The order to silence the chaos dragon was absolute.
Twelve Dragoons ascended Ki-Jin mountain to execute the dragon. The sounds of battle traveled throughout the land for hours.
But soon the clashes grew softer and the dragon of chaos lost its roar.
Though broken and battered, its will to live was strong. The dragon of chaos poured the last of its strength into a desperate escape.
It spread its wings and threw itself down the mountain. The dragoons summoned their own dragons to give chase.
The hunt lasted for days.
But with severe wounds and the threat of the Dragoons, the chaos dragon knew something had to change.
It could no longer exist in this vessel.
It lowered its altitude and sharpened its eyes in search of one thing, a human infant.
It soon found its prize in the form of a fishing village. It banked hard to the left as its massive body flew low.
Then with a force that shook the earth, it landed.
The warriors of the village rushed to confront the beast. They drew their weapons imbued with the element of their birth.
But the chaos dragon had no patience for battle. It flashed its eyes to reveal a hypnotic orange and white swirl
The warriors of the village were driven mad at the sight.
They turned their weapons onto their kin, brother slaughtered brother.
The chaos dragon limped past the carnage and into the village itself. Humans fled its path as the beast crashed through buildings.
The beast used its massive wings to rip off roofs with a gust of powerful wind. The chaos dragon didn't have time to reign in the damage, it needed to quickly find a vessel.
It found many cradles, but the infants inside them were already touched with their destined affinity.
Some by water.
Others by fire.
But the search soon came to an end when the chaos dragon approached an orphanage. Hidden deep with its depths was an infant boy untouched by any other.
And not only that, but its soul was fluctuating.
With a grin in its maw, the chaos dragon didn't waste a second. It began a process unknown to many.
The sealing of a dragon's being within a human.
The chaos dragon began its chant of the six divine seals. First was the seal of self. Second was the seal of life. Third was the seal of truth.
Fourth was the seal of fate. Fifth was the seal of the spirit, and finally the seal of honor.
With these six seals spoken, the chaos dragon unraveled into raw energy. The energy poured itself into the infant and created a core locked in six layers.
When the process finished all that remained was a mark on the infant's chest.
The mark of the chaos dragon.
But though the dragon believed it had inhabited a new vessel, it would soon find it was not the only entity within it.
For the vessel also belonged to…
— — —
"…Kenji, where's my homework?"
A girl approached me. She had long blonde hair, a pierced lip, and a sinister grin.
A hard lump rolled down my throat.
"I… I have it." I slid my bag off my shoulder and set it on the ground. My hand reached inside and retrieved a folder. "H-here."
Kaneko snatched and flipped through it.
"This is some grade-A shit, I knew I could count on you." She closed the folder and pushed it in her bag. "Now, onto other matters."
My eyes fluttered with confusion. "O-other matters?"
Kaneko frowned and backhanded me. Her hand popped off my cheek with a loud pap.
"Stop all that stuttering, it's annoying."
My hand instinctively went for my cheek. The skin burned hot under my palm. I averted my gaze. The school grounds were filled with students heading home for the day.
But no one looked our way. No one ever did.
"I'm sorry." My voice was a soft whisper. I closed my eyes shut as I wished to be anywhere but here. "It won't happen again."
"Sure it won't." Kaneko leaned closer. The scent of her perfume was both sweet and menacing.
"Now since you finished my work I'm guessing that means you didn't have time to eat lunch, right?"
My head bobbed.
"Good, that means I have money for this afternoon." She extended her hand with an open palm.
My stomach churned. It wasn't about the money. It was never about the money. What made me sick was the constant submission.
Day after day I had to bend the knee to others. And no one ever helped me. I was invisible to this world, me and my problems.
My hand trembled as it reached into my pocket and retrieved a roll of yen. I placed the money in her hand.
She grinned and pocketed the cash. "Nice doing business with you, Kenji." She gave a wave and walked away.
I stood there.
Was I really so pathetic I'd let her walk away with my money without a fight?
Yes.
The walk home was as quiet as usual. Just me alone with my swirling thoughts. I hadn't always been this pathetic. I became this way after years of setbacks and loneliness.
It started in my last year of junior high, when I was rejected by my childhood friend. She was practically the only reason I did anything.
But she was stolen from me by my best friend. He played me like a fiddle. And that's when it became ingrained in me that nice guys always finish last.
After that I lost any respect for myself and this world.
I dropped out of sports. I stopped studying, and worst of all I became a shut-in. My only companions were gacha games and porn.
My family wasn't around much. My father spent most of his time abroad and my mother found solace in other men.
Neither of them bothered to send anything home but an allowance that I blew on instant ramen and microtransactions.
It began to rain.
"Great."
I grumbled and pulled my jacket tighter around my large frame. It did little to ward off the cool wind and rain.
If only I could start over, begin again. I'd probably never rely on anyone. Because people only bring themselves and trouble.
They're nothing but selfish creatures who deserve to rot in hell.
I reached home about ten minutes later. It was a decent neighborhood, nothing remarkable about it. Not that I went outside much anyway.
Inside I kicked off my shoes and headed into the kitchen. I threw my bag aside and grabbed a cup of instant ramen. I filled it with tap water and tossed it in the microwave.
It spoke in a chipper voice to congratulate me on my 600th time using it. I bought it a few months ago.
I pulled out my phone and leaned against the counter. The first thing on my Home Screen were several notifications from various gacha games.
My thumb swiped past them as I unlocked my phone. A porno resumed, one of those shitty ones with terrible acting. With a visible frown I closed the tab.
I only watched it because the chick reminded me of Kaneko. She might be my bully, but I'd bang her if I could. In fact, I rubbed one out in the school bathroom when she spat on me.
The microwave dinged.
My hand reached into the microwave on instinct. Four chunky fingers and a block of a thumb wrapped around the styrofoam cup.
It was warm to the touch. I pulled it out and blew on the top. My feet slapped against the floor in the direction of the kitchen table.
I plopped down in a chair. The wood creaked under my weight, but the sound never made it to my ears. I tuned into a video about a new character that was planned for release in October.
I was so engrossed I didn't realize I forgot my chopsticks until a minute or two later. My gaze wandered back towards the kitchen counter. I could grab them, but I was already sitting down.
I'll just use my hands instead.
My fingers dipped into the warm broth and tightened around a fist full of noodles. I dragged it out and opened my mouth.
The noodles were quickly slurped down. A cough escaped me as my throat tightened. The noodles had decided to go down the wrong pipe.
I forced another cough, then another, and another. My fist pounded against my chest as my cheeks began to redden. The itch in the back of my throat solidified.
My eyes widened with a profound fear and panic. Water. I needed water. I slid out of my chair and rushed to the sink.
In my haste my foot slipped on my bag I tossed aside earlier. My head raced toward the counter edge and cracked against it.
My vision blurred with red before going dark.