"Loon..."

He was floating on the pond, as a blue dragon was slowly flying around him. The waterfall behind was giving him a sense of peace. Loon was peacefully meditating on a pond, releasing his mana to keep the ancient forest he was living in back then as the main keeper of his magic.

He opened his eyes, and smiled softly once he noticed the Emperor with some guards behind on the horses.

The Emperor had long black hair and dark eyes. His body was draped in a flowing hanfu adorned with multiple golden layers, a clear symbol of his high status. As he approached the pond, he slowly extended his arms "The Kingdom's treasure."

Loon rested his feet on the water, maintaining a respectful distance from the Emperor. "Your Majesty, it's good to see you've regained your health."

"Thanks to you! I have been told a beautiful spirit protected me the whole night and of course it was you!" the Emperor smiled "I am here to offer you a place in my manor, you will get the honor to live in the Emperor of the Moon's manor, in exchange I will just ask you to keep lending me that power of yours. This will make us invincible against any invasion!"

Loon did giggle a little by that direct proposal. He shook his head "As a Keeper of the Life Essence, I can't share this power to even your Majesty, I just wanted to help this once. I am not meant to... meddle with human affairs."

The soldiers looked like they were about to draw their weapons, but Loon didn't even feel the tension of the moment as he believed the Emperor was being friendly.

"But won't you feel as though you've turned your back on me, the Emperor, and the people of this kingdom, once the invasions bring suffering to those you could have helped?" the Emperor asked, his voice calm but pointed. Loon clenched his teeth, guilt already weighing heavily on him.

"I am not... supposed to help mortals..." Loon looked like he was sad, but he simply wasn't supposed to use his powers for anything like that. He wanted to keep himself neutral and at peace.

It wasn't his role.

It was never... his role...

"But I am not a mortal, I am the Emperor of the Moon!" The Emperor walked towards the water, and Loon's eyes glowed of a beautiful blue. Everyone got surprised once they saw the Emperor walking on the water to reach the half dragon "See? I know you care about the Emperor," he smiled and Loon looked at him as he was caressing his hair "Just come with me."

"What do you want to do exactly?" Loon's eyes were locked into the Emperor's. He smiled like he was already tasting a victory, making Loon feel shivers all over his body for a moment.

"It's a shame you have this power and none to share it with, I will be your guide to use it for a greater good."

Guide...?

Me...? An Immortal?

... My purpose is... not this...

But I do... feel... I want to help... him...

Then flashes of Loon being in the manor of the Emperor, soldiers around him... Sorcerers chaining him and forcing him to kneel before the Emperor, who was smiling under his suffering as they were pulling his body inside a sanctuary...

"I lied to you, my precious treasure, your power is the reason why my soldiers are so strong and I am immortal!"

Loon was on the ground, half asleep, feeling no energy in his body. He couldn't even feel the touch of the Emperor's hands on his hair "You can't... be out there. The world needs to be purged first. I will make sure the world will be pure just like you before you get out of here." he caressed him gently, like he was singing a lullaby to a weak Loon "Just hold on and don't fight it... I will make sure I will use your power for the best of the Empire, no one has to find my best jewel, ever!" Loon's eyes were opened up as the Emperor was laughing, seeing Loon's mana getting slowly out of his body to fill the hourglass.

"Stop... Stop..." Loon was panting, feeling his own spirit leaving the body, swallowed by the magic of that diabolic tool the mages have built. Faces he thought friends... were now almost gone as his sight was getting blurry.

"What a beauty..." the Emperor commented "...And you didn't want to share anymore once you helped us? Wasn't that a selfish choice? I am glad you didn't cause more problems, my treasure!"

"I don't... want to be... here," Loon struggled to say, his voice shaky. The Emperor crouched down beside him, gently patting his head. "I thought..." he began, his voice soft, as if trying to say something more, but the Emperor sighed a little, interrupting him.

"Such a powerful and beautiful creature, in need of guidance." the Emperor said "You're lost and you couldn't even recognize who's good or bad in this world" he smiled "I will take care of you, you will be in this golden cage, I made this sanctuary just for you, my treasure!

Nobody has to know you're like a God in this world! My God!" he sighed in relief, completely lost in his own world "Now sleep, my treasure. I will make sure I will kill everyone who wants to approach my kingdom to get this power... You're safe with me."

"You're crazy." Loon said, trying to fight as his eyes glowed, unleashing the azure dragon from the little drops of mana still out of the magic hourglass meant to store his whole. The dragon flew, with his long body towards the Emperor trying to bite him, who stood up and laid his hand on the dragon's neck, blocking his movement.

"My treasure, you would never dare to hit your favorite, why are you trying to make us live in pain?" he asked, destroying the dragon in one movement, making Loon cough blood.

"This strength... I feel invincible with just this little of you in me, this is... this is THE GOD'S POWER!"

****************************

"Wake up.... wake up."

Loon was shaking in his sleep, but something tickling his face made him slowly open the eyes. He got surprised once he noticed Ayren's red eyes staring at him with an annoyed look. Ayren was literally touching, pinching his cheeks with a finger to wake him up, but he stopped once he noticed Loon waking up "Good morning, finally."

"Huh, did I oversleep?" Loon asked to then notice his body covered by Ayren's tailcoat "What is this?"

"Just wanted to make sure you wouldn't catch a cold during the night as I am not planning to carry you to the village." Ayren laid the hands on his own forehead "A half dragon catching a cold would be literally the end of my patience, and it's already lacking normally." he said to then grab his tailcoat and wear it under Loon's confused stare.

"What's with that look? Are you still in your nightmares?" Ayren asked as he was throwing the wood on the creek, and covering the traces of the campfire.

"How do you know?" Loon asked surprised, and Ayren sighed heavily.

"Didn't you notice it?" he asked, opening his arms, and Loon in that moment noticed the swordsman soaked "You were so into your nightmare that you threw your stupid mana at me."

"Oh my.... I am so sorry!" Loon exclaimed, and Ayren laid the hand on his own forehead, making the half dragon bite his lips as he didn't mean to hurt him in any way. He was feeling so bad.

"You should feel sorry to have sent me such a weak attack in your sleep. I didn't even feel the adrenaline to chop off that stupid mana dragon's head, the only thing he did was explode in a water bubble on me... Ahh."

Loon's face got relaxed as he noticed Ayren being totally fine, and actually annoyed not for the attack itself, but for the lack of strength of it "Even when asleep you just keep playing with my patience, and your magic thinks I am THAT weak. Was I supposed to feel anything even? So damn... unsatisfied."

Loon laughed under Ayren's deadly stare "I am sorry." he repeated, and the swordsman crossed his arms, having no idea why that strange man kept smiling like he was having fun with him.

"Whatever, let's get a move already."

"Ah? Already?" Loon tilted his head and Ayren looked at him with an apathetic stare.

"What do you mean with already?" he asked and Loon looked at the river with sparkly eyes, making the swordsman narrow his gaze "Do not tell me you want to swim or anything, we're not doing a damn..." Ayren opened his eyes once he saw Loon's eyes glowing of a beautiful blue as he summoned his mana Dragon made of pure clear water.

He smiled as the water dragon flew around him and then it went up high, leaving little waterdrops that made everything shine around Loon. Ayren's eyes were for a moment captured by the view. It felt like a magical ritual, out of nowhere but full of... mana that would bring a feeling of light and peace with it.

Loon was looking beautiful as for a moment he was floating on air and meditating, letting his mana flow from his body in pure blue strings that were absorbed by the ground. It felt like the air was getting light and the breeze warm.

"What are you doing?"

"Just checking on the forest." Loon said to then take a big breath "Everything is fine, I feel the nature so healthy, it took almost no time."

Ayren looked at Loon, who tilted his head "What?"

"You're...weird."

"Weird?" Loon repeated quietly, as if he couldn't understand why he'd be called like that, but to the swordsman's eyes he was seriously behaving just... not as he would expect.

It's also true, the swordsman was used to people just running away from him or begging for their lives to be spared.

"Let's move." Ayren began to walk, feeling a little bit confused by his own thoughts about that man.

Loon looked naive but whenever he was focused, he would just turn into... something, someone completely different. He couldn't really explain it himself.

"Can I catch some fish before we move?" Loon asked, and Ayren looked at him confused.

"Do you really get hungry this fast?" he asked "You couldn't survive even half a day of an imperial soldier, this is such a...Argh..." Ayren felt like he seriously was wearing a maid dress to take care of a dragon cub "I will burn their houses and... all of them..." he whispered to himself as he kept having the smiley face of the village chief in this mind "It's all his fault, It must be or else I don't know on who to release my madness."

"You're quite funny."

Ayren turned towards Loon, who was laughing at his deadly stares and thoughts, and the swordsman had no idea how he was managing his rage considering he would easily draw his sword and even destroy entire forests.

For some reasons, his death mana, the main reason for him to turn into a monster, was somehow staying quiet deep in his heart as if something was keeping it under the normal levels.

"Funny... FUNNY?" He asked and Loon laid the fingers on his chin as he was tilting his head to a side to look at Ayren's face from another angle "Ugh, you're seriously... out of this world." Ayren said to then grab the chains and force him to walk with him.

"No need to pull!" Loon said, and Ayren, without even more words, left the grab of the chains and kept walking.

"I apologize." Ayren said without even staring at him, and Loon looked surprised "But you have to stop catching fish."

"Heh? I need food."

Ayren sighed heavily and looked at him "If you need food, you ask me."

"I can do it by myself." Loon said with an obvious tone as he tilted his own head and Ayren raised his eyebrow, almost surprised by those words. Loon looked determined to impose himself, but for some reason the swordsman couldn't help but think about his mind filled with the images of Loon looking sad and just... out of his world. He was immortal and he looked just... like a spirit of the ancient forest fairy tales would talk about.

Before being a monster, Ayren was... someone who was protecting with his own sword mastery and soul.

Soul that got turned into the monster he was now, but some fragments of his past self were still there, no matter the years.

"You don't look like someone who would even kill a fly." That comment made Loon surprised once again. He then smiled happily, feeling as if the swordsman was actually being protective towards him somehow. "Hence, till you're with me, I will be in charge of the hunting, end of the discussion, move."