Not the Hero, Not the Villain — Just the One Who Wins

I put on one of the necklaces, the cool, silver chain a strange, unfamiliar weight against my skin. I closed my eyes, the image of the Dragon Kingdom's imposing gates still burned into the back of my eyelids. I focused, my mind a whirlwind of images as I tried to construct the perfect disguise. I needed to be a dragonkin, a member of the proud, ancient race that ruled these lands, but I couldn't be too conspicuous. Not too powerful, not too weak. Just… enough.

Small, sharp horns, the color of polished obsidian, sprouted from my temples in my mind's eye. My eyebrows, once a simple, dark line, became a fiery, crimson red. A subtle, almost imperceptible pattern of fine, dark scales traced a path along my jawline, a subtle hint of my draconic heritage. It was a simple, elegant illusion, one that spoke of a respectable but not overly powerful bloodline.

"Brother?" Yumi's voice, a small, hesitant whisper, cut through my concentration. "What's wrong with you? You're… you're changing." Her voice rose then, a note of genuine, childish terror in her tone as the glamour settled over me. "Hey! You demon! Leave Ashy alone, or I'll bite you!"

I laughed, a deep, rumbling sound that was a stark contrast to her panicked cries. "It's okay, Yumi," I said, my voice a low, reassuring murmur as I opened my eyes. "It's just me. It's a disguise. This necklace, it's a magical artifact. It creates an illusion, a glamour, to hide our true appearances."

Then, I told her, my voice turning serious, "Now, you need to do the same. Imagine yourself as I did. But be careful. Don't imagine something else, or the artifact will be no use to us. It can only be used once."

She nodded, her expression a mixture of fear, curiosity, and a dawning, reluctant excitement. She closed her eyes, her small face a mask of intense concentration.

And then, my own eyes widened. She was… she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Her snow-white hair remained, but now it was shot through with delicate, shimmering strands of pure, molten gold. Her ears, once softly rounded, were now long and elegant, tapering to a fine, delicate point, like those of a high elf. And her eyes… her eyes were no longer a soft, gentle rose-pink, but a deep, fiery crimson, the color of a dying star. A delicate, intricate pattern of golden scales, like a dusting of powdered gold, traced a path from the corners of her eyes to her temples. She was no longer just a pretty child. She was a vision, a creature of myth and legend.

"Holy crap," I breathed, my voice a low, stunned whisper. "First, I wanted to hide you from the eyes of the Pyronis kingdom because you're a vampire. Now, I have to hide you from them because you've surpassed their own race in beauty and grace."

She was confused, her head tilted in a gesture of innocent bewilderment. "What's going on?"

"Okay," I said, my voice a low, firm murmur as I knelt down to meet her gaze. "You better stick with me the whole time we're here. Or else… I'll be no brother of yours."

She was scared then, her own eyes widening with a genuine, childish fear. "I won't leave you," she whispered, her small hand clutching mine. "Ever."

We were ready. Everything was, for now, as planned.

I gunned the engine of my bike, and we shot forward, a blur of motion across the vast, empty expanse of the desert. The gates of the Dragon Kingdom, a massive, imposing structure of black, volcanic rock and molten-gold filigree, loomed before us. The guards, their own bodies a mixture of human and draconic features, their armor forged from the scales of lesser drakes, stopped me, their spears crossed, their expressions a mask of grim, uncompromising authority.

They asked for my identity. But I was prepared. I showed them the small, silk handkerchief, its corner embroidered with the intricate, fiery insignia of the royal family, the one that Lilith, the Dragon Queen herself, had dropped near my stall at the festival. In the Dragon Kingdom, there was a royal tradition. If you wished to invite someone to your court, you gave them a token, a piece of yourself.

The lead guard's eyes widened in a mixture of shock and dawning, horrified understanding. He panicked. He immediately uncrossed his spear and bowed, his forehead touching the hot, dusty ground. "Welcome, our esteemed guest," he stammered, his voice a low, reverent murmur. "My deepest apologies for stopping you. You may enter."

He opened the gates for us, no checking of our luggage, no further questions. As I entered on my bike, the other guards formed a line, their own heads bowed in a gesture of profound, and slightly terrified, respect. They invited me to join them in a royal carriage, a magnificent, golden affair pulled by four massive, fire-breathing drakes. "We will lead you to the royal mansion with the most respect, sir," the captain said, his voice a low, reverent whisper.

I refused. "I will meet the royal highness," I said, my voice a calm, steady murmur. "But today is not the day we decided upon. I am one day early."

"Then do not worry," he said, his voice a mixture of relief and a new, dawning anxiety. "We will make arrangements for you for the time being."

"No," I said, my own voice a firm, commanding thing. "It's fine."

"Please, sir, understand," he pleaded, his own face pale with a mixture of fear and a desperate, bureaucratic urgency. "We cannot do that. You are an esteemed guest of the Queen herself. If we do not take proper care of you, we will be at risk of losing our lives."

"Don't worry," I said, my own voice a low, reassuring murmur. "I will talk to Lilith."

Their expressions changed then, their earlier, panicked reverence replaced by a new, more profound shock. I knew I had made a mistake. My tongue had slipped. I had used the Queen's name, a breach of protocol so severe it was almost a declaration of war.

And then, to make matters worse, Yumi, who had been listening to our exchange with a quiet, solemn curiosity, spoke. "Ashy," she chirped, her voice a bright, clear note in the tense, silent air. "Isn't Lilith that flame girl who you said will give me a dress?"

Before she could mention anything else, I stopped her, my hand gently covering her mouth.

The guards were confused, their minds clearly struggling to process the sheer, unbelievable audacity of what they had just heard.

"Sir," one of them finally said, his own voice a hesitant, questioning thing. "You seem… to be very close to Her Highness. May we know who you really are?"

"Close, you say?" I replied, my own voice a low, amused murmur as I slowly, deliberately, removed my hand from Yumi's mouth. "Well, I am not that close. I am just… someone in whom she takes a particular interest." I then added, "So, now, enough of these talks. I just want one day to explore some of the places in your magnificent kingdom. This little one," I said, pointing to Yumi, "wants to see the sights."

They were silent for a long, tense moment. Then, one of them, the captain, finally nodded, his own expression a mixture of relief and a dawning, unwilling understanding. "If that is what you wish, sir," he said, his voice a low, respectful murmur, "then I agree. You may go."