Deep within the earth where magma flowed through channels like blood flowed through veins, there was a city-sized cavern, lit up by a river of molten rock oozing out of the walls and crawling along the ground. In the center, a red dragon was sleeping with its front paws tucked under its gaping maw. A line of viscous green liquid dripped out of its mouth, eroding the cavern floor with every plop. Faint snores caused the ceiling to tremble and the river of magma to ripple. The dragon’s wings were tucked by its side, its tail curling towards its head. Placed on the dragon’s eyelid, there was a cellphone with a timer counting down.

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“Armageddon! Ragnarok! The end of times! The world’s collapsing! Earthquakes! Tsunamis! Typhoons!”

The dragon snorted and smacked its lips a few times before swallowing, ignoring the cellphone on its head. The snores resounded once more, shaking the cavern.

“Khrx’Lrvnjl is a stupid fat newt with no balls!”

The dragon’s eyes shot open, flinging the cellphone to the ground. Its wings spread open as it rose onto its hind legs, roaring towards the ceiling. “Who dares invade the lair of the mighty dragon emperor, Khrx’Lrvnjl!?”

Khrx’s head swiveled around, scanning the cavern before his gaze landed on the blaring cellphone. “Khrx’Lrvnjl is the dumbest amphibian to ever walk on this planet!”

“I’m a reptile!” Khrx roared at the cellphone. “What the hell are you supposed to be!? A metal ant?”

“Khrx’Lrvnjl is a spineless coward who was rejected over a thousand times in his life and will never get a girlfriend!”

“Nonsense!” Khrx said, smashing the cellphone with his paw, silencing it. “Fufu loves me very much! Right, Fufu?” He glanced beside himself. His eyes widened as he froze. “Fufu!? Where are you Fufu?” He lifted his tail, but there was nothing behind him. He leapt into the air, hovering in the center of the cavern. “Fufu! Where’s my Fufu!?”

A large white note hanging on the wall caught his eye. “What the hell is this?” Khrx asked and flew towards it. He squinted at the hieroglyphs. “To Khrx’Lrvnjl, the stupid fat newt with no balls. This is Luke, the demon lord. You let your guard down too much while you sleep. I stole your precious Fufu! If you want her back, then you’ll heed my demands!”

“Bullshit!” Khrx shouted. White flames flew out of his mouth, engulfing the paper. Surprisingly, the letter remained unharmed, a translucent blue layer covering it. “Luke? You think stealing my loved one is funny? Huh!?” Without even reading the rest of the letter, Khrx turned around and dove straight into the river of magma. Some spilled over onto the cavern floor as his massive body displaced the molten rock. He swam like an eel, wriggling from side to side, and disappeared into the network of magma channels scattered within the earth, leaving behind a white letter and strange metal contraption that looked like a helmet underneath it.

***

“General Lin, the anonymous tip was true. A dragon has emerged from the volcano off the coast of Central Nipon.”

“Understood, Prime Minister. I’ll take care of it.” General Lin ended the call and stored his phone in his military uniform’s shirt pocket. He glanced around the room filled with glowing monitors and soldiers sitting at desks. “Men! A dragon has appeared exactly where we expected it to! What’s going to happen?”

“We’ll feast on dragon blood tonight!” the soldiers shouted in unison.

General Lin clapped his hands once, the impact resounding throughout the room. “Excellent! Begin anti-dragon protocols!”

“Drone Squadron Alpha has been deployed.”

“Drone Squadron Beta has been deployed.”

“Drone Squadron Gamma has been deployed.”

“Drone Squadron Delta has been deployed.”

“Nuclear submarines seven through thirty-two have sight of the target. Missiles loading. Remaining submarines on standby.”

“Mage Squadron Lightning is preparing God’s Judgment.”

“Mage Squadron Fire is preparing Hell’s Embrace.”

“Mage Squadron Water is preparing Absolute Zero.”

“Mage Squadron Wind is preparing Winds of Time.”

“Mage Squadron Earth has been detected by the target. They are under fire, requesting immediate backup.”

“Satellite scanning complete. Visuals online.”

The space in front of General Lin flickered as a hologram was projected in the center of the room. A red dragon was standing on top of a volcano, breathing fire onto an earthen dome bulging beneath it. The dome heated up, turning red, orange, and then white. The red dragon’s tail smashed against the dome’s side, bursting it like a bubble.

“Mage Squadron Earth has been annihilated.”

“Drone Squadron Alpha, approaching target.”

“Drone Squadron Beta, approaching target.”

“Drone Squadron Gamma, approaching target.”

“Drone Squadron Delta, one minute away.”

“Absolute Zero ready to cast. Deploying in three, two, one.”

The projection flickered as a massive white star appeared on the ground with the red dragon at its center. A layer of frost coated its scales, icicles forming and dropping to the ground from its breath. It shivered and shook itself, scattering the magic covering its body, its movements sluggish. A shadow covered it as hundreds of drones blotted out the sky, partially obscuring the satellite’s image. Flashes of orange filled the screen as the drones fired upon the dragon.

“AP rounds are piercing the target’s scales. The target is bleeding.”

“Audio is online.”

“—bugs! All of you, die!” The red dragon belched out white flames that covered the sky, instantly clearing it of drones.

“Unable to discern target’s language.”

“Drone Squadron Alpha, wiped out.”

“Drone Squadron Beta, wiped out.”

“Drone Squadron Gamma still functional. Estimating target’s strength to be equivalent to an elder dragon.”

“Drone Squadron Delta, approaching target.”

“God’s Judgment, raining down in three, two, one.”

A lightning bolt, thicker than a building, flashed and struck the dragon’s head, forcing its jaws into the ground. Its body spasmed, legs and tails thrashing about, destroying the top of the volcano.

“Winds of Time ready to cast. Deploying in three, two, one.”

The red dragon pulled its snout out of the ground and roared. Deep lacerations formed on its body, shredding its scales and skin. Hot blood gushed out of its wounds, dropping to the ground, causing the earth to melt. It brought its paws up to its face and curled up into a ball, shielding itself with its torn wings.

“Hell’s Embrace ready to cast. Launching in three, two, one.”

A black lotus of flames erupted from underneath the dragon, bathing it in shadows. It screamed and recoiled, its skin separating from its flesh, sticky pink strands being pulled apart. “You bastards! I’ll kill you! I’ll rip—”

“Missiles seven to thirty-two have launched.”

The dragon stopped shouting and paled as 26 shining beacons rose into the air from the horizon. “What the hell are those!?”

General Lin’s eyes lit up. “It’s trying to flee. Stop it, men!”

“Drone Squadron Gamma”—

“Drone Squadron Delta”—

—“employing kamikaze tactics.”

Hundreds of drones dove towards the dragon as it lunged towards the volcano’s entrance. Instead of hitting the dragon, the drones crashed into and exploded on the sides of the volcano, collapsing it. “Damn you!” the red dragon shouted as it dug through the rubble: blood, skin, and scales flying off its body. “Damn you, damn you, damn you!”

The missiles neared their target, blinking and beeping. A fount of lava sprung out of the ground by the dragon’s feet. Its upper body plunged into the molten rock as the missiles converged and crashed onto the remains of the volcano. Explosions and shockwaves rocked the projection, the audio cutting out. Brown dust clouds filled the air, blanketing everything.

General Lin glared at the projection, waiting for the dust to clear. The soldiers held their breaths, the room falling silent. When the projection cleared, all that was left of the battlefield was a red tail resting in a crater, floating on a layer of lava. General Lin clicked his tongue. “Target escaped.”

***

Khrx’Lrvnjl panted as he crawled out of the river of magma within his lair. “What … the hell … was that?” He lay on his stomach, panting as his body healed at a visible rate: his blackened flesh turned pink, a tail grew out of his back, a layer of skin covered his flesh, and red scales emerged from his white skin. “Luke planned that, didn’t he!?”

Khrx growled as he staggered to his feet and wandered over to the letter on the wall. “Where was I? …then you’ll heed my demands!” He ran his claw along the hieroglyphs, reading them aloud. “You probably tried to burn this letter, didn’t you? And when you realized you couldn’t you went outside to find me, am I right? I bet you got your ass kicked. Don’t feel too bad. I was completely defeated by the surface dwellers as well. Don’t try to fight them; what you saw was only a fraction of their power. Believe me, I know because you wouldn’t be reading this if they united to kill you. I’ll get straight to the point. This is what a land dweller looks like.” There was a photo in the center of the letter. “Transform into it, then place the metal helmet on your head. You will be taken into a virtual space where we can talk in person. Luke.”

Khrx furrowed his brow and scratched his chin. Then he glanced at the metal contraption below the letter. He snorted and turned away, walking towards a corner of the cavern with a pile of items strewn about. He rummaged through the miscellaneous treasures and pulled out a large leather journal, flipping it open to the nearest empty page. Mana danced on the tip of his claws as he pressed it against the paper.

***

Awakening Cycle 1,072,362: Day 1.

Dear Diary,

I have been asleep for 10,000 years. In that time, the world has changed a lot. I almost died today the instant I went outside. That bastard demon lord stole Fufu from me. He left behind a letter of blackmail. I might listen to his demands. I miss Fufu.

Love,

Khrx