Chapter 01 - Better Late

Deedroth, the greatest of the dragons, opened his eyes, being awoken by the sound of two heavy thuds, not unlike the sound of metal hitting the ground.

In front of him stood a boy, a human teenager dressed in raggedy black clothes, a bit thin with an unusuality about his hair. Split down in the middle it was parted by color, white and black. The boy was grinning ear to ear, "Deed, I've brought some food."

What was brought were two molten newts, one of them was missing its head.

Their skin was as hard as steel and they were even resistant to dragons' fire, to survive their home of the rivers and oceans of molten stone which were strewn throughout this world of fire and ash.

Standing up the dragon swept up clouds of dust with his wings and impaled one of the newts onto his claw, holding it up close to his eye to inspect it.

The dragon's curiosity was awoken when he noticed that this one was not killed in the way that had been usual for the boy.

No cuts were made, no wounds made by blunt objects were to be found nor did it have the smell of magic, instead, a small hole was to be seen which went from one side of the newt's head to the other.

"Within your reach, you dealt death but what is its origin?" Deedroth asked.

The boy had sat down inside the cave which the dragon begrudgingly called home, and cut up the other newt with a knife he only used for dirty jobs such as this.

"You mean what did I hunt with today? I'm sure I already showed you," The boy said to himself then to the dragon. He stood up and from his belt the pulled the white weapon and held it up high to the dragon's eyes.

Deedroth had to lower his head to see and not even a second passed when he snarled in disgust, "low is the element which you utilize, human weapons and one such as this... firearm, gun, are they entitled."

"Really? I kinda like it. I found it recently and wanted to use it but I only had the chance to shoot it once. The other newt jumped from the river to attack me but I took care of it without the gun."

"Manchild, the tutelage of magic had been bestowed upon you and yet you dare use primitive shooting irons shaped for and by wight? Even the brands of steel and iron sharped by hand more ingrained in the nature of the lesser races delight me more than the refuse you made use of."

"I wanted to try something new. I always hunt with swords and hunting with magic is boring, it messes up whatever I hit. Also-" The boy pulled another firearm from his belt, this one in black, "I have another one. I don't usually use it. I don't really know how to describe it. It shoots a big black ball which sucks up things. I almost died when I used it the first time. If you fly around the jungle world you can still see the crater."

"A black sun? Holes of darkness..." the dragon murmured to himself, "the master does not take the notion of caution in these worlds." He focused on the boy, "And pray tell, exactly, when did it first fall into your possession?"

"Well..." The boy counted on his fingers, "I'm sixteen now...That should be... ten years ago?"

"Eleven, the day of your birth lies today," before any celebration could be made the dragon spat a wave of fire, singeing part of the raggedy black coat the boy was wearing.

"The task of your welfare has been encumbered upon me," the dragon yelled and lowered his head to look at the boy, "even if begrudgingly I will commit to what was given to me. But you will not receive punishment, no, for these events have gone with time. Today should be a day of celebration. Go now, and keep safety on your side."

"Alright, but you know. I'll keep it, that's for sure, seems much too good to throw away but I'm not stupid enough to fire this thing again ...unless I really have to. So, you can't make me throw it away. See ya later, Deed!"

The boy threw the parts of the molten newt he cut up into a sack and threw it over his shoulder, which must have been twice his size left, and went towards his own home in which he had built a nest, in the image of the one which Deedroth's created in his cave.

It wasn't always that the dragon was this friendly towards him but ever since he could remember he was his caretaker, unwilling at first but it was the task Deedroth was given by his master, and his pride as a dragon made him or more accurately forced him to, to do a job well.

In the first few years, from newborn to toddlers, the dragon checked on him barely once a day, making sure that he was still breathing and bringing food and drink fitting for a newborn to make sure he stayed alive.

This continued until he matured past the age of a toddler, then the dragon thought that what a waste it would be if he had spent all this time and energy watching over a useless meat sack who could not act or think on its own, so he began teaching the boy the most basic of things in the form of parallels normally told to young dragons whelps.

When he reached the age of six, the boy did what a six-year-old would do. He ran around and explored without the supervision of the dragon. He did not care enough to escort any child, let alone a human one, wherever it went.

The boy ran and explored the things the world of ash had to offer, the hills and top sides of mountains where he was bathed in rains of ember and illuminated by the glowing rivers and oceans of liquid stone which carved their paths throughout the world until he found a gate.

As tall as any mountain he had climbed and as wide as the rivers.

Entire armies could stand shoulder to shoulder and pass through it with ease.

This may have been the first and only he had discovered but it was not one of a kind. The gates were ancient and connected wholly different and unique planes together. They all had their own residents with creatures alien to anything that any had seen in their own world. Usually, there were two gates on each, the world of ash was one of two exceptions.

Its only gate was connected to a world filled almost entirely by a thick jungle infested by its native population of overgrown insectoids.

The smartest race on it was a race of honey bees, one sizing about two fully grown men stack on top of each other though not very clever, their humongous did not apply to their minds.

Surviving the perils of this world did not prove very difficult for the boy. Unlike most other children his age, he was strong and fast not just through talent but unnaturally so.

For example, while exploring the newly discovered world he found a colony of rotting ants, so called because of the extremely unpleasant smell that came off of them because of a special secretion that rendered their exoskeleton almost impenetrable. It would have taken the average man around two to three-hundred strikes, varying on their strength, to even crack the skin of one ant.

One of the soldiers of the hive took an interest in the boy, perceiving him as an alien invader and fearing for the safety of the colony the ant bit the boy's arm. The ant's head reach about to where the boy's chest was and in response, he took the twig he had taken from the ground not too long ago and slammed it down onto the head of the ant who bullied him. The twig snapped in two but so did the head of the ant.

The boy rubbed his arm, the bite didn't really hurt him but he felt bad. It was just an ant trying to do the right thing by protecting the hive.

Back in the present, the boy reached his home. It could barely be called a shack; clearly, craftsmanship was not something he was talented in.

It was made from wood he carried from the jungle through the gate into the land of ash.

He wanted his homestead to be close or as close as he could be to the dragon without annoying him. Throwing the newt carcass into his home he moved on without eating.

It was his birthday and he wanted to explore places he hasn't been to yet or re-discover old places he forgot.

He ran through the lands, feeling the rush of hot air on his skin, jumping over rivers made of fire. Over the heads of giant six-legged creatures with long necks, Deedroth hasn't told him the name of them yet.

He wished that there had been someone else to run with him. Friends to share the delight of seeing and discovering the wonders this and any other world had to offer.

It made him sad thinking about other people. Next to Deedroth, which he didn't know was to him, the dragon told him about what parents were, uncles, aunts, cousins, brothers, and sisters too but he didn't think the dragon was any of that to him. He didn't know anyone that could be any of this to him. Often he tried to befriend creatures of the different worlds, like trying to have a pet, but all of them were hostile. The insects, the beasts of the ashland, and even the things that swam in the lava attacked him on sight.

Neither the ash world nor the jungle was suited to make new friends.

While he was running for a long, long time and making himself sad with the thoughts of being alone he saw a structure in the distance, this wasn't uncommon.

In this world, there were many old buildings that were in very poor condition.

"Ruins," Deethroth called them, "remnants may remain of the ones before. Pay no heed to them, those belonging to them did so long ago."

But this one didn't look old neither was it falling to pieces. It looked very out of place and new or much newer than all other ruins, which made it very interesting.

It was a building made of white stone with a white roof and colorful windows he couldn't look through which was very strange. The boy had excellent sight and even if he concentrated the only thing he could make out was actually nothing at all like there was nothing behind these windows.

It all seemed so familiar as if he had been here before. Was he? Did he just forget that he had been here already?

No, it couldn't be. He prided himself on having a great memory since he was little.

He pushed open the two big gray doors and walked down a long hall for a long time. Slowly the walls changed from white stone to smooth black ones that were covered in ash, the same that was on the surface.

At the end of the hallway, there was an archway, he couldn't see anything beyond it just as it was with the windows.

After he went through it the first thing he saw was me. He had to shield his eyes at first but then just squinted to look at me.

I greeted him warmly and then tried to find a more polite way to sit on my throne.

My light reflected up the mosaics of the windows and it made the throne room more vibrant with color.

He wasn't sure what to say, "...Hello? I'm sorry but have I been here before? Have we met before?" He asked.

I told him that he would surely remember if he had, wouldn't he?

He agreed, "that's true. A place like this would be hard to forget but then, on the other hand, I've been to so many places- No, I'm very sure I haven't been here before and I'm sure I don't know who you are. So, who're you?"

I was just a bit disappointed. Deedroth hasn't taught him proper manners. Then I said to him that because he had found me he would receive a wish and just a single wish.

"A wish? I'll have to tell Deed-"

I stopped him and urged him to stay and contemplate for a moment. Men had searched all their lives to find me just to fail and he had only begun to live and already found me. If he left now he may never find me again.

I was sure that Deedroth was not one to mind his absence for a bit.

There was silence while he was in thought.

What would a teenager wish for?

Surely not money or any kind of riches, what would he even do with it?

Power? That was unlikely, he had a measure of strength unparalleled to most.

Maybe love? Some to hold in the night.

Immortality? World peace? A powerful weapon? To resurrect someone?

The silence was broken when he confidently stated, "I have my wish."

I was intrigued.

"I wish for friends."

I asked him if that was sincerely his wish.

"Yes," he said.

I told him that I had friends for him and an adventure in addition. A journey with people he could truly call his friends. With highs and lows, things and people he'll love, things and people he'll hate. Things he had already seen before and things he couldn't even imagine in his dreams.

Would he accept what I had offered him even though the journey is filled with both joy and sorrow?

"Yes-" and before he could change his mind he was falling through the air, landing in a bush.

The sky was blue instead of the smog-filled gray, spitting out leaves he looked around.

A lush forest surrounded him and in the distance behind the trees, he could see a gigantic city.