A dragon, by law of the human world, is meant to be senseless, merciless, and unwavering to any sort of kindness that the human species may show. It will burn villages, slaughter the most innocent children, steal the beautiful women, and scoff in the faces of knights before incinerating them by use of their fiery breath. With a single beat of its wings, a dragon knocks the cowering and innocent people on their rear ends, leaving with a mark of terror in their hearts.

It's not like Hange would disagree.

A large chunk of the dragon population would do that on a whim. Mostly the rogues, those whose minds had left them long ago, and unknowingly would stop at nothing for a meal or some sort of rampage. Others were just plain cruel. Personally, Hange had never thought that attacking a village was logical unless they had instigated an offense against her, which had yet to happen. That being because Hange was extra careful not to allow any human to discover her. The risk was far too great.

Of course, there was the fact that Hange wasn't completely a dragon. Being half human gave her more of a sense of morality towards other humans. Not to mention, Sina was the only village around for several miles, and she had some sentimental attachment to it. Being her original home how could it not? Yet she dared not step foot in there unless absolutely necessary. For her, old enemies lurked in every corner, and Hange had no wishes to go prancing into ground in which she was not welcome.

However, Hange would have loved to fly overhead and see the village from a different view then she had in the past, but that wouldn't be possible, not with Sina's hostility towards dragons. Any dragon spotted close to the village, whether it was wreaking havoc or not, would be ordered to be eliminated. Sina was known for its dragon slaying, and had a prime group of knights, who excelled at their job, defense or offense. That was one of the parts of Sina that Hange resented. A dragon attack towards the town would justify their defense, but the King had specific orders of any dragon to be slaughtered. She had witnessed dragons that were resting get stabbed mercilessly. Their bodies were thrown off cliffs or disposed of in any way possible. Sometimes prizes like a basket of scales or a talon were taken back. It was absolutely revolting.

So instead of flying over Sina, Hange settled with the mountain ranges, which were a far prettier site to see. The mountains were lush with pine trees and dotted with all sort of wildlife, and in the winter, the tops glittered with snow. And the air- ohhh, the air. Hange loved how crisp and fresh the air was the most. It helped her when she needed to clear her head.

Of course, Hange was delighted to be able to live in said mountains. A large cave that was slightly hidden away gave her a beautiful view of the valley. A large piece of rock jutted out from the cave, giving her room for a proper landing. Inside, she had all the care she needed, a proper bed and stove, torches lit up all along the walls, and it was surprisingly sanitary. From far off, her place of dwelling was almost invisible, making it a perfect place to dwell.

It was the way Hange lived, and she was not ashamed.

Hange flew down the mountain silently, descending down into the valley, when she saw trouble brewing in the distance. Just miles off, there was a small duck pond, and on the edge, a thrashing dragon. Hange picked up speed, but kept as far a distance as possible. She edged towards a nearby forest and lowered. She sensed that the dragon wasn't rogue, or trying to feast on anything, but instead it was struggling. Hange felt her wings brush against the tops of the trees, as she was sure to get as low as possible. Whatever was causing this dragon harm, Hange felt the need to investigate.

Now closer, Hange could see the reason for the dragon's danger. A group of five knights were surrounding it, all armed with swords and shields. A net was being tangled over the dragon's body, or at least, the knights were trying their damned best. This was a peculiar occasion, as most dragons chose to, or were able to blow fire. However this one just chose to snap and bare its sharp teeth. That was another observation Hange would have to write down in her journal.

Hange was shaken from her thoughts when she chose that it would be best for her to shift from dragon to human. After all, soon the humans would spot her, and surely try to kill her too. So she descended through the trees, and slowly shifted her body. Shifting wasn't a problem to her. It simply felt like her dragon form was melting into her human body. The bones would actually break and reform inside her body, but given that the shift happened in a matter of seconds, Hange barely felt it. The wings always seemed to fold and melt against her back, and then, she was a woman again. Of course, the transition was slightly difficult when she was mid-flight, so her body hit the ground hard.

She hit the ground running, and was sprinting through the trees quickly but quietly. Hange had to find that dragon, she had to see what the knights would do about this one. She knew the outcome, but given that Hange hadn't been in contact with knights for a long time, she just wanted to watch what they would do.

Hange reached the edge of the wood and peered through the trees. It was rare for her to actually go after those who wished to do other dragons harm. After all, she happened to be one of them. And being caught in her human form was even risky. How exactly was she supposed to explain wandering randomly and spying on Sina's greatest knights? Even those who supposedly worshipped them didn't dare follow them out to the battle field. Rather, they preferred to stay at a safe distance, which was understandable considering that the average civilian was slightly against being devoured by a great beast.

Slightly.

In the field of wheat, she saw the dragon thrashing about and roaring, being pursued by five humans. As she suspected, it was a group of knights. Hange watched closely at who appeared to be their leader. The man was shorter than the others, but what he lacked in height he made up with- just about everything else. He was unspeakably nimble, and practically danced around the dragon when dodging. His swordsmanship was incredibly skilled as he tore at the dragon's wings and quickly backed away, which intrigued Hange. Though he was killing part of her species, she was in awe at his skills and strength. The rest of the team had gathered a net with weights on the ends and then threw it over the dragon's body. Now immobilized, the dragon lay still. Hange's nails dug into the tree she had hidden behind as she watched what happened next.

The dark haired leader approached the dragon and raised his sword. Hange stared with anticipation and waited for him to behead the dragon, just like every mission went. He raised his sword, and looked as though he were to strike when-

He stopped. His form altered, and he almost put down his sword. The leader appeared to be staring directly at his prey. Something had caught him off guard. The moment of hesitation, the look in his eyes said all too clearly that he was reconsidering his choice to eradicate an innocent creature.

"Go on…" Hange whispered, almost inaudibly. "Have mercy."

But of course, it was all too good to be true. A shrill voice called out to him, sounding concerned breaking the young man out of his trance.

"Captain Levi! What are you waiting on? You must kill it before it can try and escape!"

The voice belonged to a young woman, with pretty auburn hair and a gentle composure. The three other men agreed with her, and reminded their leader of their mission. They seemed to notice the glimmer of guilt and remorse written on his face, and quite frankly, that wasn't a good sign for any of them. He then shook himself off a bit and quickly brought his sword down.

In an instant, the dragon was dead, and its once struggling body was limp and still. The leader, this so called Levi glanced at the blood spilling out of the dragon with disdain and turned his attention back to his team.

However, Hange felt so excited and so shocked that she had leaned just too far. The Captain stopped in his tracks and looked directly towards the trees. Hange whipped behind the tree and tried not to make a peep.

"Shit. If he really saw me, I'm completely screwed over," she thought, praying with all her might.

To Hange's good fortune, she heard the man beginning to give orders again. The group sounded as though they were about to leave. The deed was done, and they were to celebrate with a round of drinks when they returned. Hange sat against the tree until she heard them mount their horses, and the sound of hooves pounding against the ground became more distant.

Slowly, Hange walked around the tree and out towards the corpse of the dragon. Upon closer inspection, she saw that it was rather young. The dragon was quite the beauty- dark green scales that almost glittered in the sunlight; large and leathery wings, not a scratch on them, with the exception of the tear the knight had made. It was a shame that such a creature had to die.

It was even more a shame that it had to die at the hands of a man who found grief in killing a blameless creature.

Hange knelt down beside the dragon's corpse, and thought for a while. She thought about the dragon, the knights, and the man, Levi. He had precisely what Hange needed. Based on her observations of the team and his skills, they must've been greatly admired. Best of all, he was their leader. He had strength, stamina, but best of all, a great mind. That moment of hesitation was all Hange needed to see.

Hange began to mentally plan things out. She was going to need this young knight's help. Of course, her planned methods of getting him to cooperate with her were rather risky. He could kill her. Or worse, she could kill him. Nonetheless, if Hange ever planned to bring a rise of change within Sina, she'd need to act off of one little theory.

So she ran.

Hange sped through the trees, soon to be back at her cave to initiate her plan. She would need to fly over Sina by night, when the knights had retired and were rendered almost completely defenseless. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as her face twisted into a grin and the dragon shifter hollered with joy.