The grassland stretched out before me like a never-ending quilt of green, with a neat row of trees standing guard beyond a river that flowed just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Ah, the breeze! Mmm, could you feel it? That gentle caress, so refreshing it could tickle one’s very soul. The water, too, flowed with the sort of serenity that made one want to sigh contentedly.

But, as always, there was one teensy-weensy detail missing from my dream: a single sign of life, other than me and Lotte. The river flowed, yet not a fish in sight to ripple its surface. The air blew, but not a bird to be seen hitching a ride. And the trees—there was something off about them too. Never once had I witnessed them grow even the tiniest bit. Odd, yet utterly normal in the peculiar little world of my dreams.

Today, though, there was something else that stood out like a sore thumb. A giant... metal... sapling, if one could call it that. Its body was obsidian, gleaming, cut at strange angles yet somehow still maintaining a sort of wonky symmetry. From the perch I had on Lotte’s back, it did initially look like a sapling, albeit a very peculiar one.

But I would be honest—it wasn’t a sapling, now was it? The numerous blades of black metal, masquerading as leaves, looked sharp enough to give a razor a complex. A red dot of light blinked on one of the blades I was eyeing, only to vanish in a flash. I spotted more of those blinks across its odd, angular body.

How bizarre.

Utterly bizarre.

"You are aware, I presume, that evasion of the truth is but a fleeting endeavor. Diversions serve merely as ephemeral sanctuaries for the mind," Lotte’s voice echoed in my thoughts.

“What on earth are you prattling on about, Lotte? I’m not dodging any truth! I took your words at face value, didn’t I? No point mulling it over now, so no questions, thank you very much!” Running from the truth? Me? Never!

Now, back to this rather captivating metallic sapling. What a marvellous sapling it was! Heh!

"Jade, love, I fully comprehend your need to assimilate the magnitude of what lies before you, but I implore you to trust me—this moment is ill-suited for such contemplations."

That was the last straw for my fragile calm.

"THEN JUST TELL ME THE BLOODY TRUTH!" I bellowed at Lotte.

All I got in response was a weary sigh echoing in my mind. "You know I can’t."

Of course, I knew. I’d always known. My life had been one big, bizarre riddle from the start. A body that couldn’t hold a drop of magic, the lone beast-kin in a city teeming with humans, and these disturbingly vivid dreams that felt more real than reality. And then there was Lotte, herself.

So much strangeness, yet it all added up to nothing sensible.

Lotte had the answers, but she was stingy with them. She’d often say that some knowledge was too dangerous to be known. If I happened to stumble upon a piece of such forbidden fruit, all sorts of magic might lead the seekers straight to me. Divination pathways, as I knew them, were the worst culprits. But that was the extent of what I understood.

Maybe Lotte knew more. Maybe she grasped why this knowledge was so perilous.

But in that moment, even with all my supposed understanding, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d been lied to my entire life.

"You could’ve told me sooner," I muttered, "given me time to process all this…"

"The truth is already within you, Jade. Could you have possibly accepted it if I had revealed that beneath the guise of humanity, you were naught but a creature of a far more sinister nature?"

I wouldn’t have. Who in their right mind would? Even if it was Lotte saying it. I’d been sceptical enough when she’d first hinted that my life was about to do a complete somersault.

Hah! I let out a sigh as I flopped onto the grass. Half beastie? Heh.. I was a full-blown monster. Funny thing, though, I felt oddly detached about it, like it wasn’t even my problem. Perhaps I just wanted answers for the sheer sake of it, not that I actually fancied knowing why I’d spent my life as some half-and-half creature with a supposed enchantment that shattered a while ago.

An enchantment! That’s all my half-human side ever was—just a bit of magic. Nothing more.

I’d need a considerable amount of time to wrap my head around all this. But, on the bright side, at least I could switch back to my human form if I so wished! All I needed was an unknown amount of mana.

….

Yeah…

Perhaps it was best to shelve this particular conundrum for now and focus on more pressing matters—the questions that had been bugging me earlier.

I stood up, gave Lotte a pointed look, and hmphed! Yes, she totally deserved that!

"Lotte, do you think there's something peculiar going on with my noggin?" I ventured, rather pleased with my own inquisitive flair.

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"Could you be a touch more specific?" she replied with that calm pragmatism she always wielded.

"Well, I feel... different. And not just in the obvious, 'I've sprouted scales and wings' kind of way. Physically, that’s a given. But up here," I tapped my temple dramatically, "that’s where things get truly odd."

I've always had a sharp eye for behavioural shifts in others, so when something went askew in my own head, naturally, I took notice. "Curiosity—it’s like it’s been cranked up to eleven. Ever since I morphed into this dragon-esque version of myself, I’ve been buzzing with this manic energy. Sitting still seems utterly unbearable. I want to explore everything, catalogue every detail, make sense of it all, even if it means landing in a spot of trouble. This drive to know, it’s relentless, Lotte."

I paused for a moment. "Maybe that’s why I was so desperate to uncover the truth, so much so that I snapped at you." I threw a glance her way, well, I was still feeling a bit prickly. "And you know what? I’m not even sorry! Hmph!"

Lotte was listening intently, bless her. But I realised I hadn't quite posed an actual question—what I was really after was some semblance of normality, because this much curiosity couldn’t possibly be good for one's health! “So, is it normal for dragons?”

Maybe this was just the way dragons were wired.

“No, you might be a bit unique in that respect.” Lotte, ever the destroyer of my dreams of normalcy, dashed my hopes once again. Brilliant.

“And what about these scattered thoughts of mine? They’re darting off in ten directions at once! Surely that’s connected!”

"Should I venture a hypothesis, I might suggest that it is the discord between your human sophistication and the naiveté of your draconic instincts. Yet, let us not deceive ourselves, Jade—you have always been inclined towards a certain degree of mental disarray."

Oof. She could’ve skipped that last bit.

“Umm, what about that ravenous, hollow hunger I felt after eating that first monster? I even seem to have a touch of amnesia about the whole ordeal.”

"The explanation is rather elementary. Consider it thusly: for eighteen years, your body was in a state of perpetual deprivation. The brief thirty-minute mission assigned to you was merely a survival mechanism, an expedient to ensure your continued existence by providing just sufficient sustenance to endure until your inaugural, bona fide hunt. It was starvation, driven to its most extreme extent."

She summed it up perfectly, but good heavens, the thought was horrifying. This dragon body of mine had been famished for a whole 18 years. Good grief.

And that reminds me of something I’ve been pondering.

"Do all monsters have a system like mine?" I asked, not that I had the faintest clue. I doubted anyone in the empire did, either. We all knew monsters grew, but how exactly? A system helping them along? Never in my wildest imaginings did I think that.

"Yes, the very same as yours," Lotte confirmed.

I’d suspected as much, but hearing it from her was something else entirely.

"Ha! Their way of progressing is quite something, isn’t it? So... primal, so very, very raw. It’s all hunt this, devour that—no faffing about with magic pathways and core cultivation or chasing enlightenment for every advancement."

"Yet, one route offers the security of steadfast certainty, while the other revels in the unmitigated tumult of absolute chaos."

Couldn't argue with that.

"Heh, can you even imagine if humans had a system like that?"

"Oh, they did once possess it, until it was most unceremoniously wrested from their grasp."

I was just about to let that slide when—hold on a tick—WHAT?

"Humans had THE SAME SYSTEM?!"

"Not precisely identical, but certainly within a comparable realm. Humans, Elves, Dwarves—the entirety of their kind once held it, until their insatiable avarice led to its inevitable confiscation."

...

"This sounds suspiciously like the sort of forbidden knowledge you were so determined to keep from me." And honestly, the way that little bombshell landed, it certainly felt like it.

"Technically, it isn’t expressly forbidden. However, before you indulge in an eager 'Elucidate, I insist,' I must refrain. Any further knowledge would swiftly attract the relentless scrutiny of the Keepers of History, descending upon you with alarming alacrity—well before you could utter a hasty ‘oops-a-daisy.’"

Tsk, probably better left in the dark then. Whoever these ‘Keepers of History’ were, they didn’t sound like a bunch you’d want to invite round for tea.

But something was still niggling at me.

"Why even tell me, then? You could’ve easily left that bit out, and I’d be none the wiser."

"Because when I advise you to avoid human, elven, and dwarven settlements as though they were the very embodiment of pestilence, I would prefer you refrain from regarding me as if I’ve taken leave of my senses."

Even now, I was still a tad bewildered. "Why’s that, then?"

"You could find yourself assigned to a mission akin to the previous one, but this time, survival would not be the objective. Instead, it would entail orchestrating utter bedlam—genocide, chaos, discord—the full spectrum of devastation."

...

"WHAT?!"

"Not a matter to fret over just yet. It won’t activate in the presence of any beast kin. However, allow me to be unequivocal: the …system harbours an intense abhorrence for those three species. As to why, you inquire? Once again, I’m not at liberty to divulge such particulars. And it’s a mutual animosity. Jade, dear, under no circumstances should you reveal that you are a ‘Dragon.’ Keep that piece of information securely hidden within the depths of your interface, and for heaven’s sake, let it remain concealed."

Was it just me, or did she hesitate before saying ‘system’?

But there was something in her voice that set my hackles right on end. “Is it really that dangerous?” What was I even thinking, of course it was! Lotte’s tone said it all.

"Indeed. There exists a reason why the name of our species has been expunged from the annals of history, along with a multitude of other truths."

Her response was crisp, just enough to convey the gravity of the situation without tipping me into hot water.

Message received loud and clear: No prancing about telling everyone I’m a dragon. Easy peasy. Not that I was planning to shout it from the rooftops anyway. My brain felt positively pickled with all the new information, but I craved more—oh, I needed to fill those gaps.

But before I could even open my mouth for another question, Lotte’s voice cut through the fog in my mind. "Before we allow ourselves to meander off course, there is a matter of considerable urgency that requires our attention—your impending evolution..."

Oh, right! That little detail. “Yes, you mentioned not to kick it off, and I’ve been a good little dragon, I didn’t.”

"I am acutely aware of your longing for a taste of magic, and I anticipated that the slightest hint of an evolution offering even a modicum of it would entice you. But resist the urge. Monsters channel their magic in an entirely different manner—they project mana directly from their core, rather than manipulating the delicate mana veins that humans possess. This fundamentally restricts their magical capabilities, and once you evolve, that limitation becomes irrevocable."

Wait, what? So if I evolved that way, I'd be bollocksing up my own spellcasting before I even got mana? Oh, that’s just brilliant.

"I’m assuming you’ve got a plan, then?"

"Naturally, I do."