The Legend of Draconia: The Dragon, The Beach, And The Stronghold

A long time ago, dragons and humans coexisted with each other. The dragons guided the humans in their daily lives. For this reason, humans relied greatly on them. One day, a group of dark creatures joined them. They offered their services to humans. Soon, factions formed, and barriers rose. The dragons exiled the humans from their territory and warned them never to come back ever again. The dark creatures suddenly ceased on helping the humans, leaving them to fend on their own. At least that was how my grandfather told me the story. “Luke? Luke Langress, come down this instant!” An angry voice forced me out of bed. “Coming gramps! Sheesh, the sun hasn’t even risen yet,” I mumbled to myself. “What was that? I hope you aren’t complaining now. Your parents sent you here because you have been going rogue again. You should blame your parents because they should be the one taking care of you. How much of a devil have you been to make them give up on you?” My ears rang on both sides. When would the sermon end? My ears couldn’t take this anymore. If I could only have things my way, I could be free from these adults always telling me what to do and what not to do. “… And they didn’t even give any penny for my maintenance! For that, you have to work for me. Nothing is free here, you know,” he continued. What did I do to deserve this? He wasn’t like this to me when I was a little kid. He would always tell me bedtime stories each night my mom and I stayed here. Now that I’m seventeen, he treats me like his subordinate. I hate this life. I looked in the mirror and brushed my amber hair. I plucked the morning stars that stuck in my bright orange eyes. I have to give up my city clothes for clothes that asked for a straw hat. Maybe I could build more muscle by lifting some hay, I thought as I flexed my arm. My grandfather looked like any other old farts I know back in the city. He had graying hair, but his eyebrows refused to succumb to the change. Despite his age, he still has a good posture. As I would hear the adults say, “Aging like a fine wine.” “You better get moving or there will be no breakfast for you.” “I said I’m coming!” “Don’t raise your voice on me, ya hear! Now git!” I zipped my mouth after hearing that and went for the stairs. I ploughed the field using a sturdy rusty rake, planted some crops and plucked those which were ripe enough. I am not used to getting my back soaked in sweat. I don’t think I can even last here for a week. “Finally, I can chow!” I rushed inside the straw house. “Hold your heels, there. Wash up before you ‘chow’.” I grunted as I dragged my sole towards the lake. I brought a few extra clothes with me. As I dipped into the vast, clear lake, cold misty air encroached me. I scrubbed my body quickly as my teeth chattered from the sudden drop of temperature. I grabbed my clothes and got out of there. Suddenly, I heard a whisper, “See you soon, Luke.” “Who was that?” I snapped my neck back, but no answer returned. I must be hearing things. Then I heard a loud splash behind me. From the misty lake, I saw a long slender shadow bearing long fangs. It seemed to come at my direction. My heart raced fast. My feet bolted from the sandy earth and I never looked back. “Boy, where in oyster sauce have you been? The breakfast is getting cold,” my grandfather motioned me to the table. “Uh, gramps, are we the only ones here?” My teeth still chattered. “You seem spooked. What happened back there?” “I think I saw something lurking in the lake.” “What did it look like?” “It had a long body and sharp teeth. The mist is covering most of my view, so I can’t be sure what it was.” “It must have been a crocodile. When you see one, watch your tail.” “The weird thing is that it talked to me. It even knew my name!” “Boy, you better let go of the city stuff. No crocodile could talk. That’s just madness!” “But it’s true! I really heard it call to me.” “Eat up, champ. The hunger must be getting to ya.” “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Maybe I’m imagining things.” I took a slice of scrambled eggs and placed it in between the slices of bread. I cleaned up and dropped to my bed. I kept thinking about that voice I heard. It sounded so human. Her voice was like a shy girl of my age. Come to think of it, I forgot the pumice gramps treasured so much. I am so screwed! “Where are you going? I thought you were going to rest?” Gramps gave me a puzzled look. “Uh, I think I forgot something by the lake.” “Okay. Watch out for crocodile! I don’t want to see you floating by the lake with the last pieces of clothing you wore before you disappeared.” “You have been watching too much scary animal stories. I will be back before you know it.” “You better be. I don’t know what to tell your parents if you ended up like that.” “See ya gramps, be back in a bit,” I finally rushed out the open door before sighing. I walked down the straight path towards the lake. I knew I left it somewhere there. The stone must have fell off the lakeside. I pulled up my sleeve and dunked my hand into the freezing water. The hairs on my skin stood ever so straight, followed by a compulsive vibration. “Dang it! Where could it have gone?” I cursed under my breath. Suddenly, I felt something hard and smooth. Thank goodness I found it. My arm was freezing already. I lifted it up. It felt quite heavy. When it reached the surface, my face went blank. My gaze locked onto the blue slimy paw. Then it vibrated like a beating heart. I pulled my hand away and the mist cleared, revealing a scaly creature. It had deep blue pointed bones on its back like the Stegosaurus. On one hand, it held my grandfather’s pumice. Its neck turned to me and smiled, revealing its shiny spiked teeth. “Hi Luke, did you come to see me?” It talked to me. It was like she expected my return. My heart dropped to my stomach. I cannot even mutter a sound. I was a frozen action figure by the lake. My eyes kept on gazing at her. Soon, everything turned white, then I heard a loud splash. “Luke!” This was the last thing I heard before I succumbed to unconsciousness. I woke up to the intense gaze of the sun. It was high up in the sky. The clouds retreated from the angry ball of light. I got up to see the pine trees in full bloom. My clothes were half soaked. A young lady sat by my side with anticipating eyes. She had eyes like the complete darkness of the night. Her hair was blue as the icy lake. She wore a blue dress suitable for prom nights like the ones I saw the seniors in my school wore last year. Her smiled presented perfectly lined teeth, too perfect for a human. “I’m glad you had come to your senses,” she exhaled in relief. “What happened to me?” I groggily sat up. My head felt like it hit a hard wall. “Don’t you remember? You came back to the lake looking for something. Then you vanished from sight after a loud splash. You were lucky I was there to save you from drowning.” “Is that what happened? I thought I saw something in the lake.” “Who did you see there? Was it me?” “No, it was something else. It looked like a dragon from the fairytale books I used to read.” “You have a wild imagination,” she pressed an index finger against my forehead. “No one has seen dragons here for centuries, Luke.” “How did you know my name?” “It was just a guess. You looked like a person who can be a Luke or Lucas.” “You knew that just by looking at my face?” “Hey, it was a guess. It turned out I was right,” she giggled softly with grace. “Okay, to be fair, my name is Cyrille.” “What a beautiful name for a beautiful girl,” I held her face but retracted just as quickly. “Is this your first time seeing a girl?” She giggled louder. “I-I have seen plenty of girls back in the city!” Heat rushed towards my face. “Oh, so you’re a city boy. I should have known. Do you have a girlfriend by any chance?” “I am riding solo for the moment. Do you want to ride with me?” “Hmm, what if I take you for a ride? How does that sound?” “You drive?” “Nope, but I can take you to places. You have to close your eyes first.” “Oh, okay.” “Don’t peek! Take them off when I tell you to.” She unwrapped the silky sash from her waist and rolled it in my eyes. I thought of the possible places where she could take me. I also decided of places where I wanted to go. Suddenly, a strong wind blew in my face. Is there a storm coming? But I could still feel the heat of the sun. “Keep steady now. Here we go!” “Woah! Am I riding a horse? But it’s too scaly to be a horse,” I felt something slid under me. “Seems like you are used to riding horses. I thought you were a city boy.” “I am a city boy, but I come to my grandfather’s farm on rare occasions.” “I see. You can take your blindfold off now.” I unrolled the silk that covered my eyes. I felt the wind brush my eyes. I lifted my hands and felt the icy clouds. We went higher until we were above them. The trees below looked like tiny pieces in my father’s landscape designs. The clear lake flashed against the sun. When I looked at my ride, my heart raced. My vision of clear skies became that of gloom. Air pushed strongly against my lungs. The flying beast smiled at me until that smile frowned into concern. It was the same creature I saw swimming in the lake. I suddenly remembered my grandfather’s pumice. “Luke, are you alright?” She screamed against the rushing wind. “I-I can’t breathe,” my blood flow began working in reverse. “Don’t let go, Luke! Luke!” The cool air dismounted me from the beast. I felt rushing wind guide my descent. Then a loud thud was enough to clear my senses. The last thing I saw was the blue dragon transforming into the same girl I saw earlier. The sun tilted slightly to the opposite side. I woke up at the sandy beach. The water splashed at my feet like it was calling to me. I looked around, and I was pretty sure I was alone in this place. Moments later, a group of footsteps approached me. I returned my gazed at the tossing waves and waited for them to speak. “What brings you here, human?” A grouchy voice crept behind me. “I am basking in the sun,” I half laid to face the sun. “Your kind is not welcome here. We despise your filthy existence.” “I was quite sure that I scrubbed my body well before coming here.” “Cease this land and never look back. In respect to the agreement, you are to leave here unscathed.” “What agreement?” “Ask your human lord about the details. You must now cease this area. It is time for you to awaken.” “I don’t understand.” “Don’t feel the pain, it will heal faster that way,” the voice softened. My vision blurred until I saw the familiar face of a girl my age. Her eyes were close to tears. We both blinked for a few moments before she pulled herself back to her seat. She slumped her body there, facing away from me. “Luke! Thank goodness! I thought I had lost you! Don’t go running off like that,” my grandfather rushed to hug my bones. “You are squeezing too tight, gramps!” I squealed. He pulled away then followed with a hard slap, “You had me so worried! You are lucky that this girl found you before it was too late.” “Ow! What happened?” “You were out for several weeks. The doctors said that you suffered a critical fall. Because of that, we had to get the police involved in this,” Cyrille glumly answered. Before I could respond, her eyes burned with icy fury. Her hands closed tightly in a fist and I sealed my lips. When my grandfather left to tend to the farm, Cyrille stood up from her chair and sat next to me. It was like déjà vu except in a hospital bed. “How are you feeling?” She arched over me. “Aside from my itchy back, all is swell,” I faced the other way. “I’m sorry for what happened earlier. I should have known my limits.” “You don’t have to apologize, it was worth the pain. I was just being a wuss, that’s all.” “No, I should have ensured your safety first. I thought I had lost you,” she placed her head on my chest. “I survived that grizzly fall. That should put my name in the hall of fame, right?” “And if you hadn’t, I would be grieving right now! Life is not a joke, Luke. If I had killed you back there, I could have broken the agreement.” “What agreement?” “I think I should go now. My folks might wreck the buildings trying to find me.” “Wait! Can’t you at least stay for a while?” “I have to go now, Luke.” “What if I fall out of bed, who will come and save me?” “You are such a cutie, Luke. I promise to visit you tomorrow.” “I will be waiting for you, Cyrille,” I flashed a smile at her before she closed the door. The white lights shut off and I closed my eyes. I dreamed of riding with Cyrille on her icy back. I held tightly on her spiky protrusions. The sun had sunk into the horizon and the stars twinkled brightly as we roamed the sky. When we hovered over the sands, humanoid figures formed from them. They solidified as their eyes, nose and mouth began to etch on their faces. They spat on the sandy mass, then rolled it like a huge snowball. With one hand, the solid ball of mass flew with ease. It was too late to dodge when we realized it was coming for us. Cyrille attempted to block the attack with her wings. The impact pushed me off her back. I bounced from the ground and I was suddenly awake.