When the sun had finally set, I started looking for a place to sleep. Normally, this would require some preparation, but my thoughts were so far away at this point that I couldn’t even do that.

Instead, I tried to remember how much power I’d put into that shot, and whether or not it was lethal. Unfortunately, I’d lost track of time, and not knowing how resilient dragons were didn’t help either.

I tried to convince myself that my actions were fully justified and reasonable and that I was entitled to defend myself. But, eventually, I realized that I would never recognize it as self-defense, even with the official laws.

The creature may have been a bit obnoxious and… uh, pesky, but it still wanted to help me. He may have treated me like a child, but still… I couldn’t just electrocute him!

The fear of going to the border guards was quickly replaced by the guilt I felt for my actions to avoid it. My freedom now seemed so meaningless to me…

Suddenly I was reminded of The Villain of Our Time, one of the novels I’d read a long time ago. The story of an awful man who ruined lives with whatever people he met just for fun. Am I becoming like him?… When I read that novel, I was disgusted by the bastard, but at no point in my life had I ever bothered to look at myself.

I tried hard to remember if I had hurt anyone else. Was there someone else whose feelings I had hurt with my careless words? Someone I’d pushed away when they needed me? Someone whose heart I had broken without realizing it?

I tried hard to remember any of these things, but I couldn’t. When I was born, I tried to full-fill all the duties of a nobleman: helping the poor in need, giving aid , food, and whatever else they needed. I tried to be virtuous and benevolent with everyone I met on my way, offering various services in the house or everyday life as I could. Many people even complimented me , saying that I was pleasant, educated, and interesting. Of course, I probably didn’t deserve some of these praises because I lied to everyone about my origins, but there was hardly anything criminal about it.

…Or was it? What if I really did start treating people selfishly without even realizing it? What if I can’t remember my mistakes because by now they’ve become normal to me? After all, I had already committed a crime today… he may not have been a human, but he was still a living, sentient being . How is that different from harming a person ? Is this the first time I’d ever done such a thing?

What if I’ve… already sunk to the level of a pathetic low-life ?

“Well, if that’s the case, I’d better stop before it’s too late.”

Having come to this conclusion, I finally decided to go back to the dragon . I would confess everything, surrender willingly, and accept whatever punishment he saw fit. And if… if I killed him, then I’ll wait for someone else to come to him and bring me to justice.

…

By then it had gotten so dark that even my flashlight and compass were no longer helping me find my way back.

A nervous chuckle escaped me.

“Some sort of adventurer I am…”

I was so inept that I couldn’t even voluntarily surrender myself up to the authorities . Just… wow.

When I calmed down, I was tempted to try to find my way again…

…as I suddenly heard an angry growl nearby.

I immediately turn off the flashlight and pull out the rifle. I quickly found a hiding place, turned toward the sound, and laid low.

Cautiously, I peered out and saw three ominous red lights moving slowly toward my hiding place. As time passed, my eyes began to make out a more coherent picture.

The creature in front of me looked like a mutated wild wolf. Unlike normal wolves, this one seemed to be made of living shadows. It had two bright eyes and some kind of crystal just below its neck. The sight of it gave me the creeps.

As the creature slowly circled me, I took its head in my sight and started retreating. But just when I thought I had escaped the danger…

…My foot stepped on a branch with a crunch.

‘Damn, why am I having such bad luck today?!’

At that moment, the creature’s eyes immediately turned to me. It rushed forward, jumped...

…and I fired.

His head splattered blackley across my pants and jacket, but at least I could breathe out a sigh of relief now.

In place of his head, a jet of black blood was fountaining… disturbing.

I could hardly tear my eyes away from the sight. However, when I almost did and was ready to walk away…

…its head somehow regenerated and the next moment the creature was back on its feet.

Now I didn’t just get goosebumps. Now I felt how primal fear and terror swept over me.

And right after that, I heard two more growls from the sides.

“You gotta be kidding me!!!”

Feeling desperate, I reached for my jacked, quickly and chaotically fumbling for a pulse trap. Just as all three of them jumped at me, I activated it, pushing them all away at once. Without another second’s hesitation, I rushed away.

I didn’t even pay attention to the direction anymore, I just ran. After the first few seconds of shock, I struggled to remember if the dragon had said anything to me about those creatures. And I knew for sure that he had said something about them, but I was so busy trying to show how strong and independent I was that I wasn’t paying attention .

Oh, how I hated myself at that moment, how I despised my arrogance. And the most shameful thing was that after me there would probably be nothing but a monument to human stupidity.

When I looked back, I saw the wolf pack already catching up with me and realized that further escape was futile.

I dropped the bag and grabbed the rifle again, but before I did, I pulled out my flare gun and sent a shot overhead. If there were any more dragonkin around, they’d know how to deal with them. As soon as the ground lit up with scarlet light, I prepared to fight back.

At that moment, I finally realized exactly how I had sinned. My sin was condemning myself to death, because by doing so, I would cause pain and grief to many other people — family, friends, and all those strangers I met along the way. By throwing my life so recklessly and carelessly into the wind I have also doomed them all to suffer with the realization that I am gone. How many of them will be sorry for the rest of their lives for not stopping me before it was too late?

No… it’s not going to work that way. I’ll survive. Whatever it takes I’m gonna survive.

…

After ten seconds of futile shooting, I suddenly misfired, hitting the crystal below the head. This turned out to be a shot I should have done from the beginning, as the creature dissipated for good.

‘I have to target crystals! Of course, how could I be this dumb!?’

I finally managed to shoot one of them while jumping, after which it vanished into thin air. And then the second one. I didn’t have time for the third one: it swung, aiming his fangs right at my neck, and I had to use my rifle as a shield. His onslaught was so strong that I was pinned to the ground.

And while this creature was sinking its fangs into the gun, I suddenly saw another one swinging its claws at me from the side.

My eyes opened wide in deathly terror…

…when suddenly it and all the other creatures around me were overrun by vines. A moment more, and they were all raked into a pile by an unbelievable force. When I got up from the ground, I saw the same lizard… only now he was holding a huge scythe, and he was enveloped in a bluish glow-like aura. I didn’t know what it was, but it seemed to give him incredible power, which he directed at his enemies. He began to hammer at these creatures with his scythe mercilessly, always hitting the target with precision, crushing creatures and their crystals.

He looked so angry and violent that for a moment I thought it was a different dragonkin… if not some kind of monster altogether. But then he turned to me and shouted:

“To the house, don’t make any turns! Hurry!!”

I was momentarily surprised by his voice. It was harsh but… not angry. Just very agitated. But it was only for a moment, after which he was back to beating the bastards without mercy, back to being a raging beast.

But no matter how relentless he was with these creatures, somehow more and more of them appeared.

I was about to hurry away, but then I saw one of those freaks leap up from behind him and a deep claw wound appeared on the dragonkin’s body.

When I saw that, I realized I couldn’t leave him… again. I knew I should have, especially when I finally realized how much I should value my life, but I still couldn’t. After all… what good would it do me anyway if I would waste it saving my own skin?

Summoning my remaining will, I grabbed my gun. I knew the man wouldn’t thank me, but screw it — I was ready for any punishment already.

As soon as a new pack appeared from the side, I immediately fired a laser at each of them, destroying them on the spot. My head was working much more clearly now, allowing me to act quicker. I didn’t have to wait for these things to turn to me, I had a good idea of where the crystal was.

“What the hell are you doing?! RUN!”

“Sorry man…I can’t.”

I kept shooting my portion of the wolves. I could see the man trying to rush toward me, but he couldn’t get through the crowd of enemies. I kept taking down the ghoulish things one by one, and even when one of them got hold of my gun again, I didn’t hesitate, tossing it aside, drawing my blade instead and plunging the thing into him. Their fur was horrible to the touch, but it didn’t hurt my hands, and that was enough.

When all the enemies were finally slaughtered, the dragon rushed toward me. I thought he was going to slap me, so I instinctively closed my eyes. Instead, he just grabbed me and said:

“All right, let’s go. Hold on!”

He put me on his shoulder and rushed forward, almost making me drop my rifle.

A few seconds later, I hastily loaded the gun with explosive charges, at a few of the wolf-ghouls that were still running after us. It wasn’t easy to shoot while shaking, but at least now I didn’t have to aim accurately, since the blasts were destroying everything in range.

I put on one last explosive show, but at least I managed to kill a bunch of creeps. One of them, however, managed to get through the explosive curtain and was ready to claw at the dragon, but at the last moment it turned to dust, and then I saw some kind of force field forming around us.

Finally, we were safe, and I felt my body go limp. The scaly man also gradually stopped, lowering me to the ground.

I instinctively turned away so I wouldn’t have to look him in the eye. I felt so ashamed and guilty at that moment.

“Hey… are you okay?” he suddenly asked.

I expected his voice to be much rougher and angrier, but… it sounded completely different. When I plucked up the courage to look at him at that moment, I was surprised to find almost the same expression on his face. He looked so… sad and guilty… I expected him to be angry but...

“I… I think I’m okay… no, wait…”

Looks like one of those things did scratch me by my jacket after all… and took some skin with it, leaving behind a bloody trail.

“Let me see that.”

He quickly examined the wound, then summoned one of his vines, plucked one of the leaves and applied it to the injury.

“It’s a shallow wound, but it’s better to treat it anyway. Are you okay to go?”

Just as I was about to answer in the affirmative, my legs suddenly gave out and I fell. The next moment I was sobbing in the lizard’s arms.

“Hey. It’s okay, it’s over. Come on, don’t cry… Be strong…”

“I… I can’t. I can’t!…”

Now I’ve gotten to the point where I can’t even say a few words without sobbing… What a pitiful end.