1st day

“ Good morning, mighty warrior.” Jaeger scrambled and summoned his sword in frantic pointing it to the voice.

“ I came to fetch you, come with me.” The dragon said casually and with familiarity.

Jaeger confused, he put his sword down and yawned.

I have never slept like that for a long time, the bed is so comfortable, I wonder how Naga is doing.

He briefly thought and then followed the dragon outside.

—

Jaeger's eyes widened as he sat beside the dragon king as they watched a brutal death match between two monsters.

It’s a huge sport in the land where even other kings from far away kingdoms come to watch, and they wager two things.

Gold and Blood.

Cheers erupted in the arena as one monster defeated the other- they weren’t provided with weapons, they had to fight tooth and claw and so the sand in the arena is painted with black and green liquid– the monster’s blood.

The victor gauged the loser's eyeballs and ate it while the loser l screamed in pure agony and pain, the crowd erupted in cheers and Jaeger stood and left.

It was a brutal fight, chaotic frantic cheers, and greedy nobles.

Jaeger couldn’t stand any of it.

The Dragon watched as Jaeger left the scene.

—

“ How does this make me believe you are worthy of love?” Jaeger asked as he heard the Dragon following him from behind.

Dragon halted on his tracks for a moment, his red eyes piercing the knight’s black eyes as Jaeger turned to him.

“ You cannot have tenderness without brutality.” The Dragon answered softly, his voice almost a whisper.

Jaeger is flabbergasted.

What? Did he expect me to clap my hands for his wise words?

“ Well, your majesty, I did not enjoy your sports.” Jaeger’s tone is firm and final.

“ Very well, I shall have you escorted back to the palace.” The Dragon turned, then walked back to the arena.

—

The next day –

Jaeger's brows furrowed as he witnessed the scene in front of him.

The Dragon rode in front of him holding his banner.

Chaos. That’s the perfect word for it.

Jaeger had witnessed this kind scene many times before, children crying, women wailing, men dying.

I am sick of this. 

They raided a small town under the banner of the Dragon King, and Jaeger just watched as chaos unfolds before him.

Jaeger kicked his horse and made his way to the Dragon.

“ Why?” Jaeger asked a question he wouldn’t dare ask his emperor before. 

He was just a mindless killing machine that didn’t care about anything but orders but years of his retirement changed him fundamentally.

Chaos and Killing doesn’t make sense to him anymore, when there could be peace and love.

The dragon turned to him.

“ They need to be subjugated, this town is on the brink of collapse and it needs a ruler.” The Dragon King answered.

“ That's what every King says, fight and kill the very people they want to ‘rescue’.”

Dragon waved his hands to the chaotic scene before them. “ You cannot have order without chaos.” He added then he strutted off.

Jaeger watched the Dragon.

He is the complete opposite of Naga.

—

“ AAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!” 

A nail was plucked from a prisoner and blood curdling shrieks echoed throughout the empty dungeon halls. 

Jaeger watched as the Dragon carefully placed the nail on a table beside him, tooth and nails organized over a blood stained white cloth. 

The prisoner shook in fear and pain, pissing himself, begging in their language which Jaeger couldn’t understand but with his tone, Jaeger can only guess it was a plea for his death instead.

The prisoner’s his head was covered in sack cloth, seated in a torture chair, his skeleton body trembling, he was all skin and bones, it was worse than death itself, and Jaeger have witnessed worse so he stood there unflinchingly as his ear was filled with pained groans and screams, the air smelled piss, shit and blood, which made Jaeger crunched his nose.

The Dragon once again pulled a tooth from the prisoner’s mouth, blood squirts and deafening screams echoed in the small room.

“ What was his crime?” Jaeger asked.

The Dragon turned to him. “ Oh– existing.” He answered shrugging.

Jaeger's eyes widened in shock, his brows furrowed at the Dragon’s answer.

The crime was existing?

What kind of bullshit is he spouting?

Then the dragon pulled another tooth and Jaeger had enough,

“ This is the last day of our wager, we shall have our duel by tomorrow.” He said and turned to leave.

The Dragon watched Jaeger walk out of the dungeon. His red eyes followed Jaeger’s movement and he turned a corner and disappeared.

Pure Malice, that's what it was.

Jaeger thought as he walked down the empty hallway of the dungeon.

How is he worthy of love?

He asked himself, disgusted.

—

It was dusk, the sky glowed bright orange above the pit, casting a soft orange hue on Jaeger’s hardened face. His expression was serious, this was the reason he came here, to kill the dragon.

The Dragon stood a few feet before Jaeger, his white mask doesn’t show his expression, his white robe flowing freely with the cold wind, his relaxed aura now gone, and now he emanates an intimidating and heavy aura around him, this fight decides who lives or dies. 

Jaeger the knight has killed inferior dragons in the war.

He knew he’s powerful.

But he also knows he’s retired, while he’s cooped up in the woods enjoying his retirement, the Dragon trained harder, and grew stronger.

There was no way Jaeger could defeat him.

He briefly glanced at the empty audience seats and saw Naga the bard standing besides the Princess.

Or maybe he can.

The Dragon thought.

Jaeger drew his sword, automatically activating his armour. His black armor covered his face, its emanating fire element, the element of his mana.

The Dragon moved his left foot behind in a fighting stance, summoning his mana for shield and attack, a strong gust of wind was felt as the Dragon readied for battle.

It’s no joke.

Princess Cerces thought as she watched the two fighters readied themselves for battle. The Dragons are the most ancient creature of this planet, they’re the most powerful, and the most feared, one presence of them can turn the tide of war, there are caste of dragons, inferior dragons, half dragons bred with monsters– feared in battles but can be killed by strong warriors like Prince Arth and Jager, full bred Dragons like the dragon in front of them rarely mingle with humans warfare but when they do, they win, their species considered almost extinct for they are hard to breed.

Princess Ceres feared Jaeger would lose and die in the battle, but remembering who he was, the most feared warrior across the planet, never lost a battle in his life, considered to be a one man army even the Emperor himself feared him.

Princess Ceres’ mind clouds with fear and doubt as she tries to weigh the power and experience of the warriors.

“ You are not worthy of love, Dragon King.” Jaeger said calmly.

The Dragon stayed silent, then all of the sudden a loud sonic sound was heard.

Boooom!

Fire erupts. The Dragon maintained his human form and turned his hand into a sword to counter Jaeger’s direct frontal attack.

He broke through my shield barrier like it was nothing.

Dragon thought. He smirked.

Oh yeah, I made a miscalculation, he didn’t laze around during his retirement.

Jaeger slid his sword and jumped back to keep distance.

He countered that fast enough, no humans can counter that attack, of course–he’s a dragon. 

Jaeger thought.

He breathed for a sec then attacked again, the dragon countered an attack with an attack, he can see the Knight’s movement clearly but doesn’t mean he can stop it. His attacks were powerful and every attack with the power to kill any average warrior.

Naga’s eyes were wide as he watched, but he couldn't keep up with the movements, all he saw was lighting and fire and occasionally they would stop for a while then fight again at light speed.

They swung at each other and Jaeger managed to slice the dragon at the side of his body. They separated for a while. Jaeger waved his bloodied sword, blue liquid dripped from it and Naga flinched at the sight.

The Dragon stood there unmoving, then the sliced flesh slowly healed itself to which Naga’s surprised.

How can he heal so quickly?! How can Jaeger ever defeat a creature like that?!

He was panicking, his insides twisting in anxiety as he watched the dragon lift his hand.

The princess turned to him. 

“ Is the fight too much for you?” she asked, worry etched across her pretty face.

Naga just looked at her and couldn't answer. 

It is too much! But I cannot NOT watch it, I will be filled with anxiety of not knowing whether Jaeger will live or die!

“ You really think someone like me cannot receive love?” The dragon asked again to Jaeger's confusion. 

The dragon hit him cleanly on his left arm and Jaeger swung his sword to force him backwards  creating a distance between them for him to recover.

“ Someone can still love you, but it doesn’t mean you are worthy of it.” Jaeger answered as memories of him and Naga kissing.

I certainly am not worthy of love.

He thought to himself as Naga’s smiling face flashed on his mind.

The dragon was still for a moment. His expression cannot be seen but the air around him turned cold.

Then the Dragon attacked and Jaeger managed to stab the dragon's arms. 

“ But I highly doubt anyone will love you.” Jaeger whispered in the dragon’s ears.

He fueled mana on his sword to make it explode but the Dragon roared and transformed into a full dragon.

Blue blood drips into the dragon’s arms. Naga stared at the wound and noticed it’s not healing like it used to.

Jaeger used a very concentrated mana that he saved up over the years, it was a blow that could destroy a kingdom if the Dragon didn’t absorb the explosion, hence the wound is not healing like it’s supposed to.

As expected of the most powerful human warrior.

The Dragon thought.

They continue to fight. The Dragon roared and bellowed blue fire everywhere to hit Jaeger, but Jager’s too fast for him to catch, now that he’s on his dragon form, he became slow and sluggish.

The dragon scratched Jaeger’s arm, it was so deep that the dragon almost grabbed the bones but then Jaeger delivered a blow in its eyes with his other hand.

GRAAAAAAAAAGHHH!

The dragon’s roar echoed throughout the land, it was so loud and guttural like an animal being skinned alive.

Naga covered his ears, tears welling up on his eyes in confusion, shock and pity. He’s overwhelmed with all the emotions that he cannot help but cry.

The Dragon thrashed about in pain trying to grab Jaeger that’s on his head, his huge sword stuck on his eyes. Before the Dragon could do that successfully. Jaeger pulled his remaining mana to the spell. 

If this doesn’t work, it’s over for me.

Jaeger thought as he felt all the mana left his body.

Cerces eyes were wide as she watched how the battle unfolds.

She raised her hand and casted the strongest shield for her and the bard, anticipating a very huge explosion.

Will he make it?

Cerces wondered as he watched how Jaeger bet all his mana for this huge spell.

Then it explodes. Bright light covered the area.

It was all white.

Naga was too confused to know what happened, all he could see around him was bright blinding light, and a sharp ringing in his ears. All he could do was curled into a ball like a child, confused and overwhelmed as overwhelming pain shook his entire body.

Then the light vanished as soon as it came.

Smoked covered Cerces’ vision and her eyes and ears alert of any signs of life.

She heard a cough, she turned and saw the bard coughing blood. 

She bent down her expression confused as she held the bard on her arms. 

What happened to him? I casted a very powerful barrier with all my mana, along with the barrier that Jaeger casted on us before the fight, he shouldn’t be affected like this.

Cerces’ mind was full of questions as she watched Naga the bard coughed blood. His eyes, nose, ears were leaking blood, there were no wounds on the outside, it’s like his insides exploded.

She swallowed as she tried to heal him, but she already used up all of her mana, she failed to even begin.

I can’t heal him—

Her eyes widen and her hands start to shake, this is the first time in her life she cannot use her mana to save someone!

“ Hmmmppph..aaahhhrrggg!” Naga whimpered through bloodied mouth.

Cerces frantically looked for Jaeger and she saw him standing above the wounded Dragon in its human form.

The Dragon King was wounded terribly, blue blood spilled from his wounds like a river. 

Cerces felt a bit of relief seeing Jaeger was standing victorious even though the bard before her is dying, his death isn’t meaningless.

Jaeger won. She thought, tears welling on her eyes.

Jaeger can barely stand, but he gritted his teeth to gather all his remaining strength and kicked the mask away from Dragon’s face and he froze—

His eyes wide and all the sore and tiredness seemed to left his body as if an icy cold water was suddenly poured into him–

He can’t believe his eyes.

It must be a last trick illusion.

Jaeger thought as he lifted his sword. His hands shaking both in fear and exhaustion.

The dragon king smiled, his teeth bloodied blue.

“ It's not an illusion, mighty Jaeger. You have won, you’ve depleted me of life and mana, congratulations.” he uttered through his bloodied mouth.

Jaeger pointed his sword at the dying Dragon king. 

“ It's a mere coincidence you look a lot like the bard I came here with.” Jaeger’s breath was heavy, he barely had any strength to stand but a rush of emotion trying to fuel his depleted body.

Anger.

Dragon King closed his eyes. 

“ I have felt love, and was loved back after centuries, for that I thank you.” 

The Dragon said and then he took his last breath, his dead eyes were wide staring into nothing but he looked at peace, and he immediately reverted back to his dragon form.

Jaeger stared for a moment then he sharply turned on his heels and frantically looked for Naga where he last saw him and there he saw a bloodied body on the Princess’ arms.

 He dropped his sword and ran towards the bard.

He took out all of his healing potion and tried to make Naga drink but it was too late. Naga the bard had died. Jaeger eyes were wide and dilated.

No! This can’t be real! NO!

He was panicking, a rush of overwhelming emotions dominated his being.

Anger, pain, sorrow, confusion

“ AAAAAGGHHHHHH! AAARRRGGGGGHHH! “

He screamed, angry and sorrowful tears flowed freely through this eyes as he clung to the cold 

body of Naga.

“ AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!”