A dragon’s blood was potent and powerful. Humans had once used it as a reagent to cast mighty spells, but even then, a single drop had to be diluted many, many times. The untreated blood was practically a lethal venom. If a human was to touch it—let alone a child—they would almost certainly be killed.

The thunderous waves roared as if to snuff out the sound of the little life’s heartbeat.

The dragon spread its enormous silver wings. He was preparing to return to the temple he called home.

Though he was a dragon, he wasn’t heartless. But he had a far different view on life and death than a human would.

Weak creatures will die, while strong creatures will live. This is the way of the world God created.

That was one of the truths in the dragon’s heart—and a lesson from the creator.

Whether they were a child or an adult, it mattered not in the face of God’s teachings.

And so, the dragon flew off, leaving the defenseless child behind.

A short while later—perhaps it was a week, or maybe a month—the dragon returned to the cove once more. He had a craving for whale meat.

There was no longer a single body left in the cove. The corpses had been washed away by the white waves. The white sand sparkled like stardust.

The silver dragon dove into the ocean. While traveling underwater, he folded his wings in, adopting a streamlined form more appropriate for swimming.

In the deep ocean, about five hundred meters away from the island, he found a whale. He had been swimming for less than a minute. He hadn’t thought he would be able to find something this quickly. A lucky find, indeed.

The dragon opened his jaw and snapped at the whale’s torso. The whale was larger than the dragon, but the dragon was much faster—and much, much stronger.

Finally, the dragon took hold of the whale with his mouth and then rushed to the surface of the water. It happened too fast for the whale to process. Its mind still reeling, the whale lost consciousness. The change in pressure from the sudden rise to the surface had killed the whale before the dragon could even deal a mortal blow.

The dragon craned his neck like a whip and flung the whale toward shore.

The humongous creature scattered water droplets as it flew through the air in an arc. The seabirds that were lazily riding the air current scattered in a panic.

The corpse of the whale landed in the cove of the island the dragon lived, causing the ground to shake with the impact.

The dragon returned to the island and began to devour the whale’s flesh.

Once he had filled his stomach with a third of the whale’s meat, the dragon was satisfied. He would eat the rest another time.

Just as he was about to return to the temple once more, the dragon noticed a creature.

The creature loosely resembled a small monkey.

It was the dying human child. The dragon had completely forgotten about it.

The dragon’s blue eyes widened.

It had been showered with dragon’s blood…and survived.

He could see now that it was a girl child with black hair and black eyes. She wore a dress—child-size, but of good make. It was very wrinkled, as if she’d tried to wash the blood out with seawater. Try as she might, it seemed she had been unable to get the red stains out entirely.

The little child stood firmly on her two legs as she watched the dragon from behind a tree. She was wary of him. Although she did appear to be near starvation, she was very much alive.

The dragon quickly understood that this was the influence of its blood.

Dragon’s blood was deadly.

If one sprayed ten thousand humans with it, nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine humans could be expected to die.

But one would survive. And if that one could withstand the potency of the blood and survive, then that human would be imbued with the power of the dragon itself.

This child had to be the exception—that one in ten thousand. Surely that was why she could stand on steady legs, even after being bathed in dragon’s blood at an impossibly young age.

Ah, so that’s how it is, the dragon thought.

Be it fate, heaven’s decree, or the will of God, this youngling had managed to survive.

The dragon made a decision in that moment and started for the temple.

While flying through the sky, the dragon thought about how the child’s skin had been unnaturally yellow and dry. He felt a pang of worry. He then looked down to see the little girl racing over to the whale carcass. She wasted no time stuffing her cheeks with as much whale meat as she could manage.

Within the day, the dragon returned to the cove. He had not come back to eat the rest of the whale.

When he approached the cove, he spotted the little girl right away. She was running toward the tree line to escape the dragon’s shadow.

The dragon touched down on the shimmering sand. Once again, he noticed her watching him from behind a tree. No—more accurately, she was eyeing the whale carcass.

Surely, the child thought that the dragon had come back to finish his meal. The concern was plain on her face—she hoped from the pit of her empty stomach that there would be food left over. Her sunken eyes and yellowish skin were stark evidence of her poor nutrition. What had she been eating to survive? Insects? Tree roots?

<Come,> the dragon called out to the child.

She jumped.

<No need to be afraid. I’m not going to eat you. That you yet live is God’s will.>

What the dragon had command of was not human language.

It was the True Language—words of power granted by God.

The language had been used long ago, before man had been divided into many tribes and had come to speak a variety of languages. With the True Language, it was possible to communicate with any living creature. The language was universal, making it possible to communicate what you wanted to say regardless of one’s intellect or knowledge.

The dragon spoke to the child in a gentle tone, but she still seemed a bit apprehensive. That was no surprise. After all, the dragon was a full fifteen meters tall.

To indicate that he bore her no ill will, the silver dragon slowly craned his neck in a dramatic bow.

And then he offered a certain something he had hooked on one of his claws.

It was a bundle of fruits of every color. They had been growing around the temple he lived in.

The harvest had been a delicate operation for one so large, so a number of the fruits had been crushed when he had plucked them.

<Eat this fruit. Consuming only beast flesh and insects is not proper for a human diet. Though you have bathed in my blood and grown strong, you will still die at this rate.>

It took some time for the child to take that first step forward, but once she did, she was quick on her feet. She pattered up to the dragon, retrieved a fruit from his claw, and took a hearty bite.

<It’s yummy,> the child said, and even she was surprised by what she’d just said. The little girl had suddenly become able to speak the True Language.

The fruit she had taken a bite of could be compared to the apples or pears familiar to humans. But it was much more than a simple fruit.

<You have tasted the fruit of knowledge. It grants wisdom and intelligence to those who consume it.>

Thanks to the intellect granted by the fruit, and the universality of the True Language, the child had become able to communicate without any difficulty.

The child covered her small mouth with both hands.

<Oh no! I heard in an old story that it’s a sin for humans to eat the fruit of knowledge…>

<Ha-ha, not quite. It is not a sin to eat the fruit of knowledge. The sin lies in using the knowledge granted by the fruit for treachery, such as deceiving and tricking another. You may eat without fear.>

Relieved to hear that, the child brought the rest of the fruit to her mouth. Watching this charming sight, the dragon warned the child, <Through the fruit of knowledge, you will now be more sensitive than others to the subtleties of the human heart. You must not use this gift to deceive others. Remember, God is watching you.>

The child nodded as she continued to eat.

After devouring the fruit, the child said, <Thank you.>

Her unnaturally yellowish and dry skin regained its vibrancy. Even in terms of nutritional value, the fruit of knowledge was clearly different from the fruit of the lands of men.

<Why did you save me?>

<It was not I who saved you, but God. God saved your life.>

<God?>

<You survived, even after being bathed in my blood. I have interpreted that as the will of God—that you are not to die yet.>

<Does God really exist?>

<He does. This island has actually been blessed by God.>

The fruit of knowledge grew here, as did the tree of life, and nectar flowed along its streams. This island was just such a place.

<Where am I?> asked the girl.

<A remote island in the middle of the ocean. I’ve heard humans call it the Island of Silver, but the name God gave it was Eden.>

Then the dragon asked, <You came here without knowing what this place is?>

The little child nodded. <I was taken away by some scary people, and before I knew it, I was here.>

Taken away.

Making note of the child’s otherwise ornate dress, the silver dragon thought for a moment.

The dragon was not at all versed in worldly affairs, but he did understand that the clothes she wore were those of an aristocrat. It was said that some despicable humans would pillage and kidnap—so this child had to be a victim.

<I will take you to the lands of men,> the dragon proposed.

But the child said, <I don’t want to go,> hanging her head.

<Don’t you have a family waiting for you?>

The silver dragon had killed many humans. They had all been after his blood or the island’s treasure—or else posed some other threat. But that did not change the fact that he had taken many lives.

He had primarily slain adult men. On the verge of death, even the burliest men would cry for their mothers more often than not. They would wail their throats raw. They would cry for figures who could do little to affect the outcome, even if they had been present.

Thus, the child’s remarks were unexpected.

<You do have parents, don’t you?>

<I do, but…I don’t know their faces.>