Prologue

The night enveloped the surroundings in darkness, accompanied by an icy chill, with the sole source of light emanating from a solitary, dim lamppost standing by the roadside.

It was an ideal location for a hunt.

Perched atop a tall rooftop, the abnormally large beast exhaled thick grey smoke from its snout, emitting a huff of satisfaction.

But it hadn't come here for hunting. After all, it had already consumed two large cows on its way, and human flesh simply didn't satiate its appetite.

No, it had come to observe.

To witness how humans tore themselves apart, hunting each other purely for joy and pleasure.

It was a pitiful sight, yet strangely entertaining.

The creature's very long tail, adorned with spikes, lightly brushed against the side of the roof, causing a chunk of cement and iron to fall off.

Yet, it barely noticed the disturbance caused by its own tail.

Indeed, it was a magnificent creature, a being only found in fairy tales and children's books. A creature believed to be a mere myth, a figment of human imagination.

A dragon.

Though its true name was a dregnor, a legend of the skies.

Impatient, it tapped its long, curved talon repeatedly on the rooftop, flicking its large, black bat-like wings in annoyance.

There was no sight of humans slaying each other, no blood pooling on the sidewalk, nothing.

Perhaps it would return another time, if the human side permitted it.

Just as it was about to rise and depart, its sensitive ears detected the unmistakable sounds of small, timid footsteps.

Timid footsteps, at this late hour? This should be interesting.

It settled back down, attentively listening as the footsteps drew closer.

Soon, a fairly tall boy came into view, though from the creature's perspective, he appeared almost tiny.

Through its enhanced vision, the boy was seen wearing headphones, one hand firmly gripping something.

A weapon, no less, for self-protection.

He was afraid.

The creature could discern it from the way his heart raced faster than usual and how he continually glanced backward every few minutes.

He was right to be afraid; too many lives had been lost here. The creature could attest to that.

Surprisingly, the notion of something befalling this human angered the creature.

Taken aback by this sudden emotion, the creature quickly stood up, trying to shake off whatever had come over it.

However, it rose too swiftly, and its spiked tail scraped against the rooftop, producing a loud scratching sound that carried for at least two miles.

The human boy jerked, instantly looking up, searching for the source of the sound.

Though the creature knew the boy couldn't see it due to its scales' dark hue, it remained motionless as the boy's green eyes scanned the rooftops.

The human side had warned it about the consequences of being spotted.

The boy cautiously removed his headphones, one hand still clutching his pocket, his eyes an exquisite shade of green reminiscent of a calm, mossy river swimming in fear.

Suddenly, the creature felt an overwhelming sense of protectiveness towards the human boy, so strong that it was compelled to approach him, yearning to shield him from the dangers of the world.

The creature shook its head again, even more bewildered by this surge of emotions coursing through it.

What was happening? Why was it happening?

The human boy cast one more glare in the creature's direction, even though he couldn't see it, before jogging down the road.

The creature didn't understand, but it was determined to find out.