Ronald was a man fascinated by the world's mystery. He always visited libraries and historical places to gather intelligence on how the world came to be. Because of his curious nature, he eventually became a man of science, archaeology, and mythology. He believed that studying these three things would satisfy his hunger for knowledge. On his twenty-sixth birthday, Ronald was invited to a museum known to have ancient artifacts. The Museum was located in Arcland and funded by King Almon himself.
The second Ronald saw all the artifacts inside the museum he became furious. He knew they were all fake and most of them weren't accurate in the slightest. Of all the fake artifacts, only one actually piqued his interest. A large fang is covered in a glass box. "What creature is this?" Ronald asked himself. He whipped out his phone ready to take a photo of the tooth but was stopped by a blonde-haired woman. "Sir, please refrain from taking pictures of that specific item. You have permission for anything else except that one" said the woman. Her uniform had the museum's logo on it so Ronald assumed that she was an employee.
"Sorry miss, if you don't mind. What creature is this? Don't tell me it's a dinosaur tooth?" Ronald asked curiously.
"Hmm, yes it is. Do you doubt it?" asked the woman.
"No, I don't. In fact, it is the real deal. That's why I am sure this is no dinosaur fang" said Ronald confidently.
"Excuse me? What made you say such a thing?" asked the woman confused.
"Well, dinosaurs are real. Wait, it's better to say the image people plant in our heads is not real. I believe that there was some dude in our history that exaggerated a beast he was scared of" said Ronald.
"I'm afraid I don't understand you, sir. If they are not real then how can you explain this fang before us and how do you know that it's the real thing?" she asked still puzzled.
"Myths are based on real life. Dinosaurs and Dragons were both based on lizards. Unicorns were based on horses, fairies were based on butterflies, mermaids were based on humans, and so forth. Dinosaurs are a myth and no one could change my mind at this point. I read plenty of material to know that dinosaurs are just imaginative creatures. As for how I know this fang is real. The tooth's edges look very rough and not to mention the plenty of rocks creased upon it. Its color looks genuine too so there" smiled Ronald. "This fang is starting to make me rethink everything I thought I knew" he added upsettingly.
The woman slapped both her cheeks and stared at the young man before her. "Sir, what's your name?" the woman asked.
"Ronald Matar, what's yours?" he replied.
"Charlotte Evergreen, a pleasure to meet you. You're weird. I bet you don't accept anything people say until you look into it yourself" the woman smiled. Ronald replied, "Yeah most times, I say things based on my own studies. Even if it's wrong I couldn't care less. It is what I deduce so that's what I'm going to work with".
"That kind of thinking is not ideal. People will hate you for it you know" said Charlotte.
"I am fine with that. No matter how hard I try I can't seem to know how everything was created. They said that it was because of the big bang but is that really it. It could have easily been something else under our noses. So I decided that anything I deduce is absolute. Let's say it's to boost my ego" said Ronald scratching his head. Charlotte chuckled at the man's response. She gave him her number and said "Let's keep in touch ok. Hope you enjoy the museum".
"Yeah, me too"
Days passed after their encounter. Ronald was in the middle of his Pathologist job when he heard his phone ring. His hands were covered in cold blood and intestine so he washed them off first before answering the call. "Yeah, who's this" asked Ronald curiously.
"It's Charlotte. Remember me from the museum" a woman replied.
"Oooh, you're the gorgeous employee. I don't recall giving you my number" said Ronald.
"I know, I thought you would have called me but you didn't so I had no choice but to call you. Let's go on a date" said Charlotte. Ronald immediately became suspicious of the woman. "You want to go on a date with a stranger. Are you ok?" he asked worriedly. "Come on, I promise to show you a good time," said Charlotte. In the end, Ronald gave in and accepted the date offer on one condition. "I am paying for my meals only," he said. "Deal, that's reasonable. We'll meet tomorrow morning at the museum. It's my day off" Charlotte replied.
The next day Ronald met Charlotte at the museum. The two-headed to a café nearby and started talking. "Ronald, four days ago you said that fang wasn't a dinosaur tooth. You were right" said Charlotte.
"Of course I am. Creatures such as those are fakes" said Ronald.
"That fang was a Dragon's tooth. Dragons were once real beings and they were as large as skyscrapers at most" Charlotte said softly. "Really now? To say a thing such as that you would need concrete evidence to convince me" Ronald said intrigued. Charlotte showed him a photo of a huge purple creature with wings. "PHOTOSHOP!" Ronald said strongly. Charlotte nodded no in response then grabbed Ronald's hand. She carried him into a taxi heading to the airport. "Let's have a little adventure then. To prove that I am not lying. Dragons are real" said Charlotte.
"Hmm, even if they are. What do you gain for telling me this? What are you up to?" asked Ronald suspiciously.
"I like you. That's all the reason I need to reveal my secrets to you" said Charlotte.
"Lies, you are up to something. I am getting off this taxi right now". Before Ronald told the driver to stop the car Charlotte rushed in and kissed him on the lips. She gave him over twenty hits before giving him time to breathe. "Don't you want to see Dante The Dragon. It will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" said Charlotte. Ronald changed his mind after the kiss thinking "That kiss felt sweet. I want more". When they arrived at the airport Charlotte brought Ronald inside a private jet where they met an old man with a crown on his head. Ronald could not believe who was before him. The King of Arcland, King Almon, the most powerful individual in the world was before Ronald eating pastries. He went on his knees and greeted "Good morning Your honor, It is a pleasure to be near your presence".
"Hahahaha, nonsense. I should be the one to tell you that Ronald Matar. You are the one who will make my dreams attainable" the king laughed amused.
Ronald had no idea what the king meant and nothing like that was mentioned ever again during the flight. While the king was watching television with his disciples Ronald and Charlotte were bonding. By the time the jet arrived on an abandoned island, Ronald opened up to Charlotte. He started to have a crush on her. The thought of Charlotte scheming something flew right out the window in his mind. The island they landed on was filled with trees and rocky plains, no living organisms were present on the island. "Where are we?" Ronald asked.
"This island is called Apsychos. It's the place where Dante lives. The Dragon you want to see" said the king.
Hearing those words from King Almon was still not enough proof for Ronald to believe Dante exists. "We'll see," he said doubtfully. Charlotte blindfolded Ronald and held his hand. "Sorry, you don't get to see the way," said Charlotte. They brought Ronald to the Dragon's location. The second his blindfold was off Ronald took back his words. "Wow, so they are real after all"
ROOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRR!!
A creature so massive the act of harming it seems hopeless. Over three hundred feet tall with purple skin and wings that are almost as big as his body. Ronald froze in fear, paralyzed by the monster before him. "Dante, this man here will be one of your friends from here on out. Try to get along with him" King Almon introduced. Dante moved her head closer to Ronald and licked his face as a sign of friendship. "See, there is no need to feel afraid around Dante. She's a sweetheart" Charlotte stated.
After briefly meeting the dragon King Almon brought Ronald and Charlotte to a private room on the island. "Now, how much has Charlotte told you about my plan?" asked the king. Ronald was clueless about what the king was saying. Charlotte bowed her head and apologized "Sorry King Almon, I have not told him about us yet".
"Jeez fine. Ronald, I have a favor to ask of you but before that, I'd like to ask what your gift is?" said King Almon.
"You know about gifts. I expect nothing less from our king. I bet you possess one as well" Ronald replied impressed. "Yes, but never mind me. What's your gift?" the king asked again. "To read and alter people's memories. I can go far enough to replace someone's memory from birth with someone else's" replied Ronald. Charlotte nodded yes in reply to what Ronald said. "He's not lying your majesty. He does indeed control memories" she reassured.
"Wow, how nice. That one is pretty broken but lame to what's to come. Anyway back to my favor. I want you to have a baby with Charlotte. I would prefer if you give it to her quickly too" said the king strongly.
"Huh?"
"What kind of favor is this your majesty? This is very inappropriate" Ronald said blushing all over.
"It's fine. The thought of having your child is a dream come true. Anything to fulfill my king's wishes" Charlotte smiled. "Why me? There are plenty of guys out there. Is it because of my gift?" asked Ronald. "A friend of mine from a distant land told me something intriguing. He said that Ronald Matar's child will be one of my victims. My friend's gift is fortune-telling. You were to have a kid with some poor girl and live happily with her. You would have your child hidden away from the world because of her insane powers. I came here today to prevent that from happening you see. I want your daughter the second she knows how to master how gift" the king said bluntly. He said it as straightforward as he could have. Ronald looked over at Charlotte and said "You called me because of this, didn't you? That's harsh".
"So what about it Ronald? I can give you the best life you could imagine. Have a hotwife, be a millionaire or a billionaire if you wish. I will do anything for you as long as you give up your child peacefully. Your life is pretty much set in stone" said the king. Ronald carefully thought everything through. He knew the power King Almon possessed. If his future child is what he's after she can't be saved. The man is far too powerful in the world. "What will happen to me if I say no? It's best I take him on his offer to be on the safe side. I want to leave this place alive if possible. Damn it, If only I didn't let my curiosity bring me here" Ronald thought painfully.
"Fine, my future child is all yours but on one condition. You get only one child, if I have any other then they must not be your victims" said Ronald swallowing his pride. King Almon and Charlotte may have looked casual on the surface but their intent was sinister. Ronald could not shake the feeling that he is in danger if he says no. "Perfect, your first child will be mine to take. I'm glad you were wise to pick that decision" said King Almon. Charlotte hugged Ronald's left arm and kissed him on the cheek. "I'd like us to get married first, I hope that's fine with you my king," said Charlotte excited.
"That's fine. I am in no rush. I still need to find my other victims. I will save your child for last I promise" said King Almon.
"Who are these victims of yours? Why are they so important?" Ronald asked.
"They are people with a godly gift. The power those people possess is in a different league in comparison to your memory control. I want to get my hands on those people with godly gifts. I call them X just like in the folktale where eight people were discriminated against because of their supernatural powers" answered the king. At that moment Ronald realized that he was soon to have a special child and that he threw her away to a power-thirsty maniac. There has not been a day since then where Ronald has not regretted his actions. He did not have the courage to step up to King Amon and deny his goals. He did not follow his gut and leave the taxi simply because of a kiss and he did not ask Dante for help because he was too afraid of her presence.
A year has passed, Ronald and Charlotte started living together after they got married. They wasted no time giving birth to their first baby. A cute and adorable baby girl. The sight of her made Ronald's heartache. He felt like a demon, a monster, inhuman to leave this child in the hands of King Almon. "Yes, she's here Ronald, she's here. King Almon's wish is now one step closer. Aren't you happy?" she celebrated.
"Yeah" he replied. He lied to Charlotte to save himself from a potential argument. Unlike Charlotte, Ronald does not want to see the King's goals come true. The more he learns about the king, the more he felt like it is his duty to kill him one day. "What will we name our baby girl?" asked Charlotte.
"I think Emily is a good name" Charlotte suggested.
"No, we're giving her the name Alisa, Alisa Matar" Ronald said as he took the baby from Charlotte. "This girl will find happiness no matter what happens. I will ensure it" he said out loud. Charlotte giggled at his words thinking that they were a joke. As he watched Alisa grow up into a toddler he witnessed his daughter's abilities for the first time. Alisa was crawling around the garden crying at the top of her voice. She was crying nonstop until Ronald held her in his arms. He asked, "What's wrong Alisa?"
"That guy spooked me" Alisa cried. Ronald looked to where Alisa was pointing but he saw no one. There was no guy in his garden. "Are you sure you saw someone?" Ronald asked.
"Yes papa, please let him leave me alone" she cried. Ronald was confused and did not know what to do. He came to the conclusion that she saw a ghost but he does not know how to deal with the issue. It is not like he can communicate with spiritual beings. "So Alisa can see ghost. How nice, I'll be sure to report this to King Almon" Charlotte stated when she saw what happened.
Once again Alisa showed signs of her gift when she was four years old. Ronald hired a babysitter to care for Alisa when he or Charlotte was busy. One day Ronald came home to see the babysitter dead on the floor right in front of Alisa. Alisa looked at the dead body shocked. Her eyes widened and her body could not stop shaking. "SHIT! What happened here?" Ronald shouted.
"I'm sorry Papa, I didn't mean to" Alisa cried. Ronald checked the pulse of the babysitter and could not believe that she was dead. The babysitter had no signs of external injury and her eyes were wide open with a happy expression on her face. It was like she was having a conversation before he body just stopped in it tracks. "What did you do to her?" Ronald asked Alisa.
"I'm sorry Papa, her soul is gone. Please forgive me. It was a mistake" she cried uncontrollably.
Later on that same month Alisa touched a giant three and suddenly it began to wither up and die. The public questioned Ronald about the tree but he refused to give them an honest answer. "This girl can't go in the King's hands. What will he do with her power?" he thought. The worst incident was yet to come.
Charlotte was ordered by King Almon to shoot Alisa in her chest two times. Despite being Alisa's mother she showed no remorse or hesitation towards her child. Even with Ronald trying to talk sense into her she still shot Alisa in the chest two times. Shooting a four-year-old child in the chest is a sure death blow. "Charlotte you bitch! Why did you shoot her?" Ronald shouted upsettingly.
"Relax honey bear, I'm happy to see you worrying about the King's wish too but it's fine. King Almon would not have ordered me to do this if she would have died from two shots. Don't you know that we gift users have unimaginable durability compared to the normies" said Charlotte. Alisa stood up starting to cry for her life. "Mommy shot me! Why mommy? What did I do?" she cried out loud.
"I'm sorry baby, I won't do it again" she replied with a grin. Ronald quickly picked up his child and pulled the bullets out of her flesh. "The next part of my order was to watch her. Let's leave her like she is now" said Charlotte.
"You have to be a lunatic if you think I'm listening to that," said Ronald.
"Oh, how are you going to explain to a hospital that your child is shot twice?" asked Charlotte.
"I don't give a damn. You are crazy, you know that. Stop focusing on King Almon's dreams. We're going to leave this damn country tomorrow. You hear me" Ronald stated. In the end, Alisa cried and cried while she was in surgery. A doctor who treated her asked "Her wounds should have killed her but yet she's still alive. It's like her life is not dependent on her body or something. Who is this girl?"
Alisa overheard the doctor and answered him. "It's life energy, I can use it to save me," said Alisa. Ronald covered her mouth after that then left the country with his family hoping to see less of King Almon. Ever since Charlotte shot Alisa, she never spoke to her mother again. She always runs to Ronald and stays by his side. Even when he's going to act in a film and Charlotte is home, Alisa rather goes out with her dad than her mom. Ronald decided to wipe her memory of that experience with her mother to ease the tension in his family. "I should really divorce Charlotte one of these days," thought Ronald.
The first time Ronald wiped Alisa's memory it gave him an idea. Whenever Alisa learns something new about her powers he could simply wipe her memory of it. And that would keep her from mastering her gift. "If she doesn't master her gift then she should be safe from the king for a long time," thought Ronald.
Ronald showed Charlotte the divorce papers but she refused to sign them. Instead, she seduced him into sleeping with her. "It's been ages since we did it you know. You are a man with urges aren't you?" Charlotte said softly. Ronald sighed and did the deed that night but sadly the next morning he ringed a friend.
"Isaac, I have a request," said Ronald.
"Yow, this is rare. Getting a call from my brother after all these years. What's up bro" the man replied.
"I need you to send two of your men to rob my house. Make it be two men that are disposable" said Ronald.
"Sure thing, just give me the address" Isaac replied.
That same night two robbers entered their house through Alisa's window. Ronald was pretending to be asleep the entire time. He heard noises and said, "I'm so sick right now. Charlotte, do you mind checking downstairs. Alisa is probably awake". Charlotte did as told and went downstairs to see two robbers in front of her daughter. That moment, for the first time Charlotte actually felt like a mother. She tried stopping the thieves and in the end, Ronald himself shot her multiple times.
"You are not taking Alisa away from me"
He killed Charlotte in cold blood and proceeded to wipe Alisa's memories. Later he learned that Alisa created a whole new persona inside her to ease her solitude. "I just realized that Alisa has zero friends. That's not how a kid should live" Ronald realized. He brought Alisa to the playgrounds one day to play with the other kids her age. She tripped and fell causing the other children to laugh at her. Alisa got furious and accidentally killed two of the kids who were laughing the hardest just by glaring at them. Ronald, a person who witnessed everything was in fright. "My daughter is insane. She killed two people just like that. She leaves me no choice but to isolate her" Ronald sighed. That's when Ronald began to lock her up inside a room. He barred the windows and gave Alisa an iron door. After witnessing the two kid's demise and the reason for their deaths he became afraid of his daughter too. In fact, he was so afraid he thought about killing Alisa to save the world from potential disaster. "If she lives then she'll either help King Almon cause disaster or cause disaster herself. What should I do?" Ronald asked himself this question many times but was afraid to hear an answer. Before he knew it, eight years flew passed with Alisa still being treated like a prisoner. The same day Alisa was given freedom she gouged out her left eye and screamed "SO DAMN BRIGHT!" It made Ronald regret his decision to let her out immediately.
"In the end, I couldn't kill my own daughter huh. How pathetic. I am such a bad parent. I need to give her another chance" he told himself on Alisa's 13th birthday. One year after giving Alisa freedom again he tried his best to train her properly. He made sure that she wasn't the type to have a temper easily because if she was it would not end well. After practice sessions, Ronald saw that she was fit to go to school from now on. "I know it's a bit late but let me start being a parent will ya," said Ronald.
"Sure thing" Alisa replied happily.
He watched how his daughter struggled in her school life and planned a way to kill King Almon. No matter what he came up with there was always a big hole in his plan. "Gifts don't work on this old geezer and he is the most powerful man in the world both physically and financially. How can I kill him? Even the Golden Circle can't face him" Ronald thought to himself.
"Hmm, I can't do it but maybe Alisa can? She has the power to control life. Maybe, just maybe she is what we need to kill the king". And like that Ronald put his new plan in place. A plan to let his daughter kill King Almon. Making her believe that entering the Dragon Hunt was her choice and slowly but surely giving her memories piece by piece. Ronald let Alisa hate him all she wanted. He knew when he dies at the hands of King Almon, Alisa would want her revenge and kill the king. "Killing the king will save the world, this is bigger than just me and my daughter" he reminded himself.
"Alisa, take all the memories I took from you and mine as well. This is it, my baby girl. Kill the king before it's too late. It is the only way to guarantee your future"
Alisa woke up after finishing dreaming about the events that were written inside Ronald's handbook. "Oh, my father and I are similar. We are too afraid most of the time to act quickly. I totally understand. I can't even be mad at you for the decisions you made. You had your gift so you abused it. I know I would have done the same if you hadn't wiped my memories I'm sure. I might have killed hundreds by now if it weren't for you" she sighed looking at the book.
"Mustering enough courage to kill King Almon. Easier said than done. Sounds like I'll need help" she said out loud.