Prologue: I'm not from here and I'm not from there

I had always seen myself as an ordinary person, someone who fit in well in times of peace and stability. I had never regarded war as anything more than a chapter in the history books or a distant reality in distant lands like the Middle East. Today, however, I can safely say that pacifism is no longer an option in a world that is slowly being swept up in conflict, and in which I am actively involved, albeit against my wishes. Contexts change and, with them, people.

"Nix, we have to go," she patted my neck gently.

I wasn't sleeping, I hadn't been able to fall asleep after that mission in which I almost ended up holed like an Emmental cheese. Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps, despite having scales instead of skin.

"I know you must be exhausted, but how can I make it up to you?" I really need you. "You are my faithful companion, and without you, I would not be here today," she said as he stroked neck. "I thank you more than I can put into words."

I stood up and pushed her small hand away from my huge nose, emitting a faint bellow of disgust, but not of disapproval.

"Thank you very much, I'll be in your care once again."

I can't say no, no to her. After all, she's the first person I've met who isn't afraid of me and who didn't try to kill me, in fact, she even helped me when all seemed lost. Besides, I can't complain, flying is the best and only good thing that has happened to me since I got here, as long as I don't have to dodge bullets or explosions, of course. On the other hand, standing here feeling sorry for myself is going to do nothing but depress me; Maybe this flight will be good for me to clear my mind a bit.

"Let me open the door and put the saddle on you."

Gently, she placed the frame on my back, a dark shade that matched my scales, and it secured itself in place as if it had a life of its own; Truly magical. The experience was somewhat uncomfortable at first, but over time, I got used to it. Wasting no time, Elora began to load the panniers with the items needed for the journey.

Apparently, my lizard face wasn't that expressionless, after all, it seems that it can convey a certain moodiness, as she usually performs tasks unannounced. However, on this occasion, she even notified me of her intention to place the saddle on me.

"I'm ready," she said after climbing on my back. Open the doors!

The doors of the barn opened, allowing the moonlight to gradually seep in. Night was closing in on us, and at this moment, I could only think about the lives we would surely take.

The vast majority of elimination missions were at night. In fact, it was something I never quite got used to, maybe never will; Killing is never and will never be okay. On the other hand, knowing didn't make it any better, but it gave me enough time to mentalize myself, as I could enjoy my thoughts and justifications in the cool night breeze.

"Lieutenant Elora, wait a minute, I'm Criner, your new companion.

A pointy-eared woman like Elora, but leaf-green and a little smaller, stopped us as we left the barn. As I looked at her more closely, I could see sweat dripping from her forehead, and she was panting a little between words.

"I don't have any companions," she replied in a threatening tone.

"It's Mibreg's orders," he handed Elora a document. He told me to tell him "You owe me."

Elora grabbed the document and you could hear her flipping the sheets of paper one after the other as if she was looking at more than reading. Did they write her a will? From the number of leaves, at least about fifty, this was quite unusual for me. Typically, elimination missions used to include a maximum of ten sheets, and a minimum of two, all sealed. However, this time, I didn't even hear the characteristic sound of the seal breaking. This left only two possibilities. The first was that we had to eliminate a hundred "enemies", or the second, that it was not an elimination mission, but an exploration mission, and that the extensive number of sheets contained descriptions of the flora and fauna of the place. In the case of the second option, Elora would take her time to carefully review the sheets and to prepare for several days before taking flight.

I didn't know what to think about all this, should I be glad I didn't have to participate in any violence? Should I feel sad about involvement in a larger-scale slaughter? Or maybe angered by the secrecy surrounding it all? On the other hand, apparently, I wasn't the only one surprised by this unexpected "change of plans."

"Tch, come up quickly, we don't have much time," she finally said after putting the large number of leaves in the saddlebag on the right.

"Shall we really mount it?" She pointed at me, trembling with fear.

"Any problems with Nixebus?"

"No, none...

"Then hurry up, we have to make the most of the night."

"All right," replied the dejected green dwarf.

I lay down on the floor to ease her through the process of riding, remembering that even Elora had struggled the first time we met, though she managed surprisingly well, given her circumstances. The grass-colored woman began to climb over me, clinging to my scales determinedly. Finally, after several seconds that surely seemed eternal to Elora, she managed to settle as well as she could in the saddle, which was quite large; At least two other people could fit if they were squeezed tightly together.

"Keep the essentials of your backpack in my left saddlebag." That backpack could prove fatal in mid-flight," she said, finally accepting his new companion.

"It's all right.

She took out a pair of binoculars, a radio, some food supplies, a notebook with a pencil and a canteen, and put them in the saddlebag. Then Criner handed his backpack to one of the soldiers who had opened the doors earlier and said goodbye to the ground, or so it seemed to me, as I kept staring at her.

"We're retiring!" Elora shouted.

"Yes, my lieutenant! They said goodbye with their fists raised.

With a light pat on the neck as a signal, I began to rise from the earth flapping my long, night-black wings. When only geometrical figures could be seen from the sky, I stopped rising and headed where Elora indicated.

"And the reins!?" Criner asked, shouting because of the noise of the wind.

"I don't need them, not with him!" She replied as he stroked my long neck. He's smart, he doesn't like to be treated like a mere animal!

Understanding what she meant by the caresses, I began to slow down the speed at which I was flying after we got quite far away from the base.

"What's going on, why did we stop?"

"We didn't, we're flying slower now.

"It's a good thing this mount isn't just leather, otherwise it would have kissed the ground a while ago..." As if suddenly remembering something, she continued. But you said we were going to make the most of the night?

Ignoring her subordinate, Elora began to rummage through the saddlebag and withdrew a few papers. This body is incredible, I can feel everything that happens around me as if I were a third eye, or as if I were in the third person in some flight simulator video game; I still can't get used to that spatial vision, because I keep noticing nonsense like that. Elora patted me gently, something she usually does a lot when I lose my way, and I turned my eyes straight ahead.

"As I feared, this mission isn't the elimination of any target, it's far worse, it's a socialization mission," Criner turned to look at Elora. That's our situation.

Thank goodness, you don't have to kill anyone, but a long night of flying is coming; it doesn't seem like it's good for Criner.

"If we're going to work together as a team, it's important that you learn how to deal with Nixebus. First, I'll tell you how I met him. Maybe you can get a feel for us as a team, and maybe you can use it to form a bond with him. The journey is long. We can take it easy. Oh, I forgot. Take this; You're going to need it.

"Thank you, I needed them, now I can travel with my eyes open, don't you use them?"

"I've got a ring for that, see?" Not only does it blow the wind away, it also serves to see at night, to hold your breath longer and to sharpen your eyes over great distances. It's part of an elite sniper kit; They are unique and quite difficult to build by stone craftsmen.

"Wow, I'd like to have one of those," she whispered dejectedly.

"As an observer, you'll need one. In fact, they should have provided you with one if you're going to work with me. But, judging by your basic equipment, it looks like the war is not progressing well on our side," she remarked sadly.

"Don't worry, this equipment is more than enough for me. Plus, I'm half Khamaí and half Oregate, and I'm proud to have the best of both races," he proudly declared her roots.

In this world, according to what I have witnessed and heard in other people's conversations, there is an impressive diversity of races. Most of them have established their presence in kingdoms, empires, dynasties, and various systems of government. Even so, there are cities where several of these species or races coexist harmoniously, defying racial barriers. Sadly, however, vestiges of segregation, prejudice, and racial priority persist, depending on the realm visited. Fortunately, the empire in which I reside allows for interspecies relations, and everyone is equal before the law. However, there are "Terrakyrios" (a noble title meaning "owner of the land") who oppose the laws of the empire and enslave those who are not "Oregate", the race to which Elora, Mibreg, the empress, and the vast majority of the empire's inhabitants belong. They frequently resort to usurious loans that lead to default and eventually slavery. These actions are punishable by death, but are difficult to prove, especially because of the corruption that prevails.

"That means you can change colors, right?" And what about the Khamaí's poor night vision? Won't it affect your performance on night missions? She inquired sternly.

"As I mentioned, I have the best of both races," she tones became more serious as his skin transformed into dark blue. "I don't have vision problems, only the cold temperatures affect me, but I wear magic tights under my uniform to keep warm."

Elora stroked me again to stay the course. I can't deny it, I was quite curious about our new comrade. We were a trio now, and that changed a lot of things, especially how we would relate to each other from now on.

"Níxebus seems to be interested in you, he keeps listening carefully to our conversation," she said happily as she caressed me affectionately and not to point me in the right direction. Since we have your attention, I think it's time for her to know our story, if that's okay with you.

I bellowed in approval, and she began to tell him how we met. As she spoke, I couldn't help but remember everything we had done up to this point. It felt nostalgic and scary, especially because it brought back memories of how I died and transformed into a dragon.