Steven opens his eyes and can only see darkness. He swears he heard a voice but not only can Steven not see anything, he can also no longer move any of his body parts. It feels as if an extreme pressure or weight is pressing into him and inhibiting his movements.

Steven's head throbs constantly with pain and his memory is fuzzy but after 5 minutes of being awake, Steven starts to remember what happened.

'I swear I died but... here I am. Maybe I am dead and this is just the afterlife. Was that voice I heard God? What did they mean by Tamer then?' Steven thinks to himself with a defeated tone. He remembers Sergey's words and Brandon was most likely dead and Samantha might already be killed as well.

"Do not worry Tamer. The one who tried to kill you has met an untimely demise and I can assure you I am not the God you think I am."

A genderless voice that shakes Steven's whole body booms throughout the area around him. Steven's eyes dart around to look for the owner of the voice but all he can see is darkness. Not a single glint of light shows itself to Steven. The thing that baffles Steven the most is that the voice read his mind.

'What do you mean by 'has met with an untimely demise'? Steven decides to communicate with the being that can read into the deepest part of his mind and it works."

"When I brought you back into this world I had to rip you out of space and time to bring you here. The only way you survived was because I gave you my power to protect you. As for anyone else that was in that room, they were sucked into the rip and torn apart atom by atom." The voice booms with an indifferent tone as if it didn't mind that it had killed a large group of people.

Steven's mind cannot comprehend what has transpired to him but all he can really do now is to accept the fact that there is a reason he was brought here by whatever magical force is behind the voice echoing throughout his mind.

'You said you brought me here... May I ask why?' Steven asks, his voice full of curiosity. He was really nothing special and was actually deemed a criminal in the eyes of the public for being apart of the 'underground'. Also, how could he be useful to a being that can literally rip space and time!

"In the beginning, you were actually born here. Directly after your birth, a ripple in the plane of existence was caused by an Elder Dragon like me and you were whisked away to another reality. In that process, another baby born at the same time as you took your place and the mothers were none the wiser about the situation. Have you ever noticed that your body and senses are incredibly stronger than that of other humans?"

The being sounds as if he is shocked that Steven hasn't already figured out that he isn't normal, that he is from another dimension, but this is completely new and mind-boggling news to Steven. Steven has noticed that his physical structure is surely superior to the average person but he never thought that he wasn't even from the same planet as everyone else!

'That still doesn't truly answer my question though. You haven't brought me back for 28 years but right before I die you decide to just pull me away and have several people die for no reason in the process.'

A sigh comes from the unknown and unseen being as Steven had pointed out the obvious. The being could have just brought Steven back when he was alone at home or directly after he was sent away if he truly was important, but the sigh was not a defeated one. The sigh seemed to be full of pain as if the being was remembering bad times, but was also a sigh that a parent would give a kid that thinks they know the answer but are actually clueless.

"Well, you see it is not as simple as that. I wanted to wait until you have somewhat tapped into your true potential and during the fight against the one you call Nikola, you showed your true face, even if it was for a few seconds. Also..."

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A long silence follows the word also as the being is contemplating how much Steven should know. After a minute of painful silence, the space around Steven begins to rumble as if in an internal turmoil. A voice that is different from the genderless and booming voice from before enters the conversation. It sounds to Steven that it is feminine.

"Lord Xan, Nergigante has been captured and the encroaching party is at our doorstep. I suggest wrapping up this conversation and preparing thyself for a confrontation before you fall asleep again." the feminine voice says with a sense of urgency and a tinge of annoyance.

"Go and fend them off for as long as possible. I will wrap up our conversation here and meet with you in battle. Don't die on me out there Goldie." the voice Steven assumes is Lord Xan says.

"Yes my lord." Goldie says and the sound of wind whipping past him fills Steven's ears and his flinches at the wind that is lashing out at his face. Steven closes his eyes until the wind stops entirely and when his opens open again, the darkness from before has completely vanished. What replaced it was a bright light that blinds Steven at first.

As his pupils adjust to the sudden bright light, Steven gets a good grasp of the area around him. Dark grey crystals cover every inch of the wide space of the room Steven is in. All the crystals point to the center of the room, and what they are pointing at terrified Steven.

A large dragon is looking down unto Steven with eyes that seem to change color every five seconds. Most of the dragon's body is shrouded in mist but Steven can judge just how large the creature truly is. Its head is about the size of a football field and Steven can feel his body try to tremble under the gaze of the mythical beast.

Steven's eyes try to avoid staring at the dragon directly in the eyes and Steven soon notices a dull grey light wrapping himself as the crystals that litter the floor are currently covering Steven's body. The man tries to struggle and the dragon notices the spike of Steven's heartbeat and the beginning of him struggling and it lets out a short and tired sigh.

Without opening its mouth, the dragon speaks to Steven with a gentler voice than before.

"Do not worry about your current situation. I was bathing you in the power crystals so you can seep in the power I have poured into them over the years. This is to help you fully awaken your powers, so stop struggling please?"

After hearing the massive dragon say please to him, Steven began to calm down slightly and his breathing became calm again. Steven's eyes are still wide as his brain cannot comprehend the scene played out before it.

'What... What are you?' Steven asks.

"I am what the humans of this world call an Elder Dragon, and what you could call your father."

The Elder Dragon speaks with a nonchalant tone and Steven's heart sinks to the bottom of his chest.

'My... My father?' Steven is completely baffled and his head is beginning to hurt as everything he has been told is going against Steven has known for 28 years. Giving up on asking questions, Steven lays inside of the crystal motionless and nearly emotionally broken. The massive room made to house the giant dragon vibrates and the crystals attached to the roof shake violently and threaten to fall down and pierce anyone below them with the sharp points etched on the edge of their bodies.

"We do not have time for pleasantries so I will cut to the chase, my child. You have a special power that can help you live in this world. You are a being called Tamer and you can make a contract with the beasts of this world and make them your subordinates."

When you make this contract, you take a random portion of their innate talents and you can use it like it is your own. What monsters you make contracts with is up to you and it will not be easy. Humans are not very fond of the beasts in this world and if it is found out you can tame the monsters, you will most likely be hunted and killed, so be wary."

A puff of smoke blasts from the dragon's nostrils and a bright green light wraps the crystal that is encasing Steven.

"I will send you to a safe place where you can make contracts with low-level monsters. The first one you should make a contract with is The Great Jagras. I will also bestow you 3 items to help you with your journey. Good luck my child, and I hope you become strong enough to make your way back to me one day."

And with that, the green light becomes blindingly bright and once the light subsides, the only thing that is left is the crystal and Steven is nowhere to be found. Xan's eyes are fixated on the crystal and are full of longing and worry but all the massive dragon can do is have faith that its son will be able to survive in this harsh world.