Between Kindness and Madness

Retsugo Yuushin had never seen a dragon.

He had no idea what was considered “proper dragon behavior”.

But even if Yuushin had suddenly been transported to a world filled with blood-lusting monsters and magic, even when he had never met a dragon face-to-face, he was certain.

There’s something wrong with it…no, with them.

Because there was no way Yuushin could ignore the pain and rage flooding in that piercing golden gaze. The tears falling non-stop from the creature’s eyes, the way their body would shiver and their muscles would tense randomly.

They were both facing each other, the circular glade working almost as a deformed stage. Once again, the dragon opened their mouth and roared. Yet different from the first times, its sound was not menacing or wrathful. It was almost desperate. Again and again, the dragon kept shaking their head and growling, their claws sinking deeper in the ground.

Yuushin’s body felt gelid, a part of him urging him to run away even if he had to crawl. However, the other part…it was considering something outrageously insane. The man clenched his fists, holding his breath as if he had forgotten how to breathe. Yuushin took one step forward—

*snap*

Those golden eyes locked on his again as soon as he moved and stepped on a branch.

The dragon clenched their jaw, a guttural sound exploding from their throat almost like a curse—one that resonated and bended with the air. And once more, Yuushin felt it—no, he sensed it. An oddity in the sound, like a dissonance.

They really seem to be in pain…

It was as clear as day that Yuushin had no actual chance of winning against a freaking dragon, no matter how out of it they were. And if he ran away, the probability of him outrunning the creature was non-existent. Then, perhaps…if Yuushin listened to his self who lacked common sense…

…if he actually attempted that insane plan of his…

There was a chance.

Yuushin bit down his lip, forcing himself to maintain the eye-contact—to keep that gaze on him.

“H-hey…” The word barely left his mouth. Yuushin cleared his throat, his heart beating fast enough to open a hole in his chest. “Y-you! You can understand me, right?”

The dragon narrowed their eyes, taking one step closer as flames escaped through their mouth.

Can I take that as a yes…?

“Are you injured? Or is it…magical in nature?” Yuushin cursed himself in his mind. What was he even doing? Had he suddenly become a doctor? Did dragons even speak in that world?

There’s a limit to stupidity, Yuushin…

Yet the dragon flinched, closing their eyes shut for a second, slouching to the side. For some reason, that made something tighten around Yuushin’s chest.

“If you can tell me what is wrong, maybe I can—”

With an ear-piercing roar, the dragon grabbed a tree with their tail and pulled it by its roots. Yuushin ducked and rolled to the side, the tree flying right above his head. Before he could stand up, the creature was opening their mouth again, a glow coming up their throat.

“Oh, shi—”

The flames poured out from the dragon’s mouth with a hunger of their own, the fire’s glow blemished. Yuushin ran, flinching as a sharp pain hit his ribs and muscles, not being able to fully escape from the flames.

After throwing himself onto the ground, Yuushin rolled until his pants were no longer on fire.

Damn, now that I think about it, this was my favorite pair.

This time, the dragon was nice enough to give him a heads-up before throwing another tree. Banging their tail on the ground, as Yuushin fought to maintain his balance, he had little to no time to get out of the way as the mighty tree flew in his direction.

Again and again, the dragon kept breaking down and throwing trees and setting the area on fire, their roars louder and more frenzied by the second. At that rate, he would die burned and crushed by the scenario.

C’mon Yuushin, you work with art. You’re a creative 22-year-old man.

Think of something.

Funny enough, it was quite challenging to think when he was dodging trees and trying to keep himself from turning into coal. Not only that, but his speed was dropping—fast. With almost no energy left to run, could his brain even function at that point?

If I want to survive, it must.

So Yuushin forced his mind to think. Remember. Whatever it was, no matter how small. Anything and everything it could grasp. Aura had helped him with the hobgoblin, but it wouldn’t help him in this situation. Yet that other thing, the one Jay discovered…

That, it might.

Yuushin had used it already, that electric feeling. Yet how did it even work? Thinking back, it got the dragon to pay attention to him. And when he saw Jay using it, there was some kind of energy emanating from the man’s body…

After considering many options, Yuushin finally came to an answer. Or at least, a plan decent enough to be worth a try.

First, I need to get closer to them.

A feat the dragon was making as challenging as they could.

Apparently tired of throwing only trees, the creature’s tail would grab whatever it could—rocks, entire branches and blocks of earth. But Yuushin was starting to see a pattern. Even amidst the chaotic flow of their movements, there were signs of how and where they would strike next.

So little by little, Yuushin started closing their distance. The closer he got, more his body hesitated, the dragon’s mighty presence overwhelming him. Yet he had to do something, anything, if he wanted to make it out of that place alive.

Here goes nothing…

Ignoring the burning in his lungs, the pain in his ribs, the exhaustion of his muscles, Yuushin gave one final sprint. Upon noticing him near, the dragon threw their flames at him but Yuushin slid below the dragon’s body, passing by their legs. Then, once he was facing the creature’s back—

He climbed the dragon by their tail.

“Hah…! Is this what bull-riding feels like?”

If the dragon hadn’t completely lost it before, Yuushin climbing them certainly did the trick.

Throwing their body against trees, throwing flames up in the air, spinning, thrashing…there was no way he would hold on for long.

It’s now or never…

…he only hoped it worked.

For the third time that day, Yuushin searched for that spark. That sensation deep inside him.

First, he focused on the warmth—the heat golden glow of the aura that had poured out of him. Even when it felt like every single vessel in his body was about to burst, the pain ruining him from the inside, Yuushin kept focusing on that warmth. Until he saw that aura again, even if weaker than before.

Then, while still maintaining the faint aura, Yuushin sought that current.

That electrifying energy that reached every piece of his being, the one thing that made his desperate cries reach the dragon. An energy that kept building up, flowing within him like lightning.

Yuushin gasped as tears fell from his eyes, the pain so intense it was as if he was dying. His vision started to darken, the man’s body screaming and cursing at him.

No…not yet!

He had barely reached the dragon’s back, but it would have to do. With both hands touching the creature’s body, Yuushin concentrated. Both in the golden warmth and the electric energy, forcing them out—as if he was expelling them from his body.

The dragon screeched, their agony piercing his ears to the point of making them bleed.If there is a god in this word…if magic can make miracles happen…

Yuushin saw the faint golden aura spread across the dragon’s body, its glow increasing as the seconds passed, making the creature’s scream even louder as their body froze. He closed his eyes, letting out every ounce of energy and warmth he had left.

Please….whatever is wrong with this guy…

Fix it.

As the dragon’s body became warmer, one by one, the stains vanished from their body—leaving trails of smoke as they disappeared. The creature’s muscles began to relax, the dragon’s scream fading away.

Yuushin couldn’t tell what happened.

He felt his body move on its own, suddenly facing the sky while laying on his back. Then, something wet on his skin. Yuushin’s eyes shifted.

“…thank you…”

A woman. With deep crimson hair, pointy and sharp canines, her tears falling on his cheeks.

Her voice broke when she smiled, her words brimming with gratitude and relief.

“Thank you…so, so much…”

Yuushin had only enough strength to close his eyes. And as he did, though he didn’t recognize the woman above him…her eyes…

That golden gaze, he thought it was familiar.