Under a dense canopy of towering trees, the fading light struggled to reach the forest floor.
The air was mixed with the fresh scent of damp earth and honey. Shadows twisted among the roots and trunks, and the silence pressed down heavily, broken only by the sharp chirping of crickets and the occasional cry of distant birds.
"Mel, where are you, my child? It's time for prayers," called a voice, trembling with worry.
A middle-aged nun, her habit brushed with dirt and leaves, moved carefully toward the heart of the jungle.
She held a small lantern in one hand, its wavering flame casting trembling shadows across her pale, worried face.
Her eyes darted between the darkened paths, searching desperately.
She called again:
"Mel, my child, it is too dangerous to go so deep. Please come back."
Her voice now softer, coaxing, almost pleading.
"....."
However, only the whisper of the wind in the leaves answered her, and the absence of a reply made her heart pound harder against her ribs.
The sky above the trees had begun to turn from grey to a deep, bruised purple.
Within an hour, night would fall completely, swallowing the jungle in complete darkness, and with it would come dangers she dared not name.
Despite that, she wasn't afraid.
Clutching her rosary tighter, she pushed forward.
"Waah, waah, mwaaah!"
Suddenly, her ears twitched at the faint sound of a child's cry from the left, behind the bushes.
"A baby's cry? In here, of all places?"
She found it a little suspicious.
Still, out of curiosity, she changed her direction to the left.
But what she saw gave her a shock.
"Huh?"
Just beyond the bushes, she saw a baby lying on the ground.
The baby was all alone, crying, wrapped in white clothes.
But what was more surprising was that there was a big wolf near it.
The wolf didn't do anything, just stood still, as if guarding the baby.
"God! Monster!"
She muttered in fright as she saw the eyes of the wolf locked onto hers.
Still, the wolf didn't do anything. It just watched her in silence and tried to express the unspoken intention.
"Mwaah, mwaaahh!"
On the other hand, the baby's cry grew louder.
"The baby must be hungry... But what should I do?"
The nun could have turned her back on the baby, but the amount of kindness she held made her deny the thought.
However, getting close to that mysterious baby could also be dangerous. What if some evil was involved? Then she would regret it for the rest of her life. As a devotee, she could not aid any evil spawn.
So she paused, hesitating.
Then, she clasped her hands together and prayed,
"Please... God, guide me!"
"GONGGGG"
And then, surprisingly, as if her prayer had been heard, a golden glow, descending from the heavens and piercing the canopy, showered onto the baby, as if God Himself was giving approval.
The nun watched with wide eyes, as if witnessing a miracle.
"So you do exist, Heavenly Father! I am glad. I wasn't blind."
"Thank you for guiding this insignificant one!"
Next, she carefully picked up the baby and hurriedly walked out of there.
The baby was actually a newborn boy, a fact she didn't fail to notice.
The baby boy was still crying, but unfortunately, she could not feed him milk.
She looked into his small, teary eyes and said kindly,
"God has given me his guidance, my child. So it's my duty to raise you."
---
On the other hand:
"HAHAHAHA..."
As soon as the Nun left, capricious laughter echoed around the place where the baby lay.
The Wolf was nowhere to be seen. Instead, a grey-haired figure with crimson eyes and rotten teeth stood there, laughing wildly.
Then he paused, watching the woman disappear into the distance.
"Hah, She really fell for it.. What a stupid woman!"
"But, I suppose this makes things easier for this old man. The Dragon Realm is in chaos, so it should be the right place for the young Lord to stay safe and grow."
"There's just one thing that concerns me. Will he be intelligent enough to deal with the humans properly?"
"Well... I will get to see, won't I?"
"But for now, I will have to find that witch who dared to curse me."
After muttering those words, the old man transformed into a massive red dragon in one swift motion.
The dragon had tough red scales, enormous wings, scary paws and claws, and a swollen belly—just like a creature out of myth and legend.
But this one was real, alive in the flesh.
However, its aura was unstable, and its body looked shriveled, far from its prime.
"Whoosh!"
Regardless, with just one mighty flap of its wings, it soared into the sky, disappearing into the night like a shadow passing over the human settlements.
Its destination lay far in the distance, where destiny would collide and intertwine.