A Challenge Between Dragonborns

Once they arrived back at the palace, the king treated the three new guests to lunch. They entered the dining room and Tatsuya saw five new figures seated at the table. They stood up as the king walked in and bowed before him. They king told them to stand up and turned to Tatsuya and the others. “Please, allow me to introduce to you our other guests,” he said.

He pointed to the first man on the very far left and said, “This is Alekso. He is the Minister of War and General of the Army.” Alekso was a giant towering man with broad shoulders and perfectly sculpted muscles. His stomach and waist was small, which only highlighted the boldness of his muscled chest. His forearms were large and his hands were noticeably strong, and his legs looked to be harder than steel. He had warm red eyes like the comforting fire of a hearth, a rugged chin as befitting a warrior such as him, and a slightly broken nose that turned a little bit to the left. Vertically across his right eye was a red scar. He had graying hair and dressed in a simple vest and a pair of trousers and a tunic.

“My pleasure to make your acquaintance,” said Alekso with a bow. His voice was low and husky and carried a lot of weight. Tatsuya could only imagine what it would sound like on the battlefield.

The king then moved on to the next guest. “This is Zazo. He is the royal advisor.” Zazo was an old man with long white hair tied in a bun and dull reddish-brown eyes. Despite his age, his skin was smooth and barely had any wrinkles at all. His body was thin and slender like an aged tree. He was about the same height as Tatsuya and stood with a slight slouch. His chin was sharp, and he had a graying beard that was thin like brush bristles. He was clad in a very bold and colorful official’s uniform. Around his neck hung a necklace with a pendant in the shape of the Draco royal family’s mark.

“I am humbled to be of service,” said Zazo with a bow.

“This is Dex Lector, the Minister of the Interior,” said the king, introducing his next guest. He was a short man and reached only up to Tatsuya’s chin. Despite his height, his body was noticeably muscular and lean like a slick martial artist. He had fiery red hair like a lion’s mane and dangerous and violent red ruby eyes. His skin was a golden orange color like that of a yellow star. He was dressed in an official’s dress just like Zazo, though his also had a sash tied around his waist with what appears to be his title embroidered onto it in the dragon realm’s language.

“Pleasure,” said Dex with a bow. He smiled at Tatsuya and showed his teeth. They were sharp and serrated like those of a wild beast.

The king moved on to the next guest. “Here is Duke Cors Khyber,” he introduced. The duke was a very handsome man with a slightly rotund body. He had thick red hair and a pair of equally thick muttonchops. Tatsuya could tell that he was a man of authority and of great importance by the way he dressed: a very bold and bright red shirt with golden buttons, silky black pants with embroidered images of dragons and fire, a pair of glossy wine-colored shoes that glinted in the light, a pair of white silk gloves, and the myriad of jewelry on his fingers and around his neck.

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” said the duke with a bow.

Tatsuya could feel a slightly antagonistic aura coming from the duke. He decided to ignore it for now and greeted him in a normal fashion.

“Lastly, this is Baron Gaus, the kingdom’s Minorities Representative,” introduced the king. The baron was a lizard-man. His skin was a beautiful jade green and glittered in the light. He had bright yellow eyes with slit-pupils, a long serpentine nose with flared nostrils, and rows of elegantly sharp teeth. His ears, which were small and blended in well with his head, had rows of earrings. His body was thin, compared to a dragon, but still possessed distinctive muscles. Topping his long and thin fingers were raptor-like claws of the purest obsidian black. He was dressed in a very elegant yet tame red suit, at least compared to the duke’s.

“A pleasure,” said the baron with a hiss, as was natural of his kind.

“Y-You too,” said Tatsuya nervously.

“The baron is a Savra,” explained the king. “I am sure that this is your first time meeting one.”

“I apologize if I have frightened you with my appearance,” apologized the baron. “That was not my intention.”

“No-no-no-no, of course not,” rushed Tatsuya. Though it was true that he was a little taken aback by the baron, he didn’t mean to offend him at all. “I apologize if I had offended you in any way,” he quickly added with a bow of his head.

This little reaction caused the king to burst into a hearty howl. He threw his head back and let his voice echoed through the dining room. Tatsuya couldn’t help but feel ashamed for having caused this to happen and was worried that it will offend the baron even more. However, to his surprise, everyone else in the room, except for Micky and Shen, began to burst into laughter too, including the baron himself.

“You’re such an honest man!” praised Alekso gruffly. “I like you!”

“Can he be anymore pure?” came Dex jokingly.

“He’s a very funny guy,” agreed Percy, wiping a tear from the corner of his eye.

“That’s the man who will become my son-in-law!” pointed out King Rexus heartily.

The duke cleared his throat upon hearing those words and said, “Well then, shall we begin the meeting, my king?”

King Rexus glanced at the duke and, noticing the quick change in the duke from genial to serious, calmed himself and cleared his throat. “Of course,” he said.

Everyone gathered at the table and the meeting began while lunch was being served. Tatsuya sat on the same side as Percy, Micky, Shen, and Aika, opposite Nobi and the ministers and nobles. As the first dishes were being brought out, King Rexus began the meeting. But before he said a single word, he turned to his daughter and gently asked her to leave them. When Aika whole-heartedly refused, he nodded his head and started the meeting anyway.

“As expected from the Dracos’ Goddess of Victory,” said Dex with an amused smile.

‘Dracos’ Goddess of Victory?’ wondered Tatsuya, stealing a glance at Aika.

“Now gentlemen,” said King Rexus, addressing the table, “the matter I would like to discuss…well, you know as to what I am referring to.”

“It is our conflict with the Okami tribe, isn’t it,” said Alekso.

King Rexus answered with a solemn nod.

“I don’t think there’s anything else to talk about,” brushed off Dex brusquely. He held out his hands in an ‘all-out-of-options’ gesture and added in a rather condescending manner, “What else is there to say in this matter? This calls for action, not words. Let us take the wise path and deal with this as quickly as possible.”

“I concur,” agreed the duke. “Our pride as Dracos are on the line. We have thousands of men who are willing to lay their lives on the line for us. Should we really deny them the chance to prove their loyalty to the tribe?”

“Our men are men, not tools!” argued Alekso hotly. “How could a noble speak of war when he has not been in one himself?” spat the general spitefully. Tatsuya could tell that the animosity between the two were of a great magnitude.

“I may be a noble, but I am a true Draco through and through,” protested the duke. “For your information, I have participated in the Battle of Hvergelmir.”

“Of course, how could I forget?” said Alekso. “I have never laughed myself so hard upon hearing the story of a soldier whose fighting ability was so bad that he took out half of his own men with his own fists while being cornered by the enemy!”

The king, Aika, Nobi, Zazo, Dex, Percy, and the baron all laughed at this comment. Duke Khyber’s cheeks turned a deep purple in embarrassment. His eyes were pulled in a sharp scowl and he threw spiteful daggers at the general.

“Alright, alright,” said the king, trying his best to calm down and regain his composure. He cleared his throat and resumed his serious nature. “Now, I understand why Minister Lector and Duke Khyber want to go to war, but before we decide to go through with it, I propose that we first discuss the matter more thoroughly.”

“The main fact of the matter is that both tribes are in a dispute over the Hyperborean Mountains,” put in Nobi. “Before, the Hyperborean Mountains were agreed as neutral ground between both tribes. No tribe should come to own them and the mountains were recognized as the neutral border between the Draco and the Okami.”

“However, the Okami tribe have made their move and wants to claim the mountains as part of their region,” finished Zazo. “This will allow them to increase their land and spread their borders to the Muspell Range.”

“If we allow them to proceed, we will lose a lot of land,” pointed out Dex. “The Okami tribe can’t go any lower, of course, since the Muspell Range is basically a volcanic range. Heat is their worst weakness just as the cold is ours. The Hyperborean Mountains are fitting for their kind, but ownership of the range would give them land advantage as well as strategic advantage. Who knows what they will plan next after they have achieve their objective? They could be using it to their advantage and launch a war against us while we aren’t looking!”

“They are an unfair bunch who only thinks for their own kind and not the dragon race as a whole,” added Duke Khyber with a sad shake of his head. “First, they will make us lose our land. Next, they will take over our tribe. And after that, who knows? Maybe they are planning on wiping the other tribes too! That’s not a crazy assumption since we know how they are. Can anyone truly know what an Okami is thinking? Whether they are cold in character or in word, they are an aloof bunch who do not get along well with anyone they come across.”

“That’s the type of bias and discrimination that has fueled the war between the thirteen tribes for too long!” protested Alekso passionately.

“I agree,” said King Rexus with a nod of his head. “Gentlemen, I am not telling what or how you should think. You are free to develop your own opinions and act upon them however you wish. But please refrain from your own biases and discrimination when in my presence. I want to believe that I am surrounded by good men who are wise in mind and character. What you personally hold to be true is for you to believe in your own time.”

“We apologize for our offense to Your Majesty,” said Dex and Duke Khyber with a respectful bow of their heads.

Throughout this entire meeting up to now, the only people who spoke were the king and his men. Everyone else kept their mouths shut like obedient little children before the presence of powerful adults. After all, this was a serious matter that can very well determine the fate of the people.

“Now, I have discussed this matter with the Three Lords previously,” began the king. “I have asked for their wisdom regarding this matter. Sadly, they cannot join us today. But the day before, they were able to allow me some of their precious time to discuss this matter and offer their own opinions on it.”

Hearing the mention of the Three Lords made Shen sit up straight in his seat. Tatsuya noticed this and couldn’t help but wonder if he had some connection to the mentioned Celestial Dragons.

“And as you can see, I have also invited more important guests to help us in this matter,” added the king, raising an arm to gesture to Tatsuya and the other three guys next to him. “This matter is not one that should be taken lightly, so I wanted to exhaust all of our options before making a decision.”

“A wise choice,” praised Dex with a huge smile.

“What do you men think?” King Rexus asked Tatsuya and the others.

“Though we are much humbled be a part of this matter, I do not believe that we are responsible enough to make a decision on a serious matter such as this,” said Shen humbly.

“As long as we can prevent needless bloodshed from occurring, I will provide my services to the best of my ability,” said Percy charismatically.

“It’s best to talk it out before resorting to violence or other extremes. Actions speak louder than words, so we must put careful thought into which action we want to take. If we make a mistake, no word can fix the repercussions of our actions,” offered Micky wisely.

Tatsuya was moved by the words they spoke. He could never hope to be eloquent like them. When his turn came to speak, he swallowed a gulp and said, “I’ll do everything in my power to help. I don’t want this to blow up and become a big problem for everyone either. If there’s another way, then we should take it.”

“The words of wise men indeed,” said Zazo, clasping his hands together in veneration.

“Right?” came Aika. She threw herself onto Tatsuya and announced shamelessly, “My Darling’s the wisest person I’ve ever met!”

King Rexus simply replied with a very hearty laugh. He was very much amused by his daughter’s words.

Meanwhile, Dex observed Tatsuya and Aika’s relationship and a huge smile plastered itself on his face. ‘How intriguing,’ he mused. ‘Could she be a source of his strength?’ he wondered curiously.

“Speaking of wisdom,” began the king, “Tatsuya has offered a very excellent plan before the Celestial Dragons and myself last night. In fact, it impressed us very much! No men I know could ever come up with such an ingenious plan as his!” He looked at his men with sparkling eyes. “Though we are here to discuss the conflict in detail, I had also wanted us to discuss a possible solution to it.”

“Really?” came Duke Khyber. His tone and expression clearly showed his displeasure and disbelief at such an idea.

“Would you mind explaining it in your own words?” the king asked Tatsuya.

“I was thinking that we can talk on the battlefield,” began Tatsuya.

“‘Talk’ on the battlefield?” scoffed the duke with a disparaging laugh.

“Now, now, Duke Khyber, this sounds very interesting,” said Dex with a huge smile, gesturing for the duke to calm down. Duke Khyber turned to his companion with a displeased look but said nothing else. “Please, continue,” said Dex with a creepy tilt of his head.

“Before we break out into war or anything, I think that we should at least attempt to have a conversation on the battlefield,” continued Tatsuya. “First of all, the battlefield will give both parties neutral advantage. Second of all, it will satisfy the warmongers with the knowledge that if things go south and war is imminent, then they will at least be prepared for it.”

“But what is the purpose of all of this? Doesn’t this seem like a pain?” posed the duke, now unveiling his hostility on full display.

“But this will help against the prospect of needless sacrifice,” offered Tatsuya.

“There is no such thing as a needless sacrifice for the Draco tribe!” protested the duke hotly. “Are you looking down on our warrior culture? Do you mean to compare us to mindless brutes and savages?!”

“That’s enough!” shouted Alekso, slamming his fist on the table. “Duke Khyber, another outburst out of you and I will be forced to remove you from the premises! Don’t forget that you are here before the king. Mind your manners and your place.” He said the last sentence in a snarl, sending shivers down the duke’s back and forcing him to back down.

“Duke Khyber, please refrain yourself from speaking further until our guest is done with his presentation,” added the king sternly. The duke said nothing and stayed quiet. But his eyes were bulging and it was clear that he was heavily offended by the general’s harsh words.

King Rexus turned to Tatsuya and gestured for him to continue. Tatsuya nodded his head and obliged. “Both kingdoms will send a party with a representative and soldiers. The soldiers will provide security for the representative in case either party tries to attack first. Also, if an agreement cannot be met, the soldiers there will the first to engage in battle. But the most important thing about this plan is to have the representatives talk and try to come to an agreement. This is the goal of this plan.”

“I see,” said Zazo.

“This plan is well thought out,” commented Alekso in an impressed voice.

“And there are many contingencies in case any part of it falls through,” added Dex.

“What do you think, gentlemen?” asked the king.

“I would like to avoid war if we can, but I can see the merits of this plan and how it can benefit both the warmongers and those of us who seek for peace,” said Alekso.

“I don’t see why not,” said Dex. “Although I’m all for taking them down then and there, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to talk it out on the battlefield.”

“A truly ingenious plan indeed,” said the baron.

“What would make this entire plan ten times better is if we can have all of the first soldiers protecting the representative to be Savra,” said the duke with a sneer just as the baron finished his comment. It seemed that he was now taking his anger out on the baron for whatever reason. Maybe he was just looking for someone to pick on. Maybe he just wanted attention. Tatsuya can now tell just what kind of person the duke was.

“May I ask, Duke Khyber, what you meant by that last statement?” asked the baron respectfully. Tatsuya could see that the baron was a respectful man who minded his manners well—he very much liked the baron and his character.

“If we’re just going to talk, then what’s the point of sending out our best men?” began the duke. “We might as well send in the Savra, the Lamia, and the Kitsune to do that job for us. All they have to do is protect the representative. Even they have to be competent enough to do this one little job.” He ended that last statement with a haughty smile at the baron.

Baron Gaus bowed his head and said, “Duke Khyber, I do not know what you are trying to do, but may I please request you to not say such things before the kingdom’s Minorities Representative. You are entitled to your own opinions, but please refrain from speaking them during official matters, especially if they do not carry any significance except for your enjoyment and self-entitlement.”

Alekso couldn’t handle the duke’s foolishness anymore and he forcefully stood up from his seat. Everyone turned their attention to him. “You disgust me, you wretched bastard!” yelled the general at the duke. “Making fun of your own citizens, you are not worthy of being a Draco!”

King Rexus stood up from his own seat and announced in a big and authoritative voice, “Gentlemen! Since this matter cannot be taken seriously by the members of the court, you are hereby dismissed! We have reached a conclusion and we will go through with it, no contest! Is that clear?”

Alekso, Zazo, Duke Khyber, Dex Lector, and Baron Gaus all stood up from their seats and bowed their heads before the king to say their farewells before quickly exiting the dining hall. As soon as they left, their plates were collected from the table. Now, the only people left in the hall was the king, Nobi, Tatsuya, Aika, Percy, Shen, and Micky.

King Rexus, still standing up above his seat, turned to Tatsuya and the others and bowed his head. “I apologize for having you witness such a foolish display of childishness.”

“Geez, Father, you should really do something about that duke,” Aika told him. “He’s the type of guy to make everyone he doesn’t like into an enemy. And I’m sure that he doesn’t like Darling either. Throughout the entire meeting, he kept on trying to undermine Darling’s plan.”

“Though you say that, Ashira, you know that the duke is a relative of ours,” said the king. “He is your grandfather’s cousin’s son, therefore he is royalty too, no matter how far he is disconnected from the main family.”

Aika said nothing and wore a scowl. Tatsuya could tell that she was not happy about the duke at all. In fact, he could sense some hostility coming from her whenever the king said that last statement about them being relatives.

“Now then,” said the king. He clapped his hands and the table was cleared. “Shall we continue this conversation elsewhere?” Nobi and Aika bowed out, despite Aika’s protests, and the king led Tatsuya and the other three guys to the same room where Tatsuya had met the Three Lords the night before. It was here that they continued where they had left off.

“Gentlemen,” said the king, addressing Percy and his friends, “I know that I previously declared to have made my choice, but before we go through with it I want your opinions on the plan.”

“Why not?” quickly declared Percy. “I think it’s a wonderful idea.”

“It seems like the best course of action,” agreed Micky rather unenthusiastically.

Tatsuya couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His heart jumped a little and he felt a wave of warmth wash over him after hearing their acceptance of his plan. To him, it felt like he was slowly being accepted into the group of cool kids back at school.

Everyone now had their eyes on Shen. He was the only one left to speak. Shen didn’t like their eyes on him—being made the center of everyone’s attention made his skin crawl and instilled into him much unneeded anxiety. His body tremored as he tried to shake off their stares. “It’s not a terrible idea,” he finally said.

“It looks like we’re all in agreement,” declared Percy.

“Now, we just need to think of a way to present this idea to the Okamis,” said King Rexus.

“My buddies and I can go to present this idea to the Okami king,” offered Percy.

King Rexus let out a sigh of relief and bowed his head. “Thank you kindly for your help,” he said in gratitude. He knew he could count on them to help him in his time of need.

“Is there anything else we need to discuss?” asked Micky.

“No, this is all,” answered the king. “Thank you, gentlemen, for your wisdom.” He then led them back out.

Tatsuya was now sitting outside on a bench in the courtyard. Aika rushed up to him with her arms wide open while crying, “Darling!” Tatsuya turned to see her throwing herself onto him and wrapping her arms around his body. She buried her head into his chest. “I’m glad that you’re finally done,” she said. She then let go and took a seat next to him.

“That meeting was a very interesting one,” said Tatsuya, referring to the one with the other officials in the dining room. Aika's face darkened a bit upon hearing those words exit out of his mouth. Her eyes became downcast and now had a slight sadness to them. Tatsuya didn’t know what he had said to make her look like that but he could tell that it affected her deeply. “E-Everyone there were very interesting!” he said, trying his best to divert her attention. “Like the general and the royal advisor. They seem like cool people.”

“I’ve known Alekso ever since I was a youngling,” she said with a small smile. Her expression lighted up a bit as a wave of happy nostalgia washed over her. “He previously served under my father in the military before being promoted to general right after my father took the throne. They were very close war buddies. And Zazo, the royal advisor, had served our family for three generations. He was there with my great-grandfather and my grandfather, and now he’s serving under my father. He’s very loyal to the family and cares more about the wellbeing of the crown and the tribe than anyone else I know.”

“They sound like very good people,” said Tatsuya with a soft smile. Aika agreed with a nod of her head. “How about the other two?” he asked her.

“I don’t know much about Dex Lecter,” admitted Aika. “He was appointed his position while I was studying at the Royal Academy. Everyone says that he’s of a very admirable character and is very accommodating.”

“And the duke?” asked Tatsuya.

Aika face turned sour at the mention of the duke. Her brows were furrowed into an ugly scowl and her lips were pursed. “He’s nothing but an unforgiving bastard,” she answered with a huff. “He may be family, but everyone including my father knows that he’s a dirty self-serving man with a massive ego and an even more massive god-complex.” She then stood up and cupped her hands around her mouth and announced out loud to the world: “He’s a stupid pig, a fat baby, a greedy dog, an evil demon, a conniving snake, a self-righteous cow, a thieving vulture, a hateful toad, a dishonest rat, a selfish crab, a narcissistic cock, a worthless bug! He’s a fake slug-of-a-man who cares more about stuffing his face and pockets than he does his own people!”

Tatsuya could feel the anger and fury behind each and every word she spat out, and it frightened him. “Y-You don’t really like him, don’t you?” he said nervously.

“Of course not!” said Aika, crossing her arms over her chest with a frown. “I’ve seen the way he treats people, and I could already tell from my very first meeting with him that he’s a man not worthy to even lick the stains off my shoe!”

“W-Wow,” whistled Tatsuya.

“I mean, you’ve seen the way he acted during the meeting, right?” she said, turning to him with her arms outstretched in appeal.

“Yeah,” agreed Tatsuya with a slow nod. “I mean, he wasn’t the nicest guy there. And the words he used weren’t exactly kind or respectful.”

“Especially the way he looked down on the baron!” pointed out Aika.

“He’s the Minorities Representative, isn’t he?” asked Tatsuya, remembering the baron’s title from his introduction.

“Yep,” answered Aika with a nod.

“What does that mean?”

“He’s the elected official responsible for presenting the opinions of the minority races,” said Aika. “The Pyroignis Empire is also the home to three other races: the Savra, Lamias, and Kitsune. They are also important citizens of our tribe. They’re called minorities, though that doesn’t necessarily that they number less than dragons. But this is the dragon realm, and the Thirteen Tribes were founded by dragons and we are technically older than them in existence too. In fact, the Savra, Lamias, and Kitsune are all followers and worshippers of Draco too. They are creatures of the fire element, and Draco is the Celestial Dragon of fire, the very personification of the element, therefore they are his servants. Because of this fact, they also serve the royal families mainly because of our connection to the original thirteen through descent.”

“Is this also true for the tribes and other creatures?” asked Tatsuya.

Aika simply answered him with a nod of her head. “Though the majority of us don’t treat them any differently than our own kind, there are also those who hold a very elitist view. They believe that dragons are above every other creatures in existence, and view these other 'lesser' beings as worthless and dispensable,” she added, her brows furrowing into a scowl once more. “Those people disgust me,” she spat nastily.

“And the duke is one of them,” concluded Tatsuya.

“That’s why I also hate Ouroboros,” said Aika. Tatsuya flinched a bit upon hearing those words. He had almost forgotten all about Ouroboros, the evil organization that champions an elitist and social Darwinistic view of the world. “To have an organization that promotes such baseless propaganda and stupid self-righteous elitism is a poison to our very existence,” she concluded with a shake of her head.

“Is the duke perhaps a supporter of Ouroboros?” asked Tatsuya, though he believed that he knew the answer to his own question. He had heard Mr. Urushihara tell him before how there are powerful people who are unashamed of their support of and affiliation with such a group. They proudly flaunt it without fear and is protected by their money and status. While the organization still operates in the shadows for the most part, with a majority of their members hiding their affiliation while in the public eye, they have these people of status to help spread their propaganda without fear of being silenced or imprisoned.

“I’ve heard him praise the organization before on many occasions,” said Aika.

“Hey ya!” called out a voice coming towards them. Percy, Micky, and Shen were walking to where Tatsuya and Aika were. “Oh, were we interrupting you two lovebirds by any chance?” he said apologetically upon arrival.

“If you understand, then—,” began Aika.

Tatsuya stood up from his seat and asked in a serious tone, “Actually, I have a question I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Huh? Oh, sure,” came Percy. “What is it?”

“Who are you guys?” asked Tatsuya.

“Oh right, we forgot to introduce to you who we are,” said Percy, throwing his hand behind his head sheepishly. “We’re the Dragonborns,” he answered.

Tatsuya wasn’t expecting to hear that word come out of Percy’s lips at all. But then he suddenly remembered something that Mr. Urushihara had told him before about dragonborns. “So you’re all half-human and half-dragon,” he concluded.

“Yes and no,” said Percy.

Now, Tatsuya was confused. ‘What does he mean by that?’ he wondered.

“We’re Dragonborns with a capital D,” clarified Percy. “Our dragon parents aren’t your typical dragons. They’re Celestial Dragons.”

“A Celestial Dragon parent?” mumbled Tatsuya to himself. ‘Does that mean that they’re all like me?’ He couldn’t believe the words he was hearing. “But wait a minute, if you’re all Dragonborns too, then why am I the only one called the Dragonborn of the human realm? Aren’t you all from the human realm too?” This was the one thing that had been bugging Tatsuya for a while now whenever he heard people talk about him and refer to him as such.

“Yes, we are all from the human realm. But all three of us have spent the majority of our lives here in the dragon realm,” explained Percy. “To tell you the truth, we haven’t been to the human realm at all ever since we came here during our childhood.”

“Why?” asked Tatsuya.

“Since we’re Dragonborns, we’re supposed to act as bridges between both the human realm and the dragon realm,” began Percy.

“We spend our infant years in the human realm and transition over to the dragon realm for the rest of our childhood and teenage years in order to develop our strength and power in a safe environment,” finished Micky. “The human realm is too fragile for us to train our powers properly. And the existence of organizations such as the Dragon-Slayers Corp pose a threat to our development.”

“Dragon-Slayers,” repeated Tatsuya under his breath. He suddenly saw the image of Torahime, Nekoyashi, and Yaju flash in his mind. After hearing their explanation, there was still some things that didn’t make sense to him. “How about me?” he asked them. “I didn’t know anything about this.”

“That’s why you’re the Dragonborn of the human realm,” said Percy. “We don’t really know the circumstances surrounding your stay in the human realm through your entire childhood and teenage years, but it really intrigued us as a whole when we learnt about your existence.”

“And how about the prophecy about there being ‘one Dragonborn’?” asked Tatsuya, remembering what Mr. Urushihara had told him before.

“Ah, you’re talking about the Last Prophecy,” said Percy.

“Also known as the Hero’s Prophecy,” added Micky casually.

“Yes, the prophecy does talk about one Dragonborn, but what people always forget is that the prophecy actually discusses the existence of four Dragonborns,” explained Percy. “The ‘one’ is chosen from the four to be the destined hero that will guide the universe into the golden age once he succeeds in preventing Armageddon.”

Hearing Percy’s explanation suddenly gave rise to an idea in Tatsuya’s head. ‘Does that mean that I’m not obligated to do this after all?’ he asked himself, happiness and excitement slowly filling him as the realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He raised his head and quickly bent forward in a bow. “With that in mind, I am pulling myself out of the running,” he announced to the other three.

“Huh? Wait, what? What are you talking about?” asked Percy. He was taken aback by Tatsuya’s sudden bow and was genuinely scared of the announcement he made.

Tatsuya rose back up and said with a huge relieved smile on his face, “I said that I’m pulling myself out. I couldn’t care less about being the Dragonborn and whatnot. In fact, I didn’t want to do it anyway. So you guys have at it. Having one less guy to compete against you should make it easier on yourselves to achieve that goal. I mean, it’s not like I would try anyway.” He then saluted the other three and happily said, “Alrighty then, bye now! Have fun!”

As Tatsuya turned around and was about to walk away, Shen, who was absolutely furious at Tatsuya for making such an announcement, finally exploded. “You’re a disgrace!” he shouted at Tatsuya. Tatsuya stopped in his tracks with his back still turned to the others. “To think that you were the one who defeated a high-ranking member of Ouroboros. The people call you a hero, but now I see you for what you really are! Hero? Hah! You’re nothing but a coward!” spat out Shen venomously.

“What are you saying?” asked Tatsuya in a low voice. He couldn’t help but feel a little stung by Shen’s words. “Who are you calling a coward?” he asked in a slightly louder voice.

“The coward with his back turned to us,” answered Shen. “You never wanted to be the Dragonborn, isn’t that right? Then why bother saving the human realm from scourges? Why bother risking your life protecting innocent dragon lives from being abused by Ouroboros? Was it all just a game to you? Did you just feel like playing the hero role then? Why care about any of this if you didn’t care about being the hero at all?”

Tatsuya couldn’t take anymore of Shen’s berating. “Listen here,” he began, turning around to face Shen and take him head on, “I didn’t choose to be the hero. I had no choice! But even if I did have a choice, I would still do the same damn thing! It doesn’t matter to me whether I’m a hero or whatever to the people. There’s a little something called justice, righteousness, and chivalry. Perhaps you heard of them? I only played my role as a decent human being of society! No way in hell was I going to risk seeing everything I care for go up in flames! And yeah, maybe before I didn't care about any of this. But I’d like to the think that I can at least do something about it when it affects those that I care about. But becoming some great hero destined to save the universe? Becoming some kind of chosen one just because of a prophecy or fate? As if I believe in that crap! I get to choose whether or not I want to be a hero. So yeah, I had never wanted to be this Dragonborn in the first place! You can have it all to yourself, but count me out of it!”

“Oh? But you seemed pretty comfortable playing the role,” rebutted Shen. “During the ceremony, you accepted your role without complaint. Don’t tell me that was also part of your act. Is the title of Dragonborn really just a joke to you? How heroic of you to lie to the people who had put their trust in you. Perhaps you’re making the right decision to give it all up. I could never imagine you actually going through with your promise.”

“Don’t talk like you know me!” yelled Tatsuya furiously.

“Speaking of promise,” continued Shen mercilessly, “what was it that you said? You want to ‘protect everyone’s next sunrise’? Was that all an act too? I guess that was nothing more than an empty promise meant to make the people like you. You may not be a hero, but you’re quite the politician.”

Tatsuya couldn’t handle it anymore. He had clenched his hands into fists throughout the entire argument but had kept them at his side this whole time. But now, he couldn’t hold it in anymore. His right hand flew through the air and went straight for Shen’s face.

However, Shen was quick to notice this attack and blocked it. He then drew back his own right hand and socked Tatsuya right in the eye, sending him back and falling on his butt. “Darling!” cried Aika, rushing to Tatsuya’s side.

“Stay down like the dog you are,” spat Shen with a disgusted scowl. “I thought that maybe you would be a worthy opponent, but I guess I was wrong,” he concluded, turning around with his back to Tatsuya. “I was wrong about everything about you.”

“Hey, hey, hey, Shen,” said Percy, rushing up to his friend. “Don’t you think that you took it a little too far?” he appealed to his friend.

“It’s not like he had never been hurt before,” replied Shen fiercely. Shen began to walk off and Percy and Micky exchanged anxious glances before following behind their friend.

“Wait a minute,” ordered Tatsuya, getting back up to his feet. “I can’t let you go after you called me a dog!” he snarled.

“Oh? Are you finally prepared to fight? For a coward, you’re quite resilient,” said Shen.

“I’m not a coward either!” cried Tatsuya. “You wanted to finish our fight, right? That’s why you came here in the courtyard, didn’t you? Our last fight was interrupted and we had to end it in a tie. But you’re not satisfied with that, are you? You want to see who wins. Which one of us will be the actual victor?”

These words made Shen stop in place. “But didn’t you say that you didn’t want to fight?” he pointed out.

“I don’t give a damn any more,” said Tatsuya. “I’ll fight you and prove to you that I’m not a coward,” he announced confidently.

“Is that it?” asked Shen in a faux-disinterested voice.

“Also, I’ll prove to you that I’m not one to be ruled by fate,” added Tatsuya arrogantly.

“Now this sounds interesting,” said Shen to himself. “Alright then,” he relented. “We’ll have our battle the day after tomorrow. That should give you some time to heal and train. If you decide to pull out then, I wouldn’t mind obliging. But on the day of the fight, we have to fight no matter the circumstances. Will that be alright with you?”

Tatsuya wore a smile on his face and accepted the conditions. “I’m ready anytime and anywhere.”