"A small private land owned by The Golden Circle. Small enough to be a big city surrounded by dangerous waters. It is mainly filled with trees, rocks, and rivers. The only attraction here is the beach south on the island. No bugs, no mammals no fish, not a single living creature is on the island except for plants and trees. Very few buildings were built for there to be a reason to stay on the island. My father the King of Dome, King Almon, the current head of the Golden Circle hid the Dragon somewhere on the island. Only he knows exactly where it is located. The island where life ceases to exist is about to be filled with people from across the globe setting their sights for the prize"
While Princess Miya was talking about the island. CJ was right next to her with earphones in his ears. Miya talked for hours explaining the Dragon Hunt's origin. "The Dragon has a name. My great-grandmother gave it the name Dante because of its long lifespan. We don't know how old Dante is but rest assured he still looks like he's in his prime. Purple with some black scales. Huge wings that glow and yellow eyes that stare deep within your soul. After my great grandmother, Bianca found Dante she knew it was her duty to hide him from the world" said, Miya. Cj nodded as he snapped his fingers. Miya continued to tell Cj how the Dragon Hunt came to be. "Most people would be scared if they saw a creature taller than a skyscraper with wings but Selena quickly made friends with it. Selena's brother, King Kyte Almon owned many lands that he took from neighboring countries. King Kyte hid Dante there and Selena paid him monthly visits.
"Years later Selena caught an illness that could not be cured. Everyone including herself thought her days as Queen were numbered. Her voice and vision faded bit by bit. That's when she discovered the Dragon had healing properties. Selena thought it was right to pay the Dragon Dante a visit. When she did Dante healed her with a special liquid that leaked out of his mouth. Selena was instantly healed, her vision and hearing were crystal clear and her body was filled with energy. There was another occurrence before that when eight soldiers were burnt alive by Dante then brought back to life. Selena learned that Dante had a special gift."
"Hey Miya can you lower your voice, please. I can't hear this guy's lyrics with you talking to yourself" said Cj annoyed. Miya saw the earphones in Cj's ear so she pulled it out. Miya called one of her disciples and ordered him to point a gun at Cj's head. "Pull the trigger next time if he passed his place on my jet okay dear," said Miya.
"Yes, princess" the disciple replied.
Cj rubbed his ears then talked to the man who was pointing a gun at him. "You look strong and fit. A perfect example of what people should strive to be. Good work sir, I'll see you at my basement when we head back home"
Miya grabbed one of Cj's ears as hard as she could. "Why are you ignoring me? I'm giving you an important history lesson. Co-operate with me" she said.
"If you're going to tell me something it should be useful. How many people will I have to compete against? Do they have Gifts like me? Who poses as a threat from who doesn't? We haven't even discussed how we'll share the healing potion" said Cj. The disciple did as ordered and pulled the trigger.
POW!
The gun was fired engulfing the room with smoke. Miya found it strange that smoke came out of the gun instead of a bullet. She grabbed Cj by the collar and pulled his ears. "Owww!" Cj cried out. The bullet turned into dust the instant it was fired. Miya told her disciple to give it a second try. "Gladly" the man replied. Cj didn't like the thought of getting shot at so he dismantled the gun in the disciple's hand. Instead of a gun, the disciple has parts that are used to build one.
"Miya, let's not get hostile towards each other when we're minutes away from the island. We both have common interests. We'll share the healing potion when I win the competition which by the way you haven't explained to me yet. Will it be a race, a battle royal?" asked Cj curiously. Miya couldn't answer the question. "I don't know. This is my first time being involved in a Dragon Hunt. I'm guessing it will be a Hunt of some sort" replied Miya. Miya once again asked Cj about the ability he's hiding from her but he refused to answer.
One hour later they finally arrived at Apsychos Island. It was hard to find a spot to land because of all the trees. They landed north on the island where other planes and even helicopters were located. Cj checked the other vehicles and saw that they were already empty. "Are we the last ones to arrive?" asked Cj.
Miya started counting the planes and helicopters. "No, we're one of the last but not the last one. There's still one person who's missing" replied Miya. Miya pulled out two maps and gave one to Cj. "Do you know how to follow a map?" asked Miya. "Of course I do," said Cj confidently. "Good cuz I have no clue. This is new to me. Everyone is supposed to meet up where the X is on the map once they arrive" said Miya. Her face blushed with embarrassment. CJ was about to tease the princess for her incompetence but all her disciples instinctively surrounded him. "Hehehehe, I wasn't going to say anything rude. You guys better go away with those guns. They're tempting me to dissect some of you which can happen by the way. Right after I get the healing potion" said Cj smirking. He guided Miya and her disciples to where the X was located.
"We're pretty far away from our destination but we should reach the meeting place before sundown if we don't take any breaks," said Cj.
"No breaks it is then" Miya replied.
They walked for four hours on end seeing nothing but trees. Miya was at her limit and couldn't go any farther. Cj could hear her heavy breathing and her face was covered in sweat. Cj made a suggestion to Miya. "You look tired. I can reenergize you if you let me" said Cj.
Miya ignored Cj's offer to help and continued onward. "Are we close to the red X?" asked Cj. Everyone stopped in their tracks with a shocked look on their face. Cj saw the tense stares so he showed them the map. "We're very close. The good news is that we're about to exit this tedious forest any minute now. The bad news is that there's a hill up ahead that we must cross. Beyond that hill is where the red X is" said Cj.
"So I'll ask again, do you want me to reenergize you or not?" asked Cj.
"How aren't you tired of walking?" asked Miya.
Cj went in his backpack and gave Miya a white bottle. Miya opened it and saw yellow powder inside. Naturally, she was suspicious of the powder so she called one of her tired disciples to take some of it. "Swallow a spoonful, please. You won't like it if you go overboard" said Cj handing the man a spoon. The disciple quickly swallowed a spoonful of Cj's powder.
"Professor Jupiter calls that powder UltRe-energizer. It restores all the energy you've lost. Perfect for long traveling" said Cj happily. Miya's disciple stretched his arms and legs looking refreshed. It's as if he just finished taking a nap and drank temperature water. "This is perfect. I don't feel tired anymore. What are the repercussions?" said the disciple amazed. "You won't run out of energy for a couple of days so it will be insanely difficult to go to sleep at night" replied Cj. Miya took her spoonful and thanked Cj. "Let's hurry. If I see any more trees I think I'm going to vomit" said Miya seriously. Another three hours have passed and the sun finally set. Cj and the others finally made it to where the red X is. They didn't see anything special except for a cave.
"You sure you read the map properly?" asked Miya doubtfully.
"I'm positive. I'll look inside the cave" said Cj. He headed inside with a flashlight in hand and searched every part of the cave. He made it to an iron door after walking for almost five minutes. "A door deep inside the cave. Who thought of this?" said Cj. He went back to Miya and her disciples telling them to follow him inside. They did as told and saw the iron door. Cj had to use all his strength just for the door to budge. Miya's disciples had to help him open it enough for them to pass. Beyond the door was a luxurious room filled with gold and silver furniture. A blonde hair girl with her dog was inside the room sipping on some tea.
The sound of the iron door opening startled the girl which led to her spilling some of her tea on her hands. "Aah!" she screamed. Her dog started licking her hand to ease her pain. Miya whispered in Cj's ear. "This girl is not one of the Golden Circle. Safe to say she'll be participating for one of them just like what you're doing for me"
Cj walked up to the girl and took her teacup off the table. He smelled its aroma then went in for a taste. "This is way too sweet young lady. Are you trying to kill yourself?" asked Cj upsettingly. He drank the whole cup in one go. "Sorry, you just looked weak-minded so I decided to take your tea. I won't do it again. Next time add less sugar" said Cj. Cj opened a door to another room and it was way more crowded. Before Miya chased after him she asked the girl for her name. "Alisa Matar" she replied.
Miya was familiar with the last name Matar. "Matar! I wasn't aware Ronald had a daughter. Why would he keep that a secret?" asked Miya.
"Most of my life I was locked away from the outside. I'm finally free" sighed Alisa.
"Hold on to it. You and the daughter of King Almon share something in common" Miya said before walking away. Those two immediately peaked each other's interest from their short conversation. Miya went inside the other room only to see Cj sleeping on the couch. "He didn't reenergize himself as I did. No wonder he's tired"
The Dragon Hunt competition will begin in the next thirteen hours.