Chapter 1

I woke up with a sharp breath.

I could feel fresh air filling my lungs. It breathed a sense of awareness into my mind, and with it... pain.

Pain on my shoulder, pain on my leg, pain all over my body, as if I was hit by a car. Whether any of them was fractured, I couldn't determine. I just hoped that a passerby or two would come to my aid. If I truly was a victim of a hit-and-run accident, then I would be in grave danger.

I could scarcely think of what had caused me this much pain.

There was only a gentle breeze in the air; no voice from panicking witnesses, no ambulance sirens, nothing. I stretched my neck little by little to just in case my head or neck got injured too. All felt good, so I continued to twitch and wiggle parts of my body. I let my eyes grew accustomed to the cloudy sky hanging over me as I came to my senses. I tried to speak, but my voice sounded dry. I then realized how thirsty I was.

I looked down to find my right side largely unharmed. My left side, especially my left shoulder and left leg were covered in tight bandages. Did someone get me out of trouble, only to leave me unattended? I thought so. Faded bloodstains littered the bandages that were visible under my torn jacket sleeve and pant leg. Either my rescuer managed to save me in time or my injuries were not that bad. They should've sent me to a hospital right away instead of abandoning me here, wherever this place was.

I moved my right hand to help me sit up, but my fingers were tightly clutched around something shiny.

Wait... not shiny, but reflective.

My eyes widened when I saw a sword, a large broadsword, grasped firmly in my hand. It was roughly as tall as me. Where did it come from? Was I the owner of the sword? It's impossible. I never owned anything like it.

Was I a burglar?

I bet that thing explained why I was battered and bruised. A mob must've caught me in the act of theft and beat me up so badly they actually left me to die. A sword this tall might have belonged to a museum. Come to think of it, my mind told me that I did visit a museum... with friends...

"Dammit, they're coming through the windows!"

"Grab a weapon and take cover! We'll try to hold them at bay!"

"Get to the East Wing and barricade the door! Find the emergency exit and get out of here!"

"What are you going to do?!"

Wait, what? Why did I hear voices? My breathing became labored as I shook my head in panic. What happened to me? I took deep breaths to calm myself.

I decided to get up and find bearings of my situation, but with my wounded leg, I had to gently support my weight with the sword. I slowly came to the realization that not only I was half-covered in bandages, but I was also starving, stranded alone, shivering from cold air, and my clothes were torn and dirt-stained. I'd need to find shelter and fresh clothes if I want to survive. Right now I stood next to a lone dirt road winding across a green pasture.

There's something dead which resembled a bird laid across the dirt road. Except it was big, yellow, and covered in sharp scales. Squinting my eyes to examine it, I witnessed long gaping wounds lining the bird-thing's wings and head. Oh, ok, so I supposed I was being chased by the creature and I slashed it with my sword until we both fell.

I just happened to be the lucky one here.

A backpack laid a little further from where I was laid. If I remember correctly, I stole that backpack too along with its contents, as when I limped to reach and open it, I found a stash of canned bread, a portable radio, a flashlight with spare batteries, and a first-aid kit. The kit was predictably empty, likely used by my rescuer when they saved my life.

In the distance, I saw signs of human settlement; a village or small town where I could hopefully seek help. Taking the backpack with me, I began to make my way towards the settlement, taking care to not put too much pressure on my messed up leg.

After some twenty minutes of hobbling on the dirt path, I reached the village shouting for anyone who'd listen to help me. But it was useless.

The village's empty.

Cars and other vehicles were left here and there collecting thick dust, houses were barricaded or otherwise neglected, piles of garbage could be seen spilled on the village road, and a few dead animals were laid down on the road, either just recently dead or already rotting.

Wait a minute, animals? I thought so, too, but these bodies didn't look like the kind of animals you'd see in your backyard or zoos...

I carefully approached one of the dead animals. As I got closer, I could make out some details of the corpse, including a snake-like head on a four-legged squirrel-like torso, and it was big. It had light blue avian feathers covering reptilian scales, but the animal was definitely not a bird. What the fuck was it? This thing must be at least 7 meters long if not more. The scars on its corpse seemed to imply that it died via blunt force, either by being hit by a car or a person struck it with a hammer.

I never saw anything like it, but something in my mind continuously nagged me, as if telling that I know what it was. I just could barely remember what...

"Damn, that's a big Tobi Kadachi. I'm glad it's not hostile."

"Yeah. It would be nice if we can tame and ride it somehow."

"Hah, you wish."

Tobi... Kadachi?

Turning away from the dead animal, I weighed my options; I could continue looking for people in this lonely place at the cost of wearing myself down even more, or I could break into one of these empty houses and set up a temporary safe haven ala zombie apocalypse movies. I chose the latter since I'm so hungry.

Thankfully it didn't take too long to find a perfect house as my hideout. One house at the corner of the road looked clean and cozy, so I made my way there. It wasn't boarded up like the rest. Maybe its occupants were still inside? I doubt it, since the garage was in disarray, indicating that they already departed from the house.

A shrill roar from far away stopped me just as I reached the house's main door. I turned around to find out what made the horrible sound. Hopefully, it was nothing.

I saw a creature standing on the road I came from.

No, I didn't think it was any living creature...

Its black scales were so dark that I mistook it for a statue...

It stood on its hind limbs and spread its wings like a cobra would spread its hood...

Its eyes were... unnatural.

"No, you idiot! You won't survive a Black Dragon like this!"

"Then what the hell are we supposed to do? Wait here until it eats us?"

"We got to find a way to sneak past it. Nobody ever survives fighting a Black Dragon head-on. "

"Easy for you to say, Luke."

...Black Dragon?

Whatever the fuck that thing was, I was too busy staring back at its soulless, colorless eyes to see its chest glowing red. When I did, however, another roar echoed at the other end of the road. Another creature had set its sights on it. The other thing flew past me at high speed towards the black-scaled beast, almost instantaneously, but I saw bits of the new creature. Its horns were large and jagged. Its scales were black too, but spikier and sharper than the other beast. Its black spiky wings beat strongly as the new beast landed its front claws on the serpentine monster with the soulless eyes.

I was too dizzy and nauseous to watch them duking it out outside the village. As soon as I turned back, I yanked the main door open which was miraculously unlocked, blocked the door, fled to the house's bathroom once I located it, and vomited everything in my gut.

The screams of the two creatures fighting grew farther away as the sun gently set until I couldn't hear them anymore. I was never a really religious person, but there I found myself praying to God that the creatures wouldn't come back.