Chapter 1

The endless, dense, heartbreaking abyss surrounded me. Only one light I could muster, and that was the one of hope.

Time passed as it always did and always will. It looked like a prison to me. Wings that couldn't fly, eyes that couldn't see, why am I even conscious?

The time between my last battle and that moment was unclear. My thoughts wandered, trying to remember the green and the blue, the warmth of the sun. They were all gone.

How did the humans level up? How did they defeat the dragons? It's not fair, not fair.

Thousand of years have gone through my eyes, thousands of battles, and who would think that my last one would be against the weaklings. And surprisingly, I lost.

One day, everything changed. Something peeked at my ears, calling me. Of course, I answered.

Enduring who knows how many years inside that darkness, I couldn't take it anymore. Even a mighty dragon needs a rest sometimes.

And then a very well-known sound echoed, Oh, my blood boiled. It was a sound that never left my memory — I created that language.

"Look, Veric! I think you finally managed to evoke your familiar."

"Familiar, what the hell are they saying? Me? A familiar? My ass."

An unfamiliar place entered my view. It looked like a boy's room— don't judge me, I wasn't sure at that time, because, well, I'm a dragon, why should I know these things?

The room had wooden walls and didn't look big, quite rudimentary, I would say. It only had a desk full of books, a chair, and a small bed made only for one person.

Veric, this was the name of the first human face that entered my sight in a long time. He looked young— a teen, I think they called them that way.

"Veric, Veric, It's a Salamandra," the one who said that was Veric's sister, Veronica— humans' creativity for names was ridiculous.

"A Salamandra? I may have heard it wrong. All those years inside the abyss messed with me."

That was what I thought at that time, and I was a Salamandra, after all— Well, not quite. You'll soon understand.

"Yes, it does indeed look like a Salamandra Veronica, but I never saw one white."

"Of course, you dumbass, I'm a mighty dragon, a D-R-A-G-O-N."

My mouth moved, but no sound came out. I had lost my ability to speak.

"Look, Veric, doesn't it look like it's trying to speak? What a cutie."

"How should we name it?" Veronica said that, and the first thing I thought was, "I already have a name, you bird head."

"Well, after some time connected to it, I'll feel its name."

The hatred for humankind for what they did to me and all of my fellow dragons was gigantic. But Veric and Veronica? They were kids; I couldn't hate them, at least not for no reason. And the fact that Veric was concerned for my feelings made me think higher of them.

"You're right, Veric. But now you can enter a magic school, which means I'll be alone," she looked sad after saying that, leaving your family is never easy, but you'll need to if you ever want to grow up.

"Don't worry, Veronica, soon you'll also evoke your familiar, and we can be together again," he hugged her and then looked back towards me.

A connection erupted within me. Veric was trying to send me a command at that time; it didn't work.

It was not Veric who was too weak, no. I was a mighty Dragon, not a backyard Salamandra.

Something caught my attention at that time, strange words dancing through the wind, telling me something.

Name: Seth

Level: 0

Race: Dragon

Current form: Salamandra

Final form: Unknown

Abilities: Blocked

"What is this? Can this be the leveling system the humans used to defeat me?"

The system didn't tell me much, but it gave me hope of overcoming my shame and the ways to rebirth and shake the world again as a mighty dragon. And that was marvelous.

Days passed slowly. The connection between Veric and I grew, but not in a magical way. His personality was rather good for a human; perhaps they did change over the years, but rottenness will always be present.

The sun's warmth made my white scales shine, and a large rock turned into my bed, as Veric attempts of magic turned into a show of horrors.

My race created what the humans called magic, but humans were at least good at it at my time, but seeing Veric, what the hell happened to this world?

Seeing the lack of human talent made me wonder, how long did the abyss consume me?

The fireball Veric attempted to create looked like an ember— and no joke, I could make that farting.

Why was I even alive? Was it all because of Veric? These things entered my mind, and a desire to grow stronger erupted.

My family died, and these siblings didn't have a family either. Did destiny merge us? Or was it only a coincidence?

The answer was unclear to me at that time, but they always felt like family to me.

My race created the magic, so Veric lack of talent would not matter; because he had me by his side.

"I think many years had passed. Are the ones who destroyed my race even alive? I hope they are because I will crush them. If they aren't, it doesn't matter. I'll make sure their family vanishes from this world."

A carriage arrived after a couple of days, and our departure finally came.

These magic schools were unknown to me, but soon Veric and I would adventure into one, and that made my scales tingle.

"Let's go, little one. Magic awaits us."