The sun hung lazily in the late afternoon sky, its fading warmth glinting off the glass windows of a quiet apartment complex.
Inside one of those rooms lived a man named Kaito, thirty-two years old, an ordinary government employee whose life was as simple and steady as the ticking of his wall clock.
He wasn't rich, nor famous—just a polite man who followed the rules, kept his shoes lined by the door, and made sure his tie was always straight.
He lived with his wife, Bianca, and their little girl, Karla, who had just turned seven. To the neighbors, they looked like the perfect family. Laughter filled the small home every morning; Bianca's cooking smelled of home and warmth; Karla's giggles were his favorite sound in the world.
For years, Kaito believed he was happy.
Until little by little… cracks began to form.
---
It started subtly.
Bianca stopped greeting him when he came home from work. Her phone buzzed often with messages she didn't explain. Karla, once eager to run into his arms, started avoiding him—answering with short words and nervous eyes.
He told himself, Maybe she's just growing up. Maybe Bianca's just tired.
But deep down, Kaito felt something was wrong. Something that made the air in the apartment heavy… cold.
One afternoon, while walking home from work, Kaito spotted a familiar figure near the convenience store.
Karla?
There she was—his daughter—cheerfully buying ice cream from a stall. His tired face softened. He decided to surprise her.
But before he could call her name, a man's voice echoed from across the street.
"Karla, come here."
Karla turned, smiling brightly.
"Okay, Father!"
Father?
The word stabbed straight through Kaito's chest like a spear.
And then… he saw Bianca, standing beside that man, smiling as if she had never known him. Her hand rested gently on the stranger's arm—the kind of touch that once belonged to Kaito alone.
He froze.
The ice cream in Karla's hands melted faster than the world could make sense.
He turned away quietly and walked home, pretending he hadn't seen anything.
But from that day on, the world he knew began to collapse.
The days that followed were filled with silence and pretending.
Kaito avoided confrontation, though the truth weighed heavier with every heartbeat. Until one night, it all broke apart.
Bianca's voice pierced through the apartment walls like lightning.
"Stop pretending like you don't know what's wrong!"
Kaito's fists trembled. His voice cracked as he shouted back,
"You're the one cheating on me! Just answer me—is Karla even my real daughter?!"
The silence that followed was worse than any scream.
Bianca's eyes widened, then narrowed with fury.
"What kind of question is that? Of course she's your daughter!"
"Then what about that man?!" Kaito's voice shook. "I saw you and Karla with him! She called him father!"
Her lips twisted into a cruel smile.
"...Fine. You want the truth? She's not your daughter."
The words shattered him.
Bianca continued, each word cutting deeper.
> "And that man? He's rich, handsome, successful. Not like you—pathetic and worthless. You think anyone loves you because you're nice? Even your parents abandoned you because you're a failure!"
"Stop…" Kaito whispered, but she didn't.
"You're ugly, weak, and no one wants a man like you!"
He clenched his fists. Every muscle in his body screamed to lash out—but deep down, he couldn't.
He still loved her. Even after everything.
Bianca scoffed, grabbed Karla by the hand, and left. The sound of the door slamming echoed through the empty apartment like a final judgment.
Days turned into weeks.
Kaito kept working, trying to forget, but fate wasn't done tormenting him.
He was suddenly fired from his government job. They said money had gone missing from the company account—and somehow, the stolen cash was found inside his desk drawer.
No one believed him. His reputation, his career, his dignity—everything was gone.
Desperate to survive, he took a labor job at a construction site, carrying heavy steel under the hot sun.
Then one morning, a letter arrived.
"Kaito, you still have responsibilities. Karla needs child support. If you don't pay, you'll go to jail. –Bianca"
He crumpled the paper with trembling hands. Even now, she won't let me live in peace…
But he didn't have a choice. He worked harder than ever, even when his body screamed for rest.
Rain, sun, or fever—he didn't stop.
Until one night, he collapsed.
Blood dripped from his lips as he lay on the cold floor of his tiny room. His vision blurred, his lungs burned, and every breath felt like dragging glass through his throat.
"This world…" he rasped. "It's cruel. They betray the kind. They mock the weak…"
He clenched his fists weakly, tears mixing with the blood on his chin.
"Why? I've been nothing but kind… Why does it always end like this?"
The light in his eyes began to fade.
"If I had another chance… I'd destroy them all. I'd stop being weak…"
The room filled with silence.
Then, as his heartbeat slowed, a faint golden light surrounded him.
"Heh… I guess… this is heaven…"
Those were his last words before his eyes closed for the final time.
When he next opened them, he saw nothing.
Only darkness.
"...Where am I?" he whispered. "Is this… heaven? Why is it so dark?
He tried to move—but his arms felt strange. Heavy.
Why do my hands feel… different?
Cracks echoed through the darkness.
Then—light.
A blinding beam of golden light pierced through a small crack in front of him.
Instinctively, he pushed. Harder.
Crack. Crack. CRACK!
A shell broke apart around him.
Fresh air filled his lungs for the first time. His eyes adjusted—and he froze.
He was sitting inside a massive cave filled with shimmering crystals of every color imaginable. The walls glowed faintly, reflecting his small, oddly shaped body.
And then… a giant shadow loomed over him.
Two enormous green eyes stared down at him kindly, their glow reflecting off shining blue-and-red scales.
"Oh my, you're awake already? How adorable."
Kaito's mind went blank.
A DRAGON?!
A massive dragon, majestic and terrifying, smiled down at him as if looking at her newborn child.
"I shall name you… Ragno."
What?! She just named me?!
Before he could process, his tiny legs stumbled forward, slipping on pieces of eggshell. He tumbled right in front of the dragon's claws.
"Be careful, little one," the dragon chuckled, her voice deep yet gentle. "You might hurt yourself."
Kaito blinked in confusion, glancing around—until he saw the broken eggshell scattered around him.
His reflection on a crystal caught his eye.
Sharp claws. Tiny wings. Scales that gleamed faintly red and silver.
And when he opened his mouth—small wisps of smoke came out.
"Wha—whaaaaat?! I'm a—A DRAGON?!"
His voice squeaked awkwardly. His small tail thumped against the ground.
Overwhelmed, Kaito's eyes rolled back, and he fainted.
The dragon chuckled softly, her long tail curling protectively around him.
"Poor thing. I guess it's too much for one day…"
When Kaito woke again, he was lying on something soft—moss, maybe? The cave ceiling sparkled above him.
He rubbed his eyes—or tried to.
Wait. He didn't have hands anymore. Just claws.
"Huh…? Oh no. Please tell me this is a dream…"
He laughed nervously.
"Haha… yeah, right, Kaito. You just dreamed you were a dragon. Totally normal dream…"
He stood up—on four legs.
"Wait—FOUR LEGS?!"
His claws scratched against the stone. His tail swished behind him uncontrollably, nearly tripping him. He froze as he noticed a giant dragon sleeping nearby—the same one from before.
Okay, Kaito… just back away slowly. Maybe she won't notice you. Slowly… quietly…
He tiptoed backward—well, as much as a baby dragon could tiptoe—until his back foot stepped on something.
Crack!
A twig snapped.
The huge dragon's emerald eyes opened instantly.
"Oh, you're awake, little one."
Kaito's heart almost stopped. She's awake. She's awake she's awake she's awake—!
"I am your mother," she said with a warm smile. "My name is Ruby. You and I are Eastern Dragons—descendants of fire and water. Our kind can control both flame and the flow of rivers."
Kaito froze. His brain was lagging behind her words.
Mother? Fire? Water? Eastern dragon?!
"U-um… okay, Miss Dragon," he stammered awkwardly.
Ruby blinked, then laughed—a deep, echoing laugh that filled the entire cave.
"Miss Dragon? Hahaha! You're quite the polite hatchling. You can call me Mother, since I gave birth to you."
Kaito blinked.
She… gave birth to me? Wait. So… that means… I literally reincarnated as her son?!
He sighed, still dazed.
"O-Okay… Mother."
Ruby's tail gently brushed his back as she smiled proudly.
"That's better. Now, my little Ragno, rest for a while. Your journey as a dragon has just begun."
Kaito looked down at his claws again. His mind was spinning.
He wanted revenge, power, freedom… and somehow, fate had answered.
Not as a man—but as a dragon.
He glanced up at the glittering crystals on the cave walls. Their light shimmered on his scales, making them look almost alive.
> "A second chance, huh…" he muttered softly. "Not bad. Not human, but… maybe this time, I won't be weak."
Ruby chuckled beside him.
> "You're already strong, little one. You just don't know it yet."
As she closed her eyes again, Kaito lay beside her—his mind racing with both fear and excitement.
He was no longer Kaito, the weak and forgotten human.
He was Ragno, son of Ruby.
A young dragon of fire and water.
And though he didn't know it yet, this strange new world would soon tremble beneath his wings.