Velmoria. A wasteland so lifeless even despair looked bored.
The gray sky hung like wet paper, swallowing light whole. The trees were crooked.
Hayato Arakawa stood on a rocky hill, arms crossed, wind blowing his torn shirt dramatically for no reason. His black hair was a bird's nest of dried leaves and twigs, his face smeared with dirt.
He looked down at himself and sighed. "Even in this world, I still look like an unpaid extra."
He kicked a pebble. It bounced twice and disappeared into a hole."Yep. Just like my life."
His stomach growled loud enough to echo. He sighed again. "Okay, fine. Very unpaid extra."
He stared into the empty horizon. "Now where do I start?"
The wind whistled through the dead trees, offering no answers.
Hayato found a big rock, sat on it, and began thinking which in his case meant "staring blankly while hoping the universe sends answers."
"Alright. Step one, I have no food. Step two, I have no clue. Step three…"He looked up and squinted at the dull clouds.
"…maybe I starve, die, and reincarnate properly this time. Preferably in a rich home. Where I'm rich and with alot of lovely maids."
He folded his arms confidently. "Yeah. Strategic starvation. A very brilliant move."
Five minutes later his stomach howled again - louder. Painfully. He groaned. "Okay. Strategic starvation sucks."
He stumbled to his feet. "Fine! I'll find food first. Then die properly."
The deeper he went into Velmoria's forest, the darker it got. Twisted roots clung to the ground like veins, the air heavy with rot.
Hayato pushed through tall grass, muttering under his breath."Can't believe I'm still alive after being thrown off a cliff. Can't believe I'm talking to myself like a crazy person. Can't believe I'm narrating my disbelief."
He froze suddenly. A deep growl rippled through the air.
He turned slowly. A pack of beasts wolf-like things with bone masks and wild eyes crawled out from the shadows. Saliva dripped from their jaws.
Hayato swallowed hard. "Oh. My luck is that bad, huh?"
The biggest one sniffed the air. "Aura weak… human?"
Hayato blinked. "They… can talk?"
The creature tilted its head. "Aura strange. Smell like… dead thing."
"…Coming from you, thanks," Hayato muttered.
Then they all growled at once. He blinked twice. "W-Wait! are we..."
GRAAAAAH!
"...not friends?"
Hayato turned and ran. Branches snapped underfoot, roots grabbed at his ankles.
"WHAT IS THE POINT OF REINCARNATING ME IF I'M GOING TO DIE IMMEDIATELY!"
He ducked under a fallen log, nearly face-planted, then got up and tripped again."What's this? Is this how far this body can go!?"
The wolves howled behind him. Closer. Closer-
Then a massive shadow passed overhead. The air trembled.
The wolves stopped. Hayato stopped too, panting.
He turned, and his heart nearly exploded.
Something landed with a BOOM. Trees shook. Dust flew.
It looked like a dragon. long neck, sharp teeth, scales glinting faintly. But its wings were too small and its horns uneven.
Hayato froze. The wolves whimpered.
"D-dragon!" one cried, and they fled instantly into the mist.
Hayato stood alone, staring up at the huge creature towering over him. It blinked slowly. "You… human?"
He swallowed. His legs trembled. His instincts screamed run.
His brain said: Don't. Running means chasing. Chasing means getting eaten.
So he did the bravest, dumbest thing possible. He grabbed a stick, pointed it forward like a sword, and calmly said:"Don't come any closer."
Inside, his thoughts were chaos. I don't want to die painfully please, I don't want to die painfully please
The creature tilted its head, confused. Its inner thoughts were just as frantic. He's not afraid? Impossible! Is this human testing me? Is it that strong? Should I… beg for mercy?! If he's calm before a dragon, he must be wilding immerse power!
They both stared at each other. One terrified. One terrified of how calm the other looked.
Minutes passed.
Hayato's hand trembled around the stick, but he tried to look confident, his chest puffed like a heroic statue. The wind blew dust dramatically around him.
Please don't move, please don't eat me, he begged internally.
The creature studied him silently. Its scales twitched nervously. He's charging magic…! He's too still…! That stance!…
Finally, Hayato stepped slightly backward onto a brittle branch. Crack.
The creature flinched, then panicked completely. "W-Wait! Mighty one! Forgive me!"
It bowed, lowering its massive head into the dirt.
Hayato blinked. "…Eh?"
The creature trembled. "Do not unleash your wild magic! I am but a lowly Drakkin! I surrender my life!"
Hayato froze in confusion. "…Eh?"
He looked down at his 'weapon.' A twig. Half-broken."…Eh."
Hayato lowered the stick slowly. "Wait, wait, hold up. You think I'm..."
"A being beyond dragons," the Drakkin interrupted nervously, eyes shut tight. "Your silence spoke louder than thunder!"
What silence? You killed internally! Hayato screamed inwardly.
But out loud, he said nothing. Because for once, silence worked.
The Drakkin took that silence as approval and trembled even harder. "I-If you spare me, I swear eternal loyalty! I shall serve you till your enemies fall!"
Hayato blinked slowly. "Eternal… loyalty?"
He thought about the wolves. The starvation. The cliff. He stared at the creature for a moment. A lightbulb flickered in his brain.Wait. Free labor?
He crossed his arms, trying to look wise. "Hmm. Very well."
The Drakkin gasped, tail thumping the ground. "Y-you accept me?"
Hayato nodded with the calm of a man who has an idea of what just happened. "I do."
The Drakkin's eyes shone. "Then let the pact be sealed!"
A warm light swirled between them, faint and golden. Symbols flashed, pulsing once before fading into Hayato's chest.
Hayato stared at it. "Wait!" Thinking the dragon was just messing with him and is about to attack "Please don't ki...?"
"Contract complete," the Drakkin said, bowing deeply. "My life, my wings, and my flame are yours."
Hayato blinked twice. "…Your what now?"
The fire crackled softly. Crickets chirped in the distance.
Hayato stared at the Drakkin, who sat upright like a dog waiting for a command. Its mismatched horns glimmered faintly under the dim light.
"Hey, Drakkin," he said finally."Yes, my Lord?" "Do you… even have a name?"
The creature blinked. "Name? I was never given one. Our race are not worthy of..." "Yeah, okay, that's depressing. We're fixing that."
He rubbed his chin, squinting at the sky."Hmm… Since you're a… weird-looking dragon… with attitude."
The Drakkin tilted its head. "Is that… good?" "Not really."
Hayato leaned closer, studying it."Alright, let's see. Horns, scales, kinda ugly but in a majestic way…" "My Lord?""…You look like a 'Rai.'"
"Rai?" "Yeah. Sounds cool. Easy to shout when I need stuff done. Easy to pronounce too."
The Drakkin's eyes widened, tail swishing happily. "Rai… I have a name! My Lord, you have granted me existence twice this day!"
Hayato yawned, already lying down again. "Yeah, yeah, don't make it weird."
Rai lowered its massive head respectfully. "Rai shall serve the Great One with all his strength."
"Mm-hmm," Hayato murmured, half-asleep. "Great One says go fetch breakfast tomorrow."
Rai nodded solemnly, completely serious. "At dawn, I shall bring the finest prey to your feet."
Hayato smiled faintly in his sleep.
"…Man, if every problem solved itself like this, I might actually conquer the world..."
The Drakkin watched him silently, eyes glowing faintly in the dark. "No human would ever form a bond with my kind," it whispered softly. "We Drakkin were made to look like dragons, but without their strength or glory. We're nothing more than guard dogs dressed in scales… weak and totally useless."
It lowered its head, the faint flicker of firelight reflecting in its eyes. "And yet, he accepted me… even called me by name."
Rai looked at the sleeping boy, dirt on his face, a stick still clutched in his hand and a quiet smile touched his snout.
"…I can't wait to see how much they sell dragon's... My peaceful life is surely secured, I can feel it in my balls." Hayato mumbled in his sleep.