Somewhere in the forest, a teenage girl with patches of purple skin and a completely violet right eye silently aimed her firearm at a rabbit. She took a deep breath.
"Finally, I got you…"
Just as she was about to pull the trigger, a boy about her age suddenly jumped in and slashed the rabbit with his hunting sword. Blood splattered on the ground.
"I got one! I did it!" he shouted.
"Johnquis! That was mine! I already had my shot lined up," the girl said.
"Oh, sorry. I had to kill it before it got away again, Tarah," Johnquis replied.
"Never mind. I'll go find another."
"I'll help you."
"Of course you will—after stealing my hunt!"
"I didn't steal it. You're just too slow."
"How dare you!"
"Haha!"
The two searched everywhere—checking their traps, nests in the trees, burrows, and every spot they could think of. But they found nothing. No signs of life.
"What's going on? There's nothing left—not even rodents," Tarah said.
"If we don't get more food, the village will starve. One rabbit won't feed everyone. Hmm… should we check the sea?" Johnquis said.
"The sea? Come on, Johnquis, the sea hasn't given us fish in a thousand years."
"Well, what choice do we have? Let's just check. Who knows? Maybe there'll be a miracle—thousands of fish waiting for us."
"All right…"
They walked out of the forest toward the shore, the rabbit's blood dripping behind them. In the shadows, a deep snarl echoed softly behind them.
They reached the sea.
"Is… is that a fish?" Tarah asked.
"What did I tell you, Tarah? A miracle! Look—tons of fish!"
They ran toward the water excitedly, but something felt wrong.
"What is that smell?! It's horrible!" Tarah said.
"No… It's not fish, Tarah. What is this? A corpse?"
"A CORPSE?!" Tarah dropped to her knees and vomited from the smell and the sight. Bodies floated in the water—some upside down with exposed spines, others face-up, their features close to skeletal. They were skinny, almost stretched, and twice the size of a normal human.
"They're coming from beyond the sea… There are more floating this way. What are they?"
"We—we have to go back to the village and report this. Now," Tarah said.
"Yeah. We should—"
Suddenly, something appeared behind Tarah.
It raised its long arm, sharp claws gleaming, its mouth opened wide, lunging at her.
Johnquis reacted instantly, grabbing his hunting sword.
"TARAH, BEHIND YOU!!!"
He managed to block the monster's strike just in time. Tarah moved fast, grabbing her firearm.
"ARGH! What is this thing?! It's strong!" Johnquis shouted.
The monster snarled loudly and raised its other arm to strike. Tarah fired multiple shots, but the bullets didn't even scratch it.
"Damn it! My bullets aren't doing anything! Johnquis, get away from it!"
The monster swung down. Johnquis leapt back just in time as its claws smashed the ground, cracking it.
"Our weapons aren't working! Johnquis, we have to run!" Tarah shouted.
They turned and sprinted toward the forest, the monster chasing them.
"What is that thing? What in the world…" Johnquis said.
"The forest… it's slowing it down," Tarah said.
They ran deeper—until they stopped in horror. In front of them, the ground was soaked with blood. Deer, boars, rabbits—even birds—lay torn apart, their bodies shredded.
Tarah froze.
"This isn't real… it's not real," she whispered, her eyes welling up.
"Tarah, we don't have time for this! Move!"
Johnquis grabbed her hand, and they fled. Finally, they reached the edge of the forest. In the distance, they saw their village surrounded by a tall wooden fence.
"Tarah, hang in there. We're almost there!"
A monstrous snarl echoed through the trees.
They neared the gate, but just as they thought they were safe, the monster leapt out of the forest—and landed right in front of them.
"Wha—?!" Johnquis gasped. He pushed Tarah back, drew his sword, and fought the creature.
He dodged every strike—the claws from below, the bite from above. He was surprisingly fast, matching the monster's movements. He plunged his hunting sword into its chest—but it didn't pierce the skin.
"I won't give up! ARGHHHHHHHH!!!"
A ring on his finger began to glow. With all his strength, Johnquis forced the blade forward. Slowly, the sword sank in and finally pierced the monster's heart.
It let out a terrible scream.
Tarah stood and rushed to his side.
"Did you finally kill it, Johnquis?"
But the monster was still alive. It snarled and lunged again, catching them off guard.
SPLASH!
Black blood sprayed everywhere. The monster had been sliced clean in half. Tarah and Johnquis froze, stunned, covered in blood.
As the body collapsed in two, it revealed a man standing behind it—a knight in black armor, holding a black sword.
The man in black armor whipped his sword to shake off the blood.
"So, you're the one…" he said.
"Huff… huff…" Johnquis was catching his breath.
Suddenly, a voice shouted from inside the village.
"Johnquis!"
"Mother!"
Johnquis' mother ran up to him and embraced him tightly. Then she whispered in his ear:
"Run. Run… get away from here…"
"What? But Mother…" Johnquis replied, confused.
"Don't ask questions. There's a hidden boat in the mountain—"
The man in black armor pointed his sword at her neck.
"One more word, and I'll slice your head clean off, you rotten woman."
Without thinking, Johnquis snatched the firearm from Tarah and aimed it at the man.
"DON'T YOU DARE! OR I'LL BLOW YOUR HEAD OFF FIRST!"
"Interesting…" the man said. "You managed to pierce a twisted's skin with nothing but a dull hunting sword… And now you stand unshaken in the presence of a Dragonborn."
"Twisted? Dragonborn? What are you talking about?! What's going on?!"
"Johnquis! Don't listen to him! He's lying—" his mother tried to warn.
"Johnquis, huh… So that's your name," the man muttered.
Then he drove his sword into the ground.
"Johnquis, you have been summoned by your father—the King. You are not just anyone… you are a candidate, chosen by fate to inherit the power of the dragon."