Heath was disgruntled.
I have lived since the age of myth, most of which time I spent sleeping amid the magma. Then I awoke one day to find that humans had made their dens within my territory. Unable to bear such an intrusion upon my peaceful rest, I went about driving out every one of them I came upon─until, quite unexpectedly, they fought back. Not only that, I even tasted the humiliation of death. But in that moment, I shed my old, heavy body, and was born again, light and new.
I am fond of this new form. While using that old body of mine, everything felt meaningless, but now everything I come in contact with feels novel. I do not even hate the humans as much as once I did. I had found them puny, weak, and roisterous, but after my rebirth the humans were larger than me. I still recall how warmly they cared for me, how a great many of them brought me food when I was yet small and weak, how they prayed for my growth and celebrated each passing day.
I still believe the humans to be beneath me, but there are those of whom I am fond─Ghoda chief among them. He is a special man, he who slew my old self. But he is also a foolish human, never comprehending my true intentions. I make it so clear, so easy to understand, and I in turn comprehend everything he has to say, yet I am only met with a furrowed brow and the question, “What in the world do you want?”
At that very moment Ghoda stood before Heath with a basket of ore, his favorite delicacy. “I know you’re angry with that black dragon. I understand, really I do.”
But he couldn’t possibly understand. How could I let that mixture of inferior souls molded into the shape of a dragon, that strange and unsettling being, continue to exist? That thing is blasphemy, and not just against dragonkind. It is a desecration of life itself.
“But…we can’t beat that thing on our own.”
Heath gave a threatening roar, but Ghoda just looked at him coolly and tossed a chunk of ore into his mouth.
Honey sweet─is this gold?
Heath poked the tip of his nose into the basket, looking for another piece.
“It was the same when we defeated you, remember? We did it together. Humans are social animals, that’s just how we are. We join together to bring down more powerful foes.”
What do you mean, “more powerful”? So that thing is a little bigger and stronger, and it can breathe fire─maybe it can even breathe other things, who can say. Either way, it is insignificant. I want to tear out its throat with my teeth this very instant.
“Tomorrow, Loux Krystas is going to lure that thing into a trap so we can kill it. We’re going to need your strength, too, of course. But if you go charging after that black dragon on your own, Zero and Hort down on the ground won’t be able to unleash the full force of their magic.”
Heath growled deep in his throat.
“Your teeth couldn’t break through that thing’s scales─so leave it to our fangs. We all want to kill that dragon, right? If you don’t like the idea of relying on us, just think of it as using us. You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
Of course I do. And I understand the true meaning behind your words: I lost. I was beaten by that mockery of a dragon. I know that, hard as it may be to admit. I was just being stubborn.
Heath licked up the rest of the ore in the basket and nudged Ghoda in the rear with his muzzle, lifting him off the ground. Then, depositing the off-balance knight onto his back, Heath spread his wings wide.
I feel like flying.
“Hey, wait a sec! At least let me get the saddle─!”
But Heath was already off, carrying Ghoda up into the night sky.
+++
Looking out of her window, Utsuwa’s eyes glittered as she watched the silver dragon flap away into the night. “Har, look! The pale dragon! It’s so pretty how he sparkles in the moonlight!”
Har came up beside the girl and they gazed out the window together. It made Utsuwa so happy that she threw her arms around the other’s waist.
“Utsuwa wants to ride the dragon again. On his back this time!”
“I’m sure he’d let you if you asked.”
There came a knock at the door, and Har left Utsuwa by the window to go and answer it.
“Oh, it’s you Kudo. Come in. How was the meeting?”
“Went fine. We got a whole crew of monsters on our side scarier than any dragon.”
Har chuckled at that. “I must say, even I was stunned by Zero’s little performance the other day. I’ve seen her freeze a path down to the ocean floor, and I witnessed the creation of this free district, but that was something else again.”
“Utsuwa saw, too! Right from this window! The ice spread out waaaaay over the ocean, and it was so pretty, and the city turned into a giant snowflake!”
Utsuwa was giddy with excitement. Kudo looked at her the same as always, but there was a hint of sadness about the color of his scales.
“Kudo?” Utsuwa cocked her head, and Kudo crouched down in front of her so that they were eye to eye.
“Look, I think…I think tomorrow this’ll all be over. Your ‘mother’ can’t beat us. By us, I mean, like…the professors and everyone.”
“Isn’t that…a really good thing?” asked Utsuwa.
“Yeah, it is. For us, at least.”
“For Utsuwa, too. I mean, if mother wins, she’ll eat Utsuwa.”
“…Yeah.”
“Utsuwa knows what her job is now. Har explained everything. Utsuwa will be absolutely sure to make up with Mother.”
Utsuwa had fled to the free district, wailing that she didn’t want to die. And most all the citizens of Kuravanuluox had seen it happen. From there, word had spread all across the land. Once the war was over, Utsuwa’s work awaited─she would reconcile with Danna Ryl, and they would stand smiling side by side, a symbol of peace between the Forbidden Land and the New World.
“Don’t worry. Utsuwa cried then, but Utsuwa isn’t really scared of Mother. I’m half of Danna Ryl the One-Horned, after all.”
“I see…”
“Mother has just lived a little bit too long. There’s too much she takes for granted, so she’s ended up resisting anything new. But deep down, Utsuwa and Mother both just love, love, love new things!” Utsuwa threw her arms in the air, jumping up and down.
Kudo smiled and got to his feet, ruffling the girl’s hair, then nodded lightly to Har and left. They listened to his footsteps recede down the hallway, then Utsuwa wrapped herself around Har’s waist again. “Do you think I gave it away?”
“No, you did great.”
“Are you sure? He didn’t realize that Utsuwa’s a bad girl?”
“No, don’t worry. And you aren’t a bad girl, my lady.”
“But…Utsuwa wants Mother to lose. Utsuwa thinks Mother has to die.”
If the free district’s defeat meant being dragged back to the tower and devoured, Utsuwa would rather her mother died─and that fact terrified her. She was scared that Kudo wouldn’t like such an awful girl, that everyone in the free district would hate her, that they would tell her she had to leave.
“This is the only place for Utsuwa now. Utsuwa doesn’t want to be hated, not by anyone. Don’t hate me, Har…! I’ll do everything I’m told, I promise…!”
+++
Once Utsuwa had cried herself out, Har laid her on the bed and sighed.
The young girl had lived her entire life to be a vessel for Danna Ryl. All her education had been to that end, all the love she had received, and Utsuwa believed she had no value beyond that. She regretted abandoning her role, her duty, clinging to her own life and fleeing from her mother. And now she feared the people of the free district would abandon her if she didn’t ingratiate herself with them.
“Danna Ryl… So cruel…”
It was too hard to watch this ten-year-old girl pushing herself to be so cheerful while worrying about anyone and everyone else, so they decided to keep her apart from the other residents of the district. They met to discuss whom Utsuwa would trust most, and Har put her name forward to serve as caretaker. Since then, she had been ever at Utsuwa’s side─and Utsuwa had taken pains to please Har, doing everything she could to make the woman love her.
They had been right to separate Utsuwa from the other residents. There was some notion that they should present her to the people at the earliest opportunity so she could begin to learn and prepare herself to become their next leader, but if Utsuwa was intent on pleasing every last person she encountered, sooner or later she would fall apart.
“In truth, maybe there is no role that only you can fulfill for us. If we abandoned our people, changed our names, and went to the Forbidden Land…maybe you could simply be a normal little girl.”
Har left Utsuwa’s room.
And so the fateful morning arrived.