Tatsuya woke up to a very captivating smell coming from the kitchen. The smell tickled his nose and pleased his brain's sensory functions. He quickly got out of bed, got ready for the day, and entered the kitchen. There, he found Sunaji putting the finishing touches on a lunch box. The aroma coming from it was familiar to Tatsuya—a very calming and comforting aroma that made him salivate just by thinking about it. Sunaji finally took notice of his presence and quickly closed the lunch box and turned around to hide it behind her back.
"Say, what's that you got that smells so good?" Tatsuya asked her.
"I made lunch," she told him in a haughty manner.
"You cook?" he asked her in surprise.
"How rude!" she told him. "Of course I can cook! A proper independent lady must know how to provide for herself and cannot simply rely on a man to do everything for her."
"Really?" said Tatsuya slowly in an intrigued tone.
"Anyway, pray tell why you must make your appearance here at this moment?" she asked him.
"I just smelled something good and came to check it out," he told her honestly.
"My, what a boorish reason," she told him with a smug smile.
Sunaji's attitude was starting to get on Tatsuya's nerves. "Okay, okay, I'll leave you alone," he told her grumpily. He was about to leave the kitchen when the Python princess let out a squeal that caught his attention. He turned back to face her with a raised eyebrow.
The princess' face turned a bright rose color and she squirmed about anxiously. Her hands were right behind her back and grasping the lunch box she had prepared. She brought the lunch box from behind her back and forcefully held it out in front of her. With her eyes turned away from Tatsuya's face, she told him, "Here."
Tatsuya glanced back and forth between the princess and the lunch box in her hands. Sunaji was getting a little annoyed from his hesitation and frowned. Seeing her change in expression, Tatsuya decided to stop messing around and quickly accepted her gift. "This is for me?" he asked her. Sunaji answered him with a slow nod; her eyes were still avoiding his. Tatsuya opened the lunch box and the intoxicating aroma began to captivate his senses once again. Inside was his most favorite dish in the world—gyudon! "It's gyudon!" he happily exclaimed. "Thank you," he told her with a smile.
"D-D-Don't get the wrong idea," she told him with a scoff. "I was making some for my own lunch and I accidentally made too much. Since it was already crafted, I decided to give the additional portions to you. Wasting aliments is not something a proper lady should do," justified Sunaji. ("Aliments" = "food").
"Still, thank you," Tatsuya told her with a kind smile.
Sunaji noticed his smile and blushed a deeper shade of red. Seeing his smile made her heart flutter like butterflies. 'Why am I feeling like this?' she wondered to herself. Of course, she knew the answer to that question. But she still refuses to accept it as being a feeling stronger than platonic respect. Nothing in this world will change her mind that this feeling was not within the infatuation-like-love spectrum at all!
Tatsuya, on the other hand, was happy to have received a gift from Sunaji, even if it was somewhat an afterthought according to her reasoning. This was the very first gift he had received from the Python princess and he viewed it at a symbol of their improving relationship. Also…it was gyudon! This was a sign that today will be a very good day for him.
Today, school was actually very enjoyable for him—proof that his superstition was correct. Tatsuya received a very high passing grade on his chemistry test, he managed to correctly solve a math problem on the board with no trouble at all, he correctly answered the teacher's questions that was asked of him during history lecture, and he did amazingly well during a soccer game for gym class too! When lunch arrived, he happily ate his gyudon dish and was completely enraptured by its taste. Unlike the store-bought ones he used to buy, this home-cooked dish was more delicate and had an elegance to it that graced his tongue with a rich flavor that warmed his entire body.
And just when he thought the day was going his way, dark clouds crowded the skies and rain descended in a harsh torrent. School was over and there was no club meeting today. Tatsuya took out his umbrella, which he had brought with him at the insistence of Sylphie despite the weather forecast calling for cloudy skies and no rain, and walked outside to wait for the girls by the school's entrance. The rain came pelting down on his umbrella like liquid bullets, but he was glad that there was no wind that could've made this situation even harder to bare.
Tatsuya waited in silence and delved deep in thought. He decided to take this moment to go over some things. The first topic that came to mind was the dreaded organization Ouroboros. 'Just how far are they willing to go for their ideals?' he wondered with a frown. If that golem he had faced a few days ago was really a weapon they had placed in the human realm as a contingency plan for if their current plan fails, then that goes to show just how extreme and impassioned they are to their goals. The second topic that he contemplated about was the association between the Council and the United Front. He had learned previously that Ouroboros had a very large following from both the general public and the nobility. But to learn that the United Front also had backing from nobles too helped to ease up some of the pressure and stress in his heart that had been there ever since taking part in this crisis. It also made him realize his own position as the Dragonborn and what it meant to those who were actually putting their trust in him.
While Tatsuya was buried in his own thoughts, he hadn't realized that a mysterious child had appeared next to him. The child was standing under his own umbrella and silently stood beside Tatsuya to wait out the rain. "I wonder when it'll stop," said the child.
The child's voice broke Tatsuya out of his thoughts and he came to realize the child's presence. The child was a young boy with medium length golden yellow hair, green-gold eyes like sparkling doubloons, and a slight golden complexion. He had on a smile that seemed innocent but was undoubtedly hiding something behind it. His eyes had to them a twinkle that also made apparent a mischievous aura like a child with cunning. Even though he was a young boy, Tatsuya couldn't help but acknowledge that he was a very good-looking child.
"Maybe the rain will stop soon?" asked the boy.
"Oh, uh, maybe," answered Tatsuya. He wasn't sure if the boy was talking to him but he answered anyway out of politeness.
"Say, mister, do you like stories?" asked the child.
"What kind of stories?" Tatsuya asked in reply.
"There's this one story my dad used to tell me when I was young," said the child. "It's about a knight saving a princess from a dragon."
"That kind of sounds pretty generic," Tatsuya told the child honestly with a smile.
"Is it?" questioned the child, tapping his chin in a gesture of pondering. "Anyway, the story goes like this. Once upon a time, there lived a very peaceful kingdom. One day, a horrible dragon descended on the kingdom and threatened to burn it all down unless he was offered a sacrifice. When the king asked the dragon for what the sacrifice should be, the dragon replied that it must be the king's own daughter, the kingdom's princess. The princess was loved by the entire kingdom and when her subjects heard of her intended sacrifice, they protested against it. However, the princess loved her kingdom and so she heroically sacrificed herself to protect the kingdom from destruction. The dragon took the princess and left the kingdom for its home in the mountains. When it arrived back in its cave, the dragon entered a deep sleep and kept the princess trapped in a cage he had created using the bones of his previous sacrifices. The king, distraught over his daughter's sacrifice, desperately called for a warrior to step up and bring the princess back. None of the king's warrior's dared to volunteer for this dangerous mission in fear of death at the hands of the dragon. Just when the king was losing hope, a brave commoner volunteered himself for the mission. He was a blacksmith and therefore was familiar with a sword. The king accepted his offer and fitted him with the best armor in the kingdom as well as a powerful sword forged using only the strongest and most valuable of metals. The knight, as he was declared by the king, traveled onwards to the mountains on a horse provided by the kingdom. He made it to the dragon's cave and entered it. The knight saw the dragon asleep and the princess trapped in a cage of bones. He ran over to the trapped princess and quickly got her out. By this time, the dragon had heard of the rustling of the cage as the knight was breaking the princess out and woke up from its slumber. The knight and dragon engaged in a duel. Though the dragon was strong, the knight used his sword and successfully killed the dragon by stabbing its heart. With the dragon defeated, the knight returned back to the kingdom with the princess. The princess and knight soon fell in love, and for his triumph in defeating the dragon and recovering the princess safely, the king allowed for them both to marry. The kingdom, now safe from the dragon's wrath, held a beautiful wedding and the princess and knight lived happily ever after. The end."
As the child told the story, Tatsuya found himself immersed in it as if he was a young child himself listening to a bedtime story. When the story ended, he saw the child wearing a very malicious and un-childlike smile. It projected a very dangerous aura that Tatsuya would never in his life associate with a child, no matter how mischievous or delinquent they may be. To be honest, that smile scared him.
"Heroes saving princesses from dragons is a pretty common formula for children's stories, isn't it?" said the child.
"Um, yeah, I guess it is," replied Tatsuya.
"Do you ever find yourself feeling sorry for the dragon?" asked the child.
Tatsuya thought about the child's words and took them seriously. Normally, he would've answered something like: "Of course not! Dragons are cool and all but they're just big, scary beasts with powerful magic that can tear down entire kingdoms with a flap of their wings!" But having had some experience with dragons himself, real-life dragons, and being exposed to their world have changed his own ignorant perception of them. "To be honest, I've never really thought about that," he answered honestly.
"Have you ever wondered maybe the dragon was just misunderstood?" suggested the child.
"You know, you have a point," agreed Tatsuya with a laugh.
"Humans are such insignificant creatures if they think they can just destroy everything they can't understand," said the child in a more malicious tone with the same unsettling smile.
Those words sent a chill down Tatsuya's back. "Don't you think that thinking is a little extreme?" reasoned Tatsuya with a nervous smile.
The child turned to face Tatsuya and said, "Say mister, what's your name?"
"Owatatsumi Tatsuya," replied Tatsuya.
"Owatatsumi Tatsuya, huh," repeated the child in a low and intrigued voice. His face scrunched up in a smile more malicious than the last. His eyes twinkled brightly as if to say they knew something behind those words that were just spoken.
Tatsuya suddenly felt anxious after seeing the boy's disturbing expression. A wave of terror washed over him. There was something about this child's aura that made it easy for fear and gloom to settle in Tatsuya's heart. However, this feeling wasn't the same type of fear and gloom that followed melancholy or sorrow, but a more distressing type that resulted from malice and evil. Tatsuya could sense a deep darkness exuding from the boy that was on the same level as the ice dragon he had fought long ago.
"My name is Aris," the boy told Tatsuya.
Tatsuya had never heard a name like that before. "Is it foreign?" he asked the boy.
"You could say that," said the boy. He then began to walk off. "It was nice to meet you, Owatatsumi Tatsuya," said the boy with a wave.
Tatsuya watched as the mysterious boy Aris walked off in the pouring rain. As the boy got farther and father away, he could feel the anxiety and terror leaving him. He could tell from this feeling that the boy possessed a very intense aura unlike that of a child or a human. Suddenly, he remembered the recent exchange he had with the boy. He had carelessly told the boy his name and the boy appeared to be quite interested in it. 'I really hope that that was okay,' Tatsuya silently prayed.
The girls had arrived by then and the group walked home together. It was still showering but the rain had progressively gotten lighter and it seemed that it would clear out any moment now. By the time they made it home, the rain disappeared and the skies became clear once again.
Tatsuya had sat his bag down in the living room when the doorbell rang. He walked over to the door and opened it. "Hey!" greeted his guest enthusiastically. Immediately without a second thought, Tatsuya slammed the door shut on his guest. As he began to walk back to the living room, the doorbell rang again. Tatsuya initially ignored it and walked on but the quick succession of doorbell rings that followed started to get on his nerves.
He furiously opened the door and screamed out, "Stop ringing the frickin' doorbell!"
"I'm home, Tatsuya," said the guest with a smile.
"What are you doing here anyway, you failure of a father?" grumbled Tatsuya.
"I'm here to check on my son, of course," replied his father sincerely.
Tatsuya's father, Owatatsumi Ryujin, was a relatively tall man with warm orange-red hair like the soft fur of a tiger's, bold and stormy blue eyes that exuded an aura of comfort as much as it does intense authority, and a light bluish complexion that wasn't at all far from normal human skin pigments. His stormy eyes carried with them the bright innocent curiosity of a child's and was full of kindness and excitement. He carried with him a regal air that was only offset by his humble and friendly character.
Ryujin entered the house and turned to look his son over as the latter closed the door behind him. It had been ages since he had last seen his son. He couldn't help but smile at his son with the comforting grin of a loving father.
Tatsuya noticed his father's eyes on him and frowned. "Why are you back now?" he asked his father in an acerbic tone.
"Do I really need a reason besides my own son?" responded Ryujin smartly.
"Tch," uttered Tatsuya under his breath. He and his father entered the living room and sat down. Tatsuya eyed his father with spiteful eyes. His feelings towards his father was complicated. He despises his father for not being there when it counts and holds somewhat of a childhood grudge against him for always being treated as a second-thought. His father's flighty and childish behaviors irritated him to no end. But at the same time, Tatsuya had him to thank for for being given the chance to live a stable life at home instead of traveling the world and living as nomads just for his father's work. However, it was because of this difference in lifestyles that separated them apart in the first place. Some days, he desperately wanted his father to act like a real father to him. But other days, he desperately wants to punch his father and punish him severely for satisfying his own pleasures and treating Tatsuya's life like a game (it was because of this negative personality trait that got Tatsuya in this situation with the dragon princesses in the first place).
The other cohabitants began to join Tatsuya and Ryujin in the living room. "Who is this, Darling?" asked Aika, referring to Tatsuya's father.
"This is my father," Tatsuya told her with an exasperated sigh.
Aika turned to Ryujin with a big smile on her face and happily said, "Thank you very much for your support! My father told me so much about you, Owatatsumi Kuzuryu-san!"
"Ah, you must be Aika!" said Ryujin. "I hope Tatsuya is treating you well." Aika replied with a happy nod.
"Wait, you know each other?" asked Tatsuya in surprise. "Does that mean that you're a dragon?" Tatsuya asked his father. Ryujin confirmed his son's inquiry with a transparent chuckle. 'So it's the old man after all,' thought Tatsuya spitefully to himself. And that's when something Aika had said before hit him. "Wait, what did you just call my dad?" Tatsuya asked the Draco princess.
"Isn't his name Owatatsumi Kuzuryu-san?" asked Aika.
Tatsuya quickly turned to face his father and flashed him a suspicious expression with a raised eyebrow. "What is going on here?" he questioned his father suspiciously. Ryujin threw his hand behind his head and just chuckled in reply as if he really didn't want to answer that question.
"What are you talking about?" asked Aika.
"My father's name isn't Owatatsumi Kuzuryu," answered Tatsuya, "It's Owatatsumi Ryujin."
"Ryujin? But that can't be," Aika told him. "Ryujin is a holy name that cannot be used by others."
Tatsuya flashed his father a glare with squinted eyes and said, "Oi, old man, mind explaining what's going on?"
Ryujin let out a few chuckles and said, "Well, I guess I have some explaining to do." He snapped his fingers and a brand new aura surrounded him, or rather appeared around him like a divine transparent shell. It exuded divine authority and regal perfection like the aura of a deity. The dragon princesses took quick notice of this change and suddenly bowed before him on the ground.
This sudden act of humility surprised Tatsuya and even scared him. 'What the hell is going on?!' he wondered fearfully. The butlers and maids did the same and dropped down to the ground in a show of humility.
"We are forever humbled to be graced by your presence, O Lord," said the dragon princesses and their servants in unison.
'What is this? A cult?!' thought Tatsuya in terrified confusion.
"Please, please, stand up," said Ryujin, gesturing for them to rise.
"What the heck just happened?" asked Tatsuya aloud in bewilderment.
"I just revealed my true presence," answered Ryujin with a bashful smile.
"Darling, you didn't tell us that we would be in the presence of a Celestial Dragon!" exclaimed Aika in awe.
"C-Celestial Dragon? Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" asked Tatsuya.
"If you're name is Ryujin, then that must mean you are Lord Ryujin!" concluded Aika with a confident nod.
"O Lord, may you really be Lord Ryujin?" asked Kanjomizu expectantly.
"My, I guess my secret's out," said Ryujin with a laugh. He held up his right hand and showed everyone his wrist. A red glow projected from his wrist and settled down to reveal a mark unlike anything Tatsuya had seen before: an image of a half-sun and half-moon connected to each other to form a whole and rising behind a long Japanese-style dragon holding a sword in one hand and a lightning bolt in the other. Tatsuya had seen the marks of many dragons before: Dracos (a large reptilian-like dragon with large scales and bat-like wings standing before a giant burning flame), Nagas (a long snake-like dragon with fish scales, fins, and gills, standing before a giant tidal wave), Quetzalcoatls (a long serpentine bird-like dragon with feathers, a beak, talons, and bird-like wings, standing before a giant cloud), Druks (a large dragon with large protruding spikes down its back and Pterosaur-like wings, standing before a giant lightning bolt), and Pythons (a large mammalian-like dragon with a furry mane and spikes protruding from its limbs, standing before a giant mountain). But his father's mark was on an entirely different level, even when compared to the Mark of Marduk.
"Mind telling me what's going on?" Tatsuya asked his father.
Ryujin scratched his head and let out a laugh. "I guess I should," he chuckled. "Well, son, this is going to be a long story."
Tatsuya sat quietly as his father began to reveal his real identity as a Celestial Dragon. "You may have learned by now about the Thirteen Tribes, correct?" began Ryujin,
"Yep," answered Tatsuya with a nod.
"The Thirteen Tribes are descended from the Thirteen Elemental Dragons: Draco, the Dragon of Fire; Naga, the Dragon of Water; Quetzalcoatl, the Dragon of Wind; Python, the Dragon of Earth; Druk, the Dragon of Lightning; Okami, the Dragon of Ice; Wyvern, the Dragon of Nature; Lindworm, the Dragon of Luck; Bakunawa, the Dragon of Magic; Long, the Dragon of Light; Amaru, the Dragon of Darkness; Ur, the Dragon of Death; and Abzu, the Dragon of Time," explained Ryujin. "However, there is another of group of dragons who are not associated with any of the Thirteen Tribes—the Celestial Dragons. Celestial Dragons are a special class of dragons who are inherently more powerful than the Thirteen Tribes combined. In short, they are Dragon Gods. Celestial Dragons are worshipped as deities and their role is similar to that of actual deities. Genealogically, all Celestial Dragons can trace their heritage back to the very first dragon: Tianlong."
If he was being honest, Tatsuya didn't really understand a single word coming out of his father's mouth—there were too many name drops and complicated connections to make. However, Tatsuya also didn't want to interrupt his father now that he was finally explaining everything to him. And so, he decided to keep his mouth shut and just listened and understand as best as he can to his father's words. As long as he's getting some answers, Tatsuya was satisfied with not understanding the superfluous information.
"So Celestial Dragons are basically dragon gods that are worshipped by other dragons?" clarified Tatsuya as best as he can.
"Exactly!" confirmed his father.
"So what are you the god of?" Tatsuya asked his father in a slightly mocking tone.
"Lord Ryujin is the king of the Celestial Dragons and the Celestial Dragon of storms," eagerly answered Aika like a know-it-all schoolchild.
"Wait a minute, you're a king?!" exclaimed Tatsuya in disbelief.
"You learn something new everyday, don't you?" responded his father with a casual shrug and smile.
Tatsuya grabbed his father by the shoulders and said in a scary voice, "If you're the king, shouldn't be you be taking your role seriously? Why are you neglecting your duties and playing adventurer? Not only are you a failure as a father, but a failure as a king too!"
"F-F-Failure as a father?!" exclaimed Ryujin in a terrified voice. He quickly curled up into a fetus position and immediately sunk into a depression. "I'm a failure as a father…failure…failed at fatherhood…my own son…," he murmured to himself like a madman.
Aika and Sunaji exchanged awkward glances. 'Ah, like father like son,' they thought in unison.
"But to think that Owatatsumi-sama's father is Lord Ryujin," mused Umi.
"I guess this makes more sense than we would think," agreed Ingrid. "Owatatsumi-sama did not carry with him any familiar scent indicative of any of the Thirteen Tribes."
"Why? What do I smell like?" inquired Tatsuya curiously.
"Well, you don't smell like a human," answered Vajra in a slightly smug manner.
"Um, thanks?" said Tatsuya. "What do dragonborns smell like anyway?"
"To be frank, the scent of dragons are stronger than that of humans," began Ingrid. "When dragonborns are born, they carry with them the scent of their dragon parent. Even with their blood being half human, the scent of their human parent is too weak to mask over the stronger scent of their dragon parent."
"But my dragon parent is not one of the Thirteen Tribe dragons," said Tatsuya. He never would've imagined hearing those words come out of his mouth in a million years! It all seemed too surreal. "What do Celestial Dragons smell like anyway?" he asked.
"The scent of a Celestial Dragon cannot be described with words," Kanjomizu told him. "It's more like an instinctive scent that triggers an intuitive response in us and makes us realize that the owner of such a scent is a being of divine power. That is how we can tell whenever we are in presence of a Celestial Dragon."
"That actually sounds pretty cool," admitted Tatsuya with a nod.
"Although, most of the time, Celestial Dragons disguise their scents whenever they descend upon the common realm," said Ryujin. "The common realm being a term Celestial Dragons use to mean the world where all beings that are not Celestial Dragons live."
"Can normal dragons not disguise their scents too?" wondered Tatsuya.
"There are spells and magical potions and such," answered Arashi, "but it only lasts temporarily. Since we do not possess powers or magic on par with a deity, we can't really do anything to permanently alter our natural forms."
"For example, dragons can shapeshift and take on temporary disguises, but we can't permanently take on alternate forms," elucidated Sylphie.
"On the other hand, Celestial Dragons are capable of taking on forms on a more permanent basis and can change back whenever they want," added Ryujin. "Think of it like this: when dragons shapeshift into humans, they are still inherently dragons because despite their change in physical form they cannot change who they are at the most basic level. This is why they retain their scent and natural instincts. However, Celestial Dragons are capable of changing completely into other forms at the most basic level. This means that if they transforms into humans, they can become literal humans by permanently discarding their dragon self, so to speak."
"That sounds kind of hard," said Tatsuya, scratching his head. "So anyway, do I carry the same instinctive scent as my father?" he asked the others curiously.
"No," said Ingrid bluntly. "Actually, you don't have a scent at all," revealed the maid.
"Huh?" was all Tatsuya could utter. The maid's words shattered his entire world into a million pieces. "What do you mean by that?" he asked the maid.
"You don't have a scent at all, Owatatsumi-sama," said Ingrid. "You do not possess a human nor a dragon scent at all."
Tatsuya couldn't believe what he was hearing. His entire reality crumbled before him as he reluctantly accepted those words. Somehow, learning that he carried no scent at all brought upon him a feeling of melancholy that begged for the pity of others. And then a thought occurred to him. If he possessed no scent at all, then why did Aika said what she said back then during their first meeting? "I'll never forget your scent, Darling," he remembered her saying. He turned to the Draco princess and asked, "If I carry no scent, then why did you say that you won't forget my scent when we first met?"
"Because that was the first time I've smelled a nonexistent scent," she told him with a smile. "In a way, having no scent is a scent in of itself. Also, it's you're scent, Darling. A unique and special scent that is yours alone, unlike anything else in this world!"
Hearing Aika's words made Tatsuya's blush like an embarrassed schoolboy. Ryujin noticed this and gave his son a very hard slap on the back with a hearty laugh. He had never seen his son so embarrassed before. It reminded him a bit of how his son used to be back then…but that was long ago.
"Anyway, what have you been doing all this time?" Tatsuya asked his father, still a little flustered from Aika's statement. "And where's mom?"
"Well, I just came here from Bergama, Turkey," answered Ryujin. "Your mother is still at the hotel in Turkey. She knows that I am here to check on you and wants me to tell you hello for her."
"What are you doing in Turkey?" inquired Tatsuya curiously.
"That's a secret," replied Ryujin with a wink. That reply was quick to get on Tatsuya's nerves, reminding him exactly why he doesn't hold his father in high regards.
"What happened to taking pictures of Olympians?" asked Tatsuya mockingly, referring to the irritating message his father had left him on the day of his first encounter with Aika.
"Ah, Mount Olympus was very fun!" said Ryujin with a hearty laugh. "Although I was very disappointed that we couldn't find any Olympians," he added with a disappointed shake of his head.
'This guy,' thought Tatsuya infuriatingly. "So, when are you leaving?" he asked his father coldly.
"Ah, I'll be staying for a while," revealed Ryujin with a big smile.
Tatsuya took this moment to punch his father in the face with the force of a speeding bullet train. Ryujin fell to the ground with a loud thud. Tatsuya looked down at his father with a scary glare and said in a low voice, "Don't even think of overstaying your welcome."
The others were bewildered and speechless by Tatsuya's aggressive behavior and bold display of power against a Celestial Dragon, a.k.a their god. No one in their right mind would ever raise their hand against a divine being and expect to live to see another day!
Ryujin bowed his head and replied back meekly, "Of course, Tatsuya."
'No way!' exclaimed the others in unified thought. The Dragonborn is indeed a force to be reckoned with.
The next day, Tatsuya was faced with yet another rainy day. School had ended a little over a while ago and Tatsuya found himself waiting for the girls by the school entrance again like the day before. The rain made the day look bleak and grey, something that always seems to be the case with this particular natural phenomenon. With umbrella in hand, Tatsuya silently stood amidst the downpour and naturally assumed himself to be alone.
"Hello, Owatatsumi Tatsuya-san," said a familiar voice.
Tatsuya turned his head and saw the same boy from yesterday standing beside him in the rain under his own umbrella. The boy stared out into the rain with a very normal smile, but his eyes had to them a twinkle that said there was more to it than just normal. Like an innocent child, or at least in imitation of one because it appears that he was forcing it rather than doing it out of habit, the boy swayed backwards and forwards on his feet.
"Hello," greeted back Tatsuya. "You're Aris, right?"
"Yep," replied the boy with a big smile. "I'm glad you remembered me, Owatatsumi-san."
"What are you doing here?" Tatsuya asked the boy. He hadn't realized it before during their first meeting because of the quick and serendipitous nature of it. He was also initially preoccupied by thoughts that clouded his mind. But now, he was free of those thoughts and can therefore approach this encounter more thoughtfully.
"I'm here talking to you," answered Aris. He then smiled a very malicious smile, the same smile that sent shivers down Tatsuya's spine before and is doing the same thing right now. "After all, it's not everyday that I get to meet the Dragonborn," said Aris evilly in a low voice.
"E-Excuse me?" questioned Tatsuya. He couldn't really hear the words the boy had said. But one thing is for sure—Tatsuya was scared out of his wits of the boy's smile that projected an aura of terror that clung onto his bones like an evil spirit. There was something about this boy that set Tatsuya on edge.
"Do you like dragons?" asked Aris, turning his face to show Tatsuya a very innocent childlike smile.
"Um, sure," answered Tatsuya with a smile back.
"I think dragons are magnificent creatures," Aris told him. He turned back to look at the rain. The smile disappeared and his eyes quickly became cold. "I wonder what this world would look like if dragons were real," he said in a sad voice.
"I wonder," agreed Tatsuya with a nervous laugh.
The boy then smiled a very scary smile that was a cross between psychopathic and mischievous. "I bet that if dragons were to exist in this world, they would rule over the entire Earth! They are the most powerful creatures in the universe after all. I bet they would even turn humans into their own personal slaves. Or maybe they'll just kill humans and wipe them off the face of this world! I mean, what good are humans anyway? They're nothing but a bunch of apes who are lucky to have evolved into creatures capable of reason, but that's all because the gods will it so. In the end, they're an inferior species that are like a disease!"
The words coming out of the boy's mouth disturbed Tatsuya deeply. 'Is this kid alright in the head?' he wondered to himself out of genuine concern. The things he said greatly reminded Tatsuya of the ideals of his enemy. And that's when something clicked in his mind. He didn't want to believe it…but…. "Can I ask you something?" he inquired.
"Yes?" responded Aris.
"Are you a dragon?" asked Tatsuya straightforwardly.
Aris turned his face to Tatsuya and confirmed his suspicions with a wide smile that showed his front row teeth. The grin was downright demented and inhuman. That one grin alone revealed a lot about the boy's identity and mentality. "I am a Lindworm, a dragon of luck," said Aris.
"And I'm guessing that you're also a member of Ouroboros," asserted Tatsuya.
Aris tilted his head with the same demented grin like a natural born psychopath. "Indeed I am," he answered back in an almost laughing manner.
Tatsuya took a step back. He wasn't scared of the boy but it just felt like the right response. "What are you doing here?" he asked Aris carefully.
"Do you really want to know?" asked Aris creepily, tilting his head the other way. Aris' actions and voice uncomfortably reminded Tatsuya of those haunted dolls from old horror movies. Tatsuya swallowed a gulp and said nothing to reply. "I'm here to present a challenge to the Dragonborn," said Aris.
"Challenge? What challenge?" asked Tatsuya, squinting his eyes in suspicion.
"You will see soon enough," replied Aris cryptically. "To be honest, my real mission here is to kill the Dragonborn here and now. But after seeing you for myself, I think it'll be more fun to have you compete in a challenge instead."
"What if I don't accept this challenge?" asked Tatsuya with a raised eyebrow.
"I don't think that'll be possible," said Aris with a shrug and a smile like a cheeky child. "After all, there are very high stakes for this challenge."
"What do you mean?" prodded Tatsuya.
"The fate of the world is in your hands, Dragonborn," answered Aris in a taunting voice with a wide, creepy smile and large eyes. He then immediately walked off before Tatsuya could question him further.
A sense of fear and dread began to build up inside of Tatsuya until he was filled with nothing but terror. No doubt, something big was going to happen. He could feel it in the air: the foreboding winds, the foreshadowing chills, the impending terror that dragged on the ground like a terrible snake ready to swallow up the world in chaos. While he was allowing himself to be drawn into the dark abyss of fear and terror, the girls had arrived and noticed the daze he was in. Aika took a chance and touched her Darling's arm. The contact shook Tatsuya out of his daze and he was saved from sinking deeper into the dark abyss.
Now that everyone was here, the group walked home together. During the walk, Tatsuya's mind kept on going back to what Aris told him before taking his leave. 'Just what did he mean by the fate of the world?' wondered Tatsuya anxiously. He was deeply disturbed by these words. However, it won't be long before he learns the meaning behind these words and the significance they hold for him. In fact, these words are just the beginning for what is to come.
"Sasasasasa! I win again!" laughed Miryu, throwing down the last pair of cards in his hand on the floor.
"That's ten wins now," sighed Kiryu. He yawned and placed his hand with his cards in front of him. Iwaryu chose a card from his hand and took it. Kiryu frowned and uttered a, "Tch!" Iwaryu laid down the last pair of cards in his hand, winning second-place. Kiryu heaved out a groan and laid his cards down on the ground. "This is my seventh loss in a row," he groaned, licking his lips absent-mindedly.
"Now you have all witnessed my might! No one can beat me in this game! Armed with my luck, we can finally achieve our desires and complete this godforsaken mission! Sasasasasa!" announced Miryu grandly.
"Will you now?" spoke a familiar voice from behind them.
"Yes we will!" immediately replied Miryu hotly.
The Sanryu turned their attention to the source of the voice and noticed that its owner was a young boy with golden yellow hair and green-gold eyes (Aris). They immediately knew who the boy was and fell to the floor on their knees. "Praise the Lord Ouroboros, Divine God of Rebirth. Bless us with your strength and lead us to a new golden age. Vivat Ouroboros!" Miryu and Kiryu pledged in unison. Iwaryu joined in showing his allegiance with a bow but didn't say a single word.
"I praise you all for remembering the pledge," said Aris, clapping his hands slowly in an almost mocking gesture.
The Sanryu got up. Miryu threw his hand behind his head and asked with a smile, "What are you doing here, sir?"
"I'm here to offer you three a deal," said Aris with a big smile. He tilted his head to the left and asked in a creepily slow and slightly singing voice, "Would you like to know?" Hearing their superior's words raised the Sanryu's morale through the roof. They excitedly nodded their heads like restless dogs. "We're going to take over this world!" he told them with a childish smile. "I've heard that you three are Blessed Children. If you use your powers to help me achieve our goal, then I will reward you greatly!" he added persuasively. Aris then turned around and placed his hands behind his back. With his back to them, his voice suddenly turned dark and menacing as he said, "Mess this up, and I'll make sure you all suffer painful deaths."
The Sanryu gulped. They could feel terror and dread emanating from the dragon before them and could only bend to his power. "Yes sir!" they answered in unison.
Aris turned to them and wore a very demented smile. "Good boys," he said. One of Ouroboros' most feared agents and a Pearl-Class member, the Lindworm Aris is a force to be reckoned with. He is a devil whose only desire is greed, and he will use whatever methods he can to achieve it. His merciless character and the intense aura of fear and dread that surrounds him and puts his enemies in a spell of terror gave birth to the dreaded title: The Yellow Terror. And he will not stop until he gets what he wants. Even if his enemy is the prophesized messiah, the Dragonborn.