[https://i.imgur.com/pGxXxiL.png]

One drop, two drops, three drops.

Plic. Ploc. Plic. Ploc. Plic. Ploc.

From the cloudy sky of the night, Arasol fading behind

the gigantic buildings of the city, the rain began to fall on

the earth. Out of the dawning lights of the city visible in the distance, footsteps could be heard. Breathing rapidly, the person is tired from his endless run. How long has he been running now? Maybe minutes; perhaps for hours on end. He couldn't tell. He almost tripped over a stone that popped out of the ground, but he managed to keep his balance and continued his run. Was he still being followed? He couldn't tell. In front of him was the beautiful city... He could get there; he knew it...! He just had to get help before he got killed.

A projectile entered his right calf. He screamed.

He fell to the ground while rolling in the mud. The rain became heavier and heavier, and the drops of water falling from the purple clouds seemed to be getting heavier and heavier. The man with the torn clothes looked up, but not by choice: his hair had just been grabbed fiercely. He was being forced to look up.

- Aaaaah, tsk, tsk.

His pursuer clicked his tongue over his teeth to show his sadness; no, it was disappointment.

- Ya really thought ya could run forevar, ya little shit?

With an insult dropped with judgment, the pursuer hit the man's head into the muddy ground. His head was lifted again with a new sound of disappointment.

- Ya made me run for a while, didn't ya? Ya think ya could run away from me? I've played with ya enough!

He crushed the man's back and the man screamed in pain. He wasn't good at handling it, so he couldn't hold back. He could feel his spine being played with under the man's foot. If only he had run a little longer...! If only he had been faster and more careful…

- I'm going to die here... he thought.

His head was raised again with violence. The man's hand above him was gripping him so hard that it looked like he was trying to pull his hair out.

- See there?

The man with the distorted accent pointed to the lights of the city. The victim squinted his eyes, sad and amazed at the same time.

- Yeah, ya will never go there, ya little shit!

He hit him in the face and the man rolled on the ground and coughed. He tried to get up, but the other man's foot forced him to stay down, dominated.

- Do ya know exactly how much ya owe me, Jaaaaack?

The man stuck out his tongue while blurting out the name of the man with the torn clothes. Jack clenched his fists with his teeth, but he answered.

- ... 2 million…

- Yeah, 2 million fucking pieces, motherfuckar!

The man kicked him violently in the face with his foot before grabbing his head and forcing him to eat the mud under him.

- You know it's been a few weeks since I let ya time to pay me, right?

- !!!!

Jack spat out the mud he had almost swallowed while coughing, but he didn't have long to rest before a needle was right in front of his right eye.

- Ya know, I can't even get 2 million by selling yar body. Can ya imagine how much ya are worthless, ya piece of shit?

- ... St... Stop…

- What? Speak up, I can't hear ya!

- I will find... money…

- Yeah, yeah, they all say that, ahah!!!

The man in front of Jack stuck out his tongue and brought the needle even closer to his eye, but a bolt of lightning rumbled violently. The man turned as he felt a presence come from nowhere and frowned.

- ... Who are ya?" he asked.

A silhouette approached little by little, slowly and gently. As if there was no hurry, each of her steps echoed in the rainy weather. It was a female form, but since she was still quite far away, it was hard to tell what she really was. Jack coughed before looking in the same direction as the man who wanted him dead.

- ... ?

He could also see the figure approaching, but he didn't know if he should be reassured or not. They were far enough away from the city yet so close to it... What was a person doing here, especially in such weather? The executioner clicked his tongue when he noticed that he had no answer and conjured a metal ball above him. It was small, but it could pass through the rock as if it was a thin glass; so a human body would be even easier.

- Hey, take one step closar and I'll run ya through yar fucking body!!! shouted the executioner.

The figure stopped, but resumed walking directly after. It was clear that it was a female form, but the details of her physique were not yet visible. Nevertheless, it mattered little to the man: he sent the small metal ball towards her shouting angrily, annoyed that someone was bothering him during one of his affairs. The metal ball reached the figure... but was sent back to him.

And he had his right arm pierced.

- !!!! The-The fuck?!!!

The man screamed as he held his arm, his eyebrows furrowed. He turned to the figure and gritted his teeth: had she really returned his attack? Yet the speed of his metal balls made it almost impossible to see its trajectory...! Had he been too predictable, or...?

- I was just going for a walk to digest and I come across two bozos... What a bore…

These are the words the woman said. Her voice was quite high-pitched, yet it was imposing like that of a manly man. Her footsteps continued to echo in the empty space outside the city and the rain hit the ground even harder than before. The man made a metal ball reappear above him, but he did not attack directly.

- Who the hell are you?" he asked, holding the spot where a hole had been made in his arm.

- What about you? she answered.

- That's... not an answer!!!

He became enraged before sending the metal ball towards the woman. It went so fast that it shattered the raindrops that were in its way. It was about to enter the woman's body when she spun around. Without even seeing what had happened, the metal ball was sent back to the man and went through his other arm.

- AaAAAAH!!! FUUUUCK!!!

He became angry and screamed and attacked again. The woman sighed and raised her hand evenbefore the metal ball was sent.

- O lightning, let your strength be mine.

In a melodious and even magical voice, she let out these words before a lightning bolt came to strike her ferociously. Without even wondering what had happened, the enraged man attacked with his metal ball... but it never reached its target.

And with a slash faster than a lightning bolt, his head left his body.

It flew in the air before being broken into several pieces by the woman's long dragon tail. She sighed and looked at the other man on the ground.

- Are you okay?" she asked.

The man's eyes were wide open, as was his mouth, which could not close. He hadn't even seen the woman's attacks, but he was sure of one thing:

She had used the large sword in her right hand.

It was as tall as the woman, who was already quite tall. Brown hair flowed from her head and her eyes were glowing, but it was when he saw what was on her back and on her head that he understood who this woman was. He should have known when he saw her coming, but now that he could see her up close, he could put a name to the person in front of him. She was not a human woman—

But a Kemono. One with Electric Dragon attributes.

Marjolaine Khreindarya, one of the most powerful in the city.

- Have you lost your tongue...?" she asked, scratching her hair.

She lifted her sword as if it were a twig from a tree and despite her imposing aura, she gave an oddly... friendly expression? Jack shook his head and his hair flew in all directions, getting rid of the rain and mud stuck to it.

- I-I'm Jack... Jack Uaeka.

- Jack Uaeka... I will remember it.

She held out her hand with a smile.

- Marjolaine. One of the 4 Protectors of the city.

He already knew who she was, but hearing her identify herself gave him the chills. He accepted her hand and considered the chance to touch her a blessing. He would eat all the mud he needed just to touch her again.

- Why did this man want to hurt you?

Jack looked at the headless body of the man who had followed him here. He lowered his head, biting his lip, and scratched his cheek.

- Eeeeh, I owed him... money... Nothing serious, ahah…

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

His answer was unfortunately not convincing and seeing the serious look on the Dragoness' face, he sighed.

- I borrowed 2 million coins from them to play a big jackpot at the casino... I lost it all after playing too long… I could never pay it all back…” Jack answered honestly.

- 2 million? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

- I-I know! But I love playing there so much…

- You can just shorten it and say you have a gambling addiction.

- H-H.......... Okay, yes, that's right…

He would have preferred her to tell him the truth less… directly, but he didn't want to contradict her; besides, she was absolutely right. He had lost custody of his only child because of this, so why try to deny it? He was a pathetic human who couldn't understand his own limitations... He sighed and crouched down on the spot. Marjolaine watched him, blinking.

- Are you okay...?" she asked.

- ... He should have killed me, I don't deserve to be alive…

- Eeeh?

Marjolaine played with her sword before stabbing it into the body of the man she had killed earlier. Jack winced as he saw her do such a thing without hesitation, but what could he say?

- It's a crappy addiction, but you're talking nonsense, I think," she admitted.

She sat on the hilt of her own sword and watched Jack in a cross-legged position. The rain continued to fall in heavy drops and the lightning had appeared since Marjolaine had arrived. Jack looked at her.

- Yeah... My life sucks anyway. I have no money, no family, no love…

He violently scratched his hair and gritted his teeth.

- I only have a roof to sleep under, but my clothes were found in a trash can nearby!

- It's true that your clothes are bleeeh, fucking hella bad!

- I know, aaah!!

He stood up suddenly and kicked the headless body of the man who had followed him here.

- I should never have asked this... fucking idiot for money!

- He's the one who should never have lent it to you, uh…

- W-Wa!! You are on his side but you killed him?!

He was surprised, especially since she had not sought to know the truth before beheading him. Even if he knew who this Marjolaine was and that he wouldn't dare to face her, he found it surprising to hear her say such a thing. She smiled.

- You are from the coastal cities, aren't you?

- ... That's right... I lived near the beach.

- And you know who I am, hmmm?

- ... Yes…

- Then you should know that my role is to protect the city behind me, right?

Jack turned the city towards the beautiful lights of the city. Blue, orange, yellow, red; so many beautiful lights… The gigantic, beautiful buildings that rose high into the sky, the entire city made it look like daylight even in the heavy rain. The clouds covered the sky, but despite their beautiful purple color, the city was what caught the eye.

The immortal city of Torrania. So beautiful, so majestic. It was the main city on the island of the same name, the island of Torrania. It was gigantic and could have been the subject of millions of visits per month if the island they were on didn't have a certain peculiarity... It was a large island with only a few rather poor coastal towns and the very rich immortal city of Torrania. Living here was a privilege, but at the same time, a real disaster. Jack's eyes shone with the lights of the city, but he could never reach it... He was just a penniless human who was increasing his debt every day only because of his silly gambling addiction. He didn't deserve to go to such a place at all, especially since he would be killed quickly. He had no particular Power, especially since he hadn't touched it in years. When was the last time? Probably to impress his ex-wife. Jack turned his gaze to Marjoram.

- I... know…

She smiles, still sitting on the handle of her sword.

- So to be honest, I didn't care about his identity!

- W-Why?!

- You were heading towards the city and he seemed to want to kill you; I was mainly planning to kill both of you. But then he started to attack me and you seemed to be a pitiful victim, so I avenged you~! You're welcome!

Even though he was being insulted, Jack didn't want to say anything other than "Thank you thank you!". He understood that in her eyes, he was pitiful; and that was mostly because it was reality. He could see some qualities in him, but mostly he was nothing but a coward who didn't know how to keep what mattered to him.

- ... Thank you…

He couldn't think of anything else to say. She had spared him, since she had only killed the other man, but he would have understood if she had killed him. He didn't necessarily want to die, but living wasn't really in his options either. He sighed heavily and looked back at the immortal city of Torrania. Marjolaine noticed and turned her head as best she could to see the lights from behind, too.

- The city is really a beautiful one, right? she dropped.

- Beautiful…

- Hm, hm! I'm glad I can be there, hihi!

- ... Yeah…

Jack nodded slowly. Marjoram was one of the four people protecting the city and was known to be a fierce Kemono who could kill with her eyes alone; and Jack understood why, now. Still, she seemed kind of... cute, here? Friendly, even.

- I can't imagine all the work I would have to do if visitors were accepted, waaa....

She sighed before jumping off her sword. Jack squinted as he looked at the immortal city of Torrania. Yes, this island had a certain... peculiarity.

No one was allowed in without a "Pass".

Although Jack did not know the details, he knew very well that the only people allowed on the island of Torrania were its inhabitants or tourists with this famous Pass. Anyone who tried to enter the island without it would probably be exterminated as soon as possible. He didn't really know much about it, especially since he had never been interested in it, but he had always wondered why such a pass existed. He understood that the immortal city of Torrania had to be preserved forever in time, but with people like Marjolaine protecting it…

- Aaaaanyway!

The Kemono stretched both arms and then both legs before retrieving her big sword. She made it disappear with a thunderous sound and the sky lit up with lightning before rumbling as if the end of the world was fast approaching. Jack was startled by the noise and blinked — before noticing that Marjolaine was already gone.

- ?!

He waved his eyes from left to right, but he couldn't really see her anywhere. He sighed and started walking slowly towards the opposite side of the city of lights. He had wanted to go there to survive, but now that he had been rescued, going there would be totally foolish... He would have to go home and accept to continue living his pitiful life. The rain continued to fall violently, lightning occasionally rumbling through the cloudy sky.

The immortal city of Torrania. A gigantic city that was the main attraction of the island of Torrania; and yet, it was not allowed to the public. Getting there was already very complicated, but you also needed a Pass to be allowed on the island; in short, it was not the easiest place to access. There, in the luminous city, four people protected the place with their incomparable strength: Marjolaine was one of them, the Kemono. There was also a Kizon, a Morri and a human. They were known in the whole island and would be known outside if tourists were allowed; but unfortunately this was not the case. The leader of the city was unknown to the whole world, but even the inhabitants of the city did not know his identity. Only the 4 Protectors and a few lucky people knew the truth, but they couldn't say anything. Nothing. To say. It was a well hidden secret and the leader, whoever he was, was very concerned that his identity was hidden from everyone.

A rich and beautiful city, one with architectures that were special and yet from the past. After all, the name "immortal city of Torrania" was not given for any reason.

This city even existed millions of years ago.

It had never fallen and even though it was attacked many times, this city would never become a ruin. It was in good hands and maintained with great care. Its history was very rich and no one could ever tell everything that happened there; because no one had ever lived long enough to observe everything. Why it was built, who had created it, when exactly was it finished... All these questions would never be answered and will probably remain unanswered until the end of time. One would need a time machine or ask the most ancient Gods to hope for an answer; but did a single God still exist from that time so far back?

Marjolaine did not ask herself such questions.

She didn't care about any of that: she just loved this city. She knew she liked living there and despite the big difference between rich and poor was of no importance to her: she was free as a bird and as long as she protected the immortal city of Torrania, she had no problem. She was the most powerful Kemono on the island and she didn't let anything get past her dragoness eyes. Her long wings that extended from the middle of her back even allowed her to fly into the beautiful sky of the island. She was free and happy; in love and content. She would not want another life and would continue to protect the immortal city of Torrania for the rest of her life. Watching from the rainy sky, she thought of nothing in particular. As long as this city stood, she would continue to smile forever. As long as she was with the person she loved so much, her heart would continue to beat.

Marjolaine would be the one who would protect the immortal life until the end of immortality itself.