To be forced into hibernation is the biggest shame a beast can endure that when confronted with the option death is usually chosen above hibernation,

It’s like being forced to strip and reveal yourself publicly,

For someone to force you to hibernate publicly is the ultimate shame amongst beastmen

Shiryu was already one who had no respect from the other creatures

But now, no matter what he does or will ever do, will gain him respect

Hibernate….

(Hibernation in a way is similar to how I was as a child on Terra, the difference is that on Terra I had a vas library of knowledge at my disposal,

Articles and images stories, music,

I had it all to enjoy,

Now I have nothing but my thoughts,

My sad, sad lonely thoughts,

Ever since Raguel told me about love, 

It annoys,

It annoys me badly,

I can’t solve it,

How are you willing to die for someone you love?

I can’t even die for myself,

I begged and pleaded

I took hibernation, over death,

Does that mean I love myself or hate myself

Aghhh!

It doesn’t make sense!

If I’m willing to die for myself wouldn’t that mean I hate myself?

I begged for myself, for my life,

Doesn’t that mean I love myself right?

Right?)

No matter how hard he thinks it, Shiryu cannot figure it out, 

What does it mean to love oneself?

Before he had fully set is mind to fulfilling Raguel’s goal of freeing Kage,

But with Kage free Shiryu’s can’t help but think about his sentiments

On Terra children are taught that they should be able to solve any problem any equation that presents itself,

It’s integrated in Shiryu’s mind

Love to him is an equation

He needs to solve, like an itch you can’t scratch…

Even in hibernation his thoughts press on through the days–weeks–months……

.......

(Does Kage know what it means,

Kage is god,

Surely she knows everything

I wonder where she is now

Would I die for Kage?

Is Kage family to me?

She is family to Raguel and he never met her

Is Raguel family to me?

He gave his life for me

His mana flows through my body,

Should I call Raguel my father then? 

Is his family my family then?

Would I die for his child?

Is his child my sibling then?

Would they die for me?)

The more he thinks the deeper he goes into the rabbit hole of confusion

(Should I try to find my sibling?

Should I search after Kage?

She can turn me back human possibly

Yes, yes, I can be a human again,

I can–)

“–Huu–urrrlllkkk!” 

Shiryu suddenly jerks up and vomits

(What was that?)

A sudden nauseous wave.

The young man blinks, wiping his eyes, he looks up at the dark sky,

To humans the sky to them would just be black, a dark void,

But to creatures like Shiryu they can discern between the different shades of darkness…

(It’s morning)

“How long was I hibernating for?

And that wave….”

It seems like it wasn’t just Shiryu feeling that,

The bends seems to in a state of unsteadiness, 

By the partially rebuilt Citadel a hoard of beasts is gathering 

(What happened here?)

Shiryu leaps off to the citadel as well

….

….

“Had a nice nap?” rasps a lizardman seeing the boy touch down

“…

Did you feel that?” Shiryu ignores the attempted shaming

“Everyone did,” 

“Hkkss a call perhaps?”

“Grrr it felt like a challenge to me”

“If feels stronger than–”

“–Shhkk don’t say that unless you want to die”

The Citadel was in uproar as usual but this time not from clashes and disputes, the animals were talking amongst each other

This had never occurred before

(Did I wake up in a fake scenario?

This can’t be real….)

“Alright everyone Hush!” a knifey voice cuts through the noise and sure enough everyone silences looking up at a couple floating down from the rafters above 

The male’s face is as white as powder but his ears are pointy and black, when he speaks his red lips, curl open slyly to reveal it’s dagger-light teeth, from afar it looks featureless because his eyes are as white as his face, the vampire bat Dracula…

At his side a female who resembles his appearance though her skin is pale blue and her body modelled like a human woman, the vampire bat Lamia

The couple’s commanding presence instils both fear and respect into the creatures beneath them

“There is a dragon among us!” Dracula declares making Shiryu almost jump out of his scales

(Did they find out??)

“On the mainland of Gaia,

We all felt that wave, that was it exerting it’s presence it’s power to us,”

(Another dragon?)

“It’s power eclipses all of you lower breeds and us new breeds combined,”

“Are we to submit to this new dragon then?” a lion stands up

“….”

Although they can’t see his eyes, Dracula makes a disgusted face turning his back to the monsters

“No, the dragons time have come and gone” Lamia takes over

“The humans are weary of those types now, they will surely band together against it,”

“What does that mean for us then?”

“It means this is the perfect opportunity for us to increase our strength,

For hundreds of years, we have been relegated to eating magic stones for gain,

But now, with this dragonic re-emergence the ban the humans have on us will be lapse, they will be busy fighting it,

And we will be busy taking the spoils, bring human flesh back into our diet,

An all you can eat buffet!”

…..

….

….

The monsters mumble amongst each other, clearly liking the sound of Lamia’s interpretation

“We eat then!”

“We eat!”

“We eat!”

“We eat!”

“We eat!”

(I feel like this is all a weird fever dream)

“We eat!”

“We eat!”

“To the mainland!”