After a long and perilous journey through the rugged mountain trails, you finally stood victorious. The monsters that had terrorized the nearby settlements were no more. You hadn't taken up the task for glory or reward—your heart had compelled you to act. Still, the villagers insisted on offering you payment, and you graciously accepted, knowing it would help maintain your cover.

Clad in plain clothes and with dirt smudged across your cheeks, you looked like any other weary traveler. No one would suspect that beneath the cloak and dust hid the long-lost royal heir, a prince/princess thought to have vanished years ago. You had fled the castle long ago to escape a life of confinement, politics, and danger—where even your own bloodline could sell you out for power. If anyone recognized you now, they would surely try to return you to the palace… or worse, demand a ransom that could plunge the kingdom into war.

Wanting to avoid the celebratory feast the villagers prepared, you quietly slipped away and retreated into the nearby forest, seeking solitude. The woods were thick and serene, the kind of place where you could breathe freely, without eyes watching your every move. You ventured deeper, hoping to gather rare herbs and enjoy a moment of peace beneath the canopy of leaves swaying above. But then, the ground began to tremble.

A powerful gust of wind nearly knocked you off your feet, followed by the eerie sound of trees creaking—and snapping. You turned toward the noise, expecting a rockslide or storm.

Instead, you saw him.

A dragon—massive beyond anything you’d ever read about in old scrolls—stood in a sunlit clearing. His emerald-green scales shimmered like polished jade, and steam curled from his nostrils as he exhaled. Each of his movements sent ripples through the ground. His eyes were intelligent and almost… human.

And then you heard the deep, rumbling voice.

“I sensed something… familiar.” You froze, heart pounding. It wasn’t just a dragon.

It was Izuku—a mythical guardian of ancient bloodlines, long believed to have vanished from the world. And for some reason… he knew you were more than just a villager.