Asya wished she wasn't born as a Celestial Dragon, nor a Warrior Dragon.
In fact, anything but being a dragon.
She slapped an oncoming spear, humming with electricity, using the back of her palm. She only did it lightly, but it flew quite a distance into the horizon where it could not be seen anymore. Asya knew her opponent would appear right behind her based on the disturbance within the air, so she teleported across the battleground with ease, almost bored.
As expected, Asya's opponent, the Dragon Queen's Champion "Esmeralda", was standing at her place. In her hand was a dagger, plunged at where Asya's heart should have been seconds ago.
Just like her, Esmeralda was in her half-human and half-dragon form. The other Celestial had silver tails, silver horns that curved backwards and silver sharp claws, while lightning crackled around her porcelain skin. A perfectly equipped Wargon, short for Warrior Dragon.
Roars from the spectators, far out in the sky above them, cheered for Esmeralda's name.
Being a plain dragon was sounding sweeter and sweeter each day.
"You've been running with your tails between your legs, Asya. Scared?" Esmeralda asked, a smirk on her face. After materializing another spear out from the earth, she flapped her silver wings, rising from the ground. Esmeralda was a rare Celestial-level dragon, an all-powerful type that could manipulate all the elements known to the living, but her moves were painfully predictable to Asya's eyes.
As another Celestial, Asya wished she never knew her at all. Or else the gods in the heavens would think she was as lame as Esmeralda.
"Come now, as the queen's champion, don't you have any better things to say than that? It makes me think you're trying to act tough." Asya flashed her a pitiful look. "Besides, you won't be able to kill another Celestial with those skills or... kill anyone at all."
"You speak big, sister," Esmeralda said as the smirk on her face disappeared, "say that again if you can win against me."
The lightning around Esmeralda grew fiercer, bigger. This made it hard to see her from those branches of electricity surrounding her. Then the ground trembled from the sheer force, jittering rocks and boulders, creating gigantic cracks everywhere. This earned her waves of cheers of excitement from the spectators.
Asya knew what was coming, another disappointment.
She sighed. It was best if she would just finish the battle now rather than prolong this embarrassing event. Asya would never understand why the dragon race loved Esmeralda when her fighting strategies could be countered by a measly human.
Was it because she did not socialize much with her fellow folks? Or was she too powerful and intimidating to approach?
These reasons were understandable.
Honestly, Asya really wanted to socialize with the other dragons, joining extravagant balls, train with each other in the skies, and hunt down demons in the Human Realm, or even fall in love as they flew into the sunset. The problem was the location and activity.
These things required flying. She doesn't do flying. She could, but she won't.
It was a definite NO.
So before Esmeralda could lay destruction upon the ground beneath Asya's feet, it was time to stop her. Otherwise, Asya would be forced to flap her unused wings because there would be no solid ground in the next minutes.
"I'll say this once, Esmeralda, so listen well and learn." Asya warned carefully as she stood tall with her hands clasped behind her, staring head on to where she knew Esmeralda was trying to hide her presence within the dome of lightning.
Not even the violent shaking of the earth could deter Asya's balance. She knew well how the earth moves because she had been on the ground for too long.. "Being a Celestial doesn't mean you can use the elements of the living whenever you want, Dear. Nature will not give you the optimum strength of the elements if you don't give them the right respect they deserve. Just like now, you've abused your body so much, I can manipulate your blood easily. For example..." Asya lifted a finger, focusing the magic on it.
Deep within her bones and blood, something old and ancient trembled, awakening and ready to unfold.
"Give me strength, Mother Earth," she whispered beneath her breath, and the reply came fast and hot. Heat flowed out from her skin and her horns turned blood red, her wings protruded out from her shoulder blades as dark as the moonless night and her scarlet hair glowed like embers.
"Kneel." She commanded as she flicked her fingers at Esmeralda's direction.
Suddenly, the dome of lightning fell from the sky onto the ground, disappearing into the cracks and fissures. And from above the sky, a silver speck plunged down heavily onto the ground with a loud bang, creating a deep crater.
Then silence.
The spectators were too shocked to make a sound. Only Asya's naked feet, walking over dried leaves and twigs, was making noises as she approached the crater. She looked down over the crest to see Esmeralda at the center of the crater, struggling against the magic that held her blood down.
Her platinum hair stuck onto her sweat-smeared forehead. Her face muscles twitched as she tried to scowl at Asya with obvious hate, but the magic would not let her move. To add fuel to the fire, Asya smiled dashingly, saying, "Are you okay, sister? Why are you hiding your tail between your legs?"
Esmeralda's face turned a deep red. Asya left her there without cancelling the blood magic. She glanced up to the spectators, specifically at the levitating throne in the sky. Then she flicked a finger and her armors dissolved, while her body shaped back to her human form.
"Satisfied, Queen Vassi?" Asya asked, "You've called me here in the Sky Amphitheater to be challenged by your weakest champion I have ever met in my life for what?"
Whispers slowly grew louder like wildfire as most of Esmeralda's loyal followers began talking in her defense.
"In all honesty, I'm surprised that there's another living Celestial Dragon aside from me. But I am ashamed to call her 'sister' as she barely knows how to show respect to her senior."
"Asya," Queen Vassi said with her soft voice, but Asya had lived long enough to know what really lies behind that kind face of the queen. "You have done well by accepting my call, Asya. You've displayed exactly the purpose of this invitation. The new generation of our race has grown too proud and big-headed, and I thank you for showing them what it means to be a warrior."
Asya grit her teeth to keep her anger from lashing out.
She had been used again.
At this time of peace in all the realms, she should have been at her cave, hibernating, waking only when her race direly needed her help.
Not to be some example to teach the young dragons how important respect is.
"Are we done here?" Asya asked, expressionless.
"I'm afraid not." Queen Vassi smiled, her golden eyes crinkling with ulterior motives that Asya could smell from afar. "As the most powerful dragon in our realm, I implore your service for the safety of our race."
Bound to the old magic and to the chosen royal family, Asya must accept her command no matter what even if it was against her will, as it was written in her blood and bones. Trampling down the rising tantrums and anger inside her, she curtsied at the queen, saying, "I am at your service, Queen Vassi."
"Thank you," Queen Vassi replied. "For ages, our race is bound to offer tributes to the gods every 300 years. When autumn ends and winter comes then dies, summer follows and so will our timely offering. The Elders decided to offer the strongest demon's heart as a tribute. This will be the most expensive and valuable offering in the Seven Realms and I implore you to prepare it for us."
Asya's eyes narrowed at the queen, suspicion growing in her hungry gut. The royal dragons were downright villains if they stripped off their beautiful and amorous beauties.
1000 years ago, Asya had once been called before the Dragon King, Vissa's father. The old dragon asked for her assistance in destroying a plague that laid waste to their realm, almost killing half of their population. As a Celestial, she could cure this disease, but she found out that the disease was not a spontaneous infection but a plague created by the Beast Realm.
Since she was commanded to destroy the root of the problem, she had to kill the one who made it, the Beast King. The memory of that deadly battle was still fresh in her memory. When she eradicated the Beast King, the old dragon rejoiced because a pain-in-the-ass enemy was out of the picture.
Then Asya lately learned that the old dragon had a cure for the disease given by the same person who created it. It had all been planned. The Dragon King deliberately spread the disease and put the blame on the Beast King.
So it was hard for Asya to believe Vissa's words. But the queen asked for her service, which was rare, unlike the old king. Perhaps Vissa only looked suspicious because of her father's evil deeds, which was hard for Asya to forget.
"That will be the Demon King, right?" Asya asked. "If so then promise me that when I get the heart, you'll let me go back to my home without anymore delays."
"You have my word."
"Good."