Damn it all.
I am Oridrakar—the Crown Prince of the Eastern Sea, once heir to the throne of the Dragon King. I ruled the vast ocean by my father's command, and the waves themselves bowed to my name. And now… look at me. Skulking through mortal lands like a fugitive. Hiding. Waiting.
All because of him.
Praedrakar.
My brother. My usurper. He coveted what was mine and dared to reach for it. I, the rightful heir, responded as I should—with fire and wrath. I declared his rebellion a crime against the throne and moved to extinguish it.
But Father… no, he—he did not see a traitor in my brother's eyes. Only ambition. And in mine? Only disobedience. Rage. Threat.
He stripped me of my power.
More than half my divine essence—gone in an instant. With a single decree, I was unmade. No longer a dragon in full, I became something lesser. A shadow. A wretch. A demi-dragon.
He told me to forget Praedrakar. That the matter was over. But my brother did not forget. In secret, he sent assassins—wave after wave of them—silent blades in the dark. I slew them all. Again and again. But the blood never stopped flowing.
The sea, once my kingdom, had turned against me.
I had no choice. I fled to land. To Gayas. Close enough to the sea.
Of all its Gayas, I chose Samul Gaya—the weakest, the most corrupt. A decaying realm, so brittle it could barely stand beneath its own crown. Perfect.
And yet… I needed a vessel.
Not just any body. A worthy one. A frame that could contain what remained of my power and still walk among men as their sovereign. I searched, and found only mediocrity. Until I saw her.
She stepped off the ship like moonlight crossing dark waters. Princess Somi—clever, kind, beloved. A leader in the making, even in this failing land. She was everything the others were not.
Perfect.
I forged the necklace myself—four shards of my own bone, spat from my core and bound by magic. Black coral, deep-sea jade, fused with power no human could hope to understand. As a Baekje envoy, I presented it to her with a smile and a bow.
She wore it gladly.
And then… she began to fade.
It was only a matter of time. When she collapsed, I acted again—donning a new guise, that of a royal priest. I whispered of a cure. Of salvation waiting at the royal shrine of Sona Vein. They brought her here, just as I planned.
Now, I wait in the shadow of this cave, the sacred heart of Mount Sona.
Her soul is fraying.
Her body will soon be mine.
Pray, you fools. Weep, you little maids. It matters not. You cannot stop me. I have poured half of my remaining power into this ritual, and the hour is close.
Soon, I will walk again—not as a fugitive, not as a shadow, but reborn. She will be my vessel. Samul Gaya will be the cornerstone of my future.
And then…
That young swordsman appeared.
Damn him.
How dare he interfere.
The demi-dragon, trying to hide the fact that it had already lost more than half of its power, threatened Goi even more menacingly. However, as the soft sound of the bronze bells echoed with the wind, Goi smirked, sensing the dragon's fear.
"You fool, stop pretending and come at me!" he taunted, beckoning with his hand.
The demi-dragon, furious, unleashed a magical attack on Goi, who deftly avoided the onslaught and closed in, slashing the creature's side with his steel blade.
Startled, Oridrakar recoiled, inspecting its unscathed flank.
Regaining its composure, it sneered, "A mere human's strike can't harm me."
But as it turned back to Goi, it saw the bronze gladius now drawn.
"What?" it gasped.
The bronze bell chimed again, soft but urgent. Goi rolled his eyes with a sigh.
"Alright, alright—bronze gladius it is. Time to shut this overgrown gecko up."
Recognizing the luck amidst the dangers, Oridrakar muttered, "A high-level madman, indeed," before launching a final, desperate attack.
Suddenly, a golden light flashed, and Oridrakar felt its power drain. It turned to find Goi beside it, the spectators at the window revealing his swift movement.
"Did you hex Dongjin?" Goi demanded.
Oridrakar sneered, "Who's Dongjin? That name means nothing to me."
Oridrakar launched another assault, channeling its remaining power into an attack.
Its left forepaw extended toward Goi, but the true aim was revealed as its right forepaw unleashed a blast of magic toward the princess.
Goi, noticing the deceit, dashed forward and, with a swift motion, deflected the attack with his bronze gladius, shielding the princess from harm.
In a final, desperate move, the demi-dragon vanished in a cloud of smoke, leaving only the scent of burnt air.