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I knew very quickly that I’d made a mistake in taking up Levi’s offer. I should have just done what I wanted from the start. Instead, I had agreed to participate in a social situation that was completely foreign to me.

It was so awkward. I sat there, a tall pillar of darkness, so out of place in the middle of the light and sound of these people. At first, they avoided me, walking wide of my perch, as if I was some plague-stricken creature. But, as the evening passed, and I didn’t evolve into whatever monster they expected, they gradually began to accept and discard my presence all together.

Such couldn’t be said about their leader, Levi. His was a presence that always made itself known. It was bright, almost shimmering with good-nature, and terribly infectious. I didn’t know what he was or what made him this way, but it was difficult for me not to watch and observe him all night long.

They called him “Chief,” which I suppose is another form of king or leader. On first glance, he hardly fit the image that one would have of a “Chief.” And yet, the more time you watched him, something about Levi didn’t just fill that position, but exceeded well beyond that.

Maybe it was so awkward and strange because this was the first time I witnessed true warmth and closeness between people. Call me sappy, but when I saw what these people had, I wanted it.

I just needed to figure out how to take it.

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“I like your sword,” I told Levi as the scent of cooking food clouded the camp and filled my senses.

“Oh, this old thing?” he responded, casually drawing it from it sheathe.

I watched how the light shone over the burnished blade. Our blades had been old, rusted, clunky and heavily-made. This one would sing through the air as it moved, I imagined. This made me desire it all the more.

“Give it to me,” I commanded.

Levi’s eyebrows lifted and he gave his scraggly facial hair an idle scratch. He took his time before he asked, “Why?”

“Because I want it.” It was the most obvious and uncomplicated thing to understand.

The man just laughed softly and shook his head. “You’re used to that, aren’t you?”

“What?”

“Getting what you want when you want it.”

“And why not?”

Levi rocked back on his heels and sheathed his blade, making a show of denying me my treasure. “The better question is why?”

I must have looked quite angry in that moment, pondering all the terrible things I should do to this little creature who dared deny me my demands. He broke in quickly, not letting me stew.

“Have these desires really consumed you so much?” the man asked.

“I don’t follow what you mean,” I said. But I did know what he meant.

Levi wasn’t fooled. His gentle laugh rippled over his words. “I’ve heard that Dragons ache something fierce for shiny things, but I expected the King of Dragons to be beyond that.”

“The what of what?” I furrowed my brows at him.

“Oh, haven’t you heard? That’s what they’ve taken to calling you.”

“Who?”

He laughed again. “Pretty much everyone.”

I was flustered. I had a name, perhaps a title, and I didn’t even know about it. “What does it mean?”

“Obviously,” Levi’s tone was droll. “You are the King of Dragons. The First Dragon. The High Destroyer. The Terror Flame.”

With each new title, I felt a little spark of pride and flattery grow in my chest. That’s when I thought to question the legitimacy of his words. “They call me all those things?”

“Alright, so maybe I made a few of them up.”

It was my turn to imitate his droll look. I was learning so many mannerisms from his extremely expressive nature.

“But they do call you the King of Dragons,” Levi confirmed.

I was silent for a moment. Then I asked, trying not to sound too ridiculous, “Is it bad if I inquire… what… exactly… is a Dragon?”