[18 years ago..]

Ten ran as fast as he possibly could. His clothes had been ripped to shreads. The white shirt he wore was stained with blood completely changing its colour. He stepped on the cold snow on bare feet, his feet sunk deeper and deeper the more he walked. The cold generated by the snow made it impossible to even feel his feet, they had gone numb.

His breath was sporadic as he darted left then right in a panic.

"Lianne!!" He shouted, desperately.

He got nothing in response, only the feint sound of his own echo. He yelled Lianne's name for hours before finally he stumbled to his knees. Tears dripped down his cheeks. He screamed as the feeling of hopelessness firmly gripped his heart. He smashed his own skull against the snow repeatedly, so much so the snow was also now being decorated in Ten's blood.

"Idiot! Why didn't you do anything!" He yelled at himself, cursing all sort of words as he did. His eyes looked around once more and only then did the reality of his situation sink in his mind.

The houses of the village had be reduced to rubble. Numerous corpses had the village houses collapse on them, they had been completely crushed under their weight.

Many children were left laying there without heads. The smell of corpses forced him to puke. It suffocated his lungs under its toxic scent. The entire village was reduced to nothing, everyone was dead.

Ten dragged himself around the village with the feint hope that someone was still alive. That hope didn't last long as he soon realized.

He truly was alone.

His stomach grumbled in hunger, it had been days since he ate anything. The snow had intensified and was now a raging blizzard, how he survived through all those conditions was a mystery even to him.

"No one's here, there's no reason why I should keep living. I should just kill myself. I will die sooner or later anyway. Lianne will be better off without a coward like me as a brother," he mumbled many suicidal thoughts like this and had convinced himself that his own life was meaningless.

He wondered around, searching for something he could use to give himself a swift death. That's when he found it, barried in the snow was a small dagger. Ten smiled upon its discovery, finally he could end it all. This hellish life would finally end.

He dragged himself and crawled towards the blade. He dug it out of the snow. Luckily the dagger was still in perfect condition.

Ten coughed and coughed, he had been exposed to the elements for so long, he started to develop a disease. His eyes were blurred at that point, it was shear luck that he even found the dagger

Ten held up the blade against his throat ready to do the deed. His hands trembled and his sweat dripped off the blade. It was no use his hands just couldn't settle down. He threw the dagger in a fit of rage.

"Coward You can't even kill yourself! Why are you such a coward!" Ten's tears fell as he smashed the ground repeatedly with his skull.

"Meoww!!!"

The sound reached Ten's ears. He raised his head and he saw it. A beast, a black beast the size of a cat. He had never seen it before.

His stomach grumbled at the sight, he had found his meal. He dragged himself towards the beast but everytime he got closer, the beast got further and further away.

"Come here you bastard!"

Ten grabbed his dagger again and he threatened to throw it at the little beast. The creature turned and away and began to run.

Even in his condition, Ten was willing to burn every ounce of energy he had to chase after the beast. He chased it for minutes on end before finally he cornered the beast.

The beast had found a dead end after one of the collapsed buildings blocked its path.

Cautiously Ten approached his target, his stomach urged him foward with each step he took. Its sound an encouragement to keep walking.

Finally he raised his blade ready to strike.

"Meow!!" The cat looked at him with eyes of pity and sadness. Its tears on the brink of falling out. Ten's resolve wavered before he fell on his knees. He dropped his blade.

"What am I doing? Have I gone insane?" he laughed to himself, his voice sounded broken and defeated.

He looked at the cat once again.

"Get out of here, you can go"

Ten sat up and curled himself burying his head on top of his knees

"Meow!!"

The creature leaned against Ten. It's warmth prompted Ten to look at it once more.

"Don't you get it? You can go, why don't you just go?"

The beast continued to rub its head against Trey's arms before it curled up and set next to him.

"You want to stay? You really want to stay?"

"Meow!!" The beast responded, as it got comfortable next Ten.

Ten's eyes got watery, and he picked up the cat placing it on his knees.

"Will you become my friend?"

"Meow!!"

Ten's eyes leaked tears as he unleashed a wide smile. He did his best to wipe the snot on his nose, caused by the chilling frost and his own tears.

"I'll call you Perry, Perry please stay with me. I don't want to be alone. I'm scared, I'm so scared"

"Meow!!" The beast relaxed and it slept peaceful on Ten's lap.

Ten smiled, as he also began to fall asleep.

Unbeknownst to him, at that very moment a red mark was drawn around the back of his palm. It only glowed for a second before dying out.

As the snow continued to fall, Perry and Ten embraced each other. Their warmth pushing each other to keep living, even if it's just one more day.

[Present day]

Ten and Perry stood face to face with Krey's Guardian.

Perry's form was big enough that it matched the guardian. Its figure was consumed by black fur. Its gigantic paws dug deep into the surface. The whiskers on its face were quite lengthy and its eyes maintained a red glow.

"I've lost far too much, never again! I won't let anyone else die infront of me!" Ten's lips trembled as he spoke.

Even though his knees were very unstable Ten was resolved not to back down. This time he was going to fight.

The Guardian was enraged, its claws grew in size as red mana cloaked its figure. In a swift flap of its wings the guardian launched itself foward.

Blood continued to drip from its missing leg but even so it was determined to keep moving. Even though the Guardian only had three limbs now, its menacing aura still remained.

Its front claws released a beautiful crimson shine before they got engulfed by the burning blaze. In a swift motion the Guardian used its front limbs to release a powerful slash made of condensed flames amplified by mana.

The slash approached Ten and Perry at insane speeds but without Ten even saying a word Perry moved on his own. Its own figure was consumed by red mana it dug its foot into the surface and uprooted giant boulders. It layered them with Mana before it propelled them one by one towards the incoming attack.

Both attacks collided with each other and dust looked to settle within the area.

Perry didn't allow it to settle, its figure escaped the dust in a mad dash. It came from the Guardian's left side. Its giant mouth open allowing saliva to escape. A black glow surrounded its jaggered teeth before, a blast exited its mouth.

The blast took the form of Perry's mouth, it looked like pure black aura that seeked to devour the the Guardian.

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The Guardian looked to swerve our of the way but it's missing limb slowed its reaction time. This allowed for Perry's attack to make contact with large sections of its unprotected stomach and chest.

The Guardian roared in agony expressing its pain.

Perry wasn't going to allow the Guardian to recover. Almost instantly after its attack made contact it continued on the offensive. It charged towards the Guardian looking to finish the job.

Perry's charge was put on hold when the Guardian's mouth sprang open. From the bottomless abyss of its mouth a faint orange light could be seen before in seconds it grew to a black orb of fire. The orb was sent towards Perry looking to consume its figure instantly reducing it to ashes.

"Perry watch out' Ten shouted.

Responding to Ten's voice Perry was able to throw itself to the sides allowing the flames to narrowly miss it. Even though the flames missed, their scorching trail towards Perry lingered in their wake.

The flames continued to burn on solid ground with no intention of stopping. The temperature suddenly skyrocketed, and both Perry and Trey could feel the intense heat produced by the fire.

"What's with this heat? Are dragon flames really this powerful?" Ten was sweating buckets.

He was also breathing heavily the heat and smoke that started to burn made it difficult to find fresh air.

The ground slowly began to crumble instead of dying out, the flames intensified.

The Guardian flapped its wings and took to the skies. From above it looked down on the creatures below it.

"Perry don't let it shoot its flames, that thing will kill us!" Ten shouted desperately.

He began to cough blood and the mark behind his palm started to burn.

"Damn it! not now.."

As the Guardian's mouth began to open Perry launched itself to the sky in a powerful leap. Its figure opened wide and It wrapped itself around the Guardian preventing it from opening its mouth. Perry's form was also massive enough to wrap around the Guardian's wings.

The Guardian struggled to break free as it tried to shake Perry off. Perry refused to let go, instead it dug its teeth into the Guardian's throat. It snapped its jaws before ripping out a massive chunk of the Guardian's skin causing it to bleed.

As Perry consumed the Guardian's flesh, its body grew more and more massive and its form around the dragon became tighter.

Both creatures descended from the sky and crashed to the ground.

The dust cleared cleared and Perry still maintained a dominant position. It looked to bite the Guardian again but the Guardin bit first.

Its teeth were still incredibly hot, they melted Perry's skin and dug deep into its skin. Perry cried out I pain and its size decreased everytime it lost blood.

Ten who was subjected to the same pain as Perry also screamed. He crumbled to his knees.

The Guardian broke free from Perry and it towed over its figure ready to strike the decisive blow.

Ten would feel a breeze blast past his ear, the projectile continued forth and it found its bulls eye at the Guardian's left eye.

The guardian cried out in pain.

Ten turned around only to meet the figure of Jerry.

"I don't know what's wrong with me but my consciousness keeps eating me to pieces. I'm the one who gave you guys this quest, it's my responsibility to see it through to the end."

Jerry's knees trembled as he spoke.

Ten smiled, "I knew you'd come back!"

"Now's not the time to relax! Let's finish this!"

Ten got back to his feet.

As he watched the dragon cry out painfully, Ten couldn't help but wonder what drove it so far. Why would it fight so hard to defend a human City to the point it risked its own life? It didn't make sense to him, so he wanted to hear it from the Guardian itself.

"This is probably insane, but.."

Ten said, before he launched himself towards the Guardian.

"Here goes nothing!!" Ten yelled, as he got closer and closer with every step.

The mark on his hand continued to burn but Ten didn't stop. He continued to stomp foward before he launched himself to the sky.

His body descended on the guardian and Ten landed on its head. He placed his palms on its head before shouting.

"Forceful Contract!!"

A glowing light consumed both Ten and the Guardian almost instantly.

A few moments later Ten found himself inside a dark abyss.

"What brings you inside my consciousness human?" Its voice echoed.

The Guardian's body was massive, more than twice as large as its regular body. It towered Ten as they both stood in some sort of black abyss. It was a location similar to space itself just a pitch black void.

"I'm here to strike a deal with you Guardian how about we make a contract!" Ten had a confident gaze as he spoke. He knew full well while they were in that space, the Guardian could not hurt him.

"A deal you say? Why would I make a deal with a human? I admit you guys are quite strong you remind me of that human who came here a few days ago, that one though was an individual much stronger than you"

A human who managed to get past the Guardian? Ten's mind couldn't even try to guess who it was, which is why he chose to address the Guardian's questions instead.

"If we continue fighting like this, one of us will die. Even if there's a winner I doubt they'll live very long after the battle. I suggest that we stop fighting and make a contract instead, it's beneficial for us both"

The Guardian was quiet for a few seconds, almost gathering its thoughts. And then it spoke.

"You make a valid point, I hate to admit but you humans have caused me more trouble than I expected. Unfortunately though I can't make a contract with you since I've already been imprisoned by another human inside the city, she's the one who forced a contract on me." The Guardian explained his situation.

"A human capable of placing you on a forced contract? I tried that a minute ago but you're too strong for me, which is why we're negotiating right now. You're too wild to tame" Ten paused, seemingly thinking long and hard.

"Tell me Guardian what drives you? why do you fight so hard? Is it to serve the one who imprisoned you?" Ten finally asked a question that's been lingering on his mind.

"My name is not Guardian, I am Kyros the first Prince of Dragons. The reason I fight is simple, to earn my freedom and one day find my father. The king."

Ten was stunned, to think he was talking to a prince of the Dragons, now Kyros's strength made sense.

"What do u mean by earn your freedom?"

"The one who has placed the contract on me, promised me they would release me after I serve them and defend the barrier for at least 200 years, only then will they allow me to continue my search."

"And you believed them? Let's be real here Kyros they won't let you go untill you die. Why do you think they haven't come to your rescue despite your injuries? They don't care about you if you die. I'm different though."

Kyros was quiet as he contemplated Ten's words.

Ten interrupted his thoughts with another question "Why are you searching for your father? What happened?"

Kyros's mind went back to that fateful day, he decided to tell Ten the story since he trusted him somewhat.

[Hundreds of Years ago...]

[Location: Dragonia - Birthplace of the Dragons]

The Dragon's birth place was a land very accustomed to war. The ground itself was barely holding itself together and flames could be seen all over the land. The scorching heat would be unbearable for even the strongest of magicians.

A magician was In Dragonia despite the conditions. It was a female magician. Their figure was cloaked in darkness.

"I have to come to take the dragons and make them a part of my army Draco." The magician spoke.

Draco was the father of Kyros and King of all Dragons. His menacing form stood infront of the human, unwavering.

"Do you really think, I'll allow you to enslave my people Diana?"

Diana laughed, "You don't get it Draco, I don't need your permission to do anything. Because I'm strong."

Flames came to life around her staff.

"Don't make me kill any more dragons than necessary, old friend." Diana pleaded.

Diana had slayed more than a thousands dragons and all their corpses were littered in Dragonia. She alone, reduced the Dragon population by more than Sixty Percent.

"I won't allow you to kill any more of my people Diana, I will kill you myself!"

Diana laughed, "have it your way Draco."

The two were locked in a fierce battle that lasted three days and three nights. Ultimately the winner was decided.

"Please spare the young ones, Diana I beg of you!" Draco's body which had mostly been burnt to a crisp groveled infront of her.

Diana paused for a long minute, "I guess that's fine but only because it's you Draco. All the older Dragons will be coming with me. I need your eternal flame for something. They say a Dragon's flame is eternal, it burns like the sun and never loses its spark. Considering I've faced all the strongest dragons there are, I've confirmed this to be true. I will let them go but all the elders are coming with me"

Kyros was forced to watch as his father begged for mercy, he was also forced to watch many of his older brothers and sisters got enslaved by Diana.

"Why father, i can fight. We mustn't submit to her!! Where's your pride as the King of All Dragons!!" Kyros screamed.

"One day you will understand my son and for that you have to live." Those were the last words Kyros ever heard from his father.

[Present Day]

"After I tried to chase after my father, I found my self captured. I've been here for so many years I don't even know if I can see my father again."

"Did you just say Diana? There's only one Diana capable of something like that. They call her the goddess of flames. One of the 4 great family leaders. She's the strongest mage in existence"

"I am aware of all of those things, but even then its my responsibility as a prince to fight for my people, I will avenge my father and free all the enslaved dragons. If that means I die, so be it."

"I understand how you feel, I know what it's like to chase after someone you love. I'll help you break the seal Kyros, with my mana and yours our combined energy should break the contract and allow us to create a new one. I'll lend you my strength and help you free your people, you lend me your strength and help me rescue my sister."

"Very well, human I shall accept your offer."

"Not human, just Ten"

"Very well Ten, my power shall be yours"

The two would make contact before being consumed by a blinding light once more.

Ten found himself back to reality, he stood on top of kyros and he had successfully created a new contract.

He looked on and saw that both Trey and Akira were awake but visibly weak.

"Hey guys, Kyros my friend here. Says he'll take us to the top and help us bypass the barrier!" Ten waved as he yelled.

"My head is a mess, are you sure that potion you gave us worked, I feel really weak" Trey said.

"It's not the best potion but it will have to do, we have to enter Krey at all cost." Jerry responded.

'Is it just me or does Ten sitting on a dragon seem kind of cool?" Akira asked.

What she didn't notice was that even after drinking potion, a purple mark persisted on her left arm. Her skin was changing.

"Me and you have different definitions of cool" Trey responded.

They all managed to get on top of Kyros and Kyros flapped its wings violently and ascended to the top.

From a bird's eye view, everyone got a clear view of Krey it was stunning.

"How will we get past the barrier?" Ten asked.

"By using a dragon's eternal flame." Kyros responded.

From his mouth Kyros shot an orb of fire through the barrier. Dragon flames did its thing and a hole formed after the barrier melted.

"The barrier has a strong regenerative propert, my flames are still much weaker than a fully grown dragon. I fear they may not weaken the barrier for long. We must hurry." Kyros said.

"That's more than enough" Ten said, with a cheeky smile.

Kyros descended and finally they penetrated the city of Krey.

[Location:Krey]

[Inside the White Temple]

A woman felt blood trickle down her nose, "Damn it! Who in the world broke the contract?" She wiped the blood that also trickled from her mouth "Kyros will play for betraying me! Imust inform her majesty!"

The woman marched foward in the flawless White Temple. She pushed open a big white door where she saw the Queen speaking to individuals dressed on black.

"You have to find her right now!"

The three soldiers were dismissed before she turned her attention to the new arrival.

"What do you want? I'm a little busy at the moment!" She said, in annoyance.

"I'm sorry to disturb your Grace but something awful has happened, I can tell you right now. Kyros has betrayed us and that intruders have infiltrated the city of Krey."

The Queen simply stood there, her emotions hidden.