For Yuuya, the fatigue taking over was freedom. Unconsciousness, a release from all the pain. He let it wash over him; he let it take him to fanciful land of dreams, away from all this. He certainly didn’t have the luxury for that earlier. But now, as the waves washed over, he was away, away from his physical body. He had no desire to hold on to the last sliver of consciousness, and immersed himself in the darkness.

Moments later, he was rudely awakened.

Pain coursed through him as his already battered body banged against the shores. The pain spread throughout his body, like spilt water. It was no longer contained within his arm. His back stung as the speeding waters smashed against them, making them burn in pain. He could feel bruises blossoming all over his body, pinpricks of pain stinging him. Yuuya was a second away from losing himself in the pain.

However, he had no desire to do so. He was deep within the rapids, his limited breath already decreasing. He had no idea how long he was out. It felt like he was unconscious only a moment ago.

The waters surged as he got pushed to the top of the water on a whim. His face emerged from the sheet of water, breaking it apart. Before he could revel in the joy of emerging from the depths, something slammed violently against him.

It felt like a mountain had dropped by to say hello, right on his chest. All the air in his lungs was instantly knocked out, and his eyes went wide. He heard something crack in his chest. Within moments, however, he was out of the river.

He gasped for breath on the smooth boulder, pain tearing his body apart. The river water that slammed against the boulder made water flood into his open mouth. He had already gulped down countless mouthfuls. Why would a few more gulps matter?

Inwardly, Yuuya was shocked as he laid eyes on the evening sky. It was clearly daylight when he first came here. Perhaps late in the morning, or maybe midday. However, now it was late in the evening. Night was almost here, the dark sky streaked with fading rays of red. The retreating sunlight was already far away. Soon, the reign of darkness would commence.

He was bewildered as he realized how late it was. He was unconscious for more than a couple of hours. Or maybe, a couple of days! All this time he was in the river, but he still hadn’t died. Yuuya thanked his lucky stars as the pain continued to sear within him.

For now, the pain didn’t matter. For Yuuya, this was a revelation. After all these dangers, he clearly had not died. Perhaps God did exist, watching over him. If God himself didn’t want Yuuya to die, then why would he go against the Lord’s will?

Chuckling bitterly, he rolled over onto his side, coughing out tons of water. The cold wind was like an ice wave, his wet body shivering in its influence. He lied there, sopping wet and freezing. He was almost naked, with bits and pieces of cloth sticking onto him. His shirt was already nonexistent. His pants were now just shorts. The water diluted his blood, as pale red water washed the surface of the boulder.

His ribs were definitely broken, along with his arm. Gashes covered his back, making it seem like a torn down painting. Water dripped from his hair, and Yuuya had nothing to protect himself from the invading cold.

Frozen to the bone, Yuuya slowly got to his feet. His movements were sluggish. He had lost a lot of blood, and the pain within him was like a thousand needles pricking his flesh at the same time. He sucked in a huge mouthful of air, spluttering as he spit out some more water.

He staggered forward, the cold making his joints work like rickety machines. His body just wanted a release. He was on the verge of giving up, once again. The fact the he lived till now was the only thing that served as motivation as he kept trudging on.

He was soon under the cover of trees as he entered the forest again. The sound of the roaring rapids still rung in his ears. By now, it was completely night time. A faint light filtered through the canopy of trees. The golden light made the scene look magical as it illuminated the slowly swaying grasses. Yuuya looked up to see a sight he might never forget.

A golden sphere hung high up in the air, like some treasured jewel. It glowed with a soft light, the rays from it looking like heavenly beauty. It was completely smooth, like the ravages of time had not tarnished it in the slightest.

“The moon…” Yuuya muttered. This had been the first words he had spoken after a long while. His hoarse voice was like a contradiction against the beauty of the moon. However, Yuuya’s mind had already begun to conjure assumptions.

Since the moon is golden here, there’s no room for doubt that he was no longer on Earth. He had never heard of golden moons, and Earth’s moon definitely had blemishes on it. Yet, this is completely perfect. He… He was in another world!

The discovery brought both joy and despair to him. The joy was that he was now in a new world. With new sights to see, a world filled with countless possibilities. Magic, dragons, it might all be possible here! However, it also brought despair. For one, he was completely stranded here. He knew no way for getting back home. Here he was, tired, shivering and hungry in another world. He had no family, no friends, and no connections. For once, Yuuya truly felt loneliness clamped down on him.

He continued to stare at the moon as he thought of his pitiful state. The chances of him surviving were extremely slim. Even if he did, what would he do?

Gradually, memories of the orphanage welled up in his mind. Granny, Shizuka, the other little mischief makers there, every single one of them flashed before his eyes. He thought of how the day had begun. Yuuya knew that he’d never have expected something like this to happen. He thought of how Shizuka disappeared right in front of his eyes, and his eyes clouded over. He realized how much they helped him out. Unless you lose something, you’d never realize its true value. Shizuka, the idiot that always used to disturb and irritate him when he was in the orphanage, just so that he never felt lonely. No matter how much he rebuked her, she’d come running back whenever she saw Yuuya sitting alone. For once, Yuuya truly appreciated how much Shizuka had helped him.

As he reminisced about everything that happened, Yuuya did not notice the phenomena happening around him. Something indescribable was swirling around him. He knew it was there in his subconscious, but never paid any attention to it. It felt mysterious, and was invisible to the eye. As it swirled around him, it seemed as if it were confused upon finding Yuuya. Like a small stream, a tendril of it entered Yuuya.

However, Yuuya did not mind what was happening. His mind was raging as he thought of what had happened in his life, that he did not notice the strange phenomena. The substance kept entering him, gradually thickening.

Slowly, Yuuya snapped out of his trance. As he did, the stream of the substance was suddenly cut off. He subconsciously prevented it from entering him. As if it had lost interest, the substance continued to swirl around.

His eyes shone with a strange glow. All this time, Yuuya thought of what happened in his life. His life had started off bizarrely. At the orphanage, even Granny had no idea where he came from. He was… just there. He thought of how he lived all these years, how even after he was an orphan, he could live comfortably. How even after a monstrous wolf chased him, he could escape from its claws. How even though he was submerged under the raging river, he survived.

Yuuya was brimming with desire. The desire to live! He had no intention of just giving up and dying here. That was the coward’s way out. Without trying, how could he know whether he would wound up dead? This…This was a new world! The possibilities were boundless here.

He had to live on.

His dreams weighed upon him.

His responsibilities weighed upon him. Perhaps Shizuka was here somewhere. Frightened, alone. He had to find her. He owed her.          

Gritting his teeth, Yuuya continued on. He wrenched his eyes away from the intoxicating glow of the moon as he pushed on. Although his body screamed in protest, he suppressed it as he kept moving.

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Hours passed by as he continued walking. The night that covered the entire forest slowly lightened up as streaks of sunlight began to color it. Yuuya’s mind was hardwired to continue walking. He betted his all on the possibility that if he did so, he would eventually be able to leave the forest.

The remnants of the inky blackness of the night completely faded away as day replaced it. The golden moon was replaced by the vibrant glow of the sun. The weather was quite pleasant, allowing Yuuya some respite from nature’s wrath. He frequently sniffed as he kept going. The cold wind, his soaked body, they had begun showing its effects on him. He sniffed again, sweating profusely as he walked on.

As it slowly became day, pain began to course through him. His stomach twisted and curled in protest. Hunger was roaring in Yuuya’s mind. It had been over a day since he had any food, and the signs were beginning to show. His previously resolute steps were no longer so steadfast. The resolution in his eyes was fading, quickly being replaced by a corrosive hunger. He knew he had to eat. He had already lost a lot of blood. Thankfully, the blood had clotted to a certain extent, preventing him from losing any more blood. However, the loss right now was not small.

His head was light, as if it were floating in the clouds. His body continued to shiver although he was no longer wet. He kept sniffing as he took another trembling step. He wanted to resist the urge to just curl down on the ground. Hot fluid stormed into his stomach, bringing him pain. His entire body was hurting. The bruises from being banged up against the river, the scratches of the wolf, the collision against the tree, the painful hunger, all of it felt like his body was being torn to shreds.

He barely kept himself together even with all that pain. But the roaring of his stomach was something he couldn’t bear. His body was tired. Too tired to walk on. It had no energy to. Even if he slept for few more hours, it wouldn’t change the state of deficiency his body was in.

His vision began to blur as the colors all mixed together. The world was beginning to spin. After surviving being chased by a wolf and being thrown around like a ragdoll in the river, he was going to finally meet his death by hunger. Yuuya chuckled to himself as he thought of his sorry state. His mind was in the clouds already, struggling to escape from reality.

Then, a roar snapped his mind out of its attempt to escape. It felt like the skies itself trembled under its pressure. The earth shook as it passed by, sending Yuuya onto his knees. His eyes were no longer hazy. They cleared as the sharp sense of danger imprinted itself on his heart. He scrambled back to his feet, the pain of his broken arm and chest once again making him wince. Ignoring it, he continued to move forward. He had no idea what the danger was. And he didn’t plan to find out.

The hunger and the protests of his body were put in the back of his mind as he staggered forward. All that filled his mind was the desire to escape.

Yuuya’s eyes were pulled to the sky as he saw the gigantic figure descending. It was much, much larger than him. Almost three hundred meters large, the figure landed on the ground.

Like a meteor striking the earth, a tremor ran through the ground. A second later, violent winds were brought forth which split apart the forest and rushed out from where the figure landed. Like the winds of a tempest, it blazed past, pushing Yuuya back several meters. He screamed in pain as he collided against a tree with his already injured back. However, the sound of his scream was drowned out by another roar.

It was much deeper. Rather than the force the first roar carried, it was much more subtle. However, it carried with itself a drowning feeling. Contradicting the fierceness of the previous one, it carried a much stronger impact on Yuuya’s mind.

He shuddered as two enormous pressures descended on him. He coughed up blood as they pressed down on him. His internal organs could barely hold up against the pressure. His innards would be ripped to shreds in seconds. The two pressures fought against each other with Yuuya being ravaged in the midst of it. However, as if by some miracle, they suddenly lessened. They weren’t interested in an insect like Yuuya, someone destined to die.

He heaved a huge gulp of breath as he felt his body unfreezing. His body thrummed with pain as if he had just exercised. Sweat beaded his head, flowing. He shuddered again as he looked at the two humongous figures.

One stood before him, like a mountain that towered over everything. He could make out brilliantly white scales covering its back, gleaming brightly in the sunlight. Two heads snaked out from in front of the monster. It was reptilian, with bright blue eyes. The enormous power could be felt for miles on end.

It was a dragon. However, it lacked any wings. Yuuya gasped as it swung its huge tail about. It whipped up another wind which tore apart the surrounding trees. Thankfully, Yuuya was far away from it. However, the resulting winds still buffeted him strongly. He continued to lean against the tree, ignoring the pain from his back.

The other floated high up in the sky, flapping the wings it was proud of. Yuuya could instantly recognize that it was a dragon. With a reptilian face and tough violet scales covering it up, the three hundred meter large beast glowered at the wingless dragon on the ground.

The two heads snaked around as they roared again. Seemingly in response, the dragon roared back. The sounds collided as the air between them seemingly began to distort. Suddenly, the dragon’s amethyst like eyes flickered as they looked in the direction where Yuuya was in. A pressure incomparable to the one before pushed down on Yuuya. His face turned pale as he doubled over and coughed up another mouthful of blood.

However, just like before, the pressure suddenly vanished. The dragon, as if it had lost interest, looked back towards the wingless dragon. With a pale white face, Yuuya looked on. He felt no desire whatsoever to run. He wanted to watch these legend like beasts fight. His eyes glinted as he thought of how lucky he was to even see them.

The staring contest between the two ended as the dragon began its offense. It opened its maw, revealing a set of sharp white incisors and let loose a torrent of flames.

The flames poured down like a stream, almost like a liquid, as they pushed towards the wingless dragon. His skin recoiled from the heat. He kept his eyes on the battle, not willing to take his eyes away from it for even a moment.

The tongues of flames twisted and turned as they headed for the wingless dragon. The two heads twisted as they opened their mouths and let off another wave of attacks.

A pristine beam of white shot out of its mouth. The coldness of the beam spread out, as if it wanted to show off its superiority. Fire and ice collided in mid air as a blinding mist spread out. It covered the entire area, hiding the two dragons.

Yuuya’s eyes flickered in disapproval as the fight became hidden from him. He wanted to see this fight, no matter what. He grunted as he got to his feet, and rushed towards the spot where the beasts fought. He wanted to get a closer look at the fight. His body groaned in displeasure, but he paid it no heed. He didn’t pay attention to the fact that he might be in danger as he rushed in. All he knew was that he wanted to see what was happening.

Instincts were not wise, he would have told himself.

But in his delirium, Yuuya could care less about his safety.

As he got closer, the mist slowly cleared, letting him see.

Booms sounded out as the heads of the dragon and the wingless dragon collided. The dragon went for the spot between the two necks as it opened its huge maw to bite down. Seemingly as a retaliation, the two snaky heads bit down on the neck of the dragon.

The dragon growled in displeasure as the sharp teeth of the two heads pierced into its neck. It was merely a slight wound; however the dignity of the dragon had been harmed. It twisted its neck as it changed its mind and bit down on just one neck.

Wrenching its head back, a fountain of blood sprayed out as the dragon bit off a huge chunk of flesh and scales from the neck of the wingless dragon. The head yowled in pain as it let go off the dragon’s neck. The dragon flapped its wings, sending a buffeting wind towards the body of the wingless dragon, pushing it back.

Roaring again, the dragon pushed back as well, returning to its place in the sky. Its tail swung about like a threatening whip. The dragon kept its eyes on the howling wingless dragon. Clearly, the wounds on the wingless dragon were much more severe. Issuing a cold snort, the dragon dived down.

The heads of the wingless dragon whipped out as it looked at the approaching dragon. Uttering a yip in dismay, the wingless dragon crouched. It did not plan to go down without a fight.

The earth shuddered again as the enormous beast took off from the ground. It could not fly without wings. However, it still shot like a meteor towards the dragon. The dragon spread its wings apart as it stopped midflight. A torrent of wind emerged as it did so. The wingless dragon was bewildered for a moment. However, it was only for a moment.

The dragon’s strong whip like tail lashed at the neck of the partially severed head. The blow was like a guillotine as it completely severed the head, letting it drop down to the ground.

A smash resounded throughout the forest as the head landed on the ground.

Yuuya was pushed back as the first head landed near him. Violet blood sprayed out from the severed head, dousing him. It was still several meters away, but the quantity of blood wasn’t small. As it touched his skin, it burned with a sickly smell. Without hesitation, he brushed it off of him, frightened.

His nose wrinkled as he saw the descending rain of blood. The forest around him had already been torn to shreds. The rain completely doused him, covering him with the smell. He tried to cover his back, fearing that the blood might infect the wounds. However, he was completely doused in it within moments.

 The wingless dragon roared in pain as its single head collided against the dragon. However, the dragon had a look of indifference as the wingless dragon pushed against it. Its eyes glowed with a strange light as it raised its head and bit down on the second neck.

Like breaking dried weed, the dragon snapped at the neck of the wingless dragon. It was pushed back as the wingless dragon collided against it, but it apparently sustained no damage. With a final wrench, it pulled out the neck of the wingless dragon and threw it to the side. It roared mightily towards the skies, shaking the very heavens and earth. The sound pressed against him, until it was unbearable. It felt like his head was on the verge of exploding when Yuuya suddenly lost consciousness.

Flapping its wings, the dragon headed off in flight. It paid Yuuya no heed, as if he were merely an insect.