1 Chapter 1: BOURINE VILLAGE

In the 15th century, humans and beasts coexisted. One of them is a dragon. But lately, the dragon that they call the Great Dragon has been causing trouble in a village called Bourine Village. Because they live in fear, all the villagers discuss and want to find a way to appease the wrath of the great dragons. Hagen Gracchus was the chief of the village. He has short, dark brown hair, green eyes and is in his 50s.

One of the villagers said, "We have to do something so that this situation does not continue. As the chief of this village, what should you do?"

With a calm face, Hagen replied. "What do you want me to do?"

"We found out that with the offer of a woman who is still a virgin and who is about to turn 18, can appease the dragon's wrath."

Hearing the words from one of the residents, Hagen's facial expression changed slightly.

One of the old women interrupted. "It seems that in this village, only the chief's daughter will soon turn 18."

They all started whispering and murmuring to each other. Hagen's face didn't show any reaction; he just remained silent.

One of the villagers asked again.

"Chief Hagen, as the chief of this village, you have to be responsible, considering that by coincidence your daughter will soon turn 18."

Behind the pillar near the villagers' gathering, there was a woman who overheard their conversation. Then she ran away from the villagers in a hurry and entered a house.

"Zerlyn, Where did you disappear to? and why are you panting?"

Zerlyn's hair was long past her tailbone and was light brown. Her eyes are purple.

"Mother, I heard something bad." Her face looked worried and scared when she told her mother.

Her mother's name is Drusilla, with shoulder-length light brown hair and purple eyes and is in her 40s.

"Zerlyn, what do you mean?"

"The villagers want to offer me to the dragon. As a tribute."

"What are you talking about? That won't happen."

"I said the truth, I heard it myself."

"Zerlyn, stop talking nonsense!"

Drusilla began to raise her voice as she thought Zerlyn was just being silly. However, suddenly, outside their house, a loud voice was heard.

Zerlyn became restless and approached her mother.

"Mother, I think it's them."

Drusilla started to feel uneasy and came out of the house to see what was happening. Zerlyn remains in the house; she only peeks from the entrance door. Drusilla was surprised to see hordes of villagers coming to their house.

"What is the purpose of you all coming to our house?"

Drusilla asked softly and politely, but one of the villagers shouted.

"Where is your daughter, Zerlyn?"

"Why do you want to see her?"

"Because the day after tomorrow she will be a tribute to the great dragon."

"What are you talking about?!" Drusilla started to raise her voice in surprise, and it seemed that Zerlyn's words were right, she thought.

"In this village, it is only your daughter who will soon be 18 years old. So it is your daughter who will be a tribute to the great dragon."

"This is nonsense! You can't do that."

"As the daughter of the chief of this village, she should take this responsibility."

"Does my husband agree with your decision?"

"Agree or not, this responsibility must be carried out by your family."

Then all the villagers exclaimed in agreement. Drusilla's eyelid twitched with annoyance, as she was annoyed by their actions. Zerlyn was also scared to hear the voices of those who wanted to offer her to the great dragon.

Hagen appeared there, and they all stopped shouting. Drusilla ran up to Hagen and asked for reassurance.

"Hagen, is it true that Zerlyn will be offered as a tribute to the dragon?"

But Hagen just kept silent and didn't say anything.

"Hagen! Why didn't you say anything? Say something! I will not allow Zerlyn to be offered as a tribute to that dragon!"

A woman spoke to Drusilla. "You can't stop us. If you try to stop, we will lock you up."

"How dare you!" Drusilla yelled in anger.

"Arrest her and lock her up!!"

The woman had a mean look on her face while she said it.

Several men went towards Drusilla, wanting to arrest her, but Hagen stopped them.

"You cannot arbitrarily act recklessly."

The woman said again, "Then your daughter should be used as a tribute."

Seeing the reaction of her parents, who were reluctant to give an answer, Zerlyn felt guilty, and her mother, whom they wanted to lock up, made her more worried about her mother's safety.

"What should I do? Should I obey their order? I never thought the villagers were so cruel. I started to hate them. It appears that I must sacrifice myself for the sake of my parents. I cannot let them harm my family."

Zerlyn came out of the house and came to meet them. They gasped at Zerlyn's serious expression. Zerlyn looked at them one by one and spoke.

"So you all can't wait to make me an offer to the dragon?"

"Not just an offer, but a tribute to the great dragon. As the daughter of chief Hagen, you have to be responsible for protecting this village." An old man said sternly to Zerlyn.

"Why should I sacrifice myself for the selfish villagers?" Zerlyn gave them a nasty look with a frown on her face.

"You! You are so rude! This is how Chief Hagen raises his daughter?"

"You don't need to interfere in our family matters!"

Zerlyn gave him an angry look, her face twisted in a frown.

"Zerlyn... silent." Hagen, who had been silent, spoke up. "Even though I am the chief of this village, I am not willing to give my daughter to that dragon."

The whole village was in an uproar after Hagen spoke!

"If you're not willing, you shouldn't live in this village anymore!"

Hearing their words, Zerlyn became unhappy, because there was nowhere for them to go. The village is the only one they have.

"Father... It's okay. I'm willing to be a tribute to that dragon."

Drusilla was surprised and walked up to Zerlyn. "But Zerlyn... if you become a tribute to the dragon, we won't see you anymore. I don't want that to happen." Drusilla said, with a sad expression on her face, and her tears almost flowed out.

"Father, mother, I don't want anything bad to happen to you. I'm fine, and Zael is still here."

Hearing Zerlyn's words, the villagers smiled happily. But both her parents are sad. They cannot accept Zerlyn's decision.

Zerlyn threw a trashy look at the villagers and said, "Don't think that what I'm doing is for you. I'm doing it for my family. I won't do it for the sake of these arrogant and selfish villagers."

"How can you say that? Do you want to be hit? I can ruin that beautiful face of yours."

A young man said angrily to Zerlyn

Hagen flared up and got mad. "Don't you dare touch my daughter! Don't forget that I am still the chief of this village, and I still have the right to drive away anyone who dares to hurt my family."

The man just remained silent and did not dare to look at Hagen after being threatened by him.

"You've heard my answer, right? Now you can all go home. We need privacy and peace."

After Zerlyn finished her words to the villagers, she entered their house. One by one, the villagers returned to their homes. Hagen and Drusilla, who were confused, also entered their house.

Zerlyn walked to her room and locked herself in. She covered her face with both hands. She was sobbing, while in front of the villagers, she only pretended to look strong, but actually her heart was crushed, because, for the sake of her parents, she was willing to do anything. Hagen and Drusilla heard her cries, though she tried to lower her voice for anyone to hear.

Hagen and Drusilla sat together and talked.

"Hagen, what should we do? Are we just going to let Zerlyn be made as a tribute to the dragon?"

"So far I don't know what to do. I am also confused. If there is a place for us to go to, we will definitely leave this village. The people of this village are really selfish, just like the dragon."

"Father, Mother, what do you mean by those words?"

They were surprised to see their son, Zale, standing up looking at them with a confused face. Zale has short dark brown hair and green eyes. He is Zerlyn's twin brother. They are non-identical twins.

They started telling Zale what happened, and Zale was shocked to hear their words.

"This is ridiculous! The people of this village are really stupid. I didn't like them from the beginning. Now they are starting to show their true face. They just want to take advantage of others. If I'm not mistaken, one of these villagers' daughters will turn 18 soon. But why is it only Zerlyn who is called to be offered to the dragon."

"We're not sure about that. Because it feels like the child never left her house." Hagen expressed his opinion.

"Father, what should we do?" Zale was kind of befuddled.

"You don't have to do anything. I'll be fine." Zerlyn came to meet them with a resigned face.

Zale came up to her and put his hands on both of her shoulders.

"Zerlyn, you can't just let this happen. You know what you're doing, right? If you're offered to the dragon, it's not clear if you'll still be alive or dead."

"Zale, I already gave my answer to the villagers. I can't withdraw my words just like that. After all, this is for the safety of our family. Please respect my decision."

They were silent after hearing Zerlyn's words, because she was determined. But from Zale's expression, he is still not satisfied.

"Zerlyn, I can replace you. We're twins anyway; we'll be 18 soon together."

"Zale, the dragon, wants a woman who is still a virgin, not a young man."

"Virgin?! What kind of dragon is that? That dragon wants a virgin woman. This dragon must be perverted. I won't give my sister to the perverted dragon. Even just imagining it, I already feel like I want to kill the dragon!"

Zale expressed his dissatisfaction and then left the house. They sighed after hearing Zale's words.

The next day, two young men came to their house. Drusilla welcomed their arrival.

"What is the purpose of you coming here?"

"We were ordered to bring your daughter."

"Why? Where do you want to take her? It's not even time to offer her to the dragon."

"She should be watched so that she doesn't run away. After all, this is in preparation for tomorrow."

Drusilla stared at them and expressed her feelings in her heart because she was angry with them.

"Run away? They are really getting on my nerves. They are really selfish human beings. I'm getting fed up with their behavior. I'm sure they just used the excuse of Zerlyn's being the daughter of the Chief of this village. But actually, they don't care about anything as long as it can be used as a sacrifice for their safety."

"Let's go. You want me, right? Don't disturb my family." Zerlyn appeared in front of them and was ready to go.

One of the men asked, "You brought nothing? Just an empty hand?"

"Should I bring food with me? You're not going to give me something to eat?"

"I didn't mean that way, maybe some goods or anything necessary."

"Oh, thank you for your kindness, but I don't need all that. A dying person doesn't need anything to bring."

Both of the men look at each other after hearing Zerlyn's words and become speechless.

Zerlyn looked at Drusilla with a calm expression. "Mother, I'll go first, take care."

Then Zerlyn just kept walking without looking back. She felt her heart ache to see her mother's face.

Drusilla was so upset that her heart felt like it was shattered as she watched Zerlyn leave the house.

That night, Zerlyn sat alone in the room prepared for her. There was noise outside as they were busy preparing, and some were laughing happily.

Zerlyn talks to herself in her heart, "They seemed very happy, but I was not happy at all. I hate to admit it, but I'm so scared. I miss my family.

Will they come to see me tomorrow? I hope they will come for the last time..." Zerlyn's eyes began to close due to sleepiness, and she fell asleep.

During her sleep, she felt her body being shaken. She opened her eyes, and her eyes widened because she was surprised.

"Zale, what are you doing here?"

"Shh... don't make noise. Zerlyn, you have to leave this place."

"What do you mean?"

"You should leave this village."

"But, what about tomorrow, if I leave this village?"

"It's pointless to sacrifice yourself for the people of this village. They just want to take advantage."

"But what about our father and mother? What will happen to them?"

"Do you think our mother and father will just let you be given to that perverted dragon? Our Father knows about this too. We've discussed it and you should run away."

"But..."

"Zerlyn, you don't have to worry about us. I always travel outside. Other than this village, there are many other places to live. So, you don't have to worry about our mother and father. I will take care of them, and you should run away as far as possible. Don't worry, after everything is over, I'll go find you. You find a safe place and stay there, okay?"

Zerlyn, who was still hesitating, nodded her head.

"Good, let's go. They're all sleeping soundly. I've given them a sedative. They won't even notice we're leaving this place."

They left the room that Zerlyn was locked in. Zale looked around to make sure no one was there. Zerlyn was behind him. After making sure no one was there, the two of them ran away from the area. Zerlyn just followed Zale from behind, but she was perplexed that they didn't go to the village gate.

"Zale, wait. Why don't we head towards the gate?"

"The gate is not safe. There is a guard there. I have a secret place to get out of this village. Let's hurry."

They head to the back of the village. Hagen and Drusilla were waiting for them there.

"Mother, father." Zerlyn hugged both of them.

"I'm glad to see both of you again."

"Zerlyn, we are also happy to meet you, but now is not the time. You should leave this place quickly." Drusilla reminds her.

"Zerlyn, this is money for you to use when you're out there. Make sure you find somewhere safe." Hagen gives Zerlyn some money to survive out there alone.

Zerlyn takes the money with a sad expression. She felt sad because she had to be away from them.

Zale has a serious look on his face when he speaks to Zerlyn

"Zerlyn, you just follow this path until you find the way out. I have marked red cloths for you to follow. After that, you will find the way out. You can go to town. If you are not sure where the town is, you can ask anyone you come across. But make sure that person is trustworthy. This is a dagger for you to defend yourself."

Zerlyn took the dagger and kept it. Hagen gave Zerlyn a wood-torch as light throughout her way out of the village area. She took the wood-torch and said,

"Mother, father, Zale. Take care of yourself. I'll go first."

"Same to you, my daughter. Till we meet again." Drusilla said, with a sad face. Zerlyn nodded her head, turned around, and left them quickly.

"Now we have to face the villagers again. We have to go back home." Hagen told them, and then they walked away from the place. Zale stopped and turned to look back and speak from his heart,"Take care of yourself, Zerlyn. I know you can handle whatever comes your way." He smiled, then continued walking with Hagen and Drusilla.

Zerlyn continued on her way. She saw a red cloth tied by Zael.

"I think I'd better take this cloth so I don't leave a trace."

Zerlyn took every red cloth she found. With only a wood-torch, Zerlyn continued her way.

While walking, Zerlyn suddenly felt hot. The atmosphere became hot, and the air became dry. 

"What happened? Why does it suddenly feel hot in the middle of the night? I have to get out of this area quickly."

While walking, Zerlyn stopped her steps because there was something in front of her. She looked at it and was surprised to see an unknown man standing in front of her. His glowing red eyes stared at her. The man had neck-length blond hair.

"After hundreds of years, I finally found you, my long-lost love, my fiancee."

She was confused by the strange man's words.

Zerlyn spoke from her heart, "What is he talking about? I don't have time to listen to him talk nonsense."

The man approached her with unsteady steps. His breathing was also unsteady. He reached out his hand towards Zerlyn, but she took a few steps back in fear.

"Don't come near me!" Zerlyn warned him, but suddenly he collapsed. Zerlyn wanted to take the opportunity to run away, but she stopped and turned to look back at the man who had collapsed.