In ages past exists a dragon whose very presence threatened the world.

It did not ask to be born, yet it refused to kneel before the guillotine that was prepared for it.

It wished for a life of solitude, and so it found a home at the heart of a land where might determines if one deserves to live.

The dragon wanted to be content with a life of peace, yet it cannot help but crave the one thing that will never be within its reach.

Love.

However, the dragon is eternal. It was brought into existence to witness the end of all things. 

Perhaps it simply needed to wait long enough for ‘never’ to pass, much like everything else with time.

And one day, it did, in the form of a mere human.

A weak creature who stands at the very bottom of the food chain.

Yet, the human conquered the deadliest land with nary a scratch on them.

By their side were all the beasts and creatures that they had befriended.

A flickering life in the grand scheme of things, but the conqueror of that which no one could dream of.

A defiance against the rules of reality where the victor must prey upon the loser.

A unique existence.

Like the dragon.

It had finally outlasted the eternity it was waiting for.

The human was fascinated by the dragon, a timeless being.

They were curious about all that the dragon had seen, and the dragon was eager to share all that it saw.

The dragon wished it would never end, but time is unkind to all that is beneath it.

  The human had to leave, but they promised they would return.

The dragon was afraid. The sole occurrence of it in its unimaginably vast and long life.

And so, the dragon conjured all of its power and created a vessel.

A vessel that was an extension of its body, much like its limbs and tails.

Its shape was meant to be the human’s equal, as well as being enticing to them.

Accompanying the human back to his village, the dragon was experiencing vicariously what it was like to fall in love. 

Not just with the human, but with the world as well.

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The dragon may be as old as time, yet it could not help but find joy in the smallest things like an excited child.

The dragon lived a life it never dared to hope for. 

It made companions. It found its favorite food. It felt emotions it could not understand.

It was finally content with its life, and it was grateful for being born.

The human and its vessel visited its real body from time to time. However, each visit grew further and further away.

The link between its vessel and itself became weaker over time.

Eventually, the vessel became its own entity. 

An entity that, while still serving its original function, decided to outgrow the dragon’s unwillingness to adapt to the short-lived societies the human was born into.

The dragon was dissatisfied, but decided to go along in order to stay by the human’s side forever.

They were in love with the human, and the human reciprocated that love.

Love was all they could see.

And love made them blind.

And when they could see again, all they saw was the human’s lifeless body lying in the hands of the vessel.

The more the vessel became its own person, the less it resembled the dragon and its power.

However, both were arrogant enough to believe the human’s weak existence would not perish under its faithful and loving watch.

The dragon and the vessel grieved. 

But both did not realize how the other chose to honor the memories of their love.

The dragon, for the first time in eons, stretched its wings and soared to the sky.

It looked upon the earth and rained hellfire against the cruel existence that taught them pain.

The vessel looked upon the sky and raised its sword against itself to protect the cruel existence that taught them love.

Two sides of the same existence waged war against each other.

The vessel, with all the people they met with the human.

The dragon, with all the hatred of the world in their heart.

Day by day, year by year, the vessel grew more powerful to stand against itself.

Eventually, they found themselves once more at the place they first met the human.

Facing each other, they saw how the thing they desired the most had changed them.

In the shadow of love, the dragon became a demon of vengeance.

In the shadow of love, the dragon transformed into an angel of hope.

They clashed against each other in the name of the human.

And they spilled more than just their blood and tears.

At the end of the battle, both were gravely injured.

But they could not give up.

The blessing and the curse of love will never escape them.

Thus, they came to a conclusion that eluded them since the human died.

If they could not love themselves, then how could they ever wish to find the love they crave again?

However, the damage was done. The cruel world demands only one outcome.

Either the end of reality would be heralded, or it will finally be free of the draconic tyrant.

But the human they loved did the impossible to grant them happiness.

And so, they decided the only way to honor the human’s existence and their love was to break all existence away from that eternal cruelty.

So nothing would ever know their pain again.

What does their future hold?

Would they ever succeed? 

Perhaps, my dear readers, you already knew the answer.