The sunset’s light shone upon the world for the final time in the age of humanity. Not that anyone knew about the incoming change, least of all Eisen. He walked down the sidewalk, unaware of what was to come and his part in this. For all he knew, he finished another day of work and had little plans to spend the rest of the evening before night getting ready for tomorrow’s day.

“Just another day done,” Eisen said to himself. His brown and black sneakers squeaked when he stepped on a puddle. “Though they still haven’t fixed that broken, unneeded update.” He shook his head. “Why would anyone think that it was a good idea in the first place, eh? It just makes the system more convoluted to work with.”

His dark brown hair clumped together from all the sweat he poured out. He pressed his fingers through it a few times before he gave up. Instead, he stuffed his hands into his blue hoodie’s pockets. A late winter breeze was strong enough to pierce through his black jeans.

“Oh, I just can’t wait until spring comes,” Eisen said. His brownish eyes glimmered as he glanced at the sunset. Much of the sky already became yellow and red with little clouds above. Another breeze went by, and he shivered some more. He hurried his walking speed before he paused. “Eh? What’s that?”

Jingling sounds rang from a distance in a song. The music felt celebratory, as though cheering him on for making it through the day. It sounded familiar to him, so he listened for a few more seconds. It clicked in on where he heard it from, and he could not suppress a grin.

“I didn’t know that a carnival event has just been set up.” Eisen turned to his right, where the music was coming from. He walked while keeping his gaze on where the music came from. He reached a crosswalk where he paused at. The street sign hung above, telling him where he stood on his path toward home. “Oh, boy.”

Eisen felt split down the middle on where he should go next. To his left on the crossway held a path to his home, which was ten minutes away—to his right held a way to the carnival, with its lights visible to him. He shivered from the cold.

“I should just go home and relax after a long day of work,” Eisen said. “After all, I’m already halfway there.” He shook his head. “Still, it’s been a long time since I’ve been at a carnival.”

He stood for what felt like an eternity, split in two. One half was like a golden light guiding him to his home. The other held a reddish glow that showed him how a carnival could relieve some of his boredom. The two halves fought until he gritted his teeth and turned right.

“At the very least, it’ll be something I won’t forget.”

Eisen walked past various booths of this colorful and noisy carnival. He smiled at it all regardless, feeling like a kid again. He glanced at one of the booths where various kids played at. They tossed rings toward glass bottlenecks, trying to get them to stay on, but they bounced off every time.

Eisen shook his head at that booth and continued onward. He stopped when he saw a teen trying to climb an angle rope ladder. The teenage girl climbed as slowly and steadily as possible and still got twisted around. It ended when she fell off and landed on her back. Eisen took a closer look at the rope setup and frowned. Each ladder got set up so that, on each end, they met in one spot like a triangle.

“No wonder why this is impossible for most folks,” Eisen said. “That is just not for me.”

He approached another booth where milk bottles stacked on top of each other on the other side. He could not help but grin and approach it. He paid the attendant before tossing up and down a brown baseball. He became satisfied with the baseball; they did not throw off the ball’s center of mass. He threw it, beaming the bottom center milk bottle. The entire stack followed, and all six milk bottles fell.

“Congratulation!” The attendant said. She winked at him. “Want to try again for a bigger price?”

“No thanks,” Eisen said. He glanced at the smaller rewards and smiled. “I’ll take the small dragon there. Eh?”

“Certainly,” the attendant said. She went to the rewards and picked up the dragon Eisen eyed at. She handed it over before she added, “Have a wonderful evening!”

“You too,” Eisen said. He strolled away while patting his new dragon plush. Its dark slate blue wings spread out with pride. Deep ruby purple plates covered the outer parts of the arms and legs like some kind of armor. Eisen rubbed up and down its back, feeling similar deep ruby purple plating going from near the tip of the tail to the sides of the face near the nose. Eisen flipped it over to check its stomach, where dark slate blue scales covered it. A series of black horns lay on its head, with two far more significant than the others. Its orange eyes glittered as though watching him. “You’ll be good for my collection.”

Eisen wandered around, glancing at various booths such as basketball and shooting games. Though he felt confident shooting out the star at the center, he thought it was not worth it. Instead, he meandered on while adjusting his hoodie.

He stopped walking before raising an eye at one of the booths. Tall poles held the blue sheets with them dripping into red by the time they became walls. At the slit opening held a green eye, gazing at him with an almost mesmerizing effect. He glances at the carnival guests and employees, who all ignore this tent. He raised an eyebrow, curiosity filling him up.

“I should just move on since fortune readers and palm readers are fake,” Eisen said to himself. Instead of walking away, he remained standing there. What little sunlight remained died in the sky. He inhaled and shrugged. “Still, it shouldn’t be too bad. Besides, it may just be entertaining.”

Eisen stepped toward the slitted opening and pulled it open. He stepped inside and glanced around with an open mouth. Heavy shadows lay on the sides, enough to make the tent look larger on the inside. A small table with a green glass ball lay at the center. Lights glowed on the ceiling, shifting from side to side with no apparent pattern or amount. At first, he thought he saw fifty white dots, but it became twenty and then a hundred within five seconds. He shook his head and turned to the glass ball, it glowing red instead of green.

“Got to hand it to whoever owns this tent,” Eisen said. He brushed his shoes against the dead grass beneath him. “They are a genius.”

“I’m glad you agree.”

Eisen flinched and looked around. This new voice was soft and almost song-like, but it held something that caused chills to crawl down his spine. He checked under the table for the source of it. No one hid underneath or within the shadows of the tent. Eisen sweated.

All the shifting white dots collocated into one sizable circle, enough that a large man could crawl. Just as that thought struck Eisen, a figure lowered through the hole feet-first. This figure seemed massive with the lights shining behind him, leaving Eisen in the shadow. As he sank, his appearance shrank until he became no larger than Eisen. He stood behind the table and snapped his fingers. The white dots separated and danced on the ceiling again.

“Now, that’s an impressive trick!” Eisen took a step back while adjusting his hoodie. “How did you just pull that one off, eh?”

“I’m afraid that answer is kept secret, known only by a few,” this person said. The purple cloak covered him so his face hid in shadows. “Know that it’s because reality is more moldable than most people expect.”

“Is there a hole above you?” Eisen glanced at the ceiling, trying to find the hole. “Is it just string or cord attached to you? Eh?”

The figure chuckled. “I’m afraid you can’t understand in your current state of mind.” He held out his hands, wrapped in thick black gloves. “You think that this world is covered in hard rules such as the limits of your size, the inability to change history, and changing your figure drastically. But the truth is that, with unique abilities granted to a few such as myself, all such rules can and has been broken.”

“You are one impressive magician,” Eisen said. He grinned. “Keep your secrets, then. Seeing you pull that off makes visiting here worth it.”

“Oh, my good sir.” He held his gloved hand above the crystal ball. “You haven’t begun to see what I can do. Hold out your right hand above here, and I’ll read you.”

Eisen hesitated before he reached his hand forward, with its palm facing down. The tent owner rubbed it over, with Eisen sensing how swollen his gloved hand was. The owner hissed satisfactorily before pushing Eisen’s hand against the crystal sphere. It glowed blue in response.

“I see,” the owner said. Eisen gazed into his shadowy face and thought he saw glowing green eyes. “You work at a warehouse selling various goods such as salt for melting snow and engine oil.” Eisen resisted any attempt at a facial expression, keeping up a blank slate. “Yes. You live alone, though not in complete gratification.”

“You’re doing a great job there,” Eisen said. Within, he noted that he worked for a small cellphone shop instead of a warehouse. “You’re reading me like a book.”

“Why, thank you. I’m the best at this with a thirst for more.” The owner chuckled. The glass ball below glowed orange. “Oh? Is your lack of satisfaction because you dislike modern technology? That you hate how the modern world works?”

“I guess.” Eisen shrugged. He thought about the time while wondering if his roommate, Roger, would get worried. He had been here for too long. But he might as well play along. “I always like fantasy centering around medieval times. For example, dragons flying around.”

The owner hissed for several seconds. “That was too obvious even for me to say, given the plush you carry.” Eisen lifted the dragon plush before he chuckled. “But dragons are such beautiful creatures. Scales strong enough that few, if any, could pierce through. Muscles powerful enough to lift even the heaviest objects. Wings that grant them flight for long periods. Lungs made not to get burnt by their own flames. I’m sure that, if dragons exist, mankind will find themselves replaced.”

“Maybe. Maybe. If it took place in the medieval ages.” Eisen shifted his eyes. “But today? I doubt it. Technology progressed so much that the idea of dragons trying to replace us humans—” He paused, waiting for the owner to stop snickering. “But yeah, even a nuke would just vaporize them.”

“You never know.” The tent owner’s voice became sing-song at that moment. “But I can tell that, hidden within your voice, you want to have dragons taking over the world.” He lifted his other gloved hand. “I have something that can help you with your desire. It’ll be as though the world reset itself.”

“Eh?” Eisen tilted his head. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I say.” The tent owner lifted his hand off from Eisen before spreading his arms out. He spun in place. “The world you live in feels unnatural, doesn’t it? In many ways, humanity is unique in all of the right and wrong ways and reasons. There’s no natural predator for humans, but you limit yourselves to your detriment and make excuses for it. In a way, humans are like gods to the lesser animals, taming and guiding countless animals to their destinies. And yet, you value humbleness, kindness, and loyalty to such a degree that it’s sickening.”

Eisen felt as though an icy knife rubbed up and down his spine before piercing through to his heart. His instincts screamed at him to run; this owner before him had lost his sanity long ago. He kept standing there instead despite nothing chaining him in place. It was as though the only thing keeping him there was the chains of fear.

“Forgive me if I offended you.” The tent owner turned to Eisen. “I admit that I have a flair for,” he paused for a few seconds. “For the dramatic.” Again, where his eyes should be underneath, that cloak glowed green for a second. “Please, don’t take everything I say too seriously.”

“I, um, OK.” Eisen shifted and shook his head. “As long as you aren’t serious.” The owner nodded. “I’m curious to see this ‘something’ that you have that just might help.”

The tent owner laughed, which felt cold. It was as though frost had made its way in here. Eisen felt his hair behind his head standing up.

“Very good,” the tent owner said.

He pulled Eisen’s hand off the crystal sphere before hovering both hands over it. The ball glowed gold in response, except for the top, which turned pitch black. A slim, slivery chain hovered up until he grabbed it. He pulled it up further, with the chain shimmering in the light. The other end lifted from the ball, revealing an ornamental dragon head. The dragon's head was gold with black horns and glimmering green eyes. The sphere’s hole disappeared.

“Now that’s impressive string work there.” Eisen widened his eyes before he rubbed the crystal ball. “And where did the opening go to?”

“Oh, my sweet child,” the tent owner said. He twirled the necklace chain between his fingers. “You may understand one day. Or never. Likely, it’ll be both.”

He walked around the table while ensuring Eisen never saw his back. He unclipped the necklace before wrapping it around Eisen’s neck. Eisen flinched at the dragon's head bouncing against his chest like fire instead of steel. The tent owner clasped the necklace on before taking several steps back.

Eisen stumbled from the weight, feeling like the dragon's head was five times heavier than it should have been. He reached up and rubbed the dragon’s head for a few seconds. He spun around to the owner and, for a moment, thought he saw a wide grin on his face.

“It won’t take effect instantly,” The tent owner held out an index finger to him. “Give it time. Take a walk around the city. Then, you’ll be free.”

“Free, eh?” Eisen lifted the necklace somewhat. “What do you mean by that?”

“Ah, just a simple expression.” The owner chuckled. “By the way, there is an inscription behind it.”

Eisen tilted his head for a second. He flipped the necklace so its back was facing him. He raised an eyebrow and rubbed the letters on it. “‘Genesis 3:5?’ What does that mean?”

“You’ll find out in time.” The owner’s tone held a farewell feel to it.

Eisen laughed and set the necklace down. “You know, you’re the most entertaining hand reader I ever encounter.”

“Quite.”

Eisen turned to the exit and pulled open the sheets.

“Also,” the owner added, “say ‘hello’ to your roommate Roger for me.”

Eisen flinched and turned to face the owner, but he had already disappeared. He sweated. The lights upon the silky ceiling danced some more as though out of mockery of Eisen. He reached for the necklace’s latch and pushed. As soon as it opened, his will to remove it died. He let go despite all senses telling him to remove it. He left the tent with a grunt while clutching the dragon plush tight.

“He was messing with me,” Eisen said to himself. He grabbed the dragon's head with his other hand despite the unusual heat it emitted. “That was what he was doing.” The dragon head, for some reason, became cool in half a second. He sighed. “Still, I got to admit this: he got the better of me in the end. That’s a first.” He glanced around the carnival, with it still going on despite the stars poking through the night sky. “I might as well head home. I have enough of this.”

Eisen rushed out toward the exit while doing his best to ignore the games he was interested in. The tent owner’s words about the modern world and humanity echoed in his head. It almost convinced him that he was right about it, but he rejected that thought. Despite all of the technology and humanity’s flaws, replacing them would not guarantee a better world.

As Eisen left the carnival, the blue and red tent spun around in circles before it shrank. The other people in the festival turned away as though compelled by some force. The tent spun and shrank until it disappeared, leaving the tent owner in its place.

The tent owner glanced around at the humans with disdain. To think that a low-effort spell could cause many to ignore evident magic before their eyes. Even if it was because of some human instinct that helped with that, it was disappointing to see for himself.

The owner chuckled. “Pitiful, foolish humans. Your time has ended.”

Eisen lay upon his bed with dark shadows hanging under his eyes. He could not fall asleep, no matter how hard he tried or how much he wanted. He twisted and turned on the bed, feeling restless for some reason. He slipped off of his bed and, in a rage, smacked against the mattress.

“Come on,” Eisen said. “I have work early tomorrow. I need to sleep.”

He pressed his palms against the floor before he did push-ups. Up and down he went, with the necklace he would not remove bouncing on the floor. He sweated, but he got to thirty before he stopped. Instead of feeling tired, he became more awake against all reason. He shook his head and sat next to his bed, groaning.

Eisen rubbed against the dragon's head before he clutched it tight. He had stopped attempting to remove it, even when showering an hour ago. The tent owner’s words came back again, which angered him. He punched the bed again, harder than before.

“OK. OK. Calm down.” Eisen got up and paced up and down the room. “This is nothing to worry about.” He turned to the clock, with it displaying 11:46 PM. “I’ll just have to accept sleeping for six hours tonight.” His steps thumped against the floor. “Yeah. Just calm down.”

The opposite happened: his cheeks turned red, and his heart slammed against his chest. He turned to the bed again before he kicked it a few times. His foot caught between the mattress and the bunk, and he pulled it back harder than he intended. Eisen stumbled back, slamming against the bookshelf filled with stuffed toys. A fox plush landed on his head, which he yanked off and tossed across the room.

“OK. OK.” Eisen pulled back his head. “What’s wrong with me?”

He turned to his pajamas, drenched with sweat, and sighed. He turned on the lights before peeling them off and tossing them into the laundry basket. He went to his closet and pulled out a plain black shirt and jeans. The electrical lights became hostile for his eyes, their artificial glow so unnatural to him. He turned off the light before slipping on the clothes.

“I must be crazy for doing this,” Eisen said. He reached under his shirt and pulled out the dragon head necklace. “But it has been a crazy night so far.”

Despite the darkness, he could see well enough to grab his shoes and tie them on. He grabbed his coat and smartphone before he shook his head. He dropped the coat to the floor and tossed the disgusting phone against a wall. It was unnecessary technology that no person should have, and he doubted the cold could bother him. He stormed out of his bedroom and headed toward the staircase.

“Yo,” a voice said. Eisen turned around, and a light flashed against his face. He growled and placed his hand against it. “Are you alright, dude?”

“Yeah, yeah,” Eisen answered. He growled some more. “I can’t sleep, so I’m going for a walk.”

“Dude, are you crazy?” Roger stepped closer. “It’s cold out there, and you’re wearing a short sleeve shirt! You could get—”

“Would you PLEASE stop shining that awful light at me?!” Eisen felt anger flowing throughout his body. Roger took a step back and lowered his light. “Thank you. Jeez, you could blind someone with that.”

“Uh, dude? Are you sure you’re feeling alright?”

“Of course I am!” Eisen growled at Roger. “Why do you keep asking that?!”

“For starters, dude, you want to go outside when it’s freezing out, and you aren’t wearing anything that can keep you warm,” Roger answered. “That is nuts, dude. Plus, you’ve been acting salty for no reason—”

“NO REASON?!” Eisen grabbed the flashlight and tossed it away. “I’m tired, but I can’t sleep! Nothing I’ve done has helped me! And what have you done to support me, eh? Trying to blind me with that stupid light!”

“Dude, it’s pitch black here.” Roger sounded fearful. “W-what’s going on? You’re acting funny.”

“Oh, so is my legitimate rage is funny to you now?” Eisen rolled his eyes. “If you’re finished, can you LEAVE ME ALONE?!”

Roger fell on his rear.

“Good. Now, don’t follow me.” Eisen stomped down the stairs. “If I hear ONE MORE complaint about how I’ve been behaving or if I SEE you following me, I’ll beat you up so hard that YOUR MOTHER won’t recognize you in the hospital!”

Roger shrunk away, his entire body shaking in fear. He opened his mouth in horror, but no other sound came. Eisen snorted and opened the front door. A cold breeze crashed against him as it entered the house.

“You see? It’s not too bad out there.” Eisen huffed, his breath turning into frost. “Stop being such a child, you wimp!” He stepped outside and slammed the door behind him. “Finally, some peace and quiet.”

Eisen marched down the sidewalk with his head held high. Lights turned on from his home, but he ignored its blinding gaze. He reached the parkway where Roger’s large truck parked. He rubbed against its dark blue paint before he punched it. The truck dented from the punch’s force which did not hurt him.

“What a pathetic roommate I got,” Eisen said. He walked over to the sidewalk. “Doesn’t he realize how much better it is to walk?”

The peace and quiet did not last long for Eisen when he reached downtown. Artificial lights glowed all around him with sickening shades like green and red. Gray buildings surrounded him with uninspired, imposing walls meant to depress instead of encourage. Several people loitered outside, either chatting with each other or on their overpriced smartphones. Cars drove up and down the street, sometimes honking or splashing dirty water onto the sidewalk.

Eisen furrowed his brow. His face turned white from the rage building within him. The honking became louder, ringing in his ears. He turned to the night sky to see the stars, but the city’s lights outshined their natural beauty. Only the brightest of the stars reached the people here. He glared at his surroundings, almost like he was trying to shoot lasers through them.

“How ironic,” Eisen said. He passed by a guy listening to music loud enough to deafen anyone. “This city’s lights made the sky darker. How disgusting.”

He glanced at a store across the street. Its mocking lights shined as bright as the midday sun, if not brighter. Neon letterings hung over its glass doors. He turned away from the lights, less his eyes burned out from them. He reached a crossway to step onto the street, but a car zipped past him. It splashed dirty water onto his shoes. Eisen stepped back and cracked his knuckles.

“Look at how selfish humans have become,” Eisen said. He rushed past the crossway, reaching the other side. “They all demand that they should all go first at the expense of others. Meanwhile, they claim that they evolved past that thanks to technology. What hilariousness! They expend their desires to go first in other fields. Whether if it’s in being ‘moral,’ ‘righteousness,’ or all of that buzz, they all think they are the best even as they crush others against their heels!”

Eisen walked past a mailbox and smacked his palm on it. It rang, though traffic drowned out its sound. He ground his teeth while lowering his head and growling. A man walked on the sidewalk toward Eisen while tapping on his smartphone. Eisen stepped away to avoid him, but the man still bumped against him. The man continued walking without saying sorry or lifting his head, remaining engrossed in his phone.

“Everyone is so swallowed up in their little world,” Eisen said. Lizard-like growls came from his throat. “So much so that they forgot the human next to them. Technology made the world smaller in all of the wrong ways!”

Eisen huffed and shook his head. He snuck into a dark alley away from the other humans. Rotten, half-eaten food and sweat-drenched clothes reeked all over. He furrowed his nose in disgust and hurried his pace through the alley. He made it halfway before he stopped and squinted.

Ahead, a purple-cloaked figure stood, its lowered hood toward Eisen. Eisen blinked, wondering what the hand reader was here for. The hand-reader floated in midair while spreading his arms out. Behind, something else stretched out wide, wider than his arms. Eisen raised his eyebrow in annoyance at the hand reader. Meanwhile, the hand-reader hissed, but not out of anger but out of pleasure.

“Embraced your hatred,” the hand-reader said. His voice ranged in Eisen’s head. “Then you’ll get the power you need to change the world.”

Eisen blinked for half a second. The hand-reader already disappeared with only swirling mist where he floated at. It was as though he dissolved into nothingness. Eisen felt his heart beat harder against his chest. His knuckles turned white from the pure rage flowing through him. His body shook as though he was moments away from exploding.

“Yes,” Eisen said. The ground cracked beneath him. “You were right. Everything about this ‘modern’ world is disgusting. Technology didn’t make everyone better. It made everything worse instead! It was way better back in the medieval ages!”

His necklace glowed at the end of his last syllable. It burned through his shirt as though it burst into flames despite remaining solid. It lay upon his chest before it fused into him. No sign of its existence remained, as though it dissolved into his bloodstream.

Eisen’s eyes glowed orange from some power flowing through him. He splayed his fingers out. His fingernails grew long and hard, becoming claws. He scratched them against a wall, them cutting through bricks as though they were butter. When his eyes stopped glowing, they turned orange with pupil slits.

Dark slate blue scales grew on his fingers, starting from the tips, replacing soft human skin. Thick padding formed on his palms, becoming leathery to the touch. The scales spread up his arms, shimmering in the artificial light. On his forearms grew thick plates of scales, having a deep ruby purple on them instead of blue. He grabbed a steel trash can’s lid and smashed it against his forearm. The lit caved in while the plate scales remained unblemished.

His shoes contorted from his shifting feet. His toes fused until he held three on each foot. The toenails grew long and thick, piercing through the shoes like paper. They blackened as well, with all colors drained away to nothingness. His feet stretched out longer, ripping through what remained of his shoes. Thick leather-like padding formed on the bottom of his feet before he stood on them. He adjusted his stance so he stood on the front of the feet as though he was on his toes. Dark slate blue scales grew from his feet-paws, replacing soft human skin.

Even as Eisen’s scales spread up his arms and legs, they expanded in muscles. His shirt sleeves stretched against his expanding bicep while rolling up his arm. His calves and thighs pressed against his pants tight, fighting for space and causing him to spread his legs out. His scaleless pecs inflated with muscles, becoming visible through his shirt. His abs swelled, swelling up and pressing against his shirt as well. Any fat on him burned away, leaving a herculean body shape.

Thick, deep ruby purple plating grew on the front of his legs, ripping through his pants. His legs’ muscles swelled again, leaving single strands keeping the pants together. A lump formed on his rear, which stretched out in size and length. It tore through, extending longer and thicker with thick muscles on it. His tail held dark slate blue scales with deep ruby purple plating on the top. He cracked his tail against the side of a building, breaking through with no problem.

His pecs and abs swelled again, with his shirt tearing apart at last. Already, dark slate blue scales spread throughout his torso. His abs popped through his pants, with the button flying out of the alleyway. Thick, deep ruby purple plating grew on his back and sides. His back muscles surged in mass while a pair of lumps grew. They stretched out, with deep ruby purple plating forming on the skeletal parts. Brutal, dark slate blue membrane stretched out, connecting the bony parts. Eisen turned back to his newly formed wings and flapped them.

“Yes.” Eisen’s voice became guttural and deep. “I have the power to end this world and return it to its roots.”

Black spikes grew on his elbows, just as sharp and tough as his claws. His neck thickened out with muscles, keeping pace with the rest of his body’s growing size. His arms thickened, with his biceps pressing against his shoulders for space. His legs expanded with more muscles, enough that the ground cracked against his weight. What remained of his clothes fell as though they were scales shedding off. His pecs pumped out, going farther than his chin.

His brown hair flaked off until he became bald. His nose and mouth contorted forward, becoming beak-like in shape. His teeth remained sharpening and hardening until even diamonds could get scratched from them. His nose and ears shrank until they became mere dots on his head. The thick, deep ruby purple plating grew up the sides and back of his head, stretching to the sides of his face until stopping just before the nose. Dark slate blue scales replaced the remaining skin on his face.

Two black spikes grew on the back of his head over the spine. Three more spikes grew on top of his head, with the middle one half the size of the ones beside it. Behind the two more giant spikes grew a pair of black horns curved with the tips pointing upwards. He opened his mouth, with steam flowing out.

Eisen took a step forward. The ground shook from that single step. His body grew in both height and muscles. He took another step. The ground shook more with the concrete floor cracking. He grew once more.

“Yes.” Eisen flexed his right arm. “Yes.” He spread his wings, touching both sides of the alleyway. “Yes!” He took one last step forward. The concrete floor shattered with spiderweb cracks spreading all around. “Yes!” He stomped on the ground, with them powerful enough to be detected as an earthquake. “YES!!”

Eisen towered over as a fifteen-feet tall dragon. Every bit of movement he made displayed how much power he held, even on his pinky. Even the strongest and largest person who ever lived would feel small and weak compared to him. Eisen smirked over his body, wondering how he could even find being a human bearable. Even so, he held much more power than from muscles and size.

He lifted his left hand-paw and stared at it. The claws glowed purple from magic flowing through him. The ripped-apart clothes floated in the air and unstrung themselves into threads. They reconnected, reweaving while changing color to brown and tan. He pulled them on, smirking at his new kilt, large enough to wear. A belt wrapped around his waist, keeping the kilt strapped on.

“Ehehe.” Eisen flexed his left hand-paw some more. “This world will know what true power is.”

“What the HELL is going on out there!?” A door slammed open, and a man rushed out to the alleyway, holding a shotgun. “I’m TRYING to SLE—”

The man’s voice died in his throat. Eisen spun around and smirked at the tiny human before him, his leg alone larger than the man’s entire body. The man fired his shotgun at Eisen, but the buckshot bounced off. Eisen dusted away his chest, not feeling the slightest bit of pain. The lone human fired four more times, running out, but not even Eisen’s eyes got the tiniest scratch on them.

Eisen grabbed the man’s shotgun and dropped it behind him. “Foolish human.” The man fell on his rear and scootched back. “You think a gun makes you feel powerful? Oh, no.” Eisen crouched before the man, looming over him. “You stare before the world’s new ruler. For I am the dragon king!”

“Wh-what?” The man whimpered. “Wh-what are you talking about?”

“Ehehehe. Don’t you know? You humans are obsolete.” With thick drool dripping near the man’s legs, Eisen grinned at him. “A new dawn is coming, the dawn of dragons!” Eisen rubbed his left hand’s claw against the man’s chest. “You will become the first.”

Eisen stabbed his claw through the man’s chest. The man coughed, though no blood flowed out from the open wound. Eisen pulled his claw out and took a couple of steps back. The wound healed as though it never been pierced through in the first place. The man blinked at the gaping hole in his shirt before he shivered.

Black scales grew all over his body, starting from the chest and replacing his skin. His fingernails turned silver as they thickened and grew long. His feet shredded through his socks and shoes like wet tissue. The feet became long with thick padding on the bottom. He stumbled onto his knees, gritting his teeth in pain.

A pair of bumps grew on his back before ripping through his shirt. They stretched out into black wings, ending with silver nails. A lump pushed against his pant’s rear before ripping through. That lump stretched into a long tail ending with silver spikes. He turned up to stare at Eisen, his eyes becoming green with black pupil slits and gray sclera.

His mouth and nose stretched forward, with the nose shrinking into dots. His hair remained, growing long while becoming silvery and scaley. His ears shrank into dots on the side of his head. His lips stretched back farther than his eyes, becoming lizard-like. He opened his mouth, exposing his sharp teeth and forked tongue.

The man, now a dragon, adjusted his stance. Unlike Eisen, he did not grow in size or muscles; he was just as slim and small as a human. But his powers still surpassed any human, and magic flowed through him. He kneeled to Eisen while lowering his head.

“My king.”

“My vassal,” Eisen said. The new dragon lifted his head. Eisen raised his left hand-paw claws, and they glowed purple with magic. The shredded clothes reformed and reattached themselves to his new dragon. The new dragon marveled at the tunic, which bore a foot-paw with three claws on its chest. “What is your name?”

“Luca, my king.”

“Then, Luca, I bid this quest for you.” Eisen slammed his right fist against his chest. “Go out and spread the word of me. Convert any human you encounter into a dragon.”

“Yes, my king.”

The new dragon spread his wings out. He leaped and flapped his wings simultaneously, zooming into the sky. Paper and trash fluttered away from the force. Eisen chuckled and glanced at his left hand-paw’s claws.

“Those arrogant and weak humans will know who is the dominant force in the world.”

King Eisen marched toward the alleyway’s exit. His left hand-paw’s claws glowed purple, and every metal trash can and clothing shuttered. They all floated toward him, with the clothes unraveling and the trash cans remolded themselves. The string restrung and turned into a brown color before wrapping around him as a new shirt. The steel molded into a chest plate armor, which strapped onto him. Exiting the alleyway, he stood over much like a kingly knight.

Few humans paid attention to him, instead remaining absorbed in their electronics. King Eisen frowned with disgust before he slashed against one of the disgusting hotel building’s walls. The cracks glowed purple for a second before spreading out. Chunks of the walls fell with its decay sped up. An alarm rang out from that hotel, and the humans finally lifted their heads out of confusion.

When they saw King Eisen, they screamed and ran away. He gave a dark chuckle before turning to the decaying hotel. Several more humans rushed out from that building, with a few heading toward him without realizing it. They only noticed when they crashed against his legs and tail.

“Ah. More vassals.”

King Eisen slashed or stabbed each of them with quick effectiveness despite how huge and muscular he became. They screamed from the pain at first and later, when they noticed their changes, in horror. They collapsed onto the ground, trying to scratch out their scales. Their clothes shredded apart from their new tails and wings. When they stopped changing and became anthro dragons, they turned to Eisen and kneeled before him.

“My king,” they all said.

“My vassals.” Eisen held his arms out. Dark purple energy fired out from his arms, engulfing the torn-apart clothes. They reformed around the new dragons as tunics, which they glanced at with wonder. “Hear me. Spread out and convert more humans into dragons!”

The dragon vassals nodded before flying into the sky. They scattered all around, searching for any human. Meanwhile, the decaying hotel with dark tendrils all around it collapsed. Dust flew all around, though it only reached King Eisen by the waist. He chuckled and stepped onto the street.

Few vehicles drove on that street due to the chaos caused by the fleeing humans and the collapsing hotel. A large red truck drove by a lady among them, charging at King Eisen. Any human in its way would get splattered; it crashed against his knee with no lasting damage. The lady driving it smashed through the window from the force, her face covered with glass. Eisen gashed her with a claw as she zipped by.

“If this is the most they can do to me,” King Eisen rubbed the crunched up front of the truck, “then I am disappointed.” He slammed his left hand-paw against the hood. “But it’ll serve a new purpose.”

The car shuddered with its steel molding and folding over each other. The leather sheets ripped open with cotton flying out. The cotton fused with the shirt underneath his plate armor, thickening it. Part of the leather joined with his kilt, consolidating it. The steel and what remained of the leather fused before laying on his forearms and forelegs. King Eisen smirked at his new gauntlets and greaves, flexing the fingers on one.

“Much better.” Eisen glanced at the remaining plastic with disgust. He crushed them into dust with his foot-paw. “Such wasteful material. Wouldn’t you agree, my vassal?”

He turned around with a wide grin. The lady driver, already turned into a dragon, glanced at her body in wonder. Her white scales held a glass-like shine to them. Her horns and spikes jagged like chunks of broken mirrors which glittered in the light. She turned to King Eisen and kneeled before him.

“Yes, my king,” she said. “Why these humans felt the need to create plastic, only God knows.”

“Indeed, my vassal.” Eisen walked to her and patted her shoulder. At her size, she looked like a child to her king. Below, her clothes floated and reformed into a tunic. “Now, fly out and convert more humans.”

“Yes, my king.”

She spread her wings and flew to the sky.

“And you say that he went out with no protection?”

Roger nodded. He rubbed the back of his head. A police officer stood before him with her notebook, writing notes. She glanced around the living room with a sharp eye. Roger swallowed and turned to the officer.

“Yeah, dude,” Roger answered. “He went out with only a T-shirt and light jeans. I know it sounds crazy, dude, but I am worried.”

“Mhmm.” The officer wrote down some more. “Have you tried searching or contacting him?”

“He left his smartphone behind, which was another odd thing about it.” Roger glanced up the stairs. “The dude never leaves the house without it. He is always tapping away on it whenever he gets the chance, and he always handled it like giving it a wrong look would break it. So it makes it even more odd to find that the screen protector cracked from what looked like being tossed at the wall. And dude, if you were here, you would hesitate before trying to find him.”

“Mmmm.” The officer nodded. “So, you have no idea where he might be?”

“None at all, dude. Could you help find him?”

“I have a couple of more questions.” The officer shifted her eye. “Have this Eisen been under the influence of drugs?”

“What? No way, dude!” Roger shook his head vigorously. “I know my friend! He wouldn’t even drink caffeine!”

“Uh-huh.” The officer sighed. “It’s something that we got to ask. After all—” The radio on him crackled to life. She flinched before grabbing it and raising it against her mouth. “Say again?”

“Cha— all over— th— —eets! Wit— —ay that t— dr—s! Do —u co—?”

“You’re breaking up. Say—”

The front door shattered into bits, with wood flying all around. The officer unholstered her pistol and pointed it at the door. Roger jumped back and slipped, landing on the floor with his feet up. Some bits of wood landed on top of him. A shadow loomed over the doorway, dominating it.

“Oh, you poor pitiful humans. Thinking that a mere gun is useful against me.”

The shadow ripped away much of the doorway before it crouched in. Roger dropped his jaw in fear in confusion before sliding back. A colossal dragon with European armor grinned at the two humans. The officer blinked in confusion, as though trying to accept what she saw was real, before firing at the dragon’s face. The bullets crumbled up before landing on the floor, leaving no mark on him.

“Did you honestly think that could’ve harmed me, human?”

The officer raised her radio again. “I have a hostile here!” She fired at the dragon’s face again. “I need backup! Do you copy!?”

“We— —ve dra— ov— —re! Th— —re att—!”

A crunching sound came from the other end, like someone or something crushed it. The officer dropped her radio before steeling herself and firing at the dragon until it ran out. The dragon grinned in response, exposing all of his sharp teeth. Roger, meanwhile, got on all four and crawled up the stairs. He reached the third step when the dragon wrapped his tail around Roger’s leg and yanked him back.

“Oh, God!” Roger sobbed with his face against the floor. “Oh, God! This isn’t happening! This cannot be happening, dude! You do not exist!”

“But Roger, it is.”

Roger widened his eyes and gasped. “H—”

“I’ll show you the end of humanity.”

The officer pulled out her steel baton before slamming it against the dragon’s arm. He snickered in amusement before yanking it away from her grip. He glanced at it before bending it between two of his fingers. The officer grunted before pulling another clip and loading it into her pistol. She aimed it at his eye before he swatted the gun away.

“You have guts. I have to give you that.” The dragon grinned wide. “You impressed me, and that should be rewarded.”

The dragon stabbed deep into her chest, enough that the claw came out the other side. The officer coughed and when the dragon pulled out his claw, she landed on the ground. She shook, her wound already healed before thick dark yellow plating scales grew on her chest. Roger stared at her in horror as to what was happening.

The officer got to her knees when a green-cyan tail ripped out from her rear, ending with a white arrowhead tail. Her arms became covered with green-cyan scales with dark yellow plating on her forearms. Her fingernails grew long as they became whiter and sharper, with them piercing through the floor. A pair of lumps formed on her back before ripping through, spreading into green-cyan wings.

The officer lifted her head to stare at Roger, her eyes flashing blue with the pupil slitted. Her body shivered before she bulked up with muscles. What remained of her uniform strained before ripping apart. Her nose and mouth moved forward into a beak shape with a forked tongue sticking out. Her hair grew long and became crystalized into a white shine. A pair of white horns grew over the sides, over her ears which already shrank into dots. When she stood up, she was almost as tall, though nowhere as bulky, as the dark slate blue dragon.

“My king,” the officer said. Her voice became silk-like.

“My queen,” the first dragon said. He turned to Roger, who sweated all over his face. “You see, my friend? Humanity’s time has ended. It just needed me, King Eisen, to do the deed.”

Roger gasped in shock. “E—”

King Eisen pulled Roger close to his face. Their eyes met briefly, though it felt like hours to Roger. It felt impossible, that this could not be the same Eisen he knew from childhood. Memories of their time flooded before his eyes. King Eisen reached forward until his claw rubbed against Roger’s chest. Out of nowhere, he stabbed deep into the chest.

“Du—”

King Eisen laughed as he lowered Roger back onto the ground. He kept crouching down, though his horns broke through the ceiling despite that. The dragon queen reached behind her king before hugging him. He smiled and lay his hand-paw on her own.”

“Eis—” Roger coughed. His tongue stretched out from his mouth, becoming forked. His fingernails dug into the wooden floor, piercing through. His socks stretched before ripping into shreds from his expanding feet and claws. A bump swelled on his rear before ripping through as a new tail. “This-this must be a-a-a-a—”

Two lumps grew on his back before ripping through his shirt. They stretched out into wings, which flapped and knocked down a TV. Two of his fingers fused into one. When he gripped the staircase’s post, it shattered into splinters. His mouth and nose stretched out into a muzzle with a couple of his teeth poking through. His hair fell off, with scales replacing them. His ears shrank into dots, much like his nose. He opened his mouth and rubbed his new sharp teeth.

Roger glanced all over his arms with wonder. Yellow scales covered much of his body, with white plating on his forearms, forelegs, the bottom of his tail, and torso. His black horns curved in a spiral on his head. He turned to King Eisen and understood. He kneeled before him and his queen.

“My king and queen.”

“My vassal.” Eisen waved his arm around. Roger’s torn-apart clothes reformed into a tunic on him. “Do you see the truth about humanity now? They are—” he paused for dramatic effect, “—selfish creatures. They took the gifts of this world for granted. They took their fellow humans for granted. The lazed around, expecting for someone to fix their issues for them. In that case—” he winked at Roger, “—might as well fix their issues. For good.”

“Yes, my king.”

“Now, go and create more converts!”

Roger nodded and spread his wings. He leaped into the air, breaking through the ceiling like wet cardboard. To think that these houses could offer adequate protection for these humans. Such was the arrogance of humanity!

King Eisen turned to his queen. “What is your name?”

“Zoey,” the dragon queen answered.

“Then, Queen Zoey, let me offer you clothing!”

King Eisen snapped his fingers, them emitting a purple spark. At once, the house shook as nuts and bolts unscrewed, and nails removed themselves from the foundations. The torn-up uniform floated in the air, joining with Zoey. More clothing flew out from a couple of bedrooms, joining the uniform before they all unwounded themselves. Tools, electronics, and anything with a hint of metal came forward.

The house shook before it collapsed on top of the two dragons. The two stepped out with no harm coming to them at all. King Eisen brushed off some drywall dust from his clothes and armor. He turned to Queen Zoey, who wore a beautiful purple dress with a steel chest plate curved for her chest. Gauntlets and greaves lay on her arms and legs as well.

King Eisen stared at Queen Zoey in marvel before he smiled at her. He turned to the truck before cracking his knuckles. He slammed his fist through the front like crushing a thin aluminum can. At once, the metal morphed and folded over itself. The leather seating stretched out into wrappings that floated in the air. Meanwhile, chunks of the house glowed purple, with some wood flying out.

The steel stretched into a massive sword that shone coldly in the moonlight. A wide metal guard ending with dragon tails formed before sliding up the tang. The lumber fused into a handle and attached itself to the tang. The leather wrappings strapped around the handle, allowing for a superior grip. A pommel ending with a dragon head, with its mouth biting onto a purple glass sphere, screwed itself on.

King Eisen grabbed the sword and marveled at its beauty. The blade, balanced to perfection, felt comfortable in his grip. His Queen Zoey smiled with pride as well. King Eisen slashed his left hand-paw in the air with magic channeling rubble around them. At once, what remained of the steel, leather, glass, and wood floated up and reformed.

King Eisen stepped onto the street before he swung his sword. Purple waves emitted from its edge, crashing against anything electrical. Lightbulbs exploded, batteries and generators burst into flames, TV and everything related lost life, and electrical poles sparked before collapsing. The waves even pierced through anything protected by EMP waves, causing them to explode.

“How fragile,” King Eisen said.

He turned back to his queen, who held a sword as well. All around, cars, trucks, and motorcycles exploded like fireworks. Beautiful fires blazed from the houses. Human screaming rang all around, and the dragon king and queen grinned as though the humans sang instead.

“We’ll return to the houses of old.”

Humans ran out from each house, each one white with fear.

“The only lightning we need is the beautiful light from cloudy skies.”

Each human spotted King Eisen and Queen Zoey, and they screamed more.

“We will no longer depend our lives on such unneeded machinery.”

A couple of humans aimed their rifles at the two dragons before firing.

“And you humans—” King Eisen grinned at the bullets bouncing off him and his queen, “—will convert and see me as your true king.”

“This is just a stupid game,” G4M1NGSH4RK said. His player character sprinted down the battlefield. Someone popped into view but did not see him. He aimed his shotgun and fired twice but missed. The other player realized what was happening and spun around, shooting G4M1NGSH4RK’s character until he died. He shook his head. “How can so many people play this BROKEN game?!”

He inhaled and raised his hands. He turned to his keyboard, the third he had brought this week. The webcam on his second monitor recorded his action; he did not want to give trolling ammunition to his viewers again. Below, the webcam held the stream chat’s display with a view count of over two thousand people. The chat flooded the display with salt emotes.

“OK. Not going to get angry.” G4M1NGSH4RK logged out of the server. He gripped the mouse tight enough to crack it. He moved the cursor to another server to join in, but it displayed a cooldown countdown for rage quitting. He snapped and slammed his fist on the desk hard enough to shake it. “Like, bro! How can ANYONE enjoy this STUPID GAME?!”

Meanwhile, the chat inputted so many comments that an automatic cooldown implemented itself.

“Bro, U sux!”

“Let’s bring in all the salt!”

“You had it and screwed it up! It’s not the game’s fault!”

“LOL! U mad!”

“Dude, you need some anger management help, dude.”

The doorbell rang throughout the house. G4M1NGSH4RK gritted his teeth and glared at the webcam. He removed his headset, the fourth he had brought in a month, and tossed it at a wall. He stomped across his bedroom and clicked the lights back on. He swung open the door hard enough to cause a dent in the wall.

“This better be important,” G4M1NGSH4RK said. He stormed across the hallway while turning on the lights. He reached the living room and reddened his face when he saw the front door. The doorbell rang again, and he growled. “I’m here! You don’t have to be impatient, bro!” He stomped toward the door and yanked it open. “OK! What do you wa—”

A yellow and white figure stood at the doorway, holding what looked like a pair of knives. The figure swung, gashing at G4MINGSH4RK’s chin while chuckling. G4M1NGSH4RK flinched and pressed his hand against his chin. He turned to the figure, but he had disappeared already. He stepped out the door and saw no sign of his attacker.

“What?” G4M1NGSH4RK’s face turned white with some red on his cheek. He lowered his hand, pressing against it, and rubbed his chin, seeing no blood on it. No gash or even a minor cut lay on it. “No! I DIDN’T imagine him!” He turned on the porch light but flinched at how bright and artificial it became. “GAH! Stupid light!” He went to turn off the light, but his claw gashed through the plastic. “Freaking cheap plastic!”

He slammed the front door hard enough that the glass on it cracked. His shoes ripped apart from his digitigrade feet, and he sighed while growling. The lights glowed too bright for him for some reason. He roared with his voice deepening. He smacked his hand-paw against the ceiling fan’s lightbulbs, shattering them into bits.

“Bro, these lights are SO ANNOYING!”

G4M1NGSK4RK stormed back toward his bedroom while smashing any lightbulbs in the way. His bedroom, especially his monitors, almost blinded him by their artificial lights. He shattered the lightbulbs before sitting back on his gaming chair. A faint reflection on his primary monitor showed his red scaly face. The other monitor showed chat freaking out.

“Bro, WTF? How did U change into a dragon costume so quickly?”

“I didn’t know he was a furry!”

“Looks cool on you!”

“Um, how did you break those lightbulbs without hurting yourself?”

“It’s super fitting for a salty gamer like you.”

G4M1NGSH4RK glared at his keyboard. It glowed in multiple colors at once, in mockery of a rainbow. He snarled while flicking a forked tongue. He picked up the keyboard with complete understanding as to what was wrong. Behind him, the lumps on his back and rear exploded, ripping through his clothes. His tail stabbed through the chair and into the floor. Meanwhile, his wings knocked off the chair’s arms and a bookcase. The games on the case spilled onto the floor.

“You know what’s wrong with this?” G4M1NGSH4RK stood up and bent his keyboard. “You know what’s wrong with this?” The keys popped out from the keyboard, landing on his desk and floor. “You know what’s wrong with this?” The plastic groaned before it shattered. “You know what’s wrong with this?” He slammed his knee with a black spike on it against the keyboard. It broke in half, exposing the motherboard within. “You know what’s wrong with this?”

“Jeez! What’s wrong with you?”

“Salty gamer time!”

“Um, is this supposed to happen?”

“Guys, I don’t think he is wearing a costume or doing a bit here.”

“WTF?!?!?!?!”

G4M1NGSH4RK roared out, exposing his long, sharp teeth. He dropped his keyboard and stomped on it several times, breaking the floor as well. He slammed both of his fists onto both monitors. They crumbled and shattered with plastic flying all around. The desk they sat on broke in half. He grabbed the computer and yanked it off the wall so hard that the cord snapped. He crumbled it into a ball before tossing it at a wall. It shattered through with no issue at all, leaving a sizable hole.

“It’s these FREAKING technologies!” G4M1NGSH4RK slammed his foot-paw on the fallen games. The house rumbled from the force. “They shackled us, warped us into making us selfish and stupid! Not anymore! We need to get rid of them for the true king and queen of the world!”

“Breaking news!” A newscaster shifted from side to side. His face twisted as though he was unsure whether to laugh or cry. “Up north, we have reports of dragons appearing out of nowhere. Yes, that sounds ridiculous.” He wiped his brow. “But we have multiple pictures and videos showing it happening as we speak.”

Beside him, a video played of a massive dark slate blue and deep ruby purple dragon in armor walking through a suburban street. Beside him stood a dark yellow and green-cyan dragon, just as tall as the other dragon. They held their swords toward the sky in dominance before purple waves emitted from the blades. The video glitched out and stopped playing.

“We have attempted to contact the local police force and leaders but cannot establish connections. Even the ground reporters stopped communicating with us. So we sent a helicopter into the air with Hazel for more information. Hazel, you’re live.”

The news shifted to a blond-haired lady, Hazel, on a helicopter. The uniform she wore hung loose as though meant for a size larger. She glanced out the window for half a second. She paled before turning back to the camera and swallowed in fear. Her mic twitched in her hands before she spoke to it.

“The city below is a smoldering ruin,” Hazel said. Her flat tone showed a hint of fear in her voice. “These dragons or whatever they called themselves have been wrecking buildings. So far, we have seen nobody but dragons below. We know that they are capable of—”

The helicopter shook with Hazel stumbling to the side. She steadied herself, though she paled out of fear. Outside came a couple of thumping noises, like something digging into the metal. The helicopter door behind Hazel groaned before ripping off. She screamed and fell onto the floor. Outside, a yellow and white dragon grabbed onto the top. He snarled before stepping in.

“It-it’s attacking us!”

“I’m not attacking you.” The dragon’s voice silenced everyone within. “I want you to join us.”

The yellow and white dragon slashed Hazel and a couple of people off-camera. Once done, he glared at the camera with such force that he might smash it to bits. He instead flew away toward the ground.

The camera turned to Hazel, who panted and got to her knees. Dark green scales grew on her body, replacing her skin. Her fingernails stretched out and blackened into claws. Her heels split in half from the expanding and extending feet. The camera turned to the pilot, who had torn apart the controls with his claws. The helicopter shook before the live feed fuzzed out.

“As you can see, these pathetic humans are turning into dragons, which are much superior.” The newscaster rubbed his hands-paws together. Beside him stood a couple of anthro dragons, one red and the other black. They all sneered at the camera. “That is the will of our rulers, the ones who will take over this world.” His orange scales glistened in the artificial lights. “It’ll be wiser to submit.

“Don’t you hate it? The artificial lights that aren’t sun or fire? The bland, unboil water? These fancy clothes?” He ripped off what remained of his suit. “How about these pointless machines like that camera there? Don’t you love it when you hear tragedy halfway across the world and are powerless to deal with it?” He slammed his fists onto the desk, shattering it. “The only reason I’m tolerating this humiliation is that I want you humans to know this. We’re coming and turning you all into dragons, whether you like it or not.” He shook his head. “That’s enough. Let’s destroy this building and every bit of this disgusting technology.”

The newscaster lunged at the camera, ending the newsfeed.

The sun crawled up from the horizon, shining dawn of a new era. Beneath the sun, the woodlands and fields remained silent outside the wind. It was as though the area held its breath in anticipation of the changing world.

The ground rumbled in a rhythmic pattern. Any animal around lifted their heads and fled as far as their legs or wings took them. Roaring engines boomed from the hills. The trees shook from the ground shaking harder. Leaves fell and dirt bounced up and down, calling an end to this peaceful land.

Tanks rolled up and over the hills. Their tracks dug deep into the dirt, leaving a trail. The infantry marched alongside them, with some pulling anti-air guns behind. Smaller trees collapsed beneath the incoming force, crushed beneath the boot or tanks. The tank gunners shifted their sights, searching for these dragons.

Supply trucks and more infantry soldiers followed close behind. Much of the infantry soldiers rode on IFVs with surplus ammunition. The soldiers held their guns up, ready for an attack in any direction. Many stared at the sky like fire might rain upon them. More anti-aircraft gunners followed this time on trucks and with artillery close by.

“So, we’re dealing with SOB dragons, eh?” Brigadier General Elliot asked his general through the radio.

“Yes. Based on satellite data, the entire city is FUBAR, along with a couple of close towns and cities,” the general responded. “Son, we’ve planned for everything from zombies to the uprising caused by the girl scouts. Have we got anything in case dragons invade?”

“Um, kind of. We got plans for the possibility of dragons coming out of the earth and trying to scorch the lands. We did not consider the possibility of them turning people into dragons.” Brigadier General Elliot scratched his head before he stood on his jeep. “Speaking of scorching the lands, these dragons are not doing any of the sorts here. No firestorms, no smashed down trees – we’re doing much of that job – nothing.”

“Hmm. Now that you mentioned it, the only wreckage we observed are those made by people. Even then, they tolerate the older designs.” The general paused for a few seconds. “Still, we can use the zombie uprising plan with some modifications. You, Brigade II, are coming to these infernal dragons by the south. We have Brigade I and III coming in by southeast and southwest. We also have an artillery battery force over on the western side. When all Brigade Units are at least ten kilometers away, the battery force will fire a barrage at the dragons.”

“Aren’t you afraid that they’ll hit any remaining civilians?”

“Son, there might not be any civilians in that area. So we have to assume that they all became dragons.”

“Yes, sir.” Brigadier General Elliot glanced upward and blinked. “Uh, sir? Did you call for air support?”

“No. They’re on standby. Why?”

“Shoot!” Brigadier General Elliot adjusted the radio frequency to his troops. “The SOB dragons are attacking! Anti-air, fire!”

The entire brigade stopped and turned to the sky. Above, hundreds of dragons zoomed toward the military forces with their wings folded back. The anti-aircraft aimed and fired at the dragons, their rounds exploding upon impact. Despite that, they kept charging as though the exploding rounds did little to tickle them.

The dragons landed with a crash, with dirt flying all around, forming little craters. Multiple foot soldiers fired with armor-piercing rounds. The bullets did nothing but bounce or sparked off from the dragons’ bodies. Tanks aimed their cannons toward dragons before firing. The round exploded upon impact, with smoke engulfing multiple dragons. Those dragons walked out from the fire with only their tunics damaged. One dragon grinned at the cannon before ripping it off.

The dragons charged through the forces, scratching or biting anyone nearby. The soldiers wheezed or screamed out with scales growing all over their bodies. The entire battlefield became chaotic, with tanks torn apart and clothes ripped apart. One of the remaining soldiers aimed his rifle at his transforming comrade. With tears in his eyes, he fired. The transforming dragon caught the bullet with his transforming hand-paw before crushing it.

“All troops! Retreat to defensive lines!” Brigadier General Elliot adjusted his radio frequency again, back to the central HQ. Just as his jeep spun around, one of his transformed troops approached and gashed at his shoulder. He screamed some more, dropping his radio. “Oh, God!”

“What’s happening over there, son?!” the general asked.

Brigadier General Elliot gripped onto one of the leather seats when his fingernails pierced through. He ripped his nails out, with them already becoming thick white claws. Green scales grew on and up his hands, replacing his skin. Black plate scales spread over his chest and forearms. His steel-toe boots ripped apart from his expanding feet.

“Respond! We’re having similar troubles with I and III!”

Brigadier General Elliot groaned and leaned forward. He clenched his sharpening teeth, with a couple poking out from his lips. Lumps grew behind him, ripping through his uniform. His green and black wings spread out wide and with pride. His tail, ending with a black spike ball, slammed against his seat and ripped through. His nose and mouth moved forward, with the nose stretching wide until they became dots.

“Son, we got reports that the artillery battery is under attack! Fall back!!”

He opened his mouth, his forked tongue rolling out with a flick. His ears shrank until they became dots on the side of his head. His hair hardened into black, spiky, plate-like scales. His blue eyes became slit, glaring at the radio he somehow did not crush. Some of him wanted to with all of his force, but he resisted that urge. Instead, he lifted it against his lips.

“No! It’s too late for that!” The former brigadier general grinned. His voice became silk-like. “Everyone, including me, are now superior dragons! Your pathetic forces are nothing against us!” He imagined what expression the general had at the moment. If he was horrified, that made it a lot better. “It’ll be better if you surrender.”

He crushed the radio until it became shards of nasty plastic and perverted metal. He reached all around the jeep and tore it apart. Meanwhile, having grown a great deal, the dragon force snapped guns apart. Every dragon separated rubber and plastic from steel, gathering them in a huge pile. Once completed, they ringed around the plastic and rubber fire and breathed fire at it. The flames stretched high into the sky, burning everything within the circle until not even ashes remained.

“Such disgusting stuff.”

The sky above screamed out in pain. The dragons turned to the sky and scowled. From a distance, multiple jets clouded the sky, zooming toward them. The dragons flapped their wings until they flew up high. Elliot hovered ahead of the group, glaring at what was ten minutes ago his air support but was now an enemy force.

The jets fired missiles toward them, jetting faster than the jets themselves. The attacks impacted multiple dragons at once, engulfing them in smoke. If the humans piloting the jets cheered for this undeserved victory, it got cut short by every dragon flying out from the smokes. Elliot snarled despite the missiles doing no better damage than the tank shells. He raised his claws and pointed forward.

“All forces!” Elliot said. “Take them down!”

Hundreds of dragons roared out before zooming toward the jets. The jets shifted to avoid the counterattack, but the dragons widened their reach by spreading out. Each jet got its cockpit impacted, with each human dragged out along with their seat. The dragons scratched or bit them all before tossing them to the ground. The humans screamed as they fell, though they transformed in the meantime. They finished changing before they landed, with their wings tearing off their strapped-on seats. They flew back to the air, joining with the rest of the dragons.

Meanwhile, the pilot-less jets crashed violently and turned into dust. The dragons snarled at the crashed jets, with smoke billowing from their lips. Still, the humans’ threat to them and the forest ended, and they gained new metal. They landed, and each carried the steel back to the capitol.

“How are the progress?” King Eisen asked while crossing his legs.

King Eisen sat on his makeshift stone and steel throne with his queen beside him. The metal twisted around him in a flame-like pattern. The stone he sat upon held deep cracks that only held together thanks to steel framing. His queen’s throne held much of the same. They agreed that the thrones needed work but would have to do.

Before them, a red and white dragon kneeled on his knee. The night before, he used to use the username G4M1NGSH4RK, which he thought was silly. After all, no sharks ruled the oceans, while dragons ruled the air and land. He looked back at his former human life with shame, mainly how he raged over meaningless games.

“My king,” the dragon said. “There have been multiple attempts by humans to eradicate us. They used heavier firepower with each new wave, but none proved they could scratch us. So instead of eradicating us, they add to our force with fresh new metals.”

“Excellent.” King Eisen said. He tilted his head. “What is your name?”

“Jules, my king.”

King Eisen and Queen Zoey stood up from their thrones. King Eisen unsheathed his sword, with the dying sunlight glistening it as though it burst into flames. He lay the flat end of the blade on Jules’ right shoulder and then the left. The sword rang when he sheathed it.

“I dub you Sir Jules for your actions,” King Eisen said.

Sir Jules grinned with pride. “Thank you, my king.”

King Eisen nodded. “Any more news?”

“My king, our scouts have been tracking their movements,” Sir Jules answered. He bit into his lips for a second. “From what they told me, they have been acting odd.”

King Eisen and Queen Zoey glanced at each other.

“They don’t seem to be preparing for another attack,” Sir Jules continued. “Instead, they looked as though they’re setting up a perimeter, as though they seek to contain us.” His tail twitched. “I doubt that is what they’re doing since, if the reports are correct, they don’t have nearly as many humans to do so. To me, it feels like they’re watching us.”

“If in fear, then they should.” King Eisen rubbed one of his claws. “In less than twenty-four hours, we took three major cities, eight towns, and twenty individual settlements. They have thrown wave after wave of humans, but we kept growing our sphere of influence.”

“Indeed, my dear,” Queen Zoey said. She rubbed up and down King Eisen’s arm. “They are powerless against us.”

“All the same, I am concerned,” Sir Jules said. He shifted his gaze away. “I don’t know what their—”

“My king!” Sir Roger zipped from the sky and landed next to Sir Jules. He kneeled low while panting. “We got news.”

King Eisen raised an eye. “What is this news that is so important that you interrupted this meeting?”

“My king, we have witnessed new devilry from those humans!” Sir Roger answered. “They fired off rockets.”

Sir Jules flinched in horror. “Rockets?!”

“Yes! Large ones too!”

Sir Roger curled his toes together in fear. As though on cue, the sky screamed above far louder than thunder. Streaks of white zoomed toward the dragon's territory. King Eisen stared at them while tapping against his sword’s pommel.

“What type of rockets are they launching at us?” King Eisen asked.

“I-I don’t know. But I-I’m afraid that they might be those evil n—” The words died in Sir Roger’s throat. He swallowed and said, “Do-do humans truly fear becoming dragons like us?”

“Such absurd thinking that only a human could believe!” Sir Jules spat in disgust. “Don’t they realize the wonders of being a dragon?”

King Eisen spread his arms as though attempting to block the rockets. He held an arrogant grin with his fingers spread apart. Dozens of missiles zoomed toward him and his vassals. Sir Roger steeled himself before closing his eyes. One way or another, this attack marked a turning point.

Each rocket impacted with a massive explosion. The earth shook for hundreds of kilometers away. Lightning struck through the clear sky, which became a sickly red color. Trees burst into flames in an instant, with many more toppled down. Billowing smog rose to great heights seen for hundreds of kilometers.

“Thirty tactical nuclear missiles made impact.”

A group of people in suits sat around a large, round table. Multiple monitors lit up the room in a neon blue all around them. The group's leader, the President of the United States, leaned forward on a table. He held a smug smile on his face.

“Ex-excel-excellent!” the President said. He blinked with every studder. “Now, what wi-will ha-happen to the dr-drake in-infestation?”

“Most likely, wiped out from the face of the earth,” the Speaker of the House answered.

“Most likely?” The Vice President asked. “There’s nothing that withstands a nuclear attack, is there?”

“I’m not worried about that. I’m worried that at least one survived this sterilization,” the Speaker answered. He shook his head. “If so, we must nuke it as soon as possible.”

“Ar-are you su-sure?” The President whispered. He enjoyed whispering for dramatic effect. “If-if so, we-we should fi-fire mo-more this very second.”

“No, Mr. President. We can’t,” the Secretary of Defense said. “We need to discuss it with the other world leaders again. Hell, it took us hours to get to this point. If we fire without notifying them again, it could cause a nuclear war.”

“We already pushed it from firing thirty nukes,” the Speaker added. “And even after we shared videos of those blasted drakes carving through forces, they still think—”

The door crashed open. “Mr. President, sir!” An aide rushed in, white as a ghost. The others turned to him in contempt at his interruption. The aide ignored them and instead slammed a folder on the table. “You need to see this!”

“Can it wait?” The Speaker asked. He frowned at the aide with his eyebrows angling down at his nose. “We are in—”

“We got a satellite view of ground zero!” The aide tapped on the folder. “And it’s bad! Real bad!”

The President opened the folder and pulled photos out of it. He handed them out to the others around the table. The room became silent enough that one could hear the blood flowing through their ears. The Speaker paled and set the image down from his shaking hands.

“It-it can’t be.”

King Eisen walked out from the nuclear fires all around him. Most of the stuff he wore, clothes, armor, and sword sheathe, disintegrated into dust from the blast. He held onto his sword, which survived the explosion without a mark, tight. Not even radiation stuck on his body, bouncing off his scaly body. He frowned and glared at the red sky above.

Queen Zoey walked out from the fires as well. Much like her king, her clothes and armor dissolved into nothing. Her sword survived, which she clung to tight. She stood beside King Eisen and wrapped her hand-paw around his. The two roared out, with it echoing throughout the desaturated land.

One by one, their vassals joined them in a circle. Despite the sheer power of nukes, no dragon died from this attack. Still, they joined their king and queen in roars of rage and grief. The forests burned with any creature within gone. The territory they meant as their capital turned into an irradiation wasteland.

When they finished roaring, King Eisen turned to his vassals. “This land is lost.”

“They meant to kill us all, but we are all still standing,” Sir Jules said. He kneeled to his king and queen. The other dragons joined him. “No dragon died. This proves the superiority of dragons over humans and their infernal technology.”

“Indeed. I felt the blast trying to dissolve me until my bones remained. The radiation tried to burrow through my scales to poison me. The light attempted to burn out my eyes. But I, we, are still standing.” King Eisen raised his sword. “If this is the extend of the human’s will, it is lacking.”

“Yet they proved their willingness to destroy entire lands and leave poison that will last decades to stop us.” Queen Zoey glanced all around the scorched lands. “This cannot last.”

“You are correct, my queen,” King Eisen said. “Here is my decree. We shall launch a counterattack beginning now! Sir Jules, you may rise!”

Sir Jules stood as his king demanded. He pressed a close fist against his chest and bowed in a salute. The king and queen returned the greeting with their wings hung high. A second passed before all three stood up straight. From Sir Jules’s angle, his king and queen towered over him and the rest like giants.

“Your mission is to locate any of those infernal nukes and any weapon just as dangerous,” King Eisen ordered. “You are to lead a squad to convert any humans in those stations and destroy those weapons.”

“Yes, my king.” Sir Jules pressed his fist harder against his chest.

“Lady Pauline, you may rise.”

Lady Pauline, a golden-white dragon, stood. She saluted her king and queen, who returned the gesture. She inhaled; her body, from red eyes to toes, shook with rage.

“Your mission is to plan an invasion to the other continents,” King Eisen ordered. “Cut through their supply chain, destroy their weapons, and turn every last of them into dragons. We need to disable their attempts at launching their nukes at us.”

“Tis a shame that they won’t surrender and join us as the superior species, my king and queen,” Lady Pauline said. The other dragons nodded in agreement. “Don’t they realize how futile it is to resist?”

“Even so, they’ll fight until their deaths.” King Eisen said. His tail twitched behind him. “And it shall be, but of the body instead of soul.”

“Yes, my king.” Lady Pauline bowed before Eisen. “Your will shall be done.”

“Good.” King Eisen turned to the blood-red sky and raised his sword high. “I swear upon my blood that we’ll avenge this destruction. The dawn of the dragons has come. We will convert the humans while destroying their tainted technology. And we dragons will take over this world!”

All of the dragons stood up and raised their fists high. They howled loud and long enough that the ground shook. King Eisen lowered his sword down until it pointed forward. His vassals spread their wings wide before flying into the sky.

“The humans will know this before the week ends,” King Eisen said. He curled his arm behind Queen Zoey’s shoulders. “This is the twilight of the human race.”

“OK. This is totally stupid, but I might as well try it out.”

A lady with the username VixenJane walked through an empty street with a smartphone. She aimed it all around, streaming to hundreds of people on her streaming channel. She pointed its camera at people running out to their cars, but usually she aimed it at the sky.

“Yeah, like, a couple of hours ago, we got the news that the dragons, or drakes as our leaders insisted we call them, are flying to our city. Crazy, I know.” She shrugged at the camera while having a cheeky grin. “It became, like, totally chaotic. It didn’t help by how we hadn’t heard from city hall on how to evacuate. But do you want to know the scary about all of this?” She aimed her smartphone at a guy trying to drag his couch to his car. “When a couple of dudes went to city hall, they, like, found the place deserted. Apparently, they got advance word about those drakes and snuck out. Crazy, I know.”

At that point, the stream chat became flooded with emotes, most horrified or angry ones. Despite this betrayal, VixenJane smiled as though she talked about making Japanese pancakes. She strutted along the road, streaming families getting into their cars.

“To think that this was, like, totally boring a week ago,” VixenJane said. “But then we got the news that those drakes appeared and took over, like, an entire region. And then the place literally got nuked, but those drakes walked out as though it was like a summer shower. And now, two days after that nuking stuff, they’ve been taking entire states. I heard they have already taken over most of Canada and part of the United States’ western coast. Like, that’s crazy. How—”

Before VixenJane completed her sentence, an air alarm blared throughout the city. The chaos before devolved into madness as though possessed. VixenJane turned back to the guy dragging his couch. He strapped it somewhat on before scrambling into his car. He backed up, which knocked the sofa off the vehicle in the process. Instead of trying to get it back on, he drove on with the engine roaring.

The chat itself became a mix of laughing and scared emotes. VixenJane giggled at that before she turned to the sky. She gasped and took a step back. The chat itself became a mix of a skull and scared emotes.

Above, a cloud of drakes zoomed toward the city. Dozens of them smashed through the tall buildings, with shards of glass and steel flying everywhere. Many more landed on the streets or top of cars. The city echoed with screams and panic.

VixenJane dropped her jaw at how many drakes came. Each one emitted an aura of power that tore apart entire cities. More emotes appeared in the stream chat, with the view count rising by the dozens. She panted in wonder and fear.

“O-oh, lord. I never imagined it would be anything like this.” VixenJane streamed one drake tearing apart a car. “They-they are tearing apart our stuff, but why? Like, what did they—”

A drake landed in front of her with such force that knocked her to her rear. She gasped while widening her eyes. This drake towered over the others with thick muscles all over his body. His red cotton shirt and brown pants strained to contain his muscles. His armor shone in the sunlight. He turned to VixenJane with orange eyes before his lips curled into a grin.

“What are you doing, girl?” The drake asked. VixenJane flinched and wiggled back. While word came that these drakes talked if they wanted to, it shook her to her core. He bent down to one knee, which did little to hide how huge this dark slate blue with deep ruby purple drake was. “Well?”

“I-I heard that you were, like, coming,” VixenJane admitted. “I-I wanted to show as many people as possible what it’s literally like to witness this.”

“You are showing our actions through that infernal piece of technology?” The drake asked. He waited until she nodded. “Why, you are a silly girl. But then, what can I expect from you humans? You see an invading force, and what do you do? Record it instead of trying to get away or help. Still,” the drake rubbed his chin, “you can perform one service with that.”

“Wh-wh—”

Before VixenJane could finish asking, the drake grabbed her smartphone. He flipped it over while not laying a single scratch on it. He smirked before aiming it at VixenJane. She blinked in confusion.

“Hear me, humans who are watching this,” the drake said. The chat viewers climbed higher, reaching eight thousand and rising. “I am King Eisen, the ruler of dragons. My goal is simple: ruling over the world while converting you humans to my cause.” King Eisen reached for VixenJane and scratched her chin. “Watch what happens.”

VixenJane flinched while rubbing her chin. To her surprise, no blood came out despite how deep it was. Instead, it felt rough, like dried-up skin. She turned to her hands and gasped at the black scales growing on her hands. Her middle and ring fingers fused into one. Her fingernails blackened while thickening. The black scales moved up her arms, and orange plating formed on her forearms.

Her sneakers stretched from her changing feet, from how her five toes fused into three to her toenails stretching longer and thicker. Her feet also stretched longer, straining her sneakers until they burst apart. VixenJane gasped at the black scales moving up her legs, replacing her skin.

When they reached her elbows and knees, the scales became orange. White plating scales covered much of her torso. Bumps grew behind her on her back and rear. They ripped through her midriff shirt and short jeans like nothing. The wings, with orange scales and white membrane, spread out wider than her arms’ reach. Her tail, ending with a white arrowhead tip, ripped through the asphalt like clay.

“Wh-what?” VixenJane widened her eyes more. “I-I, like, heard no-nothing about this!”

“I’m not surprised,” King Eisen said. He grinned with pride. “But now, I can show the whole world of my quest.”

Before VixenJane could ask about that, her nose and mouth moved forward. Her nose stretched wider until they became dots above her beak-like lips. A black horn grew just above the nose. White and orange scales grew over her head, shedding off her long pink hair. A pair of black horns grew on her head, jagged like a lightning bolt. VixenJane glanced over her body with wonder.

She turned to King Eisen and kneeled before him. “My king.”

“My vassal,” King Eisen said.

The stream chat became chaotic, with any mods powerless to bring order. Emotes flew all around, most shocked, but a few hearts appeared as well. King Eisen glanced at the screen before flipping the smartphone to face him.

“As you saw, I can turn all of you humans into dragons.” King Eisen turned it so it faced the entire neighborhood. Dozens of humans of all ages transformed into dragons at that moment. “All dragons have that gift. I will tell you this: this fate is destined for all of you humans.” He turned the smartphone back at VixenJane. “What is your name?”

“Jane, my king,” Jane answered. “Like, this is totally awesome. I never thought that this was what I always wanted in life. To think I wasted my time streaming myself like my body is for sale. Ugh. Technology like that is, like, a total brain drain.”

“Indeed, Jane.” King Eisen flipped the smartphone back at him. “Believe me; it’ll be better off with you all as dragons. You humans are weak. You cannot fly under your power. Your strength is limited. And your flesh is weak that the slightest cut can draw blood. A dragon is strong! We can fly high into the sky! We can rip apart the strongest steel! And not even nukes could singe us!

“Do not fear this fate! Accept it! It is your destiny!”

With his speech done, King Eisen crushed the smartphone into dust.

King Eisen stood on top of a cliff while crossing his arms. Behind, hundreds of tents stood up with most of his dragons within them. His purple cape flowed behind him with golden weaving in a pattern of dragon flames. His armor bore an engraving of a flying dragon with a star above it; he deemed it his mark. He adjusted the golden crown on top of his helmet, with its purple gems shining in the sunlight.

His queen, Zoey, stood beside him while setting her hand-paw on his shoulder. Her blue long-sleeve shirt with a purple shirt held golden flame-like patterns on them. Her armor glistened like a night’s star in a day. She, too, wore a golden crown on her helmet, studded with purple gems as well.

Sir Roger stepped toward the two before kneeling. “My king.”

“My vassal, Sir Roger.” King Eisen turned around. “Any updates?”

“In our progress in taking over the United States, we have gone as far south as New Mexico and east as Colorado,” Sir Roger answered. “That makes a third of the mainland US territory ours. We also received word from Lady Pauline. She crossed over from Alaska and made a base in Russia's far east. She is making plans on taking over the Asia continent as we speak.”

“Any updates on Sir Jules?” King Eisen asked.

“Yes. He has located all of the mainland US nukes and disabled them. He plans to find more in the American continents before heading to Europe for their nuclear supplies.”

“Impressive work after five days,” Queen Zoey said. She turned around as well, facing him. “And your team?”

“It has been going well.” Sir Roger shifted his eyes out of disgust and disappointment.

King Eisen became thoughtful. “What do you think of these human leaders?”

“What do I think?” Sir Roger snarled. “They are a bunch of dirty cowards. They talk big, but when trouble comes in, they flee like weaklings. To think that, when I was a human, I thought some of them were decent folks.”

King Eisen nodded. “Very good. You have served me well.”

“You have chosen excellent sub-commanders. I just organized effective communications between the forces like doing logistic support like supplies.” Sir Roger lowered his head. “I have yet to conquer myself.”

“No. You have done something far better,” Queen Zoey said. Sir Roger blinked and lifted his head. “You may be here instead of leading an invasion, but your efforts are invaluable.”

“Indeed.” King Eisen pulled out his sword. “If it weren’t for you, the dragon kingdom wouldn’t have grown so big so quickly. Such efforts should be rewarded.” He stabbed his sword into the ground. “Grab onto my hilt.”

Sir Roger hesitated before he grabbed it. King Eisen patted him on the shoulders three times each. Roger blinked, feeling a power flowing through him from his king. When he breathed out, instead of fire, electricity came out. King Eisen smiled and bowed his head to Sir Roger.

“From this day forward, you will be known as Baron Roger, the lightning dragon,” King Eisen said. Baron Roger gasped and turned to him. “May your family line never lose the wisdom you carry even a thousand generations later.”

Baron Roger smiled with pride before he stood up. “I won’t let you down, my king.”

“Excellent.” King Eisen sniffed and frowned. A high-pitched roar came from above, something that they all thought was no more. The three turned to the morning sky above in confusion. In the air, a missile zoomed in their direction. “What is the meaning of this?”

“I-I swear we got them all!” Baron Roger stepped close to the cliffside. “How did we miss one?”

Queen Zoey frowned. “That isn’t a nuclear missile. It’s a drone.”

The drone landed twenty feet behind the three. Despite the speed and force, it did not explode. Baron Roger sprinted over to the drone with pure panic written all over his face. Hundreds of other dragons exited their tents in confusion over the noise.

As soon as Baron Roger lay his hand-paw on the drone, it snapped open. Within held dozens of paperwork, with the topmost one stabled together. He grabbed the top one and flipped through the pages. His fear by the second got replaced by pure rage.

“The nerve of those humans!” Baron Roger growled deep with electricity flowing from his mouth.

“What is it?” King Eisen approached while lowering his arms. “What did they send?”

Baron Roger glared at the paperwork. “It says, ‘We of the United States of America government, on behalf of the President, set forth these documents to the drakes’ leader.’” He snarled at the world ‘drakes,’ with the other dragons showing their outrage. “‘We at this moment proclaim surrender to you. All of our forces received orders to stand down.

“‘In exchange for this surrender, we ask that, upon turning us into dragons, we serve as your sub-leaders. We can provide the best advice for you on dealing with the world's other major powers. We know whom you can trust and whom you should ignore. We also sent you documents on where all nuclear arsenals are stored by ourselves, our allies, and our enemies.

“‘Upon this acceptance, we can serve and rule together.’ Listed underneath and on the next page are signatures starting with the President!”

“Did-did I hear that right?”

“They lost their spark fast.”

“But they betrayed their kind and asked to be leaders in turn! How can we trust them?!”

“I knew that the human leaders were so scared that they fled, abandoning those they are meant to represent, but this?!” Baron Roger spat on the ground. “This is repulsive!”

King Eisen held his hand up. The chatter died down with all eyes toward him. He stepped forward and accepted the document from Baron Roger. His orange eyes burned with rage as he read through it, hotter than any fire could produce.

“If these are the leaders the humans elected, it’s no wonder they have become stagnant.” King Eisen turned to Queen Zoey. She stood there, frozen and yet burning with rage. After a few seconds, she nodded to him. King Eisen nodded back before stuffing it underneath his armor. “Such repulsive behavior. I don’t reward those because they feel entitled to it.” Disgruntlement grew on his vassals. “Let’s give them a reward that they deserve!”

The king and queen’s subjects cheered and raised their fists. They spread out their wings and took to the sky. King Eisen joined them, followed by Queen Zoey and Baron Roger. They headed toward the east, where the sun rose. The two dragon rulers’ crowns glowed as though they had burst into a golden fire. A few dragons remained, packing up the camping zone.

The drone, with the nuclear documents, lay there alone and abandoned.

“Breaking news!” A newscaster said. Despite the air-conditioning set, she sweated with fear. “At this moment, the drakes landed in the national capital! What's more, we believe the drake’s leaders are among them!” An image popped up beside her. It displayed two drakes towering over the other drakes like giants. They wore crowns on their heads and held engraving on their chest plates. “They landed before the United States Capitol and pulled out all the politicians, including the President. Eyewitnesses say that our nation’s leaders did not resist for some reason. We’re going live on-site with Amber. Amber, you’re up.”

“Well, the drakes are taking the nation’s leaders out toward the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool,” Amber said. She shook in fear as though within range of a nuclear blast. “Just earlier, their leader briefly stepped into the Lincoln Memorial before stepping out. Why he did so, we cannot tell at this moment.”

A wind blew by. It almost knocked Amber off of her feet. Her red dress and brown hair fluttered with the breeze. She turned to the Reflecting Pool and froze, her body turning white. There, the leaders lay on their knees all around the pool itself. At that point, their certain calmness broke, and they almost broke into a panic. However, the drakes pulling out their swords kept them frozen in place.

At one end of the pool, two towering drakes held their swords to the sky.

“Hear me!” The male of the two cried out. “Here me, subjects of the capitol, for I am King Eisen, ruler of the dragons! I stand with my queen, Queen Zoey, to bring you news. Though your infernal technology repulsed me, I will tolerate it to send you my message! It is a message for the United States people and the entire world!

“Kneeling before us are your nation’s leaders. Though they held human flesh, beneath it all are traitorous snakes! Yesterday, these so-called leaders sent a message through a drone!”

King Eisen pulled out papers from his breastplate.

“Written here are the terms of surrender that your ‘leaders’ sent us! However, that alone did not bring us here in wrath! Within the drone, as detailed here, are documents of not only this nation’s nukes but also their allies and enemies! In exchange, they demanded to be dragons as sub-leaders!”

One of the politicians jumped up, but the drake forced him back down.

“Let this be a message! I will not tolerate your cowardice leadership which abandoned their people anymore! I will not tolerate such brazen demands for power from snakes that did not deserve it! And I will not tolerate seeing you humans backstab each other! Know this! The Age of Humans is in its twilight years! The dawn of dragons has begun! Humans will convert to dragons, and we shall cleanse this world! Starting here.”

King Eisen lowered his sword.

“Behead them.”

“Cut back. Cut back, cut back, cut back!”

It went back to the newscaster, who sweated bullets. Her face paled in horror. She wiped her brow of her sweat, though it did little. She turned to the camera.

“Well, that was—”

The power went out in the broadcasting station before she completed her sentence. The emergency power went on, giving the area a reddish glow. The newscaster turned around in fear. Panic built up with everyone talking at once.

The doors ripped open with several drakes rushing in. They scratched or bit a person before moving on. One, a yellow and white drake, struck her at the side. She fell on her rear. Her face turned white with her eyes wide.

“No! I don’t want it! I hate—”

Red scales grew where she received her scratch. She got up, but her expanding feet broke her heels. She fell on her face and winced in pain. Her developing claws pierced through the floor.

She lifted her head, which revealed her slitted yellow eyes. Her hair grew long and black, becoming scale-like. Bumps grew on her back and rear before ripping through her dress. Her tail, red with a black tip, pierced through the wall set before knocking it down. Her wings spread out wide, and she flapped them to get back on her feet-paws. Her ears shrank to dots with silver curved horns growing above them. Her nose and mouth stretched forward into a snout, with her nose becoming dots. Her forked tongue came out, rubbing against her long fangs.

“Oh, this is MUCH better than I expected!” The former newscaster grinned. She checked her arms, which held thick black plating on her forearms and shoulders. She turned to the disgusting, phony news set and glared out. “Ugh! This place repulses me!”

She joined the others, tearing down the building.

Three months went by.

Three months of invading and conquering humans. Three months of turning humans into superior dragons. Three months tearing down ugly buildings and replacing them with beautiful ones. Three months of wrecking down heathen technology. Three months of hunting down craven human leaders and executing them.

King Eisen thought back to those three months with pride. Beside him, as ever, stood his queen with her arm around his own. He stood above a balcony, watching millions of dragons in his castle’s garden. Behind him set seven dragons.

King Eisen inhaled and said, “Hear me, my vassals!” The dragons broke out into a cheer that lasted for several seconds. “Hear me! Three months ago, our conquest of the world began! We spread out, transforming any humans and killing anyone who is a craven or a traitor! We went over land and sea, searching the deepest pits and highest mountains. All so we dragons replaced the weak humans!

“Today, our conquest is complete!”

The crowd cheered louder, almost deafening. Queen Zoey turned to him and smiled while rubbing his cheek. He smiled back before turning to his vassals.

“Now is the time we bring in peace!” King Eisen gestured to the seven dragons behind him. “And here we have the seven who helped organize or lead our conquest of the world!” They all stood up with dignity. “Today, we give rewards over what they did!”

The seven dragons walked beside their king and queen. King Eisen and Queen Zoey pulled out their swords. They tapped on the seven three times on each shoulder and once on the head. Once they completed this ritual, they sheathed their swords.

“I want you to cheer for Prince Roger of the Lightning Continent, Prince Jules of the Fire Continent, Princess Nora of the Frozen Continent, Princess Pauline of the Wind Continent, Prince Elliot of the Forest Continent, Princess Scarlett of the Desert Continent, and Prince Luca of the Water Continent!”

The dragon cheered louder for all seven of them. Prince Roger smiled at King Eisen, who smiled back. All seven dragon princes or princesses bowed down. Two dragons came in, each carrying a flag bearing King Eisen’s mark. They stood beside the king and queen and waited.

King Eisen’s raised both hand-paws to the air. “May this kingdom last for ten thousand years!”

“Almost done,” Caleb said. He drew sketches on a canvas, sometimes poking his head from behind it. “I got to get your best side here.”

King Eisen sat upon his marble throne, which the artist Caleb was drawing along with Queen Zoey and a pair of guards. Multiple color lights shone upon them, with the dome above having stained glass. A great fire burned at the center of this great hall. Tall tapestries hung down the walls bearing the kingdom’s mark.

“Good,” King Eisen said. He could not help but smirk at the throne he sat upon. Unlike his lovely queen, who sat on a duplicate, he found this during the Washington DC visit. It once held a stone figure, but he tore it off and made it his own. It fit his large size, not to mention very becoming of a kingly figure such as King Eisen. “The entire world will know.”

“Oh, yes.” Caleb rubbed back his orange hair-fur. His body held orange scaly fur with his tunic straining to contain his belly. He made a few more sketches before he nodded. “Done with the sketch!”

“Excellent.” King Eisen nodded before he relaxed. “Same time tomorrow?”

“Oh, of course. Anything for—”

The large wooden doors slammed open before the group. King Eisen lifted his head toward this intruder in confusion and annoyance. The others turned in that direction as well. King Eisen blinked for a couple of seconds before he stood up.

“I know you,” King Eisen said.

“I would be surprised if you didn’t.” The purple cloak figure chuckled for a few seconds. He spread out his arms before he hovered toward King Eisen. He hovered over the great fire without harm coming to him. The dragon guards pointed their spears at him, but King Eisen held his palm toward them. The figure stopped and landed within twenty feet of King Eisen. “You did a fantastic job taking over this world. A much better job than I anticipated.”

“Excuse me?” Caleb tilted his head at this figure. “Who are you?”

“I’m glad you ask.”

The figure pulled off his hood and cloak, revealing his body. His blue and red feathery wings spread out behind him. His triangular ears, black with red inners, twitched. He wagged his five tails, blue with red tips and black between them. He raised his hand-paw, and a purple orb formed above it.

“Call me Fëanor, the one who will become god!”

“Uh, huh.” King Eisen leaned in closer. “You’re not a dragon.”

“I’m glad that you notice.” Fëanor smirked with his green eyes shining. “I am known as a kitsune. In fact, I am a kitsune mage!” He held his other hand-paw out, and a gray with green gemstones staff appeared before it. “You can all attack me, but it will do you no good. Only you and your ‘queen’ could scratch me.”

King Eisen furrowed his brows. “You will treat my queen with respect.”

“If you insist,” Fëanor said. His tone suggested otherwise. “Though you should be giving me your thanks. You wouldn’t be here with the entire world under your heel if it weren't for me.” He produced another purple sphere, which he gazed at with love. “I’m still impressed with what you did in Washington DC. The pool was so red by the end. Such beauty.”

Queen Zoey stood up and went beside her king. “State your reason for being here and be gone!”

“Oh? Is that how you should treat your god?” Fëanor reached out to Caleb and grabbed him by the forearm. He shot out black lighting from it as he grinned. Caleb’s hand-paw shifted, with the scaly fur receding and replaced by skin. Caleb gasped and tugged away. Fëanor smirked before letting go. Caleb fell on the ground, his scaly fur returning to that arm. “I could always return my gift. I was toying with the idea. Imagine the chaos that would cause.” His expression became dream-like. “You will all turn back to pitiful humans. But it’ll be much worse than that, for, you see, your infrastructure and society survived this long because of the magic flowing within you. Despite your size, you don’t need much food or drink. Diseases would need decades to affect you. Travel isn’t much of a necessity for food and supplies. As dragons, you can tolerate it, but if I turned you all back.” He grinned wider. “At least three-fourths of you will perish before the two-year mark.”

The various dragons within the great hall turned to each other in fear. Whispers hissed out like a snake. King Eisen frowned and crossed his arms. His tail slammed against the floor for silence. The whispering stopped.

“OK, ‘god.’” King Eisen narrowed his eyes. “Are you going to do it?”

“Oh? Why, no.” Fëanor chuckled while shaking his head. His long, red hair-fur swayed with the motions. “I thought of something much better. In fact, I realized it after I saw you all survived those nukes.”

King Eisen growled along with every dragon; the nuking of their old territory, which remained uninhabited, burned in their memories.

“Truth be told, only you were meant to survive it, ‘king.’” Fëanor sneered in glee. “I never imagined that the spell could allow every other dragon to survive. That is an accident on my part, but a happy accident. Because that gave me an idea.”

“Get to the point or leave,” King Eisen said. His hand-paw twitched to his sword.

“Oh? You should learn to be patient with your god.” Fëanor dismissed the purple orbs before he stared into King Eisen’s eyes. “After all, what kind of god would I be if I didn’t have an army?”

Queen Zoey snorted. “An army? For what? We have already taken over this world.”

“Yes. This world. But I am not of this world.” Fëanor chuckled for a few seconds. “I am from another, where I struggle to claim godhood from the weak and unworthy ones. Just think: an unstoppable army of dragons! My rivals will fall before me!”

“Uh-huh.” King Eisen rolled his eyes. “And if we decline?”

“You won’t have a choice.”

Fëanor snapped his hand-paw.

The two guards pointed their spears at the king and queen. Their eyes glowed a sickly green. King Eisen frowned before glaring at Fëanor.

“Do you really think I wouldn’t add a safeguard that would allow me to force you to obey my every command?” He waved his hand-paws, and the guards’ eyes stopped glowing green. They blinked in confusion before stepping back in horror. Whispering came back throughout the chamber. “The time is not ripe enough for an army. Not yet. And the few enemies I could use you against would easily overwhelm you. So, you’re free to act as you please. But when I call, you will answer. For I will become a god!”

Dark tendrils spread up beneath Fëanor’s feet-paws, engulfing him. He laughed long and hard. The darkness disappeared with him also gone, but his laughter still echoed.

The other dragons turned to King Eisen, who glared at where Fëanor stood. He clenched his fist tight, which shook. Queen Zoey reached out and rubbed his cheek. It calmed him down, but by a bit.

“W-what shall we do?” Caleb asked. He rubbed his forearm that Fëanor gripped on as though his taint remained. “He-he looks too powerful for us if what he said is true.”

King Eisen closed his eyes for several seconds. He tapped on the ground in deep thought. Brass gears turned within his head, searching for an idea. He snapped open his eyes and marched back to his throne.

“Not of this world,” King Eisen said. He tapped against the marble throne’s arm. “I wonder.”

“My king?” Queen Zoey asked.

King Eisen lifted his head and sighed. “I have an idea. It may be fruitless, but we must try. For all of dragonkind.”

“My king?”

King Eisen spun around with his purple cape flowing around him. “If there are other worlds out there, maybe we can find refuge in one of them. Hopefully, this ‘god’ will not be able to locate us if we escape from this rock.”

“My king!” Queen Zoey gasped along with the other dragons. “Are-are you suggesting what I think you’re suggesting?”

“Yes.” King Eisen sat on his throne. “We shall make an exodus from this world and find another where he can’t find us. Maybe find a way to remove this safeguard he placed on us.”

“But-but we don’t know how!” Queen Zoey went to King Eisen and kneeled before him. “How can we travel through other universes?”

“I don’t know.” King Eisen smiled at her. “But since this ‘god’ proved it was possible, we can find a way. Everyone!” He turned to the entire chamber. “Alert all of my Princes and Princesses! Get them to gather the brightest of us to research this traveling magic! Then we can plan out a way to escape!”

“Yes, my king!”

The other dragons bowed before him before rushing out. Once they left, King Eisen lowered his head as though holding a heavy weight. Queen Zoey lifted his chin, causing the two to stare at each other for several seconds.

“Will you travel with me?” King Eisen asked.

“If it means going to the end of the universe? Of course.”

The two leaned forward until they kissed each other.