“They said you come to see me …”. A voice echoed through the stone wall. But it wasn’t like anything that Azar would have expected. First, whoever it came from, he was young; the voice did not feel natural at all, but rather someone trying to sound more authority and a bit arrogant. Secondly, Azar could sense it in the aura of the air; the power of the new Dragon King left much to be improved. Of course, Azar knew, it could just be relative as he was so much more powerful now than ever before, but the difference between the current king and the rest wasn’t far. And when Azar first laid eyes on the new king, he was astonished.

“I just asked you a question !” A young dragon stepped out of the shadow and showcased its glory in front of Azar. Standing proudly at 50s feet tall, puffing his chest forward, with dark ocean-blue scales that glittered under the fire, bright ruby red eyes so charming that it would make anyone envy, wings that were wide and powerful, midnight-black horns, as expected of a great dragon. The current king was no doubt quite a looker, however,

“Are you a wyvern !!!???”. Azar hysterically called out.

“How dare you !!! I’m a fully grown dragon !!!”. The dragon king immediately attacked Azar, shooting out a scorching wave of his emerald dragon’s fire. Azar looked at the incoming dragon’s breath with uninterested eyes, then returned the favor. Unlike how the current dragon king unleashed his fire, a deep and forceful effort, Azar just released a slight puff of air. However, Azar’s blinding blue ray of incinerating fire absolutely devoured the emerald flame with ease. It was clear that if Azar wanted to, his fire could easily reach the dragon king and severely damage him, but he decided not to.

“Dragon’s breath !?!!?” The dragon king gasped in total shock. And it wasn’t hard to understand why.

“Yep, I knew it, you are a wyvern ! What are you, 160, 170 !??” Azar just stood there and asked in a rather infuriating tone.

“I’m not a wyvern anymore ! I’m 210 !”

“Goddamn ! You look very young for a 210,” Azar recalled his appearance when he was the same age.

“Who the fuck are you !?!”. The dragon king slammed his fist on the ground and called out to Azar. But his question was first answered by a look of intense frustration from Azar, which sent a chilling sensation to the dragon king’s heart.

“A king should never use such profanity on such a normal occasion !” Azar's voice was as frosty as a blizzard, even though the content of his words was hitting the dragon’s king like raging balls of fire. “My name is Azar, Azar Polaris, … you might have heard of me.”

“Azar Polaris …” the dragon king took a few steps back as he mumbled. “No, you … you can’t be ... he is ….”

“Right here in the flesh !”.

**********************

It did not take long for Azar to tell the current king what was going on, … at least a decent portion of it. He told him the basics; Azar died and got reincarnated back into the living realm in this new form. However, Azar kept the important part hidden, the part where God granted him a gift and his true mission.

“So what’s your name, young dragon.” Azar calmly asked.

“My name’s Abel Orions. Son of _.”

“Cane Orions ? You’re from the Orions family. I knew your father, He fought alongside me throughout my time.”

Able nodded gracefully, then carefully asked the sensitive question, “Are you here to take back your throne ?”. A fallen king suddenly appeared after a long time; a story like that usually didn’t have such a happy ending.

“At ease, Able. I am forever imprisoned in this form, forever cursed from intervening in wars, forever cast away from my home.” Azar’s sorrow manifested through his deep and husky voice. “I’m here to know what has happened after I’m gone. Why are we deliberately attacking humans even though we are very outnumbered ?!”.

Able sighed longly and clenched his fist. “Do you think that we wanted that !!??”. He spoke so angrily and frustrated that Azar could see his dragon’s fire escaping his breath.

“Things have changed a lot since your time ….”

“Yeah, I could see that.” Azar spoke with a rather frustrating sarcastic tone.

“We are dying, Azar. All of us. After your time, the humans just kept coming, the war never stopped, not even for a day.”. Abel sat down and stared into the distance, retelling Azar the dark history of Alitair.

“After your death, another king was chosen, Perseus Bloodthrone. But his time was long. He died on the battlefield 23 years ago, and I was chosen to be the next in line.”

“We can’t grow crops; humans especially target those areas. No food, no trading, our people are starving. We can barely survive ….”

“They don’t spare anyone, not even children … It won’t be long before our own extinction_.”

“How bad are we at ?!” Azar’s heart sank when he heard those words, but nothing could prepare him for what was to come.

“The dragon clan now only has a few hundred members_.”

“WHAT !!!” Azar’s eyes suddenly lit with fire.

“And in the last 60 years, only 5 new dragons were born”. When Abel looked at Azar, it was like he was staring at a complete abyss. His body was there, but his thought was clearly somewhere else.

“Hundreds … HUNDREDS !!!” Azar was baffled, denying what he had just heard. “It can’t be !....”

There used to be thousands of them. They were the emperors of the sky. And now, they were facing extinction. It just felt so unreal to Azar; he could feel his heart jumping out of his chest, gasping for every breath, and his head was spinning out of control.

“Azar ?”

“AZAR !!!”

Abel snapped Azar out of his swirling inner thought.

“How could that happen ?! Back in the day, there were thousands of our kind !”

“War … Azar. War happened. We needed power on all fronts, and who else but the dragon to be called up. Thousands have lost their lives, humans especially focus on taking down dragons. They even had a special force called, dragon hunters.”

But the more Able talked, the more he realized Azar was far from ready to take on the news. But then someone came in and left the both of them speechless.

“Abel, I heard that someone is here _” a female dragon stepped inside the throne room. Pearly silver-white skin, deep, intelligent dark eyes, like the sky on a starless night, the queen of Altair walked in.

“Alena, wait !!!” Abel tried to warn his queen from stepping inside, but it was too late. Azar just took one look at the queen, and his eyes had already started to get misty.

“Alena ?!?” Azar stood up, tears streaming down his face, “Can it be you ?”.

Step by step, Azar got closer to the queen of Altair, reaching out to her, daring not to believe his own eyes.

The dragon queen instantly took a step back. But the more she looked, the more this abnormal creature seemed so familiar to her. Her hesitation soon faded away once she looked into his eyes, that bright, intelligent, and commanding eyes; only one ever had such a presence.

“It can’t be ... you die …” Alena shook her head wildly, “We saw your body … are you … a spirit !?”

Finally, Azar reached her, the moment he could touch her, and the two felt each other’s warmth, they both gasped.

“It really is you !” they both said out loud.

Everything around them went silent. Time was as if it had frozen still.

“You’ve grown. The last time I saw you, you were still asking me if you could hide under my wings”. Azar admired the new and fully grown-up Alena. “Time really does fly.”

“How did you … Why are you …” baffled by Azar, to say the very least.

No answer was shared between the two; Azar just floated up until his eyes fully met her. Then, memories came flooding back to their mind, and they knew exactly what came next. Gently, they touched foreheads, just like they would back in the day, a way for Azar to calm Alena’s mind whenever she got herself in trouble.

“EHM !!!” Abel cut off their somber moment. “Am I missing something here ?!?”

“Alena and I go way back.” Azar kindly spoke to Able, “She is the daughter of one of my closest allies and my only disciple.”

“You were a disciple ?! Why didn’t you tell me !?”

Alena smiled kindly and brushed Abel’s question as if it was not a big deal. “You never asked. And I wouldn’t call myself a disciple. Azar only had so much time outside of his duty.”

And as if the day could not have thrown any more surprises, another dragon walked into his life, or rather a young wyvern. Too small to be any more than 20 years of age, only standing around Azar’s human height, with pearly silver-white skin, clear ruby-red eyes, and silver horns, the young wyvern presented herself in front of Azar.

“Mother ? Why is there a wing-beast inside father's throne chamber ?” The young wyvern innocently asked.

“Mother ?!” Azar gasped.

“Yes, this my daughter, her name is Hayley.” Alena kindly responded. “Hayley, this is your uncle, Azar Polaris.”.

“My uncle ?! How could he ? He is not a dragon !” Those blunt and shattering words stabbed Azar deep, snapping him back to the cruel reality he was in once more.

“Hayley, let’s go back to our room, father and uncle have much business to discuss !”. Alena quickly took her daughter away, knowing that even though she did not know why Azar was in this form, he clearly didn't have a choice.

“My daughter is one of only three dragons that were born in the last 50 years …” Abel sighed, “And now you know why I said we don’t have another choice.”.

Looking after Alena and Hayley, Azar did not speak a word.

“If we don’t do anything, we will surely go extinct.” Abel held his fists tightly. “And I won’t let my family suffer, not when I’m still breathing.”

“But hitting your head against a stone wall isn’t an answer, young king.” Azar sighed, “The humans vastly outnumber us. Sure we could do some damage, but in the end, there is a reason why we stayed reserved for so long ….”

“Staying back, and we’ll die a slow, painful and humiliating death. At least this way, we might have a chance !”

“Why do you think there are only two choices, either we die or they die ?”.

“That’s how it works, one must die for the other to survive !”.

“What if I told you, there is a third option ?”

Abel looked at Azar with a particularly curious gaze.

“Both worlds could live in harmony together, humans, dragons, Altair. !”

“YOU’RE MAD !”. Abel immediately refused to even entertain the outrageous idea. “If you think even for a second that we could ever forgive the humans for what they have done, you shouldn’t have come back at all !!!!”

“I never told you to forget about what happened ! But if you don’t learn how to coexist with them, both shall die !” Azar lost his temper as the seconds passed by.

“Do you think that I fear death !? Any single soldier out there would gladly die for Altair !”

“And what will that kind of life give to the next generation, if there is a next one ?” Azar gave Abel a dead stare. “You’re right, just staying back, waiting for our demise is wrong, but it doesn’t mean the opposite is right. Give me time, and I can show you all that we could live together ! No side has to be sacrificed for the others !”.

“Easy for you to say ! You don’t have to fear for your own mortality ! You don’t have a family to worry about !”

“THIS KINGDOM IS MY HOME !!!” Azar shouted in a fiery fury, “AND THESE ARE MY PEOPLE ! I’M DOING THIS TO SAVE YOU !!!”.

“HOW !?! HOW IN YOUR FUCKED UP MIND CAN YOU PULL THAT OFF !???”

“Humans can change, and so do we !” Azar calmed his tone down a bit. “We have sought war as a solution to all our problems for thousands of years. It’s high time we look for other ways ….”

“It sounds so simple now that you said it ! All we need to do is set aside a thousand year war and shake hands ! So what if the humans hunt dragon’s heads for sport ? So what if they slaughter the children of Altair ? Why should they have to suffer for what they have done !!!”

“For a better future !” Azar firmly replied, “Think about your family, your daughter ! What future does war bring to her ? A fallen kingdom ? A deceased father ? Is that what you want to leave behind ?!”.

“Peace was never an option !”

“It is now !” Azar set himself, “I see first hand that there are decent humans among them. They can change. The young ones, they are different, with proper guidance, that dream can become a reality !”.

“Or you could wipe the humans out with your might ! I know you can ! I can feel your aura, If this is still your beloved kingdom, then you shouldn’t hesitate !”.

Azar shook his head and simply replied, “I saw what would happen, if the world continued in this path, a never ending war. In the end, history will erase us both. No one will remain. This is the only way for us to survive.”

“Thousands of years, and now all of a sudden, humans can change ?!”

“I can show you, just give me some time, right now, they may not be ready yet !”.

“WE DON'T HAVE TIME ! WE WON’T LAST FOR ANOTHER HUNDRED YEAR AT THIS RATE !”

“20 YEAR!” Azar pleaded one last time. “Just think of this as preparation time, call the clans and just hold them off at least for now, for their own safety.”

“We have waited long enough ! I will not go down as the one that the king who let his kingdom fall !”

Frustrated, Azar started to shout at the young dragon king.

“And there won’t be a kingdom if we continue ! DON’T YOU UNDERSTAND !”

“IF YOU STAY BACK MAYBE YOU WOULDN’T LAST ANOTHER 100 !”

“BUT IF YOU SENT THEM TO WAR NOW, WE WON’T LAST 50 !”

Their conversation quickly succumbed to silence. The two were not blind enough to think that their way was the one and only absolute, but they also understood that the other’s way was in no way a reliable answer.

“10 … I’ll give you 10 years. If you can show to the clans that humans could change their ways and live in peace before our next clans meeting, then maybe … I could convince them … But we need the humans to make the first step !”.

“10 years, I promise I can bring peace within 10 years !”.

Finally, an agreement was met. But whether or not it could be fulfilled remained to be decided. The only thing Azar could be certain of, Altair no longer welcomed him back. Once again, he met with the hateful gaze of the Altair’s people, and his heart ached with each step he took.

*****************************

Azar immediately made his long journey back to Tolemac after his visit to Altair. But it was not the sweet walk to memory lane that he was hoping for. If anything, it only gave him a taste of what he long feared, the bitterness of his reality. Who even was he? No longer king, no longer a dragon, even though he desperately wanted to hold onto it. Where could he truly call home? No longer feeling welcome in Altair, but never at ease in the human world. Azar was just a lost soul, like billions of others wandering in that world.

A time was set. 10 years after that day, Azar must somehow change the course of all humanity before Altair’s clan meeting. 10 years was also the exact amount of time Azar had spent in his new life in a human body. And in that time, Azar hadn’t accomplished anything. The world was still the same; humans blamed the Demon King for their sins, and Altair was still at the edge of ruin.

Crossing the narrow ocean, Azar forgot about his own forecast.

“Fuck !”. As if the world hadn’t annoyed him enough already, a storm began to rain down the sea. There wasn’t enough rain in the world to cool down the swirling fire from within him. All it managed to do was fuel the inferno even more. Thunder roared while Azar flew through the dark cloud, but he could barely notice it. In Azar’s head, the voice of Alena, Abel and Hayley kept echoing in his ears. The memory of his good old time was easily washed away and replaced by the new. Flashes of lightning struck left and right, casting down shivers of light with a ghostly glow. But the lighting became just vivid lances of light through his eyes, slowly moving around him. His head was beyond that moment, and Azar just let himself drift through the sky, not caring for the rain or the lighting bolts to hit him.

“What am I going to do now ?”

“How am I ….”

Questions took over his mind, tearing his heart apart. Could there be a way to help the humans without risking Altair’s survival ? A thought crossed his mind for a split second: wasn’t it better for the whole world if humans never existed. But right then, as if God had sent him a message, a lightning bolt hit Azar from out of nowhere. However, it didn’t faze him or leave him any sensation whatsoever. Instead, it bounced off Azar’s body like sunlight hitting a mirror. That wouldn’t actually give Azar a second thought… if not for a small explosion sound and a hint of smoke reaching his nostril.

Azar peaked down from above the stormy sky and saw where the smoke was coming from. Wreckages of a newly destroyed ship scattered on the raging sea beneath him.

“Nope, definitely not me !”. The lightning bolt bounced off him. Azar did not plan to aim at the unknowing ship beneath him. Of course, that was considering that it was his lightning bolt that hit the ship in the first place. So he tried to shrug it off and flew away. But somehow, a whisper reached him,

“Please … help …”. There was a survivor.

**************************

“Please … God … save my son !” whispered an old human.

The morning sky hadn’t changed its cloak since last night; It was still as dark as when the moon was in control. The only exception was when lightning lit up the sky for a split second. Winds so powerful that they could tear through any sail, waves so high that they would swallow a battleship whole. The sea was a monster, and anyone who was unfortunate enough to sail on it would be its prey.

In the eyes of the storm, driftwood and shipwreck scattered; on one of them, a middle-aged human man was hanging on with his dear life. But his time wasn’t long; with waves, his grip loosened little by little, his heart may be strong, but his body couldn’t hold on. The man to his side, and there he was, his son, face down on the sea, moving further and further away as the wave took them apart. The bitter cold sea made his whole body numb; he couldn’t even tell if his hand was still holding on to the driftwood or if he was just floating under the mercy of the sea. But his son was clear seconds away from dying, and the man had no strength left in him. So with his last breath, as he was being swallowed by the waves and rain, the old human looked up into the stormy sky and whispered in his dying breath.

“God, … I don’t care about my life ….”

“I know … I’ve lived a sinful life … and my soul will never reach the promised land ….”

“But my son … he is different, … he is kind and brave …. Unlike his father ….”

“Take my soul, take my body, take my life … but please … spare his life !”

“Please …”

A wave knocked the human over, and with the last energy in his body, he desperately swam toward his son. But soon, he started to submerge under water himself. The human started to go in and out of consciousness, but something … someone else caught his full attention.

“Angel … are you here … to take our soul ?”.

In the human’s eyes, he could see a vivid image of a young man gracefully descending from the sky. Radiant light from the heavens came beaming around him, large, dark, feathery wings on his back, and finally, something golden, blurry, hovering over his head, … a halo. The angel had a warm, kind, handsome face, eyes like a sun’s fire. His feet touched the water, but unlike the human, the angel walked on the surface and made his way toward the human. And to the elder human amazement, the angel reached his hand down, pulled his son out from the sea, and then chanted something out loud. Something kind and angelic, the dying elder human thought to himself before passing out completely.

“Bloody Hell, this old sack of meat is alive too !?!”. Azar shook his head in disappointment and picked up the old human as well. Still in his humanoid form, with two golden horns curved to the back of his head, sharp-feathery wings on his back, Azar reluctantly sought for the human survivors, but in the end, there were only two.

Both of the humans were unconscious, barely alive at the time, but nothing a little healing magic couldn’t fix. The storm had stopped, and the sky finally cleared. Azar doubted that it was a coincidence that this happened right after he decided to help these humans. Perhaps it was just a very on-the-nose message from Carl to remind him to do good for the human.

Azar looked back to the closest path to a shore, but that was in the direct opposite direction to where Azar wanted to go. So instead, Azar took the two back to Avalon’s land.

After reaching Avalon’s shore, not too far away from one of the kingdom’s most famous ports, he left the two humans on the rough sand.

“Wake up !” Azar snapped his fingers.

Almost instantly, the two humans gasped for air and sat up. They embraced each other immediately, and Azar took that as a cue to walk away.

“WAIT !” the elder human reached out and stopped him. “Thank you, thank you for saving our lives !”.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. You two drifted to shore …”. Azar said; however, there was something in that human’s eyes that told him that, for some reason, his lie wasn’t wrong as usual. But still, these were just two unimportant humans who would care if they believed him or not. They didn’t have any proof, and who would ever believe the word of two random humans over Azar’s.

“Whatever … the nearest town is that way !”. Azar pointed them toward the port.

“Please sir, could you please accompany us until we get there ?” the younger human pleaded. But his father was quick to dismiss it.

“Vasili ! This man has helped us enough ! Do not ask him for more !”

“But father, what about those people who tried to kill us back at the ship ?! What if they caught up to us ?!?”

Azar turned to the young human called Vasili and asked with curiosity in his tone.

“People tried to kill you ?!”.