It was the summer of 1961. Minoru sat on his bed as he read a children's book that his dad gave him after he returned home last week, an occasion that rarely happens. Although significantly simplified in its wording, the book was still a challenge for a six-year-old who has just barely started learning how to read. He skimmed through it, only looking at the pictures in the pages because he had given up on reading those fancy words in them.

Pieces by pieces, he connected everything he saw from the book and created his own story inside of his mind, regardless if it's true to the actual plot or not. In his imaginary world, he saw the story of a lonely dragon, always sleeping in his castle and sometimes coming out to play with his only friend, a beautiful girl in a pretty dress. Until one day, a horrible person covered in metal clothing came and took the dragon's life away and kidnapped his only friend.

Minoru threw the book onto his bed. He was frustrated by its ending, the same ending that he created for himself. Tick, tick, the clock in his room slowly turning as he waited for his mom to finish cooking their lunch. He can even recognize them from here, the aroma of chicken and the slight sizzling sound of the frying oil. He guessed that mom is making Karaage, both his and his father's favorite food.

He placed his hands on the window frame, looking into the sky to kill time and ease his craze for fried chicken. Today, the sky is clear, as if the cloud is too shy to block the shine from the majestic sun. He is always looking forward to the summer's sunshine; it's one of his favorite things. It was always so bright and elegant, bringing the feeling of comfort to his mind. While watching the sun smile at him, he noticed something in the sky, flying through the air like a bird, but it was a lot bigger than one.

Knock! Knock!

He turned around and saw his dad knocking his hand onto the already opened door.

"Dinner is ready, Minoru. Your mother made your favorite dish today. So come down quick before the chicken gets soggy."

"One minute, papa, I think I saw something strange in the sky. It could be a dragon!"

"A dragon? Oh, let me see it too."

His dad walked to his bed and sat down with him. He raised his head into the sky and followed Minoru's finger.

"What is it, papa? Is it a dragon? It's too big to be a bird, so it must be, right?"

His dad didn't answer his question; he just kept looking at the thing in his view. What he saw was entirely different from what Minoru was imagining. The thing that was flying was not a bird or a dragon but a Japanese military aircraft. He continued watching it until it completely vanished into the blue sky. At that point, he finally turned back to his son, whose eyes were filled with eagerness as Minoru waited for the answer from the person who he thought always knew everything in the world.

"What was it, papa?"

"Oh, your guess was correct, Minoru. It was a dragon!"

"A dragon?!? Like the one in this book?"

"Yes, Just like in this book, and I heard that if you see one, you get one wish!" he said while swinging his arms to the side to make it seem like a big deal.

"A wish?!?"

"Uh, but you have to be quick. Otherwise, the wish will lose its effect."

"Ah…um"

Minoru scratched his head as he tried his best to think of something worthwhile for this precious wish. He at first wanted a bike like one of the kids living opposite to their home, but he didn't know how to ride one, so he immediately discarded that. He then thought of wishing for mochi cake, but his mom promised him that she would buy him some if he were obedient. After a minute of heavy thinking, Satoru's face lit up like he just saw candy and proudly told his wish to his dad.

"I wish for papa to return home more often!"

His dad froze when he heard the wholesome words from his son, but before he could say anything, his son had already taken the opportunity and asked him back.

"And what do you wish for, papa? You saw it, so you must also be given a wish, too, right?"

"My wish?"

"Yes!"

His father looked at him for a few seconds, he couldn't tell what his father was thinking, but he could see the sadness in his eyes.

"My wish is…."

"Hey, little one. Are you alright?"

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The growling voice of the beast brings him back to reality. He is completely frozen in place, looking at the thing with confusion and fear. He knows that dragons don't exist as he already lived past his father's lie. Yet, the being in front of him strikes an uncanny resemblance to the dragon he saw in that children's book.

"Can you hear me?"

He can hear the dragon's voice, yet it doesn't seem to be even moving its mouth. The dragon stares at him, its eyes sparkle with not only interest but something much more. It bends down, lowering its head onto the same level as Satoru while still maintaining eye contact.

"I know you can hear me."

Instead of coming from the mouth, its voice somehow sounds like it's right inside of Minoru's head. 'How is that even possible?' Is what he thinks. The dragon grins like it knows what he is thinking.

"You are confused, aren't you? It's alright; creatures like you never get to experience something like this after all". The dragon is inching toward him.

"I'm talking to you with power. I know what exactly you're thinking. Now, please reply to my question. Can you hear me?"

"Can you understand my thoughts?"

He didn't intend to say that. It's just his mind responding to that question instinctively. He looks back to the dragon; it seems strange, almost happy to have received that answer.

"I do."

It continues to move toward him, crawling its heavy body like a gecko, and stops just two meters away from him. It's now a lot closer than before, and at this distance, he can see how truly massive it truly is compared to him. He steps back, trying to gain as much space between them as possible, moving and moving until he finds his back pressing against the wall. The dragon doesn't move this time. However, it is just standing there looking at him. He has his escape route right behind him, and if he is quick, he should be able to get out before it can even get to him.

"I know you're afraid, but don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to talk"

"What? Talk?" He let out a stray thought out of confusion.

"Yes, I want to talk. That's all."

Minoru has no idea what the hell is going on. All the time in this cave, this is the first time he encounters another being that has something remotely close to sentience, a being that he can communicate with, and the first thing he should do is running away?

Even if he is still unsure, he knows this is too much of a gamble for him to believe this thing. So, trusting his instinct, he high-tailed his way to the crack and got out of there. But, the very moment he puts his head back into the gap, he is met with a sight that makes him stop right in his tracks. On the other side are a bunch of blood craving red eyes looking straight at him, but none of them seem to be anywhere near the crack.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. Those lowly creatures will tear you to shred the moment you step out there. You are safe; they won't dare come in knowing that I'm in here". The dragon said

He is stuck between a rock and a boulder now. No matter where he goes, there will be danger regardless. But here, he at least has a chance for negotiation. He looks at his wound, which is still healing and is not even halfway there; he finally realizes that he has no choice.

"How do I know if you are telling the truth?" He asks

Minoru knows he shouldn't do this, and he knows not to try to interact with something this dangerous. But, the human's part in him wants to do it; it's begging him to reach out for something to socialize.

"I have no reason to lie to you. But if you still don't believe, you could try coming closer and see it for yourself."

"And let you consume me? I'm not an idiot."

"Such a cautious one, you are. Fine, try throwing a pebble at me. It will show you everything."

He doesn't understand what good would a pebble do in this situation, and it might make things even worse. Yet, Minoru somehow has a sinking feeling in his stomach, something that he can't explain. Now that he thinks about it, how did this dragon get in here? The place is completely sealed, with the only thing that can lead to the outside is the small crack where he came from, and this thing doesn't seem to be hostile like the other creatures in here. Instead, it radiates a feeling of joy in its eyes, like it's happy to see him. He grows back his right arm, picks up a small pebble and throws it at the dragon, praying that his feeling is right.

Clack

The pebble bounces back at him before it can even hit the dragon. He looks at the pebble, then immediately back to the dragon, still surrounded by a wall of blue light slowly fading away from his view.

"What the hell?" He said it out of shock

The dragon stands up and stretches its right hand toward him, and immediately stops in its tracks by that wall of light.

"As you can see, I'm trapped in this prison. I can't even touch you from here. So rest your mind, I only want to chat."

A dragon imprisoned in a cave is the last thing that he would expect. What is in front of him has now changed, no longer filled with the feeling of danger and fear. But instead, hopelessness, and for a split moment, he can somehow sympathize with the dragon, knowing that they're both prisoners of this cave, but its condition is much worse than his, even then he says to himself to not let his guard down.

"So, all you want is to talk?"

"Yes," The dragon reply with joy in his voice

"Then tell me, what are you?"

The dragon pauses for a bit like it's taking in the question with absolute interest. It then looks back at Minoru and smirks.

"Oh, I was such a dummy. I haven't introduced myself yet."

It stands up fully and stretches out its massive wings. The look of it now is that of an imposing figure, way too different from just five seconds ago.

"I'm Astalos, The Dragon of Thunder"

Minoru can now even feel Astalos's presence from outside of his prison. Powerful, vicious, and larger than life are what it is radiating. This moment is when Minoru realizes he isn't looking at a creature but instead a force of nature.

"That was my introduction. What about yours?"

"Huh, me?"

"Yes, I know you are different from others slime; I can feel it. So please introduce yourself. I'm eager to know."

"Oh, right. My name is Iwasaki Minoru, and I'm a human if you know what a human is"

"A human? But aren't you a slime? Are you perhaps one of those people that got cursed?"

"Cursed? I thought I'm here because I died. Is that a curse?"

" I also never heard about a curse that turns someone into a slime, much less after death. Could it be you are one of those people from another world?"

A shocking revelation bestowed onto him so suddenly. What does he mean by "The other world" and "Those people"? Is there something more, a bigger picture that he doesn't know?

"People? You mean there are others like me?"