1 I am the most terrifying, bloodthirsty dragon in the entire Abyssal Rift. To cement my dreadful reputation, I flew down the mountain and kidnapped the fragile princess offered as a sacrifice by the neighboring kingdom. He had skin as pale as milk, lips like crushed berries, and looked like a stiff breeze could blow him over. He spent his days huddled in the corner of my cavern, weeping silently. To prove I was a true monster, I forced him to roast my meat, polish my scales, and even share my bed every single night. Until the day the Lord of the Abyss came knocking at my door. Just as I was packing my bags to run for my life, my delicate princess stepped up and crushed the Lord’s skull with a single bare hand. Wiping the blood from his fingers, he turned to me with a sweet, elegant smile: “Did that scare you, darling?” 2 I am a dragon. My full name is Ignis Augustus Emberheart, Devourer of Realms. But I usually just go by Ember. Though my name is meant to stop crying children in their tracks, I am actually a total weakling. I cannot breathe hellfire to melt castles; I can only manage a tiny spark barely hot enough to roast a sweet potato. My scales are not impenetrable armor. They are soft and brittle, popping off if I scratch them too hard. In this brutal Abyssal Rift where only the strong survive, the only reason I made it to adulthood is because I look absolutely terrifying. I have scales as black as midnight, massive bone wings that cast a shadow over the sun, and slit pupils that glow crimson in the dark. As long as I keep my mouth shut and stay out of fights, I am the most menacing beast in the Rift. But lately, my territory has been threatened. A massive, one-eyed, two-headed dragon moved to the neighboring peak. She calls herself the Lord of the Abyss. She is constantly lurking around my cave, leaving pools of drool in her wake. I have been living in constant fear. If she ever finds out I cannot even conjure a proper fireball, she will eat me alive. To secure my territory, I decided to pull off a daring heist. I was going to fly down the mountain and kidnap a human. Our clan has an unwritten rule: the more humans you kidnap, and the more noble they are, the higher your status. If I brought back a royal princess, that stupid two-headed beast would definitely be scared off by my fierce reputation. 3 I chose a dark, stormy night to fly down to the human capital. Talk about luck. Right there on the sacrificial altar, a prime offering was chained up. It was a bit strange, though I could not quite put my finger on why. I flew closer to inspect. It was a young human male dressed in pristine white robes. Silvery white hair cascaded over his shoulders, and though he had a tall, slender build, he looked incredibly fragile. I landed on the altar, deliberately stomping hard to shake the stone, and let out a deafening roar. The human looked up. I froze. He was breathtakingly beautiful. His skin was whiter than any forest elf I had ever seen. But what really got me were his eyes. His pale gray eyes glistened with unshed tears, the edges of his eyelids flushed a soft pink. He looked like a delicate white rose waiting to be crushed by the storm. Staring up at my massive dragon snout, he did not scream, nor did he struggle. Only a flash of bewilderment crossed his face. I reached out with my claw, scooping him gently into my palm. His waist was so incredibly narrow. I barely dared to squeeze, terrified I might accidentally snap him in half. “You are mine now, human,” I growled in the deep tongue of dragons. “From now on, I will protect you.” He did not understand. He simply tilted his head and began to cough. A violent, racking cough shook his entire frame, leaving a thin trail of crimson at the corner of his lips. Panic flared in my chest. Do not die on me. I need you to show off to the neighbors. I hastily beat my wings and bolted back to my cave. 4 Back in the cave, I tossed him onto a pile of dry straw. To make communication easier, I shifted into my half-human form. Keeping my horns and tail, I put on my best impression of a cold-hearted half-dragon warrior. “Listen closely, human,” I said, looking down at him with a scowl. “From this day forth, you are my slave.” He leaned against the rocky wall, hand clutching his chest, panting softly. “My name is Alistair,” he whispered, casting his eyes downward. He looked so devastatingly fragile. “I am an outcast, sacrificed by the kingdom.” “Great dragon, are you going to eat me?” This human certainly knew how to stroke an ego. I let out a harsh sneer and leaned closer, deliberately baring my sharp fangs. “Eat you? You are nothing but skin and bones. You would not even flunk a tooth.” Tears immediately welled up in his eyes and spilled over. “I am sorry, mighty beast. I will try my best to get fatter.” “Hey, do not cry. Who said anything about eating you?!” Panicking, my tail swept across the floor, scattering dust. I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth, trying to salvage whatever remained of my terrifying facade. But in this half-dragon form, with horns on my head and bone wings on my back, there was not a single gentle bone in my body. “Really? You will not eat me?” His long eyelashes fluttered, still damp with tears. How could a grown man look so utterly endearing? It made keeping up my fierce persona next to impossible. “Hmph. I just think you are too skinny. A mighty beast like me…” I stuttered, my tail twitching. I was used to roaring, not holding long conversations with humans. “Anyway, you are my captive now. You will work for me. Wash my clothes, cook my meals, polish my scales. Got it?” Alistair nodded obediently. “I will do anything to stay by your side, master.” “Back in the kingdom, they never gave me enough to eat, and I had to work day and night. You will let me eat my fill, won’t you, master?” “Of course!” I puffed out my chest proudly. “My cave might be simple, but I am a fearsome black dragon. In this territory, I only take from others. You will not go hungry!” Alistair peered up through his lashes, a soft, glittering light dancing in his pale gray eyes. He pressed his rosy lips together, whispering, “You must keep your promise, master.” “My word is law!” In reality, my heart was hammering like a war drum. What do humans even eat? Usually, I just ripped into whatever prey I caught or grabbed some wild berries. But looking at this snowy, beautiful creature, if I threw a bloody, dirt-covered chunk of raw meat at his feet, he would probably faint on the spot. I scratched my head in frustration. My horns swayed with the movement, and my wings tucked close to my back in embarrassment. Alistair watched me with that same soft, gentle gaze, hands resting neatly on his knees. Well, he was too pretty to starve. With a sigh, I walked to the darkest corner of the cave, rummaged through the debris, and dragged out a coarse burlap sack. It was a bag of sweet potatoes I had swiped from a human farm near the border. I had kept them as snacks. “What is that, master?” Alistair asked, tilting his head. His silver hair slid gracefully over his shoulder. “A tribute from the humans,” I lied smoothly. I dug a small pit in the dirt with my claws and dropped a few potatoes in. Taking a deep breath, I leaned over the pit, my face flushing red as I strained my throat to produce a tiny, flickering orange flame. A weak spark lazily licked at the dirt. To keep it from dying out, I had to stay hunched over, blowing gently on the embers. It was a humiliating posture for a fearsome dragon of the Abyss. “Your control over the flame is exquisite, master,” Alistair praised from behind. The tip of my tail twitched happily. “Indeed. I am a master of precise temperature control. Lesser dragons would simply burn the food to ash.” I boasted, though I was actually starting to feel lightheaded from a lack of oxygen. Alistair rested his chin in his hands, crouching beside me. The faint glow of the fire reflected in his bright eyes. I felt a swell of pride. I had picked a truly excellent captive. 5 Then came the next hurdle: sleeping. My cave was piled with gold coins and sparkling gems. For a thick-skinned dragon, rolling around in gold was paradise. But if this delicate human slept on those hard coins, he would be covered in bruises by morning. Where was the softest spot? I looked down at my own belly. Whatever. I kidnapped him; I had to take responsibility. “Hey. You sleep here. My belly is warm and soft,” I said, putting on my coldest, most commanding tone while pointing to my stomach. Alistair clutched his chest, slowly turning his head. “Is… is that really alright, master?” “Stop complaining. I told you to lie down, so lie down. One more word and I will throw you to the two-headed beast outside.” Without another word, Alistair crawled over and settled against my stomach. My body went rigid. I had not expected him to cuddle so close. Before I could speak, Alistair murmured, “I have always been sensitive to the cold. The people in the palace despised me because of my frail health.” “They locked me away in the draftiest tower, refusing to even light a hearth.” He coughed again, his breath shallow. “Only you… only you cared if I was cold. You even let me use your belly as a pillow.” “You are so kind, master.” I thought he was incredibly foolish. Who calls an Abyssal dragon kind? But in the end, I did not push him away. If he wanted to snuggle, let him. 6 To keep up my terrifying reputation, I made Alistair roast meat and clean my scales. I expected these chores to make a delicate princess weep and beg for mercy. But he did not complain. Instead, I was the one who felt increasingly uneasy. For instance, whenever he polished my scales, his gaze was incredibly intense, almost as if he wanted to take a bite out of me. And he certainly did not cry while working. “Achoo!” Alistair sneezed again, his eyes red as he looked at me pleadingly. “Master…” I flicked my tail in irritation. “Not today.” Yesterday he had nipped the tip of my tail. Heaven knew what he would try to bite today. “But master, the cave is freezing.” Because of his fever, his eyes were reder than usual, his nose tipped with a soft pink, and his voice was thick. Liar. Absolute liar. I pressed my wings tight against my back and wrapped my tail around myself, watching him warily. The old lizard on the hill once told me that humans feel cold when they have a fever. But the way he stared at my tail, with a hungry, burning intensity, felt like it could melt my scales right off. “If you are cold, use more straw. Didn’t I gather three whole bundles for you?” “The straw is scratchy. And it does not smell like you.” Alistair slowly crawled closer. Rain began to fall outside, sending chilly drafts through the cracks in the stone. Alistair shivered, curling into a small, white heap. As if his body could no longer support his weight, he sank to his knees, gasping for air. My tail swept against the ground. Humans were ridiculously fragile creatures. If he froze to death in my cave, the beasts outside would spread rumors that Ember the Black Dragon could not even keep a single human alive. My reputation would be ruined. “Stay right there,” I growled. Alistair froze, looking up at me with tearful eyes. A single tear slid down his pale cheek. I let out an annoyed huff. Spreading one of my massive black wings, I swept him under my shadow, completely sheltering his shivering body. Like a moth drawn to a flame, Alistair immediately clung to me. His hands were burning hot against my chest. Every muscle in my body tensed. “Keep your hands to yourself! Touch me again and I will throw you to the flesh-eating plants!” “Your chest… is so warm,” Alistair murmured, pressing closer. 7 I kept my eyes open, unable to sleep. I was thinking of someone. Someone who had filled me with regret for twenty-five long years. Twenty-five years ago, when I was just a young dragon who had newly learned to shift into human form, I was much smaller than I am now. At the edge of a cliff, I found a tiny human baby in a wooden basket. I watched the basket for days, but no human ever came to claim it. Only vultures circled overhead. So, I brought the baby back. Back then, I could barely hunt for myself, let alone feed a human child. Every night, I had to sneak down to steal fresh goat’s milk from the farmers, sometimes getting chased for miles by their hounds. But spoonful by spoonful, I raised that child. Until they turned three. The child had insisted on playing on the slopes outside the cave and went missing. I searched every inch of the Abyssal woods, only to find a single, blood-stained shoe in a thorny ravine. As the night faded, the figure in my arms shifted. Alistair let out a soft murmur, rubbing his forehead against my collarbone. Dawn had broken, and the rain had quieted to a drizzle. “You’re awake. Now get off me.” “My belly is not your mattress. The sun is up, get to work!” Alistair pushed himself up, his eyes meeting mine. “I slept so deeply. I hope I did not hurt you, master?” “Do not flatter yourself. You weigh almost nothing.” He stared at my chest. “Master, I’m hungry…” “Eat the leftover sweet potatoes,” I replied coldly. Alistair looked at me with puppy-dog eyes. “Master, you are so powerful. Do you think you could find some fresh goat’s milk? I’ve always been weak, and milk might help me gain some weight. Then I’d have more strength to serve you.” Hearing the words goat’s milk, my tail went rigid. “Do you think I’m a merchant running a delivery service?!” “Where would I find goat’s milk in the Abyss? There’s only poisonous plant sap. Take it or leave it!” Alistair lowered his head. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.” Seeing him look so defeated only made me more irritated. “Fine, fine! Shut up. I’ll go down the mountain tonight. If I run into a wild goat, I’ll bring some back. But don’t get any ideas! I’m only doing it because I want a change of pace!” Alistair looked up, a faint smile gracing his lips. “Thank you, master. I will wash myself clean and wait for your return.” I frowned. What a bizarre thing to say. I was not going to eat him. Why did he need to wash?
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