*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
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Ryujin woke up to the sound of his phone's alarm, half asleep he couldn't help but yawn as he turned it off. He proceeded to go to the bathroom, where he washed his face and brushed his teeth. He then went to the living room and turned on the television right after he went to the bathroom.
He switched the channel into the news, and it seemed like they were talking about the earthquake that happened yesterday.
"As of now, the government has no idea as to what caused the earthquake to last as long. However, the government is advising everyone not to panic, and it seems like even the JSDF is on standby. According to the Prime Minister, they are ready to move whenever it is needed."
Ryujin didn't care and was just about to turn the television off when the reporter's next words caught his interest.
"Now we've received reports that a group of students, including one Japanese student, has gone missing in the Amazon forests."
"According to our sources, the group took a cruise along with 15 people in the Amazon River with a professional guide last week, and it was only recently that they found the ship sinking somewhere in the river."
"The authorities have found the other passengers dead from animal attacks while the authorities are still searching for the group of students."
He wanted to continue watching; however, Ryujin noticed the time and turned off the television before going outside his apartment.
He had to close his eyes as the sun was glaring down on him early in the morning. He locked the door to his flat before going on his way to work, which is how his day usually starts.
At the age of 16, Ryujin had to work day in and day out to survive after he lost his parents in a car accident. Not only did he not know any of his relatives, but his parents also weren't wealthy. All Ryujin inherited was a small house and a handful amount of cash that he had to spend for his parent's burial.
The house didn't even last long as he had to sell it due to the bills he couldn't pay without a job. In the end, he couldn't also mourn his parent's death since he needed to think about his survival.
There was a point in his life when he desired just to end it all if it wasn't for his parent's wish for him to live happily with or without them.
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It has been four years since then, and he has lived his life working overtime in multiple jobs, this day was just like any other.
The bustling city of Tokyo can be seen through the train's window, while people of various ages are inside the train on their way to whatever it is they have to do.
People of his age were wearing uniforms on their way to college, and he couldn't help but envy them, especially their youthful look.
Whether it was the loss of his parents or the stress of working in a black company, his once energetic and handsome face can no longer be seen.
Of course, it doesn't mean he is no longer handsome, his fair skin complimented his sharp jaws, well-defined chin, and symmetrical face. His eyes were a shade of dark blue, and one couldn't help but drown in his eyes. His thick and lustrous brown hair reached up to his shoulders, giving him this wild but sexy look. His body was lean and muscular that the girls couldn't help but wish to see what he looked like with his shirt off.
He could've been a model if it wasn't for his fatigued look and the constant frown on his face.
He eventually reached his destination and got off the train. As soon as he stepped out of the subway station, the blinding sun made him wince. What greeted him was the same scene he's seen for millions of times, teens running late for school, adults talking in their phone, or rushing to work. He couldn't help but sigh at the scene he was tired of seeing.
He wished for a change in this scenery as he continued walking down the streets. If he could move to the countryside, he would've moved as soon as possible. Sadly, life in Tokyo was quite expensive for someone like him, and he could barely add money to his savings.
He continued to walk past the passersby, and he couldn't help but notice that they were all looking at one direction, their facial expression was indescribable. Like a mixture of fear and amazement, and a hint of confusion evident in their eyes.
"Whoa! Are they filming a movie?"
"Are those special effects? Where's the cameras?"
"Damn, we're living in the future, those look so real!"
The conversations he heard only confused him more; he couldn't understand what they were talking about, and so he decided to follow their line of sight.
There it was following an airliner was a massive dragon, the western kind of dragon with four legs and enormous wings. Its whole body was at least twice the size of the aircraft, and that was simply the body; including the limbs and tail would make it at least three times bigger.
It was catching up to the airplane, and Ryujin had a premonition that something terrible would happen. His body was unconsciously getting ready to run immediately as soon as he felt like it.
It eventually caught up to the plane, and its wings continued to flap while its arms were enveloping the aircraft. A few observers couldn't help but scream when they witnessed this scene, but it was far from over.
It released a roar that destroyed the windows of nearby buildings, causing a few to panic. Although a few had their suspicions, everyone still believed it was just a movie scene, and the producers planned everything. After all, who'd believe that a real dragon exists today?
The dragon opened its mouth wide, exposing its long sharp teeth before biting into the cockpit of the aircraft. It pierced through the metal like a hot knife through butter while a few onlookers couldn't help but gasp or scream.
It dropped the cockpit in its mouth, causing a projectile made out of metal to fall into one of the buildings. A series of screams resounded from inside the building, but the others dismissed it as part of a movie.
'This must be a dream.'
He thought to himself. However, he knew deep down that what he was seeing was real, and a part of him just didn't want to accept it. He was just about to run when the dragon released an earthshattering roar that caused the surroundings to vibrate intensely.
Everyone felt their blood froze, and no one could move due to fear. There was not a single person who wasn't trembling, and even one of the onlookers couldn't help but leak in their pants.
No one could mock him for everyone else, including Ryujin understood why. It wasn't the volume that made the roar terrifying. It was the invisible pressure the sound brought to one's soul. A hidden force that can make one cower in fear and give them the desire to find the smallest hole and hide inside.
It was like a natural disaster, a force of nature that forces everything to submit and to feel helpless and small.
After it roared, its neck seemed to turn red with a hint of yellow before flames erupted out of its mouth. The vortex of fire traveled at an astonishing speed, entering the aircraft before exiting out of the hole it made near the tail. Parts of the airplane were melting, and there was no doubt that the passengers inside there were gone.
The fire continued to travel until the dragon closed its mouth. It flew away in the distance as if it has done something insignificant.
Without the dragon holding it, what's left of the aircraft started to fall into one of the buildings before it exploded. An overwhelming blast of a sound traveled through the city while Ryujin watched the building go ablaze.
There was a moment of silence, a common reaction when something absurd happens right in front of your eyes; eventually, the realization sinks in. From there, chaos occurred, fear surged within everyone's heart, and humans do what their instincts tell them to do when their lives are in danger.
Everyone started running away, but only a few had a destination in mind. After all, who'd be able to think clearly in the face of danger?
Ryujin had no idea where to go, but it was clear to him that he would be in danger if he didn't leave.
The situation was getting far more chaotic, and some kids were crying after getting separated from their parents. Just when things started getting worse, a beacon of hope appeared. Phones and nationwide speakers started alarming, and police officers showed up guiding everyone.
Everyone was still afraid, but with a symbol of authority leading them and the experience from previous natural disasters made the people react exceptionally well.
"Please calm down. We will guide everyone to safety. To those who wish to leave the city, please follow the other officers. They will guide you accordingly."
Hearing the calm and collected tone of the officers lessened the fears in everyone's heart. It turns out that the dragon has left, and the government was tracking it—the only reason why they could leave the city is that everyone was required to stay in the evacuation centers, so whether they remained in Shinjuku or not didn't matter.
Ryujin had a feeling that the dragon wasn't the only danger and that things were just getting started. He started to think of a place that would be safer for him, and the first place that he thought of was Chiyoda city. The city where the Prime Minister's office was.
A few officers guided Ryujin along with a few others to the train station. There weren't many who wanted to leave the city due to their fear of the dragon, so the train station was nearly empty except for the few patrolling security guards and other employees. No one was talking on their way, and it was apparent that everyone was disturbed by the scenes they've witnessed.
The government implemented a few changes in terms of public transportation due to the absurd situation a while ago. An example of such changes was the delay in trains and the closing of airports; they were afraid that more creatures would appear and would cause more devastation.
A police officer told them that the reason for the delay was the drones thoroughly checking the path of the train to make sure it was clear.
'It seems like the government is considering it possible for more creatures like the dragon to appear.'
Ryujin thought to himself as he waited patiently for the train to start moving. It took about 20 minutes before he heard a police officer talk to his radio.
"The path is clear, and we are about to leave Shinjuku. Are we in the clear to start the train?"
*Hisss**Hissss*
"Hello? Can you hear me? That's weird; it was working fine just a while ago, you stay here and tell them to start the train. We're already behind schedule, so I'm just going to stay here and tell them myself."
An officer said to another police officer as he got off the train, the doors were just about to close when a scream came through the radio.
"No! Don't start the train yet! Help us! N-no, stay away from me! No-AHHH!"
Ryujin felt chills all over his body when a scream came from inside the station.
The train was already moving when a man shouted as he pointed out the windows of the train.
"Look! Over there!"
Ryujin looked at the direction he was pointing out, which he regretted almost immediately. Humans covered in blood were limping towards the train with their mouths open, with either their arms or legs dislocated and wounds covering their bodies.
Some were missing chunks of their flesh, and it seemed as if something chewed the meat off of their bodies. The face of the officer who got off the train turned pale as he ran and tried to open the doors of the moving train.
Just then, a loud screech resonated throughout the station that everyone had to cover their ears. Everyone saw behind the massive crowd, an 8-meter creature standing tall its skin was black with slender arms that look like a mantis front legs.
The officer outside the train turned around when he noticed where everyone was looking at, and he couldn't help but pee in his pants when he saw the creature approaching.
Everyone was watching it when the creature abruptly moved, and in the blink of an eye, it was right in front of the officer. The slender arms pierced the officer's body, and it raised the officer's body as it opened its protruded mouth. Ryujin could see the rows of sharp teeth when it opened its mouth wide before it bit off the officer's head.
It took a lot of time to describe it, but all of that happened within seconds, by the time the creature swallowed the officer's head, the train was already getting far away.
Ryujin was petrified; no one could explain what just happened. The scene visibly shook even the initially composed police officer with them.
"E-everyone, please calm down, the train has already started, so they wouldn't be able to catch up to us. I will alert our headquarters so they can neutralize the threat immediately."
Despite his shaking figure, the officer tried to calm everyone down. However, his convincing words seem to be more for himself as much as it was for the others. The radio was still not working so the officer could only wait for the train to arrive.
The attempt of the officer couldn't calm down who Ryujin was genuinely terrified, he has never been in a fight, and that was his first time witnessing someone die.
He held in the urge to puke while he tried to calm his frantically beating heart. The image of the officer's death was so vivid in his mind, Ryujin remembered the look of horror in the man's face moments away from his death.
In the end, they unknowingly reached the subway station in Chiyoda throughout the journey. They were just in a daze. The scene they witnessed just wouldn't leave their mind.
"W-we are here. There should be some officers nearby to guide you if necessary. W-well, then take care."
The police officer in the train hurriedly said before running off to somewhere. Ryujin, along with a group of people from Shinjuku, were soon left all alone.