Kimora’s Memories

“… You’re really going to talk with us?” Kanie asked Kimora. He wiped the tears from his eyes.

“But why? We lost our wager with you.”

Kimora blushed, twirling her hair between her fingers. She looked away to her side, putting one of her hands between her thighs.

“… I-I mean, that leap of yours just now,” she said. “I watched it, and it just… got me so hot and bothered.”

Kanie was dumbfounded. He couldn’t tell whether she was joking or had a screw loose.

“… Seriously?” he asked.

Kimora broke character and started to laugh.

“Ahahaha! I jest~,” she said. “—No. In truth, something about the two of you just seems… off compared to the heroes I remember. For example—”

“… Kanie Misawa. That stunt you pulled from way up in the Hvashknon Range—it was life-threatening. The heroes I knew were malicious—selfish. They cared for nothing but world domination.

Tell me—why would you risk your life just to bring Mylo back here?”

Eric elbowed Kanie.

“Listen, man. This is a golden opportunity to score some romance brownie points,” he whispered. “Look her in the eye and repeat after me: ‘I did it because of my love for you.’ —Go on, say it—and with passion, goddamn it!”

Kanie hesitated. He wanted to argue with Eric, but no words of objection were coming to mind. He sighed before taking a deep breath and clearing his throat.

“Ahem,” he said, making eye contact with the dragon queen. “… Isn’t it obvious? I did it… because of my love for you.”

Kimora’s eyes opened wide.

… Oh, fuck me… Eric thought, cringing at Kanie’s flat, emotionless performance. I should’ve been the swordsman—that virgin’s going to get us killed.

Ding!

Kanie’s locket made a sound. He checked it.

To his surprise, Kimora’s ‘love meter’ had jumped to ‘1%.’

“… D-don’t toy with my heart…” Kimora said. She was blushing and clutching her chest. She regained her composure, shaking off her infatuated look.

“No… that can’t be it,” she said. “Don’t you try and fool me, you handsome devil. I want to know what you’re really up to.”

“Kimora…” Eric said. “You said you remembered a different version of the calamity than everyone around you, right? Please—we ask that you share it with us. It’s the best place to start if we want to clear up misunderstandings.”

“A-alright, fine! I get it~,” whined Kimora. “But remember—you technically failed to achieve my request. I’m only doing this to satiate my own curiosity.”

She cleared her throat.

“For forty-nine hundred years, all of Jandariu coexisted in peace. It was only on a fateful day a century ago that everything changed. The sky turned red, and rivers that flowed throughout the lands were brought to a boil.

For reasons unknown, the humans, who lived in Jandariu’s center, had started to wage war on the other life forms that inhabited the world. I, along with the other four queens presiding over the elements, watched the destruction spread far and wide. Under normal circumstances, we would have stepped in to restore balance. But, having formed a pact with one another that forbade bringing about deliberate harm to humans… we could do nothing. We simply watched as countless lives—human and animal alike—were lost in a sea of blood and chaos.

It was then that that happened.”

“What?” Kanie asked, voice full of intrigue. “What happened!?”

Kimora continued.

“When the last of the warring humans lost their lives, all stood quiet momentarily. It was then that two figures appeared, descending from the heavens. I remember very little about them—only their silhouettes and that they called themselves heroes. They revealed themselves as the masterminds behind humanity’s corruption, attempting to rally the remaining humans opposed to the war who hid in Narvec’s capital city.

‘Hurry!’ they said. ‘Opposition is sparse—only wild beasts and the five pillars remain! Hurry, hurry, hurry!’

The pacifist humans resisted. Frustrated, the heroes settled on casting them into obedience. They ascended high over Narvec’s capital city and attempted to blanket the city’s inhabitants in brainwashing magic.

Deeming it safe to appear without collateral damage, we, the five elemental dragon queens, intervened before their spell was complete. Though the heroes challenged us, they ultimately lost—a predictable result, considering our immortality.

It appeared all was resolved, but in their dying moments…”

Kanie leaned in.

“Yes?” he said, eager to learn the rest. “Tell me more!”

“The heroes used all of their remaining power to seal us away permanently within our respective domains. Then, though they could not complete their spell to force humanity into belligerence, they did cast another variant of brainwashing magic—memory-altering magic.

‘Go now!’ they cried. ‘Give glory to our name in the records, and sully those of the wretched dragon queens!’

… Truly, those cursed heroes were quite the sore losers~.”

Kimora looked at the heroes, still seated across from her.

“And that’s everything I remember,” she said.

Kanie let out a big yawn.

“Hey!!!” Kimora said. “Were you even listening to me!?”

“No, yeah, I was,” Kanie replied, stretching. “I’m just tired is all. Eric and I stayed up all night to deliver you your puppy.”

“Losing composure after a single night’s work… Hmph! You humans are so brittle!” Kimora remarked, crossing her arms. She closed her eyes and looked away. Her hair flicked as she did.

“… If that’s all for you, I think I’ll be going now,” she said, standing up. “Let’s go, Mylo~.”

A bright, molten-colored glow enveloped her body as she started to hover away.

Eric panicked.

“… Not good,” he said to Kanie. “We can’t just let her go like this. We have to find some reason—some excuse—to tag along with her. Remember—if we lose her, we lose our opening.”

“Then what do you propose we do?” Kanie asked. “I’m spent right now, dude. Don’t look at me for any ideas.”

“Just give me a sec here, alright?” Eric replied. His eyes started to dart back and forth in a fury. He stopped his gaze on one of Kanie’s legs, which had been broken by his jump from earlier.

“… No, wait, I got it!” he said. “Let’s try using your injury as a way to get closer to her.”

Kanie paused.

“I’m… not sure I follow,” he said.

“If we can just get her to treat you inside of her domain, we’d be killing two birds with one stone,” Eric explained. “We’d buy more time with her, and she might grow closer to you by nursing you back to health. … I could heal you in an instant once my magic’s back, but she doesn’t have to know that.”

“Listen up,” he said. “Start causing a scene—act like you’re in pain. If my gut feeling’s right about her, she’s the sentimental type—you saw how she doted on Mylo back in the forest, didn’t you?”

“But,” Kanie started.

“Just do it! There’s no time!!!”

“OOOOOW!!!” Kanie shrieked, holding his leg. “My leg—it hurts!”

Kimora stopped midair.

“What’s all the fuss about?” she asked, looking down at Kanie. She let out a gasp and covered her mouth.

“… Oh, my! That’s quite the injury you’ve got there, you poor thing~.”

… Yes! Eric thought, holding his breath. We can do this!

“I-I-I think I’m going to pass out,” Kanie said. “I know I’m an enemy, but I need your help! Please—would you treat me over in Impes Lux?”

“… Nope!” said Kimora. She stuck her tongue out playfully.

Eric felt his heart sink.

Shit! he thought. Didn’t see that coming. Now what?

“Your friend over there—Erika Chandler, was it? Can’t she heal you?”

Kimora narrowed her eyes.

“… Don’t lie to me,” she said, leering at Eric. “I saw you heal those adventurers over in Vorax Thicket.”

“I can,” Eric admitted. “But I’m out of magic and won’t be able to for at least a few hours.”

“I see…” Kimora said. She studied Kanie’s leg for a moment.

“That injury… if it’s left untreated, you’ll die of blood loss.”

She sighed and facepalmed.

“… No choice,” she said, giving in. “Come with me.”

She descended and scooped Kanie up in her arms before floating into the air again.

… Best day ever~! Kanie thought. Now I can finally cross ‘being held like a princess by a hot dragon lady’ off my bucket list!

“You can come too,” said Kimora to Eric.

“Know this, though—” she continued. “I still don’t trust the two of you. That being said, you saved me a lot of trouble by bringing Mylo back to me. I’m simply repaying the favor, that’s all~.”

Before long, Kimora and the heroes, along with Mylo, had disappeared into the gates of Impes Lux.