Below, on the ground, life went on as before, completely oblivious to the great duel that had just taken place.
The strange sound that had shattered the night’s calm grew more and more distant until it finally ceased altogether.
Everything had apparently gone back to normal.
But the dragon wasn’t the only one awake at this hour.
An unusual group walked along the old country road heading toward a nearby village.
Two bearded men, both armed with spears, were escorting a young man in chains between them.
While he was bound, his eyes shone with rage as he struggled every step of the way.
“Are you really going to turn me in?” he shouted.
“It was just an apple!
One lousy apple!
Don’t you know what it’s like to go hungry?
Don’t you know what it’s like to have a family counting on you?”
One of the bearded men let out a mocking laugh.
He was an old man with a beard as gray as ash who was wearing a patched robe of the same color.
“Save your breath, kid,” he grunted.
“At this point, you’re not convincing anyone.
Do you honestly think we’d pass up the bounty on your head?”
The young man clenched his teeth in fury.
From the little he’d seen of his captors, he could tell there was no reasoning with them when money was involved.
Their long beards and sharp features clearly showed they were Enutrof, a race legendary for their greed and stubbornness.
Though both bounty hunters shared the same race, they couldn’t have looked more different.
The second Enutrof was young and burly, and had stayed silent for most of the journey.
His brown beard was neatly kept, and his arms were thick as trunks.
When he finally spoke, he looked at the thief with sadness.
“You’ve got your whole life ahead of you.” His tone shifted to something almost fatherly.
“And it’s a shame you’re wasting it like this.
But actions have consequences, young man.
Sooner or later, we all have to face them.”
The thief raised his head and stared at him with restrained fury.
“Consequences?” he spat.
“If I don’t steal, my family won’t survive this winter.
You think someone steals from the most powerful landlord here just for fun?
I did it because I had no other choice!
It was that or death!”
The gray-bearded man laughed bitterly.
“Yeah, yeah…
always the same stories.
‘I had no other choice,’ ‘it was for my children,’ ‘it was for my sick grandmother’…” He clicked his tongue.
“You know what?
Nobody’s buying it anymore.
And besides…”
He looked him up and down with contempt.
“With a face like that, I doubt any woman would want to marry you.”
That was the last straw.
The young man, blinded by rage, lunged at him and tried to sink his teeth in.
But the other Enutrof stopped him effortlessly, gripping him firmly by the shoulders.
The thief struggled for a while before finally giving in to exhaustion.
“I owe you one, Alibert,” said the old man, stepping back with an amused expression.
“You just saved me a trip to the healer.”
“Ruel, you didn’t have to provoke him.” His voice was low and flat.
“Whether we like it or not, this young man’s been through a lot of hardship to end up like this.
The last thing he needs is your tasteless jokes.”
“Easy there, friend,” Ruel replied, raising his hands.
“I didn’t mean to offend.
I’m just trying to…
lighten the walk.”
Before the two Enutrofs could continue, a shrill cry pierced the silence, startling them both.
“I won’t let you take my daddy!”
They whipped around.
Before them, in the middle of the road, stood a thin girl in ragged, dirty clothes.
She was gripping a kitchen knife in both hands, its blade trembling with her rapid breathing.
Her face, streaked with dirt and tears, was overflowing with anger and desperation.
The prisoner recognized her instantly.
His eyes, dulled by resignation until now, ignited with raw emotion.
“Elia…
What are you doing here?” he stammered.
“You should be at home.
Don’t worry about me.
I’ll figure it out…
I’ll come back, I promise.”
But the girl didn’t move.
She stared at the two Enutrofs with fury and raised her voice with a bravery that defied her size.
“Daddy isn’t evil!
He was hungry, and there was nothing left to eat!
If you want to take him, you’ll have to go through me!”
Ruel, spear still in hand, took a step toward her.
“Stay out of this, girl.
Listen to your father and go home.”
When he moved to push past her, Alibert caught his arm.
His grip was firm and full of resolve.
“Ruel…” he said, his voice low but heavy.
“There are bounties that aren’t worth taking.”
“Not this again?” the old man snapped.
“You always cave in at the first sob story.
I’m starting to think you’re in the wrong line of work, friend.
But if that’s your call…
I won’t stand in the way.”
Ruel lowered his spear.
His face showed weariness more than anger.
With quiet resolve, Alibert loosened the prisoner’s shackles and freed him.
The man, confused at first, stumbled forward and ran straight to his daughter.
He wrapped her in a fierce embrace, a love no prison could ever contain.
Alibert just watched in silence, granting them a happy moment together.
When the embrace ended, he spoke in a calm, fatherly voice.
“I’ve decided you deserve a second chance.
But let this be a warning.
Other bounty hunters won’t be so forgiving.
You’re a good man who’s been dealt a bad hand.
Treasure the time with your daughter, and may the gods bless you.”
“Thank you…
thank you, truly.
You don’t know what this means to me.
I swear on my daughter’s life, I’ll never steal again,” the man replied.
With that, he lifted little Elia into his arms, and together they walked down the road, fading slowly into the night.
Alibert followed them with his gaze and tears slid down his cheeks before he even noticed.
As he wiped them with the back of his hand, he felt a deep weight in his heart.
“Listen…” he turned towards Ruel.
“I don’t know if I can keep living like this.
We’ve got money, fame…
but jobs like this make me feel sick.”
“Bah, don’t be so dramatic,” Ruel replied.
“It was just a mission that didn’t go as we expected.
Come on, let’s hit the tavern.
A couple of drinks, and you’ll forget all about it.”
Alibert just shook his head, unconvinced by his friend’s words.
What he felt ran much deeper.
“I need to think, Ruel.
This has made me reconsider a lot of things.
You go ahead, enjoy your ale.
We’ll meet again when I figure out what to do.”
Ruel sighed.
When his partner got like this, there was no changing his mind.
“If that’s what you want, so be it.
It’s not my place to stop you.
Only the Enutrof God himself can do that,” he said with a tired smile.
Ruel gave him a strong hug and headed off toward the village, leaving Alibert alone on this winter night.
The Enutrof gazed up at the starlit sky.
Inside, he had nothing but doubt.
He’d never been a particularly religious man, but tonight he clasped his hands and murmured a silent prayer toward the heavens.
For the first time in a long while, the road ahead seemed uncharted.
“I can’t keep living a bounty hunter’s life…” Alibert whispered, his eyes fixed on the starry sky.
“I can’t accept more money stained with blood and suffering.
But what do I do now?
What path could possibly be right for me?
Oh, great god Enutrof, I beg you…
show me a sign.
Guide me, just this once.”
The silence that followed was so profound that only the night wind dared to break it, brushing through the trees and whistling between the branches like an ancient melody.
Alibert stood still, hands clasped in prayer, waiting for some answer from the sky or his own conscience.
Then, a streak of light flooded the heavens.
A shooting star blazed across the sky and plummeted toward the horizon.
Alibert held his breath, awestruck.
It seemed his god had decided to give him an answer.
A moment later, the star crashed into the nearby earth with a deafening blast that lighted up the night.
Without thinking, Alibert sprinted toward the impact site, driven by instinct, curiosity, and something deeper he couldn’t name.
He found a smoking crater among the trees.
Though he’d heard stories about falling stars, he’d never imagined he’d witness one with his own eyes.
As he approached, he noticed something stranger still.
He wasn’t alone.
In the center of the crater lay a person who resembled an old man with dark skin and white hair.
His body was covered in wounds, and he was curled up at the bottom of the crater.
Alibert approached cautiously, his heart pounding like a drum.
“Are you alright, sir?” he asked, leaning down with genuine concern.
“There’s a village nearby.
I can take you to the local healer…
I’m sure she can help.”
The stranger watched him with ancient and empty eyes.
For a second he tensed, preparing for the worst.
But when he gazed into Alibert’s heart, he saw it was full of light.
That was enough to make him lower his guard.
“Thank you…” he gasped “but that won’t be necessary.”
At that moment, a sharp wail pierced the air.
Alibert noticed the man was carrying a small baby wrapped in blue cloth.
“Oh, no…” Alibert murmured tenderly.
“Don’t cry, little one.”
He reached out a gentle hand.
The old man initially hesitated, but something in this stranger made him feel enough trust to let him approach.
Alibert brushed the baby’s cheek with his fingertips and, as if his warmth alone were enough, the child stopped crying.
The stranger smiled.
The tension left his body completely, replaced by a feeling of inner peace.
His senses hadn’t lied.
This man’s soul was one of the purest he had ever seen.
“Let me help you,” Alibert said firmly, taking the baby into his arms.
“We can’t let a child this small spend the night out in this cold.
Come on, let’s go to the village.”
As he settled the infant, he noticed the baby’s pale skin was completely different to the old man’s pitch-black appearance.
Curiosity got the better of him and a question slipped out.
“Is he…
yours?
This child?”
The man slowly shook his head.
“Not exactly,” he answered gravely.
“I’m protecting him.”
He looked up at the night sky, now covered in dark clouds.
His expression turned grim.
He could feel his enemy drawing closer.
“Protecting him?” Alibert repeated.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s better if you see for yourself.”
The stranger raised a hand and placed it gently on Alibert’s forehead.
The instant they made contact, a torrent of visions flooded the Enutrof’s mind.
Impossible images flashed before his eyes like lightning.
A devastated world, dragons flying across the sky, an iron monster with eyes red as blood.
And, among it all…
the child.
A spark of hope in the midst of chaos.
Alibert stumbled back, stunned.
It took him several seconds to catch his breath.
When he could finally speak, his voice was barely a whisper.
“What…
what is this child?”
Grougaloragran watched him gravely.
He knew he’d given him more questions than answers, but there was no time for the full truth.
The fate of the entire world now rested in this man’s hands.
“That’s…
too much to take in,” Alibert stammered, still dazed.
“The only thing you need to understand,” the stranger replied, “is that this child must live.
No matter what.
He is the last hope for all of us.”
Alibert shook his head, trying to find some sense in all this madness.
“Wait, wait…
None of this makes any sense.
One minute I’m praying, and now a man who fell from the sky is telling me the fate of the world depends on a baby.
Why me?
I don’t even know who you are.”
Grougaloragran fixed him with a hard stare.
“Because there is no one else.
And because time is running out.”
Alibert nodded slowly, unable to find words that could match the enormity of what he’d witnessed.
Grougaloragran looked up to the stars, sensing danger drawing near.
Alibert noticed the unease.
“Is something happening?” he asked quietly.
“The dark forces pursuing me are closing in.
You don’t have time.
You must leave before it’s too late,” Grougaloragran said, his voice tinged with alarm.
“And the child?” Alibert pressed, looking down at the baby now sleeping in his arms.
The old man pressed a hand to his chest, fighting the exhaustion consuming him.
The earlier battle had left him with deep wounds, and he knew he couldn’t endure another confrontation.
A strange whimper broke the silence.
This time it came from a small, white-scaled reptile emerging from the folds of the old man’s thick robes.
Though Alibert couldn’t identify it, he could see that Grougaloragran protected it with the same intensity as the child.
“It was no coincidence that our paths crossed tonight,” the elder said solemnly.
“Our meeting tonight was no accident.
Care for this child.
Love him.
Protect him from the evil that’s coming.
Be the father he needs…
the father he deserves.”
“Me?” Alibert faltered.
“I’m not worthy of a task like that.
A father?
I’m just a bounty hunter…”
“I wouldn’t have chosen you if you weren’t,” the elder declared with a certainty that brooked no argument.
“A day will come when his power awakens, and on that day the world will change.
When it does, you must take him to Oma Island.
There he’ll find the truth about his past…
and the legacy of his true family.
That is the mission fate has entrusted to you.”
Before Alibert could respond, the stranger vanished in a cloud of blue smoke.
The Enutrof looked up just in time to see a majestic silhouette take flight into the night sky.
A dragon.
One of the last of its kind.
Silence returned to the clearing.
Alibert lowered his gaze.
In his arms, the child opened his eyes for the first time since he’d taken him.
They were a deep blue like the sky itself.
They looked at him with curiosity…
and trust.
“So you heard my plea, great god Enutrof,” Alibert whispered.
“Now I know what I must do.”
He knelt beside the crater.
Though his body still shook, his heart had never been so steady.
“I swear on my life.
I will not fail you.”
He still had far too many unanswered questions, but for the first time in a long while, the emptiness inside him had been filled.
As he held the child against his chest, he remembered a name he’d heard again and again within the visions.
A name he must remember and protect.
Yugo.