The sun was setting as shadows slowly began appearing, signifying it was nighttime already. The air felt weird, and a strange wind was whispering through the trees. It was like nature could sense the danger that was coming at that moment. The village that once had people walking around just moments ago was now silent as if a single soul wasn't living there. There was an uncomfortable silence in the air that was broken only by the sounds of leaves sweeping on the floor and the distant sounds of owls howling.
The ground was shaking as if something wicked was coming. The villagers hid in their houses, peeking secretly through their windows as they watched what was happening outside, but too scared to actually go out of their houses and face the danger.
Out of the thick woods and the shadows, the dragon king Reagan appeared. He was a powerful figure sitting on the back of his horse. He was covered in black armor that seemed to absorb every single light that was left behind. His face was covered with a golden mask, making it impossible to tell what he actually looked like without the mask. No one who had seen his real face had been alive to tell the story. He was cursed.
His loyal troops also marched behind him, wearing their armor and their faces covered with bronze masks. They marched in unison, the sounds of their boots against the floor causing fear in the minds of the villagers as they wondered, has the dragon king come for war? It was a question they didn't yet have answers to.
The Dragon King and his army continued marching forward, heading towards the castle. Frightened villagers remained in their homes, making sure their doors were closed and closing windows when he got closer to their houses. They were desperately looking for safety from the dragon king because they considered him a threat. Fear took over them at that very moment, suffocating the air. Mothers clung to their children, whispering reassurances to their children as they silently prayed for the dragon king to pass by their houses quickly.
With the sun's final rays gone, the village was now covered in total darkness. The only thing providing some source of light was the moon. Shadows took on different terrifying images as if deliberately mocking the villagers' fears and adding to them.
The people of Konica let out a sigh of relief as soon as the dragon king eventually marched past the village and headed for the castle straight. No one knew why he had decided to come to their village or what he was going to do at the castle, nor did they know how long he would be staying, but all they could silently pray for at that moment was that the dragon king was not in Konica with the hope of destroying the kingdom because that is something he would achieve with a snap of his fingers.
"Welcome, King Reagan," greeted King Herod of Konica. Anyone could tell he was very nervous at that moment as he welcomed the dragon king at the entrance of his castle. He was a much smaller man compared to the dragon king, and without even saying a word, the dragon king had managed to make the king of Konica scared of him with his intimidating presence.
Reagan, the dragon king, didn't respond to his greetings. He instead fixed his eyes on Herod, which made the king grow nervous as he wondered what was going through the dragon mind. His eyes traveled to a Vedan woman standing next to the dragon king, and his expression immediately changed from one of nervousness to disgust that he tried so hard to hide but failed.
Now, the woman who stood next to the dragon king was a beauty, truly a sight to behold. She also wore battle armor just like the king and had long, white hair, although her skin was not as pale as that of a normal Vedan. She had a strict expression, was tall, and looked strong. Anyone could tell she was a female warrior just by seeing her looks and her armor. It was very obvious she wasn't an ordinary female warrior.
"I have heard many stories of Vedans being killed here in Konica," someone suddenly spoke. Herod turned his gaze to the direction of the voice, and it was a man, tall and covered with scars. He was a little rough on the eyes but quite good-looking at the same time. He was covered in armor as he also added, "I really hope you do not have an issue with our dear grand general here," he said, referring to the Vedan warrior woman standing next to the dragon king Reagan.
King Herod's look of disgust he had been trying his very best to hide grew even more obvious this time around. The very mention of the name Vedan infuriated him so much, and he couldn't believe he was currently entertaining one in his castle.
Unlike other Vedans, the female Vedan, whose name was Grand General Kira, was a half-Vedan, which means she was the result of intimacy between a Vedan and a human. She wasn't a full Vedan, which explains why she might look a little different from the others.
King Herod quickly hid his disgust, picking his next words carefully. With a very forced smile, he said, "Rest assured, your grand general's safety is our top priority here." He took a breath, trying hard to control his emotions in that important moment before adding, "I will make sure my men don't try to hurt the grand general of your army. I mean, we truly don't like Vedans here, but there can always be an exception. My men wouldn't lay a hand on her."
"Let your men dare try," Kira suddenly spoke up, her eyes narrowing as she took a step forward. Her tone was somewhat threatening and cold, enough to make even the bravest of men scared, right before adding, "I assure you none of them will live to tell the story if they try." She folded her arms, her muscles tensing as she stared him down.
She and Herod held eye contact for a while. Herod shifted uncomfortably, surprised by her courage. He knew that if she was this confident, then she was even more powerful than he realized. It was like she was threatening him, daring him to throw whatever he had on her. He was tempted to destroy her at that moment, but he knew such an action would simply spell the loss of his life and the destruction of the entire kingdom of Konica. The dragon king would never let something like that slide.
King Herad forced a fake smile as he said, "Let the maids escort you to your quarters. I am sure you must be very tired after traveling for such a long time." With that, the maids suddenly appeared, leading the dragon king and his troops inside the castle as they took them to their respective chambers.
The look of anger he had been trying to suppress immediately revealed itself as soon as the dragon king was out of sight. He clenched his fists and bit the inside of his mouth as images of his wife's lifeless body flashed in his eyes again. She had died because of her cursed Vedan baby, and here he was, betraying her memory by letting a Vedan stay within the castle walls. He wanted to do a lot of evil things to that female grand general Vedan, but he knew he would never be able to fulfill all of his heart's desires. At that moment, all he could do was wait until he finally found the child that killed his wife and made sure justice prevailed, and he didn't mind killing every single Vedan until he managed to achieve that.