"Jezeboyah. I did it. I made a friend," a very small black dragon said.
"Oh that's great, little one. Who is it?" A giant red dragon asked.
"A human named Marco."
"A human?"
"Yes. I was wearing that ring you gave me and I found a kid in the village. He looks like my age, but he's actually only 5."
"I see. I should warn you that humans change very fast."
"I know. He promised me that he will never change. That we're going to be best friends forever."
There was a brief pause.
"I'm sure you will."
The red and black dragon smiled.
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"Hey, Jezeboyah!" Akai shouted.
"Akai, what is it?"
"I just made more friends. Marco's friends became my friends."
"That's great!"
"We played in the fields and hid from the farmer. It was so much fun!"
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"Jezeboyah." the small black dragon called.
"Yes, Akai?"
"What is an adventurer?"
"Why do you ask that? Have you met one?" the red dragon asked worryingly.
"Marco said that he wants to become an adventurer one day. I'm still not sure what that is."
"Ahh. An adventurer is somebody who gets paid for exploration, hunting monsters, and other work."
"Exploration and hunting monsters?"
"Yes and other things. It's a very broad job, but they can be necessary for humans."
"I see. Then, I'm going to become an adventurer, too."
"Huh? Why would you want to do that?"
"Because Marcus is going to. He told me that it was plenty of fun and that means we could have fun forever."
There was a brief pause.
"I wanted you to experience how humans lived, but having a human job... well, that's... impossible."
"Aww. Why impossible?"
"You're not a human. You're a dragon."
"That doesn't mean I can't be with them."
There was another pause.
"True."
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Akai was crying alone in a corner.
Jezeboyah saw and rushed over to him.
"What's wrong, little one?"
"Marco can't be my friend anymore!" Akai said as he cried.
"Why is that? It has only been a couple of days."
"We were playing and my ring fell off. His mother saw my scales," Akai sniffled and continued, "She called me a monster and took him away from me."
"Oh my sweet Akai," Jezeboyah comforted him and continued,"You're not a monster. Their just afraid."
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"Afraid?" Akai sniffled.
"Yes. Afraid of something unknown to them. Humans fear us for good reason. Dragons are dangerous. Most know us as fire breathing monsters, while some know us to be gentle. That makes them afraid."
"How can I be friends with Marco, then, if I'm not human?" Akai cried.
There was a brief pause.
"I don't know if you can."
"There has to be a way." Akai no longer sniffled.
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"Jezeboyah! I was right. I was able to make up with Marco. We're friends again."
"Really? How did you manage that?"
"We just play in secret, now. Only his mother wants him to stay away from me, but not him. He wants me to be his friend."
"I'm happy for you."
Jezeboyah paused and continued.
"But please be careful."
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"Hey, old dragon!"
"I'm not that old, little one"
"I just realized something. It's only been 13 years, and Marco already looks like a grown up."
"Didn't I tell you already about how humans and dragons age differently?"
"Did you? I don't remember."
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"Jezeboyah! Jezeboyah!"
"Hmm?"
"Marco just joined the adventurer's guild. I'm going to go with him!"
"What!? No, you can't do that!"
"W-Why not!?"
"It's too dangerous."
"I said I'm going!"
"No!"
"So, Akai. I know that you are smaller than me, but I won't let anything happen to you. You already know how to use the wooden sticks that we used as kids, but now I gotta teach you how to use a real sword."
"Wow! Okay!"
Marco smiled with a delightful face.
"Besides, you're a dragon. You'll probably save me far more often than I do you." He laughed.
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"It hurts. It hurts. Please wake up, Marco." Akai cried bleeding with cuts on his head, arms, and legs.
"A kid dragon? Well, I think I know some people who would be willing to pay a high price for you." A brutish bandit holding an axe said to the crying child.
Akai's tears began to flow and his scream could be heard around the dead team of adventurers in the woodlands.
A small Akai took up Marco's bloodied sword as the bandit began walking slowly towards him.
The bandit said, "Heh. Put that small thing down before you get hu-" but suddenly thorny vines grew from underneath the bandit.
"What the -" The bandit was crushed between the vines before he could say another word.
A giant green forest dragon emerged from the forest and saw the child with black scales.
"I thought I sensed a dragon here." it said.
Akai let go of his sword and dropped to his knees. He crawled towards the dead body of Marco and began pushing him as if he was asleep. "Come on. Wake up, Marco. Wake up," He said emotionless.
The forest dragon merely stared at him with no emotion and asked, "Do you know any other dragons?"
Akai paused at the question. He took a moment and said, "Jezeboyah."
The forest dragon's eyes widened. "I see. Well, I can take you to him if you'd like. Have you learned to fly?"
Akai looked back at the forest dragon with tears flowing from his face, but otherwise emotionless.
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Akai rode on the giant forest dragon's back.
His cuts were covered by leaves. There was still a little bit of blood on him. The forest dragon kept flying and asked, "Why were you with those adventurers? Did they capture you?"
Akai didn't respond.
The forest dragon sighed and said, "Look. I don't know your situation, but it looked to me like that..uh, Marco-guy... He looked to be your friend."
Akai didn't respond.
"I personally don't like humans at all. And to me, that guy made a mistake bringing you to a fight."
He paused and looked back at Akai.
Akai replied, "Humans really are different than us. Aren't they?"
There was a silence.
Akai was on the verge of crying and continued, "I thought Marco was my friend, but he was going to sell me to those bandits. I just didn't believe it. I didn't think that he would betray me. We were going to be friends forever. I didn't believe that he could..."
Akai's eyes tears up, again. He wiped his tears as he sobbed.
The forest dragon believed it. He had only a little faith in humans. He pondered to himself as Akai cried on his back.
The forest dragon opened his mouth. "That doesn't mean that all humans are bad."
Akai still sobbed wiping away his tears and asked, "What?"
"I said that not all of them are bad. I know only a very small few think highly of dragons nowadays. But still, a few. Dragons weren't always a symbol of destruction. We used to be saviors in a sense. It's just that people forget easily."
Akai wiped away his tears and listened.
"We are, of course, divine compared to them. But even if we weren't, I think we could get along, eventually. It will take time and they will forget over and over and over again. But eventually..."
Young Akai took those words to heart.
"Well, either way, as long as it keeps you from crying on my back, I'll say whatever I need to. I personally don't like humans. Always hunting us and cutting down my forests. It might be better just to get rid of them."
Akai wasn't paying attention to the part, afterwards.
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The forest dragon landed near the volcano where Jezeboyah resided.
"I forgot to ask. What's your name?" Akai said as he got off the dragon's back.
The dragon stared at him and said quietly, "Kytlmyne." as he flew away.
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Akai walked back into a cave entrance.
He met with a sleeping red dragon and woke him up.
"Jezeboyah! It's me, Akai!"
"Ahh, Akai. You're back. How was your so-called adventure?" the red dragon said as he welcomed him back in open arms.
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Even though he forgot his conversation with Kytlmyne, time passed with young Akai's new resolve. He wanted to make friends with humans and dragons as a child from then on. 100 years passed as Akai trained himself with human weapons and armor. He was more skilled in human form than any other dragon has ever become. He equipped armor and robes, along with his illusive ring.
"Jezeboyah, I'm going to be an adventurer."
"Again? Well, I wouldn't want to get in the way. You do love humans."
"Yes. I'm so glad that you raised me." Akai smiled, put on the masked helmet, and left the cave.