyes. Her gaze froze at his eyes and
she continued, "Diato must've taken it. That means
he knows about it. Why is he hiding it?"

"What are you talking about?" Max raised an

eyebrow.

"The inferno seed." She said, as her voice dropped

to almost a whisper, "The S-Ranked dragon had fed
Diato the inferno seed that turns him into a dragon.
But he'd die after twenty-four hours of it"

⩶⟪ 133 ⟫⩶
"Oh." Max's eyes grew wide, "he might be afraid we
would hunt him down. His mission was just this
morning"

"Max, please don't tell anyone, but we'll have to

help him as soon as possible."

"Why are you so worried about him?" He said as he

strode out of the library with Terra,

"You see... I was shocked when I heard his name the

first time but I didn't want to reveal myself."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember Timmy? The girl Diato talked about...

She was her best friend and then she didn't talk to
him after he fought with her brother?"

"Yes...?"

"Well, I am Timmy," She said as her voice trailed

off.

⩶⟪ 134 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Nine
WHO AM I?

Diato slammed the book shut as he got up on his

feet. The sky covered itself in the blanket of
darkness as the last of the sunrays were killed by
the coldness of the dark. The clouds drifted apart
from the moon, as it shone bright in the sky, like a
beautiful marble with dark spots. It was just a
matter of minutes for Diato to finish the book. John,
tired of waiting for him, decided that he'd go back to
the organization. He pulled out a pen and a small
piece of paper. He wrote:

I am leaving. Grab a taxi or something to come back.

-John

He left the paper on the bench. He strode away,

disappearing in the dark shadows. Which were lit

⩶⟪ 135 ⟫⩶
by streetlights on the outside but no light source
was seen inside.

I am a fricking dragon! Diato thought. He had

finished the book, and it said that the seed turned
the consumer into a dragon until he died. Which
was twenty-four hours. He held out his hand
palmside up, and slightly curled his fingers against
the sky. The book says I would turn into a dragon...
Then I should be able to create a fireball. He thought as
he tried his best to generate fire out of his hand.
Little did he know, he wasn't prepared for it.

Sparks started to appear out of nowhere on his

palm. The sparks even touched his palm but he
couldn't feel the heat. It felt like he was now heat-
resistant. The sparks multiplied, again, and again.
They slowly lit Diato's palm on fire but the pain of
the warmth was nowhere to be found. He stepped
forward with his eyes cold. He could feel the fire's
warmth in his chest. His full concentration was on
the fire. He moved his palm slowly but the fire
didn't want to extinguish. He shook heavily now
but the fire won't extinguish. He didn't burn his
hand but he wanted to figure out how he did it,
again. So he could do it on command.

⩶⟪ 136 ⟫⩶
No matter how heavily he shook his hand, the fire
didn't extinguish. He thought of wrapping his arm
around his T-shirt, but that would probably set the
T-shirt on fire. He decided to finally rub it on the
tree trunk. He pushed his hand near the trunk and
rubbed his palm as hard as he could. He retrieved
his hand back. The fire wasn't extinguishing no
matter how hard he tried. He stared at the fire,
thinking of what to do.

Suddenly, a dry leaf fell from the tree. Diato moved

his hand away in time but the flame set the dry
yellow leaf on fire. Before Diato could realise it, the
leaf fell on the grass and spread the fire further. The
flames spread on the grass like dense oil spreading
unevenly on a smooth marble floor. But oil wouldn't
be so warm. Diato felt his stomach crumbling into a
tiny ball of fire, as he saw fire spreading into the
garden. He was barely learning to control it when it
had to burn a whole garden.

This was the worst timing. Diato panicked, not

knowing what to do. Somehow, he held himself
together. You can do this. He told himself. He had to
stop the fire somehow. He couldn't let thousands of
trees die because of his tiny mistake. I wish I hadn't
asked Max to bring him a book. So I wouldn't have
caused the librarian to misrank my mission and I

⩶⟪ 137 ⟫⩶
wouldn't be Dying in twenty-four hours! He thought.
After all, he was the one who led to this all.

He spread his fingers and tried to stop the fire. He

tried to control it, stop! Extinguish! Unheat! What is
it? He thought. He couldn't figure out how to stop
the fire. He tried his best, not to panic. Now even
the top of the trees were on fire. He heard faint
screams of people fading away. They were probably
running away from the fire. He still couldn't hear
the fire alarm but he knew the fire Brigades were on
their way.

*****

Terra slammed the door of Diato's room open. She

strode across the room and reached the table. She
tried to find something. She didn't know what she
was searching for. But something that would - You
know - save him. She didn't know what she was
looking for - But something. She sensed the scent of
maple wood. It was probably the table. It was quite
old.

She went to the bed and pulled the blanket. She

didn't know what she was expecting but it wasn't
this. It was a short and thick book. A notebook. It
looked much like a diary. She snatched it from the

⩶⟪ 138 ⟫⩶
bed and flipped the hard cover open. She read the
first words. Diato's Diary. She flipped another page
and kept flipping them until handwritten text
started appearing.

She read the words.

I wish I could meet her again. It was a tough time when I

saw her getting adopted. She didn't even turn around to
give me a wave. I couldn't even say goodbye. Well,
probably the world doesn't revolve around me, after all.

She didn't know who he was talking about. She

wondered for it a bit until she saw the date on the
top. Her eyes grew wide in amusement. It was the
same day the drayers took her by acting as her
adoptive parents. She had joined the drayers but
needed to get out of the orphanage. She was just
fifteen when the drayers arranged two people who'd
act as her adoptive parents and do all the
paperwork.

She flipped even more pages, backwards this time.

She found another text.

I made an gud frend. We played hide and seek. She was

nice tu me. Her name was Timmy.

⩶⟪ 139 ⟫⩶
She again saw the date. She somehow remembered
the date. The grammatical mistakes made it clear
that it was written by a child. She knew it was
written the same day she met Diato. She recalled
the old times as a child. But she was now a young
adult, almost twenty-one

She again flipped the pages further. She flipped

more and more, trying to reach today's date. Maybe
he had written what happened in his Diary? She
wasn't sure but it was worth a try. She finally
reached the page where the year in the date was
twenty-twenty-three. She saw other texts as she
moved on, like

today I ate some French pizza with Italian french fries.

It was just what she had expected of him. Diato

took everything like a joke. He wasn't even worried
even in the worst situations of his life. And Terra
knew it very well. She flipped more pages until she
reached the blank pages. She went two pages back
and found the last text written there. It was before
the day of his first mission.

Today, I got qualified as a drayer! I passed the final

selection test. I wish Timmy was here to see my
achievement. Ever since she left the orphanage, the

⩶⟪ 140 ⟫⩶
building just felt shallow. Until my trainer arranged
some fake parents for me for the paperwork to adopt me.

That was the text written at last. He missed me,

didn't he? She thought with a sigh as she slammed
the diary shut and let it fall freely on the bed. How
do I tell him? She thought as she strode across the
room and slammed the door shut behind her. Okay,
Now, I'm Hungry, she thought as she made her way
to the corridor. She didn't have to memorize the
building's map like, Diato. She just knew what was
where because she went there countless times. I need
to tell him that I am Timmy. And also find a cure for the
inferno seed. What do I do? I guess I'll think about it
while eating.

She went to the counter and ordered a cheeseburger

with coke. She grabbed her meal and threw herself
on the metal stool, attached to the table with
metallic rods under it. Her gaze wandered around
the cafeteria as she devoured the food. It was almost
seven-thirty. Her gaze suddenly froze on the
television hanging from a rod at the eastern wall.
The television was put on some news channels. She
saw that the Cobble Garden was on fire, but she
couldn't care less. It was the government's matter
after all. And if it were some dragon activity, some
Drayer already would've been sent to eliminate the

⩶⟪ 141 ⟫⩶
dragon. Diato and John would've also left the place
by now, as it was getting dark.

She peacefully ate her meal as she heard the faint

screams of people on the television.

*****

The fire was too big to stop now. Diato had no

other option but to flee. He panicked. He tried his
best to control the fire but it became worse and
worse. His knees were rigid as concrete and his eyes
felt watery due to the heat. He barely managed to
see what was going on. He had tried everything he
could do. But there was nothing he could do. He
finally decided to leave the place as he saw the large
lights of a helicopter. It was flying so low, he could
see the people in it. They were probably fire
brigades. He ran into the dense forest, avoiding
going into the cobblestone path.

One of the flames touched his T-shirt. Although he

couldn't feel the heat, his clothes could. He ran into
a wall. It was hard concrete but just at head level.
Diato backed himself. He knew what he wanted to
do. He'd jump over the wall and turn into a dragon.
Then he'd fly away. He couldn't turn fully into a

⩶⟪ 142 ⟫⩶
dragon but he decided to turn halfway to a dragon
like that S-Ranked Dragon.

Diato didn't even notice his burning clothes as he

sprinted towards the wall and leapt on it. The leap
was high enough that he now just had to pull up his
legs. He was halfway on the wall. He raised his legs
with some effort and climbed on top of the wall. He
didn't even bother balancing himself. He let his
body fall with a thud on the other side. He knew no
one would be there to see him transform into a
dragon. He again concentrated on his hands,
thinking of transforming into a dragon, transform!
Dragon! Transform into a dragon! I mean - half
transformed into a dragon, he thought as he tried his
best to get his brain into thinking that he had half
transformed into a dragon.

He felt a weight on the back of his T-shirt. He

finally opened his eyes again as he straightened his
legs, standing up. He looked back over his shoulder.
He saw a big lump on his back. He wanted his T-
shirt to stay in one piece so he quickly shoved his
head and arms out of it. He threw the T-shirt on the
ground so he could again concentrate on his hands
and turn into a dragon. He needed something to
concentrate on and his palms seemed to be the best
option.

⩶⟪ 143 ⟫⩶
He let the lump on his back spread as he
concentrated more and more. His knees gave up as
he fell on them. He balanced himself with his palm
on the ground, dirt infiltrating between his fingers,
as he squeezed the ground with his fingers. The
pain dug into his back as wings popped out of his
bare skin. He saw his nails getting sharp and his
fingers turning almost orange. He again felt a lump
on his back. On the back of his hip this time. It was
the tail that was trying to get out.

He was so close the the dirt that he could feel the

cold scent of damp soil in his nose. His wang
shrivelled as his tail made its way out of his hip. It
sure was painful. So much that Diato tried to
scream but sound just seemed to ignore his request.
He was screaming from the inside. Something
seemed to push his scream back down his throat.
His eyes grew wide. He couldn't take his eyes above
the dirt. The pain prevented him from doing so.

The world wiggled in front of his eyes. His fingers

dug into the dirt. It felt like nausea. Even though he
couldn't see the fire he could still feel it burning in
his chest, pounding in rhythm with his heart. He
clenched his teeth together, letting his lips stay
wide open as he tried to fight the pain. He never
knew turning into a dragon would be this painful.

⩶⟪ 144 ⟫⩶
He wouldn't consider turning into one if he did. The
world wiggles in waves, and he knew he was
experiencing nausea. He wanted it to go away but it
didn't even when he clenched his eyes tightly shut.

*****

He again found himself staring at the ceiling. He

got slightly used to it now, getting up unconscious
and waking up in his bed, with his hair sticking on
his skin with sweat and his blanket pricking on his
thighs and knees. He hauled himself into a sitting
position and glanced around. Max and John were
sitting there, waiting for someone. Diato looked
puzzled as he glanced around. It wasn't his room. He
turned to Max.

"Where-" Diato inquired, trying his best to keep his

eyes open. They suddenly felt heavy. He was cut off
by Max.

"You're in my room" Max spoke, "and you should

keep your room unlocked"

"Why?" He asked trying to hide his annoyance. He

didn't notice it before but he did now. He realised
Max and John were wearing different clothes. His
eyes grew wide as the realisation kicked in. He

⩶⟪ 145 ⟫⩶
looked at the window in the corner of his
eyes, sunlight. It was already morning.

"So that you can be dressed again if people find you

naked every once in a while" Max finished, trying to
sound lighthearted. But he sounded more sarcastic
to Diato than light-hearted.

"Again!?" Diato exclaimed in shock, "Did you find

me this time? And where?"

"Terra did" John explained, "I reached the

organization and had my meal when I saw the news.
Terra asked me why was I worried so I told her you
were still there. At that very moment, she was
ready to leave for the garden, I was gonna come too
if she hadn't stopped me at the organization to tell
Max about it and tell the librarian to find the cure
for the seed you swallowed and didn't tell us"

"Terra found me?" Diato said, ignoring the fact that

they've found out about the seed. Blood flushed up
his cheeks, as he pulled up the blanket from his lap.
This was when he realised he was wearing an
oversized shorts.

⩶⟪ 146 ⟫⩶
"Yeah, don't worry" John assured him neutrally,
"she has found and killed many naked people. I
mean... Dragons, I mean... Dragon people... "

"No, it's not that - it's -" Diato spoke but was
interrupted by a thud on the door.

A skinny and curvy figure appeared at the doorway.

It was Terra. She entered the room and closed the
door behind her. Max and John immediately turned
to her, expecting her to say something. Diato
instantly flinched at her. She was about to say
something. She opened her mouth but closed it
again when she glanced at Diato. He was staring at
her with an expression which made Terra thought
he was going to say, I think I know you... But I Don't.
Or Do I? He glanced at Max and then at John but
they were both gazing at her so he joined them.

"She found nothing" She spoke finally with a sigh.

"Who found nothing?" Diato inquired, puzzled

about what she was talking about.

"The librarian" Max enlightened him, "she didn't

find any cure for that inferno seed in the books."

⩶⟪ 147 ⟫⩶
Diato didn't reply. It suddenly struck him. "I'm
going to my room." He said as he jerked off the bed
and made a little jog across the room as if he had
forgotten to do something and remembered it again.
He opened the door in an instant and closed it
behind him. Now that's called character development. I
can open doors. He thought as he made his way
through the corridor, all the way to his room.

He reached for the key under his mat and unlocked

the door. He grabbed the knob and pulled on the
handle. It didn't open. I think I'm evolving
backwards. He thought as he let go of the knob. He
was so frustrated at the moment he could burn the
door to get in if he had to. To his astonishment, the
door opened itself. Oh! It opens on the inside! He
remembered as the door flung open inside. He
quickly strode inside and kicked the door shut.

He looked up at the ceiling right above his bed. He

had hung the wall clock there on the ceiling
horizontally. So that he didn't have to struggle to
see time when he was asleep. His eyes grew wide as
he saw the time. It has already been twenty-four
hours! He thought. Twenty-seven for the matter of
math. Why didn't I die? He thought as he threw
himself on the bed.

⩶⟪ 148 ⟫⩶
He didn't know what was going on. Did the Inferno
Flower book contain misleading information? He
had to check it again. He reached for the book under
his pillow and pulled it out. Dragons of the
DragonSpines. He put it down on the side
table. Shit! He remembered. Oh, my holy poop! I left
the book in the cobble garden to get burned! I'm so
stupid. He thought as he ran his fingers across his
face, tracing every inch of his forehead.

"Oh for God's sake, why am I not dead yet? It's not
like I'd like to be dead but - I should've been dead!
What is happening to me?" He thought in worry
without realising he was saying it all out aloud. His
palms traced across his forehead and stumbled upon
his ears. He felt them prickling into the tip of his
fingers.

Terra was outside the door. She tried to open it but

it was locked. What is he doing in there? She thought
as she finally gave up and rested her head on the
door. This was when she heard his noise from the
inside. Oh for God's sake, why am I not dead yet? It's not
like I'd like to be dead but - I should've been dead! What
is happening to me? Her eyes grew wide in
astonishment as she realised that he was supposed
to be dead. The twenty-four hours had already
passed.

⩶⟪ 149 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Ten
White Lies

His vision was scrutinizing the room. Soon, they

stumbled upon the shadow behind the door visible
from the shiny tiles under the door. He saw
someone standing outside, listening to him. He felt
his toes get impassive with the coldness of the floor
tiles. He wondered why it was so cold. It wasn't
very cold near the city. He again remembered that
the organization was encircled by a water body.
Which made it obvious why it was so cold.

His palms still stroked his forehead, and he flinched

out of bed. Surprisingly, he stood completely
adequate. Zilch blotches on his skin. As he dragged
himself to a standing position. He was shirtless,
wearing someone's - Probably Max's - oversized
shorts, on his hip, lower than usual. Further than
the shorts, he found no additional fabric wrapping

⩶⟪ 150 ⟫⩶
him. Presumably, because the shorts were sufficient
to wrap his private parts. He strode across the room
and arrived at the door. He figured out what he was
going to do.

In a beat, he clutched the knob and wrung it open.

He retained which side the door unlocked this time.
He yanked the wooden door open. In less than a
beat, he saw that it was Terra and there was no one
with her. Her skull resting on the door, slumped
aside. She fluttered inside the room as Diato
wobbled the door entirely open. He made sure no
one else was with her. He tightly clasped his fingers
around the bicep of her arm. Before she even had
the time to decline or respond, she was yanked
inside the room, also keeping her from the drop. She
heard the door slamming shut with a thud. She
hovered herself on her feet. She glimpsed at Diato,
who was wearing Max's shorts.

She opened her mouth to speak something - explain

herself - but instantly closed it as she listened to
Diato speak something.

"How much did you listen?" He said, darting at her

over his shoulder, still spun to the door. His tone
was unbiased. Nearly emotionless.

⩶⟪ 151 ⟫⩶
"What are talking about? I didn't listen to
anything?" She said with her teeth, trying to sound
persuading.

"I know you were listening to me. You'd have

knocked before resting your head on the door,
otherwise." He said, his tone was coarse and
soothing at the same time.

"Okay, I heard that you were supposed to die, but

you didn't," She said, admitting defeat. There was
no point in fibbing if he was going to perish anytime
soon.

"That's all I said," He said still not pivoting to her,

"as far as I remember"

"Dieto -" She said, pointing out as shortly as she

could, " Debato, your ears - they're-"

"Don't," Diato cut her off, with his tone stiff, almost
emotionless." change the topic. Why were you
spying on me?"

"I'm not changing the topic," She said, sounding

convincing almost shrieking her voice to a cry.
"Your ears - they're - they're pointed!"

⩶⟪ 152 ⟫⩶
"Don't act like you don't know about this." He said,
finally twisting around; he shot her an emotionless
gaze, as his voice rose to a shout, "You're aware that
I've turned into a dragon and I was supposed to be
dead but I'm not for some reason"

With a sigh, she gazed down at her lap. She wasn't

sure what she was doing herself. She didn't know
what to say. His mood was erratic with his tone. She
didn't know what to say. Was he sad? Was he
angry? Was he baffled? It was the first time she had
seen Diato act like this - like a normal and serious
person - he was always so chill to be serious. What
had happened to him? She threw herself in the
mattress, with her feet dangling over the edge. She
was lost in the webs of her thoughts as she fidgeted
with her fingers on her lap.

He strode across the room and reached his bed. He

threw himself on it, fighting the urge to rub his
forehead again. It was all too much for him to
perceive. She glanced at him, wanting to throw her
palm on the cup of his cheek and say, it'll be alright.
She couldn't. She couldn't tell him that she was
Timmy. It would make the situation worse. He was
already confused about why he didn't die, he was
grieffuly waiting for his death, he was also glad he

⩶⟪ 153 ⟫⩶
didn't die, but he didn't want to celebrate too early
as he could die anytime soon.

"I'm sorry," He said, lowering his voice to almost a

whisper with a sigh, "I shouldn't have shouted at
you. You're my senior, I should respect you."

"Don't be" She said, as she turned back to her

fidgeting fingers on her lap, "you're misled if you
think I'm that grumpy senior who'd punish you for
not following orders." Her gaze moved back to his
face, "I'm the friendly one. Everyone is. None of the
Drayers look down on each other" Her words held a
passive amount of conviction.

He didn't reply. With a short pause, he finally

nodded. He never expected Drayers to have so
much unity. He thought how much internal quarrels
and rivalries would be prevented if no one looked
down on each other.

"Terra, you know," He finally spoke, after his lips

felt like they were glued together. "I want to find
out why I haven't Died. I read the Inferno
Flower book, and it said I'd surely die in twenty-four
hours. That's how long it would take the poison to
act. Although I could die earlier, there is no chance
I'd survive more than that."

⩶⟪ 154 ⟫⩶
"Maybe," She suggested, "you're a rare case that has
not been recorded before. Or maybe the poison in
this seed was genetically weak and didn't kill you."

"Maybe." He indicated, "What if that's not the case?

What then?"

"Dia-" She said but hesitated. She didn't want to

pronounce his name incorrectly again. She'd done it
enough times to make someone mad. Instead, she
swallowed and continued the sentence without the
name, "You're not the only one who's new with this
all. None of us has seen this either."

He bobbed again, feeling his shortage of words. She

hurtled herself to her feet. Still not taking her gaze
off Diato's face.

"I understand about the not looking down on each

other part." He started, just as the room fell into
silence. "But I gotta pay respect if you're older than
me"

"I'm not," She said, as her lips uncontrollably curled

into a smile. Not a warm one. A smile you'd make
before proving your dominance. She tried her best
to turn her sinister smile into a warm one.

⩶⟪ 155 ⟫⩶
Diato noticed right away, what she was trying to
do. "How are you so sure? How old are you?"

She tried her best to hide her smile. Although it

wasn't sinister, it looked like one. "I'm Twenty.
Twenty-one next month."

"You're almost the same age as me." He said, with a

tone of shock and coldness, "I'm also Twenty,
turning twenty-one next month"

Oh shit, why did I tell him my actual birthday? I forgot

that children from the same orphanage have a common
birthday! She thought as she realised. She turned
around, ready to leave. She strode across the room
and reached the door. His gaze was fixed on her as
she walked away.

She quickly had to change the topic. She didn't want

Diato to find out just yet. It wasn't the right time.
"How did you manage to work out for those
abs while training?"

"I didn't," He said, as a smile curled up on his face.

He never knew he had abs himself. He gazed down
at his abdomen. "I think it's something that comes
with the inferno seed - I guess. I'm not sure" He
said. He glanced at her. A blow of wind came

⩶⟪ 156 ⟫⩶
bustling through the doorway, flying her hair
across her face. He sighed. "Thanks, Terra"

"For what?" She inquired. She hadn't done

anything. Why was he thanking her?

"For assuring me that I'll not necessarily die," He

said as his gaze shifted to the purple-tinted window,
emitting faint purple sunlight on his face.

"You're welcome," She said as she realised that her

smile automatically turned into a warm one without
trying. She left the room, closing the door behind
her. I hope he's not planning to go to the Dragon Spine
Mountains. And I don't think he has read the whole book
either. Hopefully not about the dragon ruins. She
thought as she made her way down the corridor to
her room.

He hauled himself near the edge of the bed, almost

standing up. His gaze went from the window to the
book on his bed. Dragons of the DragonSpines. He
read the title again, and this time, he knew he was
going to read it all. He had lost the bet but Max
seemed to forget about it. He grabbed the book in
his lap and read the rest of the book. But he had to
do something else first. Although he was fond of
sleeping naked, he wasn't a big fan of staying awake

⩶⟪ 157 ⟫⩶
and naked at the same time except bathing time. He
grabbed a denim jacked from his closet and shoved
his hands inside them, with a sky-blue T-shirt
beneath.

*****

The cityscape was bathed in the warm hues of a

setting sun, casting long shadows across the
bustling streets. As daylight slowly faded, the sky
transformed into a canvas of orange and pink,
creating a breathtaking urban panorama. Amidst
this picturesque scene, the moon emerged,
gradually ascending, adding its serene presence to
the vibrant city skyline. The mingling of the fading
sunlight, the emerging moon, and the twinkling city
lights crafted a captivating tapestry of urban
twilight.

He slammed the book shut and threw it on the bed.

He finally finished the book. It was a long one.
Longer than the Inferno Flower one. But not long
enough. He read that there was a structure at the
DragonSpine Mountains, - also known as Fiery
Peaks for the normal people - named Dragon Ruins,
that place contained a spell of dragon magic that
would let anyone gain knowledge about anything he
desires. But no one seems to go there because it's

⩶⟪ 158 ⟫⩶
also a haunt of the dragons. And any human found
there would be burned alive by the dragons. Diato
wanted to find out about why he didn't die. And he
didn't want to risk his whole life, worrying about
dying anytime. Because if the poison was weak, it
would take a longer time to kill him, but eventually,
it would.

He wanted to know if he'd survive the effects or not,

and he was a dragon himself so he wouldn't be
harmed by other dragons. He saw this as a win-win.
He jumped out of the bed. He silently made his way
down the corridors to the weapon room. It was easy
to locate anything now that he had memorized the
map of the building. He wondered what Drayers
called normal people who were unaware of the
Dragon world. Muggles? Mundanes?

He finally reached the weapon room. The glass door

awaited him again. He held the side panel of the
door frame and pulled it open. It didn't open. He
pulled even harder, squinting his fingers. But the
door seemed to be stuck. No matter how hard he
tried, he couldn't open it. He now used both of his
hands, squinting his fingers against the side panel of
the door, pulling as hard as he could.

⩶⟪ 159 ⟫⩶
He let go of the panel and swallowed. He could see
through the glass that Bella was inside the room,
doing something. He continued to struggle to slide
open the door. He was now even pushing his feet on
the side panel, but the door just didn't want to open.
After a while of continuous hard work, Bella
finished her work and glanced at Diato. She shot
him a look as if to say, What the hell are you
doing? And she almost cringed at him.

He saw her leave the room beside him, walking

straight through the doorway panel. The door was
open. He instantly jerked back his hands from the
panels, as he saw Bella passing through the
doorway. He felt stupid now. He was pulling on the
panel which was screwed to the wall. He wasn't
even pulling the door, he was pulling the panel.

He finally let go of the panel and entered the room

again. His nose senses the familiar scent of metal
and metal polish. The room had no windows or any
other doors. The only thing the room had was a
Room large enough to fit three double-decker buses
Horizontally. The Walls were painted with a colour
that looked grey to some people while it looked off-
white to others.

⩶⟪ 160 ⟫⩶
The glass shelves stuck on the walls carry Several
Knives. There were eight to nine shelves on each
wall: all of them filled with different kinds of knives
piled on top of each other. Various kinds of medieval
Weapons like Swords, Clubs, Spears, and Bows
were hanging from the iron nails. The wall on the
right had all kinds of Different Swords while the
Wall in the middle had All Of the spears you would
have seen in your entire life. The left wall was full
of bows.

The Weapons were hanging as if they were in a

museum but with no glass protection. There were
also Some wooden tables with glass tops and
wooden legs on the corners which had things like
arrows, Grips, Handles, Empty quivers, And many
more piled like a mountain on the tables. The door
was on the bottom left corner of the room.

He remembered the room quite well. The chair in

the corner where his trainer was seated just before
the event's final selection. He recalled the fun
moments he had with his trainer. Those jokes he
made, those slits he got from training. A warm
smile curled up his lips automatically as he recalled
his moments with his trainer. He even told Diato
his name. Diato always used to call him a trainer. He

⩶⟪ 161 ⟫⩶
looked away from the chair and glanced at the club
hanging from the nail on the grey wall.

He went to the metal club and snatched it from the

nail, almost ripping the nail apart from the wall. He
also grabbed a bow and a quiver full of arrows.
Diato shoved as many arrows as he could into the
quiver. He filled the quiver with so many arrows
and that wouldn't even fall even when the quiver
was hung upside down. But he could pull the arrows
with his fingers. He wore the quiver with the strap
across his chest and the bow hanging on his
shoulder, its string also spread across his chest to
his waist diagonally. He grabbed a handful of
knives. And wore the knife belt, specially made to
carry knives. He shoved around ten knives in the
belt, which was the limit.

He pulled out the fireproof suit from the cabinet

under the glass table and wore it under his clothes.
He tied the dragon-finding watch on his wrist, and a
wristwatch on the other hand to keep track of time.
He made sure he wasn't making any noise. He didn't
want to be caught doing this. He made his way
down the corridor to the basement.

He went near a dirt bike. Entered his first mission

code. 29sj50aj27. He somehow remembered it. The

⩶⟪ 162 ⟫⩶
bike roared to life. He flung his leg on the other side
of the bile over it. He made it roar more by twisting
the race and driving out of the basement.

Under the shroud of the night sky, Diato emerged,

his silhouette cutting through the darkness like a
lone wanderer. Clad in a worn black leather jacket
that whispered tales of countless journeys, he
straddled his dirt bike, its metallic body glistening
under the moon's soft glow. The absence of a helmet
revealed tousled hair that danced freely in the cool
night breeze, adding an air of wildness to his
determined demeanour.

With a masterful grip on the handlebars, Diato

revved the engine, breaking the silence of the night
with the powerful growl that resonated through the
tranquil landscape. The bike's wheels churned the
earth, stirring up a celestial dance of dust and
shadows that trailed behind him like a cloak of
secrecy.

Each twist of the throttle was a symphony of

control and freedom, his journey unfolding with
each bend and curve of the rugged terrain. The
moonlight kissed the contours of his face, casting
fleeting glimpses of determination in his focused

⩶⟪ 163 ⟫⩶
gaze, while the stars overhead bore witness to this
nocturnal escapade.

In this quiet escapade under the cover of night,

Diato rode on, a lone adventurer seeking the
mysteries hidden within the
DragonSpines, and himself. The engine's rhythm
matched the beat of his untamed heart.

*****

Terra glanced out of her room's window and saw a

man on a dirt bike leaving the organization. She
stared at the man for a while, trying to figure out
who he was. A thief? The moonlight softly landed on
the terrain below him and his bike, making it shine.
She finally caught a glimpse of him. Diato. She knew
he was about to do something stupid, but she didn't
know he was going to do something this stupid. Her
eyes grew wide as she recalled the book lying on
top of the side table of his room - Dragons Of the
DragonSpines - and she knew he had read it.

He is going to the DragonSpine Mountains, She

thought, to know about himself from the spell at the
Dragon Ruins. I remember thinking of going there, and
instantly regretting it after reading the unknown cave
part. She flicked the light switch on of her room, as

⩶⟪ 164 ⟫⩶
she hauled herself to a sitting position on her bed,
her feet dangling from the edge.

She jumped out of bed and dashed across the room,

exiting it in a smooth movement, and closing the
door behind her. What should I do? She thought as
she leaned against the door on her back, in the
corridor. Should I tell Max? James? No James
would want to kill Diato as soon as possible when
he finds out he's a dragon! Whom should I tell? She
cried inside, her heart pounding against her ribs,
should I go alone, after him? He has already left. If I
want to stop him, I should either go alone or take
Max with me. John is a C rank, he can't come with
me. And Max would probably reject the offer.

It was worth a try. She made her way across the

corridor the way to Max's room. She grabbed the
knob and twisted it. It opened right away. She never
understood why people were careless enough to not
lock their doors before sleeping. It wasn't like the
place was robber-free. She strode across the room
and went to Max, who was sleeping on the bed with
his blanket thrown on the ground, his room messy
with empty dishes and clothes lying around
everywhere. Several minimalistic paintings of Greek
gods and the pyramids of Giza.

⩶⟪ 165 ⟫⩶
A shadowy figure appeared at the doorway, it was
very dwarf in size and stood on four legs. A tail
wiggling around her feet, and oval-shaped green
eyes staring into the soul of Terra. For a moment,
her heart sank. She realised it was just Max's cat
- Maxcat - she sighed in relief as she turned back to
Max, who had woken up, and now was staring at
her too. Her heart sank again but she realised that
he was awake from the moment she walked in, but it
was too dark for her to realise.

"What is it that you want?" He asked in a sense of

annoyance.

"I had a flavor to ask you for" Her tongue wiggled,

making her struggle to speak.

"Okay, what flavour do you wanna ask in the middle

of the night?" He said, his annoyance slightly faded
into a smile because of her wrong pronunciation.

"Yeah... So... Umm.. " She said as she fought her

urge to tell Max about Diato or not. She wanted to
spit out everything like vomit, but couldn't.
It was the middle of the night, after all.

⩶⟪ 166 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Eleven
The Dragonspines

He thought it would be a small journey to the

mountains. It wasn't. Even though the maps he had
seen, showed that the mountain range was just
beside Shenezwa, it was quite far away. It took
Diato around two hours to reach there.

It was pretty large. Larger than he thought. The

entrance was covered by dead and dry black trees
on both sides. The different-coloured grass path led
straight to the unknown cave in the middle. He
forgot to read about the cave. He had thought that
it was like a distraction structure from the final
selection. And the main powerful structure was in
the corner, he could barely see. Dragon Ruins. He
thought. He could see the unknown cave which
looked the size of a car from this distance. Diato
knew he wasn't far away, yet too far. He knew the

⩶⟪ 167 ⟫⩶
cave was massive and its massiveness wasn't visible
from this distance yet. But the cave itself was
visible. This created the illusion that it seemed like
he was just there, yet far away.

He twisted the race again and braked near a dry

brown tree. It was just beside the edge of a
mountain. The trees were on the perfect edges of
the mountains which made it seem like the trees
were planted there in purpose and didn't grow
naturally. Another weird thing he noticed was that
the peaks of the mountains weren't cold. They didn't
have snow. He wondered if there was even cold on
the top.

The mountains seemed to pulsate an illuminating

glow under the bright purple moonlight. He decided
he'd walk across the plains in the corner near the
trees so the noise of the bike would wake the
dragons up. Although he wasn't afraid of the
dragons anymore he didn't want to include them,
because it would take a lot of explaining and he'd
have to think of a fake story for why he needed to
use the spell on the dragon ruins.

His head ducked on his shoulders and he silently

made his way along the trees. He checked the time,

⩶⟪ 168 ⟫⩶
to make sure he wasn't going to be interrupted until
morning. 2:00 AM, the hands on the clock displayed.

In the eerie silence of the Dragonspine Mountains,

Diato crept cautiously, his steps like whispers on
the brittle ground. His back hunched low, he moved
along the row of withered trees, their gnarled
branches reaching out like crooked fingers against
the starlit sky.

It was the middle of the night, but the darkness was

broken by the silvery glow of the moon, casting an
otherworldly shimmer on the desolate landscape.
Diato's feet padded lightly, his every movement a
dance between stealth and determination. He knew
the dragons slumbered here, their heavy breaths
echoing through the craggy peaks.

His enthusiasm faded with time and patches of wear,

hugged his frame, shielding him from the chilly
mountain air. His worn boots, silent against the
cracked earth, carried him forward with careful
precision, avoiding loose rocks that could betray his
presence.

Every few steps, Diato halted, his breath held

captive in the stillness of the night. He scanned the
horizon, his eyes sharp but wary, searching for any

⩶⟪ 169 ⟫⩶
sign of disturbance. The dried-up trees stood
sentinel, their twisted forms a testament to the
harshness of this unforgiving terrain.

His gait was deliberate, a blend of fluidity and

caution. Diato moved with a sort of grace, as though
he had mastered the art of blending into the
shadows. Each crouch, each shift of weight, was a
calculated manoeuvre, a testament to his respect for
the dormant dragons that roamed these lands.

As he traversed the desolate landscape, Diato's

determination was evident in the set of his jaw and
the steady rhythm of his steps. His movements were
slow, deliberate, a silent plea to the night to keep its
secrets hidden. He knew the consequences of
disturbing the dragons from their slumber, and he
dared not risk awakening their fury.

The mountains whispered tales of ancient beasts,

their legends woven into the very fabric of the land.
Yet, Diato pressed on, a lone figure navigating the
treacherous terrain with a quiet resolve that spoke
volumes.

In the solitude of the night, Diato's journey

continued, his denim jacket a shield against the
biting cold, his cautious steps a symphony in

⩶⟪ 170 ⟫⩶
harmony with the sleeping giants that lay hidden
among the Dragonspine Mountains. Where Diato
was headed remained a mystery, buried within the
folds of the night, as he moved with the graceful
stealth of one determined soul.

As Diato continued his cautious advance, his heart

pounding in rhythm with the silence, a faint
rustling echoed through the stillness. His breath
caught in his throat, and he froze, his body tensing
like a coiled spring.

A subtle tremor reverberated through the ground,

and he glanced around frantically, searching for the
source of the disturbance. His eyes widened as a
low, rumbling growl resonated from the shadows of
the rocky outcrop ahead.

Diato moved with the same careful determination,

his breath forming clouds in the crisp night air. As
he ventured deeper into the heart of the
Dragonspine Mountains, an invisible barrier
shimmered before him, its presence felt rather than
seen. He halted, his hand outstretched tentatively.
The moment his fingertips brushed against the
unseen wall, a soft, ethereal glow emerged, bathing
his hand in a faint, otherworldly light.

⩶⟪ 171 ⟫⩶
Before Diato could retract his hand, the barrier
blazed to life in a brilliant, pulsating glow. The
sudden illumination rippled through the night like a
beacon, piercing the darkness and awakening the a
dragon from its slumber.

A dragon stirred with a grace that defied its colossal

size. Its scales shimmered a fiery red, reflecting the
glow of the barrier like molten lava. Its eyes, akin to
gleaming rubies, blinked open, wide and alert,
revealing a depth of its fiery red eyes that sent
shivers down Diato's spine.

Despite its majestic and awe-inspiring presence, the

dragon awoke in a manner reminiscent of a creature
waking from a deep, contented sleep. It yawned,
revealing rows of gleaming teeth that glinted in the
moonlight, and stretched its wings, each beat
creating a gust of wind that tousled Diato's hair.

Suddenly, as if sensing an intruder, the dragon

fixated its gaze on Diato. Before he could react, the
dragon swiftly snatched him up between its two
massive legs, its grip surprisingly gentle despite its
immense strength. With a powerful thrust of its
wings, the dragon soared into the night sky, leaving
the ground far below.

⩶⟪ 172 ⟫⩶
Diato's heart pounded in his chest, a mix of fear and
exhilaration coursing through his veins. The rush of
wind whipped against his face as they ascended
higher and higher, the ground becoming a distant
blur beneath them. He struggled to comprehend the
enormity of the situation, caught between the
wonder of flight and the sheer terror of being at the
mercy of an ancient being.

As the dragon reached the pinnacle of its ascent,

Diato's senses spun in a whirlwind of emotions. The
world stretched out before him, a mesmerizing
tapestry of stars and moonlit mountains. Yet, his
elation was short-lived as the dragon abruptly
arched its body and dove straight down with
alarming speed.

The exhilaration turned to raw, gut-wrenching fear

as the ground rushed up to meet them. Diato's
stomach lurched, his mind reeling from the sheer
velocity of their descent. The wind roared past,
drowning out any attempt at coherent thought.

In those terrifying moments, a tumult of emotions

overwhelmed Diato. The thrill of flight collided
with the primal fear of imminent danger. His
thoughts raced, his heart thundered, and the
dragon's powerful wings sliced through the air in a

⩶⟪ 173 ⟫⩶
breathtaking display of control and purpose. As the
dragon hurtled towards the earth below, Diato's
mind raced with a million thoughts, will I die? How
do I escape? Should I throw fire at him? But he's a
dragon, he'd be immune to fire! What should I do?
his body tense with the impending impact.

*****

"Why are you staring at me? Tell me why you woke

me up?" Max asked as he dragged himself to a
sitting position.

"Please don't tell James about it, would you?" She

tried to sound requesting.

"Yeah, I'll not. What is it?" He assured her that he

knew he was reliable.

"It's diato," She said with a sigh. She comforted her

back by resting herself beside Max on the bed, her
feed dangling over the edge. She glanced at him.
The tension tearing its way out of her eyes. Max
knew it was something bad because of her
expressions. Now he was fully awake, so he listened
to her carefully as she spoke, "He has been fed the
Inferno seed, remember? You probably don't, but he

⩶⟪ 174 ⟫⩶
has now turned into a dragon. He's headed to the
Dragonspine Mountains. I gotta go after him."

"Terra, what ha-" Max spoke worriedly but his

sentence was cut in the middle by Terra,

"I'm not finished" She demanded in a whisper, "I

want you to get John and you guys get your
weapons and meet me at the DragonSpine
Mountains. I'm going after him in my car."

"Terra you can't-" Max said, as he glanced on her

face. She was now standing in front of him. His gaze
slipped down from her face all the way to her feet
and back up. "I won't let you go alone" He said as he
realised she was in her mission gear she uses to kill
dragons.

Terra stood there, all dressed up in an outfit that

suggested power and charisma, facing Max. Her
dress was made of a black matte skin-tight suit that
hugged every curve of her well-designed figure
complemented with captivating thin and thick grey
straps that went well with her delicate figure. A
black elegant overcoat on top of her flame-proof
dress, lending it a mysterious, elegant look.

⩶⟪ 175 ⟫⩶
On her hips hung a silver-toned utility belt,
decorated with various impressive tools. As the
central focus of its presentation was a Taurus
Raging Bull pistol, nestled securely in the holder of
its holster, its sleek design and lethal potency were
unquestionable. Her weaponry, meticulously
prepared for action, added allure to her outfit.

However, it was the presence of an imposing five-

meter-long Urumi, coiled and hidden, that attracted
the senses. This single-bladed weapon craved to be
released from her belt and dance in her experienced
hands, with ease. A hatchet, held firmly by a magnet
in her overcoat, rested on her back, increasing her
already irresistible appeal. Her brown hair, nicely
gathered in a bun, revealed a beautiful line of her
neck and left a thick lock of hair dangling on the
side of her face, waiting to be pushed behind her ear.

Max didn't expect to see her in her mission gear.

She strode across the room. With a graceful
movement, Max got on his feet and got to Terra,
Clasping her wrist with a firm grip. "I said," He
spoke with his teeth clenched, "I won't let you go
alone"

"Well," She spoke, with her tone firm and soothing,

"I'm the senior one here. I know you don't wanna

⩶⟪ 176 ⟫⩶
let me die, but at the same time, I can't let Diato get
himself killed. And also - I'm an A-Ranked Drayer,
I'll not get myself killed that easily."

Her voice was compelling in an inscrutable way.

Max didn't want to let her go but she seemed
confident enough. He saw the order, and request in
her eyes. He loosened his grip on her wrist but
didn't let go. After an awkward moment of staring
into each other's soul, Terra finally pulled her hand
out of his clasp and exited the room.

But, before trudging further, she looked at Max

over her shoulder. "I'll be okay," She said in almost
a whisper, "get John and meet me at the
Dragonspines"

Max's face turned to stone as heard the words, I'll be

okay. His chin lifted with a nod. His face was
expressionless. He gazed at her as he saw her
trudge through the corridor, and fade away with a
turn.

Max washed his face in a hurry and made his way

up the corridor to John's room. He slammed the
door open as if he were an angry Asian mother
whose son got a C grade in mathematics. He half
expected to see the lights off and John sleeping on

⩶⟪ 177 ⟫⩶
his bed with his blanket carelessly thrown over him.
He was surprised to see that the lights were turned
on. John was sitting on his bed, his feet dangling
over the edge. He was interestingly staring at his
phone screen with his eyes adjusted to the low
brightness in the bright room.

With the thud, the door hit the wall beside it and
slowly slid back. Max stepped inside the room
glancing at his surroundings. The bright tube light
illuminated the room. He glanced at John. He was
probably endlessly scrolling Instagram reels.
Perhaps he had forgotten to sleep, and that human
civilization sleeps when the sky turns dark and the
sun goes down.

John glanced at him as if he had been caught

smoking drugs by his parents. The silence was
broken by Max, as usual.

"Why are you up in the middle of the night?" Max

raised an eyebrow.

"I should ask the same question," John said, trying

to change the topic, "why are you up in the middle of
the night in the middle of my room?"

⩶⟪ 178 ⟫⩶
Max stared at him for a while and then remembered
that he was in a hurry. The words that came out of
his mouth seemed scrambled. "I'm in a hungry, get
in your bottle gear, we're going after Terracotta at
the Doberman Mountains" He quickly realised his
poor choice of words. He turned around and left the
room in a hurry. John, however, understood what
he was trying to say. He didn't get time to ask
questions like why are we going after Terra? Why is
Terra headed to Dragonspine Mountains? And why
didn't Max stop her? And why the hell did this all
happen in the middle of the night? He quickly dashed
towards the door and turned all the switches off on
his way.

He made his way down the corridor, trying his best

to keep up with Max's speed. They finally reached
the weapon room and grabbed their weapons along
with their black fire-resistant suits. Max got his
two Katanas and a boomerang on his silver utility
belt. John picked his weapons: a pair of Sais, and five
snow grenades to damage dragons. Snow was the
only thing that damaged fire dragons after the
metal used in Drayers' weapons. Because water
didn't seem to affect them or weaken them at all.

They headed together to the basement and Max

involuntarily walked up to his Royal Enfield which

⩶⟪ 179 ⟫⩶
he used to take in Missions. Although he didn't own
it, no one else seemed to take the bike to their
missions regularly. Max did. So other Drayers
started to associate this bike with Max. Max was
going to enter his name.

"Don't." John said, "Enter the code I say. Don't take

this bike on rent when you can get it for free. Enter
a code. 29sj50aj27. It's the Mission code of Diato's
First Mission and I don't see a better opportunity to
exploit the Drayers Mission system than this one."

Max nodded and entered the code. The screen

displayed that it was the fourth vehicle activated on
the Mission code. Oh, of course, Diato must've taken the
third vehicle to go to the DragonSpines. He doesn't have
a bank account! Max thought as he reversed the bike
and John hopped behind him.

*****

Terra rode her car across the bridge, but the car
came to a sudden stop. Terra thought about the
security cameras. Anyone sitting in the camera
room could see that someone had taken the car to
the DragonSpines. She decided to turn left to Troll
Tog go around the Town centre and reach the
mountains via Willow Lake. So that she wouldn't

⩶⟪ 180 ⟫⩶
get in trouble. And it wouldn't even slow her down
as there would be little to no traffic in the middle of
the night if she was lucky enough.

She drove the SUV towards Troll Tog. She hoped

Diato wouldn't get himself killed. All she could do
was to hope. There was nothing else she could do.
She knew the cameras were watched twenty-four
hours, all three-hundred-sixty-five days of the year.
James would be concerned if he saw a car go
towards the mountains because it was very easy to
find who took that car, and James would follow her
wherever she went if he found out Terra took the
car to the mountains. It was the haunt of the S-
Ranked Dragons after all.

Her heart almost skipped a beat as she imagined

Diato getting killed by the dragons or James. All
she could do was hope Max wouldn't tell James
about her. Thankfully, Max was like a trustworthy
elder brother to her. Although she was the senior
one, Max was relatively older. While she was only
twenty years old, Max was twenty-six.

Max exited the basement and drove to the bridge to

exit the island. He was not sure on which side Terra
went but it seemed obvious that she went to the
right. Because the Mountains were that way. When

⩶⟪ 181 ⟫⩶
he reached the bridge, he had compulsively hit the
brakes. A shadowy figure appeared in front of him
in the middle of the bridge. The bike came to an
instant stop as Max's feet landed on the ground to
balance the bike. James. Max thought as he
recognized the posture and body language of the
figure. James strode forward towards the bike. Max
swallowed, as John sat there behind Max silently as
if he didn't exist. John was unaware of the not telling
James part. His face was neutral, James got to the
bike's front tire and came to a halt.

"And where do you think you're going?" James

finally spoke with his voice as coarse as soil, while
being bold and soothing in a weird way. Max
swallowed again.

⩶⟪ 182 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Twelve
Dragons unveiled

The Dragon's mighty dive; filled with breathtaking

speed and exhilaration, abruptly came to a halt as its
colossal wings effortlessly spread in the air, creating
a gust of resistance. Diato, caught off guard by the
sudden cessation, felt his heart sink like an anchor
plunging into the depths of the ocean. His eyes,
clenched tightly shut, mimicked the intensity of his
racing thoughts - was this the moment of his demise?
Was he already teetering on the precipice of death's
embrace? With great trepidation, he mustered the
courage to pry his eyelids apart, only to be met with
a sight that greeted him like a harsh slap to the face.

The dragon, in a display of undeniable power,

hesitated for a moment, wavering its tremendous feet
back and forth, before forcefully discarding Diato like
a discarded rag at the entrance of the cavernous

⩶⟪ 183 ⟫⩶
abyss. The weight on his shoulders, once burdened
by the crushing grip of the dragon's claw, dissipated
into an ethereal lightness. However, any semblance
of satisfaction was swiftly replaced by the harsh
reality of his surroundings. Diato felt his torso
collide against the unforgiving stone wall of the cave,
a sensation that reverberated through his very being.
Instinctively, he tilted his head to the side, narrowly
avoiding a painful collision that could have
unceremoniously rearranged the composition of his
nose.

The dragon, having discarded its now seemingly

insignificant prey, nonchalantly took flight once
more, because it had never graced the ground with
its presence.

Seemingly in defiance of the laws of physics, Diato

found himself tumbling uncontrollably down a
treacherous spiral staircase, his legs carelessly
colliding with the unyielding railings, his arms
frantically flailing, inadvertently smacking his face,
and then becoming trapped beneath his tumultuous
torso. The spiky metal club, encased in his fireproof
suit, mercilessly pricked at his flesh, a cruel reminder
of the imminent danger that surrounded him.

With every chaotic twist and turn, the belt around

his waist unrelentingly clashed against the cold stone
steps, its loud clamor reverberating through the
confined space. All the while, Diato's head bobbed to

⩶⟪ 184 ⟫⩶
and fro, an agile dancer striving to evade any
potential harm in this perilous descent. After what
felt like an eternity of dizzying chaos, he finally
reached the end of the relentless staircase. The
release of his pent-up tension and exhaustion echoed
through the chamber, resounding loudly enough to
silence anyone who may have been present. It was
then that Diato realized he was not alone in this
subterranean labyrinth. A sense of bewildered
disbelief washed over him as he muttered to himself
in exasperation, "Where in the fricking world have I
ended up now?"

His eyes grew wide as he scanned his surroundings.

He was inside a cave as large as a stadium with walls
made of dark gray stones. Where they landed, Diato
saw twelve pillars on each side of a path way leading
to a throne made of stone, just above a flight of stairs.
There, where the throne seem to be carved out of a
much larger stone, sat a man wearing leopard hide to
cover his lower body. His chest, remained bare as the
length of his braid laid over his shoulder and onto his
lap.

Even from where Diato stood, he could feel the man’s

deep crimson eyes intensely staring into his. The
coldness, silence, and the man’s presence sent shivers
down his spine.

Defeated, Diato began to look at the pillars

surrounding him. Each stood with a snake circling

⩶⟪ 185 ⟫⩶
them like a vine. In his observation, Diato noticed
glowing orange eyes on the sides of the caves,
lurking in the darkness. He realized then that some
pillars were broken and was used to hold wooden
wheels where candles burn in a strange light. The
cave's center parts itself were lit by bright red
torches placed on each pillars. Diato had seen colored
fire but this fire seemed otherworldly, as if it was
taken straight from hell.

The eyes from the shadows slowly took their shape.

They were dragons, sitting in their dragon forms
behind the shadows of the pillars. This was when
Diato realized that each pillar represented the
dragons sitting behind them.

The four pillars on the right and the four on the left
had their own unique symbols. Diato could somehow
read the symbols which were not written in English.
Advisor, Courtier, Scribe, Medic, Craftsman, High-
Ranking Noble, Mystic, and Mage.

The four pillars in the front had pairs. The first two
pillars had engraved the symbol: Servant, and the
other two pillars with the symbol: Guards. It was an
obvious throne room. But the throne had a different
symbol engraved on it. The symbol didn't read King.
Instead, it read: Leader. Upon seeing this Diato
erased his theory of the dragons having their own
nation and territory.

⩶⟪ 186 ⟫⩶
Diato waited for someone to say something, but the
dragons remained silent, gazing at him with their
orange pupils. The silence had begun to disturb him.
The only thing he could hear was the soft sound of
his breath, loud and harsh to his own ears.

"So, the dragon just couldn’t put me down carefully?

Had to toss me down here like a bag of potatoes?"
Diato asked, breaking the awkward silence.
Surprised to find that his voice did not echo through
the cave despite its size. He spoke as if trying to break
an awkward silence with some more awkward small
talk. He thought his voice would echo in the cave. It
didn't.

The man laughed, a low sound of amusement before

answering, "He was pure-born, he could not turn
into a human and his size would cause the entrance
to collapse. Pardon the rudeness." The caveman on
the throne spoke in a deep coarse voice. His voice was
kind of soothing in an inscrutable way. "You must be
Diato"

Diato's hesitant head jerked into a nod, "How do you

know my name? And why are you not attacking me?"
His curiosity rose as he heard the caveman say his
name.

"You think I wouldn't know?" The caveman spoke

with his cracking deep voice, "A rookie Drayer who
killed an S-Rank Dragon and survived the Inferno
Seed's Poison while being unconscious. Only a

⩶⟪ 187 ⟫⩶
Drayer knows about the Dragon Ruins containing
the infinite knowledge spell other than the dragons.
And a dragon would never want to gain any
knowledge. Tell me: what is it that you wanted to
know so bad that you even took the risk of getting
through me - The Unknown - The Leader of the Fire
Dragon Clan of this realm."

"I think if you claimed to know as much as you claim,

you know what I want to know," Diato said, trying
not to offend the caveman. "I mean, I was
unconscious when I killed that dragon. Twenty-four
hours passed after my intake of the seed and yet I am
still living, naturally I would want to know. But why
are you asking me this question? Why do you want
to know?"

The caveman’s face turned to a horrible grin, as if no

one had ever dared speak to him so openly, but even
so he replied, "Because, if you want to gain access to
the Dragon Ruins, you'll have to go through that
barrier. And only my blood can open the barrier. So
now, you have two options, you'd either have to kill
me to get my blood or I'd provide you my blood if
you complete my task."

"Task?" Diato repeated, carefully considering his

options. “I suppose I would have to go for the second
option. What kind of task is it?”

"The kind of task that won't be that easy. Know this,

if you try to be smart, you will be killed.”

⩶⟪ 188 ⟫⩶
Diato took a deep breath before answering, "Okay,
I'm ready for the task. But before you give it to me,
can I ask you another question? How is it that you
can change into human and the dragon who brought
me he couldn’t?" Diato asked, concerned for his well
being and yet still curious. In a world like his, he
couldn’t help himself.

The Unknown didn’t seem too pleased, but he

replied, "It was because he was a pure Inferno, of the
Inferno Clan - or say - the Fire Dragon Clan. Pure
Dragons can't turn into their human forms. They're
born dragons and they die a dragon. But me - I am
one of the Crossbreeds of a human and a dragon. The
beauty of being a crossbreed is that I am not half
Dragon and half Human; it is that I'm both: a Dragon
and a Human." The unknown finished, his eyes
seemed to lower in pride.

Diato nodded, "I never knew. Thank you for

explaining. Now, if you don’t mind, what is that task
I have to do?"

"Go and Locate a guy named Shez" The Unknown

spoke, his voice resonating in Diato's ears, "He's also
a Human-Dragon crossbreed. He is an Assassin. You
have to somehow get him here, inside the cave:
Alive."

"Why would you want another dragon brought at a

Dragon's Haunt when you can just call him anytime
you want?" Diato raised an eyebrow

⩶⟪ 189 ⟫⩶
"He is the rival of the fire dragon clan. He is the one
who has collected all the fire dragons and locked
them at the mountain range with a Dragon Magic
spell. He was the one who retrieved the Elysiums
from our dimension and settled them here. On Earth.
The Drayers only hunt down fire dragons because
they are the ones who emit the fiery radiation. You
guys never know that anyone could be an Elysium -
a Water Dragon, from the Elysium clan."

"Wait -" Diato spoke. He had thousands of questions

but he could only ask one at a time. And he also had
a time limit, before the Drayers found out and traced
him here. "You're telling me there is more than just
one type of dragon? And you guys have a whole clan
system? And a whole fricking Dimension!?" It was
too much for him to comprehend. The unknown
simply nodded. He gestured with his wrist as if to
say: now get going before it's too late.

"On it" Diato nodded and turned around to leave the

cave

He made his way across the room and climbed up the

staircase. His body had adapted to the heat of the
torches, so the cold wind under the moonlit sky felt
otherworldly to him.

Diato dug deep into his thoughts as he trudged back

to his bike.

⩶⟪ 190 ⟫⩶
After I get that Shez guy, Imma go find out the truth about
myself. And I better not dive into this dragon world. They
literally have their own dimensions, clans, and even throne
rooms. But as he said, they're locked inside the
mountains, and most of the dragons in the mountains
are pure Inferno, so they can enter or exit the cave as
casually as the unknown can.

What was the deal with the Elysiums? Why was the
Unknown acting like they were his enemies? Though
Diato didn't have time to think about that.
Thankfully, his clothes and weapons were still intact
with him. He hadn't lost them, as usual. He finally
reached his dirt bike. He entered the code again, and
the bike roared to life.

Racing through the open road, Diato felt a rush of

exhilaration as the wind tousled his hair and the
landscape blurred around him. The unobstructed
path allowed him to push the bike to its limits, the
hum of the engine providing a soothing background
noise. Yet, the thrill of the ride couldn't silence the
whirlwind of thoughts swirling in his mind.

As the terrain changed, so did Diato's pace. The once

smooth ride gave way to rough, uneven paths.
Gravel crunched beneath the tires as the bike
navigated through the rugged landscape. The thrill
of speed was replaced by a sense of uncertainty.
Where would he find information about this elusive

⩶⟪ 191 ⟫⩶
Shez? The vast unknown lay ahead, and Diato had no
clear direction.

Frustration simmered within him as he continued to

ride aimlessly, the engine's pitch rising and falling
with the changing landscapes. The surroundings
seemed both mesmerizing and daunting, with rocky
outcrops and patches of wild foliage flashing by.
Thoughts of the mysterious Shez nagged at him,
urging him to find answers amid the vast expanse
before him.

Despite the uncertainty, a flicker of determination

burned within Diato. He knew he couldn't simply
give up. Adjusting his grip on the handlebars, he
forged ahead, hoping that somewhere along this
rugged journey, a clue, a sign, or some semblance of
direction would present itself. Every twist of the path
held the promise of discovery, and he was determined
to follow it, no matter how uncertain or treacherous
the road ahead might be.

He found himself at a location he never expected. The

Willow Lake. His curves of handles and the anger of
his handlebars took him here. He didn't want to get
here consciously but his mind - entangled in
thoughts, brought him here. He looked up at the lake
and found a figure standing there, staring at him. It
was hard to see who it was, and the headlights of the
bike were broken. The skinny and curvy figure was
similar. Something he'd seen many times, yet never

⩶⟪ 192 ⟫⩶
seen before. The figure was adorned with a black
overcoat that was all that was visible from that
distance.

"Terra?" Diato spoke, horrified to see someone he

knew.

⩶⟪ 193 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Thirteen
Burning From The Inside

Terra maneuvered her SUV with determination,

her gaze fixed on the distant silhouette of the
Dragons-spine mountains. The urgency in her
movements was palpable as she negotiated each twist
and turn along the rugged path. Her fingers tapped
impatiently on the steering wheel, a silent drumbeat
echoing her desire to reach her destination swiftly.

The journey was far from smooth. Every sudden

speed breaker or unexpected pothole jolted Terra,
causing her grip on the wheel to tighten, a sharp
intake of breath escaping her lips. Despite the
obstacles, her determination didn't waver, fueling her
to push forward with resolve.

Troll Tog emerged ahead, a fleeting moment as she

veered right, the tires grumbling against the uneven
terrain. The northern slum greeted her briefly,

⩶⟪ 194 ⟫⩶
buildings passing in a blur as she raced toward the
outskirts of the town. With each passing mile, her
anticipation grew, mirrored in the way her foot
pressed down on the accelerator, urging more speed
from the vehicle.

The sudden halt near Willow Lake disrupted her

frantic pace. Her eyes widened momentarily, her
brow furrowing in surprise as she spotted a figure
approaching on a dirt-bike. Recognition dawned
swiftly, a flicker of familiarity a midst the rush. It was
Diato, his form becoming clearer as he drew nearer.
Terra's urgency dissipated, replaced by a mix of
astonishment and a faint sense of anticipation.

Without hesitation, she stepped out of her car, her

movements fluid yet tinged with a subtle eagerness.
The sight of Diato, unaware of her presence, spurred
her into action, longing to reconnect despite the
hurried circumstances that had initially propelled her
forward. Diato pushed the side stand with his foot
and dismounted his bike.

"Terra?" Diato spoke, horrified to see someone he

knew. Although the figure he saw was familiar, he
doubted his eyes. Terra slowly trudged across the
path and reached him.

"Oh, it's you" He sighed.

Terra chuckled, “Didn’t think you would see me here

so far away, didn’t you?" She asked. Her voice seemed

⩶⟪ 195 ⟫⩶
more stern than he expected. The last time they
spoke, she spoke sweetly, but now she spoke with
confidence and authority.

She stepped closer to him, "So, what are you doing

here? All by yourself."

Diato put a hand on one hip, then shrugged, “Trying

to find answers I guess.”

“Answers for what?” Terra raised a brow, now

curious.

“I need to find a man named Shez. Any ideas?”

Terra shook her head lightly, now concern written

on her face. Diato looked over the scenery past him,
wondering what he would do next. Terra gazing at
the same horizon, chewing her bottom lip.

Unable to handle the silence any longer, Terra

looked at Diato, demanding, "So, why are you trying
to find Shez?"

Diato looked at her under his thick eyelashes, casting

a side eye to the dusty ground around them,
wondering whether it was a good idea to tell her. But
perhaps if it wasn’t then surely he could handle it.

“I need answers, about what happened that day. How

I did what I did when I was blacked out. So I was
brought to the Leader of the dragons and he gave me
a quest which I accepted.” Diato explained, as clearly

⩶⟪ 196 ⟫⩶
as possible. It crossed his mind that it would be for
the best to leave out the part of how deadly the
mission could be.

Terra’s lips parted as she listened, looking at him as

her arms crossed on her chest, nodding along. “Oh,
and here I thought you wanted to kill Bella.”

“Bella? How the hell did you know about Bella?”

Diato asked, perplexed.

She shrugged, "I read the raw report Max had about
you. It mentioned how skillfully you defeated her
with just a bow and arrow. I thought you wanted that
dopamine of defeating her again." She spoke.

Diato opened his mouth but then closed it again

when saw Terra wasn't finished, her expression
changed to one of frustration if not peeved by his
naivete, "No Dorrito! I know what you're up to! And
I can't let you continue this foolish quest!" Terra
exclaimed, now so close to him that he could see the
details of her lashes, the color of her eyes, the glint in
them. Diato was taken aback, surprised and confused,
as Terra stabbed her finger in the middle of his chest,

"Why?" Diato managed to say; once he gained his

composure. What did she have to gain from all of
this? Were there other consequences to this quest
than he knew? After all, he knew nothing about the
dragon world and he blindly accepted a quest from a

⩶⟪ 197 ⟫⩶
man who was the leader. Surely it meant he was one
to be feared.

In front of him, Terra seemed to be stuck with her

answers, her eyes just searching in his face. As if she
would find all the answers there but there came none.
She fell silent. Diato’s eyelids narrowed, “I see you
can’t give me a straight answer.” He said, rather
coldly.

"I can't let you die!" Terra cried out in response,

"You have no idea about the dragon world - about
the Unknown - about Shez - or the Dragon Ruins,
and still you're after those things!"

Diato’s eyes widened, blinking in surprise. If he

didn’t know better, he might have thought Terra had
come to… but it couldn’t be. Diato cast the thought
away as soon as it came by.

"I know enough," Diato assured her calmly. His high

emotions suddenly dropped and his face turned to
granite. "The Dragon Ruins has a Spell which grants
you whatever knowledge you seek. The unknown is
its guardian who gives quests to anyone who dares
and I dare. I’m going to complete the task and get
Shez to him"

"Do you even know what Shez looks like? Do you

even know where to begin? Or are you going to
wander around the dessert like some kind of lost
lunatic until you’re out of gasoline? Hmm?” Terra

⩶⟪ 198 ⟫⩶
demanded, sounding more and more sardonic by
each question.

"I eventually will and I’ll figure it out," Diato

answered, his tone graceful, his expression veiled.
They stared at each other, what seemed like the
longest time before Diato broke the silence, “You
know, I think you should let me worry about all of
those things, hmm? Instead of that, why don’t you
answer a more important question. Why do you care
about what happens to me? Why are you so worried
about me? Or is it something else I don’t know
about? Because I sure owe you nothing.”

Terra went quiet, her face seemed to drain of all

color, but she managed a reply, "Yes, I am worried
about you - but it’s not because of all the reasons you
might think about: You're an innocent guy, Diato.
Who was just casually doing his mission, and got
poisoned. You thought you'd die but you didn't - of
course, you have questions." Her voice fell to
tranquility, "but not all questions are supposed to be
answered Diato. Some questions are just there to be
answered by ourselves. Not any book - not any spell
- not any task - no nothing. Ask yourself. Who are
you?"

Diato couldn’t help but step back, as if a hand had

pulled him away from this girl. A girl who seemed
entirely like a clueless puzzle; no beginning and no
end to it either. It was as if he was listening to a one

⩶⟪ 199 ⟫⩶
sided conversation and he was just there to listen. He
couldn’t understand, grasping at his mind for an
answer, a polite reply to someone who was just
trying to show concern. But instead, came out a bark
of a laugh.

Terra blinked in bewilderment, staring at him as

color returned to her cheeks.

“What’s so funny?”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Diato replied

between his amused laughed.

“What do you mean?”

“Me! I’m innocent?” Diato asked her, even saying it

made him laugh. “Do you even see me? Do you even
know me? I’m an assassin! Terra! The world would
be a better place if I died. And with all I have gone
through? I can go through this too.” Diato stated,
saying it to her face before shaking his head, turning
away from her.

Terra pulled his elbow, forcing him to turn back. She

stared at him with wide eyes and rosy cheeks. She
was embarrassed. That much he could tell, but what
more she wanted to say he couldn’t imagine.

“I mean that you were innocent when you ingested

the poison! It wasn’t your fault!” Diato blinked, “You
don’t think I know that? None of it was my fault and
maybe you would sit back, nicely wait for an answer

⩶⟪ 200 ⟫⩶
to fall from the sky but not me. Perhaps not all
questions are supposed to be answered, but my
questions are worth answering. I know who I am, but
I also killed a dragon while being poisoned in the
same time for fucks sake. I know some prick who
can’t even kill a cockroach while wide awake, so don’t
pull that with me. Okay?”

Terra’s hand fell to her side, “Okay.”

***

"Um.." Max continued, trying to hide his confusion

as to what they were doing in the middle of the night.
John in the meanwhile, wasn't told that he was
supposed to hide the fact that they were going after
Terra. He explained what they were doing, where,
and why; words spilling out of his mouth like beans
from a jar. Max staring in deepening sensation of
doom.

"Is that so?" James tilted his head slightly, "and

you’re just telling me now?"

Max couldn't think of something to say. He twisted

the handlebar, trying to escape, but James was much
smarter. Max heard the snap of a lock and brakes
pulled. Shit. Max thought.

"I… suppose so…" John spoke, turning to Max

who’s face had turned stone stiff, "Were we not

⩶⟪ 201 ⟫⩶
supposed to tell him?" He knew he had done
something incredibly wrong.

"Of course, Terra's trying save him.." James said with

enough venom that both Max and John had to flinch.

"She was with him in the orphanage wasn't she? Well

no one ever said love doesn’t make you blind! A
dragon slayer trying to save a dragon, oh the irony!"
He exclaimed, a tinge of dry humor in his voice.

James' other hand reached out to the bike's

speedometer, and he pressed a red button with his
finger. The bike's engine shut down with a small
thud. Max kicked the side stand. John immediately
jumped out of his seat as Max also dismounted the
bike.

James gestured to them with his hand while trudging

back to the building as if to say: follow me. Max left
the bike in the middle of the bridge and followed
James. John following in silence.

They stepped inside the organization, wandering

through the corridors. James reached the common
corridor from which other corridors branched out
and shot Max and John a look.

"Max" James barked, "go wake Lailah up, and tell her
that I'm calling her to the first floor." Then, to John,
"Go wake up the other two teams. Tell them that I
want three of my teams: Team T9, Team B6, and

⩶⟪ 202 ⟫⩶
Team G3, to all report me in the basement, in your
mission gear. This is an emergency mission, not even
a second should be wasted." James jerked around
again, facing the staircase, and climbed up the
staircase with a little jog.

Max and John were already off. Max made his way
through the corridors. The gray metallic surface of
the walls accompanied his heavy steps to the bleak
door of Lailah. He raised his hand to knock, hesitant
for a moment before knocking. For a while, there was
no response, but then came and answer.

"Who's there?" Lailah asked sleepily, slightly upset.

"It's Max," Max replied loud enough, "James is

calling you to the first floor. He says it's an
emergency mission."

"Tell him I'll be there in a minute" She shouted from

inside.

Max nodded, feeling breathless as he hurried away.

Worried. Upset John had been as stupid as he was.
Now they would have to go after Terra, who’s only
crime was to care for someone who could not help
but be born a dragon. Surely, Diato did not make the
decision himself. Max thought gloomily as he
reached the common corridor.

The room, unlike any other was white. Max leaned

against the wall, waiting patiently for the other to

⩶⟪ 203 ⟫⩶
come. Which had allowed him to observe those who
came in. Lailah being the first, climbing up the
staircase to the first floor. Followed by the others,
which he recognized and remembered by name.

Most of them came with stiff expressions, some with

worry, some with a permanent state of surprise. At
least more than half of them knew who Terra was,
who Diato was. Their bodies covered by skin-tight
fire-resistant suits, weapons hanging from their
backs, the hilts of them protruding from behind their
shoulders, while their utility belts held small
daggers, small leather boxes, and poisonous needles.
Seeing them like this, it was almost unbelievable that
they were going after one girl. Max thought, his gaze
fixed at John who approached him with a sorry look,
"We have to report in the basement," John told Max.

All ten of them reported in the basement. Their faces

fixed seriously at the figure approaching from the
stairs. The sound of his shoes tapping filled the silent
room.

James moved down the stairs, and Lailah - who was

walking behind him - went to get a car to get them
all seated. Or at least most of them are seated.

James explained the mission to everyone, "one of our

drawers sneakily went to the Dragon-Spine
Mountains to help a dragon. We all know the rules.
And so I have collected all of you for this mission.
Not only do we have to defeat an A-ranked Drayer,

⩶⟪ 204 ⟫⩶
but we might even have to deal with many S-ranked
dragons." He continued, "And if you haven't figured
out who I'm talking about - it's Terra who has gone
there. We're not going to kill her but just get her
here to the organization alive."

Max quickly glanced at the expressions of the group,

which had been a quick variation of surprise and
dread. But none said anything in her defence or
anything about who the dragon was. Like shadows,
they began to move, swift like a cat, they left without
a sound.

***

For a moment, there was silence. Diato looked at the

girl, seeing the look on her face and felt slightly sorry
that he had spoken so harshly. But he was who he
was and he would not change for anyone. Terra had
tried to make her point and she had failed. Although,
Diato could not deny, he appreciated the sentiment.

He remembered as a child, no one else was as kind to

him except for the orphanage guardian. Although as
he grew up, he realized the man had simply been
great at his job. In his thoughts, Diato could feel a
bubbling sensation in his blood. As if there were
movement under his skin, the surface of his skin hot.

“Diato? Are you alright?” Terra asked, noticing the

look on his face.

⩶⟪ 205 ⟫⩶
“I don’t… think I am…” Diato said, eyeing the
change of color of his skin. As the moonlight bathed
Diato, horns erupted from his forehead, piercing the
air, while the tight suit strained against the
emergence of powerful wings and a sinuous tail, their
scales glistening in the moon's ethereal glow. With a
thunderous roar that resonated through the night, he
completed the metamorphosis, his body now entirely
that of a dragon, the moon casting an otherworldly
sheen upon his crimson scales.In that moment, Diato
experienced a surge of conflicting sensations. The
emergence of his dragon form was both exhilarating
and unnerving. His consciousness battled against the
raw power coursing through his altered body.
Despite this transformation, he retained a sense of
self-awareness and unprecedented control over his
newfound form.

Balanced on his hind legs akin to a towering T-rex,

his elongated arms added a menacing aspect to his
presence. The mighty wings spanned wide, casting
shadows over the nearby trees, while his tail
undulated gracefully, reminiscent of a serpentine
dance.

The dragon's gaze fixated upon Terra, yet within

that fierce exterior, Diato struggled to assert his will.
Terra sensed the inner turmoil; she recognized that
Diato fought valiantly to maintain his tenuous grip
on consciousness, a feat he had never achieved in his
previous transformations. The last time he tried, he

⩶⟪ 206 ⟫⩶
was found unconscious, and before that - he didn't
even know he was transforming.

***

A Mahindra Suprovan screeched its brakes between

the crowd and James. Lailah got out of the car. James
glanced at a guy from the crowd, "Jared" James
spoke, "go get the Royal Enfield out of the way. It's
in the middle of the bridge."

"But it's too heavy, and -" Jared spoke but was cut off
by Max,

"I don't find it heavy, James. Can I use that to come?

The car's ten seater, and we're twelve people,
anyway."

"I can't let you go alone" James told Max, as he saw

all the others finding their seat in the car. But no one
seemed to sit in the driver's seat for obvious reasons.

"You can send Lailah with him if you don't trust him"
John interrupted. It seemed like a good idea.

"Okay then, you go with Lailah, I'll drive the car"

James spoke as he jumped on the driver's seat and
closed the door.

John was the only one left to be seated and the door
was open for him. He nodded at Max with a smile as
if to say: you're welcome. And then, he climbed up to
his seat. Max and Lailah made their way up the stairs

⩶⟪ 207 ⟫⩶
and exited the organization. They found the car
waiting for them to move the bike, so they could go
further.

***

The dragon jerked his head towards Terra, its neck

curving like a spring bending from its side. His
catlike pupils gazed at her fiercely. She immediately
knew he'd get out of control. She threw her hand on
the hilt of her urumi, and uncoiled it out of her belt.
She quickly figured out how she'd get on top of him
and control him. He exhaled neutrally but fire came
out of his mouth and flew towards her. He didn't
want to harm her but he couldn't control the fire
shooting out of his mouth every time he exhaled.

She didn't know Diato retained his consciousness.

She dashed towards his bike and landed her foot in
the bike's seat. She immediately jumped again before
she had time to fall, and landed on the dragon's
slanted wing. As soon as Diato felt something
crawling on his wing he instantly lifted it as a reflex.
She slid down the wing, on his back, and skillfully
threw the urumi onto his neck in such a way that its
shiny metallic blade reflecting the silver moonlight
coiled around his neck and locked itself on it. She
slightly pulled the hilt, to let him know that the blade
was around his neck and his head could be sliced off
anytime.

⩶⟪ 208 ⟫⩶
This all happened so fast that he didn't even have
time to react. In a matter of seconds, he found a
Urumi wrapped around his neck like a serpent, and
Terra standing on his back. He let his upper body fall
freely and landed his upper limbs on the ground,
balancing himself on his four legs. He was confused
as to why Terra wanted to fight him all of a sudden.
Was it because he was a dragon? It didn't look like it.

"DO NOT FLY! I SAID DO NOT FLY! YOU

HEAR ME?" She shouted as if ordering a criminal.

"Don't Shout in my ear!" Diato roared at her.

Surprisingly he could speak, despite his massive
tongue and drool dripping out of his pointed canines.
Her eyes widened as she realized that Diato regained
consciousness.

"You're Conscious!?" She exclaimed, her head

automatically ducking forward. His voice had
completely changed. That soothing cracked voice
had now turned into a deep coarse one voice like the
dragons leader.

"Of course I'm conscious!" He continued in his

unusual voice.

“Oh thank goodness, I was so scared! Please turn

back!”

“I can’t,” Diato said, “I’m going, get off me, of you’re

going to get hurt.”

⩶⟪ 209 ⟫⩶
“No… please, fine! I’ll come with you. If I can’t stop
you then, I’ll help you.”

His head jerked at her, behind his neck. He finally

saw her standing on the back of his ribs, her shoes
pressing against his crimson scales, she was standing
with one hand on the hilt of her Kurumi and the other
hand on the pistol hanging at her silver utility belt.
His catlike pupils dilated. She was prepared to fight
him, in case he got out of control but he didn't. Her
face remained neutral as she saw his pupils dilating
whenever he gazed at her. This was when she
realized how massive he was. His eyeballs were the
size of a football.

A smile curled up his lips. She pulled back her urumi

and was about to wrap it again around her belt, but
then she heard a familiar voice.

"That's what I thought" It was James.

⩶⟪ 210 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Fourteen
Drayer’s Talisman

Few Hours Earlier

The landscape transformed as they ascended

higher, the trees thinning out, revealing jagged
cliffs and sheer drops alongside the road. The van's
headlights cut through the darkness, revealing
glimpses of sheer rock faces that seemed to reach
for the stars.

James stole glances at the faces of his passengers

through the rearview mirror. Some wore
expressions of wonder, while others seemed gripped
by a silent fear of the unknown. Despite his
reservations, James felt a surge of determination to
guide his group safely to their destination.

As the Mahindra Suprovan trudged on, the

atmosphere inside the vehicle shifted. The chatter

⩶⟪ 211 ⟫⩶
diminished, replaced by a contemplative silence.
The rhythmic purr of the engine filled the void,
interspersed with the occasional howl of the wind as
they climbed higher.

With each passing mile, James's heart pounded

louder in his chest. The gravity of their expedition
weighed on him, amplified by the darkness
enveloping the surroundings. Yet, a flicker of
excitement danced in his eyes as the first hints of
daybreak began to lighten the horizon behind the
mountains.

Approaching their destination, James felt a mix of

relief and awe. The Dragonspine Mountains stood
majestically, their peaks kissed by the first light of
dawn, painting the sky in hues of pink and gold. A
sense of accomplishment washed over James as he
guided the van to a stop, his passengers quiet in
reverence for the breathtaking sight unfolding
before them. James finally pressed the brakes as
they reached the Dragonspine Mountains. All four
doors clicked open at the same time and all the
drayers exited the car - some readying their
weapons, some shrugging, and some just neutrally
exiting.

⩶⟪ 212 ⟫⩶
As the van came to a halt at the base of the
Dragonspine Mountains, the passengers, now a
blend of apprehension and determination, began to
disembark. Some cautiously lowered their heads,
wary of the unknown, while others brandished their
weapons, their resolve etched on their faces.

James emerged from the van, a silhouette of

unwavering resolve against the dimly lit landscape.
His gait was purposeful, a testament to the
confidence that had been etched into his every step.
The sword he carried was more than just a weapon;
it was an extension of his determination, its tip
carving a winding path in the dirt as he strode
forward.

"Okay everyone:" James spoke as he grabbed the

hilt of his dual-wielded sword and pulled it out of its
sheath, "head near the unknown cave and find
Terra. Remember to stay low. We want to return
alive"

Each deliberate movement painted a rough,

wiggling line behind the sword, a visual testament
to the weight of responsibility he carried. His
companions, now forming a loose formation behind
him, mirrored his confidence, their earlier

⩶⟪ 213 ⟫⩶
trepidation seemingly replaced by a collective
resolve to face whatever lay ahead.

The night air was heavy with anticipation, each

footfall accompanied by the faint rustle of leaves
stirred by the gentle mountain breeze. James's
posture remained resolute, his gaze fixed on the
daunting ascent awaiting them. The sword's tip
traced an erratic pattern in the earth, a silent
declaration of their journey's purpose.

The faint glimmers of starlight cast fleeting

shadows on the ground, the darkness veiling the
contours of the path ahead. Yet, James led with
unwavering determination, a beacon of strength
guiding his companions toward the looming peaks
that rose ominously against the night sky.

His sword, an instrument of protection and

conviction, continued to etch its erratic path in the
soil, symbolizing both the uncertainty of the terrain
and the unyielding resolve of their mission. With
each step, the line behind the sword grew, weaving
a story of their ascent, a testament to their
perseverance in the face of the unknown.

The group followed in his wake, their strides

echoing the rhythm of James's purposeful steps.

⩶⟪ 214 ⟫⩶
Their collective determination echoed through the
night, a chorus of determination harmonizing with
the nocturnal symphony of the mountains.

As they ventured deeper into the night-shrouded

landscape, the air crackled with electric energy, a
fusion of fear and courage that united them in their
pursuit. Ahead lay the Dragonspine Mountains, and
James, with his unwavering posture and the
unyielding trail left by his sword, led the charge
into the unknown.

"Stop everyone" Lailah spoke in the walkie-talkie.

Everyone came to a halt. "I don't think Terra is at
the DragonSpines" Everyone turned to her. She was
walking at the end of the crowd with Max. James
jerked his head towards her. Max's heart pounded
against his ribs. What if James blamed him for
giving a false location? Then he remembered that
he was not the one who gave the location.

"I think she's at Willow Lake" She spoke loudly so

that everyone could hear her voice, but not loud
enough for the Dragons to hear her. Max glanced at
her face - she wasn't playing around. James
approached her and shifted his gaze to the tablet she
was holding.

⩶⟪ 215 ⟫⩶
The screen of the tablet had the map of Shenezwa
with Dragon Radiation concentrated at the
Dragonspine Mountains. "The radiation at Willow
Lake just appeared a few seconds ago" She
explained. Max nodded but realised she wasn't
talking to him. Max glanced at the Willow Lake in
the map, with a dense radiation.

"It's Dense Red" James spoke, "It's an S-Ranked

Dragon. We better head there as fast as possible"
He glanced back at her, and then jerked his head to
the crowd of Drayers, waiting for James' next
command. "Get back in the car, everyone!"

Everyone rushed back to the van. They seated

themselves comfortably, unlike the last time: when
they had to get in the car in a hurry, with their
weapons prickling them through the suit and sweat
running down their dry hair. Now, could take their
time.

*****

Diato exhaled softly, fire exiting from his mouth.

The dragon jerked his head towards Terra, its neck
curving like a spring bending from its side. His
catlike pupils gazed at her fiercely. She immediately
knew he'd get out of control. She threw her hand on

⩶⟪ 216 ⟫⩶
the hilt of her urumi and uncoiled it out of her belt.
She quickly figured out how she'd get on top of him
and control him. He exhaled neutrally but fire came
out of his mouth and flew towards her. He didn't
want to harm her but he couldn't control the fire
shooting out of his mouth every time he exhaled.

She didn't know Diato retained his consciousness.

She dashed towards his bike and landed her foot in
the bike's seat. She immediately jumped again before
she had time to fall, and landed on the dragon's
slanted wing. As soon as Diato felt something
crawling on his wing he instantly lifted it as a
reflex. She slid down the wing, on his back, and
skillfully threw the urumi onto his neck in such a
way that its shiny metallic blade reflecting the
silver moonlight coiled around his neck and locked
itself on it. She slightly pulled the hilt, to let him
know that the blade was around his neck and his
head could be sliced off anytime.

*****

They took their time to adjust to their seats. Lailah

jumped behind Max on the Royal Enfield, as it
ignited to light. With the bike's ignition, the
Suprovan rushed forward to Willow Lake. Max

⩶⟪ 217 ⟫⩶
followed it, sending puffs of dust in the air on the
course terrain.

The van rumbled down from the daunting

Dragonspine Mountains, a reluctant Max on his
Royal Enfield, accompanied by Lailah, reluctantly
trailing behind. James, determined to reach Willow
Lake, led the way, oblivious to Max's lack of
enthusiasm for the journey.

Max's dissatisfaction with the excursion was

palpable. He begrudgingly navigated his
motorcycle, his eyes occasionally flickering towards
James' van with an air of resignation. Lailah,
perched behind Max, divided her attention between
her tablet and the passing scenery, seemingly
indifferent to Max's discontent.

As they traversed the serene countryside, a sight

beyond their usual encounters caught their
attention imposing dragon gracefully gliding across
the sky. While uncommon, their familiarity with the
fantastical world suppressed any overt shock or
surprise.

Max's scowl deepened at the sight of the dragon. He

muttered under his breath, a mixture of frustration
and annoyance evident in his demeanour. Lailah

⩶⟪ 218 ⟫⩶
glanced up briefly, her reaction subdued, indicating
a sense of familiarity with such creatures.

James, leading the way, remained oblivious to Max's

reluctance and the unusual aerial spectacle. His
determination to reach Willow Lake persisted, the
van rolling steadily along the road, the passengers
within engaged in muted conversations or lost in
contemplation.

Max's Royal Enfield slowed down its reluctant

pursuit, his distaste for the outing evident in his
persistent reluctance to embrace the journey. Lailah,
seemingly absorbed in her tablet, offered no
reaction to the dragon's presence, maintaining a
composed demeanour amid the unfolding scene.

The vehicles brakes screeched upon arrival, and all

the fellow Drayers sprang out of the vehicles,
drawing their weapons from their sheaths. They
expected to find Terra and Diato but instead they
found Terra and the dragon, Diato. That one that
they knew would be hard to defeat. The Drayers
stood in their place, waiting for James who stood
there looking at Terra who seemed so comfortable
on Diato's back.

⩶⟪ 219 ⟫⩶
From where they stood, they could clearly see
Terra's urumi laid on its wing, locked in a
conversation. James squared his shoulders, moving
closer to them with sure steps, anger clearly seen
from the tension on his back. When he was close
enough that Terra could surely hear him, he
frowned at her.

"That's what I thought," He said with enough

venom.

"It's not what it looks like," Terra defended herself,

her voice holding onto a firm thread of confidence.

"I would love to see how you'd defend yourself in

this situation," James spoke with a smirk hanging
on his lips, "because I know whatever you say will
be nonsense."

"Just hear me out," Terra urged loudly. She had so

much filled up in her chest that she wanted to shout
out loud in a dense forest where no one could hear
her.

"Alright, let's hear it," James said, his voice dropped

to a soft voice.

⩶⟪ 220 ⟫⩶
"I came here to stop Diato from going to the
Dragon Spine Mountains. He doesn't know
anything about dragons, I thought it would be
dangerous..." Terra explained. "Before I found
Diato, I came across this dragon and when I
climbed on it to kill it, its scales loosened my Urumi
and-"

"Oh yeah?" James raised an eyebrow, "well why

were you telling the creature that you'll come with
it?" She opened her mouth and closed it again as
James wasn't done speaking: "I gave you a chance to
speak and what did you do with it? You lied. I'll
only say it once," James spoke, his voice cracking,
and his hand pulling out the dual-wielded sword
from its sheath. "Surrender yourself - or else..."

"Ay Mister attitude, I'll say it once too-" Diato

roared, his catlike oval pupils gazing at the twelve
people standing before him, bathing in the ethereal
glow of the moon. James rage-fully glanced at the
dragon, slightly squinting his eyes in anger.

"You better get out of the way or eat my poo,"

James' eyebrows widened, seeing a dragon rhyme
for the first time, "Okay, maybe not my poo, but
poo! Cuz that rhymes." The dragon dragged its
head towards Terra's ear and whispered, "That

⩶⟪ 221 ⟫⩶
sounded way better and cool in my head. Please
don't judge me on my rhymes." And I shouldn't have
told her that, He thought.

"Ugh," James grunted, "We'll call you the cringe

dragon from now on. That does not rhyme at all."

Terra sighed, "Really?"

Diato grunted, "Oh give me a break,"

James roared. "Attack the beast!" He ordered the

other Drayers.

Everyone charged at the dragon, their weapons

crackling with the sound of their battle cry. They
marched over the ground near the Fishermen's
Dock. Diato spread out his wings over the grass and
lifted his upper limbs into the air like a horse.

Terra slipped but got a grip on one of his scales,

hanging on his back. The marching Drayers
immediately came to a halt, as Diato lifted his limbs.
He spread his wings across the grass and flapped
them as fast as he could. The charge of the wind
blew with a roar at them. However, they managed
to hold their ground, and stay still.

⩶⟪ 222 ⟫⩶
Max and John were at the end of the crowd.
Everyone charged but they hesitated. James shot
them a look as if to say: what are you waiting for?

They sprinted at the Dragon, their tools prickling

their skin. Max finally pulled out his metal
boomerang as he got a brilliant idea. He threw it at
Terra. A surge of responsibility and hurry struck
Diato as he found himself still on the ground, not
being able to lift himself no matter how hard he
flapped his wings. Perhaps he had no idea how
heavy his wings were. And Terra was also
disappointed, as she found out that Diato couldn't
fly.

Terra extended her limb up in the sky and stretched

out her fingers as if to catch something. The
boomerang landed on her palm. She grasped the
metal boomerang and pulled out her urumi. She
wrapped the tip of her urumi to the boomerang and
jumped off Diato, as it was her turn to do
something.

She landed on the ground, sending up puffs of dust

in the air, and attached a taser device to the metal
boomerang, to give an electrical shock to anyone it
touched. She threw her urumi to the head of a
Drayer. Some were still after the dragon, and some

⩶⟪ 223 ⟫⩶
were coming at her. Diato sighed, tired of not being
able to fly. Flames erupted from his lips, towards
the Crowd. They had their fire-proof suits on but
the clothes on top of the suit burned.

The fire wasn't a normal one. It contained the

poison of the Inferno seed, which could easily give
the drayers, third degree burns. The fire melted
their utility belts as they filched and immediately
pulled their arms up to protect their head. He
glanced around, looking at the damage he had done
in a single breath. Somehow he found it fun and
kept exhaling the fire with his jaws wide open. The
inferno seed's poison was showing its true colors.
He found it fun to hurt the people he knew and
somewhat loved. It wasn't the kind of Diato Terra
knew.

She couldn't kill them because they weren't dragons.

James watched as the chaos erupted between the
teams and Terra along with the Dragon. He
blinked, pulled out the dual-wielded sword and held
the sword upright with his palms. The other
drayers didn't want to get fried by some stinking
breath. The looked at each other and instantly ran
toward sthe water. Although they wouldn't be able
to stay there for long, but atleast they could swim

⩶⟪ 224 ⟫⩶
away so that they could safely come out and catch a
breath.

Terra saw around four of them jump in the water.

She thought of throwing the taser into the water.
But then, she'd damage the water, and it's creatures:
potentially damaging the drayers talisman
submerged in it. She chose to let them flee. They
jumped in the water one by one, and started
swimming towards the other edge, hoping they
wouldn't be noticed by Diato when they came out to
catch their breath. Diato saw them jump. He
immediately slapped his wing on the other two
people who were about to jump and threw them at
Terra.

Terra, on the other hand, was hitting the metal

boomerang on the Drayers' heads. Whoever came
close to her was hit by the boomerang, making
them lose consciousness, and the Taser was doing
it's job. She was also using a Taser gun with a tiny
scope to attack the people who were near Diato. She
knew she couldn't handle them all without the
boomerang with the Taser.

"DON'T KILL THEM, DI-" Terra shouted at

Diato but hesitated to say his name. Though she
remembered it this time, she saw James in the

⩶⟪ 225 ⟫⩶
corner of her eye, who was most probably unaware
that the Dragon was Diato. She finally sighed,
ended the sentence, and jumped back into action.
She was completely unaware that James knew that
Diato was the dragon. She didn't want James to kick
Diato out of the organization, so she didn't say
Diato's name.
A guy named Jared loosened his grip on the string
of his bow, and the arrow went flying towards the
Dragon. Diato, however, was unaware of the arrow.
He was flapping his wings as hard as he could while
exhaling his fire breath.

Max and James were trying their best not to get

caught not attacking Terra or the Dragon, so they
just stood in front of Diato, acting like they were
defending against the fire. Jared's arrow finally
reached Diato. Surprisingly, the arrow did hit the
Dragon but didn't stab through its scales. It broke
into pieces upon contact with Diato's scales. Jared's
eyes grew wide in amazement. So that's why we rank
dragons on basis of power. Because we need special
weapons to deal with specific dragons. And these special
weapons can be dangerous in the hands of newbies, Jared
told himself.

James saw the arrow failing to work on the dragon,

and several Drayers struggling against its breath.

⩶⟪ 226 ⟫⩶
They couldn't get close enough to the dragon to
attack it, and Terra was rapidly massacring the
Drayers. Even the ones near the dragon.

He knew he now had to use the Drayers Talisman

to win this fight. He turned his sword upside down
and thrust it on the ground. The sword now stood
on its own. James let go of the sword, letting it
stand on its blade, and clapped his palms once,
joining them against his chest. He let his eyelids
slowly fall shut and muttered something under his
breath.

"Elysium Īśvara, aham bhavantam nivedayāmi yat

Elysium ityasya tālismān upayogaṁ kartum
dadātu." He muttered in Sanskrit.

He fluttered his eyelids wide open, his eyeballs

glowing in a bluish color. He slowly moved his
hands apart - and magical particles appeared out of
his palms. The blue particles were concentrated in a
straight line, between the two palms.

He moved his palms further away as far as his hands

could take them. He rotated his arms clockwise, and
the magical string left his palms, making a circular
loop in front of his face. His one hand fell back on
his hip, and the other one went forward to grab the

⩶⟪ 227 ⟫⩶
flying string made out of pure magical particles. As
soon as he touched it, the loop turned into a massive
bow, which was twice the size of a normal bow.

His other hand went back up and grabbed the string

of the bow. As he slowly pulled the string, still
muttering the same thing over and over again,
under his breath - an arrow took its shape between
the hilt and the pulled string. With a sigh, he
stopped muttering, and his eyes shifted back to
normal. The bow and arrow were still in his hands,
charged up to be fired anytime soon.

Diato noticed the water of the Willow Lake. It had

started to form bubbles in the middle of the lake.
Though they seemed like normal bubbles, Diato
could see through the water. He realized that he
was seeing through water, and what he saw
dragged all of his attention there, opening him to
attacks. There was a dry tree. With a purple
glowing orb in the middle and the branches grown
around the orb's glass-like texture. He blinked, and
it all went back to the bubbling water. For a
moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating, until
he saw it again.

After blinking several times, he realized he could

reset his vision, and every time, the water faded

⩶⟪ 228 ⟫⩶
away from his vision until he blinked. He knew
there was something mystical and arcane lying
submerged in the Willow Lake's water. He didn't
know why it was activated right now. Until he was
thrown back into reality and glanced at Max and
John, who were pretending to be knocked out.
Then, he glanced at Terra, who was running
towards James, dragging her urumi with the metal
her in a serpent-like movement. He saw, she had
knocked out seven people, including Max and John,
pretending.

It was then that he finally glanced at James, who

was holding up a bow charged up with an arrow,
pointed towards him. Terra jumped at James,
dragging her urumi ahead, and banging the
boomerang on James' head. But, James released the
arrow from the bow just in time, before getting hit
by Terra. She landed beside James. The bow had
now disappeared as soon as the arrow left its string.
And James fell on the ground with a soft thud, and
blood dripping out of his forehead. Terra was sure
he wasn't dead. Because she hadn't hit him in any
vital parts of the brain which would result in instant
death.

She was sure James would wake up after a couple of

hours. But she had a bigger issue to deal with now.

⩶⟪ 229 ⟫⩶
The arrow, sliding its way through the air, towards
Diato. Diato's catlike pupils grew wide as he saw an
otherworldly arrow coming towards him, holding
the potential to kill him.

⩶⟪ 230 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Fifteen

S-Ranked Assassin

The arrow pierced his scales, driving into his

lungs. His chest tightened, constricting like a vice.
Diato couldn't control them, all he could do was
tolerate the pain. He felt his body leaning
backwards, but didn't try to resist it. The pain from
the arrow was hard enough to deal with.

He let his body free fall to the ground. He forgot

about the existence of his tail. The tail stabbed on
the back of his hip, as he smacked himself on the
ground. The wings and his tail got sucked back
inside his body as he painfully transformed back
into his human form. The breeze of cold wind
struck his bare skin, but he was more focused on his
chest.

⩶⟪ 231 ⟫⩶
On his chest, he saw a bluish magical arrow stabbed
into it. Surprisingly, the fluid oozing from the
wound wasn't blood; it appeared to be orange in
colour, unlike anything Diato had seen before.
Diato, for a moment, thought being a dragon turned
his blood orange.

The arrow felt as if he had put ten tonnes of weight

on his chest, to sink it inside his chest. He couldn't
breath. Loud breaths and grunts were his only
options. He clenched his fist on the ground, letting
dirt inside his fist, as if grabbing the land like a
fabric. He couldn't touch his wound. He knew the
orange gooey stuff wasn't his blood. And one seed
couldn't contain this much poison. It's consistency
screamed it was lava, but Diato's skin wasn't
burning at all. He squinted his eyes and did the very
thing he could do. Tolerate.

Terra looked at him over her shoulder. A surge of

worry was sent up her spine. The adrenaline struck
her, as she pulled out an injection containing a
bluish green liquid, and sprinted to Diato. Her legs
marching on the dirt, sent up puffs of dust behind
her as she ran. She held up the injection high up in
front of her eyes and pushed the bottom until a few
drops came out of the needle.

⩶⟪ 232 ⟫⩶
Her heart pounded against her ribs as she shook off
hair off her eyes, while running. She had already
thrown her urumi near James. Which was probably
a bad idea but she had to act fast. She couldn't let
Diato die, either. Finally reaching him, she dropped
to her knees and quickly injected the serum into his
arm. She felt the rough texture of the dirt on her
knees.

He was grunting heavily in pain, ignoring the

coppery smell of his blood mixed with the sulphuric
smell of the gooey orange liquid and the soil wet
from his sweat. She felt the cold breeze of the wind
on the back of her neck, which was wet with her
sweat. She pushed the bottom of the injection and
injected the blue liquid inside his body. She threw
the needle on her side and her hand flew to the cup
of his cheek. He glanced at her, his chit pressing
against his collar bone,

"Don't bother" he spoke, in between his grunts, "I'm

-" He grunted again, "I'm dead already" He spoke as
his head fell back on the ground. He felt the soil
between his toes as he dragged them up and down
in pain.

⩶⟪ 233 ⟫⩶
The soil went in his hair, which was one of the
weird things he found disgusting but he could get
the dirt off it, as he was lying in it.

"No, no you're not gonna die" she still spoke with

authority but softer than before. "I have Injected
you with this special serum which will heal you".

She flung back on her feet. She pressed one foot on

his stomach and pulled the arrow out of his chest
with both of her hands. As soon as the arrow came
out, it disappeared as if it was a victim of thanos's
snap. She saw the orange liquid mixed with Diato's
blood. She wasn't sure about the liquid, and didn't
bother assuming anything else than assuming it to
be the inferno seed's poison. But the she
remembered that he only swallowed, one seed. So it
couldn't be the poison.

She fell back on her knees, and the serum was

working. The skin was healing. But nit that fast.
Diato's grunts also softened gradually after she took
out the arrow. It was a huge relief for him. Though
he was still losing his blood, the quantity was
decreasing simultaneously. He really wanted to eat
some chocolate chip cookies. Though he wasn't fond
of resisting temptations, right now, he had no other
choice.

⩶⟪ 234 ⟫⩶
He found himself having a sigh of relief. The pain
was finally gone. At least it seemed like it was gone.
He let his eyelids fall shut slowly in relief. Then, he
felt a tickle in his wang. He looked down and
realised. Shit, I'm naked. He thought. Though he
was wearing an oversized underwear, which was
really broad from his hip. Thank god I didn't fully
tear apart my underwear like I tore my other
clothes. He thought to himself.

Turning to Terra, he noticed her avoiding his gaze

below the belt, "Would you mind turning away?"
He spoke, "I feel a bit... exposed"

The sigh turned into chuckle, as she gazed down

from his belly and back up. His cheeks flushed with
blood as she spoke, "Trust me," she shook her head
"I've seen worse."

His eyes grew wide in half amazement and half

shock. He hauled himself in a standing position,
while he held onto his oversized underwear. That
was when he realised that the wound wasn't fully
healed. The gooey orange stuff had disappeared
with the arrow but his blood and the wound was
still there. He grunted again. He was barely able to
stand up, his one hand holding his underwear while
his other hand pressed beside the wound on his bare

⩶⟪ 235 ⟫⩶
chest. "Girl, you got some wild hobbies" he said in a
silly manner.

"No," she finally turned around, wiping off sweat

from her forehead, "Like, the cross-breed dragons
I've killed, they generally turn into their human
form after they die, and most of them don't retain
their clothes to cover up their private parts."

"So, I guess it's a common dragon problem, you're

too human to understand." He talked in a silly
manner. He approached a random guy lying
unconscious, most probably from a taser.

However, the pain wasn't gone yet. He used a piece

of his torn jacket to wipe the blood off his chest.
This was when he discovered that the arrow had
left a mark, and the wound was still there, in the
form of a large bruise. He unbuttoned the guy's
shirt and pants, for himself. Diato didn't even
hesitate a bit to take off all the clothes from that
guy. He wore the clothes, and approached his torn
clothes. He picked up a large piece of his torn denim
jacked and threw it on the naked guy's lower
abdomen to cover him up, for when he woke up. I
hope this guy doesn't think Terra was the one who
took his clothes. Because he knows a dragon
wouldn't be interested in his clothes. The clothes

⩶⟪ 236 ⟫⩶
smelled as if they were newly bought, but the worn
off colour screamed otherwise.

He picked up his club, but not his bow. Because all

the arrows from his quiver were spread across the
field. And the torn quiver was lying where he had
transformed. He went near his borrowed bike and
hung the club on it's side.

He flung his leg over the seat and tuned the bike on.
He drove it near Terra who was fidgeting with
Diato's butterfly knife.

"do you even know how this thing properly?" Terra

asked, handing him the knife. He shoved the knife in
his pocket.

He gazed down at his pocket where he had put his

knife and back up at her. His voice dropped down to
a whisper as he spoke, "You'll never know."

"Actually," He spoke with curiosity jumping around

his lips, and his finger pointed up at the purplish
night sky "I am wondering how you conveniently
had a serum to cure a dragon from that spell." His
hand fell back on the handlebars, "You're a Dragon
slayer."

⩶⟪ 237 ⟫⩶
"No," she explained, "It wasn't to cure dragons but
to cure humans from that spell, in case they get hit
by it. You were in your human form so I thought it
would work."

"Fair enough" he spoke, "But how did it cure me so

quickly? Like don't medicines take time to heal?"

"It wasn't a medicine, it was a portion which gives

instant effects. It was extracted from the Elysium
fruit." She explained. "By the way, your torn quiver
launched the arrows everywhere and now my car
tire's punctured. So I'm coming with you."

"Alright" He spoke, as if giving up, "You can come

with me on the bike, but I'm driving," he said,
asserting his authority.

With a raised eyebrow, she shot him a skeptical

look, silently questioning his authority.

"oh Hell naw" he slowly shook his head in denial. "I

ain't sitting behind you! I'm a guy."

"... and a sexist" she pointed out.

***

⩶⟪ 238 ⟫⩶
 D

iato found himself sitting on the backseat of the bike

while Terra drove it on the rough terrain. Few
strands of her hair escaped her bun and flew on
Diato's face. He immediately squinted his eyes, and
clenched his lips, making sure the hairs weren't
going in his mouth or eyes. Though, he could still
smell the faint scent of her shampoo

"where are we going again?" he shouted from the

backseat. The sound of the bike's engine was
deafening. He shortly wiggled his tongue in and out
of his mouth while blowing air to get rid of air
which would've probably went in his mouth.

"To the Bounty Market" she shouted back, tilting

on face slightly aside while keeping an eye on the
road so Diato could gear her.

"why?" he shouted again. They were barely hearing

each other, and putting together the words they
heard to make sense of what the other person is
saying. He again repeated his process of removing
potentially infiltrated hair from his mouth.

"WHAT?" she spoke. She didn't hear it the first

time but then realised what he said, "wait a second!"

⩶⟪ 239 ⟫⩶
The bike screeched its brakes and came to a halt.
She pressed the red button and the bike turned off.
The hair finally rested on her shoulder and he was
free to talk as much as he wanted. He always found
some weird things disgusting, and hair wet with
sweat was on those things.

"I said why are we going to the bounty market?" his

voice finally calmed down, his tongue moving
freely, not having to spit hair out every once in a
while.

"Because, as the name suggests" she explained, "this

place is full of unethical people. And we also have
some drayers over there to keep us informed about
dragons in the underworld. So, we are going to find
a drayer and they will help us find this shez guy.
And as far as I've heard and read, Shez is also pretty
active at the bounty market."

"So, are you pretty damn sure we'll find Shez

there?" he spoke, scepticism clear in his tone.

"No..." she spoke, twisting the handlebars, "... But at

least I'm not planning to wander like a lost lunatic."

⩶⟪ 240 ⟫⩶
The bike rumbled forward toward the bounty
market, anticipation building as they neared their
destination.

The bike screeched its brakes. Terra threw her leg

on the ground to support the bike. Diato thrust his
palms on the hot seat and jumped off. Terra kicked
the side stand down, pulled out the key, and swung
her leg across the seat. Diato took a deep, warm
breath before stepping forward near Terra.

"So this is the Bounty Market, eh?" he spoke

without looking at her. His eyes were locked on the
entrance.

The entrance seemed like it was ripped from a

cheesy cowboy movie from the nineties. It was an
odd place compared to the rest of Shenezwa. Diato
stepped forward and entered the market, Terra
catching up close behind. They glanced around,
their gazes dancing around the stalls, jumping from
head to head. Although Terra searched intently for
someone, Diato stared at people with an unnerving
intensity.

Terra shoved her hand into the pocket of her

overcoat and pulled out black sunglasses. Diato
looked over the stalls as the sun rose, its soft glow

⩶⟪ 241 ⟫⩶
illuminating the clouds before finally peeking into
the sky. The rusty, worn-out wooden stalls
decorated with jute cloths and the sand beneath
their legs, along with the bobbing heads of the
crowd, were slowly illuminated by the morning
sun's glow.

"What exactly are these vendors selling?" Diato

asked. "It's not like anyone's gonna buy their legal
fruits and vegetables."

"I know," Terra explained. "It's just their cover. Let

me show you what they're actually selling."

She moved to her side, near a random stall. Diato

followed her, curious to see what these vendors
were up to. She approached a vendor and slammed
her claw on the stall's wooden pillar, catching the
vendor's attention. The vendor, wearing a brown
dress and a brown turban, wiggled his eyebrows.

"I want something strong," she spoke, leaning

against the stall. There was something in her voice
that Diato had never seen before. The amount of
arrogance she carried was enough to annoy the
entire market.

⩶⟪ 242 ⟫⩶
The vendor didn't reply, at least not with words. He
just continued to stare at her. After a short pause,
he moved his gaze down to her waist and back up.
He tapped his chest with his widely opened claw
twice, then threw his hand back. A slight smirk
hung on the vendor's face as Terra spoke.

"Never mind," she rolled her eyes as she walked

away with Diato.

"What the heck was that?" Diato spoke, confusion

dancing on his shoulders.

"So basically, I asked him if he had any strong

drugs," she explained, her eyes still scanning above
the bobbing heads, trying to find someone. "He
agreed, but he didn't want money as payment."

"So, what else did he want?" Diato asked, unsure

where to look, so he just glanced around, acting like
he was also looking for someone.

"He wanted me to take off my clothes, which of

course I wouldn't do," she continued. "Matter of
fact, he probably knew I wouldn't, and that's exactly
why he asked, so he wouldn't have to give me any of
his drugs."

⩶⟪ 243 ⟫⩶
"But why would he do that?"

"Perhaps he knew I was undercover," she explained

further. "Because ladies don't usually roam around
places like these. But I tried my best to look like I
did."

Diato nodded in reply. She walked deeper into the

crowd, with Diato following her like an obedient
child. Chills ran down Diato's spine as he looked
around more closely. He could sense dragons. More
than half of these people were dragons, including
the vendor that Terra had just spoken to. He
couldn't figure out how he was doing that, but
somehow, he was. Perhaps being a dragon allowed
him to sense other dragons. He got behind Terra
and found himself at another stall.

This one said "Con - Kill Nuggets." Although it was

a chicken shop, the vendor sold live hens. Terra
knew that this stall was a front for contract killing.
She again slammed her fist against the side of the
stall and spoke with the same arrogance as before.

"I wanna find Shez."

⩶⟪ 244 ⟫⩶
The vendor swallowed something he was eating
and said, "Go straight ahead. There's the exit. Shez
doesn't waste time on bastards like you."

Diato turned to him, his eyes sending aggressive

chills down the vendor's spine.

"What are you looking at, motherfucking

dickhead?" the vendor spoke, his words laced with
venom.

Diato grabbed the back of her collar, pulling her

away from the vendor. He lunged at the stall with
all his might.

"Diato, No!" Terra exclaimed, reaching out to grab

him, but it was too late.

Diato had already demolished the stall and was now

on top of the vendor. His eyes were glowing pink,
his canines and nails pointed. He scratched the
vendor's face, leaving four angry red marks on his
cheeks.

The vendor retaliated, pulling out a sickle and

throwing it at Diato's neck. The sickle pierced
through his neck, the blade emerging from his
throat on the other side. Little did the vendor know,

⩶⟪ 245 ⟫⩶
this wasn't enough to kill Diato. He was a dragon
now, and it required a special metal to slay them.
Diato roared in pain and fury, throwing his claws at
the vendor's eyes, grabbing hold of the eyeballs.

A demonic smile spread across his face as the

vendor screamed in agony. Diato ripped the eyeballs
out of the vendor's skull and threw them at the
crowd gathering behind him. The vendor's screams
attracted a growing crowd around the broken
remains of the "Con - Kill Nuggets" stall. The sign,
now in pieces, scattered the letters across the
ground. The once clear message was now a broken
phrase: "Kill Nigges."

Pushing through the horrified crowd emerged a

cloaked figure. He stood at least seven feet tall, his
face shrouded in black cloth that seemed to be
connected to his collar. He approached the scene,
the crowd parting before him. Now he stood at the
empty space between the crowd and the stall, where
Diato was currently dismantling the vendor's face
like a gruesome puzzle.

The cloaked figure grabbed Diato from behind and

threw him on the ground with a force Diato had
never experienced. Adrenaline coursed through his
veins as he looked up at the figure.

⩶⟪ 246 ⟫⩶
"Greetings, mortal," the figure spoke in a deep
voice. "You don't know what you've done,
you pesky little Inferno!"

He lunged to grab Diato's collar again, but Terra

intervened.

"Shez, please no," she pleaded, standing right in

front of him, her hands spread wide like a
scarecrow.

"Shez?" Diato spoke in confusion, his eyes returning

to normal as did his teeth and nails. "Oh, I love this
guy's humor... Oh wait, maybe he's not joking?"

"You will pay for this!" Shez roared as he stormed

around Terra, raising his leg for a kick. Diato,
however, wasn't about to go down without a fight.
He grabbed Shez's leg and lifted his own in a
desperate attempt to block the blow. He managed to
connect with Shez's groin, but not with the
precision he'd hoped. Despite the glancing blow, it
sent Shez staggering back.

Diato scrambled to his feet, mentally preparing for

another fight.

⩶⟪ 247 ⟫⩶
"We were looking for you, Shez," Terra said, trying
to de-escalate the situation. "Diato wanted your
help."

"If it were for you, Terra, I'd slightly consider it,"

Shez growled. "But not for this motherfucker."

"Oh boy, here we go," Diato muttered, a wide grin

spreading across his face.

"How does he know my name?" Terra thought

frantically.

Diato lunged at Shez again, transforming back into

his dragon form. His nails and teeth sharpened, his
eyes glowing a menacing pink. Diato almost landed
a scratch on Shez, but the cloaked figure was
surprisingly agile for his size. He caught Diato's
attack, grabbing him by the neck and holding him
at arm's length.

"Give up, Diato" Shez spoke, as he saw the crowd

fading away. The crowd knew Diato was done for.
And they showed no interest in seeing Diato's
death. "It's not worth it. You're too sensitive."

⩶⟪ 248 ⟫⩶
"Ahh" Terra spoke, "There goes the gaslighting. As
far as I've read and heard, Shez is quite the
gaslighter."

Diato flapped his claws on that guy's forearm, but je

couldn't deal any damage. He knew it was over for
him. If this guy was shez, he wasn't coming to
Dragonspines, and Diato wasn't gonna get his
answers.

Terra grabbed the collars of her overcoat and pulled

it backwards over her shoulder. She pulled out her
arms and held the coat's sleeve. She charged up at
Shez, her hand ready to throw the coat at Shez's
face. She was going to do it, she was going to cover
Shez's face with her coat and bring him to the
ground. But little did she know, Shez wasn't an
average Dragon.

Shez was a skilled master of Warcraft and an

experienced mage in dragon magic, also referred to
as Brute Magic. Shez threw his other arm and
grabbed her coat. She, however, didn't lose her grip
and hung on the coat as if she were a bat hanging
on a stem. Shez sprung his hand and threw her at a
stall.

⩶⟪ 249 ⟫⩶
She struck against the stall, and realised she
actually hit a pillar, fixated on the ground, beside
the stall she was thrown at. Her back ached against
the pillar, as she fell down on the ground, her legs
spread across the dirt, as if she were an injured
soldier who was waiting to be healed.

Shez's gaze slipped to Diato, who wasn't in his

grasp anymore. He turned around, trying to find
him. It was then, that he realised that Diato was
behind him. He heard Diato scream,

"Hail Lord Naruto!" Diato screamed as he joined his

palms, his fingers interlocked, with his index and
middle finger pointing outward, creating a ninjutsu
gesture. "Thousand years of death!"

Diato pushed his fingers above himself. He was

sitting on his knees behind Shez's feet. Before Shez
could even move, he felt something penetrating his
butt. Diato pushed his fingers, straight into the lean
asshole of Shez. But, unlike what Diato expected,
Shez didn't get launched in the sky, grabbing his
buttcheeks. Instead, he simply turned around in a
fluid movement.

"Was that not deep enough for you?" Diato asked

Shez loudly. "Welp, I guess my fingers are too short

⩶⟪ 250 ⟫⩶
to launch you in the air while you grab your butt
cheeks in pain.", He spoke at a speed at which it was
almost impossible to understand what ge just said.

What Diato didn't notice was the punch that came

with Shez's fluid motion. Shez's knuckles struck
Diato on his cheeks. It felt like the whole universe
collapsed between Shez's hand and his cheek. The
punch was so powerful, Diato found himself on the
ground, unconscious, knocked out.

Shez turned his neck towards Terra, who was now

standing in front of him. One of her arm was rested
on the hilt of her pistol at her belt, and her other
hand was showing Shez her palm, gesturing stop.

"We are not your enemies!" She spoke with the

same authority, "We are here to propose an offer."

⩶⟪ 251 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Sixteen

Attack!

"An offer?" Shez said, raising an eyebrow. "What

could you possibly offer me?"

"Anything you want," Terra replied, not lowering

her guard. "We want you to assassinate someone."

Diato stared at her, hauling himself to a standing

position. "What does she think she's doing?" he
thought. "They were definitely not here for Shez's
help. They were here for Shez himself. They wanted
to use Shez, not his help."

Terra paused briefly, waiting for Shez's reply.

"Go on," Shez finally said, settling into a resting

position. He didn't care if Diato stood up now.

⩶⟪ 252 ⟫⩶
"We want you to assassinate a dragon," Terra
explained with her teeth. "Perhaps we should talk
about this in private."

Shez nodded and gestured for them to follow him.

He led them to a rusty-looking tent that matched
the atmosphere, with its pale yellow color palette
and giant, corroded nails holding up the strings.
Shez opened the curtain, which served as the tent
door.

There was no one inside, just some wooden chairs

scattered around. The ground was unsurprisingly
sand, and the tent was lit with a dim bulb hanging
from exposed wires. It seemed the current could
escape any moment, but luckily it didn't. The chairs
were layered with thick dust, making their brown
color look paler than ever.

Diato didn't seem to notice the dust. Perhaps he

didn't care. He grabbed the back of a chair and
dragged it near the bulb on the central ground,
turning it away from the light source. He threw
himself onto the inverted chair, his legs dangling
from the sides of the middle rail.

Terra gently brushed her hand against her seat,

clearing off as much dust as possible before taking a

⩶⟪ 253 ⟫⩶
seat. Diato rested his palms on the top rail, his chin
propped on his knuckles. Shez grabbed the chair's
top rail and banged it against the sandy ground
once. It didn't make much noise. The dust from the
seat slid off the chair as Shez placed it near the bulb,
where Diato and Terra sat.

Shez took a seat and glanced at Terra, completely

ignoring Diato's presence. "So, what is the offer?"
he raised an eyebrow.

"Diato wants you-" Terra began, but Diato

interrupted.

"Stop right there," Diato cut in, showing her his

palm. "This Giant Troll Tower guy" - he pointed
his palm towards Shez - "knows you more than he
knows me. So please don't drag me into this mess,
even if I'm part of it."

"What makes you think he knows me?" Terra

turned to Diato. "And why are you sitting like
that?"

"Diato's correct, Terra," Shez said, his body rigid.

"You might only have heard about me, but... I know
who you are."

⩶⟪ 254 ⟫⩶
"See?" Diato spoke with satisfaction, puffing out his
chest with pride. "I told you he knows you better. I
bet he also knows your friends, and James."

"But..." Terra wasn't ready to accept the reality.

"How do you know me? We've never met, and I've
never done anything that would make me famous or
anything?"

Shez sighed with a slight chuckle. It was hard to tell

if it was a chuckle or a light grunt due to his deep
voice. "Matter of fact, I also know you, First
Qualifier; or should I say Nose Breaker!"

Shez's words hung heavy in the air, causing Terra's

breath to hitch. Diato's eyes, however, widened
comically.

"Whaaat?" Diato blurted, eyes wide with a mix of

surprise and misplaced pride. "How do you know
me? Perhaps I'm too famous!"

Terra rolled her eyes, a familiar exasperation

creeping in. "Oh shut up," she muttered.

"Don't you ever feel hot?" Diato tilted his head

inquisitively, completely oblivious to the tension.

⩶⟪ 255 ⟫⩶
"Even inside this tent, you're wearing those bulky
cloaks and mask... Oh wait, are you a dragon?"

Terra shot Diato a withering glance. "Diato, stop

asking useless questions," she ordered, a hint of
annoyance lacing her voice.

"No, I don't feel hot," Shez replied, a genuine

chuckle rumbling through his chest this time. "And
yeah, you could call me a dragon."

Diato's jaw dropped. "Woah!" he exclaimed, his

pupils dilating with awe. Shez was on the verge of
becoming his new idol. "Can you teach me how to
fly? You're so powerful! You literally beat the crap
out of a guy who beat the crap out of an S-Ranked
Dragon while being unconscious!"

Terra scoffed. "Well, no shit," she said. "He trapped

the Inferno King and the Unknown at the
DragonSpines!"

"Oh, don't get me started on the DragonSpines!"

Diato interjected before Shez could ask his question.
"That Unknown guy is a pain in the ass!"

Shez raised an eyebrow, a flicker of understanding

crossing his features. "You've met the Unknown?"

⩶⟪ 256 ⟫⩶
This confirmed his suspicions about their motives.
"So, you were setting me up, huh?"

"What?" Terra chuckled nervously, trying to

deflect the accusation. "Why would we do that?"

"Yeah!" Diato echoed, oblivious. "We were totally

not going to hand you over to the Unknown for his
blood so that we can reach the Dragon Ruins!"

Shez's deep laughter boomed through the tent,

causing dust motes to dance in the dim light. He
slapped his knees repeatedly, tears welling up in his
eyes. "You're so dumb, Diato!"

Terra glared at Diato for a moment, then turned

back to Shez with a sigh. "I can't do this anymore,"
she said, pulling out her pistol with a practiced flick
of her wrist.

"Me neither," Diato chimed in, grabbing his club

from the dusty floor.

He brandished the crude weapon near Shez's neck,

while Terra aimed her gun with surprising
accuracy. Shez, however, remained unfazed. In fact,
his laughter intensified as he looked between them.

⩶⟪ 257 ⟫⩶
"Alright, alright, jeez!" he finally managed to say,
wiping tears from his eyes. "Give me a break, you
guys are hilarious!"

This only confused Diato further. "No, we're

drayers," he corrected Shez with a frown.

Terra rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time. "He

doesn't mean it like that, you idiot," she snapped at
Diato. Then, turning back to Shez, she added, a
touch desperate, "And we're not joking! Come with
us, or else!"

"Or else what?" Shez finally challenged, his

laughter subsiding. "You think you can kill me with
that silly-ass pistol?"

"Hey, Mister Troll Tower," Diato puffed out his

chest again, attempting to sound authoritative,
"don't underestimate that pistol! Its bullets are
made with Dragon-killing metal. It'll be a painful
death."

Shez let out a low growl, the sound sending shivers

down Terra's spine despite herself. "Oh, poor
Diato," he said, slowly rising to his full height.
"Why do you think the drayers would have

⩶⟪ 258 ⟫⩶
befriended me instead of killing me if they could kill
me with their metal in the first place, hmm?"

Realization dawned on Terra's face. She wasn't

dealing with a normal human; Shez was a dragon-
like creature, and regular bullets wouldn't work.
The gun, which had been pointed at Shez, slowly
dipped until it was aimed at her own chin. Her
expression remained stoic, but a flicker of
something akin to respect flickered in her eyes.

"Terra, what are you doing?" Diato exclaimed,

worried that they were about to lose a valuable ally
thanks to his blunder.

"I said," she spoke through gritted teeth, her voice

low and dangerous. "Come with us... or else."

"Yeah, whatever" Shez said, turning to the door.

"Kill yourself, I don't care. I am not coming."

"Terra," Diato spoke, with a tone that that didn't

have a melody to it. "We should've known that Shez
would be a scaredy cat."

She was leaving the tent but came to a halt. His

hand, which was about to open the curtain lost its

⩶⟪ 259 ⟫⩶
grasp. He turned around slowly, shooting Diato a
look as if to say: what did you just say?

"Hiding behind a mask," Diato continued, avoiding

eye contact with Shez, "Contract Killing in secrecy,
and refusing to come with us because he knows he'll
die."

"Oh what did you just say?" Shez spoke, his teeth
clenched. He approached Diato and poked his finger
on Diato's chest, "I am not a Scaredy Cat. I am the
one who trapped those dragons there and you think
they'd be able to kill me? ME?"

"Oh yeah?" Diato spoke, as he hit his forearm on

Shez's wrist, throwing his finger off Diato's chest,
"then why are you scared to come with us?
You Scaredy Cat!"

A smile curled up Terra's lips as she appreciated

what Diato was doing. He understood the assignment,
didn't he? She thought, as she shoved the gun back
beside her belt. It was then that she realized that
she had lost her hatchet with the coat that she
threw at Shez.

"That's BECAUSE I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE

USING ME TO GET TO THOSE FUCKING

⩶⟪ 260 ⟫⩶
RUINS!" Shez shouted in anger, pointing his finger
at Diato's face. It seemed like the finger would
touch Diato any moment but it didn't. They were
now so close that Duato could see Shez's mask
moving back and forth as he breathed.

"Oh, so you're afraid of getting used by your

juniors!" Diato spoke, keeping his voice calmer than
a tranquill summer noon. "And I thought you were
impossible to trick!"

"Okay, you know what?" Shez spoke, the flame of

anger still burning within his chest, his teeth finally
unclenched as he spoke, with his finger finally
getting curled back into his fist, "I'm coming with
you! Let's go to the mountains. I'll show you who's
more powerful. Me or those pesky little Infernos!"

"Yes!" Terra shouted in excitement. Then she

realised, she might've ruined the atmosphere. Shez
and Diato both shot her a look, as she continued, "I
- I - I mean yeah, Let's leave already." She spoke
trying to cover up uncontrollable excitement.

"I don't know why, but that felt a bit out of

character for you, Terra." Diato spoke as he made
his way past her and through the curtain.

⩶⟪ 261 ⟫⩶
"Why? 'Cause I've never been goofy in front of
you?" She replied,

"I dunno." Diato said finally exiting the tent.

"Probably yes."

The morning sun stretched long shadows across the

ground as Terra started her dirt bike, the engine's
roar punctuating the quiet morning air. The
machine she straddled was a tough-looking beast,
its sleek metal frame adorned with scratches and
dents, testimony to the countless adventures it had
embarked upon.

Diato hopped on behind her, his fingers interlaced

around his knee balls, for balance. As they began
their journey, Shez, quick and light on his feet,
joined them on foot, running beside the dirt bike,
his movements as fluid and graceful as a wild cat.

"HOW ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING THAT!?"

Diato shouted at Shez so that Shez could hear him.
"WEREN'T YOU SUPPOSED TO BE A
DRAGON!?"

"No" Shez replied calmly, despite running at an

incredibly fast pace, "I said you could call me a
dragon, not that I'm a dragon." He explained.

⩶⟪ 262 ⟫⩶
"SO WHAT EXACTLY ARE YOU?" Diato asked,
trying his best to suppress the engine's noise with
his own.

"I'm a Barbarian" Shez replied, keeping his eye on

the road and not making eye contact with Diato.
"I'm from the barbarian clan of my dimension."

"THAT BOUNCED OVER MY HEAD," Diato

spoke, not trying to sound rude, "BUT HOW ARE
YOU RUNNING AT EIGHTY KILOMETRES
PER HOUR?"

Shez didn't study at schools on Earth and didn't

quite understand the metric system. "What the fuck
is a Kilometer?"

"Fucking American" Terra whispered under her

breath so that only Diato could hear her.

"ARE YOU BALD?" Diato Inquired.

Shez, however, heard Terra with his sensitive ears.

"oh, Give me a break!" He spoke, clearly annoyed
for being called American for not understanding the
metric system.

⩶⟪ 263 ⟫⩶
They roared away from the bustling market,
leaving the noise and chaos behind like distant
memories. The dirt bike's wheels kicked up dust,
forming a swirling cloud that danced in the
morning light. Each turn of the throttle propelled
them forward, leaving a trail behind them.

Terra's hair flew behind her like a wild horse's

mane, the wind tugging at each strand as they sped
towards the dark shapes of the DragonSpine
mountains on the horizon. The landscape
transformed beneath them, shifting from velvety
green grass to treacherous bumpy rocks. But Terra
navigated the terrain with ease and finesse, her
hands expertly steering the bike through every
twist and turn.

Diato leaned with the turns, feeling the rhythm of

the ride as his body synced with the motion of the
dirt bike. The exhilaration of speed coursed through
his veins. Shez, always eager for a chase, would
occasionally zoom ahead, his lithe figure blending
harmoniously with the rugged landscape, only to
circle back effortlessly, his eyes shining with a glint.

As minutes turned into hours, the sun climbed

higher in the sky, its warmth casting a comforting
blanket over the rough land. The mountains, once

⩶⟪ 264 ⟫⩶
mere silhouettes on the horizon, grew larger and
more imposing with each passing mile. Their pointy
peaks were now veiled in clouds as if teasingly
concealing the secrets they held within.

The trio was drawn toward the mountains, their

majestic look of the mountain.

"We're here" Terra sighed, "Get off the bike"

Diato nodded and then realised she didn't see the

nod. He jumped off the bike and so did Terra. Shez
was already standing beside the bike, his hands
resting on his hips as he scanned the mountains.
With a sigh, he turned to Diato,

"So you did manage to get me here, didn't you?"

Shez spoke, as he went to Diato,

"Well, you can still leave if you want," Diato turned

to him, "But I don't think you'd do that before
showing me if you're more powerful than the
Infernos."

"You're right" Shez spoke, "I'll show you the hard

way," He pointed at Diato, "that I am indeed more
powerful than these Infernos."

⩶⟪ 265 ⟫⩶
Diato nodded and strode past Terra. Terra and
Shez followed Diato as he led the way. The bike was
parked near the cave, so the distance was
short. These guys think they can simply hand me over to
the unknown and I'll do nothing, Shez thought, with a
smirk on his face. Diato couldn't see the smirk as it
was covered by the mask. But little do they know, I
have my shit planned.

Diato walked for a while and came to a halt. "We're

here" He spoke.

He gazed down at the spiral metal staircase. He

went to the stairs; Terra and Shez followed.

"Stop right here" Diato ordered Shez and Terra.

He climbed down the rest of the stairs. His footsteps

echoed in the giant cave. It drew everyone's
attention to Diato. There seemed to be a
conversation about someone named Ignarius in the
court of The Unknown. The conversation, however,
came to a halt with Diato's resonating footsteps.
Everyone shot him a look. He knew it was the
wrong timing. Perhaps, nobody expected Diato to
complete his mission.

⩶⟪ 266 ⟫⩶
He walked ahead, in the middle of the cave. The
unknown continued to stare at him. Diato could feel
The Unknown's Braids prickling into his skin. He
wanted to frown so badly but resisted it and went to
the other stairs, near the stone throne. He looked up
at the unknown with confidence dancing in his eyes.

"Didn't think you'd see me here, did you?" Diato

continued to stare at him.

"Well, did you complete your task?" The unknown

asked, thinking that Diato had failed.

"Yes I did," Diato spoke, with his gaze locked on

the Unknown, "I did complete your task, Tyghall."

The unknown's eyes grew wide in shock, "Who told

you my name?" The caveman asked.

"The same guy that trapped you here," Diato raised

his voice uniformly, "THE INFERNO TRAITOR!"
Diato spread his arms outward in the air.

Diato was going to explain how Shez told him that

Tyghall was tricking him, but what he didn't know
was that Shez thought Diato was calling him. Shez
wasn't quite familiar with Diato's plan.

⩶⟪ 267 ⟫⩶
Diato planned to reveal to Tyghall that he knew the
truth, but Diato forgot that Shez was here to show
Diato that he was superior to Infernos.

Shez jumped inside the cave, skipping all the stairs

and landing straight on the stone floor. His landing
cracked the floor around him, as he landed on his
one knee and one foot, like a squirrel. Shez hauled
himself to a standing position and gazed at Tyghall.
His gaze was enough to send the chills of memories
down Tyghall's spine.

It felt like a slideshow of the past was being

displayed in Shez's eyes. His orange-glowing eyes
brought back many nightmares. The memories
Tyghall wanted to forget. The memories of their
defeat, and their cry for help foreshadowed right
inside the eyes of Shez.

"Wait, no" Diato forgot that Shez wasn't aware that

they didn't want to attack Tyghall. "Shez that's not
the plan-" But it was too late.

Shez had already sprinted at Tyghall. One of

Tyghall's soldiers leapt at Shez, but he was
unstoppable. The guard leapt at Shez, spreading his
wings and upper arms to grab Shez and bring him
to the ground. But Shez was a great fan of catching

⩶⟪ 268 ⟫⩶
up to the enemy's speed. He caught up to the
guard's speed and threw his forearm on the guard's
cheek. The guard was in his dragon form but still,
his head got launched aside, into a pillar. His head
struck the pillar, cracking the pillar and tearing
some of the guard's scales.

Blood dripped down from the side where Shez had

hit the guard. The blood, unlike what Diato
expected, was red this time. Shez continued his
sprint on his two legs and finally reached Tyghall.
Tyghall immediately jumped from his seat. But he
was too lost in his slideshow of the past that he
couldn't keep up with reacting to his surroundings.

Shez leapt at Tyghall, grabbing his neckline. Soon,

his palms slid through Tyghall's rough skin and got
a hold of his neck. Tyghall's throne was rigid so it
didn't even budge. But Tyghall was thrown behind
the thrown, with Shez climbed on his chest, holding
his neck.

Shez tightened his grasp on the neck of Tyghall.

Diato tried to stop Shez but he was too late. He
didn't tell Shez to not attack, and neither did he tell
Tyghall that he wouldn't complete his task. He had
messed up his plan.

⩶⟪ 269 ⟫⩶
"YOU BETRAYED ME DIATO!" Tyghall
shouted, his hands locked in She's forearms, "I
TOLD YOU TO GET ME SHEZ! NOT GET
SHEZ TO ATTACK ME! YOU WANTED TO
KILL ME FOR MY BLOOD!"

I messed up, real bad. Diato thought.

"INFERNOS," Tygall ordered everyone,

"ATTACK!"

All the dragons' gaze shifted to Diato. Two of the

Dragons jumped at Diato. Terra, on the other hand,
heard Tyghall ordering the dragons to attack Diato.
Adrenaline rushed through her veins as she jumped
down the stairs, landing on her feet. She did a half
squat, to balance herself from the fall and pulled out
her urumi just as she straightened her legs.

Another two dragons were waiting for her. They all

jumped on Terra. The remaining four dragons
jumped at Shez, who was about to kill Tyghall, but
was stopped by these dragons jumping at him.
Terra, an A Ranked Drayer who had never faced an
S Ranked dragons, was now against two of the best
S Ranked Dragons she might ever come across.
Diato, a rookie Drayer who was unable to complete
his first mission was also against two powerful S

⩶⟪ 270 ⟫⩶
Ranked Dragons. The inferno Seed inside him was
the only advantage he had against the dragons.

Shez was the only one who had a little chance of

winning against five dragons at once, because he
was a skilled Dragon Mage and a Barbarian.

Terra instantly pulled out her gun. But one of the

dragons pushed her back with its tail. The pistol
slipped out of her hand and got thrown at Tyghall's
feet. Oh shit, she thought.

⩶⟪ 271 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Seventeen

Hostage

Tyghall hauled himself to a standing position, with

a slight smile hanging on his face. He saw Diato and
Terra being attacked by two dragons each. He
jerked his head towards Shez, who had four dragons
on him.

Terra twisted her urumi out of the scabbard, and

flung it in the air like a whip. she noticed a Dragon's
wing was touching the ground. She grasped the
opportunity and sprinted at the wing. Before the
dragons could react, she was already on the back of
a dragon. Just like earlier, she threw her urumi
around the dragon's neck and tightened it. she was
fond of her Dragon killing combo, she invented.
Every time, she had to kill a massive dragon, she

⩶⟪ 272 ⟫⩶
would climb on its back and chop off its head before
it had any time to react.

Little did she know, these dragons were no joke.

The dragon reacted quickly. the dragon threw its
tail at Terra, to grab her. Terra saw the tail and
tightened her grasp on her urumi. The tail wrapped
around her belly like a snake. the dragon tightened
his tail grip and pulled Terra off from its back.

Terra knew that the dragon had its way of

dismounting her, and that's why she kept her grip
on the urumi. As soon as she was pulled, the blade
scratched the scales of the dragon's neck. She landed
on her knees and saw the dragon's head, falling off
of its body. But she almost forgot about the second
dragon.

The second dragons shot her an angry look and

roared at her like a Dinosaur. with the roar, came
out a large cloud of flame, bursting through the
dragon's mouth. She jerked her body around in a
fluid motion and covered her head with her
forearms. The cloud of fire hit her back. She felt the
heat send shock up her spine.

She glanced at the first dragon's blood and saw her

urumi's blade glowing with heat. Her blade was

⩶⟪ 273 ⟫⩶
heated by the dragon's fire breath. She jerked her
head around and saw the dragon's tail was pointed.
It looked like as if the tail was a sword on itself. An
idea lingered in he mind as she threw her urumi at
the dragon's open mouth. The urumi's blade
wrapped around one of the tooth of the dragon. She
used it as a grappling hook, launching herself into
the air, and breaking the tooth simultaneously.

She didn't waste a moment. She threw her urumi at

the Dragon's tail and snatched it back. The tail got
separated from the dragon's body. Blood dribbled
down from the tail. She skilfully swung the tail to
the dragon's face. The dragon screamed in pain,
launching a continuous blow of fire from its mouth.
She mercilessly pulled her urumi back, and the tail
went straight inside the dragon's mouth. The
pointed tail stabbed through the back of the
dragon's throat. Terra saw the pointed tail coming
out of the dragon's neck, with blood on its tip, as
well as its bottom, from where it was torn.

Meanwhile,

Diato charged up his club. His eyes fixed on one of

the dragons. He sprinted at the dragons with his
club charged up to hit the dragon. He reached the
dragons and slipped to a halt. His hands threw the

⩶⟪ 274 ⟫⩶
club at the lower chest of the dragon. He used all
his force but the club barely pierced through the
scales.

He looked up, slightly embarrassed, not knowing

what to do now. The dragon threw it's back leg at
Diato. He couldn't afford to lose his club again, so
he decided to pull it back before he dodged the leg.
He pulled a bit and got the club out, but it was too
late now. The dragon's palm thrust at Diato's chest,
as it's fingers wrapped Diato in it.

Diato tried his best to loosen the dragon's grip. He

pulled from his shoulders but he knew it wouldn't
work. He had to do something new. Something that
the Dragon didn't expect. The other dragon
squinted his eyes and threw its jaw wide open. Fire
ignited from beneath it's tongue like saliva. The
dragon blew its breath and threw a large flame of
fire towards Diato.

The fire burned on his skin, sending a strong

burning sensation. But Diato was immune to it. His
skin almost caught on fire, but didn't quite burn.
Thanks to the fingers of the other dragon, Diato's
cloths didn't burn. He turned to the other dragon,
and glanced at it. The dragon clapped its jaw shut,

⩶⟪ 275 ⟫⩶
and glanced back at Diato. They locked glances and
continued to stare at each other.

Diato twisted his cheeks and opened his mouth.

Both the dragon and Diato expected a fire breath.
But instead, Diato spit on the dragon. Oh fuck, Diato
thought, I really hope dragons don't consider spitting as
an insult.

Diato failed to throw a fire breath, but he already

prepared his next move. He twisted his hands,
palms, and fingers as if they were snakes. His arms
danced underneath the grasp of the dragon. The
soft and light movement of Diato's arms caused a
tingling sensation on the dragon's palm.

The dragon had no choice but to let go now. The

dragon loosened its grip as it tried it's best to
control its laughter. The dragon stepped back.
Diato landed on his feet and threw his club on the
ground. He had a new strategy dancing around his
mind now. He vibrated his skull and semi -
transformed into a dragon. Wings popped out of his
back, tearing his shirt, along with the tail punching
a hole in his pants. Lastly, long nails and horns
finished the semi - transformation.

⩶⟪ 276 ⟫⩶
He flew up high, to the eye level of the dragon that
shot fire breath at him. The dragon tried to open it's
mouth again, to shoot its fire breath. But Diato
grabbed it's lower and upper lip with his arms and
held them shut. The dragon was larger than Diato
expected.

He clenched his teeth, and kept his arms shut. He

tried once again to throw his fire breath at the
dragon. However, this time, instead of fire, icy cold
air flooded out of his mouth. The wind coming out
of his mouth struck the Dragon's scales. The dragon
roared in pain as it felt the icy cold wind striking
through it's scales. The other dragon who grabbed
Diato watched as Diato killed the other dragon with
just his breath.

Once the dragon's body fell on the ground with a

thud, Diato slowly turned towards the other
Dragon, he had been waiting to finish off.
Thankfully, the other dragon was larger than Diato.
This gave Diato another idea.

Diato clapped his head on the top of hsi head and

flew at the other dragon. The dragon's eyes grew
wide as he tried to figure out what Diato was doing,
as he taught being terrified.

⩶⟪ 277 ⟫⩶
He flapped his wings as hard as he could and dove
at the dragon. Surprisingly enough, he was able to
fly subconsciously. He pointed his clapped palms at
the Dragon and dove like an eagle at it. Diato's
pointy nails tore the dragon's chest.

And before the dragon could do anything, it found a

huge hole in its chest and Diato coming out of the
hole from its back. Diato rested his hands back and
glanced at the dragon he just killed. He saw blood
of the dragon dribbling down from its chest, and it's
heart was visible now, along with its ribs and lungs.

He felt the dragon's blood on his hands and clothes.

He threw his bloody hand on his shoulder and
grabbed his shirt. He pulled it back and tore the
shirt apart, exposing his upper body. Much better he
thought, So that's why male protagonists go shirtless at
the final fight. Because of sweat. And discomfort in
movement.

On the other hand,

Shez was pressed against the stone floor by four

dragons. Tyghall intentionally sent the most
powerful of the four dragons at shez, to give him
equal competition. The dragons pressed their pointy
claws on Shez's chest.

⩶⟪ 278 ⟫⩶
The claws did manage to tear his cloak, but didn't
quite reach his skin. Shez, however, didn't care
about the dragons. He was thrown on the ground
on his back and he stayed in that position. He was
preparing for something else. He muttered
something under his breath.

"visphoṭakvidyútkavācha" He muttered under his

breath in sanskrit.

A white forcefield formed around his body. The

forcefield had electricity dancing around itself. The
forcefield expanded its area, instantly. The force
field electrocuted every dragon that was on shez.

It was an explosive lightning shield. The shield

expanded, and threw the four dragons in four
directions. Shez hauled himself in a standing
position, as the forcefield evaporated in thin air. He
took a deep breath and sighed as he glanced over
the electrocuted dragons, lying on their backs, and
the other four dragons that Diato and Terra killed.

He glanced at Tyghall. But he wasn't there. "See, "

Shez started, "I told you I am stronger." He turned
around, but didn't see Diato or Terra. "Diato?
Terra?" He spoke, as he turned back around.

⩶⟪ 279 ⟫⩶
He saw Tyghall land in front of himself a couple of
feet away. Tyghall's wings got sucked back in his
back as he landed. One of his arms was wrapped
around Terra's neck, and the other arm was holding
her gun at her forehead from the side. Her palms
locked on his forearm, trying to set herself free. But
her every attempt failed.

She raised her leg backwards and kicked up at his

crotch. But it didn't work. Tyghall didn't even
budge after taking a hit from her leg at his crotch.
She was sure she hit at the right place, but she
wasn't sure why it didn't work.

"Shez," Tyghall spoke, "If you want to see this

innocent girl alive, surrender right now."

"What do you mean innocent?" Shez spoke, as if

Terra wasn't at a life or death situation, "She's not
innocent. She has killed many dragons. Matter of
fact, she even fell in love with a dragon."

"What do you mean?" Terra finally managed to

speak despite the pressure at her throat.

"I said, Surrender" Tyghall spoke with his teeth

clenched, "Or Else... "

⩶⟪ 280 ⟫⩶
"Oo" Shez turned to Terra, "Isn't it like a Déjà Vu?"

"I'll not repeat myself again!" Tyghall said again,

"Surrender Now!"

"I won't" Shez said, remaining rigid, "Kill her if you

want, I don't care. I just wanted to prove to her
boyfriend that I'm stronger."

"What?" She spoke, "Diato is not my -" But she was

interrupted.

Diato, with his hands pointed above his head, and

his wings creating a lean horizontal posture, struck
Tyghall's back. He had created such momentum
with his dive, that his nails pierced through the skin
of Tyghall's back. His braids bounced aside as Diato
pushed his hands further more into the skin of
Tyghall.

In no time, Diato's hands stabbed through Tyghall's

chest. He then tried his best to spread apart his
arms, in order to tear Tyghall into two pieces. He
wasn't aware of what he was doing, as if his
subconscious mind and muscle memory had taken
over him.

⩶⟪ 281 ⟫⩶
His movements were fluid, like a snake. Terra gazed
at Diato's arms - stained with blood - making their
way out of Tyghall's chest. Tyghall's eyes grew
wide in terror as he glanced down and saw
someone's hands coming out of his chest. The hands
were similar. They had no scales, but they were
quite identical to Shez's hands.

He finally managed to spread his arms apart, along

with tearing Tyghall's body into two parts. The
bones, broke with a crack and the organs tore with a
slushy sound. Diato immediately landed on his feet.

However, Tyghall's grip on Terra's neck didn't

loosen. Terra slipped along with Tyghall's side
body. Diato instantly threw his hand and grabbed
her wrist. Tyghall's grip finally loosened. The body
fell down, blood drooling out of the sides. Tyghall's
huge lungs, liver and kidneys were visible. But they
were different. They were larger than a human's.

Diato pulled her wrist. She balanced on her feet. She

finally looked up at Diato, who was staring at her.
They were now so close that he could see the
mixture of dirt and blood stuck on her cheeks. Her
warm breath struck his chest, as she gazed back
down. She saw the stains of blood on his broad

⩶⟪ 282 ⟫⩶
chest. She knew none of the blood belonged to
Diato.

Shez whistled in a tune. This caught both of their

attention. They glanced at Shez at the same time,
and pulled themselves back - away from each other.

"Not too fast, boy" Shez spoke as he glanced at

Diato, and then at Terra. He pointed behind them,
"Look behind ya."

They both turned around, and saw three dragons

charging at them. Diato, instantly spread opened his
mouth. He knew fire wouldn't come out of his
mouth. Ice would. The icy breath of Diato struck
the three dragons at the same time.

Shez strolled across the stone floor, to Diato. The

dragons spread their wings and brought a halt to
their dive. The icy cold wind froze their scales.
Their body became rigid as they saw their skin
freezing into ice. They fell down, one after another.
Their, scales covered in frost and their eyes closed
shut.

Wait, Diato thought, If I killed two dragons, Terra

killed Two dragons, and Shez didn't kill any dragons,
but I killed the three of them which Shez knocked out.

⩶⟪ 283 ⟫⩶
When I first came here, I saw eight dragons. We only
killed seven, if I don't count Tyghall. Then where's the
eighth dragon?

This was when the eighth dragon struck. The

dragon dove behind Diato's back, and pushed him
ahead. Diato felt the giant toenails of the dragon,
before he was pushed, but he couldn't balance
himself. He fell on the ground, as the dragon landed
it's feet in front of him.

Diato jumped up with his wings and landed on his

feet. But he didn't waste his time this time. He
sprinted at the dragon, and grabbed it's neck. The
dragon threw its claw at Diato. But Diato couldn't
waste his time to block that attack. He instead lifted
his tail and stabbed it on the chest of the dragon.

The claw reached Diato, and the nails pierced his

skin. He grunted in pain and lifted the dragon with
his tail, keeping a hold of its neck. He slammed the
dragon on the ground beside him, and the claw was
finally pulled away. He saw blood coming out of the
three slits on his chest that the dragon made. But
the blood was too little for him to worry about.

He grabbed the upper jaw of the dragon, and stuck

his leg in its lower jaw. He pushed his leg, while

⩶⟪ 284 ⟫⩶
pulling his hands, and in no time, he tore the
dragon's mouth in two. The dragon kept screaming
in pain. But neither its tail not its claw could reach
Diato. Diato had exactly pressed his foot on the
point of the dragon's haw, from where the fire used
to come out, so the dragon wouldn't be able to shoot
its fire breath.

He threw the upped piece of the dragon's head

away, and looked over his shoulder, at Shez and
Terra. Shez's eyes grew wide, as he saw a mark
appear on Diato's back. His eyes grew wide in
shock, as he muttered under his breath, "Daunt... "
He muttered once again, "Daunt Metamorph.". Shez
saw the tattoo-ish mark of two wings what tapered
down to his lower abdomen. The two wings had a
gap in the middle. The gap was filled by the mark of
something that looked like a diamond.

"What did you say?" Terra turned to him,

"N - Nothing" He shook his head, "None of your

business."

⩶⟪ 285 ⟫⩶
She rubbed the back of her palm on her lips, to clear
out dirt. With a sigh Terra turned back to Diato.
Diato now turned at them. He took a quick glance
at Terra and then glanced at Shez, who was staring
into Diato's soul with his orange eyes wide open.

Diato was about to ask why Shez was staring at

him. But he noticed something that stopped him. He
saw Tyghall, standing behind Shez and Terra.
Tyghall transformed into a dragon as silently as he
could. Wings popped out of his back, Where there
was a tattoo of a swirl tapering to the centre.

Yellowish fangs popped out of his fingers along

with a tail. His jaw quickly enlarged, as his bone
structured completely changed. In no time, Tyghall
turned into a dragon and was now standing behind
Shez and Terra. Diato gazed up at him, wondering
how he survived.

"So why don't we use guns to kill them?" Diato had

asked

"Because a special metal is required to kill the Cross

Breed Dragons" John had explained at the cafeteria.

⩶⟪ 286 ⟫⩶
John had explained how Crossbreed dragons like
Tyghall can only be killed with the Drayer's special
metal. He glanced back at Tyghall, who was
lingering above Terra and Shez like a shadow.

Diato, without wasting a moment, Flew at Tyghall.

Tyghall tried to grab Diato to block his attack, but
Tyghall was unaware that Diato wasn't going to
attack at all. As DIato was captured under Tyghall's
grasp, he pulled back his wings and set them free.
He used his wing to fly forward. The wings he
found heavy earlier, were now light as feather. He
dragged Tyghall with him.

Shez and Terra jerked at him. Shez was still in a

shock. He had seen someone he had been looking
for, since almost twenty years. Tyghall tried to stop
Diato, but he couldn't. Diato's thrust was so
powerful, and he wasn't fully transformed so he
looked really tiny in front of Tyghall's chest.

He reached the entrance stairs of the cave and broke

it. Tyghall's back struck at the spiral stairs,
breaking them into pieces. Diato turned his thrust
upwards, dragging the Dragon - Caveman ahead of
him.

⩶⟪ 287 ⟫⩶
In no time, they reached the stone entrance of the
cave. As Tyghall's back struck the stone entrance, it
almost exploded. The entire stone structure broke
into pieces and Diato ascended high up in the sky
with Tyghall.

Diato saw all the dragons of the DragonSpine

mountain circled around the cave. They couldn't
come inside. But now that the stone entrance was
gone, the cave was exposed to the air. The dragons
could now enter the cave easily.

Shez saw the dragons entering the cave, and knew

he had to use some powerful spell to get rid of them,
all at once. He jumped down and took a seat on the
ground. He closed his eyes and crossed his legs, as if
he was meditating

"Aho nidrādevi asya bhaktasya sāhāyyaṁ kuru." He

muttered under his breath.

"What are you Doing?" Terra asked, as she saw

hundreds of dragons moving towards them, ready
to kill them.

"Cover Me." He spoke, "I'm casting a spell," H

spoke and then instantly started muttering in
Sanskrit again.

⩶⟪ 288 ⟫⩶
She nodded once and grabbed her gun from the
ground. She started shooting the dragons one by
one. one bullet of the dragon slaying gun was
enough to kill any dragon.

She shot nine bullets before running out. She

checked the cylinder. It was empty. She shoved her
hand in the tiny bag hanging on her utility belt. She
pulled out another nine bulled and shove them into
the chambers one after another. She quickly
reloaded the gun, pulled back the hammer, and
started shooting again.

She made sure only one bullet was used to kill a

dragon. Because there were a lot of them. After a
while, she used up all nine bullets and reloaded her
gun one last time with the remaining nine bullets.
She pulled the hammer with her thumb, and started
shooting.

After a while, she shot twenty seven dragons, before

completely running out of bullets. She shoved the
Taurus Raging Bull back in its place in her utility
belt, and pulled out her urumi. The urumi uncoiled
on the ground.

***

⩶⟪ 289 ⟫⩶
Diato and Tyghall were high above in the sky now.
Above the clouds. So high, that they couldn't even
see the land anymore. Just the tranquil sea of the
clouds. Diato really wished a plane wouldn't come,
and crash at them.

Tyghall, with his bottom two feet, pushed Diato

away. He half transformed back into human, just
like Diato to match his size and fight him with ease.
Tyghall threw a punch on Diato's stomach, which
threw Diato back a bit. Diato balanced mid flight,
and gazed at Tyghall.

***

Terra climbed on the back of a dragon and wrapped

her urumi around its neck. The dragon started
flying, up in the sky. Adrenaline rushed in her veins
as she tightened her grip on the urumi. She stuck
her legs in the scales to prevent herself from falling
to death. She pulled on the urumi bit couldn't
retract it. She could neither retract the urumi, nor
cut the head of the dragon. All she could do was to
hang where she was. Air brushed inside her mouth
and her nostrils. She could hear the dragon
experiencing the same.

⩶⟪ 290 ⟫⩶
The dragon ascended in the sky as high as it could
do. Down there, shez was helpless. The dragons
marched at Shez, ready to eliminate him. The
dragons jumped over the bodies of the dead ones.
Shez sniffed and sensed that Terra is gone and all
the dragons are headed towards him. He closed his
eyes tightly shut, as he muttered faster and in more
hurry.

The dragon twisted in the air, doing a horizontal

flip. This loosened Terra's balance on it her hand
slipped from the urumi, and her legs slipped from
the scales. The dragon gazed at her as she fell
down. The dragon was proudly staring at her.

She felt the air rushing against her back. She closed
her eyes shut, and let herself fall. She saw that there
was nothing to hold onto, nothing to land on, and
no hope of survival. She passed the wet clouds, and
now she could see the city of Shenezwa. She saw the
some of the low clouds covering the salt flats and
the Vineyard Hills.

She had no hope of landing on her feet. But she

knew she could always use her urumi to wrap
around a dragon and save herself. Though the
chances of her survival were also low that way.
Because the impact could break her arms. She didn't

⩶⟪ 291 ⟫⩶
know what to do and her mind was throbbing like
an engine. She stormed ideas in her mind to save
her fall, but she cancelled every idea as they weren't
practical.

Only if she was fast enough and had gripped her

urumi tighter, she wouldn't have been falling to her
death, hopelessly.

She recalled her first encounter with a dragon. How she

saw James defeat the dragon. And her memories were
erased. Until she saw her brother turn into a dragon.
That was a nightmare.

She recalled how her brother fought with Diato, and

ruined their friendship. Her brother's last wish was that
she would stay away from Diato.

She then joined the Drayers. She got legally adopted and
was promoted again and again. She was one the bravest
Drayer, they had seen. It took her only two years to reach
A Rank. But missions got harder from that point on.
Now, she had to find the dragons herself. And that was a
tedious task. Not everyone she doubted was a dragon, and
not every dragon was doubted by her.

⩶⟪ 292 ⟫⩶
And there she was, betraying her mentor James, her
friends Max and John, and doing the opposite of what
her brother asked her to do when he died.

She was stuck helping Diato, who had turned into a

dragon just like her brother. She didn't want Diato to
suffer the same way Her brother did. So she did
everything in her power to save Diato. And she was
falling to her death.

She couldn't be a good friend to Diato, she couldn't be a

loyal Drayer to James, she couldn't be a better sister to
her brother. And at last, she couldn't even apologize to
anyone for being the worst friend, the worst Drayer, the
worst daughter and the worst sister.

This kind of thoughts flooded her mind as she found

herself falling from the sky, into the endless void of
death.

⩶⟪ 293 ⟫⩶
 Chapter Eighteen

A Morphing Mortal

"Shayanam Karotu!" Shez spoke finally.

He spread his arms in the air, palm side up. A

spherical forcefield took its shape. The forcefield,
was created from Shez's hands, and it exploded like
the forcefield earlier. But now, it didn't stop
expanding. Whoever came in contact with the
forcefield were put to sleep.

Terra was also affected by this spell. The Hundreds

of Dragons that were about to reach Shez fell on the
ground with a thud. Shez wasn't here to Massacre
these dragons so he didn't kill them, but instead, put
them all to sleep.

⩶⟪ 294 ⟫⩶
Diato and Tyghall were too high up in the sky to be
affected by the spell.

Terra - now asleep - Was free falling through the

sky, cutting the wind. This caught Shez's eye. Shez
sprinted across the ground to catch her. He
extended his arms forward in the air, to catch her.

His calculation was accurate and Terra fell right

into his arms. his arms didn't even budge and
caught her. The impact woke her up, and her eyelids
flung open. She gazed around. Surprisingly enough,
she was alive. She shifted her gaze to Shez, who
saved her. For a moment, she just kept staring at
Shez, not knowing how to thank him.

"You have a boyfriend" Shez told her, as he moved

backwards, and let her fall to the ground.

With a soft thud, she struck the ground and

immediately stood herself up.

"I'm Supposed to say that!" She spoke, as she caught

Shez's humor, "And, no I don't have a Boyfriend."

"Oh yeah?", Shez turned to her again, "Then what

does Diato mean to you?"

⩶⟪ 295 ⟫⩶
"I mean," She explained, "He's like a friend for me."

"Oh don't throw that excuse on me." Shez squinted

his eyes, lightly, "You literally betrayed your entire
organization, and your adoptive dad, James."

"James just did the paperwork," She said with

venom, "And My brother went through the same
things Diato went through."

"Yeah, Yeah." Shez said, as he lost interest in the

conversation, "I know your brother Daniel would've
done the same things Diato is doing if he had
survived the Inferno Seed." He paused for a
moment, and then continued, "You can lie to
yourself, but you can't lie to the reality, Terra. Just
knowing Diato loved you, makes you want to love
him back."

"How do you know all this?" Terra asked in shock,

and a slight annoyance, "Like, can you read minds
or something?"

"Yes," Shez replied, "I can indeed read minds, but

not all of them. I can't read thoughts or predict
plans. But I can read feelings. Like when the
dragons attack me, They're not attacking me
because they hate me, but because there's this

⩶⟪ 296 ⟫⩶
generational prejudice towards the weaker clans
among dragons since eternity." He finished
explaining.

"Hmm" She nodded, not knowing what to reply

with. This was too much information to work with,
but nothing she hadn't seen before.

***

Diato curled up his fist and threw a punch at

Tyghall's abdomen. the punch was quite affective,
but Tyghall wasn't like normal dragons either. He
was also similar to Diato. He was also a Human
crossbreed. Tyghall was thrown aback, but he
resisted his knockback with his wings.

Tyghall readied his leg, and threw it Diato's jaw.

Diato saw it coming as soon as Tyghall lifted his
leg. He used his forearm to block the kick. But the
kick was no joke. Tyghall's leg broke Diato's
forearm into two pieces and hit Diato's jaw. The
impact caused Diato to rotate a bit, but he balanced
himself.

He glanced at his broken forearm. Blood was

flushing out of it along with clots of flesh. The
broken wet bone and nerves were quote visible. But

⩶⟪ 297 ⟫⩶
Diato felt almost no pain. As if Tyghall had just
pinched him lightly. He knew the blood he was
losing wasn't healthy for his body. But he had to
push himself in order to stay alive, and get his
answers.

Diato now used his both legs to throw a kick at

Tyghall's face. Tyghall didn't see it coming. The
kick threw tyghall several feet away, but it was easy
for them to balance themselves with their wings and
deliver their attacks. Diato now didn't waste his
time.

He flew near Tyghall and kicked his chest this time.

Tyghall, knew he would kick again. he slid aside
and let Diato miss the kick. Diato went a bit ahead,
but balanced himself. Tyghall now went near Diato.

Tyghall aimlessly threw punches at Diato. Some on

his jaw, some on his legs, some on hsi chest, and
some on his abdomen. Diato used his other hand to
block the attacks. He blocked some attacks but
missed others.

A punch finally landed on Diato's side stomach,

almost hitting his kidney. He was thrown away. He
grunted in pain, as Tyghall threw his palms on his
lips. He touched his index finger tip with his thumb

⩶⟪ 298 ⟫⩶
tip. The other fingers flung in the air as he placed
his lips inside the hole created his fingers.

As he exhaled his breath, fire threw out of it. The

fire was aimed straight for Diato. Diato acted
quickly and blew back. He didn't know why
suddenly he was breathing icy cold winds instead of
fire. But he was doing it somehow.

His icy cold wind struck Tyghall's fire breath. Both

of their breaths collided mid air, and clouds of steam
formed in the middle where their breaths collided.
The steam flew up in the sky, but more steam was
created.

Soon enough, Diato's breath started moving

towards Tyghall. This brought a little sense of
victory in diato. Tyghall's breath dissappeared as
Diato's icy breath was all he could see in the front.
He thought this would definitely kill Tyghall.

He let his hands rest on the side of his hips while he

closed his mouth, stopping the icy breath. The wind
slowly disappeared as he saw that there was nobody
standing in front of him. Tyghall had already
moved away. But where could he have gone? They
were in the middle of the sky.

⩶⟪ 299 ⟫⩶
He turned around and found Tyghall flying in his
direction, his hands ready to grab Diato. Diato tried
to dodge but Tyghall was too fast. He grabbed
Diato's chest, and flew forward with Diato in front
of him. He threw Diato at the forcefield that Shez
had created. But to his surprise, Diato went through
the forcefield. Tyghall thought this was because the
forcefield might have weakened over time.

He tried to fly through it was electrocuted. He was

thrown away, but he balanced on his wings. He
gazed at Diato with anger, not knowing how he
easily passed through the forcefield but Tyghall
couldn't. Diato couldn't see the forcefield and was
confused why Tyghall got pushed back.

He flew nearer and entered the forcefield again. He

pushed himself forward and threw a punch at
Tyghall's lower jaw.

When Tyghall turned back to Diato, he had his

other attack prepared. He again punched him on his
stomach. Diato wasn't giving Tyghall enough time
to react now. He threw his calf at Tyghall's side of
the stomach.

He instantly spun his body whole three sixty

degrees and threw his knew at Tyghall's jaw. All

⩶⟪ 300 ⟫⩶
these constant attacks threw Tyghall away. Diato
charged again at Tyghall. But Tyghall was
prepared this time. He instantly turned around,
with Diato behind his back.

He lifted his pointy tail and threw it at Diato's

stomach. The tail went straight through Diato's
skin, and came out from the other side. The tail had
Diato's blood on it. Diato came to an instant halt as
he saw a pointed tail stabbed into his stomach.

Blood drooled out of his mouth as he rested his

hand on the tail. Diato tried to get the tail out of his
stomach but couldn't. He grabbed the scales and
pulled them out. But he couldn't gather the strength
to pull it out.

Tyghall glanced at Diato over his shoulder with a

sinister smile hanging on his face. He pulled the tail
closer, also pulling Diato closer to him. He grabbed
both of Diato's forearms behind his back.

Diato didn't know what he had done. Tyghall pulled

Diato's arms apart from his shoulders. This caused
intense pain. Diato screamed in pain. He screamed
the shit out of his lungs but the pain was
immeasurable. He looked up at the sky, while he

⩶⟪ 301 ⟫⩶
screamed. He had never experienced so much
physical pain in his life.

Tyghall took a good look at Diato's arms before

throwing them away, to fall freely on the ground.
Tyghall finally turned around and grabbed Diato's
neck. He slowly pulled out his tail, making sure
Diato felt the pain. Diato, on the other hand was
still screaming.

Tyghall tightened his grip on Diato's neck, which

stopped his screams. Now Diato had another
problem on his hands. Despite the absence of his
hands and a massive hole in his stomach, he was
now getting choked to death.

Diato pulled up his legs and threw them at Tyghall.

One leg rested on Tyghall's stomach, as the other
foot landed below Tyghall's chin. Diato pushed his
feet, and Tyghall's hand slipped from Diato's neck.
He blew as hard as he could at Tyghall's wings, to
stop him from flying.

He also stopped flapping his wings. He let Tyghall

fall freely towards the ground, while he stood on
Tyghall as if he was a skateboard. Tyghall threw
his hands on Diato's foreleg. He tried to hit it, and
push it away. But Diato had built such a

⩶⟪ 302 ⟫⩶
momentum, with Tyghall and gravity, that even if
Diato tried, he couldn't get off Tyghall without
using his wings.

The air resistance from below and the gravity from

above, mixed with Diato's strategy prevented
Tyghall's from moving even a muscle. He stuck his
feet below Tyghall's chin to prevent him from
looking at Diato and thinking of a strategy to
counter Diato's attack.

Soon enough, they passed through the clouds and

the land was now visible. Diato saw Terra and Shez
outside of the cave. The cave was exposed and
hundreds of dragons lied on the ground.

Diato wondered how they killed this many dragons

at once when he was struggling to fight with even
one. He saw that he was about to fall inside the
cave. He had tried tearing Tyghall apart in two
parts but it didn't work. He realised that smashing
Tyghall to the ground might also fail because a
special metal is required to kill shapeshifting
dragons like Tyghall.

He glanced at his club that he threw away inside the

cave. He rotated his legs in such a way that he

⩶⟪ 303 ⟫⩶
changed Tyghall's direction of falling. Tyghall was
aimed straight to hit his head in the club's spikes.

He caught Terra and Shez's attention in an instant.

They both jerked at him and stared at him. Terra
wondered if he had his arms crossed behind his back
or he was missing his arms. Shez sprinted at the
cave, and Terra also caught up. They reached the
broken staircase and climbed down.

They sprinted near where Diato was about to land.

Just when Diato thought they were close enough,
He spread his wings to create air resistance. He
slipped his feet away from Tyghall and let him fall
onto the club.

Tyghall's body landed on the club, and because of

the speed at which he was falling, the club went
straight through Tyghall's chest. Blood scattered
out of his chest like a mini fountain. Both Shez's and
Terra's gaze was fixed on Diato instead of Tyghall.

Diato slowly landed on his feet and sucked back his

wings in his back. His hands were missing from
shoulders down, and there was a massive hole in his
stomach. He had no chance of survival now. He
slowly walked towards Terra and Shez, trying his
best to balance himself on his feet.

⩶⟪ 304 ⟫⩶
Shez and Terra sprinted at him. Terra reached him
first as he fell backwards on the floor. Terra
extended her arms and caught him before he fell.
She slowly bent on her knees and placed his head in
her lap.

His blood was leaving his body as if magnets

repelling each other. He gazed down at his stomach
where there was a massive hole and his intestines
were visible. He knew the intestines would pop out
any minute, and the moment they fell out, all the
other organs would also fall out and kill Diato.

He had no hands either. He gazed at Terra, with a

look on his face which she couldn't figure out what
he wanted to say. He was surely in pain. Shez, on
the other hand, was simply gazing at Diato with
pride. Diato didn't know what feat he had achieved
by killing Tyghall.

Diato also didn't know whose attention he had

caught by killing Tyghall. But Shez thought it
would be too much for him to comprehend right
now, so he remained silent. He strolled near Diato
and got on his knees.

He rested his rough palm on Diato's chest, and

lightly rubbed his fingers. "Afraid you'll die?" Shez

⩶⟪ 305 ⟫⩶
raised his eyebrow at Diato. "I don't know why you
guys think you're gonna die when you're with me."

He turned to Terra now, "Even you," Shez pointed

at her, "You thought you'd die when you fell from
the sky. Why?"

He turned back to Diato, "and now you," He spoke,

"think you'll die, in my presence." He caught a
slight breath and continued, "I don't know what
level of stupidity you have to think that you'll die in
my presence."

"Are you actually gonna do something, other than

talking about how great you are at reviving
people?" Diato spoke finally.

Shez nodded, and placed his other palm on his chest

as well. He again muttered something, which Diato
couldn't hear. But he saw that Shez's palms on his
chest started to glow in orange color. Slowly, bones
and flesh started popping out of his shoulders and
stomach. He felt as if new blood was being pumped
into his veins.

In no time, Diato had fully healed the hole in his

stomach, and his hands were halfway done healing.
"Don't move" Shez spoke, as he continued his

⩶⟪ 306 ⟫⩶
muttering. Diato stopped moving as far as he could.
He was still in pain though.

After a while of waiting, Diato healed himself

completely. His arms were back, his blood was back,
and it felt like nothing ever happened to him. He
gazed at Terra and thrust his palms on the ground.
He lifted himself up from Terra's lap. He got on his
legs and saw Terra also stand up.

He turned to Shez, "I'm sorry, I messed up

everything." He then turned to Terra, "and I'm
sorry I messed with Lailah. That caused everything
didn't it?"

"No, " Terra replied "It was my decision to follow

you. To help you."

"I knew you wanted to hand me to Tyghall." Shez

spoke. It was the first time Shez had spoke without
authority, "I knew your plan even though you didn't
tell me. I can read your emotions Diato. I know how
you feel."

"You know nothing!" Diato said, pulling up his

pants which were a bit loose. Probably because they
were under the pressure of his tail.

⩶⟪ 307 ⟫⩶
"I do." Shez said softly, "I know that you never
wanted to do any of this. You were just hungry for
the truth. So you had to sign up for this shit."

"How do you -" Diato asked but was interrupted by

Terra,

"I know, right?" Terra told Diato, "He knows too

much."

"Anyway," Diato said, as he turned his gaze to the

dead body of Tyghall. "It doesn't matter. I have to
get my answers first. And for that, we'll need his
blood."

"I would like to stop you right there, Diato." The

authority was back in Shez's voice, "There's no need
for that spell now."

Diato opened his mouth and closed it again as he

heard Terra speak, "Let me guess," She spoke, "You
know why Diato survived the Inferno Poison?"

"Yeah, I do." Shez said as he turned to Diato,

"And do you know why I was breathing ice instead

of fire? Because that damn seed turned me into an
Inferno dragon." Diato asked Shez.

⩶⟪ 308 ⟫⩶
"I do." Shez replied, "You are not Diato. You
probably think your name is Diato because perhaps
you Mispronounced it when people asked your
name."

"What?" Diato said, with shock clear in his eyes,

"Not me too!"

"What?" Shez asked,

"People just forget his name and call him different

names, then he has to correct them." Terra
explained to Shez.

"Don't tell me my real name is Dorrito!" He spoke

with worry, "or even worse, Deleto!"

"No, no." Shez spoke, trying to control his laughter.

With a slight chuckle, he continued, "Your real
name is Daunt"

"You've gotta be kidding me" Diato said, not

wanting to believe what shez said.

"Yeah," Shez continued, "You are a Metamorph

dragon by birth, Diato. Ignarius massacred your
clan, so I had to bring you here."

⩶⟪ 309 ⟫⩶
"I don't believe you." Diato said.

"But, I do." Terra said.

"Come on Terra," Diato tried to convince her to not

believe Shez. "I'd rather believe in tooth fairies."

"Then how would you explain that you could breath

literal fire out of your mouth from the point that
you consumed the Inferno Seed?" She explained,
with her finger pointed at him. And she wasn't
finished yet, "And why you suddenly started
breathing icy wind like an elysium right after being
attacked by a Talisman that uses Elysium spells?"
Her finger dropped.

Diato had no reply to this. She was right. She had to

be. Otherwise, it all made no sense. Shez's
explanation also explained why he survived both
the attacks. Because he was unlocking new dragonic
transformations.

"Okay, I believe you" He told Shez, gazing at his

feet, "please continue."

"It was your father's wish that you would stay safe,
and massacre the Inferno Clan." Shez explained
further, "I had enemies of my own and I couldn't

⩶⟪ 310 ⟫⩶
raise you. Because if I could, I would've had
children. So I put you in an orphanage."

Diato finally gazed up at Shez's orange eyes.

"I had to make sure you didn't suffer from

depression, so I contacted the common guardian
and told him to help you make friends. Like Daniel
and Timmy, or you could call her Terra."

"Terra's Timmy?" Diato's gaze moved to Terra,

who also seemed shocked. Terra nodded. "Then
why did Daniel -" Diato spoke but was interrupted
by Terra.

"I'll continue," She told Shez, "Daniel took me to a

market once. He was forcefully fed the Inferno
seed."

"So that's why he got super angry that night that he

started fighting me." Diato said, as it all suddenly
started making sense now.

"Yeah." She said, "you weren't the reason he died.

But when he did, out of anger, he told me to stay
away from you Diato."

"Then why did you help me now?" Diato asked.

⩶⟪ 311 ⟫⩶
"I -" She spoke with hesitation, "It's complicated."

"Not too complicated, if you ask me" Shez spoke,

and turned to Diato. "She just found out how much
you missed and loved her. And she just - you know -
human mind. Very complicated."

"Who the fuck allowed you to read my diary?" He

turned to Terra,

"I'm sorry, okay?" She explained Herself, "I saw you

driving away yesterday night, and wanted to find
out where you went. I just checked your diary if you
had wrote anything about it and I just came across
stuff."

Diato nodded at her as a reply. He didn't know what

to say now. He didn't know how to react to the
dump if Information that he received in the previous
five minutes.

***

The air crackled with a raw mix of emotions. Anger,

confusion, and a relief battled within me. Relief that I
wasn't some freak, some anomaly. But anger burned
hotter, a fiery ember in my gut. All this time, the truth

⩶⟪ 312 ⟫⩶
had been hidden, a shield to protect me or a cage to
contain me?

"Why? Why didn't you tell me?" I demanded, my gaze

shifting from Shez to Terra, their faces etched with a
mix of guilt and sorrow.

Shez sighed, the weight of years settling on his broad

shoulders. "Your father... he made me promise. He feared
the Inferno Clan, feared what they might do if they knew
of your heritage."

Terra stepped forward, her touch surprisingly warm on

my arm. "He would've been proud of you, Diato. He
wanted a normal life for you, a life safe from their
clutches."

My anger simmered down, replaced by a dull ache. A

normal life? I never had that. My existence had always
been shrouded in secrecy, a constant feeling of being
different. Now, the reason for that difference was laid
bare, a gaping wound in my past.

Days blurred into weeks as I grappled with the

revelation. Shez, ever the patient guardian, trained me to
control the fire that pulsed within. Terra, torn between
her past and present loyalties, became a confidante, her
unwavering support a balm to my roiling emotions.

⩶⟪ 313 ⟫⩶
Slowly, a new purpose bloomed within me. My rage
morphed into a steely resolve. I wouldn't let the Inferno
Clan define me. I would honor my father's memory, not
by hiding, but by using my newfound power for good.

He lifted his ballpen up, from the rough pages of the

diary. He shoved his palm beneath the rigid cover
and slapped it shut. He hung the pen on the cover
with the clip, and wrapped the elastic string around
the front cover. He gently placed the diary beside
him, on the wooden bench, as he sipped from his
cup.

The taste of hot tea in monsoon just hit different.

He gazed at Shez, who was sitting beside him,
without any drink in his hand. He was simply
gazing at the city lights, with the backdrop of the
forest which was called Brigands' Bog.

Diato's gaze was fixated on the sunset. He turned to

Shez and spoke, "Why do you not take off that
mask?"

"Because I'm easily recognized by dragons if I take

it off. Only dragons of the Bounty market have
never seen my face. The dragons in the rest of the
world have." He explained, as he shoved his finger

⩶⟪ 314 ⟫⩶
inside the mask, beside his nose. He pulled down on
the finger, pulling down the black mask.

Diato's eyes we're locked on his face. "You're

fucking handsome!"

"Yeah, that I agree." He said as he pulled his mask

back up. "I'm more handsome than you, Daunt."

"It's Diato!" Diato corrected him, and then realised,

with a warm smile on his face, he continued "oh
wait... It's not."

⩶⟪ 315 ⟫⩶