At the river's edge in a flat expanse of land, a colossal being lay in apparent boredom. As Professor Johnson had surmised, it was a fearsome creature extending over ten meters in length. Its body shimmered like gold under the sunlight breaking through the Amazon canopy. According to the usual rules of evolution, such a conspicuous creature would hardly survive as it would be targeted by predators. Over time, it would be weeded out by natural selection, left only as a fossil to be unearthed.
Yet, normal evolutionary theories could hardly apply to this behemoth, for it was not a dinosaur from sixty-five million years ago, as Professor Johnson had suspected. It was a creature of myth and knightly tales—a dragon!
"Dragon... dragon..." Lucy, the only girl among them, was the first to speak, her voice dry and trembling with fear.
That terrifying yet graceful dragonhead, the slender but powerful neck, wings akin to those of a bat, a body that was majestic without being cumbersome, sharp claws, sturdy limbs, and a tail as strong as a battering ram. Each scale on the creature's body glittered, resembling a mythical metal, evoking the legends of dragon scales—particularly the cruel yet majestic aura emanating from its slit-like pupils, reminiscent of cold-blooded reptiles.
"Professor... it's not a dinosaur... it's a dragon!" Lucy nearly wailed, her voice quivering.
No wonder her voice trembled. In Western culture, dragons are not seen as benevolent symbols. They often appear as adversaries in myths, embodying ultimate evil and greed, protectors of hoards of treasure.
"Dragon... dragon... Could it be that dragons are real, not just myth? Did the ancients write not of fantasy but of reality?"
Professor Johnson first murmured in shock, then exalted in ecstasy. A dragon! This was a dragon! What could be more earth-shattering than this mythical beast—one that could make even angels and demons seem mere footnotes, seemingly validating the truth of ancient myths?
While the professor and his students were caught in a mix of terror and wonder, the rigorously trained soldiers recovered faster, instinctively tightening their grip on their weapons. Some even loaded their firearms with tranquilizer darts potent enough to bring down a herd of elephants.
"Hey, boss! Is capturing this dragon our mission? Will we become dragon slayers today?" Burn, the soldier, asked his commander with an expression that mixed excitement with dread.
The soldiers found themselves gripped by a primal fear, one that couldn't be overcome through training—a fear that ran in their genes, inherent in the hierarchy of the food chain.
"Yes, it must be our mission," the commander affirmed.
If they were sent to investigate this area and stumbled upon a dragon, what else could be their objective?
"Wait, look, look at the dragon's head!" Professor Johnson suddenly exclaimed, realizing something everyone else had missed in their initial shock.
As their emotions stabilized, everyone turned their gaze to the dragon's head and noticed a spectacularly ornate crown, unbelievable in its artistry. The pure golden crown had blended with the dragon's scales, overlooked until now.
"That crown... It's definitely man-made," Professor Johnson muttered, his face turning pale with a sudden realization. "...Satan... Satan! The Bible recounts, 'And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads!'"
His words sent chills through the listeners. Though the dragon before them was golden, not red, and had but one head, the crown evoked the notion of the 'Adversary of the Holy Lord.'
The commander was the first to regain his composure, attempting to reassure both the professor and his men: "Don't panic, Professor. Setting aside whether this dragon is as invincible as the legends claim, even if it's as powerful as they say, it stands no chance against modern weaponry. Perhaps dragons were real creatures in ancient times, exaggerated by people who couldn't fight them."
His comforting words eased Professor Johnson's fear. Dragons might be akin to dinosaurs—rare, now extinct creatures—but as long as they were flesh and blood, they couldn't withstand the might of contemporary arms.
What they all failed to consider was that if the myths were indeed true, the dragon would be a creature capable of contesting angels, one for whom technological prowess might be irrelevant.
But for now, humans could only offer each other such solace.
Abruptly, the dragon rose from its prone position. It unfurled its wings, casting a shadow over the land, and as it stood, people swallowed hard, realizing its staggering enormity.
"Human!"
The dragon opened its mouth, issuing a series of eerie sounds—no bestial roar but a language, true Dragon Tongue.
Professor Johnson was dumbfounded; he couldn't understand the meaning behind the syllables, but the rhythmic tones told him it was indeed a language—meaning it could speak!
"It can talk!!!" Professor Johnson's voice pierced the air with his realization. The commander, filled with a fear rising from his soul, ordered, "Fire!"
And so, tranquilizer darts capable of felling an elephant herd were launched at the dragon.