Enter the Dragon Realm Pt. 2: The Peaceful Metropolis—Jaculus City

It was a bright and sunny day in the dragon realm. Tatsuya had woken up fresh and ready to begin the day…at least that was what he had planned to do. But throughout the night, he couldn’t sleep comfortably for more than five minutes at a time without being consistently interrupted and woken up by Mr. Urushihara’s snoring. Because of his inability to have one long continuous peaceful rest, Tatsuya woke up dazed and exhausted. Still, he tried his best to greet the day with a smile. He couldn’t let his vacation in a new world be ruined by something trivial like snoring (though it is important to note that Mr. Urushihara snores like a train engine).

Tatsuya joined everyone in the inn’s dining room and had his first experience with a classic dragon realm breakfast: a plate of fried cockatrice eggs with bonnacon patties, a side of Yao grass salad, a bowl of lotus soup flavored with silphium, and a glass of peach juice. The cockatrice eggs were quadruple the size of a chicken egg and served on long, elliptical plates. They had rich and creamy golden orange yolks that coated the tongue in a heavenly blanket of sweet honey, and the most silkiest of whites that melts in one's mouth like fresh snowflakes. The bonnacon patties—the bonnacon is a bull-like creature with backwards curving horns, first described during medieval times—were thick and juicy like perfectly grilled steak, yet light and tender to touch. The meaty texture was impeccable and it possessed the perfect mixture of saltiness and savoriness, with a small hint of spice to give it a really addicting bite. The Yao grass salad was fresh and had a nice crisp to it that excited the tongue and the ears. It had a slight bitterness to it but blends in very well with the eggs and patties; and the fresh aftertaste it leaves with every swallow acts as a palette cleanser and makes each and every subsequent bite more and more clearer and savory. The bowl of lotus soup was extraordinarily clear, almost like water, but carried a very strong yet gentle aroma that tickled the nostrils. Its smoothness was exquisite and leaves a warm trail through the throat and stomach that leaves the body feeling comfortable and calm. And the flavoring from the silphium gives it a depth like no other with a strange yet addicting taste that leaves the tongue confused and intrigued. Lastly, the peach juice was a beautiful orange color with a slight pinkish tint to it, and had a rather thin consistency similar to plain water. However, its flavor was beyond human comprehension. It confused the tongue by shifting through different flavors (sweet, salty, bitter, sour) in an enigmatic and interesting sequence, sometimes even combining the flavors in strange ways as if it was a living chemistry experiment. But one thing is for sure: this drink will never lose its appeal and will forever be a drink that no one will ever get tired of. In fact, according to what he had learned from the girls, this very drink is made from the Peaches of Immortality, the very peaches that are the food of the gods and immortals.

The breakfast was more delicious than he had expected. Tatsuya couldn’t believe just how much he had actually enjoyed all of that. He glanced over at the girls and noticed that their breakfast were a little more on the fancy side, which made sense given their status.

In addition to hiding their scent from the public, the princesses were also dressed in more inconspicuous clothes similar to the ones worn by the common people, though possessing a little more style and refined dignity. Hiding their scent is one thing, since it allows them to protect their identity from the public, but wearing disguises allows them to blend in with the crowd and hide from people who will recognize their faces (and given their status as princesses…).

Once they were done with breakfast and regrouped in the lobby, the princesses were quick to attack Tatsuya. They pulled him this way and that in a terrible tug-of-war. Each of the princesses wanted to spend the day with Tatsuya and initiate their plan to win his love and gain an edge on the competition. The servants, also dressed in common clothes, all watched from the sidelines, daring not to mess with their masters in this situation (however, both Vajra and Draupnir had murder written in their eyes, though the Lindworm's gaze was more dangerous and noticeably intense than the Druk's). Mr. Urushihara simply enjoyed the show with a smile on his face and an adult drink in one hand.

Tatsuya had about enough of being treated like a toy. “Enough!” he told them. The princesses obeyed his command and let go of him. Finally, the feeling returned to his arms and he let out a sigh of relief.

“Darling, Darling, Darling!” came Aika excitedly. “Let’s go check out the city together! We can go do whatever you want and I’ll be your guide!” she told him.

“My Love, there is a place I would like to show you,” attempted Kanjomizu with a small smile. “I-I-If that’s o-o-okay with you, o-of course,” she added meekly.

“There’s a good restaurant near here!” joined in Shurai. “Their Erymanthian boar burgers are excellent!” she told him, holding up her signature thumbs-up.

“Say, Tatsuya, how about we go have some real fun?” suggested Arashi. “I know a great place where we can cut loose! It’ll be great a first experience for you. You’d rather come have fun with me than go sightsee some boring places, right? It’ll make for a great memory!”

“What’s wrong with sightseeing “boring” places?” came Sunaji snootily. “Your behavior just now established you as a good-for-nothing quean hungry for needless extravagances and pleasantries.” Her words stung Arashi a bit and made the Quetzalcoatl princess boil with anger and look at her opponent with daggers. Sunaji couldn’t care less for this response from the Quetzalcoatl princess and approached Tatsuya. “Wouldn’t it be more educational and beneficial for him to gain knowledge about our realm by visiting our historical, cultural, and natural sites?”

“Actually, that sounds pretty interesting,” agreed Tatsuya.

“Isn’t it?” said Sunaji with a smug nod of her head. The realization of Tatsuya’s agreement to her suggestion suddenly caught up with her and her face became red. She couldn’t believe that he would agree with her statement just like that. “S-S-S-So i-i-i-is it d-d-d-decided t-t-then?” she stammered.

“Wait a minute!” shouted Takara. “How dare you all try to ignore my elite presence?!” She walked up to Tatsuya with her hands on her hips and an arrogant smile on her face. “I would gladly give you an elite tour of the dragon realm!” she announced to him grandly. “What do you say, Boyfriend? You’ll enjoy the best sights, the best entertainment, and the best food! It will be a tour worthy of an elite! Mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

“Well, Tatsuya? What will you choose?” asked Mr Urushihara after taking a swig of his adult beverage.

“Yeah, which one?” egged on Vajra with a twitch of his right eye.

The princesses started to clamor around him one again, fighting to grab his attention from the others. Aika grabbed his left arm and tried to pull him towards her. Kanjomizu grabbed his right and stammered uncontrollably about her favorite places. Arashi grabbed him by the back collar of his shirt and tried to seduce him with her promises of fun. Sunaji pulled on the front of his shirt and talked incessantly about the various natural wonders of the dragon realm. Shurai pulled on his pants and listed foods that they could enjoy together as well as where to get them. Takara, being the shortest of the bunch, squeezed in between him and the others and grabbed hold onto his waist, shouting above the others about an elite tour around the dragon realm.

Their voices filled Tatsuya’s ear and pounded away at his head. He couldn’t even hear himself think! Anger boiled inside of him as their fighting and yammering chipped at whatever sanity he had left. “Enough!” he yelled out once again. The princesses stopped and became quiet. Tatsuya let out a deep breath again, this time it was more out of anger rather than relief, and said, “I just want to walk around the city. Whatever happens on the way, happens. Is that good enough for you all?”

“Is it alright if we join you?” Shurai asked him.

Tatsuya’s anger dissipated and he smiled. “Of course,” he told her.

“Yippee! I get to spend the day with Darling!” cheered Aika.

Tatsuya and the princesses then left the inn in one big group. The servants all stayed behind and Mr. Urushihara took off for the United Front’s Headquarters. Tatsuya’s group entered the city and was greeted with unbridled bustling energy as befitting a metropolis. Aika broke off from the group and ran in front of Tatsuya, turning around to face him with her hands behind her back. With a beaming smile stronger than the brightest of lights, she tilted her head slightly to the right and announced in the cutest way possible, “Welcome to Jaculus City, the dragon realm’s Peaceful Metropolis, Darling!”

As they walked through the streets, Tatsuya couldn’t help but marvel at everything in sight. Along the way, Aika explained the city’s history to him. “Jaculus City was established millennia ago when the Thirteen tribes called a truce after millennia of constant warfare. The city is located in the very center of the dragon realm, and is connected to all of the thirteen kingdoms. Here, friendships between different tribes is cultivated and all forms of prejudice is abandoned. Cultural exchange between the different tribes is encouraged and carried out through various events and initiatives. It was centuries of bonds and understanding that made Jaculus City what it is today. Now, it is the realm’s hotspot for education, philosophy, politics, economy, technology, and more!”

“Wow, that’s pretty interesting,” agreed Tatsuya. “I’ve often heard that the thirteen tribes are very different, and I can see that fact with the tribes’ different physical appearances and mentalities, but I always assumed that all dragons lived the same lifestyle.”

“Hah! Only a plebeian would think like that!” insulted Takara snobbishly.

“Well, sorry, but it’s not like I was raised here,” snapped back Tatsuya.

“Then let me educate you,” Takara told him. “First of all, never put us Lindworms in the same category as the other tribes! We Lindworms live by two laws: Heiður (pronounced: heithur) and Dýrð (pronounced: deerth)! Heiður is our moral law and it guides us to become elite individuals perfect in character, mind, body, and spirit. We show it through our actions and words. It is rooted in three simple values: chivalry, respect, and charity. Dýrð is our social law and it is the ideal life that we all strive to achieve. By achieving Dýrð, we Lindworms can expect to live fulfilling lives till death. It is also an expectation for all Lindworms to strive for it, especially for the benefit of one’s familial line.”

“What does those words mean?” asked Tatsuya.

“Simply translated into human terms, they mean Honor (Heiður) and Glory (Dýrð),” answered Takara.

“As for us Pythons, we believe in the value of hard work and diligence,” said Sunaji. “Idleness is a sin and your desires can only be achieve when you work hard for it.”

“That’s a really realistic way of looking at things,” commented Tatsuya.

“Enough of this boring talk,” said Arashi with a groan. “Let’s have some fun and do some interesting things already.”

“What should we do first, then?” asked Kanjomizu.

All eyes were suddenly on Tatsuya. “Huh? Me?” he asked them. Since he was a complete stranger to this place, Tatsuya was at a complete loss. Their intent gazes on him only increased the already extreme amount of pressure he was struggling against from the question alone. “Why don’t you girls show me around?” he told them.

That answer made their eyes twinkle like the innocent eyes of excited little children. And so, the girls decided to each choose a destination and take turns to lead the group to said destination as part of Tatsuya’s education on the dragon realm. First up was Takara.

The Lindworm princess took the group to a high-class art museum. The building was massive and made of beautiful gray stone. Inside, it housed gorgeous art pieces unlike anything Tatsuya had ever seen! He marveled at the bright and exquisite paintings, the breathtaking and elegantly carved statues, the incredible and impeccable handcrafted ceramics.

“What do you think?” asked Takara smugly.

“It’s really beautiful,” Tatsuya replied in awe.

“Of course!” agreed Takara with a big smile.

Though he greatly enjoyed viewing the wondrous collection of refined art pieces, Tatsuya couldn’t help but feel out of place the entire time, as well as a little intimidated by the more spectacular and elite museum guests. This refined and classy place wasn’t really his kind of place, and he stuck out like a sore thumb in his casual clothes as opposed to the elegant suits and dresses worn by the other patrons.

After a good fifteen minutes of viewing art and awkwardly avoiding the judging eyes of the elite class, Tatsuya and the group continued onto their next stop. This time, it was Shurai’s turn. The Druk princess brought the group to a seafood restaurant. They entered and decided to use this time for lunch. Shurai took the opportunity to sit next to Tatsuya and commandeered his menu, announcing that she will order for him while flashing him her signature thumbs-up.

The food arrived and it was magnificent! Tatsuya was amazed at what he was seeing, smelling, tasting, experiencing! However, this wonderful experience gradually turned a little sour when he finally reached his stopping point but was forced by Shurai to continue. Tatsuya really loved the seafood and enjoyed every bite of it, but his stomach was so full right now that another bite would surely cause him to explode.

“I can’t anymore,” Tatsuya told her after finishing up the last bite of the fish she had placed on his plate. “I’m sorry, Shurai, but I’m full.”

“But then the food will go to waste,” Shurai told him with a frown.

“You can have my portion,” Tatsuya told her kindly with a smile.

Shurai took a look at his plate and nodded. Without further ado, she finished everything on the table, leaving no leftovers whatsoever. Everyone enjoyed their meal, some more than others, and the bill was handled by Shurai herself (which initially surprised Tatsuya considering that he had always paid for her back in the human realm). The group then continued on with their day out in the city.

Now, it was Arashi’s turn. Since the other princesses were with her, Arashi couldn’t drag Tatsuya to the places she had wanted to take him to. So instead, she took them all to a very lively part of town where the people were celebrating the Three Lords Festival. The loud and happy celebration reminded Tatsuya of the festivals back home. He could feel the energy and joy and it warmed his heart like a cozy fire.

The crowd of people suddenly moved to the sides and cleared away from the middle path. In the center of the street was a group of dancers clad in very bright clothing and organized into four columns and five rows. The men wore light armor, a flat chest plate, a helmet with feathers sticking out of them, and a wooden sword in their right hand; on the other hand, the women had on knee-length dresses, pads, hair either braided or worn in a bun, and a wooden shield in their left hand. The men and women stood in pairs, with the men on the left and the women on the right. The dance commenced. Combining ballroom dancing and acrobatics with martial arts and tribal movements, the dance was unlike anything Tatsuya had ever seen before, but he was very captivated by it. Their graceful movements and precise timing and marvelous executions reminded him of a beautiful ballet, mixed with figure skating and martial arts demonstrations. It was beautiful and strong at the same time!

“This is called the Celestial War Dance,” Arashi told him.

“Huh,” uttered Tatsuya in awe.

“This evolved out of the separate war dance traditions of each tribe,” explained the Quetzalcoatl princess. “After the establishment of Jaculus City and the tribes began to exchange ideas, this war dance was created to become the unified war dance of the dragon realm. It combines elements from each of the tribes, such as the Dracos’ fierce attacks, the Nagas’ flowing movements, the Quetzalcoatls’ aerial stunts, the Pythons’ robust stances, the Druks’ speed and precision, the Lindworms’ elegant feints, and many more. Each kingdom still retain their traditional practices and perform them on this very day. Nonetheless, this unified dance is recognized by all as an important part of dragon culture.”

“This is actually pretty cool,” admitted Tatsuya with a nod of approval.

Without a word, Arashi grabbed Tatsuya’s hand and dragged him along with her as she ran up to join the dancers. A few seconds later, Tatsuya was handed a wooden sword and fitted with a helmet. Arashi was given a wooden shield and shoulder and knee pads. She then gestured for him to dance.

“Acchan, I don’t know this dance,” Tatsuya told her.

“Just do exactly what the other dancers are doing,” Arashi told him.

Tatsuya swallowed a gulp and glanced over at the others. Still a little unconfident about his abilities, he let out a deep breath before slowly executing the moves he had just observed. He swung his sword and struck Arashi’s shield, jumped into the air to the other side as she ducked under him, defended with his sword as she pushed her shield forward, swept his feet under her as she jumped into the air, and turned around and thrusted his sword outwards as she ducked under the blade. He then turned to face the front, drew the sword in and held it parallel to his body while Arashi held the shield in front of her and bent backwards, and bent forward and turned his body around to the left as he used her shield as a springboard and rolled off of it to the other side, landing on his left knee. He stood up and repeated this entire sequence.

This was just one part of the dance, however—the performance’s “chorus”. But as he danced with Arashi, the other moves started to come to him naturally. He didn’t know how, but he instinctively knew what will happen next and the right moves to execute. He knew for certain that he had never done this before, but yet it was like his body suddenly remembered every single move in this dance. Could it be because it was very similar to fighting and the martial arts training that he was so used to as a child? In fact, a few of the moves reminded him very much of the same techniques he was taught in his childhood, albeit modified greatly for the dance.

Once the dance was over, the crowd cheered. The other princesses also couldn’t hold in their joy at watching Tatsuya take part in one of their customs. Tatsuya himself was quickly caught up in the infectious celebratory atmosphere and felt a sense of accomplishment. He turned to glance over at Arashi and noticed that she was looking at him with twinkling eyes. He had never seen her so genuinely happy for him before, and it made his heart race a little bit.

Once the group left the celebration, it was now Sunaji’s turn. She took the group to a quiet park. The quiet and peaceful atmosphere was a great change of pace from the hectic and exciting atmosphere of the celebration they had just came from. Tatsuya breathed in the clean air and exhaled satisfyingly.

Sunaji stood next to Tatsuya. She glanced over at him and noticed that his gaze was focused on the park’s natural beauty. She gulped and her cheeks reddened a little bit. Glancing down to his hands, she noticed that he was wearing the ring she had given him on the Day of Amora on his ring finger. This exciting fact made her heart race and she could feel herself involuntarily smiling brightly.

“What is it, Sunaji?” Tatsuya asked her, glancing over at the Python princess and noticing the giant smile on her face.

“N-Nothing,” she quickly told him, turning her face away. She calmed her heart and exhaled a deep breath. “Your performance was quite goodly,” she told him. (“Goodly” = “great”/“magnificent”).

“Thanks,” Tatsuya told her.

Sunaji fiddled with her fingers and kept her eyes on the ground. The silence that had now settled in between them made it hard for her to figure out a way to break the ice. She let the silence stew as she herself didn’t know what else to do in this situation. ‘Gosh, what am I doing?!’ she asked herself. ‘This is my chance, isn’t it? Sure, we may not be alone, but I was able to bring him here. Shouldn’t I try to be a bit more bold? I can be more selfish, couldn’t I?’ She took another breath and steadied herself. She straightened up her back till it was stiffer than a column and slowly turned back to Tatsuya, her hands were balled up and shaking as she did. “Say, Tatsuya,” she began, her eyes averting his face out of embarrassment.

“Let’s go already!” interrupted Aika.

“Time’s up, princess,” agreed Takara.

Arashi simply yawned to show her own dissatisfaction with this boring moment.

Aika ran up to Tatsuya and grabbed his hands. “Come on, Darling, it’s my turn!” she announced happily. She dragged Tatsuya along with her and the other girls followed closely behind. The only person who didn’t, because she was too surprised and stupefied by the insulting interruptions to function properly anymore, was Sunaji. She stood there like a stone statue ready to crumble at any moment. It took her a while before she regained back her composure and rejoined the group.

The Draco princess took the group to a live theater, since the dragon realm didn’t have any modern movie theaters. Tatsuya’s first impression of the place was that it reminded him a of those Ancient Greek open theaters he would often see in old paintings. The seats were made of stone but designed to resemble actual theater seats. In the center of the theater was the stage where the actors performed. According to Aika, today’s performance is based on the most popular story in all of the dragon realm. Titled “The Banishment of Darkness”, the play depicted a battle between the Celestial Dragons and a group who call themselves the Cursed Apostles. It is about the ‘Darkness’ Saga, a real legend about how the Dark God was banished from existence, allowing for peace to prevail throughout the known universe. The play itself didn’t end after the Dark God’s banishment, and instead continued to depict the war between the thirteen tribes and eventual establishment of Jaculus City as a symbol of peace. It finally ended with an actor playing the role of a prophet telling the audience a prophecy. Once it was all over, the actors bowed and the crowd erupted in applause and cheer.

The performance was spectacular! Tatsuya had never been this captivated by a story since his childhood days of listening to his father’s bedtime stories. It lighted a fire inside of him and created a wonderful space for him to explore his emotions along with the actors. He felt sadness, anger, happiness, suspense, grief, love…it was a rollercoaster of feelings that was unlike any other. But if there was one thing about the play that stuck with him, it was the prophecy at the end. Some of the words sounded very familiar to him.

“This is actually a special version of the “Banishment of Darkness”,” Aika told him as they were exiting the theater. “Usually, the story would end after the banishment of the Dark God. But since it was the Three Lords Festival, the play extended to include the depiction of the war between the thirteen tribes.”

“Eh? Really?” said Tatsuya, his mind still captivated by the spectacular performance.

“The story itself, the ‘Darkness Saga’, is the most popular and revered legend of our realm,” continued the Draco princess. “It is told to children as bedtime stories, taught in schools and temples, and has been depicted in various forms of art throughout the ages.”

The group came upon a crosswalk and stopped. As they waited for the traffic of griffin and Pegasi-drawn carriages, Tatsuya recounted the places they’ve been to today and the precious memories he gained from them. As he did, he counted only five places. He glanced back at the girls and did a little association game in his mind between each of the places they’ve been to and the girl who suggested said place. He came to the realization that each of the girls had a say in today’s day out except for Kanjomizu.

Tatsuya, as casually as he could, cleared his throat and said, “You know, we still have a lot of time before the sun sets.” He then turned to Kanjomizu and asked, “Say, Mizu, do you have a place you want to go to?”

“M-M-Me?” came Kanjomizu in surprise.

“Yeah!”

“You know what? Come to think about it, Mizu never got the chance to choose a place for our outing today,” pointed out Aika.

“I-I-I-I-It’s fine!” Kanjomizu told them, waving her hands wildly in front of herself. “B-B-Besides,” she added, “I don’t think any place I choose will be interesting.”

“Enow of this foolishness!” Sunaji told her fiercely with a pointed finger. “You are wasting our time with your indecisiveness! I’ve seen more confidence in a broken sword!” announced the Python princess, crossing her arms across her chest.

Tears suddenly welled up in Kanjomizu’s eyes and her bottom lip quivered as audible whimpers escaped from her throat. Sunaji, who had had her eyes closed in a show of authority, opened them and was immediately taken aback by the Naga princess’ sudden emotional shift. “Wait a minute!” said Sunaji, waving her hands wildly in a panic, “I didn’t mean to…um, I mean…um…um-um-um-um-um.”

“How about it, Mizu?” asked Tatsuya, coming to Sunaji’s aid.

Kanjomizu turned her head to him and asked, “A-Are you s-s-sure?”

“Yep,” Tatsuya told her with a nod of his head.

Kanjomizu accepted his request and took the lead. With her destination in mind, she confidently led them through alleyways and streets. However, if there is one thing to be mindful about when traveling with the Naga princess, is that she is useless with directions. This fact only resurfaced back in the group’s mind once they realized that they had been cluelessly traveling in circles. Kanjomizu herself was noticeably sweating buckets as she blindly led the group along. Many times, she even panicked when deciding to choose which direction to follow.

“I’ve had enough of this, you directionally-challenged basket-case!” screamed out Aika in frustration once they came into an alleyway. “Do you even know where you’re going?”

Kanjomizu immediately turned back to the group and bowed her head countless times with tears in her eyes while apologizing for her error. “I’m sorry! Please forgive me! I apologize for leading you like this! I apologize for existing! Please forgive my insignificant existence!”

“Now, now,” said Tatsuya with an awkward smile. “Tell us, Mizu, where are you taking us? Maybe we can ask for directions.” Kanjomizu simply answered with a nod of her head.

Tatsuya managed to get directions from a passerby and the group eventually made their way to Kanjomizu’s chosen location. It was an aquarium. They entered and Tatsuya was immediately enraptured by the sea animals in their display cases. He had never seen these animals in his life—or rather, he had only seen them before in the pages of books and such. There were hippocampi, sea goats, sea serpents, shachihoko, and a myriad of other wonderful and fantastical sea creatures.

Kanjomizu stood in front of an ahuizotl (a marine mammal from Aztec mythology) swimming along in the glass display tank that encircled the entire place. She smiled and gently touched the glass. Tatsuya was standing next to her and had on a smile himself. “This is my favorite place,” Kanjomizu told him.

“I can tell,” he replied sincerely.

Kanjomizu’s cheeks reddened a bit from hearing his words. “D-D-Do you like this place?” she asked him.

“I do,” answered Tatsuya honestly. “It’s not everyday that you can see real-life water horses swimming in a tank before your very eyes,” he added with a laugh.

Hearing his answer made Kanjomizu smile. This was going better than she had expected. She let out a sigh of relief and moved closer to Tatsuya. She then leaned onto him and rested her head on his shoulder. Tatsuya was at first surprised by her bold move, but relented upon seeing how happy it made her. And so, for the next ten minutes or so, Tatsuya and Kanjomizu explored the aquarium together as a couple.

The group finished their tour of the aquarium and regrouped back outside. Everyone stretched their bodies after a long day walking around and having fun. They were all ready to return back to the inn when a voice from behind them caught Tatsuya’s attention.

“My, my, Owatatsumi Tatsuya,” called the voice, “what a coincidence meeting you here.”

The voice didn’t sound familiar to Tatsuya at all, but he turned around anyway. The person who had called to him was a young elementary school-age boy with soft curly brown hair like creamy caramel and snow-white skin. It was obvious from his appearance that he was a foreigner. His eyes were heterochromatic: his right eye was a shiny caramel brown color, but his left eye was different and inhuman—it was a beautiful bold amethyst color with an emerald green slit pupil. A small purple tattoo of a dragon the size of a bottle cap adorned his forehead. He was dressed in a white shirt and green lederhosen shorts.

There was something about this strange boy that felt somewhat familiar to Tatsuya, but he just couldn’t put his finger on it. “Who are you?” asked Tatsuya suspiciously.

“I thought for sure that you would remember me,” said the boy with a sigh. He then shrugged his shoulders and said, “Oh well.” The boy placed his right hand across his chest and bowed in a gentlemanly fashion. “Pleased to meet you, O Great Dragonborn,” said the boy in a playful manner. “Now, do you know the answer to my question? What is the meaning behind the song?”

That question clicked in Tatsuya’s mind and he immediately realized why this young boy felt familiar to him. “Yong?!” he exclaimed in surprise.

“Long time no see,” said Yong (a.k.a Imoogi) with a smile of confirmation.

Tatsuya told the girls to go back without him and he walked off with the Celestial Dragon to a bench at a nearby park. They sat down. “I didn’t recognize you at all!” Tatsuya told him in all honesty.

“Of course you didn’t,” agreed Yong. “After all, this is a brand new body.” He then turned around and crossed his arms over his chest and said, “We’re fourteen chapters into the new arc already and my new form is being recognized just now. How do you like that? I guess my cameos in chapters 34 and 39 apparently weren’t that important to warrant a description.”

“Um…,” uttered Tatsuya in confusion. As always, he could never figure out what the god was talking about whenever he gets like this. “Anyway, what brings you here?” he asked the Celestial Dragon.

“It’s the Three Lords Festival,” answered Yong with a shrug. “By the way, how did you enjoy your little outing? Did you like the play?” asked the Celestial Dragon with a foxlike smile.

“Yeah, the play was great!” answered Tatsuya with a smile of his own. “Wait a minute!” he quickly interjected, “How did you know about that?”

“I’m a god, I see all,” said Yong in an over-the-top spookily mysterious voice. “By the way,” continued the god in a slightly more serious tone, “have you met them yet?”

“Met who?” asked Tatsuya.

“Ah, I see,” said Yong with a sagely nod.

“What?” asked Tatsuya a little more aggressively.

“Anyway, are you ready for tomorrow’s spectacular show?” asked Yong, quickly changing the subject without a care in the world. “As part of the Three Lords Festival, on the last day of this three day celebration, a tournament is held in honor of the celebrated Celestial Dragons.”

“I heard,” Tatsuya told him. “Anyway, about that last question—.”

Yong quickly cut him off once again. “It’s going to be one of the greatest shows in history! I heard that a lot of heavyweights will be participating this year!”

“Enough about the goddamn tournament!” shouted Tatsuya in frustration. Yong stopped talking and looked at Tatsuya with an amused look on his face. “Tell me what you meant by ‘met them yet’,” demanded Tatsuya.

“I don’t know if I should say any more,” Yong told him with a casual shrug. “I don’t want to cause any spoilers.” He then tilted his head and smiled and said, “You don't have to worry about it right now. You’ll see soon enough.” Yong got up from the bench and turned to get ready to leave. “Your battle’s not over yet, Dragonborn,” he said in a very serious voice. Tatsuya had never heard this kind of voice from the Celestial Dragon before, and it surprised him. Yong stretched out his arms and yawned. “Well then, I think my time to exit has come,” said the god in his usual cheerfully carefree tone. “But first,” he said as he turned back to face Tatsuya, “do you have your answer?”

“Answer?” inquired Tatsuya.

“To our little game!” said Yong, knocking lightly on Tatsuya’s forehead as if he was speaking to a foolish person. “Geez, how can you forget already? That’s our whole routine, isn’t it?”

Tatsuya hadn’t really given that much thought to their little ‘game’ for a while now. To be honest, he hadn’t really expected to meet the Celestial Dragon anytime soon. And the song itself had already slipped his mind, at least ninety percent of it. He closed his eyes and thought for a moment, trying his best to recall those strange lyrics.

“If you forgot, the song went: ‘Dashing through the snow, in a one-horse open sleigh’,” helped Yong.

Tatsuya went along with the Celestial Dragon’s words and hummed the rest of it. It all came rather quickly and naturally to him. “I know!” he finally said after forming an answer in his mind, “This song is about having fun during the holidays!”

Yong suddenly busted his gut laughing and rolled onto the ground. His amused howl brought a confused look on Tatsuya’s face. “Y-You’re not wrong,” said the Celestial Dragon in between his laughter, “At least, for that song!” His jollity echoed through the otherwise quiet park like a cheerful disease.

It took a few seconds before Tatsuya realized the song he was humming and the words the Celestial Dragon were singing. His face became reddened with embarrassment and he angrily shouted, “Stop messing with me already!”

“Sorry, sorry,” said Yong, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye. “It’s just, you’re too easy to pick on. I can see why the Quetzalcoatl princess likes to choose you as her go-to target.” Tatsuya let out a huff to show his displeasure at being a made a fool by the Celestial Dragon. Yong turned back around with a satisfied smile on his face and began to walk off.

“Huh? You’re leaving already?” asked Tatsuya.

“Don’t worry, you’ll see me again,” reassured Yong. Tatsuya made a face when he heard those words. “I saw that," said Yong in a sing-song manner, causing Tatsuya to flinch. "Say hello to your uncle for me,” said the Celestial Dragon with a wave as he walked off.

“Uncle?” asked Tatsuya in confusion.

“Whoops, maybe I said to much,” said Yong jokingly. He walked away in his usual carefree manner and began to sing the song from their very first encounter. Tatsuya finally remembered it upon hearing the words and melody. “A river of nothing created everything. The essence of everything began with nothing. When everything is made, nothing disappears. And if everything is right, then nothing is true.”