3 months after meeting Aziel.

Ignis stood inside a grand arena.

Her opponent stood on opposing side; a big man equipped with a giant sword, a “dragon slayer”.

I must defeat him if I want to restore my dragon form, Ignis thought. She remembered what Aziel had told her:

***

‘About restoring your dragon form,’ Aziel answered while Alicia was bandaging Ignis’s hand, ‘I don’t have the slightest clue on how to do that.’

‘You don’t?’ Alicia remarked.

Aziel proceeded to explain the complications and mysteries about how Ignis had transformed into human form, all of which had gone over Ignis’s head. She didn’t understand anything she said, instead pretended to understand by nodding at times. It was only after an hour of explanation that Ignis registered Alicia’s words:

‘I guess we’ll have to enroll in the mage academy to find answers.’

***

Ignis dashed forward.

The fight against the “dragon slayer” had begun. This was an examination battle that would determine whether she would be accepted into the academy.

She formed a fist, gathered flames, and threw a straight.

Her attack hit. A burst of flames erupted inside the arena.

‘Weak,’ said the “dragon slayer”. He had shielded himself by using the side of his giant sword. ‘Out of all the examinees today, you’re the one most lacking in determination! Let me ask you this, examinee: why are you here?’

***

Why am I here?

Back then, when Ignis was a dragon, that question would come across her mind.

Why am I here in this cave?

Was it because she needed protection from the elements? No. The great fire dragon needed no shelter to survive, for her scales were stronger than the rocks of this cave.

Was it because the gold underneath her made for a fine bed? No. She claimed to find it comfortable after a time, but that was just something she said to herself.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Was it because—she was the last of her kind? And that no matter where she went, she couldn’t find a place where she truly could belong into?

Her only amusement came once a year: humans coming in numbers, giving offerings and performing ritual dance for her. They were weak and puny creatures, yet she was envious of them. They had a place where they could belong, where they could have companions to rid their solitude.

This envy created an unspoken wish that came from the bottom of her heart. An unspoken wish that she didn’t know she wanted or needed. An unspoken wish—that was unexpectedly granted to her from desiring it badly enough.

***

Ignis exchanged blows with the “dragon slayer”.

Her movement was far from smooth, for she was still not familiar with her human form, but she no longer tripped on her own legs.

During the three months before this examination, she had been training with Alicia.

***

Ignis’s training was intensive. For her, it was.

To get comfortable with her human form, Ignis had to do many human activities. She had to eat food with chopsticks, had to dance while following the music, and had to walk around the city wearing a shoe with a slightly elevated heel. She didn’t keep track of how many times she had broken the chopsticks or fallen to the hard ground, but it had happened a lot of times.

The whole thing was intense. The human form was inconvenient.

However…

She hated using chopsticks when she had to eat, but she liked how there would be someone else to eat together with her. She hated dancing while following the music, but she liked how fun it was when everyone worked together. She hated walking around, but she liked how everything was new and was an adventure for her; an adventure that was accompanied by a friend.

***

‘You can win this, Ignis!’ Alicia cheered from the spectator’s seat.

Ignis inhaled a deep breath, felt flames surging within her chest, then unleashed her dragon’s breath on the “dragon slayer”. It hit him straight on, but his armor gave him fire resistance. She had to use her fire punch if she wanted to inflict damage.

The flames from her dragon’s breath acted like a screen, allowing Ignis to sneak close.

‘Why are you here?’ you asked. I…

Ignis had one day woken up as a human, a form that was truly an inconvenience for her. If she restored her dragon form, she could rid herself of the inconveniences. And then what? Her heart knew about this emptiness after her moths living as a human. Restore her dragon form. And then what? Go back to her cave. Spend centuries all alone by herself? No.

‘I’ll answer your question, “dragon slayer”. I’m here to win!’ I’ll restore my dragon form—and make people accept me for who I truly am!

Ignis gathered flames around her fist, hot enough that it burnt her own skin. This was a cost that she needed to pay in order to pierce his flame-resistant armor.

Take this!

She winded up her body, stepped forward, and—tripped. The intense heat from the flames had dried and cracked the ground, creating a hazard which she tripped on. Her fire punch hit the empty air, her momentum kept going without having the balance, and she fell on her back, facing toward a blue sky.

The “dragon slayer” pounced on this, stabbed his giant sword right beside Ignis, missing her on purpose.

He had won. She had lost.

Knowing the result of this fight, and how the outcome had been reached, Ignis laughed.

The human form is truly inconvenient!