Drago found himself in the middle of the street when he regained consciousness. He was still gripping onto a strange man by his neck. Suddenly, Drago let go, visibly confused
The man's rough coughing caught his ear, somewhat bringing him back to his senses. He took a step back, as he watched the man struggle back to his feet.
"You…you're finally back to your senses, huh?" the man spoke in a rough voice as he rubbed at his neck where a bruise was forming.
Drago asked, "Uhm, who are you?"
"Name's Blaze." the man scoffed, giving Drago a glare as he straightened himself out, "A dragon hunter personally assigned to you by the Great Dragon Slayer, Gabriel."
'Gabriel…' Drago thought in his head, 'Where have I heard that name before…'
Drago surveyed his surroundings, taking note of the extensive damage. Notably, a hole had formed beneath his feet, while another punctured the wall of Amber's house.
A sharp pain suddenly cut through his head. The images in his vision started to blur and bleed into each other. He felt his body go numb, as he lost his balance. The last thing he knew before everything went dark was Blaze's hand reaching out to him.
A little girl with a pale blue bob cut was staring down at him. Her eyes sparkled with every blink. Drago was too dazed out of his mind to know what was going on as he adjusted the focus of his eyes that felt as heavy as lead.
'Who…'Suddenly, with a resounding bang, Drago headbutted into the little girl's forehead. She dropped onto the floor, howling in pain. She rubbed her forehead, her eyes filling with teardrops.
Drago screamed, "Wait, what?".
Immediately, Drago rushed to the girl, panicking and apologizing for the accidental headbutt.
The girl shook her head, offering him a smile through her teary eyes. "It's alright, big brother!"
Drago tilted his head, responding with a confused silence.
"Now that you're awake, let me go call Brother Blaze!"
"Wait! Uh…" Before Drago could ask what in the world was going on, the little girl had already rushed out of the room.
Drago was left in a state of confusion as he tried to grasp the situation. Getting up, he took a look around the room. Peering out the window, he was met with a huge surprise. He seemed to be in a big castle
He felt a chill run down his spine as he wondered what was about to happen. He knew he had to find out what was going on. The door flung open as Drago saw Blaze walking in with the little girl beside him.
Blaze greeted him with a smile, "Ah, you're finally awake Drago."
"What… How… Who are you people and where have you brought him?"
Blaze assured, "I understand you've got plenty of questions, but trust me, I'll explain everything."
Then, he pointed towards the little girl who was rocking on her heels.
"Beside me here is Coco and despite her appearance, she's old as hell."
Coco immediately retorted, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN OLD? HMPH!"
She threw a punch at Blaze, sending him flying across the room. Dragon's eyes widened as he watched a cloud of dust gather at the wall that the dragon hunter had landed on. Then, he turned back to Coco who had her hands crossed, a pout on her lips as she tapped her feet in annoyance.
A soft voice suddenly cut through the air, "Big sister, please don't hurt big brother Blaze."
Drago almost got whiplash from the way his head immediately snapped towards the voice. A small girl, identical to Coco, standing at the door with a worried expression. The only difference between her and Coco appeared to be the color of the ribbon in her ponytail. While Coco was wearing a red ribbon, she wore a pink one. Coco's expression softened, as she immediately ran over to the little girl, enveloping her in a warm hug.
"I'm sorry, sister! I had to teach him some manners."
They both turned towards Drago.
Coco introduced the little girl, "Her name is Cuoco, and she's my younger sister. Just to be clear, we're not twins!"
Blaze finally emerged from the rubble, brushing himself off. He grumbled about how aggressive Coco was being. This once again led to an argument between the two of them.
Meanwhile, Cuoco walked over to Drago and apologized for the situation.
Drago asked, "Were you the one taking care of me while I was asleep?"
Cuoco nodded in response.
"Are those two… always like this?"
The timid girl nodded as she gave a worried glance towards the pair who were at each other's throats. She gave a little sigh, twisting her fingers nervously.
"Do you… want to know why you were brought here?"
Drago nodded. Seeing that there was nothing he could do about the overall situation, he might as well just hear them out. As much as his head was filled with a dulling pain from all the noise, he was equally curious about all the events that had taken place to have led up to this point in time.
Cuoco began to explain, "Thirty years ago, Diaval attacked the kingdom of 'Dragostria'. It was a place where dragons and humans coexisted harmoniously. Some individuals joined the Dragon Slayers to eradicate any rogue dragons threatening others. Among them were exceptionally strong dragon slayers, but one stood out above all: the hero who saved the kingdom that fateful night, Gabriel."
"Unfortunately, before Diaval's defeat, he cursed Gabriel; upon his death, a human would be chosen to serve as the vessel for his rebirth. The battle wrecked the whole of the dragon realm, fracturing the dimensional barrier that led to Earth. Evil spirits known as 'Phantoms' from the dark realm relentlessly sought after Diaval's vessel to revive him and seize his powers to conquer Earth. The Dragon Slayers are tirelessly battling these Phantoms, who grew stronger with each passing day. Gabriel, gravely injured, was forced to retire from active duty."
"Diaval's devastating attacks left a deep scar in the dragon slayer population, with only a handful of survivors remaining. Some became masters tasked with training new generations of dragon slayers, some went into hiding and some are out there searching to kill whoever the cocoon is."
Cuoco then looked into his eyes, as she whispered out in a small voice.
"And you Drago… you're the vessel that they have been looking for. No one must know, otherwise… otherwise those slayers will start coming after you!"
Drago could not really believe any of the things he was hearing. Afterall, it was all still very new to him. He did not know how to really feel about the newfound knowledge.
"Blaze, Coco, and I are all apprentices under Gabriel. Upon discovering that you were chosen to be Diaval's vessel, Gabriel selected us to watch over you in case the Phantoms found you. We need to hurry and train you to become a dragon slayer and control Diaval's power to fight against these Phantoms."
Drago was left speechless by all this information as Cuoco hugged him and patted his head reassuringly.
"There, there, you're going to be okay," she said softly.
Suddenly, a foot flew towards Drago's face, kicking him and sending him flying into the wall. Coco angrily pouted, "Hmph, how dare you lay your dirty hands on my beloved sister!"
Cuoco panicked and rushed to hug Drago, shielding him from his sister's anger.
Coco remarked, "Tsk, I'll let you off this time because Cuoco seems to have taken a liking to you."
Blaze seemed rather nonchalant as he cleared his throat, "Shall we move forward to our main agenda?"
Following Blaze's lead, Drago and the others approached a massive door with sculptures of two majestic dragons standing guard. Drago couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that washed over him as they neared the entrance.
As Blaze reached for the dragon crest on his attire, Drago couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight. The emblem seemed to pulse with an otherworldly energy as Blaze pointed it towards the door, causing it to slowly swing open with an ominous creak.
The room stretched vast and cavernous, with a large summoning circle at its center. The intricate symbols etched into the stone seemed to shimmer in the dim light, pulsating with an eerie energy that sent shivers down Drago's spine.
As he gazed around the chamber, Drago couldn't shake the feeling that they had stumbled upon something ancient and powerful. With a deep breath, Drago steadied himself to get ready for whatever trials lay ahead.
Blaze's voice echoed through the chamber, "This is where you will be chosen by the dragons to form a pact," his words ringing out with authority. "Aiding you in battle against the Phantoms."
Drago's eyebrows shot up in surprise, a mixture of awe and skepticism crossing his face. "Dragons?" he exclaimed. "You expect us to believe that?"
Blaze's gaze hardened, his jaw set in determination. "Believe what you will," he replied, his voice unwavering. "But it's the truth. We've all formed pacts with the dragons of this realm, which is why I stood my ground against Diaval so easily."
Coco rolled her eyes, a smirk playing at the corners of her lips. "You mean lost to Diaval?" she quipped, unable to resist the opportunity to tease him.
Blaze shot her a withering glare, his patience wearing thin. "Mock all you want," he retorted sharply. "But when the time comes, you'll be grateful that I'm strong enough to protect you."
Coco raised an eyebrow, her expression skeptical. "We'll see about that," she muttered under her breath, though a hint of curiosity lingered in her eyes.
Blaze's attention shifted back to the task at hand. "Drago," he said firmly, gesturing towards the glowing circle at the center of the chamber, "step into the circle, and one of the dragons from the other realm will choose you. Good luck."
Drago nodded with hesitation in his eyes as he strode towards the summoning circle. His heart pounded with nervousness, knowing that this moment could change everything. With a deep breath, he stepped into the glowing sigil, feeling a surge of energy enveloping him as he braced himself for whatever lay ahead.
Then, as if responding to his presence, the circle began to glow with an ethereal light. This casted a shimmering reflection across the chamber walls. The intensity of the light grew, enveloping Drago in its radiant embrace until it seemed as though he stood at the heart of a celestial beacon.
But just as suddenly as it had appeared, the brilliance faded. Confusion rippled through the assembled group, their gazes darting between one another in search of answers. Blaze furrowed his brow, a hint of concern tugging at the corners of his expression as he exchanged a glance with Drago.
"What the fuck happened?" Drago ventured, his voice breaking the uneasy silence that had settled over them.
Blaze stepped forward, his eyes still fixed on Drago. "I'm not sure," he admitted, his tone tinged with uncertainty. "But we won't give up. There must be another way."
Cuoco's eyes widened as if she knew something about why nothing happened.
Cuoco's sudden reaction did not escape Blaze's notice. He turned to her, his expression a mixture of curiosity and urgency. "Cuoco, do you know something about this?"
Drago's brows furrowed in concern.
She hesitated, biting her lip before finally speaking. "I..."
A mini dragon suddenly flew into the chamber and collided with the wall, exploding on impact. Its blood splattered across the surface, forming a chilling message: "Give the vessel to us, or you will meet a fate worse than death."