[Kisara POV]
How long have I been stuck in this prison? It's been so long that I have forgotten.
The walls of this prison are my only companions, cold and unyielding. I used to hear the sounds of the world outside, faint whispers of battles, of schemes, of my enemies' cruel laughter. Now, all that is left is silence—an eerie, suffocating silence that stretches for eternity.
I remember the faces of those traitors. The Galaxy Dragon Clan, their eyes filled with greed, hungry for power, had turned against me. My father, weakened by their treacherous scheme, had been unable to stop them. They had believed that by creating the Tachyon Dragon, they could control the fate of the tower.
The deal my father made with the will of the Tower of Heavens had saved me, but it came at a price I hadn't fully understood back then. I can't die, not within the tower.
At first, the idea of being unable to die seemed like a blessing—a blessing that would keep me alive long enough for me to plot my revenge. But now, with every passing day, I view the blessing as more of a curse than a blessing.
What is the point of living if all you can do is wait? Each moment feels like an eternity, stretched out and twisted in ways I never imagined. I could not break free from the chains nor could I move around with these chains binding me.
I once thought that being immortal would give me an edge, a way to outlast my enemies, to watch them crumble one by one as I plotted my return. But now, I wonder if I am the one who is crumbling. The silence of this place echoes in my mind, growing louder and louder until I can hardly remember the sound of anything else.
The rage I once felt has cooled into something far more insidious: bitterness, and despair. What is vengeance if the time for it has passed? What good is it to destroy those who wronged me when I can no longer remember who I am?
The thought of endless years stretching ahead, of more days trapped here without purpose, fills me with dread.
I used to think I could endure anything. But now, I wonder if this immortality is nothing more than a slow, cruel punishment.
It was then, that the giant door that had been closed for an uncountable amount of time, opened as a human boy walked in.
I keep lying down with my eyes closed since I have long given up. I could sense the boy's apprehension when he saw my lying figure. I also saw him sending these weird-looking shadow creatures toward me.
The moment I saw the shadow creatures, I felt something stirring up inside of me. A memory that I have long forgotten.
During my younger days, I used to have dreams about standing beside a man. The man was facing the whole universe. Behind the man stood an unimaginable number of shadow creatures, ready to fight for him to their death.
I have once asked my father about the dreams. He told me the dreams were either memories from my past life or a glimpse into the future.
Back then, I didn't give much thought to the dream, thinking it was just a dream. I soon forgot about it when I stopped having dreams about the scene.
Now, seeing the boy commanding creatures so similar to that man in my dreams, spark a small fire back in me.
Were the dreams a glimpse of the future? I couldn't help myself from asking that question.
I then felt some of the shadow creatures climbing me and hitting me. I couldn't help but feel happy for the first time in forever.
It was the first time since being locked up that I could feel the touch of another.
Then I felt one of the shadow creatures landed on my head. I felt that it was finally time to converse with the boy and try to see why he was here.
I tried to move and get up but the long dormancy has made my body rusty. I groan in pain as I get up, with the chains that bind me restricting the amount of movements I can do.
"You. You are not Scaris. I can't sense Photon Energy from you. So why are you here?" I ask the boy, remembering that the treacherous slime was guarding the giant door. He is either here because he is related to the traitors or he had dispatched the slime. Since I could not sense the traitors' energy from him, it meant he was here after defeating the slime.
I saw the boy backing away after asking if I was a dragon. I couldn't help but feel some warmth in my heart after so long.
"Oh? You haven't seen one before?" I asked the boy. From the boy's reaction, it seems that dragons are no longer a common sight.
Then it clicks within me. Dragons were common on the sixth floor of the tower. Given so, it seems I am no longer on the sixth floor. I confirmed my theory after the boy said that we are currently located on the first floor.
The boy then introduces himself as Kuro, only after he concludes I have no ill will against him. Why would I? He was the first person I converse with after so long. He also showed up in my dreams so long ago, that I felt we are connected by fate.
"You're not going to introduce yourself?"It seemed that I was caught up in my thoughts as I heard Kuro asking for my name.
"Introduce myself?" I couldn't help but feel my voice crack. It has been so long since I told someone my name. Gathering my thoughts, I organize everything in my head before I introduce myself to Kuro.
lifted again slowly.
"I am Kisara, daughter of the White Dragon Emperor and the last of the White Dragon Clan." I felt a tinge of sadness when I said that I was the last of my kind. I hope that is not the case but knowing the traitors, they will not leave anyone from my clan alive.
"The last of the White Dragon Clan…" I heard Kuro muttered to himself. I couldn't help but focus on his face.
He then asked me how long I had been in this prison. I could feel his sympathy when he asked. I felt like crying when I heard him but to keep my image of a dragon, I spoke with a dreary voice. "Longer than you can fathom."
But I felt that I needed to explain more to him, either because I didn't want him to think of me as arrogant or because it was my first time having a conversation in so long. "I was sealed away here, bound by chains stronger than any magic or force you may know. It was not by my will that I was imprisoned here. But that is not your concern."
My heart skipped a beat when he asked me if I wanted to be free. I wanted to shout that I do but hold myself back, seeing the unbreakable chains. When I heard him asking if I wanted revenge, I thought back to when I was first imprisoned. Back then, all I could think of was revenge.
Now, all I crave is freedom. Free from the chains that imprisoned me. If I could get revenge later, I would not mind. But I don't care if I can't since I no longer crave revenge, for I come to learn that being trapped in revenge is just another form of imprisonment.
Coming back from my thoughts, I look at the boy before finally replying. "Freedom is a curious thing. I have not felt it in so long that it almost seems foreign to me. What is it worth, after centuries of imprisonment?" I know what it is worth. For freedom, I am willing to give up my revenge against those who took everything from me.
It was then that I had an epiphany. It seems that the immortality that my father wished for wasn't a curse after all. It wasn't to keep me alive so that I could get revenge. It was to keep me alive until this very moment when I would meet Kuro and give up on my revenge. So that I could finally find what I truly wanted in life.
"And revenge?" I spoke, with a more calm mind after the epiphany. "I don't need revenge. I want to be free. Free of this prison, free of the chains that have held me down for far too long."
I then thought of an idea. I then spoke to Kuro as the small spark turned into a flame inside of me. "Break these chains and set me free. If you can do so, I will forever be bound to you. Through life and death. Through thick and thin."
I was beaming on the inside until Kuro asked me if I just proposed to him. I felt my face heating up. It has been so long since I have spoken with someone that I don't think before I open my mouth.
I keep my poker face and reply to him, not giving away that I was embarrassed at my rash wording.
"Propose? No. I did not propose to you. I simply offered a bond—one of necessity and respect. It is not something light, nor something easily given. If you free me, I will owe you. A debt that can never be fully repaid. That is what I meant. But if you wish to see it as something more… That is your choice."
Then, I felt my heart melt when Kuro spoke that no one should be chained down. Although some may doubt what a little human child could have experienced much in life, I could tell that the soul of Kuro is much older than his physical appearance. I do not know the reason why since many miracles happen in the universes. I hope that someday, I will learn about it from him. If the day ever comes when the whole world is against him, I am willing to stand by his side. Just like that scene from the dreams I had so long ago.