Okay, before we get started, let me introduce myself. My name is Ryuji Frank and I'm not your average kid, in more ways than one. What do I mean by that? Well, that has to do with my family. Unique Thing about Me Number 1: my dad is Axel Frank, who you guys might better know as El Dragon. Yeah, that El Dragon, as in the great fire elemental leader of the elemental superhero team the Element Gang. I know, it's hard to believe that someone who talks with a bird is El Dragon, but it's true. Well, he was El Dragon, but now he's retired from the whole superhero gig. But that doesn't mean there isn't an El Dragon out there protecting the world. You see, El Dragon isn't just one person as some theories on his identity say. In fact, the job of El Dragon is sort of a family business. You see, my dad is part of a lineage of elemental heroes who play the role of El Dragon, the job and all the knowledge that goes with it being passed down from parent to child, from one generation to the next. Same goes for the rest of the Element Gang, each one being a different elemental hero lineage, each generation passing on the job of protecting the world to the next generation. The name of my family's lineage is known as the Fire Dragons, for obvious reasons. Now I know what you're thinking: "Are you your dad's successor, Ryuji?" Well, the answer to that is no. No, I'm not. As you saw before, the one filling in as the new Fire Dragon is my big bro Ben. Yeah, there's only one Fire Dragon born each generation. I just happen to be born as this El Dragon's little brother.
Now, Unique Thing about Me Number 2: the Fire Dragons aren't the only lineage I'm part of. I might not look it, but I'm actually related to a royal family. Well, not in the human world, but still. What do I mean by that? Well, there's actually more than one world. Yeah, all you sci-fi lovers, I'm talking about different dimensions. There are a couple out there with people similar to humans. Most of them I met happen to have special powers and live in worlds filled with magic. Now, in one of these worlds, my great-great-times-32-great-grandfather fell in love and got married to a princess named Kana who was second in line to the throne in the kingdom known as Valla. It was because of this that my family had now become a noble family. Of course, no one in the human world knows that as it is meant to be kept a secret. You see, the Fire Dragons are also known in the other worlds as the Portal Guardians. They possess many portals leading to these different worlds, portals which they keep secret from the human world and away from the wrong hands. Since he retired, my dad took up the job as the Portal Guardian. My big bro is up to take his place when the time comes. The thing about this, the princess I'm descended from wasn't a normal one. She was actually the granddaughter of a great dragon and had the ability to transform into a dragon. That power got passed down in my family with mostly Fire Dragons being able to turn into dragons. Yeah, my dad can actually turn into a dragon, so can my big bro.
Unique Thing about Me Number 3: as you already know, I'm not exactly human. But I'm actually part of three different races. I'm part human, part Elementar (a certain elemental race similar to humans which is a long story that I'll save for later), a little bit of dragon, and part warlock. Yeah, you heard the last thing right. I'm also a warlock. My dad is a human/Elementar hybrid and my mom is a witch. I don't know much about her since I haven't met her. The only thing I do know about her is that her name was Marilyn Clarkson. Anyway, to answer that question that popped into your head: yes, I do have magic. All part of being a warlock. My big bro is a warlock too. Our dad taught us both how to use our magic. While my big bro is pretty good with magic, I think I've done some awesome things with my magic, some magic like using the elements being common magic amongst all of them. The way we were taught divided our magic into seven types, all of which I had really excelled at. I was able to cast blasts of fire, water, and lightning at the same time; tamed all kinds of wild beasts with Beast-Keeping Magic, like this tiger that escaped from the zoo one time; I healed a hundred soldiers with my healing magic in almost an instant; I can grow entire gardens in an instant and use the local plants to protect myself and others with Plant Magic; can summon spirits and tell the future with Oracle magic; make any quick builds of defense and fix anything with Construction Magic; mastered the art of illusions in Illusion Magic; and can do some mean musical performances with Bard Magic. You should have seen the look on my bro and dad's faces when I did all that. I'm even able to utilize this magic of mine with my Saisho, my special Star-Rank ōdachi sword my father made for me.
Yeah, that's another thing about my family: not only is it made up of elemental guardians of portals to other worlds, but it also haves great blacksmiths, like my dad. We're especially known for creating Star-Rank weapons which many of my Fire Dragon ancestors had been able to wield. They even crafted weapons for the members of the royal families of the other worlds, ones of which are used by the descendants of those royals today. Seeing how I possessed magic, Dad wanted to make sure that I could be able to defend myself. My Saisho was crafted to be used by me as it utilizes all forms of magic. He also said that it had some special features that could help me handle any situation, features he said I would find out about when the time came. Yeah, Dad had always been the one who liked to keep some things a surprise, especially with his own family. Part of his whole dramatic flair thing. My dad had been teaching me the blacksmithing arts of our family so I could be able to craft weapons for both myself and others. He already taught my big bro and now Ben can be able to craft some of the greatest weapons. I do always hope that I would one day become a great blacksmith like them and in the Fire Dragon lineage. This all seems pretty cool, right? It is… though there is one thing about me that makes things a lot less cool. It's what got Dad so worried about me.
Unique Thing about Me Number 4: I'm actually… cursed. Yeah, I have a terrible curse. It's the reason why I have one gray eye. My dad said it's something I inherited from my mom who was also cursed. No one knows how she got it, only that it was dangerous. It was so dangerous that my mom had to flee from the Boiling Isles, away from the world she was born in. They tried to find help for this, but all that they turned to who could help them said they couldn't as this curse was beyond even the help of anything they could do. My mom tried her best to deal with the curse and my dad did his best to be there for her in the tough times. My big bro has the same curse as me, but has managed to control it. Of course, the same can't be said for me since Ben is a Fire Dragon who was practically born to get a handle on things like that. By the time I was born, my mom then decided to leave as the curse was growing too strong for her to stay in the human world. She decided to go back to the Boiling Isles so she wouldn't be a burden to the family and so me and my big bro could be safe. Neither of my parents wanted to be separated from each other, especially when they had a family to take care of. But they knew that it was probably for the best. And so, my mom went back to the Isles where she would be dealing with her curse alone. As much as I yearn to know about my mom, one of the things I want to know is if she's doing okay or not. Anyway, because the curse had been put on Mom before even my big bro was born, a piece of it was passed on to her kids. That's what Dad estimated and, due to the dragon blood that came from him, the curse was altered. The way that it affects me and Big Bro is with our dragon forms.
Yeah, I have a dragon form. The curse not only made our dragon forms look different, but made them more dangerous. Every time we would take these forms, me and Big Bro would act completely feral, becoming wild animals that destroy anything in their path. Like I said, Ben had managed to get control of it and had been able to work the curse to his advantage. He can even switch forms at will now. And, like I said, that's expected for a Fire Dragon. As for me… I'm still having trouble trying to keep it under control. To make sure I didn't lose control and go all feral, Dad had me go through the same method Big Bro took when he had to manage his curse. The method uses two things, each managing one-half of the curse. For the dragon power half, like Big Bro, I have a Dragonstone to control my dragon power and keep it in check. It starts turning black when the curse rises and starts making me feral. For the half I inherited from Mom, I take this special elixir that keeps it at bay and allows the Dragonstone to work as it should. The elixir is an acquired taste, but without it, I would be stuck as a feral dragon. My dad gets this elixir from the Boiling Isles, said he had an old friend who works with potions and gives him a supply of it every now and then. At times when I run out of it, my dad has me stay in Valla while he goes to the Boiling Isles to get more elixir. It's not easy having a curse and no one likes having one, but by taking the right steps and with the right help, it can be manageable. I also do fear that this curse might become too much for me, that I would lose control and hurt everyone close to me: my friends, my family. That is why I have to do my best and kept it under control, to make sure that everyone is safe. I just hope that all my efforts would be enough for me to achieve my dream.
Everyone has a goal in life on who they want to be and I know who I want to be. I want to be all that I can be. I want to embrace all that I am and become the man my family can be proud of. I want to be a great blacksmith who will forge weapons for the greatest heroes that will ever live, I want to be a great and powerful warlock with every kind of magic there is. Most importantly, I want to become a great hero like my father and brother. I want to be the one who can protect anyone from any danger, I want to be a symbol of peace and justice, and I want to be the greatest warrior to ever live. I know I have a long road ahead of me, but I still hold on to the hope that I will become the hero that everyone can depend on, the person who can make everything right and fight against any injustice shown in any world. I mean, I already managed to help the Element Gang—my big bro's team—defeat their Dark Gang, the Element Gang's greatest nemesis who are the most dangerous supervillains in the world. I'm basically already on the right path. Helping major heroes defeat major villains is the first step in becoming a hero, right? Practically every hero in my family has their own legendary title. Like my dad is known and will be known in Element Gang history as Axel the Dawn as his ideas could bring great change to all worlds, even start a new dawn for them all. My big bro is titled Benjamin the Beast Master for being able to control his curse and using it for good. One day, as I embrace all that I am, the people of the world and the other worlds would come to know my legend as the hero for all that goes by my own title: Ryuji the Dragon Kid!
While helping heroes was a big start for me in becoming a hero, I think I started my journey on the day I went to the Boiling Isles. Of course, the way I went there for the first time was not how I expected it would be. What do I mean by that? Well, it's best to start with how that day started…
Author's Note: Hey, guys! I hope you all liked the prologue. It really gives you a lot of insight on Ryuji, huh? By the way, Ryuji is voiced by John Patrick De Sena (better known as Jack DeSena). His older brother Benjamin is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch, and his father Axel is voiced by Dave Wittenberg. Just wanted to get those out so you know what they sound like. Okay, now that all this has been settled, we can now move on to the first chapter of the story, the start of the many events that will lead to Ryuji becoming known to all as the Dragon Kid. That's all I got for now. Don't forget to leave a comment to tell me what you think of it. See you all in the first chapter!