Aurelion Sol was flabbergasted.

He had seen many mysteries and wonders during his journeys around the galaxies and dimensions. Even some of the greatest treasures in the universe were crafted by himself... But he had to admit this was by far, the most outstanding thing he had seen in his entire life. An artifact created to peer into several realities at once. Many different destinies and paths, unlimited possibilities and things that would take years to even discover! Books couldn't even be compared with the miracle of this artifact! The great and marvelous form of Tee Vee, the Child of Sam-Sung!

What a worthy creation this one was!

"I can't keep hiding my emotions anymore, Benjamin!" Carol cried with crystal tears "I am actually in love with your twin brother, Alphonso!"

"No!" Aurelion Sol exclaimed, stuffing his mouth with popcorn "Carol, you sly temptress! I thought you were better than Amelia!"

"H-How can that be, Carol?! How is that even possible!" A macho man with a prominent mustache stuttered as he placed his hand in his mysteriously exposed chest "How could you marry me when you are in love with my deceased twin brother?" Benjamin fell to the ground and a bunch of rose petals began circling him.

"I had to marry you because your father was going to shut down the orphanage! I couldn't let the children without a home!" Carol lamented as a soft wind blew through her hair "But the lies cannot continue...! Our son, little Johny is actually...! Alphonso's son!"

"WHAT?!" Tohru screamed from the kitchen "THAT COURTESAN! I WILL BURN HER FACE FOR THIS CRIME!"

"T-That is impossible...! Becuase I am Alphonso!" Aurelion Sol choked on the popcorn and began coughing "Benjamin died during the incident at the church!"

"So that means...!" Sudden close-up to Carol's face and dramatic music "That means that the child belongs to..." Dramatic pause with several close-ups of the actors and the plants... And the furniture, and the cat, and the dog, and the fan, and the trash can, and then it repeats itself over and over again.

"What a sudden and incredible turn of events!" The voice of the narrator says while the credits appear on the screen "Who is the real father of little Johny? What happened to Benjamin at the church? What is the meaning of life? Does this dress make me look fat? All those questions and more will be answered in the next episode of 'The story about the poor girl that falls in love with the rich guy that is actually the bad guy but actually he isn't'!" Then there's a black scene and begins an ad about some revolutionary exercising machine that looks like a monocycle.

"Curse you, Carol! Curse you and your bastard born from the guy that we all thought was dead but he just happened to be his twin brother that had died at the church but he actually didn't! Curse you all!" Aurelion Sol groaned like a wounded animal as the television showed another ad about diapers and smiling babies with happy music on the background.

"I can't believe you watch that crap," Kobayashi commented without looking away from her newspaper "That has to be the worst soap opera in the entire universe."

"How arrogant, Miss Kobayashi!" Tohru said walking into the Living Room "'The story about the poor girl that falls in love with the rich guy that is actually the bad guy but actually he isn't' is one of the best works of art you lowly humans have ever created... It has given me so many beautiful and terrible moments... Like when Stephano died during that car accident while he tried to save a young child from an aneurysm!"

"That man was a saint..." Aurelion Sol cried quietly "He is the best human in this world."

"He didn't die! He is the goddamn gardener! And there is no way you can actually cure an aneurysm using CPR!"

"Clearly you humans can't appreciate our peculiar tastes!" Aurelion Sol said annoyed.

"It is a frigging foreign Soup Opera! There is nothing peculiar about a low-budget and terrible show that has been criticized a the worst t.v. program in the entire history of Japanese television!" Kobayashi finally snapped tearing in half her newspaper.

"Well... Well then... Then I... Then you..." Tohru stammered nervously "Then your waifu is not real!"

"What does that even mean?!"

"I think it means that your beloved one does not exist in this realm or in any other known dimension... Although I am sure you humans are not that knowledgeable in that regard considering just how behind your species is on that specific theme." Aurelion Sol exclaimed while he changed the channels of the T.V.

"I know what she meant! It was a rhetoric question, you dolt!"

"That is also something I will never understand about you humans. Why would you bother asking a question without an answer just for the sake of the punchline?" Tohru asked sitting beside Aurelion Sol.

"I don't want to hear that from the dragon that believed the toilet actually led to another dimension!"

"To be honest, it was kind of your fault for not explaining to us the proper use of each device in this household." Aurelion Sol countered placing the remote control on the table "How was I suppose to know there weren't small horse inside the devices of the kitchen?"

"Because it is called Microwave! Not Micro mares! And I did explain to you the function of each thing in the house! Aren't you guys supposed to be the strongest creatures in the world?!"

"Correction: The strongest creature in the entire universe," Tohru claimed while Aurelion Sol nodded.

"I don't care! You guys need to be careful and..." Kobayashi stopped for a second as she realized the peculiar aroma that was filling the house "W-What is that smell?" She asked fearing the answer.

"Oh! That is the stove!" Tohru answered with a big smile.

"Why is it making that kind of smell?"

"I think is pretty obvious! I don't know why you bought that failure but I think you should get rid of it! Those fires are incredibly weak and there is no way you can actually cook something with that piece of garbage!"

"S-So... What did you do?"

"I used my flam-" Before Tohru could finish her sentence, Kobayashi was already dashing towards the kitchen... And then, she saw it...

The disaster.

A huge pillar of fire was coming from her small stove, burning and destroying the walls and the ceiling. She could also see how some of the plastic tools had already become nothing but puddles of a disgusting color. The heat and the smoke clouded her glasses as she felt the fire extending all over her small kitchen and reducing everything to ashes... From within the racket, she heard them talk...

"I am surprised you decided to use cursed fire for the cooking. You never cease to impress me, Tohru."

"What can I say? I have a natural talent for this sort of thing!"

...

Unbelievable...

Impossible...

These...

Foolish...

CHOROGONS!

On that day, Kobayashi yelled so hard she hurt her throat and had to rest for a few hours before she could speak again.


Chorogons VS Technology!

(Good kids watch T.V. from a fair distance and in a well-lit room.)


"But still... You guys sure have some unfair powers." Kobayashi said while she drank from her mug of coffee. "That time when I came home, I am sure there was absolutely nothing inside the Living room... And you come and just snap your fingers and everything is back?! That is a cheat."

"Magic can do many things, Kobayashi. A simple spell like that one does not represent a problem to dragons such as us." Aurelion Sol answered eating a cookie.

"Is that so? If it's that simple, do you think you could teach me how to do it? I always wanted to be a magician."

"Well... We can do it but it will take a while..." Tohru answered reading a book "I think the expected time for a human to learn this simple spell would be around... Seven centuries or something like that."

"Wait, what?! Why seven centuries? I thought it was a simple spell!?"

"It would actually take five centuries to master this spell but you humans of this dimension seem to have been born without a single ounce of magical power," Tohru explained with a scoff "And after all, it is a simple spell... For dragons. Not for lowly humans, Miss Kobayashi."

"Well... That sucks." Kobayashi said sighing and stretching her back. "You guys sure are powerful, huh? Mind telling me a bit about your abilities?"

"And why would we do that, human?" Tohru said looking down on Kobayashi "For all I know, you humans are despicable creatures that can't be trusted! I can't remember how many of my comrades died because they thought they could trust your kind! If you think I will simply tell you my secrets then you are more stupid than-"

"Tohru!" Aurelion Sol interrupted with a stern gaze, the maid glared at him and looked away "You have overstepped your boundaries, Tohru. Right now, Kobayashi is being kind enough to allow us to live here with her in this small department. I think the least we can do is answer her questions with honesty. And besides, we are dragons and we have to prove we are above that sort of low way of thinking."

"Are you serious, Aurelion Sol?! We can't trust the humans! They have betrayed and killed many of my friends! I can't just-"

"A dragon foolish enough to be deceived by a human does not deserve to live!" Aurelion Sol boomed in anger "I myself had gone through the same ordeal but I survived to fight another day! Stop being so immature and act like the proud and mighty creature you are!"

Tohru tried to say something but the powerful aura of Aurelion Sol silenced her words. She frowned her brow and gritted her teeth but remained quiet. Kobayashi watched the whole thing in nervous silence... It was obvious the two of them had gone through a lot, especially if they had such mistrust in her... Maybe she shouldn't have said anything but her curiosity got the best of her. And after all, she wanted to know them.

"Uhm...? Aurelion...?" Kobayashi called quietly, the dragon focused on her again "W... What happened to you?"

"Back in the day, I used to look at humanity with wonder..." He began sighing "They were so weak and small... And yet, there was a peculiar light in them. I watched as they struggled to fight in a dangerous land with nothing but their own minuscule strength and their wits. Some of the celestial dragons simply ignored them and some others decided to aid them in any possible way... I was neither of those... I used to spent my existence creating the light you see in the sky. Until one day I realized there was something else in the galaxy. A new and completely different light... I have seen many civilizations and species being born around many planets but I considered none of those were worthy of my presence. Only the most ambitious would have the pleasure to witness my greatness... And that is how I met the Targonians. A tribe born in the sun and the moon. These beings worshiped me as their deity... Among the gifts I was given as and offering, I received the crown of gems you see here..." Aurelion Sol said patting his horns "Content with my discovery, I departed to keep doing my duty as the Star Forger with the treasures I was given... But I was a fool..."

"What do you mean?" Kobayashi asked with worry.

"This... This crown was nothing but the shackles of my soul!" Aurelion Sol suddenly groaned in anger "Those ungrateful creatures betrayed my trust and chained my soul to their disgusting will! They used me as a dog to fight their wars and secure their kingdom of lies! For centuries, I fought against monsters from beyond the rift and some other cosmic entities like me... No matter how much I struggled, I couldn't break free... Slowly, I lost hope and became nothing but a shadow of what I was... Nothing but a puppet."

Yes... Those were terrible days, indeed. Aurelion Sol could only watch as those Targonians made him do their bidding. For years, he fought a war that wasn't his, for years he denied his duty and privilege as the creator of the lights in the sky. For years, the other celestial beings slowly forgot about his existence... Aurelion Sol knew the humans didn't deserve another chance. Death was a merciful destiny for those monsters... Ah! How much he wanted to obliterate the entire race!?

But he wouldn't... He had changed... And he wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing.

He felt something soft touching him. Kobayashi was squeezing his hands while she looked down. Aurelion Sol could see she was trying really hard to say something... But she was just a normal human so there were no comforting words she could utter... Aurelion Sol smiled and patted Kobayashi's head gently.

He had changed... He used to be arrogant and foolishly confident in himself. He had learned that even gods like him could be defeated... And that was fine. If the humans wanted this world, they could have it. The stars, the galaxies and the universe itself were his to do as he pleased.

"You do not need to feel troubled by our pasts, Kobayashi," Aurelion Sol whispered "Whatever happened to us yesterday... Is nothing but a pitiful memory. As the ages pass, we are sure to forget and move forward. The only thing that matters is what I do right here and right now... And I choose to trust in you, Kobayashi."

"Why...?" Kobayashi asked quietly.

"I wonder... Perhaps I simply am tired of this life filled with hatred. Perhaps I no longer wish to be chained... Not only by this accursed artifact but by my own feelings and fears. I want to be free, I want to once again soar the galaxies like I used to do in the past. And I feel this is the first step to do so... And maybe, this answer does not only belong to me." Aurelion Sol said looking at Tohru.

The dragon maid wanted to say something but remained quiet... She scratched her hair and sighed in defeat.

"So tell me, Miss Kobayashi" Tohru began sitting beside Aurelion Sol "How do you feel about dragons capable of destroying entire cities with a single breath of fire?"