Oken Rebirth: Tales of An Unknown World

CHAPTER 3: PUZZLE SOLVING

A serpent?

Wait, no.

Is that, a dragon?

"You-, you are a dragon!" I take a couple of steps back. "Are you a dragon?"

"I see, so you are not as foolish as you led on." The dragon says, only this time it speaks with the same calm voice it used before I angered it with my questions, though it doesn't move its mouth when it speaks, it just opens it and words come out.

A dragon? But dragons don't exist, well they aren't supposed to exist since they were all wiped out by Razul hundreds of years ago.

[Razul - Warlock warlord]

[SIDE NOTE]
Razul's Conquest: Centuries ago, Warlock armies made up of millions trampled over the seven dragon temples with the help of the fallen better know demons as they associated with the dark race after the great fall. Other malevolent creations joined and helped Razul in slaughtering the seven guardian dragons of Oken and leaving behind a world that let evil roam the surface and do as it pleases.

He not only slaughtered the seven guardian dragons, but he aimed to eradicate the entire race for reasons unknown to man. Some say the dragons are still alive somewhere in one of the seven Oken realms, but there hasn't been any sighting or mention of dragons in years, these days you only hear about them in folktales or read about them in ancient scripts documenting their existence.
[End of side note]

-

Weren't they all slaughtered a long time ago? I mean the last sighting of any dragon was about three hundred and something years ago, but somehow there is a dragon right in front of me. How is this even poss-?

"Are you done?" The dragon inquires, cutting me off mid-thought. "Huh? Wait, you can-?"

"Read your thoughts? Yes, I am a dragon after all." He answers my question before I even get to ask it and the way he answers, it's as if it is common knowledge that dragons can read people's minds.

Okay? "So, you are not the goddess of death then?" I ask.

"No, I am not! First, I am no ingalia and second, you will be wise to never mention her or any of their names around me. Understood?"

[Ingalia means woman in a lost Oken tongue and the male version of ingalia is inga meaning man]

I hesitate. "Understood?" the dragon shouts. "Yes-, yes. I understand."

"Good."

A moment passes before I get the courage to ask another question. "How are you still alive? Aren't all dragons supposed to be, you know, dead?" The dragon starts swaying towards me, but it's more like swimming since we're in water, but there are two kinds of water with the lake he is hovering over. It's confusing.

Slowly, he swims and answers my question. "Maybe."

Well that's a weak response. I think.

"But unlike like most dragons, I cannot die." The dragon continues. "What do you mean you cannot-?" Before I finish my question, I get cut off, again.

"That is all you need to know for now mortal." He says turning his attention elsewhere before looking back at me. "A wraith approaches and the only reason it has not collected your soul is because of me."

"A wraith? As in the reaper of souls? O-, okay." My hands start shaking. A little late for that don't you think? "What happens now, are you going to judge me before this wraith gets here or are you going to-?"

"No." the dragon lets out what I think is a sigh. "I sometimes forget that mortals can be so foolish sometimes. The role of judging one's soul does not fall to me, I am only here to offer you a choice."