The night was cold. Frigid winds signifying the approaching winter blew past the lonely streets, carrying a wave of dust and dumping it right on a young man.
'Shit!' Wise cussed as he fumbled with the keys in his hand.
In front of him stood the only thing he had managed to accomplish in his miserable life, a pawn shop.
That's right, Wise was a scammer, all pawn shop owners were…
But he was not like the rest! He was not the very scammy type, just the regular scammy type.
After locking up his shop and punching the code into his cheap security system, Wise began his lonely walk home.
Strangely, save for the biting cold which he hated, this was the most pleasant part of the day.
It was around 10 pm so there was little to no noise, traffic was mostly gone— not that he had a car, but it was more peaceful this way.
Taking a shortcut, Wise walked over to the side of the train tracks, a small path that led to his house.
That was when he neared a rumble.
At first, he thought it was his belly— due to an enormous debt, the only thing he ate today was a single donut.
Wise was soon discouraged from that idea by flashing red lights warning people to stay clear of the tracks.
When he looked below… he was standing right atop it!
"Woah!" He exclaimed as he jumped off the tracks, he could still see the train in the distance.
"That was a close one."
He might have been poor but Wise had no desire to die anytime soon.
He watched as the train hurtled forward with such a stunning intensity.
'Wait… something is wrong.'
"The train, did it always look so—tilted?"
Wise realised far too late. The ginormous train flipped over on the track, colliding on the floor with a bang and speeding right towards him.
For whatever reason, its windows made the train look like an ancient serpent, grinning at his misfortune.
"Fuck, Fuck, FUCK!!!"
BOOOM!
•••
Eastern Continent.
The kingdom of grain, Frumen.
Peppy joyful tunes drifted through the air as a group of musicians played merrily. The city was in a festive spirit, every single building as far as the eye could see had some sort of adornment surrounding it.
Colours like green and yellow took preeminence, signifying growth and grain.
It was the Frumen harvest festival, a tradition practiced in the kingdom for over a hundred years.
The music and the lively atmosphere did wonders for one's mood. But the food… the food left little to be desired.
Standing next to a stall run by a pretty town girl was a young man with pitch black hair and vibrant blue eyes.
His clothing spoke of class and dignity, but his current actions did little for his reputation.
That was because the man was currently stuffing his face with as many pastries as he could lay hands on.
Especially the meat filled pastries…
"M'lord, I fear you will develop a stomach ache soon.
At first, Wise looked confused at the title but soon realised that it was probably due to his clothing.
He chuckled as he addressed her. "Your worries are unfounded, my stomach is thick as iron!"
The girl couldn't help but laugh, her sonorous voice resonating in his ears like a melody.
This caused a glint to appear in Wise's eyes. He grabbed onto her hands and inched a little closer, causing the girl to blush faintly.
"Fair lady… are you of noble birth?"
The girl's blush deepened at the intensity of his blue eyes. Mistaking his question for a compliment, she giggled.
"Far from it… just a regular farmer's daughter."
Wise was disappointed but he did not let it show.
"Your beauty proceeds your class, you are just as fair as any noble—"
He stopped speaking when a knight in full plate armour walked past, bumping his shoulder into him.
"Surround everywhere! Don't let that bastard dragon anywhere near the procession!" The knight screamed with vigour.
There was a young man next to him, one that walked with stalwart confidence. Strapped by his waist was a weapon Wise recognised—a hero's blade.
"I best be off." He said to the stall keeper.
The girl seemed to have been enjoying his presence because she frowned playfully, up until she felt something cold grace her palm.
"Get yourself something nice."
"Thank you m—"
Her eyes suddenly widened in shock when she realised what was nestled in her hand.
A gold dragon coin!
"M-M'lord… T-this is too much." She said, all while staring at the coin as it glinted underneath the morning sun.
After getting no response, she looked up, trying to ascertain where Wise had walked to, but there was no one in sight.
Cautiously glancing around to make sure no one was watching, the girl tucked the coin into her breasts for safekeeping.
The Hero and the Chief Knight walked side by side, their eyes prowling the streets for any sign of the notorious dragon they were after.
It was said that he had a human form, Blue hair and piercing sapphire eyes. So far, there had been none that matched his description.
Kicking an empty bottle in front of him in frustration, the knight let out an angry huff.
The hero glanced nonchalantly in his direction. "Calm yourself, it is but a younglin, it will not get the better of—"
Boom!
Ahead of the procession, a small building suddenly erupted in flames. A thick black smoke billowing high up into the air.
"Damn it, he's already here?"
Unsheathing his sword, the hero faced the direction of the smoke.
[Eros wind]
The air around him buzzed with energy, his figure blurred as he blitzed forward with breathtaking speed.
Save for knights who were now fuzzy, the remaining civilians simply mistook the fire for an accident.
The procession was made to stop while the fire was handled, but the people remained in a festive mood.
One young man seemed to be enjoying himself more than everyone else— he stumbled forward with drunken steps, a beer bottle in hand.
"Stop fool!"
A knight bearing a rugged scar on his face bared his path to the head cart, the one the lord and princess stood atop.
Walking up to the older knight, his partner scoffed as he watched the man stumble towards them.
"Drunk in the morning?"
"Oof." He grunted as the drunk man barrelled into him. "I can't blame you, wine is finest this time of the year isn't it?"
The drunkard's body vibrated with laughter.
He raised his head and locked gazes with the knight.
"Aye, it sure is."
His blue eyes bore an unnatural beauty, resembling freshly polished gemstones.
But that was not all—
His eyes suddenly transformed, his round pupils taking the form of oval slits.
"I-I-its—DRAGON!!!!"
But it was already far too late.