Prologue

The starry night sky seemed not to end. Troy looked at the stars and moons orbiting the Mundus. The two moons look like they could collide anytime, yet it's amazing how they keep crossing each other without causing an explosion.

"Do you like stars?" troy looked around to answer his companion's question.

"Not really. The stars just seem so lonely. Don't you think, Filos?" Filos thought for a second but wasn't sure how to describe his argument.

"Maybe they are, maybe they aren't. Does it affect their vastness and beauty"

Troy thought Filos had some credibility with his logic.

"Sure. Let's sleep for now. Tomorrow is an important day after all."

"You sleep as well, Troy. I have seen you staying awake the other night."

How could troy sleep when his mother was coughing blood without any stop? He left the fields in the care of his younger brother, but he kept stressing the crop's safety and his mother's health. There was nothing even the best doctor in his town could do to cure her.

He sought help from doctors all over the Bongnolia country. But there was nothing the medicine could do. Even Filos's sister, who studied in Doceredon, said, "You could try looking for Dr. Alexander, the head of the Doctors Academy of Deceredon."

"How can I convince Dr. Alexander to come to see my mother?" Troy locked his eyes with Felicia.

"I have sent him a letter already. But you need to meet with him to give your mother blood so he can test the antidote."

Felicia sighed, "But I doubt even he would have a cure for your mother."

Even though Felicia might be right, Troy had to try, and that was the only thing he could think of to do for his mother.

It was hard to sleep with all of his thoughts tumbling around in his mind.

But his thought never stopped. What if the antidote didn't work. What if he had to see his mother die cruelly, coughing blood non-stop, and he would keep standing there unable to do anything.

He tried to sleep to fend his worries off. Then he remembered what the chief said to him before he left for Doceredon.

"Only that beast can help me now." he thought, remembering what the town chief said.

The chief is respected in their town, but Troy sometimes thinks the old man is senile. After all, only a senile would believe in magic and powerful beasts of unfathomable strength. But the chief led the town with peace for longer than he could remember.

"Troy, I know it will be hard for you to hear what I am about to say. But you must listen and do as I tell you."

Troy didn't want to hear about the "10 mighty dragons of the Mundus" again. After hearing a story a thousand times, things tend to get boring. But he knew he had to hear regardless. No other resident of the town was as knowledgeable.

The room both of them were talking in was the chief study room. The room was filled with paintings of dragons. There were different types of dragons drawn. One breathing fire and one breathing ice. One painting surrounded a dragon with mountains. There was also a majestic-looking dragon flying around a thunderstorm. Troy thought the painter must be talented in imagining such outstanding creatures out of thin air. The amount of detail put in those painting is astonishingly real. But troy knew better than to believe in them.

"I don't believe that some magical beast can cure my mother. Magic is for scaring kids and making them go to sleep. Believing boogie monster is far past my age." Troy refuted but knew the chief would not budge from his position.

"Yet it's true. You must believe the dragons exist, and they can help you. The healing dragon will be able to cure your mother without an inkling of doubt. But it only appears to those who truly are in desperate need of its help and seek to find it."

Chief took a purple stone from one of the drawers on his table.

Chief tried to hand Troy a stone with a purple hue. "Hold this"

"I don't have time for this. I am going to 'Doceredon' to get the antidote from Dr. Alexander, the best doctor there. I believe there is where I will find real help.

The chief didn't seem to care what Troy was saying. As if the chief already knew that the antidote wouldn't work, and he already had given up on the chance of the doctors succeeding.

"Catch" while throwing the stone at Troy, he bid goodbye, "I know you have done well in life even though you are young, but sometimes you should just listen to your elders, Kid."

Troy knew the chief meant well. The chief always cared about Troy among the other kids since he was young.

"The stone will guide you there. You may not believe in magic, but science will answer your question. The stone will support you when you stand against the dragons."

Troy was confused to hear the Chief say such cryptic words. But his confusion cleared when the purple stone flashed crimson red! But Troy did not believe that magic exists because a stone can change its color out of thin air.

"I know you can become a dragon tamer!" the chief went to his bedroom after saying the most ridiculous thing that day.

"WHAT! I told you I don't believe in dragons." Before he could protest, Filos came to tell him their carriage was ready to depart.

"What are you waiting for? Dr. Alexander isn't going to come to us!"

Without finding anything else to say to Chief, he bid his goodbye.

"Be Kind, Troy. As you always have been." The Chief shouted from his room.

After getting some sleep while dreaming of his departure from his hometown, he woke up to see the sun shine brighter than before. There is no sign of heavy rain that happened a few hours yesterday, which caused Troy to make camp in the middle of nowhere.

The sky is more clear than it has been in the last few days. Troy felt he could reach the Doceredon country without any hitches.

Felicia told him to go to the Doctors Academy of Doceredon and look for Lisa, a friend of Felicia's. They studied together at the academy.

"We should get back on it."

Troy urged his companion to load the bags and keep moving for Doceredon. They were only one day away from the country of doctors. Although it won't be easy to get to the center of the Doceredon country, Troy is ready to do anything for his mother.

They had to reach the center of Doceredon as fast as possible without getting stuck in the outer country. Even though there is a lot of security, the letter from Felicia should help them get past the guards. An alumnus from the great Doctors Academy of Doceredon should take them to the center city without much hassle. There is no time to waste if he has the slightest chance that Dr. Alexander might cure his mother.

Troy and Filos started on the road. Their horses seemed to understand their urgency and went with equal vigor toward the land of Doctors. At this pace, they should be able to reach the outer country by sunset and take a break in a tavern in the outer region of Doceredon.

Suddenly Filos looked toward Troy with squinted eyes. Troy wasn't sure what made Filos act like that. As if to answer Troy's curiosity, Filos said,

"Troy, do you feel a tremor?" Troy was confused at Filos's remark. Why would they feel a tremor without any apparent reason?

"Do you feel an earthquake?" even though Troy didn't feel anything yet, he asked the question anyway.

"This is different." Filos determined there wasn't an earthquake; instead, it was some other kind of vibration. What could be even more dangerous than an earthquake and could create a tremor, Troy didn't know the answer to that question. He felt a strange gust of wind even though the sky was clear. But making Troy a liar, a huge billow could be seen coming toward Troy and Filos.

Filos stated in a hesitant voice, "I never have such dark clouds before. But they seem different than clouds."

Suddenly there was a huge shadow. Everything turned dark. As if the sun was eaten whole by something so huge that it was unfathomable. They had to reach the country of Doceredon without a halt. Then why did something unexpected have to happen now? Troy thought to himself.

But then Filos said something so ridiculous that he wanted to vanish. He didn't like to acknowledge what Filos was saying, which would make all his life nothing but a lie. But he knew his eyes wouldn't betray and show him the truth.

"Look, Troy, it's a Dragon!" Filos pointed towards the billow.

It seems like fate has something else for them.