The capital, Dragonia
The capital city located deep within the empire, is seemingly the most powerful and well protected place on the entire planet. Guarded by the five great clans, it is the heart and the beacon of hope for the empire in every era. Dino-dragons, humans, zombies, demons, lizard men, dragon men, dragons and many more can be found all throughout the capital. All of the races live and work together in relative peace under the rule and protection of the great emperor.
[23.01.5000]
A few days have passed since Kei and Izaki have left their small village in hopes of becoming Vanguards. They were now a few hours' journey from reaching the capital city of the empire.
Soldier: "Ok boys we've almost reached Dragonia, we'll be taking one final break in a few so you get to stretch your legs and all that"
Izaki: "Ok sounds good"
The thought of going to the capital had captivated Izaki entirely, he could think of nothing else, while Kei on the other hand always seemed to be distracted by other thoughts.
Over the sixteen day journey Izaki constantly asked the soldiers questions and would occasionally bring up topics to peak Kei's interest and get him excited. For the most part his strategy worked and Kei was seemingly loosening up.
a similar carriage had intersected their paths somewhere in the desert. They seemed to be on the same path back to the capital.
Soldier: "Ok we've made it to our final stop before we reach the capital. This place has a pretty nice view too so go ahead and get some fresh air"
The soldiers dismounted their horses and went on to talk with the two soldiers on the other carriage. Izaki walked out of the carriage and straight to the edge of the cliff.
Izaki: "No way… It's even greater than I had imagined"
A stunned Izaki looked from on top of the cliff towards the massive and majestic city. His legs felt weaker and his heart began to beat more intensely, anticipation had paralyzed him and excitement had stolen his breath.
Kei walked up to the edge of the cliff and was stunned. His attention was immediately drawn to a giant palace which towered over the entire city, he was entranced,
The boys stood steadily looking over the edge of the cliff for about five minutes until…
"How long do you two plan on staring like that?"
The boys turned around to see who had posed the question. It was a girl with flowing brown hair and green eyes that looked to be their age.
"well are you just gonna stand there and stare at me too or what"
Kei: "huh… oh, y-yeah we should get going shouldn't we. Sorry about that we were just…wait a sec, who are you again?"
As the boys glanced at each other they heard the girl spoke
"My name is Toshiki Kaiya, and you are…?, hmm never mind it doesn't matter"
The girl returned to her carriage without saying another word to the boys
Izaki: "How cold could one person get, geez"
Kei: "Toshiki Kaiya huh, weird…"
Izaki: "Now that I think about it, do you think she is also?"
Kei: "For some reason, my instincts are telling me yes."
After their conversation the boys got back into their carriage to set out for the capital.
The two carriages were granted priority and were permitted to enter through the massive city gates leading to the capital. These gates were opened manually by two powerful dragons called gatekeepers.
Soldier: "It is said that the walls surrounding the city are comparable to five giants stacked on top of each other. This along with the variety of different artilleries strategically placed around the entire city on top of the wall is enough to deter enemy armies from attacking the capital."
After traveling through the city the carriages came to a sudden stop in front of the gates of a beautiful mansion.
Soldier: "We've made it to our destination. This is where we were ordered to drop you guys off."
The boys stepped out of their carriage with their small bags in hand to see Kaiya standing in front of the gate. They expressed their gratitude to the soldiers and said their goodbyes.
As the three stood in front of the gate to the mansion they slowly began to open by themselves.
Izaki: "Wow, It's opening by itself?"
Kei: "that's pretty cool"
The boys shared a quick glance before following Kaiya who entered through the gates without hesitance. She seemed to be unfazed by the fact that the gates could open and close by themselves.
The three now stood outside a large white mansion.
Kaiya: "you there…"
Izaki: "huh, are you talking to me?"
Kaiya: "Of course…"
She crossed her arms and sighed
"do you mind opening up that door"
Izaki: "Huh! And why exactly do I have to be the guinea pig?"
Kaiya: "It's not a big deal, all you're doing is opening some doors. Are you some spineless coward"
Kei: "*Sigh* I'll go in first. Both of you just stay close behind"
Kaiya glared at the back of Kei as he approached the doors ahead of him. She seemed as if she was annoyed by the statement Kei had just made.
Izaki followed Kei's lead and stood at his side in front of the mansion.
The boys pushed the two beautiful wooden doors open and silence filled the dark room they were now looking in. They could tell it was a large space but could not make out the inner layout properly due to the lack of light illuminating it apart from the entrance of the doorway.
Izaki: "oh man, it's so dark I can barely see anything"
Suddenly a sharp sound quickly approached the door
Kaiya: "Get out of the way you idiots!"
The boys jumped to opposite sides at the sound of Kaiya's voice. Two kunai seemingly aimed for their heads landed onto the ground behind them.
Kei: "Izaki!"
Izaki: "Yeah, I'm alright. I'll take the one that's left!"
Kei: "No wait! Dammit wait a second"
The boys pursued the shadows they had glimpsed inside the mansion and left Kaiya outside.
Kaiya: "Tch! How impulsive can those two be? *Sigh* No matter…hey… do you mind coming down from there and talking for a second"
A voice coming from a tree: "hmm, I see… How long have you known?"
Kaiya: "I've noticed you since coming here, do you think I'm an idiot"
"I see… well unfortunately I have no interest in talking… only killing"
The person then jumped down from the tree
Kaiya: "Is that so?"
Kaiya acted immediately and quickly made her way to the door of the mansion and picked up one of the two kunai. As soon as she touched one, her eyes widened in realization of something and she quickly looked closer at them.
Kaiya: "Is this!?"
"Taking your eyes off the enemy in battle will get you killed you know"
Kaiya looked up to see the girl dressed as a ninja right in front of her eyes. She reflexively tried to cut her but the girl quickly jumped back.
Kaiya: "She's so fast. She closed the distance between us before I could even notice"
Kaiya: "Seems like this'll be fun" *Smirks*
In the mansion the boys were struggling to find their target.
Kei: "You idiot! Why did you run in blindly?!"
Izaki: "Huh? Were being attacked, we have to strike quickly before the enemy gets the upper hand"
Kei: "Whatever, now's not the time. We're in deep shit right now"
Kei: "We're at an overwhelming disadvantage as it stands. Our vision is impaired, We don't know how many enemies we're facing or the layout of this place. We rushed in without any information… dammit!"
Kei: "Izaki!"
Izaki: "What is it?"
Kei: "We have to get out now, if the enemy attacks us we're dead."
Izaki, understanding their position, agrees with Kei. The boys make a beeline back to the exit and miraculously survive to escape.
Izaki: *panting* "I can't believe we made it out of there alive"
Kei: *panting* "Yeah me neither… it was almost too easy to escape"
Kei then looked up to witness Kaiya fighting desperately for her life.
She was facing a mysterious blonde woman dressed as a ninja. The two trade a powerful kick with each other that collides in mid air. Kaiya immediately recoils from the power of the girl's kick.
She recovers by quickly going into crouching position then lunges at the mysterious girl with the kunai she picked up in hand. The girl pulls out a Kunai of her own and easily deflects Kaiya's attack. She comes back around with a few more kunai attacks but the girl is easily able to dodge all of the attacks. The mysterious girl then pulls out a kunai and proceeds to overpower Kaiya in a kunai clash. This knocks her off guard and gives the girl an opening. She kicks Kaiya in the stomach, launching her across the yard. This causes Kaiya to drop her knife while in flight and crash into the ground; she holds her stomach in pain while groveling on the ground.
The girl seems to be moving in for the finishing blow until a kunai flies past her face stunting her for a moment. Both girls, shocked by the unknown interference, proceed to look in the direction that the kunai was thrown.
Kaiya: "It's you?! Didn't you rush into the mansion like a fool earlier"
Izaki: "This is no time to talk about that! Just be happy I was here to save your life"
Kaiya: "Save my life? Don't get too ahead of yourself"
Female ninja: "You saved her? By throwing the only kunai you had and delaying me? How naive"
Izaki: *smirks* "Then it's a good thing that's not the only reason I delayed you then huh"
Female ninja: "hmm?"
At that moment the ninja realized what was going on but it was too late. The presence of a white dragon image fled to her mind and shocked her for a moment, when she snapped back to reality, a kunai was already in her throat. Kei picked up the kunai that Kaiya had dropped and closed the distance while Izaki posed as a distraction. Their plan had worked perfectly and they now had the leverage.
Kei: "You make one move and you die"
Female ninja: "Quite impressive, you both work together so well… But now that I'm your captive, what is the next step in your master plan… will you kill me?"
Kei: "we won't kill you… not yet at least. First we'll use you to lure your friends out of that mansion, we'll give them hope of saving you and then I'll murder you right in front of them." as he smirks menacingly
After hearing those words from Kei, Kaiya quickly glanced up with widened eyes
Izaki was surprised and confused. He had never heard his friend sound so cold and heartless before. He rationalized it as him trying to get information out of the enemy and did not believe Kei meant it.
The girl remained calm after hearing his words
Female ninja: "*Chuckle* that's quite the plan you've cooked up there. You would use me as bait huh, quite amusing i like it. Very well… I concede… you win"
Her words and demeanor had the boys confused
Izaki: "What do you mean we win? Are you crazy, this is a matter of life and death!"
Female Ninja: *chuckles*
Kaiya: "I knew it… It was a test from the very beginning"
The boys were even more shocked at Kaiya's words. A mysterious voice then came from the doorway to the mansion. It was a man wearing a traditional ninja outfit with black samurai headwear.
"I see so you figured it out did you. How long have you known my young friend?"
Kei: "He was inside the mansion? So was it only one person after all?"
Kaiya finally stood up and answered the question the man had just posed
Kaiya: "As I just said, I knew from the very beginning. While not intentional I caught a glimpse of a human shadow inside a tree after entering through the main gates. That's when I knew we were being watched.
Izaki: "Huh! Hold on a minute you knew we were walking into a trap and didn't say anything!?"
She looked over at Izaki with a icy cold look in her eyes
Kaiya: "The truth is… your lives have no value to me whatsoever, so I withheld that information. If it came down to it, I would use both of you as decoys to improve my chances of escape. Is that a problem?"
He was stunned and could not reply to her words, he simply just did not know how to respond. Kei continued to hold the kunai at the female ninja's throat, he did not show any visible reaction to what Kaiya had just said.
Kaiya: "as I was saying..."
she turned her attention to the ninja at the door and continued
"After realizing that we were being watched I decided to ignore it because I knew whoever it was, there was a high possibility that they posed no real threat. After all, why would the nation try to kill its greatest weapons before they've realized their potential?"
Female ninja: "You're a smart one aren't you."
Kaiya: "After you launched your surprise attack on us, I rationalized that it couldn't have been an attack intended to end our lives and that's how I came to the conclusion that we were most likely being tested. My theory became more concrete when I realized a string was attached to those two kunai that had been thrown at the boys earlier. I assume it was there so if we couldn't dodge you could just redirect the attack, am I right?"
Male ninja: "I see… that's quite impressive… such keen perception and quick thinking… however, she lacks comradery and clear communication"
The ninja then looked at Izaki and Kei respectively and thought:
"This one is rash, he's quick to attack and he doesn't think about the consequences."
"and he seems to have a natural sense for battle, he's not afraid to do what it takes to win."
The ninja then spoke "My apologies but that was a necessary test before we could become comrades. Now that I know who you are, I now officially welcome you to your new home."
[A few hours later]
cling, cling, cling! metal pots being slammed together could be heard coming from the dining area
Kei left and arrived at the dining hall where Izaki and Kaiya were already seated around a table that could hold up to ten people.
Izaki: "oh look who finally decided to show up"
Kei: "Yeah, Yeah whatever…"
He went and sat beside Izaki which happened to be across from Kaiya. She watched as the boys playfully banter back and forth for a while.
"Hello everyone…"
The familiar voice gained the three's attention
"It's a pleasure to officially meet you all, my name is Taishi Miwa and I am the head maid of this mansion."
They looked over to see a beautiful blonde girl with blue eyes. With her short spiky hair and cute maid outfit she was the image of innocence and cuteness. They could all tell however this girl was not just an innocent maid but also the female assassin from earlier.
Izaki: "H-hello, my name is Yuta Izaki. It's a pleasure to meet you too."
Kei: "Hey, you can call me Kei"
Kaiya: "I'm Toshiki Kaiya"
"So it seems we've all gathered? wonderful"
A man walks up beside Miwa. His hair and beard were yellow along with his eyes and he was dressed in a white shirt with a black vest, a black bow tie and black pants.
"Hello again young friends… I am Mark whiting. A pleasure to meet you all as well. There's no need for you to repeat your names I already know who you are"
They recognised the man as the ninja from before by his speech pattern. The man took a seat and Miwa went back in the direction of the kitchen. A few minutes later the table was filled with all different sorts of food.
Miwa: "I figured you guys haven't had a whole lot to eat since you went on your journey, so I present to you this wonderful feast"
The boys were stunned at the amount of food they saw before them. They were very hungry but they hesitated to start eating.
Izaki: "Oh man! thank you miss Miwa this looks amazing"
She looked visibly annoyed after izaki's statement but kept a smile on her face
Mark: "Well done my student, you've outdone yourself once again"
Miwa: "Thank you, I'm glad you all enjoy my cooking so much. I put quite a bit of effort in preparing this meal."
The five people in the mansion ate and drank the night away.
[Early morning in the mansion]
Izaki: "ugh, I ate way too much…Oh no! It's already 6!"
Izaki jumped out of bed and put his clothes on. He ran out of the room and sprinted down the steps to the main hall.
When he got there he saw two people standing across from each other, as he got closer he realized it was Kaiya and Miwa that were intensely staring at each other for some reason.
"huh? Am I interrupting something?" he says followed by a nervous laugh
The two looked away from each other after hearing Izaki's question
Kaiya: "tch, of course not" as she moved away from Miwa
Miwa just smiled
Kei's entrance quickly followed
Kei: "So I guess I was the last one here then huh"
Izaki: "Huh? Oh it's you. Wait a minute are you trying to be late on purpose" he says with a skeptic look.
Kei: "I don't know what you are talking about"
Izaki: "Acting oblivious won't work you know"
Kei: "yeah whatever you say" as he shrugs off the allegations towards him
Mark: "Good, we are all present now so shall we begin" as he seemingly appears out of nowhere
Izaki: "what the…? Were you here the entire time?"
Mark: "A ninja must never reveal his secrets"
Kei: "Isn't that a magicians saying though?"
Mark: "Now as I was saying, let's be…"
Kaiya: "Before we begin, do you mind telling us what sort of training we'll be doing exactly?"
Mark: "A curious mind you possess. You'll just have to wait and see though my young friend"
Kaiya: "Hmm?"
Mark: "now all of you please follow me"
An opening suddenly appears in the middle of the room. A helical staircase that seemed to lead under the mansion could be seen.
Kaiya's eyes widened as she looked in shock at the staircase in the ground.
Mark: "now then, shall we get going" as he takes off down the staircase
Miwa had no trouble following and did not seem worried. The others hesitated a bit but one by one started to follow as well.
After reaching the bottom of the stairs they were met with the sight of a massive plot of land with no trees that extended throughout the yard of the mansion. It was just as bright as the surface
Mark: "Here we are"
Izaki: "a-amazing… to think this was here the whole time"
Mark: "This is our official training ground"
The others followed him onto a plot of land and after the last of them had left, it retracted into the sky and disappeared.
Kaiya: "H-how is something like this possible…? Above us it looks like a perfect replica of the clear blue skies and somehow it's just as bright as the surface. What is this?!"
Mark: "What a wonderful reaction to this place. Very valid questions but that is not why we're here my friend."
At Mark's signal the others took a seat on the floor leaving him to be the only one standing.
Mark: "Kaiya, before you had asked what kind of training we'd be doing, am I right?"
Kaiya: "Yeah, so what of it?"
Mark: "This training is for you to learn how to use the powers that a vanguard naturally possess. With this training, you'll all learn the basic skills necessary to reach your potential."
Kaiya: "I see…"
The boys, who were distracted by their surroundings became attentive immediately after hearing this statement by Mark.
Mark: "Firstly, I must ask that you all refer to me as Mr. Mark from now on. Being that I will be your teacher, I expect to be shown the respect of one, is that understood?"
They all nodded at the request of their new teacher
Mr. Mark: "without wasting any more time then, let's begin... Firstly, a vanguard possesses two main powers from which all others derive, these are the power to call and the power of ride"
Izaki: "The power to call?'
Kei: "and the power of ride?"
Kaiya: "From which all other powers are derived?"
Mr. Mark: "It seems a demonstration is required, Miwa please come up here and face your peers"
She seemed a bit excited to demonstrate this lesson the others were about to learn.
Mr. Mark: "There are Five clans recognized by the empire as its military fighting force. These five clans make up the strongest army in the entire world. These five clans are Kagero, Narukami, Tachikaze, Nubatama and Murakumo."
Kaiya: "Everyone in the empire knows this information, what does it have to do with the power of a vanguard"
Mr Mark: "Patience my young friend. As I was saying… These clans are the backbone of the empire, but for them to be able to bring forth their true power, they need someone to draw out that potential, someone who will bring them together and lead them…someone who leads the way… that is a vanguard."
Kei: "Sounds to me that being a Vanguard just means you're some Military power to be taken advantage of"
Mr Mark: "Vanguards are said to be humans who are destined to become kings or have that potential since their birth. For they possess a special power… A power capable of bending even the strongest, most feared beings to their whims. You, the special few who have been identified and have been brought under my care. My job is to turn you into great generals capable of utilizing your abilities to advanced the empire's fighting force even further"
Kei: "By the sound of it, I'm guessing we don't get a choice of being here or just going home?"
Mr. Mark: "Your right, I've been instructed to kill you if you decide not to comply."
Kei: "Ok then, message received."
Mr. Mark: "A vanguard's most useful and effective assets are the power to call and the power of ride."
Mr Mark: "Once the bond with another being has been formed, as a vanguard you are able to speak with that being and summon it to the battlefield from anywhere on the planet. Miwa do you mind"
Miwa: "Not at all. now then…"
she closed her eyes and stretched her hands out in front of her
"Hear my call and come forth…"
a ball of red light appeared in her palm and she continued
"Manifest and show us your form, Red Pulse Dracokid!"
The ball of light expanded until it resembled a fluffy red baby dragon.
The others were shocked at what they had just seen. A human summoning a dragon was the last thing they thought would've happened.
The thin red aura that was surrounding Miwa started to fade and she was now facing the dragon.
Mr Mark: "Well done, that was quite the demonstration. The power to call a unit that has recognized you as its vanguard.
Dracokid: "I'm really sleepy, could you make this quick Miwaaaa?"
Miwa: "*Chuckle* School must've been quite tiring today I see. Please hold out a little bit longer okay?"
Dracokid: "Okay just for a little while longer rrr"
Izaki: "Am I going crazy or is she actually talking to the baby dragon and it's responding?"
Kei: "So that's the power to call huh" he says with a surprised look
Mr. Mark: "Correct… and now Miwa will you show us the power of ride.
Miwa: "Of course, Dracokid is that ok?"
Dracokid: "yeah let's do it"
Miwa: "To put it simply, riding is like a fusion of you and the being you've called. You can do it to amplify both of your powers"
She proceeded to place her hand on the dragon's head and continued her explanation
"As vanguards we have the ability to take the characteristics of spirits for a short time and become an intangible being with no true form. While in this state we are able to take the form of others who have given their consent and become one with them…Now ride Red pulse Dracokid!"
A blinding light emanated from Miwa and the dragon which caused everyone to cover their eyes. When the light dissipated they were surprised to see that only the dragon was there and Miwa had disappeared.
Izaki: "Where'd she go? What happened?"
Dracokid: "I am right here Izaki.
A fusion of two voices said from the dragon
"Dracokid and I have now become two minds and one body…this is the power of ride!"
[Three weeks later in the capital city of the Dragon Empire, 02.17.5000]
Miwa: "Thank you for helping me with the shopping in Izaki's place, I really appreciate it."
Kei: "It's not a problem. I've been cooped up in that mansion for weeks I'm actually glad to be getting some fresh air for once"
Miwa: "If that is so, why don't you just take this duty from Izaki then?
Kei: "*Sigh* there's just no way I could do that… He loves coming out here way too much."
Miwa: "*Smile* I see… Such a nice thing to do for a friend"
Kei: "*sigh* yeah I know"
The two chatted while walking down a busy street in the capital. Suddenly a crowd of people could be heard by the two from further down the street
Miwa: "Hmm, I wonder what's happening today, is it another skirmish?"
Kei: "Another one? Does that happen often?"
Miwa: "skirmishes do happen but only small ones mostly. I'd wager it's members of two different clans having a dispute of some sort. Shall we check it out"
The two walked over and assimilated with the crowd. A human sized red dragon with golden wings could be seen fighting two other creatures, one of which was seemingly a blue spirit wearing red armor and the other a human carrying a spear.
Miwa: "Do you have an idea why these three are fighting?"
Bystander: "no idea, these guys just started to clash as soon as they laid eyes on each other"
Red dragon: "You bastards wanna take me on at the same time, where's your pride as warriors.
They attacked without replying to the dragon's comment
The dragon was dodging the attacks from the spear successfully but whenever he counter attacked he would be blocked by the spirit in red armor. He held his own impressively even though he was facing two enemies at the same time but their teamwork overwhelmed the dragon and he was backed into a corner. After dodging a critical spear, he was struck from behind with a punch from the spirit and was now on the ground. The man with a spear lunged at him to pierce him but was stopped in his tracks by a red haired boy in armor carrying a red sword.
Embodiment of spear Tahr: "You…Why have you stopped me from ending his life Aleph"
Dragon knight Aleph: "What exactly is the point of this fight, why are you causing such a scene?"
Embodiment of armor Bahr: "we'd prefer if you stayed out of our business. What we do away from the field of battle is none your business"
Aleph: "You're wrong, this is my business! Not only are we a part of the same nation but the same clan as well, so why are we fighting each other? Not to mention we're only in the capital on an official mission so don't go around acting like idiots you got that!"
He continues… "Tahr I implore you to stand down and let's be on our way"
Tahr: "Tch, very well. We'll leave this matter unsettled for now but be weary on the battlefield Amber dragon, we will meet again."
Bahr and Tahr walked off ignoring the crowd that had gathered
Aleph: *sigh* "On behalf of my allies and myself, I'd like to apologize for the trouble we've caused"
Amber Dragon daylight: "…"
The dragon then jumped above the crowd and disappeared in an instant without sharing a single word with the young boy.
Aleph then vanished from the scene without drawing anyone's notice
Miwa: "Well that was quite an amazing fight don't ya think…Huh?"
Miwa looked over at Kei only to realize he was no longer there
After the dragon disappeared he started to chase it. He found himself in a narrow alleyway with a dead end.
Kei: "I know you're there… Why don't you stop running and just come out here already?"
Amber dragon Dawn: "Why have you followed me human?"
A small red dragon came out of a corner of the alley way
Kei: "Is this really the creature I was chasing? It looks like him but a lot smaller. could this be his child or something…? no wait"
Kei: "Your saying I followed you, that means you're the dragon that was fighting in the street earlier"
Amber dragon: "and what if I am?"
Kei: " To be honest, I'm not so sure. I followed you purely out of instinct and curiosity"
Amber dragon: "Who the hell are you *growl*"
Kei: "It's clear he doesn't trust me; I must choose my answers very carefully from now on."
Kei: "I guess you could say that I am one that can lead this empire into a brand new era… my name is Kei"
The dragon went silent and his eyes widened for a moment. His eyes then became narrow and his teeth grew larger, it looked as if he was about to attack at any moment with a seemingly angry look in his eyes.
Miwa: "Keeeeiiii! I know you're here somewhere, come out already!"
Surprised, Kei quickly glanced behind him, but when he turned back towards the dragon it was gone.
Kei: "Huh he's gone? Miwa might've saved my life just now; it looked like he was going to kill me." *sigh*
Kei scratched his head and left out of the alley way
Miwa: "oh there you are. You know if you didn't want to hang out with me any longer you could've just said so. I'm sure it wouldn't hurt my feelings as much as you running away." she says while playfully pinching his cheeks
Kei: "What are you talking about!? You know it's nothing like that"
Miwa: "hmm, I don't believe you" she says while pouting
Miwa then walked off towards the market place with Kei walking closely behind
From a building close by a pair of eyes watched the two's back and forth.
Amber Dragon Dusk: "One that can lead the empire into a new era huh, only a vanguard is capable of that. Are you the one that will stand above all others I wonder, are you the one that we shall call Overlord…?"