3 My First Birthday

A year passed and it was finally the Great Dragon Se—no, Ray's first birthday…

Ray's parents seemed to be watching over him with great interest. It was obvious why, for after that incident that happened six months ago. They were now expecting him to start walking on his own soon. 

As for what that incident was referring to?

Well, it wasn't something admirable, but it sure did make him feel good.

Right when his father was in the middle of changing his diaper… Ray aimed carefully and fired a turbulent stream of yellow towards his father's face. It was a bullseye and he had successfully golden showered his father.

'Even now I can still get my revenge slowly, one person at a time.' He thought

The shocked look on his father's face made him get carried away. Looking at his pathetic face caused a slip of the tongue and he subconsciously blurted out the word, "Idiot!" to him. 

At that moment, Ray went rock-solid, terrified as to how his father would react towards his very first spoken word. He was still only a baby. Knowing humans they might, tie him on a stick and burn him suddenly calling him a witch.

But all of a sudden, his father's face went red and then tears of joy followed.

He held Ray up into the air and shouted.

"Ray… I knew you were a genius! You really are my son! You are special!"

Ray was thoroughly dumbfounded and amidst the confusion, he discovered that his father had his mouth wide open with joy. He now had the chance to golden shower him again right into his mouth, but he decided against it because his father's praise made him feel indescribably happy.

Because of this, his parents thought he was a quick learner. However, Ray always found walking incomprehensible.

But it wasn't because he was slacking.

In fact, he was trying his best to walk independently as soon as possible but he just couldn't seem to control his feet. His sense of balance was always off and this always discouraged Ray.

'What was the point of walking anyway?'

'Crawling is still better. I can move faster as well.'

Ray thought to himself.

But when he saw the disappointed looks on his parents as they secretly observed him from the dark, Ray decided, for some reason that he needed to show them just how capable he was. He felt the need to prove to them that he was indeed a genius.

He decided on that eventful night that he would make a habit of practising by himself, unbeknownst to his parents.

****

Within the past few months, Ray discovered a lot.

When his mother was reading him a bedtime story, he found out that the world he had previously lived in was the same world where he was living in at this moment. As for how he discovered the truth?

It was when he realised that the story his mother had told him was about the story of a vicious red dragon that often visited the land to punish naughty kids. The red dragon's name was Sen.

Ray instantly became proud that his name had turned into a household namesake. Often being used to scare children out of their wits. But this also made him sad. 

'Just how much time had passed since the passing of my friends and the disappearance of my life?'

For Sen, it seemed as if only a second had passed between him being that so-called vicious red dragon and being a bonafide human being. Back in the days, those that knew the name of the Great Dragon Sen feared his might, but now…

He had become a bedtime story…

Ray could only shake his head and decide that he would delve deeper into this mystery when he got old enough.

Ray's first birthday in this world finally came and he received a sword from his father as a gift.

Needless to say, his mother was angry but it was understandable.

Just what would a child who couldn't even hold a pair of spoon and fork properly do with a sword?

The couple argued for quite a long time and to be honest, Ray could care less.

****

From time to time, Ray would often eavesdrop, through this he found out that his parents seemed to be working as Adventurers. His father was a Swordsman and his mother was a Mage! The profession seemed to be well respected and there were only two Adventurers in the whole town.

Unsurprisingly, those two people were his parents.

It explained why their residence entertained so many guests everyday…Why they always came bearing gifts.

Adventurers may not be a common sight to see, but mages were as rare as a qilin's feather.

Ray had never seen anyone cast magic before other than his mother who used it a few times when she got into an argument with her husband.

This rarity piqued Ray's interest and he wondered if he could even become a Mage in the future.

If he could, then…

It would make his revenge far easier than he had first expected.