Ep 81. Confessions of the Historian: Vengeance
Dragonkin. The only surviving demon tribe in our era of man.
By the sheer virtue of their race, each dragon wields immense strength and magic far beyond human comprehension. From child to elderly, from the very beginnings of our era, every soul knew not to cross a member of the dragonkin.
Such is the way we raised our people. Hence, it was only natural that they would find the empire’s actions absurd.
That a mere rising empire would declare war against the icon of fear,
That mankind would challenge demons without the aid of divinity.
? ? ?
One hundred years ago, the rising empire of Akeia had dominated the northern half of Wayla. It was a period of time known as the Empire Age.
However, this ‘age’ barely lasted two decades; shorter, in fact. In regards to time, it was appalling to call the period a separate age in history. And yet, those who lived through those times refused to acknowledge the timeframe in any other way.
The Empire Age was a period of ambition led by an archmage that sought to dominate Wayla. The bloody conflicts that filled this period could not be equated to any other periods in history.
At the same time, the Empire Age was a period of hope: hope that mankind would be able to prevail against their fears. Hope that mankind would be able to conquer the only remaining demon tribe, and truly claim themselves as rulers of their world.
Alas, the Empire of Akeia failed in their conquest. They fell short against the continent’s united front, and ultimately fell apart.
Many historians attribute Akeia’s fall to the influence of dragons – that the empire had suffered irrecoverable damage in their battles against the dragonkin. They claim that Akeia had failed in transcending the bounds of man, that mankind still paled in comparison to the surviving demon tribe.
But this wasn’t correct.
Akeia failed in their conquest to dominate the continent.
They did not fail in bringing the dragonkin to their knees.
? ? ?
‘Akeia is treading towards its own doom.’
‘Their leading archmage had gone mad.’
‘The empire’s leader is actually a dragon himself.’
Countless unfounded rumors still echoed clearly within the soldiers’ minds. Despite the empire’s might, even they had to admit their doubts about this particular campaign.
However, the entire army was a mere tool. They were all soulless instruments, and their orchestrator was the only one with the freedom to wield them. Even the empire’s commanders possessed no freedom to question or defy their ruler.
And that ruler had gone mad. Or at least, the soldiers thought he had when they were told to march straight into the dragonkin’s nest.
But their doubts were nowhere to be found anymore.
Their emperor was standing at the forefront with the army’s commander to his right. The soldiers couldn’t see much aside from their emperor’s black mage coat and lengthy, bleak-colored hair wildly fluttering about; their commander didn’t exactly have a striking appearance either, with his black, feathered body wrapped in a tattered black cloak.
What instead filled the soldiers’ vision were two enormous grey figures.
The army’s two leaders were holding their ground against a pair of towering dragons before them. Not a hint of fear could be found in either’s eyes.
The emperor merely glanced over to the commander at his side.
A hatchling was being held by her throat in the commander’s grasp, gasping for breath. She clawed at the shadowy limbs that held her in place, but to no avail; the hatchling was still just a child.
Then, Akeia’s ruler respectfully bowed his head before the two grey dragons.
“Gatekeepers of the valley, I presume. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. My name is Amadeus Lavnore – Emperor of Akeia, and the only archmage of this continent.”
When he looked to the figure on his right, the black-feathered commander likewise lowered his head.
“Xar of Akeia. The commander of this campaign.”
A low, screeching growl rang throughout the valley’s outskirts in response. The dragons bared their fangs, staring down at the figure with a deathly menace.
But contrary to their wishes, neither dragon could crush the two figures underfoot – for the hatchling Xar held was their only child.
Finally, one of them spoke in their rumbling voice towards the emperor. The surrounding mountains seemed to quake in their angered words.
“…What is it that you desire, human?”
“A pleasantly receptive answer. Allow us to answer in kind.”
Unlike the army behind them, Amadeus maintained an indifferent attitude. He was trying to fake confidence, yes – but his craving of knowledge was far surpassing the desire to flee.
“Xar. If you will.”
At his ruler’s behest, the commander’s free hand became engulfed in orange flames. Then, Xar swiftly plucked at the hatchling’s left horn, his fingers melting into its bony structure.
A weak, pained screech struck at her parent’s ears as the hatchling’s horn was torn off.
A horrifying bellow shook the valley. The parent dragons howled in anger, but neither of them could do much other than listen to their daughter crying out in pain.
The commander’s eyes weren’t fixed on the victim he held; instead, Xar’s eyes were fixed on her towering parents. The moment the two dragons made any action to free their daughter, she’d die in his grip first.
Amadeus burst into laughter at the dragons’ reactions – or, lack thereof.
“A wise choice, and a pleasant finding. So the dragonkin do harbor affection for their children like any other…while also possessing sufficient regulation to control rash behavior. That’s quite the intriguing find already.”
“…Let go of her. And I will grant you a painless death.”
The father’s oppressive voice was enough to make the soldiers shudder in fear. However, Amadeus himself snorted in amusement.
“Not sufficient intelligence, might I add. It would’ve helped if you could discern the party that has the upper hand in a negotiation. Allow me to present to you a second reminder, then – Xar?”
Xar’s fingers once again lit aflame. He repeated the exact same actions as before, tearing off the hatchling’s right horn as well.
And yet, neither parent could still so much as lift a finger; this time, the mother’s cry was louder than her child’s.
“Stop! STOP! Why are you doing this? We have caused no harm to your kind!”
Amadeus nodded his head. A bemused grin curved his lips.
“No, that you haven’t. But I would like to find out how far a dragon would go for their children.”
Then, the emperor pointed at the hatchling’s wings.
“Next will be her wings. If you’d like to see them remain attached, I suggest you both morph into your human forms.”
“…”
“…”
The mother was the first to comply. Her grey, draconic figure silently shrank before Akeia’s ruler, reducing her into a sobbing silver-haired woman.
The emperor’s gaze then drifted over to the father.
“I believe I said both.”
“Human, you would dare…!”
“Very well. Xar?”
Another terrible screech echoed throughout the vicinity, this time sharper than the two previous. The scream was accompanied by a violent tearing noise as the commander gripped the hatchling’s tiny left wing, tearing it off of her back.
After another series of furious growling, the father’s figure was likewise reduced. The silver-haired couple stood side by side, their figures reduced to the size of mere humans.
“…I’ve done as you said. Let her go.”
“Please let her go…please…”
“Hmm.”
Once again, Amadeus spared a moment to look at the hatchling in his grasp. Thick tears were rolling down from her eyes as she whimpered in pain.
He then shifted his gaze to the army behind him.
“Dragons aren’t so terrifying like this, are they?”
“…”
“Answer.”
“NO, SIR!”
When the army answered in unison, Amadeus approvingly nodded his head. He finally turned his attention back to the couple before him.
“Still, we have only just reached equality. You two yet stand tall before a king. Alas…”
Before, the two dragons had stared down at his army in their towering gaze.
‘But just how low will they stoop down to?’If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.
Amadeus then pointed down at the ground, still speaking in an indifferent voice towards the dragons before him.
“Kneel.”
“…”
“…”
The mother failed to hide her teary expression as she lowered herself to her knees. And unlike last time, the father immediately followed suit.
“…Are you satisfied now?”
The father’s furious glare locked with the emperor’s condescending gaze. The dragon’s entire body was shaking in anger all over.
‘Hmm…surprisingly docile. I wasn’t expecting the male parent to go this far.’
Then, Amadeus pointed towards the shaking male dragon.
“I would like you to now kill yourself.”
“What?”
“I will only repeat myself once. I would like you to now kill yourself. Rest assured, I will not ask the same of your wife.”
“…You…!”
“Hesitant, are we? Very well. Xar?”
“NO!!!”
When the mother realized what the commander was about to do, she pleadingly reached towards her daughter, shouting at the top of her lungs – but Xar didn’t even so much as flinch at the dragon’s pleas. His hand gripped at the hatchling’s remaining wing, twisting it off of her back.
The hatchling in his grip only let out weak whimpers at this point. She was barely holding herself conscious.
Amadeus beamed a bright smile towards the father. The emperor slowly clapped his hands, coating every word with spite and sarcasm.
“Are you satisfied, dragon? You just robbed your daughter of her ability to fly.”
“…”
“Next will be her arms.”
The father’s seething eyes finally lost their light of anger. He gave into the creeping despair, and turned apologetically to his wife.
“…I’m sorry, Ludin. Take care.”
After his short-lived apology, the dragon hovered his hand in front of his opened mouth. A sharp metal pillar burst forth from his palm, skewering him through the back of his throat.
The body then fell forward onto the ground. The dragon had killed himself in mere seconds.
And even then, Amadeus merely watched in amusement, nodding his head at the newfound knowledge.
“So that’s how a steel dragon circumvents their affinity…I suppose your innards aren’t as tough as your skin. And your bodies don’t morph back after death, do they? Interesting.”
And soon after, the commander noticed the mother dragon lowering her head even further. She was practically prostrating before the emperor.
“…Please. Please let her go…”
“Hmm…”
The emperor then turned to the army behind him. He gestured for them to come forward, pointing at the dragon before them.
“Kill her.”
“…But sir, our blades don’t work against her. Magics scarce leave a scratch.”
“It won’t be easy. But it’s a precious opportunity to find any weaknesses the dragonkin may have.”
“…”
“Avoid the insides of her mouth – that we already know. Do everything you can otherwise. You have until sunset.”
“Y…yes, sir!”
When the emperor turned back towards the female dragon, he lowered his head once more, this time speaking in an apologetic tone.
“This will be the last ordeal. As long as you don’t resist, your daughter will be freed at sunset.”
“…”
“I do hope you manage to live.”
Following suit, the soldiers rushed forth of their emperor, each smashing their weapons and firing their spells at the helpless dragon.
The mother merely remained in place, taking the attacks without resisting; even when a few managed to pierce her skin and break her bones, she could scarce feel any pain in the presence of her overwhelming grief.
In her hazy, tear-filled eyes, she could see her daughter pleadingly looking back at her.
“…I’m sorry, Raizel. I’m so sorry…”
Be strong. Live on.
Don’t ever be like us.
“…Don’t let anyone ever tell you what to do.”
The mother never did make it unto sunset. She’d hung unto dear life even when she’d bled enough to die at least a dozen times over – but when one of the soldiers drove their spear into her eye, her body finally gave away.
After the soldiers marched forth with their emperor, Xar remained behind. He quietly set down the crying hatchling unto her mother’s motionless corpse.
“Raizel, was it?”
The hatchling didn’t answer back. She held unto her mother’s cold body, whimpering in pain and grief.
Xar sighed at the sight. He briskly exited the scene, following after the rest of the army.
“…I will remember your name.”
? ? ?
One century.
Was it a long time? For some, it was enough to be born, age, and die. For others, it was barely enough to reach adulthood since their helpless hatchling days.
A dozen trees collapsed around the camp, blasting away the surrounding mist and effectively trapping the two within. And emerging from the broken trees was a giant steel dragon, her eyes flooded with a deathly menace.
“If you wanted to live, you should’ve ran away further.”
Down beneath, a shivering half girl was holding a crossbow in hand, aimed at the towering dragon’s head. But her entire body was shaking in fear and shock from the dragon’s sudden intrusion.
And beside her was the black-feathered figure that Raizel had come to find.
Xar stared back at the dragon. A brief sigh escaped the figure as he arose to his feet.
“Stand back, Rien. Do not attack her.”
“What are you saying?! That’s a dragon! Even you can’t hope to win!”
“Exactly. Neither should you.”
The feathered figure briskly walked past his company to stand alone before the steel dragon. He raised his gaze upwards, remaining still in place as he spoke.
She was nothing like the last time they’d met, but Xar had no trouble recognizing who this hornless, wingless grey dragon was.
“It’s been a while, Raizel.”
“…You fucking scum.”
In the instance that followed, Raizel reduced herself into her human form, lunging forward to grip at Xar’s throat. She knocked him down onto the ground and held him in place, using her other hand to grip at his arm.
“It wouldn’t be fair if I killed you easily, would it? I’ll return the favor to you. Limb by limb.”
The feathered figure remained motionless on the ground. He neither fought back, nor begged for his life; only a solemn stare was being offered to the dragon before him.
Instead, it was the half girl that did the begging in his place. After abandoning her crossbow, Rien hugged the dragon’s metal arm that held Xar in place.
“Wait, please! We’re sorry if we intruded your home! We’ll leave right now, so please! Have mercy!”
“Mercy?”
Raizel creaked her head to face the half girl. The overflowing menace in her eyes were now seeping into the half’s gaze as well.
“To a scum like this? What are you, his wife?”
At first, it was Xar who tried to answer the question.
“No, she’s just-“
“Yes!!
Until his words were abruptly cut off by the half girl shouting her answer.
The feathered figure stared at her with a bewildered gaze, but she didn’t even seem to notice. She only continued her speech.
“I’m his wife. He’s important to me. Please have mercy…”
“That’s not true! We’ve barely met. She’s not related!”
“…”
Raizel stared down at Xar. For the first time, the feathered figure’s emotions were visibly showing.
It was fear. And it was panic.
Raizel loosened her grip on the feathered figure below her. An evil grin curved her lips.
“I changed my mind.”
For a moment, Rien actually believed that Raizel had decided to let them go – until the dragon’s iron grip fixed itself around her throat instead. The half girl choked on her breath as Raizel rose back to her feet, lifting Rien off the ground to hold her in the air by her neck.
“There. This is fairer, isn’t it?”
Xar raised himself off the ground, only to see the one sight he hadn’t hoped to see. Rien was squirming in Raizel’s grip, gasping for breath in the iron grip that held her.
“…Raizel, she has nothing to do with this.”
“I don’t care.”
Following suit, Raizel used her free arm to grab at the half girl’s upper left arm. The evident despair in Xar’s eyes made this all the more pleasurable for the dragon.
Before the feathered figure could say anything at all, the dragon tightened her grip with a crushing force, tearing off the arm from Rien’s body in one swift motion.
But even when a sharp shriek of pain filled the surrounding forest, Raizel only smiled down at the groveling black figure before her. This was so much better than the emotionless eyes she’d seen when threatening his life directly.
“Raizel…she’s innocent. She has nothing to do with us.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t kill her.”
Then, Raizel proceeded to tear off the half girl’s remaining arm.
“But it wouldn’t be fair if I ended it at that, would it? After all, you did it four whole times to me before killing my parents.”
“…”
In the creeping despair, Xar couldn’t even bring himself to formulate an answer.
The dragon was right. Given what he’d done to Raizel, Xar had absolutely nothing to say.
But once again, it was Rien that turned to address the steel dragon. The half girl pressed down her urge to cry, pressed down her urge to scream, and instead mustered the last bit of her strength to speak as politely as possible.
“…If…you kill me…will you let him live?”
“…Hah. What??”
“I’ll…die in his stead…so, please…”
Raizel’s joyous expression turned to a scowl at the half girl’s unexpected intervention.
“No. He dies today.”
Rien bit her lips at the dragon’s adamant answer.
But still, she hadn’t fully given up.
“…If…if you let him live, you’ll hurt him more.”
“I don’t care.”
“…To him, living will be punishment. He’ll spend the rest of his life agonizing about how I died because of him.”
“…”
“Letting him live…will be your greatest revenge, dragon.”
The half girl meekly turned her head towards the feathered figure staring at her.
“Isn’t that right?...Xar?”
“…No. No, that’s not true.”
Xar turned to Raizel in a panicked voice.
“She’s lying, she has nothing to do with me!”
“Hmph.”
An amused snort escaped the metal dragon as she exchanged glances between Xar and Rien. The feathered figure’s panic didn’t go unnoticed – as well as the desperation in his lying eyes.
Raizel once again fixed her gaze on Rien.
“What do you know? Seems like you’re right.”
“RAIZEL!”
Raizel let go of the half girl in her grip, letting her fall back unto the ground. The dragon then kicked Rien towards Xar, making the her stumble forth.
And moments before the feathered figure could catch his stumbling lover, iron claws pierced through the half girl’s abdomen, stopping inches before reaching Xar as well.
Raizel’s menacing glare stared from behind the figure she’d just killed.
“Congratulations, scum. You get to live.”
When the dragon’s hand slid out of Rien’s body, the half girl finally fell forward into Xar’s embrace. He helplessly held his dying lover.
“Rien…why…”
“…Ehehe.”
She was beyond saving. After watching countless deaths on the battlefield, Xar knew this better than anyone else.
The half girl merely laughed back at the figure holding her. A few words were all she could whisper in her dying breath.
“…Live…”
“…Rien.”
“You’re not…a monster…”
“…”
It didn’t take long for the light to fade from the half girl’s eyes. But Xar remained motionless, holding her corpse as if she would wake up again any moment.
“…Tch.”
Raizel scowled at the sight, kicking her tongue in annoyance.
She’d been overjoyed when she saw Xar’s eyes filling with despair, but that joy was all but gone now. Something about this outcome didn’t sit right with her.
And yet, she couldn’t figure out what it was exactly. The steel dragon merely turned away to leave – the scene was no longer as entertaining as before.
“Fuck off. Don’t ever come near the valley.”
“…”
“And if I ever see you again, you better be living a miserable life. Else I’ll ruin it all over for you.”
? ? ?
Compared to the century their initial reunion took, only a handful of years had passed until their second. Raizel was the last person he’d expected to see when their group had arrived at the forest cabin.
But for some reason, the steel dragon had refused to acknowledge his presence. She’d recognized Ilias right away, and she’d even recognized Serenis. But she paid no attention to him whatsoever.
At first, he’d thought that Raizel was failing to recognize who he was – but that couldn’t possibly have been the reason. After all, she’d recognized him right away during their last reunion. A mere change of attire couldn’t have been it.
Then, he’d thought that Raizel had forgotten who he was – that their last reunion had exhausted the dragon of her spite, and allowed her to forget his existence. But that couldn’t possibly have been it either. After all, her lack of horns and wings should’ve served as constant reminders of his existence.
And when he couldn’t come up with any other hypotheses, he’d elected to confront the dragon directly. With Raizel spending plenty of time by herself, it wasn’t difficult to pick a time when he’d find her outside the lodge while everyone else was asleep.
Karas cautiously approached the steel dragon who was lying flat on the grass by the riverbed. She didn’t seem to be doing anything special – even when she should’ve noticed him approaching long ago.
“…Raizel.”
“What?”
“Raizel…surely you recognize me.”
The dragon shifted from her position, looking at her visitor from the corners of her eyes. She then groaned out a tired sigh to stand upright, facing the professor eye to eye.
“Of course I do, you scum.”
“…I must admit, I’m not leading a miserable life.”
“So what? Did you come here to ask your life to be ruined?”
“Well, I’d…prefer if you didn’t, but…I felt obligated to tell you all the same.”
“Fine. Here.”
The dragon indifferently swung her leg forward, planting her foot into the professor’s stomach. The kick lifted Karas off his feet and flung him towards a nearby tree, making him crash into the bark with a giant thud before flopping down onto the dirt beneath.
“Kh!...Uugh…”
“There, happy? Need another?”
“…No, but…is this really enough?”
“Sure. I quite like it this way, anyways.”
“…What do you mean?”
“You being our lord’s lapdog. Isn’t that basically what you are now?”
“I…am her teacher…”
“Never said you weren’t.”
“…”
Raziel let out a tired yawn, almost as if their conversation right now barely mattered to her at all. She then threw her gaze towards the lodge where others were sound asleep.
“Oh, since you’re here. That half girl, is that who I think it is?”
Karas’ eyes shook momentarily. His entire body visibly tensed and hurriedly rose to its feet – a sight which Raizel only laughed at.
“Oh, relax, I won’t hurt her. I’m just curious.”
“…”
Karas clenched his eyes. There was no point in lying – nor did he have a right to. Not to her.
“…It is.”
“Hah! That’s pretty funny.”
The dragon then casually lied down on her back once more. A gentle breeze brushed past the forest as Raizel stared at the glittering night sky.
“Well, if you’re done here, get out of my sight.”
“…R…right.”
She didn’t bother watching Karas leave. She merely continued staring into the sky, swallowing the discomfort welling up within her.
She couldn’t tell if it was Light’s voice or Rien’s voice that she was hearing echoing inside her head. After all, they sounded pretty similar. And looked pretty similar. Identical, even.
And it didn’t sit too nicely for Raizel, especially after Karas’ verbal confirmation.
“…Tsk.”
Raizel kicked her tongue. She wanted to close her eyes and sleep, but she felt that old memories would return to haunt her dreams tonight.
And in those dreams, someone was always dying. Usually, she’d be the one watching them die.
But on rare occasions, she would be the one killing them.
“…”
‘…Wouldn’t hurt to be a little nice to her.’
? ? ?
In this world, there are no heroes; there are no villains.
Every individual possesses their own righteousness at heart. And thus, the cycle of hatred continues.
Hate breeds hate.
Vengeance births vengeance.
Once, we killed the star to break this cycle. The hatred that filled this world were to die with all life that harbored it. Such is how the Twelve came to be.
But I wonder, in your short life…
Have you found a different solution?