School Festival Pt. 2: An Infestation of Scourges

Kanjomizu’s sudden fall gave Tatsuya a start. Luckily, it didn’t seem serious. He had helped her to a nearby bench and was now browsing the food stalls for something he could bring back to her to help her regain her energy. After looking around a bit, he spotted a takoyaki stand and thought that it would be the perfect snack. He walked up to it and was about to buy a carton of takoyaki when a familiar voice caught his attention.

“Owatatsumi-sama!” called Vajra.

Tatsuya turned around to see the butler munching on taiyaki with Rocco right beside him. “Oh, Vajra, Rocco. So this is where you guys were,” he said. “I was wondering if you two came at all since you guys weren’t with Ingrid and the others.”

Vajra took a bite of his taiyaki and said, “We came together at first but then split off.”

“I am sorry if we worried you in any way, Owatatsumi-sama,” said Rocco with a bow.

“No, it’s alright,” reassured Tatsuya with a laugh. “By the way, are you guys enjoying the festival?” he asked them kindly.

“It’s pretty okay for a human festival,” said Vajra with a nod, “but the food is great, so I have no qualms about it.” He finished his taiyaki and quickly brought out another one.

“T-Thanks,” said Tatsuya with a forced smile. He knew that the butler was being nice, but he didn’t have to phrase it the way he did.

“What are you doing now, Owatatsumi-sama,” asked Vajra curiously.

“Just getting snack for me and Mizu,” answered Tatsuya.

“Ah, the Naga princess,” said Vajra with an understanding nod.

“Well, we hope you are successful,” said Rocco. “We will take our leave so as not to interfere with your work further. Please, excuse us.” The butlers bowed and took their leave.

Tatsuya waved farewell to them and then turned his attention back to the takoyaki stand. He approached it but found the owner had already placed a ‘Sold Out’ sign. He couldn’t believe that he was too late. Undeterred by this setback and determined to look for food that would help Kanjomizu recover, he continued his quest and searched for another food stall. He came upon a dango stand and bought two skewers. Satisfied with his findings, he brought the dango back to Kanjomizu, who was sitting and waiting for him on the bench.

Upon returning back, he apologized for leaving her alone. She told him that she was feeling better and made him blush with one of her comments. “Well, why don’t we check out more of the festival?” he suggested to her.

“Okay!” she quickly agreed.

The couple continued their date together and came upon a street performance by the school’s dance club. They joined the already large crowd and watched the spectacular show together. Tatsuya glanced over at Kanjomizu and noticed her amazement and excitement over watching the show. It made him happy to see her enjoying herself.

Once the show was over, Tatsuya was about to ask where they should go next when Arashi appeared before them and told Kanjomizu that her time was up. Kanjomizu graciously bowed out and let Arashi have her turn. After Kanjomizu left, Arashi was left alone with Tatsuya. She had her face turned away and her left arm wrapped around her right and rubbing it. Tatsuya wasn’t really sure why she was acting the way she was, but the nice guy in him knew that the best way to approach her like this is to do it carefully and nicely. “Say, Acchan, want to see the festival together?” he offered with an awkward smile.

With her face still turned away from him, Arashi nodded and the both them walked together through the festival. She walked very close to Tatsuya but left just enough space between them so that their bodies weren’t touching. Despite her awareness to her new feelings of love for him, something that she received as an epiphany after finally seeing him for the man he is right now, she couldn’t help but feel a little awkward now whenever she is with him. She knows that she wants to be with him and make him notice her the way she now notices him, but she had never been in love before and the new feeling is foreign to her. Arashi is indeed in love with Tatsuya, but she had never realized just how hard love really is: she is consumed with shyness and bashfulness whenever she is with him unless there are others around; she can’t tease him the way she used to, and this inability to go back to the relationship they had only made it harder for her to relate to him, especially on a whole new level; and she is now aware of just how envious she becomes whenever she sees Tatsuya being surrounded by the other princesses—before, she didn’t mind it at all when the other girls got close to him, but her new feelings completely changed the game (hence the reason why she forced Kanjomizu to break up her alliance with Aika).

Arashi didn’t care at all about the festival and was instead consumed by her mixed feelings about being alone with Tatsuya. Tatsuya noticed her disinterest with the festival and asked, “Are you alright, Acchan?” The moment she heard her nickname come out of his mouth, Arashi blushed a deep purple color. The sound of children’s laughter caught their ears and they both turned to see a petting zoo hosted by the school’s agriculture club. Arashi was amazed to see such beautiful fluffy goats and sheep roaming around inside a pen. Tatsuya noticed her gaze and smiled. “Want to go pet the animals?” he asked her. Arashi turned her face away from him and nodded.

The couple approached the animal pen and was allowed entry by the agriculture club members. They entered through the entrance and found themselves right in the middle of a fluffy paradise. A little lamb walked up to Arashi and the dragon princess was immediately enamored by it; she bent down and happily petted it’s soft body and head. Arashi has a weakness for fluffy animals; though she is indifferent towards all other animals and common household pets, she has a special place for fluffy animals in her heart—her favorite animal is the alpaca. Unbeknownst to her, Tatsuya is well aware of this fact as he had seen her swoon over sheep, rabbits, and baby chicks every time she comes across them either in pictures or in real life when they were children.

Arashi felt really calm and soothed after indulging in this heavenly act. Tatsuya was also petting a baby goat right next to her and asked, “Are you feeling better now?”

“Yep,” she told him. She cooed at the lamb and affectionately said, “Aw, who’s a fluffy boy? You are, yes you are!”

“Well, if it isn’t the Dragonborn!” announced a familiar voice. Tatsuya and Arashi looked up and saw the Student Body Council looking in at them from outside the pen. “Enjoying the animals?” asked Shizo with a smile.

“President!” yelped Tatsuya in surprise.

“Oh please, call me Shizo!” said the Council President. He then brought his fist to his lips with a bashful look on his face and asked, “Is that not okay?”

Tatsuya’s face turned a crimson color and he quickly said, “N-N-No, it’s fine! I’ll call you by your name then!”

Shizo flashed him a big smile and said, “Please do, Tatsuya-pyon.” He said that last part with a wink.

“P-P-P-Pyon?” stuttered Tatsuya bashfully.

Arashi watched the exchange between the both of them and wasn’t at all pleased by it. ‘What is Tatsuya getting so flustered for?’ she wondered irritatedly to herself. She and Tatsuya exited the pen and joined the Student Body Council.

Shizo bowed before her and said, “Princess Arina of the Quetzalcoatl Tribe, I am forever humbled to be graced by your presence. May the Quetzalcoatl Tribe forever be prosperous and glorious till the end of all time! Your servant Zino Kur welcomes you to the human realm.”

“Zino Kur?” wondered Arashi—she was sure she heard that surname before. “Are you the son of Duke Teza Kur?” she asked him.

“Yes, your highness,” confirmed Shizo

The other members of the Student Body Council bowed and greeted her in the same way. “So the entire Student Body Council are dragons?” mused Arashi with a nod of her head. She then turned to Tatsuya and asked, “Did you already know of this?”

Tatsuya laughed awkwardly and nodded.

“I pray that your highness is enjoying the festivities?” asked Shimada Kenjiro (Council Vice-President).

“I am,” answered Arashi with a smile.

“Man, this festival is going to be the best one yet!” said Jumonji Hikari (Council Treasurer). “Don’t you think so, Tatsu-chan?”

“Um, sure,” replied Tatsuya.

“Oi, since when have you become so close to use that honorific?” Kenjiro berated Hikari.

“Huh?” came Hikari with a shrug. “I don’t think Tatsu-chan minds. Right, Tatsu-chan?”

“I’m fine with that,” reassured Tatsuya with a small smile.

“Don’t you think you are being quite rude to address him as such without his permission?” countered Kenjiro.

“Why do you have to be such an old man about it?” said Hikari with a pout.

“Wha ya lil whippersnappah!” shouted Kenjiro, unconsciously switching to his native accent.

Arashi heard the change and immediately raised her hands to cover her mouth and stifle her laughter. Tatsuya himself was quite surprised by this and couldn’t help but find it a little amusing. On the other hand, Hikari happily pointed it out and said, “Whoa, Kenjiro just went hick!” Both the Council Vice President and Council Treasurer immediately engaged in a verbal battle against each other, disregarding the fact that they were out in public and were surrounded by other people.

Mizushima Sana, the Council Secretary, rushed up to the front and bowed continuously before Tatsuya and Arashi while frantically apologizing for the behavior of her fellow Council members. “Please, forgive them. I’m sorry for their behavior. Please, pay them no mind. I’m sorry that you have to see this,” she apologized to them.

Shizo let out an irritated sigh and immediately said, “That’s enough!” The other Council members quickly shut their mouths and obeyed their leader without protest. He then smiled sheepishly and said, “I’m sorry you had to witness that.”

“It’s alright,” responded Tatsuya with a small laugh. Arashi nodded agreeingly to his statement.

“Well, we will take our leave,” said Shizo with a bow. “Please enjoy the festival to your heart’s content.” He then winked at Tatsuya and said in a suggestive voice, “I’ll have good dreams tonight knowing that you enjoyed it.” Tatsuya’s cheeks reddened a bit as the Student Body Council took their leave.

Once they were gone, Tatsuya and Arashi were left all by themselves again. The couple walked on through the festival in complete silence. Upon approaching the food stalls at the south end of the festival grounds, Shurai appeared in front of them and took Tatsuya’s hand. “My turn to have Tatsu-kun,” she said. Arashi nodded and left. She was a little disappointed in how she wasn’t able to do anything in those fifteen minutes alone together. The entire session felt like it went by all too quickly.

Shurai led Tatsuya to the food stalls and gazed hungrily at the chefs preparing their delicious dishes and setting them up for sale. Tatsuya was actually a little more pleased with spending time with Shurai since the dragon princess was pretty easy to figure out and satisfy. He took out his wallet and bought her a plate of yakisoba, three dango skewers, and two grilled squids. She graciously accepted them and was quick to indulge in her newly acquired tasty treats. As she finished the last of her food, a very intoxicating smell delighted her nostrils.

She followed her nose and came upon an okonomiyaki stand. Her mouth was literally watering over seeing those luscious pancakes steam on the grill. The scent tickled her nose and tempted her stomach to come and try it, eliciting a very loud rumbling from her abdomen. While she was busy staring longingly at the savory pancakes being grilled to perfection, Tatsuya had bought a plate of okonomiyaki for her. “Here you go,” he told her. Shurai turned to him and came face-to-face with a sizzling plate of heavenly pancakes. She accepted it and dug in. She was on her second-to-last bite when she looked up at Tatsuya and noticed that he was simply smiling as he watched her. That’s when a thought occurred to her that she had never realized before.

Shurai placed her chopsticks on the plate and asked, “Why are you so kind to me, Tatsu-kun?”

The question surprised Tatsuya. “W-What do you mean?” he asked her.

“I’m not that smart and I only know how to use my stomach and not my head,” she began bluntly. “Food is the only thing I know and I am always hungry. But you always buy food for me and do everything in your power to make sure that I’m satisfied. Whenever I’m hungry and want something, you won’t even stop for a second before buying it for me with your own money. I feel like I’ve been taking your kindness for granted. That’s why I wanted to ask you why you are being nice to me. Especially since I’m only staying with you because you feed me food.”

Tatsuya nodded with a kind smile. “And that’s fine,” he told her. “I didn’t especially expect you to pay me back. Everything that I did for you is because I wanted to. I like seeing you happy. And compared to the others, you’re pretty easy to satisfy so I don’t think its any trouble at all to spend my money on food for you.”

“But I’ve been using you ever since we first met,” pointed out Shurai upon realizing it. “You paid for my curry and burgers even though you weren’t obligated to.”

Tatsuya simply shrugged and replied with, “Well, it’s been a pretty normal thing now ever since you joined the household. Now, a day never goes by without me making sure that we are well-stocked with snacks for you.”

His words made Shurai’s heart flutter a bit, a feeling that she had never felt before. It was very different than her usual feelings towards food. Her cheeks turned a little red and she turned her face away from him.

“Are you okay?” wondered Tatsuya.

Shurai picked up the last piece of okonomiyaki and held it up for him. “Eat,” she told him.

“What, why?” asked Tatsuya in confusion.

The dragon princess pouted her lips and frowned. “Eat,” she repeated to him. She then turned her face away and added, “I would feel bad if Tatsu-kun wasted his money on me again and didn’t get a chance to enjoy himself.”

“Uh—.” Tatsuya was at a loss for words. With a content smile, he leaned down and ate the pancake she had given him.

“Is it good?” asked Shurai.

Tatsuya grunted deliciously with a nod. He swallowed the food and said, “Thank you, Shurai.”

Once again, his words struck her heart and made it flutter like the wings of a butterfly. Shurai simply nodded back in acknowledgement of his words. She didn’t know why but her entire body was starting to feel a little weird. Something strange was happening to her.

“Owatatsumi Tetsuya!” came a loud, piercing voice. Tatsuya and Shurai saw Natsume Torahime walking up to them. She was dressed in a white sailor outfit with a large purple bow on the front and a red pleated skirt, white elbow-length gloves, and a slender red headband with a jewel in the center. “Koneko told me that you were out here,” she said with glaring eyes.

“Ah, it’s your girlfriend,” said Shurai casually.

“I’m not his girlfriend!”/“She’s not my girlfriend!” said Torahime and Tatsuya in unison.

“Geez, your assumptions are really annoying,” said Torahime with a frown and her arms across her chest.

“Seriously, Shurai, you say the darnedest things,” said Tatsuya with a small laugh. He then turned to Torahime and asked, “Did you need something, Natsume-san?”

Torahime was a little startled by his question and quickly said, “I-I-I don’t anything from you. I was just checking to see if you were up to no good.”

“Well, I’m just enjoying the festival with my friends,” Tatsuya told her.

“I-uh-I can see that,” said Torahime with a nod. “I was just a little uneasy because I didn’t see you in the classroom.”

“Speaking of the classroom, I didn’t see you there either,” said Tatsuya.

“I didn’t want to show up in this costume, alright?!” Torahime yelled with flustered cheeks, “It’s embarrassing!”

“Were you in the restroom the entire time?” asked Tatsuya. Torahime stayed silent and diverted her eyes from his gaze. Tatsuya could tell by her body language that he was right on the money. “Well, you look really cute in that outfit,” offered Tatsuya kindly.

Those words sent a shock through Torahime’s body and her mind immediately malfunctioned. “C-C-C-C-Cute?” she repeated in a horrified voice. She then puffed out her now reddened cheeks and scowled; she looked just like an adorable angry little sister. “Argh! I’ll never forget this embarrassment, Owatatsumi Tetsuya!” she yelled as she quickly pulled out and ran off in the opposite direction.

“She’s gone,” said Tatsuya once the dragon slayer disappeared from view. He then turned his attention back to the Druk princess and saw that she had on a very frightening frown. Her eyes appeared dead and empty like always, but the way she pulled her eyebrows down and the upside down smile she wore made a big difference and conveyed exactly what she was feeling. In his mind, Tatsuya likened her expression to that of an angry koi fish. “Are you alright?” he asked her nicely.

“I’m fine,” she told him, quickly turning her face away from him. “I’m hungry,” she said in a quiet voice.

“What was that?” inquired Tatsuya.

“I’m hungry,” repeated Shurai in a louder and clearer voice.

Tatsuya bought Shurai three tsukune skewers. The duo continued their walk together and reached the west side of the school. Standing against the school wall and waiting for them was Sunaji. “You’re late,” she told them with a frown.

“Have a good time,” Shurai told the Python princess. She then left Tatsuya and Sunaji alone.

Tatsuya approached Sunaji and said, “Sorry for making you wait long.”

“I-I-It’s not like I was waiting for you the entire time,” said Sunaji with a huff. She held out her hand to him and turned her face away. “Shall we depart together forthwith?” she asked him, blushing. (“Forthwith” = “immediately/at once”).

“Sure,” replied Tatsuya, taking her hand.

Tatsuya and Sunaji passed through the festival side by side. The dragon princess looked over at her partner and glanced down to his hand. A while ago they were just touching…. She actually liked that feeling and wanted to hold his hand again, except this time she wouldn't let go. Her cheeks turned a bright pink color as the thought crossed her mind. She couldn’t focus on the festival at all—all of her attention was being consumed by the thought of wanting to hold Tatsuya’s hand.

“Are you okay?” asked Tatsuya with a tilt of his head. He had noticed her staring at his hand a while now and wondered if she was feeling alright.

Sunaji couldn’t believed how embarrassing her current situation was and quickly recoiled: she crossed her arms over chest and frowned, saying, “Of course I am. Your inquiry is unnecessary, you malapert mooncalf!”

“Right,” responded Tatsuya with an irritated sigh. “I was just worried about you,” he told her with a roll of his eyes.

Sunaji blushed upon hearing those words. She looked down at her feet and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Sure,” said Tatsuya casually.

“And, thank you,” she added in a low and quiet voice.

Tatsuya couldn’t hear her and genuinely asked, “Sorry, what was that?”

Immediately, Sunaji believed that Tatsuya was playing with her and shouted, “Don tra ta push ya luck!”

“Okay, okay! I’m sorry!” quickly apologized Tatsuya.

“Heaven has no rage like love to hatred turned, nor hell a fury like a woman scorned,” said a familiar voice. Tatsuya turned to see Yong, the girl whom he had met a few days before at the park, with a choco-banana in her right hand. “We meet again, Owatatsumi Tatsuya,” she said with a cute grin. “Say, do you have an answer for me?” she asked him.

“Um…,” was all Tatsuya could muster.

“Who is that?” interrupted Sunaji suspiciously. “And what did she mean by answer?” she pressed Tatsuya.

“Um—well—I—er,” he failed to explain; he couldn’t find the right words and felt like he was being forcefully wedged between a rock and a hard place. And that’s when the least likely person came to his rescue.

“Well, what a surprise!” happily exclaimed Ryujin to announce his presence.

“What are you doing here?” asked Tatsuya with a glare.

“Can’t a father come to his son’s school festival?” reasoned Ryujin.

“It should be downright illegal,” quipped his son.

“My sire, a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said Yong to Ryujin, taking a bite of her choco-banana.

“A pleasure to see you here too,” said Ryujin with a smile.

“Do you two know each other?” inquired Tatsuya. Ryujin and Yong glanced at each other and exchanged knowing expressions. That exchange between them really got on Tatsuya’s nerves. “Fine then,” he groaned.

“Anyway, Owatatsumi Tatsuya, have you reached an answer to my question?” asked Yong, taking another bite of her choco-banana.

“What question?” asked Tatsuya with an innocent smile. It was obvious that he had forgotten about it.

“What do you think the song means?” said Yong. “If you get it right, you get a reward. If not, you’ll get punished.”

“What song is she talking about?” asked Sunaji.

That’s when it all came back to him. After hearing what Yong said, Tatsuya finally remembered what question she was referring to. “Is it that the world is always changing and impermanent?” he offered as his answer.

Yong pointed her half-eaten choco-banana at Tatsuya and said, “If you’re going with that answer, you’re not entirely wrong. However, that is not the answer I was looking for so I have to say that that was wrong.” She then put the choco-banana in her mouth and took another bite. “This means that you’re going to get punished.”

“W-What do you mean by that?” asked Tatsuya fearfully. He didn’t know what the punishment was, but he got an uneasy feeling after hearing her announce it.

“Since this is your first try, the punishment won’t be that bad,” said Yong. She held out her hand and flexed her fingers in a gesture of ‘give it to me’. Tatsuya wasn’t sure what she was telling him to do. “Your pen,” she told him.

“My pen?” wondered Tatsuya. He then remembered that he had attached his pen to his suit’s belt. He brought it out and asked, “Why do you want my pen?”

“Your punishment,” simply answered Yong. She snatched the pen from his hand and placed inside her own pocket. “Thank you for your cooperation,” she told Tatsuya with a cheeky smile.

“Say, here’s something cool we can do together,” offered Ryujin. “I heard that the Student Body Council is planning a big surprise for everyone at the festival. They managed to get someone famous to come perform for everyone to close out the festival.”

“How do you know this?” asked Tatsuya suspiciously.

“Are you really going to ask that question again?” said Ryujin with a laugh.

‘Damn him,’ cursed Tatsuya in his mind.

Ryujin led the way and the group came upon a big white tent guarded by men in black suits. Signs posted around the tent asked for everyone else to stay within at least two meters away from the tent at all times. Passersby were curious about the tent but were easily scared off by the mere presence of the men in black.

“Who do you think that could be?” wondered Tatsuya.

“Why don’t we check it out?” suggested Ryujin mischievously. Before Tatsuya could have a chance to stop him, Ryujin walked up to the men guarding the tent’s entrance and spoke to them. After a good ten seconds or so, Ryujin looked back at the group and gestured for them to follow him.

Tatsuya suddenly found himself inside the mysterious white tent with Sunaji staying close to his side. “Hey, old man, what did you tell them?” Tatsuya asked his father.

“That’s not important,” dodged his father.

“Uncle Soryu!” shouted a new voice.

Ryujin turned around and said, “Why, isn’t it little Sakura!” He had his arms wide open and the new person immediately jumped in. “How have you been doing?” he asked her affectionately.

“I’ve been doing super well!” she replied. They finally let each other go after a good two minutes of hugging. She took notice of the others and asked, “Who are those people with you?”

“Ah!” said Ryujin, turning back to the others. “This here is an acquaintance of mine, Im—er—Yong! And that right there is Sunaji, but you may know her as Princess Sonia of the Python Tribe. And next to her is my son, Owatatsumi Tatsuya, the Dragonborn.”

“Ah, really?!” exclaimed the girl with a mixture of surprise and excitement. “It’s a super pleasure to meet you all!” she said with a bow. “I can’t believe that I’m in the presence of royalty! Princess Sonia of the Python Tribe, I am super humbled to be graced by your super presence. May the Python Tribe forever be super prosperous and glorious till the end of all time!”

"Ah, thank you," said Sunaji with an awkward smile.

“E-Excuse me, but, who are you?” asked Tatsuya.

“Ah! So sorry about my super rudeness,” apologized the girl. “I am Ginkei Sakura,” she told them. She was a very pretty girl with long waist-length scarlet red hair and piercing scarlet eyes like glimmering rubies. Her face was a little small but very cute, giving off a younger sister kind of vibe. Her skin was rosy and smooth like the soft petals of a blooming rose. She had a very thin but enticing figure that is synonymous with idols and child models. She was dressed in a simple red T-Shirt and jeans. As Tatsuya looked at her more and more, there was something about her that felt very familiar to him.

“But you may also know me as…,” she began; she brought out a finger and touched her forehead. Her entire body became encased in a cocoon of flames as if she was going through some sort of metamorphosis. The flames disappeared just as quickly as they had appeared and revealed Sakura’s new form. Her hair was now styled in long twin-tails held by hot pink ribbons, and she was dressed in a shimmering hot pink sleeveless top and matching pleated miniskirt and pumps. “Ginger Sakura here! Super nice to meet you all!” she announced with a pose.

Tatsuya couldn’t believe his eyes. Was he really standing before his favorite idol and not just dreaming it? “G-G-Ginger Sakura!” he exclaimed hysterically.

Sunaji immediately rushed forward to the idol and grabbed her hands. “I can’t believe I’m really meeting Ginger Sakura in the flesh! Oh, I have all of your records! I especially enjoy your third album! My favorite song of yours is ‘Dragonheart’! Then again, it is your most popular song after all. Oh, how foolish of me to say such foolish things before my idol!” The Python princess was literally fangirling over the popular idol.

“My, I didn’t know that you were such a big fan, princess,” said Sakura with a slightly uneasy smile. “It’s super nice to hear that you’re a super fan of me.”

“I have all of your records too!” blurted Tatsuya. He didn’t know why, but he felt like he couldn’t lose to someone else when it comes to his favorite idol and artist of all time. “I even learned how to play ‘Dragonheart’ on guitar!” he told her truthfully. Ironically, he hadn’t touched his guitar for a few years now and it’s currently just collecting dust inside his closet.

“It’s a super pleasure to hear that, Owatatsumi-san!” said Sakura.

“How do you even know her?” Tatsuya asked his dad.

“I’m her godfather,” explained Ryujin.

“Are you serious?” muttered Tatsuya in disbelief.

Suddenly, the sound of screaming from outside caught everyone’s attention. Tatsuya immediately rushed outside, followed by the others. In the skies above them and on the school grounds, causing mayhem and chaos, were legions of rampaging dragons. They terrorized the skies and the people on the ground, indiscriminately destroying property and preying on humans like savages. Everyone ran in fear of the supernatural creatures attacking them. The entire thing looked just like a scene from a medieval movie. Tatsuya couldn’t believe what he was seeing. ‘How did this happen?’ he asked himself.

“This is bad,” said Sunaji. “Who in their right mind would release an army of scourges? If this continues, it will be curtains for the human realm.”

“Scourge?” asked Tatsuya, unfamiliar with the term.

“A scourge is a rampaging dragon,” explained Ryujin. “It is used to refer to dragons who have become savages, mindless beasts whose instincts have deteriorated into desires for destruction and chaos. There are many ways a dragon can become a scourge, such as declining mental health or through practicing black magic. However, I’m sure we all know exactly what the cause is behind these scourges.” His face was serious and grim, an expression Tatsuya had never seen on his father before.

A loud rumble came from behind them and shook them to their feet. Tatsuya and the others turned to see a massive dragon with light blue scales, silver-blue icicle spikes running down its body from head to tail, giant reptilian sickle-like claws, ice swirl tattoos on its limbs and chest, and white crystalline bat-like wings standing in front of them with the tent crushed under its gigantic feet. It reared its head and roared happily into the sky before opening its mouth and shooting out a concentrated beam of ice.

The beam was aimed straight for Sakura. Tatsuya quickly noticed its trajectory and immediately ran to push her aside. “Watch out!” he said, grabbed her arm and jumping away from the blast; the others had also evacuated the spot by then too. Sakura found herself on top of Tatsuya, who was recovering from a slight daze after landing on his back from the jump. “Are you alright?” he asked her.

“Yes, I am,” she told him breathlessly.

“That’s great to hear,” he told her with a small smile.

Sakura blushed a light shade of pink upon hearing his words.

The dragon unleashed an angry roar, forcing Tatsuya and Sakura to scramble back onto their feet. Tatsuya reached for his pen-sword and then realized that he doesn’t have it. ‘Why did I have to give it away today of all days?’ he berated himself upon remembering exactly whose possession it is currently in.

Sunaji stood in front of him and touched her wrist, bringing out her Dragon Regalia: a long shiny brown glaive with a glistening golden blade that was the size of a large tanto. She gripped her weapon with both her hands and poised the blade at the dragon. “Get her out of here,” she told Tatsuya.

“But the scourge,” protested Tatsuya.

“I can handle this,” she snapped at him. “Or do you think that I am devoid of combat capabilities?” she added acerbically.

“Sorry,” apologized Tatsuya.

“Now go!” she told him again. Tatsuya nodded and took Sakura by the arm and ran off. “Geez, that malapert mooncalf is one irritating dandiprat,” she said to herself with a small smile. The dragon accepted Sunaji’s challenge and shot out another concentrated beam of ice at her. Sunaji struck the ground with her glaive and the ground below her erupted in a magnificent volcanic show, shooting up dirt and earth into the air and forming a very dense wall that neutralized the ice beam upon impact.

The ice dragon snarled and let out dense steam from its nostrils. It raised one of its legs and stomped the ground. The ground became coated in thick clear ice like a skating rink and frozen spikes grew out of it like towering skewers. The sudden change in attack tactics caught Sunaji off guard and she wasn’t quick enough to respond. Just as the quickly ascending ice spikes popped up from the ground and made its way for the Sunaji, Yong jumped in front of the Python princess and held out a hand. A giant golden wave emanated from Yong’s hand and expanded outwards like a beautiful display of divine powers; the ice spikes stopped growing and the ones that were already formed shattered into a million pieces and the frozen ground below them cracked apart. “This scourge appears to be smart to have used another form of attack rather than rely on the same basic move like most scourges,” commented Yong. “But it is still a millennium behind if it thinks it can take me on.”

Ryujin, who was standing a few meters away from Sunaji and Yong but still within range of the scourge, bent down and touched the ground with his right hand, palm wide open. “I command you: Peace!” he shouted. A heavenly silver wave enveloped the air and ground around him, Sunaji, Yong, and the scourge. The atmosphere became calm and quiet. Sunaji felt a strong stream of serenity enveloping her entire being. Suddenly, all of the anxiety and apprehensiveness inside of her began to wash away. At the same time, the ice dragon before them stopped moving and its head swayed to and fro as if it was in a trance of some sort. Its eyes blinked continuously and a small smile crept upon its face. The giant beast then suddenly fell to the ground as if it had completely given up. Its eyes closed and the dragon entered a very deep and peaceful sleep, evident by its calm snoring.

“That should take care of it for now,” said Ryujin.

Sunaji turned to the dragon god and bowed. “Thank you, Lord Ryujin, for your—.”

“It’s quite alright,” quickly interrupted Ryujin. He laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head in a bashful manner. He then turned serious and looked in the direction of his son. “Now, Tatsuya, it's your turn to be the hero you were meant to be.”