The Aftermath

The Aftermath

As we slowly separated from the embrace, Olwen noticed a small creature. At first, his tear-filled eyes couldn't see it clearly, but when he wiped them to ensure he saw it, he was surprised. It was as if the night sky, full of clouds, prevented the beauty of the moon and stars from being seen.

Staring intently at what hung from me and moved across my shoulder, he finally realized that I had a dragon.

Its slender body, with proportionate wings, already hinted at the majesty they would achieve as it grew. Its scales, a combination of red and gold, gleamed with a warm glow suggesting its connection to fire. Among the reddish scales, transparent crystal fragments could be seen, reflecting light in a rainbow of colors as it moved. Its eyes were large and expressive, a deep amber color with small bright specks reminiscent of stars, hinting at the mysterious element it possessed. The wings were partially translucent, with crystal veins that shone intensely when they caught the light.

"Oh, how lucky, Kerin! I want to know how you managed to get this dragon," Olwen asked me.

I replied excitedly, "What every child dreams of is having their dragon, and sometimes joys take us away from reality." Ignoring my sadness for a moment, I told him, "I don't know. I just fell into a pit and there it was, an egg that hatched within minutes. Well, I haven't given it a name yet. Should I?"

Forgetting how I managed to get out and where I ran, though it was brief, I couldn't avoid feeling sad again.

Olwen said, "Well, honestly, it's an amazing experience. Don't overthink it, and if you want to name your dragon, of course, you can. Usually, riders do. What do you want to name it?" And there was the old man, trying to make this small moment of happiness last longer.

"I don't know, what do you think of Luoche?" I asked nervously.

And I saw the old Olwen laughing.

"Although I don't know who taught you that word from ancient Fraespa, I think, but I'm not completely sure, that it's a good name."

Though I wanted to explain it, I couldn't understand what ancient Fraespa was, so with a face full of doubt, I asked him what it was.

"How strange. Although I was just a little knight, we were barely taught the language. It was a language used before the era of the dragons. From what I remember, it was a common language among all the intelligent races that lived on the continent. Maybe it's because of your dragon."

I had such a trustworthy conversation with old Olwen for the first time. Filled with curiosity, I bombarded him with questions, "Were there more races? Aren't we the only ones?" I always thought we were the only ones, including the dragons.

"Of course not. For example, I served in the Brown Mountains Legion. My duty was to defend the kingdom's border with the great desert. On some occasions, the infamous Kezhir might appear, as despicable races living in the desert interior. But sometimes they come out to invade or steal."

Then, throughout the rest of the night, he answered my questions. Sometimes he told stories about his time in the legion, although his answers mostly derived from his experiences since he didn't have much information and didn't know too much. While we chatted, people started gathering around us, a way of finding relief, solidarity, and community. The dangerous pirates had all been killed, with some left alive. Other adults prepared for the collective funeral, but a dragon's roar sounded from inside the island when we were all getting ready to start cleaning up and fixing things. This time people recognized the roar. While Olwen showed a look of fury and stood up, it was the first time for me.