"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?”

A giant shadow was cast upon the group on the bridge who could only stand there in shock, watching as the enormous thing above them flung toward the beach before crashing down.

BAM

Followed by the crushing sound of the creature on the beach sand, sending a huge amount of amount on air, the group rushed back to shores, to see what they just caught.

A deep blue smooth skin, stripes marking all over its body that emitted a faint green light, very long neck and four large foots with typical gills of a sea creature. That was what the thing looked like. However, in addition to these features, the beast also possessed a pair of wings imprinted with strange pattern in a very showy colour, perhaps use to intimidate its foes underwater. But why would a sea creature have wings? In fact, why did it look so much like a dragon instead?

“Oh my, oh my! Who would have thought I would one day catch one of these?” Azureus uttered in an ecstatic voice, bouncing around in excitement.

“You know what it is, Azureus?” asked Alastor as he looked upon the weird creature. Never has he seen a monster sharing similar features as this one.

“This is a sea dragon. I thought they went extinct a long time ago but it seems I was wrong. Alright kids, I am sorry but we can’t eat this one.” The slime spoke. “No worry I will call someone over to bring you food.”

“What do you intend to do with it?” inquired Naberius.

“Well, I don’t really know. Perhaps just lock it up for now.”

“Since this is a dragon, we shouldn’t do anything to it as it might affect negotiation with Oros in the future.” Said Naberius.

“I don’t think it will be that important. The sea dragons’ clan were exiled a few centuries ago for daring to defy the will of the dragon council. Nowadays, they are rogue dragons with no stable territory, wandering the world constantly. In addition, they are target by dragon hunters for their luminescent skin that are extremely durable and quite unique as it emits light in darkness. Since they no longer have the protection of the dragon council, their number has diminished quite a lot these recent years, making them so rare.”

“A dragon….” Alastor muttered, rubbing his chin in deep thoughts.

“What do you think we should do with it, Alastor?”

“Hehehehe”

“Alastor?”

“I think I just found my ride!”

* * *

Back at the Osborne mansion, after an seemingly endless and fruitless search for Tasha added to a close encounter with death itself, young Edward has brought his two saviours back to his home to thank them for their intervention.

“I have no words that can express my gratitude for you two kind ladies for having saved my only son.” Said the Lord of the House in joy.

“It’s a natural thing to do under such circumstances. I am sure anyone would do the same for your son.” Maria, crossing her leg as she rested on the comfortable sofa, sipped her tea.

“I am afraid that is not the case for the people of our city, especially right now when trust is just a fantasy word.” Osborne muttered with sad eyes, thinking how his city has fallen so low. While the catastrophe has ravaged Cedra, it didn’t destroy the people’s hope. Yet, a simple declaration from a foreign country was able to turn the nation upside down, turning friends against each other. Truly, the word ‘trust’ has become a fantasy, a myth in this place. “But enough of my babbling. I am just a low noble, unfit to talk about politics. But my son has just been promoted to be among the royal guards. He may be young and inexperienced but his skills are top notch as a mage.”

“…Does it even matter, dad?” the boy who has been doing nothing but looking down in despair talked.

“Edward, what’s wrong?” asked the father.

“What’s wrong??? Tasha is missing and I am completely useless. I could not even do anything against that thing. If not for Lady Maria and Lady Scarlet, I wouldn’t be standing here. What kind of royal guard am I?” the boy fumed.

“Calm down, Edward! None of these is your fault.” The noble tried to appease his son.

“But it is mine. If only I have been stricter, if only I have forced her to stay indoors, she would still be here. For all we know, she could be already dead, because of ME!”

“And what are you going to do about that, Sir Edward? Are you just going to stand there, pitying yourself, leaving Tasha for her fate?” Maria provoked.

“What do you want me to do? I tried to look everywhere I could but she wasn’t in any of those places.”

“That’s because you were looking at the wrong places. You have to be smart about this instead of just charging like an idiot to the scene. That kind of attitude won’t only put yourself in danger but also the people around you. Believe me! I know!” Maria conveyed.

“I…” collapsed on his knees, young Edward wept in tears. “I just want her back…I will do anything.”

“Anything? So if I say you can exchange your life for hers, will you do it?” inquired Maria.

“I will.”

“…YOU IDIOT!” In a single flash, Maria stood up and slapped the poor boy in his face, making him hit fall down to the ground and leaving a red mark of her hand on his cheek. “You think Tasha will be happy if she hears that?”

“Hey hey!” Seeing his son being hit like that, the lord of the house tried to rush to his side. However, Osborne, being a bit too soft to the point of mellow, was quickly scared away by just a stare from Maria. Furthermore, Scarlet has stood in his way, stopping the noble from interfering with this educative session.

“Someone who is not able to protect himself can’t possibly think about keeping others safe. With that kind of worthless self sacrificing mentality, I won’t be surprised to see you on the list of casualties on the very first day you go into battle.” Maria lectured.

“Lady Maria, he is just a boy. You don’t have to be that violent.” Said the father before being stared down again.

“It doesn’t matter if he is a boy or a man. If Edward is going to be among the royal guards, to go into battle, he needs to understand that his life is not that something to be thrown away that easily. Out there, your enemies won’t care who you are, young or old, innocent or guilty, rich or poor. On the battlefield, it’s kill or be killed.”

“…..” the boy could only sit there on the ground, looking down on his own miserable state. Helpless, crestfallen, weak…and he still didn’t do anything yet. Everything he has done so far only proved that he was a good student, but those studies could not make him a warrior, not the man as he aspired to be. Not the adult he portrayed himself as the valiant knight of his beloved. However, it was not hopeless. Somewhere deep inside him, a spark of aspiration, of faith still lived on. “Help me…Help me change, please!” Hitting his head on the ground, the boy bowed, clenching his fist as he begged the lady.

“It’s not me who can help you. It’s yourself, your own will to change that will determinate the verity of your words.”

“But….” Edward muttered.

“….I will give you an opportunity to prove yourself, young master Edward. Tasha could still be saved.” The silver haired woman spoke.

Hearing that, the boy’s expression brightened with hope as he looked at Maria with pleading eyes. “Do you happen to know where she is?” he asked eagerly.

“I do. But before I tell you, let me ask you something. Have you heard of a cult named The Cult of Lumen?” Maria questioned.

“Lumen? Are you referring to the religious fanatics that have been on the rise recently? They are among the most problematic issues that King Charles has discussed today. According to reports, the Cult of Lumen wishes to purge all demons of the world, targeting demons everywhere they go. By taking advantage of the chaotic situation in Ceadric, they have managed to infiltrate the country and spread their profane teaching to the citizens, converting many to their sides.

Are you telling me that they are behind Tasha’s disappearance?” Edward inquired.

“Yes. I have been following these cultists for a while and earlier today, as I was following one of them wandering around in the city, I happened to see two fanatics kidnapping a brown haired girl in a maid uniform. I assume that’s Tasha.

Since Tasha is a demon herself, it’s natural for her to be targeted by that cult.” Maria explained.

“Then you were there when she was kidnapped? Why didn’t you do anything?” shouted the boy angrily at the woman.

“Young master Edward, you are one of the top students of Helios so why don’t you tell me the reason I didn’t save Tasha but instead let them take her?” Maria replied with another question.

Indeed, she was more than capable to save Sasha at that time. Yet, she didn’t. Not because Maria was cruel, ignoring the innocents suffering right in front of her. But because by allowing these cultists to take Tasha, she would be able to follow them back to their hideout where they hid the other victims and possibly their headquarters. It was a logical choice, to use one as a bait in order to save the many and possibly others in the future. Edward understood that. It didn't take that much time for him to figure out this plan. He might be naïve but he was not so much of an idiot to know such basic tactic. Still, in his heart, he couldn’t accept such solution.

“I know what you are thinking, young man. But just because I let them take Tasha doesn’t mean I am willing to let they kill her too. After discovering their hideout, I have stationed a few of my men there watching them constantly. You still have until midnight today to save her.” Maria disclosed.

“Then let us go immediately!” the boy rushed.

“No…we need to wait until the full moon tonight. At that time, all the cultists, or at least their leaders will be there for us to get them all at once. If you go right now, it might startle them, making us lose this lead.”

“…Damn it.” The boy grunted.

“I understand how you feel but do think about the future! As long as these religious fanatics are around, fear will still rule the streets. And incidents like Tasha would just happen all over again unless we pull out all the roots of the problem. Do you get that?”

“I do but…Fine…I will wait.” The boy reluctantly nodded in agreement.

“Good! Meet me at these coordinates tonight at sunset! Go there by yourself to avoid raising attention! With that, I will excuse myself!” Finishing what she had to say, Maria stood up and walked to the door with Scarlet.

“Wait!” the young master called out to his guests, making them turn back to him. “Who are you exactly? How do you know Tasha is a demon? And why are you helping me?”

“I have eyes and ears everywhere, young master Edward. Your maid being a demon isn’t really what I call a secret if everyone in your district knows it. That’s how she was targeted in the first place.

As for my reason in helping you, let’s just say that I share your idealism of a world where demons and primes could coexist. As we share the same purpose, why not stick together?” Maria chuckled as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

* * *

Strolling down the desolated streets of Cedra under the soothing moonlight of night, two women were exchanging their thoughts about their first day back at the Golden City after so long. Last time they were here, it was during a coup organized by the archduke which ultimately ended in failure. At least, that was how most people remembered that day. But for them, it was the day they managed to avenge their fallen friends who have been subject to horrible experimentation by a nefarious member of the Church. Years of searching for that murderer, years of carrying and withholding those hatreds they had for him deep inside their inhuman bodies, all those years have finally payed off.

But what then? They have killed the person they were looking for. They have avenged their fallen comrades. What happened next? What would be their purpose to live on in this world where they were all different from the rest? Among the group, a woman has thought about ending her life. Yet, she could not even obtain that small comfort of death, to meet her end. Did life have to be this cruel? Was she doomed to wander this earth for eternity without knowing the end? Without having a purpose?

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

That was until she met a strange boy, who, like her, was different. He guided her people back to his, to give them a place call home. And so these strangers, unable to fit in anywhere, gained somewhere they could proudly claim that they belonged to it.

Still, how did you define a home? Some thought it was the place where you stayed for a long time. Others thought home was where you felt most comfortable to live in. But for these people, neither of those criteria could define their situation. Because to them, ‘home’ was where you would gladly give your lives to protect it from harm. The world has changed. The old order has been destroyed. A new era was coming and many would be put to challenges in order to see if they had a place in this new era. For that, they needed to prove themselves to the rest of the demons. They had to prove that Ragna was also their home and they also shared the will to protect its future. For that, not only did they gain a home, the Hunters, led by Maria, had a new lord and they would do anything for him.

With the other demons and Alastor were occupied with other matters, the Hunters have been given order to scout Ceadric and to report back to Alastor if anything happened. As one of the two last standing countries along with Oros who were openly against Valhalla’s position regarding the demons, a war against Ceadric would be imminent. However, that didn’t mean that Alastor would just rain down death upon them. With his own power, Ragna’s force and Valhalla’s military strength, defeating a country such as Ceadric should not pose a problem.

Yet, it was not what Alastor wanted. If obtaining peace meant killing all those who did not share his ideas, then could it still be called peace? But how would you change the idea of an entire country with so much hate in them? Unlike Zagon who had only minor issues or Malatas who didn’t really have a choice in the matter, Ceadric was the closest country to Ragna and always the first one to attack them, creating a long history of grudge and animosity between the two. While the demon lord has known king Charles a bit after their short stay for being a peaceful leader who should not have a problem with a truce, the truth of the matter was that the situation was forced upon Charles, denying him of all choices but to go to war.

It was then that Alastor remembered the boy he helped train back when he was studying in Helios. Not just normal training but Alastor has also given him a large portion of mana to forcefully boost the boy’s mana pool. This allowed Edward to be able to progress that fast in such a short amount of time, in opposite to people like headmaster Ganon who had to spend years and years to do what Alastor did to the boy in a few days. Such a person would surely climb the stairs of fame and power to work by the king’ side, or at the very least someone with a relatively powerful position in the court. Especially during this difficult time, they would try to recruit anyone with power in order to prepare for the war and Edward would certainly not be able to be overlooked by the experienced eyes of Ganon. However, that boy, no matter how powerful he was, could be said to be quite gullible, not that it was a bad thing, considering how this world did not require any more evilness and deceits than it already had. Still, Edward needed guidance, someone who would be able to show him what he must do to if not stop the war then limit the casualties as much as possible before the scars became too deep to heal. That was Maria and the Hunters’ main mission at Ceadric, to assist Edward in changing the country from within.

“That was a bit …violent, don’t you think so, milady?” Scarlet commented on Maria’s behaviour toward young Edward from earlier.

“That was an awakening call for him. We are not here to babysit the young noble. At some point, someone has to make him understand that he has much more responsibility than he thought. After all, his decisions will one day shape the history course of his country. Or at least that’s what Alastor has in mind for him.” Answered Maria.

“Lucky for him, we knew both him and his maid from our surveillance on Alastor last time we were here.” Said Scarlet.

“Yeah! For now, we must help him gaining more reputation. If news spread that he is the one destroying this cult, the boy will have a much heavier opinion and respect in the court. The world of politics is a frightening world. Like a maelstrom, it will suck anyone not able to resist it. We must strengthen the boy, set him straight to prepare him for that. After all, he is going to learn it through the hard way anyway. Might as well let him getting used to it.”

“I agree. But aside from that matter, what do you think that shadow was? The one that attacked Edward?” inquired Scarlet.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to make out of it. The thing didn’t seem like any race I have seen. Its mere presence sent shivers to my spine. If I am not confident about my own immortality, I would have run rather than confront it. Send words to the others as well to avoid fighting it alone! If you encounter it by yourself, run! This thing is able to neutralize magic from a Deus mage, not something you can see every day. Unless you are Alastor, I don’t see anyone else capable of such a thing….Let’s just hope that this thing won’t get in our way!”

* * *

Back to the coast of Ragna

*poke*

“Hum…?”

*poke poke*

“Wh…what happened?” a low voice muttered.

*poke poke poke*

“STOP IT!” the voice roared in anger. Something has been poking its nose for a while now, making it incredibly itchy and uncomfortable. Using its forelegs, the creature that has been lying on the beach sand began to push up, revealing its enormous mass.

“AAAAAA the monster is awake! Run!” two children, upon seeing the thing opening its big round eyes, ran away as fast as they could with their little legs and hid behind the beastman Naberius who was holding his axe, preparing for a battle stance.

“Who are you calling monster, little brat?” the dragon groaned. Interestingly, it had a female voice and somewhat quite young judging from its tender tone which was completely the opposite of what one might think of when facing such a ferocious looking creature. “Where am I? Who are you people? AND WHERE ARE THEY?”

“Calm down dragon! You are scaring the kids!” a boy spoke collectedly, unfazed by the appearance of the beast. Perhaps it was because he was used to a much more frightening dragon living inside him or perhaps he has seen much scarier and weirder things in this world to be daunted by something like this.

Hearing the youthful voice, the sea dragon looked around to find the source of the voice, only to realize it came from the tiny being right underneath its long neck. “So why are you not afraid? Aren’t you a kid yourself?” she asked.

“Believe me, milady, I am no normal kid you see every day!” Alastor grinned.

“You call me a lady? That’s quite courteous of you. Most people would just run away and label me as monster if they ever see me coming.”

“Your voice kind of gives that away anyway. Furthermore, there is something about your eyes that tell me you are not a beast, something that suggests femininity.

By none of that really matters. May I ask why did you come to this island?” inquired the boy.

“…Why do you want to know?”

“Well, I am sure a dragon must have a very important reason to come all this way to the demon continent, wouldn’t you think so?”

“What? Demon continent? Am I Ragna? ….Damn it, I was so focused on pursuing them that I didn’t even pay attention to where I was heading….” The dragon muttered to herself. “…Does that mean you are all demons?”

“Some of us are, some are not.” Naberius replied, lowering his axe to show his good will. Still, the presences of demons have put the dragon a bit on edge, which was a natural reaction one would suppose.

“I don’t want any trouble with Ragna. Even though, I am a dragon, I am no longer affiliated with the dragon council or anyone in Oros so you have nothing to fear from me. I will just get my thing and will depart right away after that.”

“Hmm…may I ask what is this ‘thing’ you are looking for? Is this related to the boat you destroyed?” Alastor pointed out the debris laying everywhere on the beach. However, in addition to these debris, he has also found traces of footprints leading to the inner part of Ragna. It was highly possible that the persons who were on that boat survived, or at least some of them did, and have gone on land after their unfortunate attack. But judging from what the dragon just said, it seemed there was more to the story than just a simple attack.

“Look, I don’t have any obligation to tell you or anyone about my reasons being here. As I said, I don’t want any trouble so just ignore me and look the other way!”

“I am only trying to help. At the moment, demons are trying to reconcile with all the other races. Take this as a gesture of our good will to help someone in need!” Alastor spoke.

“So I have heard. But like I said, I have no interest in the world politics nor do I have anything against demons. I just want to get back what is stolen from me.”

“Then tell us what it is!”

“….No!” the dragon reluctantly denied Alastor’s request to help.

“You are a sea dragon, right? Does that mean your moonstone was stolen?” the slime suddenly joined the conversation and pointed out a crucial detail that sent the dragon dismayed.

“How??? How do you know about that?” the beast uttered in shock. She didn’t expect anyone to know her secret that easily.

“It’s not that much of a secret. All sea dragons are given a moonstone at their ceremony of coming of age. It is said that those stones are very rare, imbued with incredible power. That’s why many greedy adventurers and hunters have been hunting down the sea dragons, driving them to near extinction all because of those stones.

If you are that willing to go somewhere you don’t even know just to get something back, my guess is your moonstone has been stolen and you are pursuing the ones who took it before ending up in this place. Am I right?” With a smug expression, the slime has broken the composure the dragon has been trying so hard to maintain.

“…You are right.” The dragon confessed. “It’s true that my moonstone has been stolen by a group of dragon hunters. However, now that they have fled into land, it’s difficult for me to take it back.”

“Why is that? Don’t you have wings to fly?” asked Alastor.

“Sea dragons can’t stay out of the water for too long. Since Ragna is a large continent and I have no idea where they have gone, there is no way I can find them now.”

“I see…then you need someone else to find it back for you, don’t you? I can do that.” The demon lord volunteered.

“And why would you do that? Why not just take the stone for yourself?” inquired the dragon. “Just so you know, helping me is not going to improve your relationship with the dragon council as I have already severed all ties with them.”

“I have no interest in this stone of yours, dragon. The reason I want to help you is so that you can help me back later in another matter that I am sure will be easy for you.”

“And what is this ‘favour’ you are speaking of?”

“Help me get to Oros in the fastest way possible! In return for your stone. A fair deal, don’t you think?” Alastor proposed.  Instead of trying to convince her that he was doing this out of good will, it was much easier to convince someone else that you were doing this with a motive. That way, it would be much less suspicious than a strange claiming to want to help others at their first meeting.

“…I guess it’s fair. But how do you intend to find those thieves? Not only do they have a few high ranks adventurers, I have no idea where they went ever since I sank their boat last night. I tried to get on land for a short time to search for them but without my stone, I can’t stay for long. That’s why I ended up wandering the coast, starving….” The belly of the dragon groaned out loud, creating an awkward moment of embarrassment as the dragon tried to pretend it was something else or to change the subject.

“So that’s how you end up taking the bait I set out….So much for a proud dragon to be lured in by food for fishes….” The slime muttered.

“Hey! I was starving okay? A beggar doesn’t get to choose. And who are you anyway? How can you help me?”

“I am Alastor Magnolia, prince of Valhalla. Together with Melia and Dan here, we are here as part of an agreement to ease the tension between the two countries. As for these two, here is Naberius and Azureus, two of the demon royal guards.

What about you, milady?”

“My name is Abalone of the sea dragon’s clan…or whatever it is left of it. Since you are high ranked demons, I suppose it will make things easier. But still, how do you intend to find them?”

“You don’t have worry about that miss Abalone.” Alastor reassured. “If they are on this continent, then their fate is already sealed.”