Bruder Donahue's Autobiography!

Lucia couldn't shake the memory of the evil dragon's menacing declaration that she would serve as bait to lure gargantuan sea monsters from the abyssal depths. His reputation for employing drastic measures in his fishing escapades was well known to her by now, making the threat all the more plausible. Lucia was familiar with his lack of scruples; even Marly had once been used as live bait. Considering this, it didn't seem far-fetched that he might do the same with young dragons rescued from the human world, burdened though they were.

The very thought of being dangled as bait in the dark, roiling sea waters was intolerable to Lucia. She had no desire to find herself in the maw of a sea beast, even if the evil dragon possessed the power to snatch her from the jaws of death. Enjoying grilled squid was one thing; becoming a living lure was quite another.

"If we use you as bait, we might catch some huge fish," Lance suggested playfully.

"And how large are these 'huge fish' you speak of?" Lucia asked skeptically.

"Some could be four or five times your size, perhaps even larger than what I'm describing," came the reply, hinting at creatures of mythical proportions.

"I'd rather not end up as bait. Couldn't I just feed the pigs or dogs instead?"

Silence followed her question.

Who indeed feeds whom? It was one thing for a young dragon to consider feeding livestock to an adult black dragon like him.

"Let's get up and go to class," she finally said, brushing aside the unsettling conversation.

"Oh," came the resigned response from Lance.

For Lucia, studying dragon literature posed no issues, as long as it didn't involve being proclaimed the emperor of the dragon clan or used as fishing bait.

Elsewhere, in the human world within the stately walls of the Blue Moon Palace of the Faroran Empire, resided the second princess, Athena. She preferred this quiet sanctuary for her research and administrative duties.

The Dark Curse Master, Eva, loyal to the dethroned emperor's sister, had spent the past two days poring over ancient texts borrowed from the temple. She was desperately searching for any mention of the evil dragon in the temple's historical records.

Regrettably, after two days of diligent study, Eva found herself without leads. The temple's archives contained numerous accounts of evil dragons, yet none matched the one that had ensnared Lucia, the dethroned dog emperor's sister.

As she pondered her next steps, Eva wondered if perhaps this particular evil dragon had only recently awakened from a centuries-long slumber, emerging to wreak new havoc upon their world.

Given the notorious nature of evil dragons, it would be highly unlikely for this one to have roamed the human realms without leaving a significant imprint on their history. Yet, despite extensive searches through the archives of major temples in the imperial capital, no records had surfaced linking any known evil dragon to the abduction of the dethroned dog emperor's sister.

"The challenge of locating that particular evil dragon is too great," remarked one scholar dryly. "Eva, you've almost exhausted the collection sent over by the temples. Any luck? Did you find anything that matches the description of our quarry?"

"No," Eva replied, her tone tinged with frustration. "However, the tome from the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom contained a curious note. It mentioned that on an unspecified day in the Creation Calendar, a black dragon, appearing to be newly matured, caused a disturbance near the temple's main compound. It clashed with Her Majesty the Saint during her stroll, wounding her before being driven off by several paladins."

Out of all the texts related to malevolent dragons housed in the major temples, only the Temple of the Goddess of Wisdom offered this scant detail. What caught Eva's attention wasn't just the mention of a black dragon, as opposed to an evil dragon, but the implications of its actions. Dragons, particularly black ones, were infamous not just for their ferocity but also for their enigmatic appearances in historical texts.

"The black dragon involved in the abduction of Princess Lucia remains nameless," Eva noted, her voice filled with a mixture of hope and skepticism. "This reference from the Temple of Wisdom, although intriguing, is ultimately of little use. It offers merely a sentence or two, with no name or clue to its current whereabouts."

Without a name or a trail to follow, the information held no practical value for Eva, who was trained to track and understand the darker, mystical threads of the world.

"Your finding doesn't seem to hold much promise," another voice chimed in, hinting at alternative revelations. "I've stumbled upon something intriguing myself. Would you like to hear about it?"

"Does it concern the black dragon?" Eva asked, her interest piqued.

"I'm not certain, but it does involve a black dragon," the colleague responded, ambiguous yet suggestive.

"And which text are these details drawn from? An unofficial history, perhaps?" Eva inquired, her curiosity now fully engaged, wondering if this new lead might offer a more substantial clue to the enigmatic dragon's past or current whereabouts.

Eva's gaze lifted from the mountain of texts she had been sifting through. Despite her thorough examination of every tome about evil dragons within the imperial archives, she found nothing explicitly mentioning black dragons. Had she overlooked something? Or had Princess Athena unearthed some clues from a less formal source?

"Actually, it's an autobiography," came Athena's response, her voice tinged with reverence. "It's the personal memoir of one of the mightiest emperors ever to rule, and incidentally, he's the historical figure I most admire, unequaled by any."

The mightiest emperor? And a personal hero of Her Highness Athena? Eva's mind raced to connect the dots. Could it be Bruder Donahue? Princess Lucia had once mentioned this name, prompting Eva to delve into his historical footprint.

Indeed, he was formidable. Not only had he been an emperor, but he also held the inaugural title of Pope in the Temple of War. Beyond these distinguished roles, he bore the enigmatic title of "God Eater." His legacy in the official annals was complex, and his name was often spoken with a mix of awe and caution, particularly within the Temple of Light.

How could such a formidable figure have penned an autobiography? Wasn't the act of self-recording reserved for those who had the time and inclination for introspection, rather than those engaged in conquests and governance?

"Was this autobiography sourced from unofficial records?" Eva queried, her interest deepening.

"It's a gem I discovered amidst a trove of ancient manuscripts," Athena explained. "And yes, it was written by the emperor himself. It's extraordinarily credible. Nobody would dare impersonate him or misuse his name. You can speak of him, but impersonating him is unthinkable. Moreover, the autobiography reveals many of his darker deeds, tales only he himself would dare confess."

Eva processed this, realizing the significance of such a document. If this autobiography was as authentic and revealing as Athena claimed, it could provide unprecedented insights into the era and perhaps even clues to the enigmatic black dragon.

Eva pondered the words of Princess Athena and conceded that her points were valid. Indeed, no one would dare slander Bruder Donahue lightly. The Temple of Light, while not exactly fans of his, only referred to him respectfully as the "God Eater." They avoided outright criticism, perhaps because Donahue was not only the first pope of the Temple of War but also recognized by the War God himself. To challenge Donahue was to challenge the deity he served, a deity still revered within the Temple of Light.

"Did this autobiography mention the black dragon?" Eva asked, eager to find any link to their current enigma.

"Yes, it contains a rather peculiar anecdote," Athena replied, flipping through the aged pages. "It says, 'I encountered a juvenile black dragon in the mountains. I attempted to coax it into forming a dragon knight pact with me. Unexpectedly, the black dragon was not easily coaxed, offering a pact if I let him address me as "Dad". I refused this absurd condition. After some negotiation, I proposed addressing him as "brother black dragon" instead. The young dragon declined, stating he sought a "father" figure, not a "brother", and added that only attractive human girls might call him "brother black dragon".'"

Athena continued, "I then proposed that if he signed the dragon knight contract, and I ever had a daughter, he could court her. The young dragon found this suggestion distasteful, claiming no honorable being would barter their daughter's affection for gain. He rebuffed the offer, struck me, and flew off. That was the last I saw of him, and his name remains unknown to me, a lasting regret.'"

"This passage is directly from 'The Autobiography of Brud Donahue: The Black Dragon,'" she concluded.

Eva was momentarily taken aback. "What does this tell us that's different from the scant information at the Temple of Wisdom? It seems potentially valuable but ultimately gives us little."

"So, we still don't have a name for the black dragon we're seeking?" Eva inquired, a tinge of frustration in her voice.

"It appears so," Athena confirmed with a nod. The search was proving more challenging than either had anticipated, with historical records offering glimpses but no substantial leads on the elusive black dragon.