His choice - II

-"Everything was a mistake."

'What exactly is this about?'

His gaze fixed on the severely wounded body, which was missing a limb. The diary in the left hand had been dyed red with that man's very own blood. How did the man, who was just fine a few moments ago, end up like that?

Jaden couldn't help but wonder multiple questions, witnessing the scene unfold before his eyes. Judging from the dates the voice said, it seemed like something that occurred in the far past.

If this was a record of history left behind by someone, who left it? For what reason? Why were a lot of terms unfamiliar to Jaden?

He shut his eyes for a few seconds before taking another glance at the surroundings. Deep down, even Jaden was aware that there would be things he wouldn't know a thing about.

The story he wrote was mainly focused on the protagonists and their surroundings. So, factors like the world's history, side characters's pasts, and antagonists's pasts were all neglected. Of course, Aliana Rosenstein was an exception.

Since it was Jaden's first-ever work, there were numerous loopholes that a person could've figured out on their second or third read. And at the moment, Jaden was noticing a loophole in his writing.

-"It was 'them' who betrayed us. □, is it too late now? Can at least '%%' survive?"

KRRRRRRRRRR

The screeching sound left Jaden covering his ears tightly due to the immense pain. What was that sound? Jaden slowly moved his gaze towards where it came from.

Gwrrrrrrrrrrr

It wasn't a regular sound, but the howls of the humongous beast devouring the reddened sky with its huge figure. Jaden knew what that appearance was.

He had never encountered such a being in person before, yet he was able to identify what it was. He bit his lips lightly as his instincts made him put on his guard.

'What the...'

The huge figure soared in the sky while looking bigger than the red moon behind it. The wings on its back spread wide for it to fly.

The black-green scales shone red under the moonlight. As if the blood splattered everywhere on the field were less, the beast wide opened its mouth.

'Heck is a dragon doing here?'

The dragons existed for a long time. Even before humans began existing. Not to mention, unlike humans, who lived a short life, dragons were immortal.

Jaden carefully connected the conversations he had been hearing for a while. The 'they' mentioned—might that term be referring to dragons?

The very dragons were feared by every living being in the world. Was that the reason why everyone feared them?

Staring at the ball of fire gathering within the wide-opened mouth of the dragon, Jaden couldn't think straight. The things he was thinking were all assumptions. However...

'This record must be related to what happened a long time ago...'

The imperial calendar, which was followed by all the people throughout the Cazanix continent, was the one that was developed after the Age of Dragons. The starting year of the imperial calendar was 1000.

Jaden's keen observation skills led to two alternate conclusions. One, the record he was witnessing might very well have been the beginning of the Age of Dragons.

Two, 'Deities' might've been some kind of superior being that existed a long time ago. As for '□', he had no way of knowing about it. He didn't ever mention such terms in his novel either.

Fwoooosh

The air began getting sucked into the dragon's mouth, igniting the flames brightly. That ferocious beast, with its golden eyes set on the wounded man, prepared those flames.

Jaden felt the chills running down his spine. The sensation he was feeling was totally different from the one he felt upon encountering Dragon King Solas.

Maybe the killing intent Dragon King Solas released over the people in the banquet hall wasn't that serious. Jaden's instincts were saying that this beast wasn't playing around.

Rwaaaaaaaa

The heavy-sounding roars vibrated the air along with the heat cast on the field. The huge meteor was approaching the ground, where Jaden stood paralysed in his spot.

-"Is this it for me?"

The sound from the diary spoke out amidst that chaos. Jaden's gaze finally shifted back to the unknown man and his bloodied diary.

'I see...'

He finally understood what exactly was going on all this time. The fireball directed at that man, the dragon, and that man itself were all part of the record.

But what exactly were those records about? Who was the person who recorded them? Jaden had no answer to his questions.

'So this is...'

How did dragons begin ruling over the world? They must've trampled upon the countless lives of inferior beings. And what Jaden was witnessing at the moment was a testimony to that.

The scenario projected through those records was actually the story of a past that everyone forgot. There were no survivors left to pass on the tale of what they went through.

"The beginning of the Age of Dragons..."

Jaden was witnessing that very forbidden, forgotten, and foreboding history. The meteor finally touched the ground, blinding everyone with a huge noise.

BAAMMMMMM

-------------------

"Ah..."

[■ Records: 1/3]

The golden sparks of lightning turned purple-black when those words rose in front of the man. His eyes filled with seriousness, the man glanced at his surroundings.

The scene where he was being hit by the fireball of the dragon had changed completely. Just as the flames of fire approached Jaden, the surroundings changed.

Unlike before, the place looked too peaceful.

No. Actually, there was some peace in the previous records, but that peace wasn't long-lasting. And the records he was seeing presently? It looked more pleasant and better than before.

The green grass spread all over the field as far as one could see. The beautiful scenery, opposite of all the chaos. The peace Jaden felt from standing under those shadows was unimaginable.

'What is that, though?'

There was only one shadow to be accurate. The huge tree that stood tall behind him was blocking the sunlight while partially covering the blue skies.

-"Day X, Month 2, Year 622"

The location of the voice was anonymous this time around. Jaden did try to look for the source, but that was of no help at all.

The feeling that the peace would fade away soon began to gnaw at Jaden's heart. What record could this part actually hold?

The '□' part of the records was already witnessed by Jaden. And the one he was seeing now was the '■' part of it. If one side could be labelled as chaotic, then the other side was peaceful.

Not that it seemed like the peace would last long again. Jaden looked up at the huge tree as the voice continued its narration.

-"The war has ended with the dragon's victory. ■ won. It's 'our' loss."

'War? Dragon's victory? ■?'

Jaden could barely figure out anything from previous records. But these records were a bit different. The scenario he saw, the records he witnessed, all somehow linked to the current records.

The war must've referred to what happened between '□', 'Deities', and the dragons. Jaden wasn't actually sure of who the man referred to by 'they', but he had a slight idea about it.

Seeing how the dragon was rampaging that place, he considered it safe to assume that the term 'they' was being used for 'Dragons'. But then...

'What is this '■' about?'

That was the only term that looked like something out of context. And more than that, the war had ended after nearly three hundred years.

Just what happened that dragged the war that long? The dragons were far superior and intelligent compared to any other being in the world.

The way it looked from the scenes Jaden witnessed, within a few years, the dragons should've won. That was a fact that no one could possibly deny.

The situation was far beyond what dragons could've lost. And even if they won, it was after 300 years? The gaps in time and records were too noticeable.

Tsrkkkk tsssrkk

[■ Records: 2/3]

The hue of lightning intensified when those words glowed in the air. The huge tree vanished all of a sudden, and what remained was a land filled with nothing but sand.

Jaden couldn't see even an ounce of the greenery that existed a while ago. The sound of someone speaking had changed again.

-"Day X, Month 7, Year 863"

The flat land, under the scorching sun, had only one bump on it. That part was the spot where a lot of sand was collected in the form of heaps.

Jaden stared at it quietly. What he could think about in that situation was what the remaining records might be about. The facts, which made almost no sense, were being revealed to him.

The most concerning fact was that, when observing the '□' records, the narration was related to the man, a living being. And now? It was simply narrating without any living being as its source.

The direction from which the sound was coming still unclear, Jaden stood frozen in his spot. The parts of history he was listening to currently weren't something he would've ever known.

-"The Dargons had surely won the war 200 years ago..."

The hint of sadness profoundly spread through the voice. Why was that person speaking in a dejected manner? Jaden gulped down his own saliva, listening to the next words.

-"But that was an illusion..."

'Illusion?'

What did it mean by 'illusion'? The dragons had won, right? Jaden's thoughts couldn't stay stable due to the confusing words he heard.

Then suddenly, a realisation came to him. What if there was something else going on behind the scenes? There were three terms that were suspicious in that case.

The '%%', '□', and '■'. What exactly did they refer to? Only if Jaden could hear them a bit more clearly would the mystery have been solved.

According to how they acted when speaking, □ seemed to be quite significant to humans. As for ■, it won? What exactly? The war? Or...

When Jaden thought that there was no way of knowing the truth, he heard a sentence that made him feel light-headed with a sense of nervousness.

-"The dragons were used by... ■."